A dedication ceremony for the new Fire Station in Lewis will be held tomorrow (Tuesday), beginning at 10-a.m., with former Governor Chet Culver in attendance. Lewis Fire Chief Terry Erickson says the new building was made possible in-part, due to a grant from the State of Iowa in the amount of  $280,950, and local fundraising efforts, which began in July 2001. He says the new building will give them much more room, faster response time because there because each vehicle will have its own exit from the building, a meeting and training rooms, and kitchen. The new building measures 130-by 50-feet, which is much larger than the old building, which was only 40-by 60-feet, with three overhead doors.

Erickson says there are 14 members of the Lewis Fire Department, including seven Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), which were incorporated into the department in 1993. He says while the new building is a great addition to the Lewis Fire Department, donations are always welcomed to purchase needed extra and/or replacement equipment, and finishing inside construction on the building. Erickson says any donations are greatly appreciated. They’ll be used for finishing the kitchen area, meeting room, rest room, and utility room. Part of the fundraising efforts for those projects include the sale of Memorial bricks.

Erickson says a memorial wall will be dedicated to donors’ loved ones or family members, and there are three levels of donations: $100 buys a 4-by 8-inch brick, $200 buys an 8-inch square brick, and a $500 donation will result in a 12-inch square brick being dedicated on the wall. Anyone can purchase a brick. Contact any Lewis Firefighter for details or to purchase a memorial brick. A good time to do that, if you are so inclined, according to Erickson, would be at Tuesday’s Fire Station dedication ceremony, during which refreshments will be served. The fire station – a big red building with 5 overhead doors – is located on Main Street, in Lewis.

A southeast Nebraska man suffered non-life threatening injuries after being run over by a vehicle Saturday evening, in Fremont County. According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, 30-year old William E. Snyder, of Auburn, NE, was transported to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha by LifeNet helicopter, following the accident which occurred at around 8:20-p.m., Saturday, in Sidney. Snyder was treated for his injuries and released from the facility. Officials say they received a 9-1-1 call about a car-versus-pedestrian accident at the intersection of Illinois and Clay Streets in Sidney. Upon arrival, the first responders determined Snyder had been run over by a vehicle being driven by 31-year old Kimberly Dyke, also of Auburn, NE. No charges have been filed, but the incident remains under investigation by the Sidney Police Department.

The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported following an accident Saturday evening on Highway 6 (7th Street), at the entrance to the Wal-Mart store. Officials say vehicles driven by Virginia Eilts, of Wiota, and Beverly Lehman, of Adair, were traveling east on Highway 6 at around 6:45-p.m., when Eilts stopped for the traffic light which had just turned yellow. When Lehman failed to stop in-time, her vehicle rear-ended the Eilts vehicle, causing a total of $2,800 damage. No citations were issued.

The Police Department reports also, 21-year old Justin Jacobs, of Atlantic, was arrested Sunday, on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. Jacobs was brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

Republicans held a final fundraiser early this morning for legislative campaigns before the 2012 session began, as fundraising is forbidden while lawmakers are meeting in Des Moines. Senator Brad Zaun, the Republican “whip” in the Iowa Senate, made a final pitch for money. “There’s a lot of you in this room that have the financial resources. We need the help,” …The Iowa Senate is the battleground, one of the top battlegrounds in the United States this year and that’s good news, but we can’t do it without your help.” Democrats currently control the Iowa Senate by a slim 26-to-24 seat majority. About 180 people attended the early morning fundraiser and about a quarter were Republican legislators. The rest were lobbyists. Iowa Republican Party chairman Matt Strawn told the crowd there were “two ways” to make sure Democrat Mike Gronstal isn’t the top leader in the Iowa Senate next year.

“The best news is there’s two ways to make sure we don’t have a Majority Leader Gronstal in the Senate. One is to make sure we have 26 smiling Republican senators — or more — when we have this breakfast next year, or we can just beat him in his own district,” Strawn said, to laughter and applause. “Either way, we’re going to take care of it.” Gronstal, who is from Council Bluffs, faces a Republican opponent in November. Governor Branstad pledged his support for the effort to win Republican senate races.

Republicans current hold a 60-to-40 seat edge over Democrats in the House. Senate Republican Leader Jerry Behn says Gronstal, the Democratic leader, is a roadblock to Republican proposals from the House.“There were a lot of things in the senate that got stopped and so we jokingly turned his name into a verb,” Behn said. “We referred to bills being ‘Gronstalled.’” Republicans and Democrats in the legislature have held more than a dozen fundraisers since January 3rd — Caucus Night. Democrats held a big fundraiser for legislative campaigns Sunday evening in Des Moines.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

Most folks know smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but the number-two cause is radon. While the E-P-A estimates one in every 15 homes nationwide has elevated radon levels, many parts of Iowa are at much greater risk. Micki Sandquist is spokeswoman for the American Lung Association in Iowa. “Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that is produced from decay naturally occuring in the soil and it enters homes through their basements,” Sandquist says. “We are encouraging people to test their homes to see if they have radon in their home and if so, to take care of it.” Testing kits are easy to use and usually cost less than 20-dollars. Sandquist says most of the state’s American Lung Association chapters will have them in stock.

Sandquist says, “You keep the kit in the basement or the lowest level of the home and you send the test away and the results come back and let you know the level of radon that is in your home or if there’s no radon in your home.” Homes with high radon levels can usually be fixed with simple and affordable venting techniques.  “It is estimated there are 400 deaths per year in Iowa that are caused by radon-induced lung cancer,” Sandquist says. “It’s about the same number of annual deaths that are seen in Iowa for traffic fatalities.” Governor Branstad is proclaiming this as Radon Action Month for the state as radon levels are highest during the winter months. Learn more by calling 800-383-5992 or visit: www.healthhouse.org

(Pat Powers/Matt Kelley, Radio Iowa)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department reports today (Monday) three arrests and one accident took place last week. On Tuesday (Jan. 3rd), 26-year old Jennifer Nicole Lekey, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a Child Support Warrant. Last Wednesday, 35-year old Michelle Dawn Moore, of Hamburg, was arrested for Serious Assault, and on Thursday, 26-year old Kain Tylor Endicott, of Tabor, was arrested for Simple Domestic Assault and 5th Degree Criminal Mischief. The Sheriff’s Office said also, Mallory Jones, of Farragut, was transported to a local hospital after the car she was driving was blown off the road by a strong gust of wind southwest of Imogene. The 2010 Hyundai Elantra was traveling north on 370th Street just north of 130th Street, when a gust caused the car to enter a ditch. The vehicle rolled once and came to rest on its wheels.