SIOUX CITY—A Jackson, Nebraska man accused in a fatal boating accident wants Sioux City prosecutors to hand over evidence that could show Bruce Wright drowned because he was drunk. In a motion filed Thursday in Woodbury County District Court, Samuel Gomez’ attorneys asked a judge for access to Wright’s autopsy report. The 32-year-old Gomez, has pleaded not guilty to boating while intoxicated causing death and boating while intoxicated causing serious injury. Authorities say Gomez was driving a boat on the Missouri River just north of Salix on June 27 when he suddenly slowed, throwing his two passengers into the water. One of the men, 31-year-old Bruce Wright of South Sioux City, Neb., disappeared. His body was found two days later about 11 miles downstream.

SIOUX CITY—THE UNITED AIRLINES PILOT WHO BROUGHT IN FLIGHT 2-32 TO SIOUX GATEWAY AIRPORT TWENTY YEARS AGO RECEIVED A LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD IN WASHINGTON, D.C. LAST NIGHT.

LOCAL AIPORT MANAGER CURT MILLER ATTENDED THE CEREOMONY.

HAYNES BECOMES THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE JOSPEH T. NALL AWARD, RECOGNIZING PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO AVIATION AND TRASNPORTION SAFETY. IRONICALLY NALL WAS A MEMBER OF THE N.T.S.B. WHO INVESTIGATED THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 2-32 AND LATER DIED ON A FLIGHT BOUND FOR VENEZUELA.

SIOUX CITY—THE SIOUXLAND DISTRICT HEALTH DEPARTMENT RECEIVED THEIR LARGEST SHIPMENT OF H1N1 VACCINE THURSDAY.

CHUCK CIPPERLEY SAYS THE 25-HUNDRED DOSES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO BISHOP HEELAN STUDENTS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE HIGH PRIORITY GROUPS.

HE SAYS WOODBURY COUNTY HAS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 13-THOUSAND DOSES, WHICH IS WELL BELOW THE NEEDED AMOUNT.

CIPPERLEY SAYS VACCINES ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED TO AREA PHYSICIANS.

H1N1 VACCINES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO BISHOP HEELAN STUDENTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH AND TO HIGH PRIORITY RESIDENTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST AT WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL.

SIOUXLANDERS SUPPORT OUR VETS

SIOUX CITY—SIOUXLAND VETERANS WERE HONORED AND THANKED FOR THEIR SERVICE WEDNESDAY AT THE WOODBURY COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN SIOUX CITY.

VIETNAM VETERAN RALPH SWAIN SPOKE DURING THE VETERAN’S DAY CEREMONY.

VETERAN RALPH SWAIN

HE SPOKE ABOUT THE FORT HOOD SHOOTING, WHICH RECENTLY RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF 13 SOLDIERS AND THE INJURY 29 OTHERS.

A MOMENT OF SILENCE WAS HELD FOR THOSE SOLDIERS.

SWAIN RECOGNIZED SOLDIERS FROM EVERY BATTLE.

SWAIN SAYS THE VETERANS DESERVE MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITES AND EMPLOYMENT.

KSCJ WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED AND THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO PROTECT THIS GREAT NATION.

COLOR GUARD

SIOUXLAND—WITH HARVEST WELL UNDERWAY, FARMING ACCIDENTS ARE ON THE INCREASE AND A GRANVILLE, IOWA MAN IS THE LATEST FARMER INJURED.

THE PLYMOUTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE RECEIVED A CALL TUESDAY FROM 52 YEAR OLD RANDALL RAY CHRISTOFFEL, WHO SAID HE HAD INJURED HIS HAND IN A COMBINE ACCIDENT AND NEEDED HELP.

HE GAVE HIS LOCATION AS WEST OF MAHOGANY AVENUE JUST NORTH OF THE LEMARS CITY LIMITS NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS.

OFFICERS LOCATED CHRISTOFFEL, WHO HAD SEVERELY INJURED RIGHT HAND, BETWEEN A COMBINE AND SEMI TRAILER.

HE WAS ABLE TO STATE THAT HE WAS WORKING ALONE AND WAS OFF LOADING GRAIN FROM THE COMBINE INTO THE SEMI.

THE TRANSFER AUGER HAD BECOME PLUGGED AND AS HE ATTEMPTED TO SEE WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS, HE MOVED HIS RIGHT HAND BACK TOWARD THE COMBINE AND IT GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN A LARGE DRIVE PULLEY AND DRIVE BELT.

