WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 21-year-old West Des Moines man has been arrested after a gun he was handling fired, sending a bullet through a basement ceiling that hit his sleeping mother. Paramedics were called to the home around 5 a.m. Friday and found a 43-year-old woman shot in her upper body. She was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Police say her son told officers he had been holding the handgun in the home’s basement when it fired, sending the round into the ceiling and through a bed on which his mother was sleeping. He called 911. The son faces charges of reckless use of a firearm causing injury and three drug possession counts.

Officials with Harlan Municipal Utilities are reminding their customers and area residents, that portable generators can be a convenient source of power, however, officials ask that they be used properly for the safety of yourself and utility employees. Read and follow all instruction  that come with the generator.

DO NOT attempt to connect portable generators to your home system on a temporary basis. Portable generators are meant to be used as standalone power sources with items plugged directly to the generator. Do not attempt to feed a whole home by connecting the generator to your home system in any manner.

Fixed generators are directly connected to a home or business. Proper wiring and connection is required including a cutoff switch that totally disconnects the public power grid from the facility. Improper connections can back feed the power grid causing dangerous current that can electrocute or critically injure you or others.

Food Safety Tips During Power Outages

If the power is out for less than 4 hours, then the food in your refrigerator and freezer will be safe to consume. While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep food cold for longer.

If the power is out for longer than 4 hours, follow the guidelines below:

• For the Freezer section: A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it.
• For the Refrigerated section: Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice. Inexpensive Styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose.
• Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of your food right before you cook or eat it. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, eggs, leftovers and deli items after 4 hours without power. Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!

Refreezing food

Never taste food to determine its safety! You will have to evaluate each item separately.  Food may be safely refrozen if the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below. Be sure to discard any items in either the freezer or the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.

Storing Refrigerated or Frozen Food Outside

Frozen food can thaw if it is exposed to the sun’s rays even when the temperature is very cold. Refrigerated food may become too warm and food-borne bacteria could grow. The outside temperature could vary hour by hour and the temperature outside will not protect refrigerated and frozen food. Additionally, perishable items could be exposed to unsanitary conditions or to animals.

For more information on food safety during power outages, please contact Shelby County Public Health or go to https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html.

Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, Saturday, offered some tips on how to keep warm in the event of a power failure during the anticipated ice storm. Operations Officer Jason Wickizer says “Kerosene heaters are only as safe as the people who use them,” meaning “You have open flames, and some intense surface temperatures,” and people need to use common sense.

Using Kerosene heaters indoors can be a rewarding experience. Many of the heaters out there allow you to view the flame while it is in use. Kerosene heaters can be safely used indoors, and here here are some tips and precautions about using Kerosene heaters indoors:

#1. CARBON MONOXIDE

Kerosene heaters produce Carbon Monoxide, so do gas stoves, candles, oil lamps, etc. Some heaters produce more than others, and the amount of emissions produced by any one heater may vary depending on the heaters condition. So, service your heater, keep it clean, and make sure it is in peak operating condition at all times.

When using a Kerosene heater you do need to provide it with adequate fresh air, investing in a carbon monoxide detector would not be a waste of money. Do Not close yourself up in a single room with a Kerosene heater, keep adjacent rooms, and doors open. If your house is very air tight (newer homes) you need to crack open a window, maybe leave a flue open on your fire place if you have one, this creates a natural draw, continuously circulating fresh air.

There are add on filters available to use on your heater that will reduce it’s emissions.

#2. FIRE HAZZARDS

Kerosene heaters create very high surface temperatures, therefore they need not be too close to items that can be considered combustible such as furniture, drapes, papers, walls, etc. you get the point. Wickizer recommends a good 24″- 36″ clearance all around a convection type heater (the round ones) for safety purposes. Do not set pans of anything on top of your heater unattended that may boil over into your heater. If your heater does not have a drip tray, it is not a bad idea to have a metal pan of some sort to sit it on.

Kerosene is not a volatile fuel, meaning it is not really explosive, it has a relatively high flash point. Kerosene needs a media or heat for combustion. Something soaked in kerosene will readily light easily when a flame is applied, such as a wick, wood, carpet, a chair, rope, etc, a media, something soaked in kerosene will burn easily, now heat, kerosene heated becomes much more volatile, meaning vapors can more easily be ignited, example a heater that has just been put out, and you immediately attempt to relight, it will relight with a poof, as the temperatures there at the wick are at their flash point, make sense. If your heater gets turned off, or goes out, do not attempt to relight for 15-20 min.

#3. DANGER IN MIXING FUELS.

Never use a gasoline can for Kerosene, what ever type of container you use make sure it is clearly marked, and has had only Kerosene in it. It takes very little gasoline mixed with kerosene to create an unpleasant, and dangerous explosion. Be weary of fuel additives, some of these can become dangerous as well if used in improper amounts. Alternative fuels are available, but do your research, make sure they are safe. Wickizer says he uses only K-1 Kerosene in his heaters.

#4. DON’T LET THE CHILDREN GET BURNED, OR YOU EITHER!!!

Kerosene heaters produce very high surface temperatures, many of the newer heaters provide cages to help  reduce the risks, but even the cages get very hot, and will burn you. Talk to your children, and keep the heater where it will not be tripped over when in use, keep it out of high traffic areas. Many older heaters do not have safety features, or cages to prevent burns, so again, use common sense.

#5. HEATERS WITH SAFETY’S / WITHOUT SAFETY’S?

There are a lot of people out there collecting, and using vintage heaters. There are risks involved, as back when these heaters were made the manufacturers were not so worried about lawsuits based on human error, they expected their products to be used with common sense. Therefore many of the older heaters are not equipped with anti tip over devices, cages to prevent terrible burns, etc. knock one of them over you will have a fire, touch one of them while in use, you will have a terrible burn.  Keep your heater out of danger zones such as high traffic areas, so no one, pets, or children, would be likely to knock it over. Make sure the heater is sitting level, and if it is sitting on a non-flammable surface.

