Firefighters from Oakland and Carson were called to a fire in a building at the Northern Natural Gas plant, near Oakland, but there was never any danger to the public. Mike Loeffler, Media Specialist with the gas company, in Omaha, told KJAN News the fire — which happened at around 10:15-a.m. — was not actually in the building, as had first been reported. He said a contractor was conducting maintenance on a Hydro-Vac at the Oakland Compressor Station. A fire ignited in the cab of the contractor’s truck. As of 10:45-a.m., the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries, and no damage to the Compressor station itself.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) adopted an Illegal Dumping Ordinance, followed a second public hearing on the matter, during which there were no comments received, and the second reading of the Ordinance. It was adopted after the third reading was waived. Supervisor Chuck Rieken said there’s still apparently some confusion out there about what areas of the County the Ordinance applies to, as evidenced by a conversation he recently had with a resident in Griswold.

Rieken said a gentleman stopped to ask him about a piano that was dumped behind a business in Griswold. The man had read about the ordinance, and wanted to know if the County had jurisdiction over the matter. Rieken informed him that is a matter for the City of Griswold, which can use the County’s Ordinance on Illegal Dumping as a template if it needs to, to control items disposed of within the City limits.

The Ordinance only applies to the Unincorporated areas of Cass County, not the individual Communities, some of which already have rules in place to deal with Illegal Dumping. The Ordinance also does not apply to controlled uses of broken-up concrete the County applies, as rip-rap along banks and streams for erosion control. County Engineer Charles Marker says a rural property owner can use broken up concrete for use as rip-rap along their banks and streams for erosion control, so long as it does not contain asphalt or oil-based materials. Most property owners will get the “safe” type of  concrete from the County, anyway.

Authorities in western Iowa are working to identify a body that was found  along the railroad tracks near Highway 30, in Crawford County. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call from the Union Pacific Railroad at around 3-p.m., Tuesday, with regard to an unidentified body located along the railroad tracks. Sheriff’s deputies responded to scene along with agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Union Pacific Railroad Agents, Iowa State Patrol, and the Crawford County Medical Examiner.

DPS Officials say due to the state of decomposition a positive identification cannot be determined until final autopsy results have been completed by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy is scheduled for today (Wednesday). The Denison, and Vail Fire Departments also assisted with the investigation.

(Radio Iowa/DPS)