(Radio Iowa) – While some Iowans’ homes were visited by a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer last night, it’s hoped there’s also -not- a visit today from a fire truck. Andrea Vastis, public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says if you’re trying to add some holiday ambience to the room by lighting a few candles, do so with caution. Vastis says, “Candles, on average, cause 21 homes fires a day in the United States with the peak days of candle fires being Christmas Day — at almost three times the rest of the year — and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.”

December is the peak time of year for candle fires and studies find almost three of every five December home fires are started by candles. “Candles are great but they are an open flame and when they’re placed too close to a mattress, bedding, cartons, decorations,” Vastis says. “People leave the room and think they’ll be gone for 30 seconds but they’ve actually left for a lot longer, and now this candle is left unattended.”

Christmas Day is also one of the top three days of the year for home cooking fires, but she says lighting candles may only increase the risk of a disaster. “The key here is, if you’re going to use a candle, make sure it’s on a sturdy base. Make sure it’s at least 12 inches — one foot away — from anything that can burn,” Vastis says. “We are big supporters of battery-operated candles because you can use them anywhere and not worry about putting them with your decorations.”

Christmas tree fires don’t happen often, but when they do, they tend to be serious. An association report finds, on average, one of every 52 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 135 total reported home fires.

(Radio Iowa) – There wasn’t enough snowfall to give Iowa a white Christmas this year. National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff says another color better describes the day. “Certainly going to be a bit of a gray Christmas. Pretty damp and dreary there in the afternoon, for sure,” she says. Hagenhoff says there will be some unseasonably warm weather the rest of the week.”We’re looking at temperatures in the upper 30s to pushing 40 degrees. We’re certainly going to warm up after Christmas. As we get into the upcoming weekend, we could see temperatures pushing 50 degrees or warmer,” Hagenhoff says. Snow isn’t in the long-term picture, but there will be some precipitation.

“We do have a system that will come up on Thursday into Friday, that will bring chances for rain state area, and perhaps another chance there on Saturday as well,” She says. “Thankfully, with the warmer temperatures we’re looking at, that being in the liquid form, which should make travel a little easier for anyone returning back to the area from holiday travels.” The New Year may start out colder. “As we get into kind of parts of next week, temperatures may come down just a little bit. We’re looking at temperatures returning likely to the mid 30s, closer to normal, as we get towards New Year’s ,” she says.

Hagenhoff says they’ll fine tune the forecast toward the end of the week to get a better idea of what we can expect to start the New Year.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The pursuit of a stolen vehicle ended with a crash Tuesday night in Shelby County. Dispatch reports indicated the vehicle had been stolen out of Polk County. The chase ended at 12th and Pine in Harlan. A suspect was taken into custody just before 9-p.m.

Additional details are currently not available. (Photos submitted to KJAN)

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and the woman she just appointed as lieutenant governor got similar — and not that uncommon — starts in politics. They ran after someone encouraged them to do so. Reynolds often tells the story of how her husband, Kevin, encouraged her to run for Clarke County Treasurer in 1994 after she’d worked for the treasurer who was retiring. “He listened to me go on and on for a while and he said: ‘I kind of see it this way: either you run for office and you make all of those changes you have been sharing with me the last couple of years or I don’t want to hear another thing about it.'”

Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer says her nudge to run for her local school board in 2013 came from a friend who’d watched her attend board meetings and question why the front door at her childrens’ elementary school was unlocked. “I was a four-sport athlete in high school, so I got really competitive when I decided to run and ended up winning with 78% of the vote,” Cournoyer said. “…It wasn’t something I ever thought I would do, but the opportunity came up and I thought: ‘You know, if I’m upset about this I can either complain about it or I can get involved and do something about it.'”

Iowa State University professors Karen Kedrowski, on left, and Kelly Winfrey on the “Iowa Press” set. (Iowa PBS photo)

Two Iowa State University political science professors say these are common stories. Karen Kedrowski is director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. “We hear over and over again that women who are running for public office will say: ‘I never thought I would run for public office, but,'” Kedrowski says. “…By contrast many men who enter politics are what we call intrinsically ambitious. They just sort of think: ‘I could do a good job. I’m interested in this. I’d like to serve my community, so I’m going to run for X,’ but it’s a very different dynamic for women.”

And I-S-U professor Kelly Winfrey oversees the university’s “Ready to Run” program and the female candidates — from both parties — who’ve participated amplify another point, that women often run to solve a problem.”A lot of times those are at more local level offices, so things like the school board,” Winfrey says, “which is where Lieutenant Governor Cournoyer started.”

Winfrey and Kedrowski made their comments during taping of this week’s “Iowa Press” program which is online now at www.IowaPBS.org.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the perks for Iowans who are hosting big family gatherings during the holidays is getting to nosh on those leftovers for days on end, but to enjoy all that extra food for the next week, it has to be put away safely. Food safety expert Amy Johnston says most leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours.  “After that two hours, the food could get to a temperature that’s not safe,” she says, “and if there was bacteria present, they could be growing really rapidly.” Johnston says that rule also applies when the food is still warm, but you just have to go about it differently.

