w/ Ric Hanson

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The City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Commision (CPC) is set to meet this (Tuesday) evening, in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. During their 5-p.m. session, the Commission will discuss: The Speed Limit on a portion of 22nd Street and a Vicious Dog permit. The issue of a speed limit on 22nd Street evolved after a group of Atlantic residents living along West 22^nd  petitioned the Atlantic City Council to lower the speed limit from 45-miles per hour to 35-miles per hour in the section from Chestnut Street to Palm Street. The Commission will forward their recommendation on to the City Council.

The CPC will also hear updates on matters pertaining to truck parking, and the cat trap-and-release program.

Despite recent rains, reservoirs on the Missouri River are dropping as drought persists and low water levels will translate to higher electric rates for some Iowans. The Western Area Power Administration is responsible for selling power from hydroelectric dams on the river and WAPA spokesman Randy Wilkerson says they’re watching water levels carefully. “Right now, we know that water levels in the reservoirs are low and we’re anticipating less than normal generation over the winter and into the coming year,” Wilkerson says.

The agency delivers power to several rural electric co-ops and municipalities in Iowa and in 14 other states. Wilkerson says WAPA easily met its power projections during last year’s historic flooding on the Missouri. “Everybody had more than enough water and we had excess generation that we could actually sell on the open market,” he says. “This year, if we have less than normal generation, we’ll have to be out on the open market purchasing some power in order to make up our contracts.”

Wilkerson says while WAPA will meet its power contract obligations, they will likely come at an added cost. “It gets built into the rates somewhere along the line,” he says. “We do have a drought adder that periodically takes a look at the rates and identifies how much costs are due to drought or low water levels, so absolutely, yes, ultimately, it gets built into the rates.”

Last year, WAPA delivered more than 42-billion kilowatt hours of electricity to its service areas.

(Radio Iowa)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department says a Red Oak man was arrested Monday, for allegedly violating a protective order. Sheriff’s officials say at around 6:40-p.m., they received word 27-year old Aaron Allen had violated the court order. Officers with the Red Oak P-D located Allen about two-hours later and brought him to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a warrant charging him with Harassment in the 1st degree.

Allen was being held in the jail on a total of $2,300 bond.

Authorities in Montgomery County say a Red Oak man was arrested Monday night on two valid warrants.  21-year old James Leroy Christensen, Jr. was arrested just before 8-p.m., on a Sheriff’s Department warrant for Contempt of Court/Failure to Pay on a charge of Illegal Resistance to Order of Process, and, a Red Oak Police Department warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation. Christensen, Jr. was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $10,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Lightening is thought to have been the cause of an early morning house fire near Menlo, Monday. According to WOI-TV in Ames, firefighters from Menlo, Guthrie Center, and Casey were on the scene for about three hours. When crews arrived on the scene,  flames were coming through the roof. One person was in the home at the time, but he was able to escape without injury.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Monday, issued a Press Release  urges all Iowans over 6 months of age to receive their yearly seasonal influenza vaccine. Surveillance by IDPH influenza sentinel sites and confirmatory testing by the State Hygienic Laboratory shows the flu is circulating in Iowa, and appears to be particularly spreading among children. IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “Children are known as ‘super spreaders’ because they are often in close contact with others at schools or daycare, and when ill, can quickly spread the illness to others.”

Quinlisk says while the flu vaccine is the best defense against getting influenza, it’s also important to take personal actions to help prevent the spread of illness. Remember the 3Cs: Cover your coughs and sneezes; Clean your hands frequently; and Contain germs by staying home when ill. The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days.

Influenza may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or very old, or those who have underlying health conditions. Influenza is not a ‘reportable disease’ in Iowa, which means doctors are not required to notify IDPH each time a patient tests positive for influenza; however, IDPH conducts year-round influenza surveillance through the Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network. The surveillance indicates what types of influenza viruses are circulating and how widespread influenza illness is.

For more information about where and what kind of influenza is in Iowa, go to www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/Influenza.aspx?pg=FluHome. Contact your health care provider or local health department to find out where the vaccine is available in your community or use the Flu Vaccine Finder at www.flu.gov.

Sheriff’s Officials in Montgomery County have identified the victim of Friday’s train-versus-pedestrian collision. Authorities are awaiting dental records and autopsy results to confirm the victim was 18-year old Jessica Lynn Randolph of Jackson, Missouri. According to Sheriff Joe Sampson, the young woman moved to Stanton in August, and was a senior at Red Oak High School.

Authorities have yet to  determine why she was standing on the railroad tracks just east of the Halland Avenue railroad crossing on the southern edge of Stanton, where she was struck by a Burlington Northern Railroad freight train at around 5:24-p.m., Friday.

Cass County remains the only county in the KJAN listening area with a ban on open burning in place, after three more area counties rescinded their bans Monday. The State Fire Marshal’s Office said the Burn Bans in Crawford, Mills and Monona Counties were cancelled on Monday. The bans in Crawford and Mills Counties had been in place since mid-July, while the Monona County ban was established on October 16th. Conditions across the area have improved with recent rains and high humidity making less likely the possibility of grassland a field fires.

By the end of the day, Monday, only 10 counties in Iowa remained under a Burn Ban. Nine of those counties are in northwest Iowa. Cass County is the lone remaining County elsewhere in the State.