WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a firefighter suffered minor burns battling a blaze at a house in Waterloo. A neighbor noticed smoke and called 911 after the fire broke out Sunday morning. It burned through a floor of the split-level home, where no one had been living recently. The injured firefighter returned to work after being treated at a hospital. The fire cause is being investigated.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — MidAmerican Energy says it’s installing a battery system that could store enough power to serve around 900 Iowa homes for four hours. The Des Moines Register reports that Chicago-based Invenergy will install the system, housed in two truck-size steel containers, at a MidAmerican Energy substation in Knoxville. The lithium-iron phosphate system is expected to begin operating by the end of December. Officials say it will let MidAmerican store for later use energy produced when the winds are blowing and the sun is shining.

Mike Fehr is MidAmerican Energy vice president of resource development, and he says large scale energy storage has the potential to provide several benefits. It is still in the development stage, “and the economic feasibility on a larger scale is being assessed as well.”

On National Rural Health Day (Monday), Cass County Memorial Hospital announced it has been recognized by The Chartis Center of Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in two categories, Quality and Outcomes. The award recognizes that CCMH has performed among the top quartile of all rural hospitals in the nation. The awards were announced in conjunction with National Rural Health Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Thursday in November.

CCHS CEO Brett Altman said “We are very pleased to receive this recognition of being in the top 25% of over 2200 rural hospitals across the country. This is a direct result of the outstanding team we have who make these quality and outcome measures a top priority with every patient, every time.”

The Performance Leadership Awards are determined each year using iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging data from public data sources, the INDEX aggregates data from 50 rural-relevant metrics across eight pillars to derive a single overall percentile rating for all Critical Access Hospitals and Rural & Community Hospitals. The Performance Leadership Awards spotlight top performance in the areas of Quality, Outcomes and Patient Perspective.

Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce announce the Annual Holiday Christmas Lighting Contest “Deck the Homes”. This contest encourages the community to nominate their favorite merry and bright home. To nominate your favorite merry and bright home, call Atlantic Municipal Utilities at 712.243.1395. Winners will receive an Atlantic Municipal Utilities Voucher. Nominations are due Monday, December 10th.

Pick up your Christmas Brochure from area retail businesses, like the Chamber on Facebook or follow on Twitter to find dates and details to celebrate Christmas in Atlantic. You can find a complete list of activities at www.christmasinatlantic.com.

Capture the Christmas magic with #MyAtlanticIA and post to the Atlantic Area Chamber’s Facebook page or Instagram (AtlanticIowaFan). Contact the Atlantic Area Chamber with any questions at chamber@atlanticiowa.com or call 712.243.3017. Christmas in Atlantic is presented by TS Bank.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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An eastern Iowa woman died in a collision Sunday morning between her car and a semi. The Iowa State Patrol reports 20-year old Jasmine Alvarez Gonzalez, of Keota, was driving a 2001 Toyota Corolla southbound on Louisa County road X-17, when her car crossed the center line and went off the road into the east ditch. Gonzalez over-corrected, sending her car veering back across the roadway onto the west shoulder.

The vehicle crossed the centerline again, and was struck broadside in the northbound lane by a 2018 Peterbilt truck driven by 47-year old Steven Glen Dill, of Keota. The car came to rest in the east ditch, while the truck came to rest on the east shoulder.

Gonzalez, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. Dill, who was wearing a seat belt, was injured, but was not transported to a hospital. The crash, which happened at around 8:05-a.m. Sunday, remains under investigation.

The Iowa State Patrol is requesting the public’s help in connection with a fatal Tama County crash. Authorities say the collision happened at around 10:30-p.m. Friday on Highway 30 at Railroad Avenue, just north of Chelsea. The collision occurred between a black Ford F150 pickup driven by 38-year old Tamie Ann Cockrell, of Van Horne, and a FedEx Semi with dual trailers, driven by 34-year old Adam Russell Nurre, of Dyersville. Cockrell died at the scene.

Officials say the semi was westbound on Highway 30, when for reasons unknown, it crossed the doube-yellow line and struck the eastbound pickup.  The Iowa State Patrol requests that anyone who may have been a witness to the collision or had gone through that area of Highway 30 during the time it took officers to respond to the scene, to come forward with any pertinent information.

Please call the District 11 State Patrol office in Cedar Rapids at 319-396-1944 or Public Information Officer, Sgt. Nathan Ludwig at 515-745-2863.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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(Radio Iowa) — Many Iowans will be headed to the airport next week for Thanksgiving trips and some forecasts predict this flu season will be more severe than last year. Dr. Deborah Mulligan, Chief Medical Affairs Officer of tele-health provider M-D Live, says the convergence of flu season and holiday travel season increases your chances of getting sick, especially for Iowans who will be spending time on a plane.  Mulligan says, “What we learned from one study, by the Journal of the American Medical Association, is that 20% of plane passengers surveyed reported respiratory infections within five to seven days of flying.”

While many frequent fliers fear being seated next to sick strangers, Mulligan says air travel is fraught with chances for catching a bug. “Any largely-crowded area is susceptible to spreading viruses,” Mulligan says, “security lines, flight gates and boarding procedures all present transmission opportunities.”  For Iowans who do get sick but who don’t have time to visit the doctor’s office, tele-health providers offer a welcome alternative. Rich Berner, the C-E-O of M-D Live, says virtual doctor visits streamline the process for patients while not overloading clinics and hospitals during the busy flu season. “The beauty of MDLive service is not only does it provide a great experience for consumers, it’s much more convenient providing care the way they want it when they want it, but it also helps health systems.”

Similar virtual systems like Teladoc enable people to reach a physician for basic consultations through online video, telephone or mobile app. Virtual visits may be as low as 25-dollars and they’re often covered by insurance.

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) — A December trial has been scheduled for a woman accused of driving drunk with children in her vehicle. Mitchell County court records say 35-year-old Rebecca Golden, of Kensett, pleaded not guilty Thursday to five counts of child endangerment and one of operating while intoxicated. Her trial is set to begin Dec. 5 in Osage.

Authorities say Golden was pulled over Aug. 19 after someone called 911 to report a vehicle weaving on Iowa Highway 9. The children inside were ages 9, 7, 5, 2 and 1. Court records say her preliminary breath test indicated she was driving at more than three times the legal limit.