#6 REFUELING

Consider refueling outdoors, this prevents spilling of fuel on your floors, carpet, table, etc. find something that makes refilling easy for you such as siphon pumps, smaller light weight cans w/ flexible hoses, etc. large cumbersome containers can make refilling a chore. You can make a stable roll around cart to sit your heater on if you have one of these heavy models. If you spill fuel, clean up your mess immediately.

#7 STORING FUEL

Keep your fuel in airtight containers, preferably plastic in construction, and try to keep them in an area not subject to dramatic temperature changes. Keep your storage containers out of the sunlight.

#8 DON’T LEAVE A LIT HEATER UNATTENDED

Your home should not be left unattended while the heater is lit. If you are at home, monitor the device, and it it begins to malfunction, you should be able to smell it.

#9 CAN I LEAVE ONE BURNING ALL NIGHT

Yes you can leave a heater burning all night, but here is what you must do…

1. Use a heater you are familiar with, you know is in good condition, and you trust it, meaning it does not give you problems.
2. Make sure you are allowing the heater adequate ventilation, don’t close it up in the bedroom with you, or in a bathroom, etc.
3. Make sure you have a working smoke alarm you CAN hear, and a carbon monoxide detector is a good idea as well.
4. Make sure you, your kids, etc. are educated on how to get out, and you have a way to get out should a catastrophe should occur.

To summarize: Wickizer says if you use your heater with common sense, take care of it, and keep it in good working order, you can expect many years of good dependable warm service from your heater.

A young woman from Pottawattamie County died as the result of injuries she suffered during a crash Friday night, in southeast Nebraska. KETV in Omaha reports 19-year old Merzedes Hart, of Council Bluffs, was killed in what was dispatched as a pedestrian versus vehicle accident that took place in Waverly, NE., at around 10:30-p.m. on Highway 6, a little north of 120th Street.

Deputies say following the crash, the vehicle left the area. Hart was pronounced dead on scene. Authorities said vehicle and driver involved in the incident were later located, but as of last report, no arrests had been made, and no citations were issued.

Hart’s autopsy is scheduled for today (Saturday).

w/ Chris Parks

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports three separate arrests on Friday night.

At 10:47pm deputies arrested 21-year-old Darian Elizabeth Heideman of Red Oak in the 300 block of Broad Avenue in Red Oak on a valid Montgomery County Arrest Warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Disorderly Conduct. Heideman was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash only bond.

At 11:37pm deputies arrested 19-year-old Mitchell Lee Stallard of Council Bluffs for Possession of Controlled Substance following a traffic stop.  The arrest occurred at Highway 34 and Highway 71 north of Villisca. Stallard was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

At 11:59pm deputies arrested 36-year-old Timothy George Myers of Elliott for Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts.  The arrest was made following an incident in the 600 block of Main Street in Elliott. Deputies did have to use a taser to complete the arrest. Myers was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond. Additional charges are pending.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state regulatory agency has fined a southwestern Iowa disability treatment center $30,000 and notified Iowa Medicaid officials they should terminate the center’s federal certification if improvements aren’t made by April. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals on Friday released a report on its abuse investigation at the Glenwood State Resource Center.

It details incidents of patients struck on the head with spoons, knives and taunted with explicit sexual conversations that made them cower in discomfort. Glenwood serves 230 people with behavioral challenges or severe medical conditions.

The Iowa Department of Human Services, which runs the center, announced Jan. 4 that six workers were fired, six resigned and five others were disciplined after finding seven patients were physically abused and 13 others were subjected to verbal abuse or neglect.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert said Friday, that Shelby County and City of Harlan officials met Friday afternoon to review emergency plans in anticipation of the potential winter storm this weekend.  With the potential of power outages and dangerous, if not impossible travel conditions, several recommendations were made to make the communities and citizens as safe as possible.

They strongly suggest:

#1. Keep informed by  using the  media outlets, and paying attention to the weather watches and in particular weather warnings. When travel is not recommended, it means that, you should stay home. Cancel unnecessary travel, until conditions improve.

#2. Maintain some extra provisions, food, water, batteries, flashlights, medications, The standard is a three day supply.  If you have special medical needs, make advance arrangements for a prolonged power outage.

#3. If the power does go out, stay calm. Do not call 911. The Emergency Operations Center will be in continual contact with the power providers assessing the potential duration of the outage  and passing along any information which is being made available. You can stay in your home several hours. Check on your elderly neighbors, those who have special medical needs, and those families with very young children. The City of Harlan has a very robust electrical distribution system and well defined plans which will minimize the need for you to seek shelter outside your home.

#4. If you can park off the street, it would help with a more thorough distribution of salt, and road clearing efforts. Please, use the City parking lots, when possible.

#5. Using generators and kerosene heaters, requires specific safety precautions. generators and heaters are sold with safety instructions and they should always be followed. NEVER run a generator in the home. NEVER leave alternate fuel heaters unattended.

#6. A downed power line is a very dangerous situation, never try to  move a downed line! Don’t touch it!  Keep others away. Call the power company  with the location . IF the line appears to be energized call 911 .

Be Prepared, Be safe, a little pre-planning may pay big dividends!

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of an Irwin man on Thursday on an arrest warrant.  24-year-old Orin Wesley Wright III was arrested for Vehicular Homicide-Operating Under the Influence, a Class B Felony. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on August 21, 2016 which resulted in the death of 67-year-old Russel John Buckley of Earling.  Wright was held in the Shelby County Jail on $25,000 bond.