Rock Valley, Iowa — A Canton, South Dakota man was injured Wednesday afternoon in a one-vehicle accident about three miles southeast of Rock Valley.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office says 68-year old Verle O’Connell of Canton was driving a 2004 International 9200 semi‐tractor pulling a grain trailer northbound on Garfield Avenue. O’Connell stated he fell asleep which caused his vehicle to enter the west ditch, then continued into a field, striking a field terrace.

O’Connell was transported to Hegg‐Memorial Hospital by the Rock Valley Ambulance for treatment of his injuries.

The semi‐tractor sustained approximately $3,000 in damages.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Rock Valley Fire Department and Rock Valley Ambulance.

Des Moines, Iowa – For the second time in five years, a northwest Iowa legislator has proposed docking the pay of Iowa Supreme Court justices, then tabled his plan before a vote could be taken. Representative Dwayne Alons, a Republican from Hull, is a critic of the court’s 2009 ruling that paved the way for same-sex marriage in Iowa.

(as said) “We are standing on the sideline allowing the rule of law to be, basically, ignored and we’re allowing an oligarchy type of situation to rule and to reign in this state,” Alons said.

Representative Tom Shaw, a Republican from Laurens, says the legislature has failed to keep the court “in check” after that 2009 same-sex marriage ruling.

(as said) “What we have here, when we have failed to maintain the checks and balances, we have almost a constitutional crisis here,” Shaw said. “We have a court that says we have the power to do this because we say we have the power.”

Shaw says legislators have an “obligation” to act, but Alons voluntarily tabled his proposal to dock the justices’ pay before the House could vote on it Thursday afternoon.

(as said) “I believe this vehicle to do this is not exactly the right way to attack it,” Alons said.

Alons did not say what avenue he might pursue in the future. Alons and Shaw made their comments during House debate of a bill that outlines spending plans for the judicial branch of state government. The House approved the bill by an overwhelming 91 to three vote.

Oklahoma City, OK — A pickup reported stolen last month from the parking lot at Te Slaa trucking, two miles west of Hull — has been recovered.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that this past Wednesday evening (5/1),the pickup, stolen between April 15th and 20th was located in Oklahoma City, OK.

Sioux County officials report that the Oklahoma City Police Department arrested 20-year-old Christopher Muscsik of Volga, SD in connection with the vehilce theft.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office continues their investigation of the theft with the assistance from the Oklahoma City Police Department Auto Theft unit.

Orange City, Iowa — A Spencer man has been arrested and faces a sex abuse charge.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Friday, April 26, their deputies arrested 21-year-old James Blair of Spencer.

The arrest stemmed from a sex abuse complaint that the Sheriff’s Office received on Tuesday, April 16.

Upon further investigation, Blair was arrested and charged with 3rd degree sex abuse in regard to an  incident that involved a 15-year-old girl.

The Family Crisis Centers of Northwest Iowa are going to have a fundraiser on June 8, and they need some volunteers. Called “The Muddy Titan,” it’s an athletic event where everyone gets muddy. It is full of fun obstacles and participants pay a registration fee which benefits Family Crisis Centers. It’ll be at Sandy Hollow in Sioux Center. Volunteers are needed from 3 to 7 PM. Volunteer opportunities include; concessions, parking, registration, water stations, and event monitoring. Volunteers get a free meal and T-shirt for volunteering. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer; please contact Carol at 712 – 722 – 4404 or fcccarol@familycrisiscenters.org.

Carnes, Iowa — A California man was arrested on Sunday (4/21) near Alton after he allegedly led deputies on a high-speed chase.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that about 9:15 PM, they arrested 35-year-old Alex Dzhuga of Camarillo, California.

Dzhuga was observed traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Highway 60 near Hospers. Dzhuga led deputies on a pursuit before being forced to stop by the Iowa State Patrol on Highway 60, five miles southwest of Orange City.

Dzhuga was charged with attempting to elude law enforcement, reckless driving and speeding.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol.

Des Moines, Iowa — The weekly Iowa crop report from the USDA has no surprises. Farmers have had very little opportunity for field work, they’re way behind compared to last year, and it’s been much colder. But the good news is our moisture is recharging.

In fact, according to the National Drought Monitor, at the end of October of last year, in our four northwesternmost Iowa counties, there were fairly large portions of Lyon and Sioux Counties in the worst category of drought — exceptional drought. The rest of the four-county area was listed in “extreme” drought. Fast forward five and a half months to today — and basically the whole four-county area has improved to the next category, which admittedly is still called “severe drought”. There is just a very small area in the very southwest corner of Sioux County that’s still listed as “extreme”. So it’s still dry, but there’s been marked improvement. The eastern third of the state is no longer experiencing drought of any kind.

In the short term, wet conditions in Iowa during the week ending April 21, 2013 continued to limit fieldwork according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Snow was received in northern Iowa, while precipitation was mostly rain in southern Iowa. The additional moisture did help to improve both top and subsoil moisture levels. Statewide there was an average of 0.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week.
Topsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent very short, 6 percent short, 60 percent adequate and 31 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 14 percent very short, 32 percent short and 48 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus.

