(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans started decorating their houses for Christmas back before Halloween this pandemic year, but many others are just getting around to decking the halls. Andrea Vaspis, public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says those colorful lights can be a beautiful accent to your house, but they can also pose a serious fire hazard. “When you’re going to be decorating outside, make sure the lights that you use are approved by a testing laboratory and that they’re rated for outdoor use,” Vaspis says. “That is really critical.”

Putting lights outside that are supposed to be for indoor use only could quickly lead to an electrical short — and a fire. If you’re trying to obtain a Clark Griswold-level of outdoor decoration perfection, she warns, it can be easy to overdo it. “A general rule of thumb is to not plug in more than three strands at a time, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the box,” Vaspis says. “If you’re opening your tub of old lights and trying to pull them out and see what you have and if anything is frayed or old, it’s time to get rid of it.”

For many Iowans, it’s simply not the holidays if the fragrence of fresh pine isn’t wafting throughout the house, but if you have a “real” tree, it’s important that your electric lights are safe. “For the indoor lighting, make sure that what you’re using is not overloaded in a circuit with a number of other items,” Vaspis says. “Make sure that if you’re putting those lights on a Christmas tree, that the Christmas tree is in good shape, that it’s watered so that the lighting doesn’t cause a fire.”

An association study finds electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in more than two of every five (44%) home Christmas tree fires.

(Radio Iowa) – As Iowans battle cold temperatures, snow, ice and oh, the isolation of the pandemic, it’s little wonder some people say they’re depressed or have the winter blues, even if it’s not even officially winter yet. Jonathan Sikorski, a licensed mental health practitioner in Omaha/Council Bluffs, says Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a very real condition.  “A big misconception about Seasonal Affective Disorder is that it’s just something in your head,” Sikorski says. “It’s actually a diagnosable subset of major depression and it affects a lot of people nationally.”

Typically, a contributing factor to SAD is a lack of sunlight. “As a species, we’re solar-powered,” Sikorski says. “We like the sun and when we’re out in the sunlight we get Vitamin D, we get Vitamin D-12 from some of the foods that we eat, but also as we decrease activity, our moods just generally drop.” Sikorski, director of wellness education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, says there are things you can do to boost your mood, including buying a special light that’s very bright and sitting under it.  “Light therapy, you want to find something that has around 10,000 lux or lumens in the light,” he says. “For a lot of people, it’s a real godsend this time of year.”

He also suggests adding foods to your diet that are rich in Vitamin B-12, like beef and other protein-rich foods, and increase your intake of food with Omega-3 fatty acids, like fish, and raise your Vitamin D-3 intake. He says supplements are okay if you first check with your doctor. One other easy potential solution — get more sunlight.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a traffic stop at around 10-p.m. Monday at Boxelder Avenue and Highway 34, resulted in the arrest of two men. Tawakal Noor and Kalid Mahamed, both of Omaha, were taken into custody on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st offense/Marijuana, and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. Red Oak Police assisted in the arrests.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state is returning $21 million of federal coronavirus aid money it planned to spend on upgrading state information technology systems. Reynolds says she has directed the Iowa Department of Management to return the money to the state’s virus relief fund by Friday. The funds were initially allocated for payments related to Workday, a cloud-based human resources, finance, and planning system being implemented to modernize the state’s IT infrastructure. She says U.S. Treasury officials initially indicated it was an allowable expense but is now saying it is not. Iowa received $1.25 billion from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and must allocate the remaining $47.3 million by Dec. 30.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A small group of health care workers were the first people in Iowa to get the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a months-long campaign to deliver shots to state residents. The arrival of the vaccine marked a milestone in the fight against a virus that has killed one in roughly every 964 residents in Iowa, infected hundreds of thousands more, filled up hospitals and closed many public school buildings. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics said on Monday morning it received 1,000 doses of the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The hospital soon started vaccinating employees, saying it anticipated more than 50 would receive the first of two doses of the vaccine on Monday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s six Republican electors cast their votes for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, affirming their win in an election that saw record turnout and victories in 93 of the state’s 99 counties. Gov. Kim Reynolds presided over the meeting at the Iowa Capitol, where the six Republican activists filled out ballots Monday. The vote was a formality since the electors were required by law to vote for the candidate who won the state popular vote. Trump won the state 53% to Joe Biden’s 45%. A record 1.7 million voters cast ballots, for a turnout rate of more than 76%.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo officials are working to determine the cause of an explosion and fire at a school bus garage. Authorities say the explosion happened Monday afternoon at School Bus Sales in Waterloo. Four people were taken by car to hospitals. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known. Fire Battalion Chief Troy Luck said walls at the business were blown out and a burning school bus was found inside the building.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Waterloo officials are working to determine the cause of an explosion and fire at a school bus garage. Authorities say the explosion happened Monday afternoon at School Bus Sales in Waterloo. Four people were taken by car to hospitals. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known. Fire Battalion Chief Troy Luck said walls at the business were blown out and a burning school bus was found inside the building.