LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A trial has been delayed again for a northwest Iowa man accused of stabbing to death his sister. The trial had been set to begin Jan. 30 for 35-year-old Thomas Bibler. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, willful injury and going armed with intent in connection with the June 11, 2016, stabbing death of 27-year-old Shannon Bogh, of Le Mars. He was arrested that day after a short standoff at his Le Mars apartment.

On Tuesday a judge granted a defense request to remove an expert witness and seek another. The judge also said a new trial date would be set after a Jan. 26 status conference. Previous trial starting dates for Bibler were Dec. 19, May 16, Feb. 14 and Dec. 13, 2016.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports the Page County Sheriff’s Office’ “Operation Blessing” was a success for 2017, and Palmer thanks to everyone who donated to it this year. Without the support of the individuals, organizations, business’s, and groups who unselfishly gave to this program, Palmer says it would not have been possible. Year after year people have continued to support this program some since the beginning in the early 1980’s. From the money and items donated this year, the Page County Sheriff’s Office provided Christmas gifts to 16 families. That meant that 34 children in Page County received presents for Christmas this year from Page County Sheriff’s Office Operation Blessing program.

A sincere THANK YOU from all of us at the Page County Sheriff’s Office for the support shown by the area to make this program a success. We look forward to continuing this program in the years to come with your support. Sheriff Palmer said “I would also like to thank our staff for the extra work that they put into this program. From the call taking, to the wrapping, to the delivery, they have gone above and beyond once again to ensure that children have a gift to open on Christmas. We at the Page County Sheriff’s Office want to wish everyone a safe and a happy New Year!!

Iowans who want to learn more about their ancestry may be tempted to buy one of the D-N-A testing kits that tell them about their heritage — and much more. Consumer consultant Claudia Lombana says the kits go well beyond your genetic roots and can give you access to more than 25 D-N-A-based products, including what type of wine may best suit you to a host of health and fitness information. Lombana says, “If we talk about fitness and nutrition, there are a couple of kits that will tell you based on your specific DNA the types of exercise that are best for you, the type of nutrition that is best for you.”

For the purchase price, the consumer simply has to spit into a tube, seal it, send it in and wait for the results to come back. The data can be fascinating and very helpful. “You might be predisposed to high cholesterol but it doesn’t mean your sibling will be,” Lombana says. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to get it but at least it lets you know, ‘Wow, I have a predisposition to this so maybe I should cut back on my salt,’ or cut back on sugar if you have a predisposition to diabetes. There are differences and a lot of great insights and information you can find out.”

For those who want to stick to the basics, Lombana says some kits can follow your D-N-A back centuries.  “You can dive deeper into your ancestry and it will even tell you the migration paths of your ancestors and the percentage of Neanderthal that you have in you,” she says, laughing. “So, some really interesting and cool things that you can find out.”  Lombana says before making the purchase, do some homework. Prices vary on what you want to find out, from as little as 50-dollars to several hundred dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak early this (Wednesday) morning, arrested 55-year old Joseph Olis Loudermilk, of Red Oak, on a charge of Serious Assault.  Loudermilk was arrested at around 1:48-a.m. in the 400 block of E. Grimes Street, in Red Oak. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

Public health officials expect the number of opioid-related deaths this year in Iowa will surpass last year’s total of 180. Kevin Gabbert is leader of the State Opioid Treatment Authority and says other states have reduced opioid-related deaths by strengthening prescription monitoring programs and instituting “good Samaritan” laws.

“Whether or not we would have seen a significant increase had these things been done sooner I can’t say for sure, but I’m hopeful that in the future we can look at making some of those changes so that we can better address some of those issues,” Gabbert said.

Iowa lawmakers have yet to recommend specific legislation to prevent opioid abuse and overdoses, but Gabbert notes the public health department is trying to be proactive about preventing deaths.

“We’ve taken part in several different efforts to try and address this issue – like expanding medication assisted treatment, making Naloxone more readily available to individuals, so we’re hopeful that the increase that we saw wasn’t as much as it maybe could’ve been,” Gabbert said.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is expecting opioid-related deaths to increase to just over 200 in 2017.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)