Oat planting was 22 percent complete, far behind last year’s 93 percent and the five-year average of 68 percent.

Pasture and range condition rated 18 percent very poor, 27 percent poor, 38 percent fair and 15 percent good and 2 percent excellent. Spring calving losses were higher than normal due to the wet and cool weather.

In fact, Sibley was reported as both the coldest and snowiest in the state this week. While rain fell early in the week for most of Iowa, snow fell in northwest Iowa late Wednesday (17th) through Thursday (18th). The resulting snowfall totals were in the neighborhood of 4-6 inches in northwest Iowa including 8 inches reported over two days, Wednesday (17th) and Thursday (18th), in Sibley. Sibley’s low on Saturday was 11 degrees.

For the whole crops and weather report, visit this story’s page at kiwaradio.com.

IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Allan Curtis, Assistant Climatologist
Midwestern Regional Climate Center
The past week varied greatly across the state for both temperature and precipitation. Precipitation was widespread early in the week, predominantly on Wednesday (17th) and Thursday (18th), with areas in south-central, southeast, and east-central Iowa receiving widespread totals of 4-5 inches or more of rain. The greatest rainfall totals during the week came from Pella with 8.71 inches, and the greatest 1-day total was 6.76 inches in Centerville on Wednesday (17th). While rain fell early in the week for most of Iowa, snow fell in northwest Iowa late Wednesday (17th) through Thursday (18th). The resulting snowfall totals were in the neighborhood of 4-6 inches in northwest Iowa including 8 inches reported over two days, Wednesday (17th) and Thursday (18th), in Sibley. The statewide precipitation for the week was one of the wetter ones in recent history with 2.79 inches, nearly tripling the normal of 0.96 inches.
Temperatures across the state were well below normal with the western half of Iowa taking the brunt of the unseasonably cold temperatures to the tune of 12 to 15 degrees below normal for the week. Statewide, the average temperature was 39.3 degrees, 12.1 degrees below normal. Southeast Iowa was the closest to normal at -8.7 degrees below normal. The worst of the cold came mid-week when large areas of western Iowa saw temperatures as much as 20 degrees below normal. All of the warmest temperatures during the week occurred on Monday (15th) or over the weekend, Saturday (20th) and Sunday (21st), when temperatures were in the mid-70s. The highest temperature was 77 degrees at Mt. Pleasant on Monday (15th) and the lowest temperature was 11 degrees at Sibley on Saturday (20th).
Four inch soil temperatures during week averaged in the upper 30’s in the northwest to the upper 40’s in the southeast as of Sunday (21st). One day soil temperatures, as of Sunday (21st), showed temperatures recovering from the mid-week chill with low 40’s in the northwest ranging to low 50’s in the southeast.
Click here for the whole report.

Hull, Iowa — Sioux County Authorities are looking for information about a stolen pickup.

They took a report on Saturday of a stolen pickup that was parked at Te Slaa trucking, two miles west of Hull.

A dark blue and silver 2005 GMC Sierra Pickup with Iowa plates ADF 658 was taken from the business parking lot without the owner’s consent. It is believed the theft occurred sometime between the dates of April 15 and April 20.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to contact the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office. If you wish to remain anonymous you may use the Text-A-Tip Program.

Tea, SD — Officials with the Lewis and Clark Water system that is supposed to provide Missouri River aquifer water to northwest Iowa, southeast South Dakota and southwest Minnesota have been advised that the Obama administration budget provides for only $3.2 million for the Lewis and Clark Regional Water system. Executive Director Troy Larson says that considering the extensive efforts of the tri-state Congressional delegation, governors, and project officials to convince the Administration to increase funding from the $4.5 million it proposed in fiscal year 2013, they really expected more.

Larson says there’s another reason more money should have been available.

The water systems paid in their share years ago, but the federal government has not been keeping up their end of the bargain. Lewis and Clark officials say that the funding in recent years hasn’t even kept up with inflation on the remaining federal cost share, and the project is QUOTE, “Dead In the Water”.

Larson says they’re trying everything to get around the earmark ban and the administration’s low budget numbers.

He says this appears to be the best solution so far to the funding problems they are running into, and they’re trying to get all tri-state Senators on board with it. But realistically, he says, the bill has long odds of passing.

Find more information on the project by following this link: www.lcrws.org.

On Thursday, April 18, at 3:14 p.m.,the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office investigated a hit and run accident that occurred at the intersection of Highway 75 and 430th Street,two miles south of Sioux Center, IA.

Elizabeth Scholten, age 24, of Maurice, IA was driving a 1991 Oldsmobile Regency northbound on Highway 75. Scholten slowed and began turning left onto 430th Street when a black Chevrolet pickup, which was northbound behind her, began passing and struck her vehicle. The black Chevrolet did not stop and left the scene driving northbound on Highway 75.

No injuries were reported.

The Oldsmobile sustained approximately $2,000 in damages.

Anyone with information about this accident is asked to contact the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office. If you wish to remain anonymous you may use the Text‐a‐Tip program.