Students at the Lewis Elementary School were evacuated for a short time this (Friday) afternoon, after a smell of gas was noticed in the boiler room. Superintendent Dana Kunze says the incident occurred at around 12:15-p.m.   Students and staff followed the procedure for a gas leak evacuation, meaning they were taken to a safe location to await an investigation into the source of the smell.

An employee of Black Hills Energy arrived within minutes and a natural gas leak was confirmed. Kunze said there was a leak on the line leading to the hot water heater. After the line was shut off,  and when administrators were given the okay, students and staff returned to the building. Appropriate repairs are being made so the problem does not happen again.

Postal officials are urging Iowans to get their holiday cards, letters and gifts in the mail soon, because a major logjam is expected in just under two weeks. Richard Watkins, a spokesman for the U-S Postal Service in Iowa, says Monday, December 19th, is expected to be the busiest mail processing day of the year. Other deadlines are coming up as soon as this Saturday, if you want items delivered before Christmas. “Some of the mailing deadlines include December 10th for military mail to overseas bases other than Afghanistan — that deadline was last week,” Watkins says. “December 15th for parcel post, December 20th for First Class mail, December 21st for Priority Mail and December 22nd for Express Mail.” 

The state’s largest mail processing center in Des Moines is expected to handle about a million pieces of mail on December 19th, up from around 400-thousand pieces on a typical Monday. If you’re sending off boxed gifts this month, he offers a few quick tips to get them there faster. “We recommend before shipping packages to remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices,” Watkins says. “Also, place a card inside the package that contains both the delivery and the return address. That insures the safe return of an item that couldn’t be delivered if the mailing label became damaged or fell off.” 

The price of a stamp is also going up, but not until next month. Watkins says the cost of a first-class stamp is going up one penny to 45-cents, starting on January 22nd. He says those ‘Forever’ stamps are called that for a reason. Watkins says, “Customers who have purchased ‘Forever’ stamps in the past and have some in their drawers or tucked away in their offices, those will be good always, as you would expect, forever at the prevailing first-class rate.”

Find more mailing tips and information at: www.usps.com.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County says two people were injured during a collision Thursday, four-miles northwest of Malvern, on Highway 34. An investigation revealed a Chevrolet being driven by 21-year-old Noel Thompson, of Red Oak, was traveling on Highway 34, when he attempted to pass a slower moving car. As he was passing the other vehicle, Thompson’s car collided head-on with a Buick driven by 73-year-old Grace Blackman, of Hastings. Both drivers were transported to Creighton University Medical Center by Malvern and Glenwood Rescue.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department says an Atlantic woman arrested Wednesday on an Interference with Official Acts charge, now faces a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana.  19-year old Carly Jean Seddon was originally placed under arrest following an incident which allegedly occurred Wednesday afternoon during a traffic stop, in Brayton. A subsequent investigation resulted in the additional charge. Seddon is scheduled to appear in court next Monday (Dec. 12th).

No injuries were reported following an accident Thursday evening in Audubon County. The sheriff’s department says vehicles driven by 34-year old Joseph Leo Thielen, of Audubon, and 28-year old Jeffrey Michael Blum, of Manning, collided near the intersection of 110th Street and Crane Avenue. The accident happened at around 5-p.m, when Thielen was unable to stop due to the snow and ice covered road. As he approached the intersection, the 2008 Chevy Thielen was driving slid into Blum’s 2006 Ford. Following the collision, Blum’s vehicle went into a ditch and hit a power pole. The vehicles sustained a combined $42,000 damage. No citations were issued.

A fire late Thursday morning at the Ember’s Restaurant in Avoca caused about $4,500 damage, but no one was injured, and the restaurant remains open for business. Will Rose, with the Avoca Fire Department, says an electrical wire contacted a heat duct in the attic, which then caught fire. The call came in around 11:30-am.  Crews from the Avoca and Walnut Fire Departments were on scene until about 2:10-p.m 

Rose told our sister station KNOD in Harlan, that Avoca Rescue was also called out around 2-am this (Friday) morning for a semi tractor-trailer rollover accident on Interstate 80, at about the 38-mile marker.  Rose said driver of the rig was taken to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan, but no other details are currently available.