The City Council in Massena will meet this evening at 5:30, instead of 7-p.m.  On their agenda are several administrative matters, including Mayoral appointments, and approval of Resolutions pertaining to setting: The agent of record of City insurance, Maximum deposit, mileage, salaries, and a Medical expense reimbursement plan for employees.

The Council will also discuss an amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan and the vacating of 1st Street. At 6:30-p.m. the Massena City Council will hold its “Hazard Mitigation Kick-off.”

Officials with the City of Coon Rapids say the City has been put under a Boil Advisory following a major water main leak that drained the city’s water tower and prompted the school district to cancel classes for today (Monday). Repairs have been made to the system, but the boil advisory will remain in effect until testing shows that the water is safe for consumption.

Coon Rapids residents are advised to boil water before drinking, making ice, or brushing teeth. The water is still safe to bathe in, however.

The U-S Postal Service is closing several mail processing centers across the country this year, but none in Iowa. The reasons are twofold, according to Mike Birkett, with the National Association of Letter Carriers. First, Birkett says, Iowa already had its turn in 2011 when a mail processing center in northwest Iowa was shut down and the operation was moved to another state.

“Sioux City, Iowa, closed a plant three to four years ago and that mail all got moved up into South Dakota,” Birkett says. “So, it did affect Iowa, just not this second phase.” Second, he adds, it’s hard to justify closing facilities that postmark and sort mail for rural areas. “It’s very difficult to ship mail from one place to another and to get it back in any kind of a decent time frame,” he says, “so that’s what’s, I think, saved those.”

In the states where the processing centers are being closed, people can expect a delay of an extra day or two for cards and letters they mail to arrive.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Pottawattamie County say one person was seriously hurt during a home invasion and assault over the weekend, near Honey Creek. Law enforcement and emergency responders were called to the residence just off 170th a little after 9-p.m., Sunday. Sheriff Jeff Danker says the victim was struck by a roofing hammer. Additional information will be released later this morning with regard to the incident.

SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) – Production is expected to resume in a few days at a northwest Iowa fertilizer plant that was damaged by a fire and subsequent explosion. The fire began around 6 p.m. Saturday at the Nulex plant in the Port Neal industrial area south of Sioux City. No injuries have been reported.

Nulex spokesman Jason Glover told the Sioux City Journal on Sunday that the fire was in a storage building and not in the main production facility. Glover says that means employees likely will be able to resume work in a few days.  The company produces liquid zinc micronutrients that are mixed with liquid fertilizers.

The Iowa State Fire Marshal Division and Iowa Department of Natural Resources are investigating the fire and blast.

With Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Members of the Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold their regular, monthly meeting tonight, at the high school. During their 7:30-p.m. session, the Board will receive an Operations/Maintenance update from Russell Peck. They’re also expected to act on approving Early Retirement Applications, Early Resignation Incentives, and a request by the Nishna Valley YMCA for carpeting.

Discussion items on their agenda include a report from Linda Nichols on the Home/School Program, and an Honorary Diploma request.

The Creston Police Department reports today (Monday) the arrest on Friday of a Creston man on a warrant out of Texas. 32-year old John Jacob Garcia was taken into custody at around 11:18-a.m. on the warrant for Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Garcia was being held in the Union County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Sunday night, Creston Police arrested 18-year old Briar Dakota Shivers, of Indianola. Shivers was arrested at the Wal-Mart store on a charge of 5th Degree Theft. He was later released on a Citation to Appear later, in court.

And, a Creston resident reported to police Saturday morning, that sometime between 8:30-p.m. Friday and 9-a.m. Saturday, someone threw a beer bottle at her vehicle. The incident didn’t result in damage, but the victim reported someone entered her vehicle and took a key, as well as a bottle of cologne. The loss was estimated at $195.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Iowa is believed to have the largest percentage of homes in the U.S. with radon levels above what the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) calls “acceptable.” Mindy Uhle, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says at least half of the homes in the state have an elevated radon level.
“Iowa’s designated as a ‘zone one,’ which means that we have a high risk for radon in a lot of homes in the state,” Uhle says.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q03BSgAHP5M

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term exposures may cause lung cancer. It comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil. Uhle encourages all homeowners to purchase a radon test kit, which typically costs less than $20.  “We would recommend doing that test every couple of years,” Uhle says. “Some people also like to do it after they’ve done major renovations or any kind of work in the home that might affect how air moves through the home.”

Radon gas typically seeps into a house under the home — through cracks in the foundation, floor or walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. Uhle suggests having a second test done if a first test shows high levels of radon in your home. Repairs to fix the problem are expensive.
“It’s basically a vent pipe and fan system within the home to move the air around,” Uhle says. “It draws from underneath the foundation and then it vents it to outside of the building. That can cost anywhere from $800 up to $2,500, it really just depends how the air is moving under your home and where they’re able to pull from.”

Last week, Governor Branstad signed a proclamation, formally declaring January as “Radon Action Month” in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)