HE WAS LIFE-FLIGHTED TO MERCY MEDICAL CENTER IN SIOUX CITY AND LATER TRANSFERRED TO LAKESIDE HOSPITAL IN OMAHA, WHERE HE IS LISTED IN STABLE CONDITION.

SIOUX CITY—THE IOWA SUPREME COURT HAS ORDERED OVER ONE WEEK OF UNPAID LEAVE DAYS TO MAKE UP FOR STATE BUDGET CUTS.

THIRD DISTRICT COURT ADMINISTRATOR LEESA MCNEIL IN SIOUX CITY SAYS THE SUPREME COURT MAY ALSO CALL FOR LAYOFFS IN AN EFFORT TO HELP BALANCE THE STATE BUDGET.

MCNEIL SAYS IOWA’S COURTS WILL BE CHALLENGED IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO FULFILL THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO PROVIDE JUSTICE WITH THESE FURLOUGHS AND CUTS.

MCNEIL SAYS HER COWORKERS AREN’T LOOKING FORWARD TO LOSING TWO WEEKS OF PAY.

THE DAYS SET FOR THE UNPAID LEAVE AND COURT CLOSINGS ARE DECEMBER 4, 24, 31. JANUARY 15, FEBRUARY 15, MARCH 12 & 26, APRIL 2, MAY 28 AND JUNE 18TH.

SIOUX CITY—FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS, STUDENT ENROLLMENT HAS INCREASED IN THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ALISON BENSON SAYS THE OVERALL ENROLLMENT INCREASED BY OVER 120 STUDENTS.

SINCE 2004, THE DISTRICT WAS LOSING AN AVERAGE OF 137 STUDENTS A YEAR.

BENSON CREDITS THE INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT TO PARENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS.

THE NEWS COMES AT A TIME WHEN THE DISTRICT IS FACING BUDGET CHALLENGES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2011.

BENSON SAYS THE INCREASE WILL HELP THE DISTRICT FINANCIALLY.

THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT SERVES NEARLY 14-THOUSAND STUDENTS.

SIOUX CITY—ALTHOUGH FLU SYMPTOMS HAVE PLAGUED THE SIOUXLAND AREA, THE BLOOD SUPPLY IN SIOUX CITY REMAINS STRONG.

SIOUXLAND COMMUNITY BLOOD BANK RECRUITMENT DIRECTOR HEATHER MARREEL SAYS AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF BLOOD PRODUCTS ARE ON HAND.

SHE SAYS ANYONE WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS SHOULD AVOID DONATING BLOOD OR BE SYMPTOM FREE FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS.

MARREEL ENCOURAGES YOU TO NOTIFY THEIR OFFICE IF YOU RECENTLY DONATED AND HAVE COME DOWN WITH FLU SYMPTOMS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 1-800-798-4208 OR LOG ONTO SIOUXLAND BLOOD BANK .ORG

SIOUX CITY—FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA AND VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SARAH PALIN WILL VISIT SIOUX CITY NEXT MONTH.

PALIN WILL STOP IN SIOUX CITY AND SIOUX FALLS AS PART OF A BOOK TOUR FOR HER NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY, “GOING ROGUE: AN AMERICAN LIFE”.

THE BOOK TRACES ONE ORINDARY CITIZEN’S JOURNEYAND IMPARTS PALIN’S VISION OF A WAY FORWARD FOR AMERICA AND HER UNFAILING HOPE IN THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH.

PALIN WILL BE GOING ROGUE AT SIOUX CITY’S BARNES & NOBLE ON SUNDAy, DECEMBER 6 AT 1 P.M.

SHE WILL TRAVEL TO BARNES & NOBLE IN SIOUX FALLS LATER THAT AFTERNOON.

SIOUX CITY—A SIOUX CITY MAN WHO HAD EIGHT POUNDS OF METH IN HIS POSSESSION WAS SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FRIDAY.

THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD ERNESTO ORTIZ-MARTINEZ RECEIVED THE TEN-YEAR PRISON TERM AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE METH.

INFORMATION SHOWED THAT HE WAS ARRESTED WITH ROUGHLY ONE-HALF POUND OF METH.

AN ADDITIONAL 7-AND-A-HALF POUNDS OF METH WERE SEIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHEN THEY WENT TO HIS RESIDENCE.

HE MUST ALSO SERVE A FIVE-YEAR TERM OF SUPERVISED RELEASE.