You may have heard that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night …” will prevent mail carriers from completing their appointed rounds. But the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service apparently doesn’t include the cold. Wednesday, the federal service says it will not deliver mail in all or parts of five Midwest states because of a dangerous Arctic air blast.

The postal service says delivery and other services will be suspended in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and western Illinois. The suspension also includes picking up mail from businesses and collection boxes, and picking up packages from residences and business.day.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Cass County, last Friday, arrested 27-year old Mark Allen Fredericksen, of Atlantic, on a felony charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver/Meth; Possession of Marijuana/3rd or Subsequent offense; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Fredericksen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $10,000 bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports that have received a report of a scam call. Someone claiming to be from Alliant Energy is making calls to Alliant customers demanding payment immediately, or their services will be stopped within minutes. Alliant Energy has verified this is definitely a scam! If you receive a call like this, hang up and ignore it!

KEOSAUQUA, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa woman has been given 10 years in prison for letting her 2-month-old son starve to death. Van Buren County District Court records say 25-year-old Angel Poole, of Birmingham, was sentenced Friday. She’d pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in serious injury. Prosecutors had lowered the charge in exchange.

Authorities say medics were sent to Poole’s Birmingham apartment on July 7, 2016, after she called 911 to report her son, Judah Wessels, was having trouble breathing. The baby was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later.

Authorities say he weighed a little over 5 pounds at death. An autopsy showed he died of starvation and dehydration.

LIME SPRINGS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 28-year-old man died after a snowmobiling accident in northeast Iowa. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred about 1:40 a.m. Friday on a trail that runs on a side of a road about 2 miles (3 kilometers) northwest of Lime Springs. The office says in a news release that Ross Wilson was riding alone when his machine rolled over him. He was found later by other snowmobile riders.
Deputies say he was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in Cresco. The accident is being investigated.

(Radio Iowa) — Many federal workers and others are highly concerned we’ll face another government shutdown when the current extension expires on February 15th. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, says he’s hopeful “we’ve learned a lesson” and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, can reach a compromise with President Trump to solve the standoff. “I would hope Pelosi would now negotiate and not just say ‘no’ as she has in the past,” Grassley says. “I think the president has shown more flexibility than I thought he would show.”

A possible fix has emerged, what’s being called an automatic continuing resolution, which Grassley says could “end government shutdowns forever.” “Pretty simple,” Grassley says. “You get up to September 30th, all the appropriation bills aren’t passed, you don’t shut down the government, you just continue to spend money at the level you did the last fiscal year until the appropriation bills get passed.” The amendment is being offered by Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, and Grassley remains optimistic it will gain bipartisan traction and pass.  “Government is supposed to be a service for the American people and you can’t serve the American people when you aren’t operating,” Grassley says. “So, all this common sense now tells me we should never have a government shutdown again.”

Governing is often about the art of compromise, Grassley says, and that’s the only way to get out of this situation.  “There ought to be a bipartisan agreement where you can get border security at some level of expenditure by cutting the difference between the two points of view, usually between two-billion and six-billion,” Grassley says. “Split it at three or three-and-a-half.” Most of the 800-thousand federal workers who were furloughed or forced to work without pay were able to return to work yesterday (Monday). The 35-day partial federal government shutdown began on December 22nd and was the longest in U-S history.

Officials with Atlantic Municipal Utilities have provided some tips on how to keep your home warm with the -20 to -40 degree wind chill temps that are impacting the area over the next few days. AMU says “Our homes’ heating systems are NOT designed for -20 to -30-degree temperatures with wind chills into -40 and up to -50+. Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes will NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity. Their tips include:

1. Please raise the temperature in your home on Monday, 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.

2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD.

3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter.

4. Keep garage doors closed.

5. Limit opening exterior doors.

6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed.

7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler: You must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home. In some instances, they are on your roof, do NOT go on your roof to clear the pipe.

If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate. If the temperatures drop in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems cannot overcome temperatures -20 to -30 with wind chill up to -50+. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher.

To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME.

Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Stay warm and safe this week.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man has pleaded not guilty to killing an Iowa high school student in 1979. Records say 65-year-old Jerry Burns filed a written plea Friday in Linn County District Court. The charge: first-degree murder. His trial starting date has not been set. He remains in custody, pending $5 million bail.

Police arrested the Manchester business owner on Dec. 19 , 39 years to the day after 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed. Her body was found the next day inside her family’s car at a Cedar Rapids mall. She had been stabbed in the face and chest.

Police say investigators matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from Burns.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Council Bluffs City Council has approved a resolution adopting the plan for an indoor turf facility for soccer and other sports. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the council unanimously approved the Iowa West Sports Plex plan on Monday. The facility will be built just northwest of the Mid-America Center. The Iowa West Foundation and other grant sources will provide funding for the $7 million project . The facility will be operated and managed by the Council Bluffs Soccer Club. The fields will be used for a variety of sports, including youth baseball, softball, soccer and flag football.