Officials with Mid-American Energy say power should be restored to some 309 residents in Montgomery County and 65 homes and/or businesses in Pottawattamie County, following a problem with a substation. The problem began a little after 9-a.m. Crews are working on the issue, and it’s anticipated service will be restored by approximately 1:00 PM.  The outage stretches from just south of Atlantic, through Griswold to Red Oak and Emerson.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced six Iowa communities have been awarded fluoride certificates by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Dental Association (ADA). Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in the water to an optimal level for preventing tooth decay.

Among the six communities receiving the 50 Year Award for maintaining continuous community water fluoridation from 1965-2016, is Elk Horn Municipal Water Works.

Fluoride is a natural mineral present in almost all water. Its benefits for teeth were discovered in the 1930s. Dental scientists found low tooth decay rates among people whose water supplies contained natural fluoride. Today, approximately 75 percent of Americans and 91 percent of Iowans served by community water systems have access to optimally fluoridated water. Even with the availability of other fluoride-containing products, fluoridated water prevents approximately 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults.

The CDC has recognized community water fluoridation, the process of adjusting the fluoride concentration in water to the optimal level for preventing tooth decay, as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th Century. It is supported by the U.S. Surgeon General, American Dental Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Public Health Association as a safe, effective, and inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay. Both Healthy People 2020 and Healthy Iowans have set goals to increase the number of people receiving fluoridated water.

IDPH is a strong supporter of fluoridation programs. The IDPH Bureau of Oral and Health Delivery Systems monitors the fluoride levels of Iowa communities and provides information and assistance to water supply professionals, healthcare professionals, and the public. To see the fluoridation status of Iowa counties and towns, visit https://nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF/Default/Default.aspx.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – A former teacher in northwest Iowa has been given five years of probation and a suspended 10-year prison term for having a sexual relationship with a student. Court records say Chad Osler, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse after prosecutors dropped two related charges. At his sentencing Monday he also was fined $1,000.

Court documents say Osler was a physical education teacher in Cherokee when he had sex with the student in July 2013. The relationship continued through 2014 and early 2015.  Osler took a job with the West Delaware Community School District, where he was put on administrative leave after he was arrested in April 2015. He’s no longer listed in the district staff directory.

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County today (Tuesday) released details about a tractor-trailer rollover accident that took place Monday afternoon, northeast of Exira. Authorities say the driver of the semi, 32-year old Shawn David Irvine, of Clearmont, MO., was transported by private vehicle to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, following the accident that took place at around 3:30-p.m. on Pheasant Avenue, near 280th Street, or about three-miles northeast of Exira.

The Sheriff’s Dept. says Irvine was traveling south over the posted speed limit in a 2013 Peterbilt tractor-trailer registered to Sioux Valley Transport, L-L-C, of Estherville, when he entered a curve in the road. A load of market hogs shifted in the trailer, causing the semi to roll over onto the shoulder of the road. About 60 hogs died in the crash.

The semi sustained an estimated $100,000 damage. Irvine was charged with Failure to Maintain Control. The Iowa State Patrol and Exira Fire and Rescue assisted at the accident scene.