Firefighters from two Shelby County Departments were called to the scene of a barn and tree fire east of Kirkman this (Wednesday) afternoon. The call was dispatched at around 2:30-p.m. Crews from Kirkman and Irwin were sent to the scene. In addition, the Harlan Fire Department was dispatched 3002 12th Street in Harlan, Lot #83, after a report was received about a porch on fire. The call came in at 2:38-p.m.

Additional details are currently not available.

Ten reports of Iowa children becoming ill from putting packets in their mouth has prompted the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to join with the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center (ISPCC) and the American Association of Poison Control Centers in urging Iowans, especially parents, to keep highly concentrated “single dose packs” of laundry detergent up and out of the reach of children. Poison centers across the country have reported a recent increase in calls about exposures of children to laundry detergents packaged in small packets.

Examples of single-dose laundry detergent that can pose a poison hazard to children

Some young children and toddlers who swallow these small packets have become ill and some have required hospitalization. According to the ISPCC, 10 exposure calls have been received in Iowa since April 1, 2012. The children ranged in age from 8-months-old to 4 years of age. Five needed hospital care but none became seriously ill. All have completely recovered; nationally, however, more serious illness has been reported. There have been no deaths.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers recommends the following steps:

1. Always keep detergents locked up and out of the reach of children.
2. Follow the specific disposal instructions on the label.
3. If you think a child has been exposed to a laundry detergent packet, call the ISPCC immediately at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information about the warnings concerning concentrated packets of laundry detergent, visit http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/Laundry%20Detergent%20Packs%205.17.2012.pdf. For information about the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center, visit http://iowapoison.org/.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an accident east of Clarinda, where the vehicle involved remains a mystery. Officials say at around 1:30-a.m. Tuesday, an unknown vehicle went out of control on V Avenue, about two-tenths of a mile west of 222nd Street. The vehicle left the road and hit a curve marker before traveling down a ditch, through a yard and flower bed at 2235 V Avenue, and then back onto the roadway before continuing south. Damage from the incident amounted to at least $200. It’s not known if the driver of the vehicle suffered any injuries, as authorities have nothing to go on at this point.

The second accident happened at around 5-p.m. Saturday southwest of Essex, when a right rear tire blew out on a 1995 Chevy Blazer driven by 64-year old Juan Cepeda, of Shenandoah. The incident caused him to lose control of the SUV, which crossed the center line of Highway 48 at about C Avenue. The vehicle ended up rolling onto its passenger side. Cepeda was not injured during the mishap, but he was cited for not having a valid driver’s license. Damage from the accident amounted to $2,500

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a Clarinda teen was arrested Tuesday night on arson and other charges. 18-year old Bryson Sean McAlpin was taken into custody at around 8:20-p.m. during a traffic stop for an outstanding warrant. The warrant charged McAlpin with Arson, Intimidation, and Possession of an Incendiary Device. The charges are the result of an investigation into an incident which occurred on April 1st, during which McAlpin allegedly threw two Molotov cocktail-type devices at a vehicle occupied by two people in the 100 block of west Washington Street in Clarinda.

He was unable to post $25,000 bond, and was being held in the Page County Jail. McAlpin faces additional charges of Possession of Alcohol by a person under legal age.

State labor officials say Iowa has an abundance of good-paying jobs in a wide range of professions and too few workers trained to fill them. There are plenty of openings in what are considered “middle-skill” jobs. Kerry Koonce, spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development, says those jobs require at least a high school diploma and additional training or schooling.”So it’s some kind of a certification, maybe an apprenticeship, up to a two-year degree,” Koonce says. “While people don’t always think about those jobs as being high-paying jobs, those jobs can be anything from a dental hygienist to a welder to everything in between and they are very good-paying jobs.” 

She says there’s a “mismatch” of job opportunities and worker skill sets in Iowa right now. Koonce says, “We have these middle skill jobs, which amount to about 50% of our overall jobs in the state right now, but only 33% of the individuals out there in the workforce meet that skill set.” There is a way to fix the problem, she says, as parents can encourage their children to pursue training beyond high school, if not to a four-year college, then to a community college or an apprenticeship. She also looks to Iowans who’ve already been in the workforce for years who are looking for a new avenue.

“We need people that have been unemployed to be taking advantage of the re-training dollars that are available to them,” Koonce says. “Maybe they’ve been laid off from a manufacturing company and they’re looking at re-skilling. They need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there to fund training, to go back to school, to bring their skill sets up to meet the demand that’s out there now.” 

As for Iowa’s low-skill jobs, about 18% of the state’s current openings are in that category, requiring a high school diploma or less, yet 38% of the current workforce is considered low-skilled. Koonce says high-skill jobs, those requiring at least a four-year college degree, are about evenly matched with workers.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)