Postal officials are urging Iowans to get their holiday cards, letters and gifts in the mail soon, because a major logjam is expected in just under two weeks. Richard Watkins, a spokesman for the U-S Postal Service in Iowa, says Monday, December 19th, is expected to be the busiest mail processing day of the year. Other deadlines are coming up as soon as this Saturday, if you want items delivered before Christmas. “Some of the mailing deadlines include December 10th for military mail to overseas bases other than Afghanistan — that deadline was last week,” Watkins says. “December 15th for parcel post, December 20th for First Class mail, December 21st for Priority Mail and December 22nd for Express Mail.” 

The state’s largest mail processing center in Des Moines is expected to handle about a million pieces of mail on December 19th, up from around 400-thousand pieces on a typical Monday. If you’re sending off boxed gifts this month, he offers a few quick tips to get them there faster. “We recommend before shipping packages to remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices,” Watkins says. “Also, place a card inside the package that contains both the delivery and the return address. That insures the safe return of an item that couldn’t be delivered if the mailing label became damaged or fell off.” 

The price of a stamp is also going up, but not until next month. Watkins says the cost of a first-class stamp is going up one penny to 45-cents, starting on January 22nd. He says those ‘Forever’ stamps are called that for a reason. Watkins says, “Customers who have purchased ‘Forever’ stamps in the past and have some in their drawers or tucked away in their offices, those will be good always, as you would expect, forever at the prevailing first-class rate.”

Find more mailing tips and information at: www.usps.com.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County says two people were injured during a collision Thursday, four-miles northwest of Malvern, on Highway 34. An investigation revealed a Chevrolet being driven by 21-year-old Noel Thompson, of Red Oak, was traveling on Highway 34, when he attempted to pass a slower moving car. As he was passing the other vehicle, Thompson’s car collided head-on with a Buick driven by 73-year-old Grace Blackman, of Hastings. Both drivers were transported to Creighton University Medical Center by Malvern and Glenwood Rescue.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department says an Atlantic woman arrested Wednesday on an Interference with Official Acts charge, now faces a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana.  19-year old Carly Jean Seddon was originally placed under arrest following an incident which allegedly occurred Wednesday afternoon during a traffic stop, in Brayton. A subsequent investigation resulted in the additional charge. Seddon is scheduled to appear in court next Monday (Dec. 12th).

No injuries were reported following an accident Thursday evening in Audubon County. The sheriff’s department says vehicles driven by 34-year old Joseph Leo Thielen, of Audubon, and 28-year old Jeffrey Michael Blum, of Manning, collided near the intersection of 110th Street and Crane Avenue. The accident happened at around 5-p.m, when Thielen was unable to stop due to the snow and ice covered road. As he approached the intersection, the 2008 Chevy Thielen was driving slid into Blum’s 2006 Ford. Following the collision, Blum’s vehicle went into a ditch and hit a power pole. The vehicles sustained a combined $42,000 damage. No citations were issued.

A fire late Thursday morning at the Ember’s Restaurant in Avoca caused about $4,500 damage, but no one was injured, and the restaurant remains open for business. Will Rose, with the Avoca Fire Department, says an electrical wire contacted a heat duct in the attic, which then caught fire. The call came in around 11:30-am.  Crews from the Avoca and Walnut Fire Departments were on scene until about 2:10-p.m 

Rose told our sister station KNOD in Harlan, that Avoca Rescue was also called out around 2-am this (Friday) morning for a semi tractor-trailer rollover accident on Interstate 80, at about the 38-mile marker.  Rose said driver of the rig was taken to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan, but no other details are currently available.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday, in Atlantic. During their meeting, the board heard from Supervisor Frank Waters, who sits on a review committee tasked with recommending changes to the County’s indigent burial policy. Waters said the committee proposed three changes to the current policy: Add a cremation alternative with maximum contribution $1,500; change the maximum payable amount for a burial to $2,000; and set the maximum costs for a grave opening at $550.  The proposal was taken under advisement. 

The Supervisors also approved a livestock confinement facility Construction Evaluation Resolution, which is required by Iowa Code. Only counties that have adopted a construction evaluation resolution are allowed to submit to the Department of Natural Resources an adopted recommendation to approve or disapprove a construction permit application regarding a proposed confinement feeding operation structure. The move makes it possible for those same counties to contest the DNR’s decision regarding a specific animal confinement facility application. 

Auditor Dale Sunderman says by adopting a construction evaluation resolution the board of supervisors agrees to evaluate every construction permit application for a proposed confinement feeding operation structure received by the board of supervisors between February 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013 and submit an adopted recommendation regarding that application to the DNR. The evaluations will be conducted and graded using the master matrix created by Iowa Code, but their recommendation to the DNR may be based on the final score on the master matrix or may be based on reasons other than the final score on the master matrix. 

And, the Cass County Board of Supervisors heard from the head Librarians in all six city libraries in the county (the Cass County Library Association). They reported on the services provided by those libraries, and requested that the current annual county funding of $60,600 be maintained for Fiscal Year 2013. The request was taken under advisement.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following a rollover accident which occurred just before 8-a.m., west of Red Oak. Officials say a car driven by James Laughlin, of Red Oak, was traveling west on 200th Street, when he lost control of the vehicle due to a snow and ice packed road surface. The car, a 2000 Chevy Cavalier, entered a ditch and rolled onto its right side. A report on the extent of damage to the car was not available.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Authorities in Atlantic say no citations were issued after a non-injury accident Wednesday evening.  According to the police department, vehicles driven by David Crum and Ramon Smith, both of Atlantic, collided at around 5:15-p.m. Wednesday, as Crum was traveling south on Walnut Street and Smith was eastbound on 7th Street. Smith attempted to stop for the red light, but the vehicle slid into the intersection and hit Crum’s vehicle, causing a total of $3,500 damage.

Atlantic Police report also, 50-year old Robert Atkinson, of Atlantic, was arrested Wednesday, for 5th degree theft. He was brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

Omaha, NE. (AP) — Families in Mills County who were affected by this year’s flooding along the Missouri River may be able to get as much as $1,000 from the American Red Cross. The Loess Hills Chapter of the Red Cross is offering the money to flood victims.

Julie Chavez says she hopes her family will qualify for the Red Cross money, because they were unable to get help from FEMA. Chavez says her family’s home was surrounded by floodwaters in June, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers released massive amounts of water from dams located along the Missouri River earlier this year, to deal with heavy rains and above-average snowmelt, causing record flooding in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri.