The American Red Cross is asking people to roll up their sleeves and give blood or platelets this Veterans Day weekend to honor those who have served their country. Officials say at the same time, anyone who comes to donate will have the opportunity to sign a card and include a personal message that will become part of the annual American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign.　

The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have joined together for Holiday Mail for Heroes, a program through which people can sign holiday cards for members of the U.S. military, veterans and their families. Pitney Bowes will then screen the cards for hazardous materials, and the Red Cross will sort and deliver them to military installations, veterans medical facilities and other locations during the holidays.

Tricia Quinn, CEO of the Red Cross Midwest Blood Services Region, says “By giving blood this Veterans Day weekend, donors can pay tribute to those who serve this country. Quinn says the blood drives will “Give donors the chance to help hospital patients who need blood, and at the same time, write messages of thanks to veterans and members of the military for their service.”

On Friday (Nov. 11^th) an American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in Cass County, from 8:30-a.m. until 2:30-p.m., at the Griswold High School. If you’d like to donate, simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment, or for more information.

All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.　

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is making an air quality “watch list” available to the public for the first time. The EPA watch list names alleged air pollution offenders who’ve been out of compliance without state or local resolution within 270 days. Jason Marcel, with the DNR air quality bureau, says the list used to be for internal use only. “They made a decision here recently to make that, what they call the watch list, more publicly available. It was in response to repeated freedom of information act requests,” Marcel said. A few Iowa firms have shown up on the list in recent months.

“The expectation from the EPA to the state and local level is that enforcement actions should be processed in a timely manner, so the watch list is a check on that when the time limit is exceeded,” Marcel said. The EPA now publishes the watch list on its website. The September list included Griffin Pipe Products of Council Bluffs, Diamond V Mills in Cedar Rapids and Grain Processing Corporation in Muscatine. Only Griffin Pipe remained on the list in October. Marcel said enforcement for Griffin Pipe has been turned over to the EPA because water quality violations are also involved.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a Shelby County man was injured during a single-vehicle accident Wednesday morning  about four-miles south of Shelby. 63-year old Larry Sheeler, of Tennant, was traveling south on 380^th Street at around 11:30-a.m., when he apparently suffered from a medical condition and blacked-out. Sheeler’s 1995 Cadillac hit a fence post before coming to rest in the east ditch near the intersection with Sycamore Road. 

The man was pinned in his vehicle and had to be extricated with the “Jaws of Life,” by Shelby Fire and Rescue. Sheeler was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs for were described as non-life threatening injuries.