Kalona man faces smaller DNR fine

      Stuart Yoder of rural Kalona has agreed to pay a $3,500 penalty to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in a settlement worked out between Yoder and the DNR last month.

      According to the DNR administrative order, Yoder has until Jan. 21 to comply.

      The fine, which involves, according to the original DNR order of Aug. 25, open burning and improper disposal of debris from the burned Reif's Family Center that Yoder purchased earlier last year, is a $1,500 reduction from the original penalty.

      According to the DNR order, the agreement was reached after Yoder appealed the original fine. The order notes that the agreement is "an effort to avoid litigation."

      The Aug. 25 DNR order said that Yoder had taken debris from Reif's to a site he owns at 1427 Angle Road SW in Frytown, where the material was burned. At the time the violations occurred, Yoder was in Texas.