“Don’t secure the lid right away. Leave the lid cracked on your container when you put it in the refrigerator,” Johnston says, “so that way, any of that steam or heat can escape easier.” Plus, leaving the lid askew will cool your food down faster. Once it’s cold, you can tighten the lid and begin stacking the leftovers. There’s a broad “Temperature Danger Zone” for rapid bacteria growth that causes food-borne illness, which is between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Keeping our foods at 41 degrees or below, like in our refrigerator and freezer, that’s going to help prevent that bacteria growth,” she says. With warm foods, Johnston says if it was cooked thoroughly enough, those bacteria will be inactivated — or killed — during the cooking process.

For more tips on leftovers, visit this site at Food Safety-dot-gov: https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/leftovers-gift-keeps-giving

(Radio Iowa) – A coalition of businesses that employs 160-thousand Iowans is calling for a reduction in the taxes Iowa businesses pay into the state fund that pays out unemployment benefits. Joe Murphy is president of the Iowa Business Council, which represents some of Iowa’s largest employers, including HyVee, Casey’s and John Deere. He raised the issue during an online hearing Governor Reynolds hosted. “While income tax reform continues to take place, we look forward to working with you and the General Assembly on other areas of competitive tax reform,” Murphy said, “…including Unemployment Tax Insurance, where Iowa ranks 33rd.”

Governor Reynolds used federal funding at the beginning of the pandemic to cover the large jump in jobless claims in 2020. In 2022, the governor signed a law that lawmakers reduced the amount of time Iowans may receive unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 10 weeks. J-D Davis, a vice president for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, says the Unemployment Trust Fund is stable and it’s time to consider changes.

“We are at a moment now, I believe, where we can look at the amount of premium going in each year, the amount of benefits going out each year,” Davis said, “how to make sure that insurance program is effective and that we can work to make it simplified.” Governor Kim Reynolds proposed this business tax cut LAST January, but key lawmakers tabled the bill in March. They asked for an analysis showing that if unemployment rises during a recession, the Unemployment Trust Fund would remain solvent even if the taxes businesses pay into it is lowered.

(Radio Iowa) – State Health Data shows deaths from opioid overdoses have dropped significantly this year. Numbers through October of this year show 125 Iowans have died from opioid overdoses and the state is on track to see a significant drop in deaths as compared to 2023. Gabbie Ruggiero with Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services says the reason is unclear, but local programs report an increase in the use of opioid overdose-reversal drugs. “They can’t seem to fill them fast enough that people will take that naloxone before they’re able to get back and fill them up,” she says. Ruggiero says that indicates those drugs are being used.

Opiods

“So based on that, the high utilization of the programs, we know that there is a need, and folks are utilizing Naloxone, which means that we’re probably seeing an increase in non-fatal overdoses,” Ruggiero says.

The Centers for Disease Control reports drug overdoses overall decreased nationally last year for the first time since 2018.

(Atlantic, Iowa)  – A KJAN listener reported Monday, that someone may have been trying to scam her. The woman said she received a call from “Goldman Mediation,” about a Wells Fargo account she closed about 20-years ago, and claiming she owed money. Various forms of these scams have been making the rounds for years. Anytime someone calls you, claiming to be seeking money for an account you have or had in the past, it is most likely a scam, even if they have your account information.

If you receive a call from any-type of mediation service, give no personal information, give no details about your life and give no details about any debt to them if and until a formal written demand and accounting is received that relates to your personal history directly. That should include an examination of transactions that is entirely related to something you once did. Experts advise you should not request this, if they’re serious they will bill you.

Remember, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Scammers often try to pressure you into agreeing to something, and may threaten legal action. Consult with a friend or family member you trust, even if the scammer tells you not to. Go directly to the company or bank the scammer claims to be from or say they represent. Keep in mind, Wells Fargo will never text, email, or call you asking for personal or account information.

ALBIA, Iowa [KCCI]— Mary Sauter is determined that no child should have to wake up Christmas morning without toys to open. KCCI reports that’s why the retired Albia teacher shops year-round for brand-new toys at deep discounts. She has filled an Albia warehouse from top to bottom with everything from books to bikes.

Since she retired, Sauter has been shopping and distributing toys to thousands of children all over Iowa for the last 13 years. She raises about $75,000 a year through donations and a golf tournament through her “Pay It Forward” nonprofit. She is proud of her thrifty shopping and says a $100 donation will buy $500 worth of toys.

So far, Sauter has given toys to more than 18 school districts across Iowa. Elementary schools identify students in need and send Sauter a list with the children’s ages and interests. Sauter is passionate about making sure each child gets gifts picked specifically for them.