The government expects most households to pay more for heat this winter, although heating oil users will see their bills drop slightly.  Homes using natural gas for heat, about half of the nation, will see costs rise about 13 percent from a year ago to an average of $679. That’s still about $25 lower than the average for the winters of 2007 through 2012.

For heating oil customers, there is good news and bad news in the government’s annual outlook for heating costs. Their average bill should drop 2 percent, to $2.046. But that’s still the second highest average on record, behind last year’s $2,092.

Homes relying on electricity for heat, about 38 percent of the U.S., will likely pay about 2 percent more for heat, or about $18.

Safety improvements at highway-railroad grade crossings were approved by the Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday). The improvements include the addition of signals with gate arms at 27 crossings and circuitry upgrades at five crossings. Funds were also approved to assist in crossing closures. Engineering and planning for these improvements will take place over the next year with installation planned in 2015.

In the KJAN listening area: Chestnut Avenue crossing the BNSF line in Adams County will receive $200,000 in federal funds to replace the crossbucks with signals/gate arms; Lincoln Avenue in Pacific Junction will receive $195,000 for a similar project. Both projects are included in the 2014 Program.

Projects scheduled for 2015 include the replacement of crossbucks with signals equipped with gate arms over the Union Pacific tracks in: Harrison County, where the improvements will be made along 128th Trail, and on Missouri Avenue in Pottawattamie County. The projects are receiving $440,000 altogether. And, the Union Pacific crossing on Iris Avenue in Union County, will receive $180,000 for the replacement of crossbucks with a signals/gate & arms.

The Highway-Railroad Crossing Safety Program provides 90 percent of the cost of the safety improvement, with the remaining 10 percent paid by the party responsible for the highway (normally a city or county), the railroad or a portion paid by each. Funding for the program comes from the Federal Highway-Railroad Crossing Program.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has received a $440,000 dollar grant award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to be distributed over three years for suicide prevention. According to IDPH, 381 Iowans committed suicide in 2012, making it the tenth leading cause of death in the state. The grant will be used to implement evidence-based screening and assessment for suicide risk at IDPH-funded substance abuse treatment programs and certain public middle and high schools; to reach youth through a social media campaign; and to increase referrals to services for substance use and co-occurring mental health problems.

IDPH will coordinate the grant with the Your Life Iowa program announced by Governor Branstad last November as a “go-to” resource for youth, parents, school personnel and all Iowans looking for help and information about bullying and youth suicide prevention. Available 24/7, Your Life Iowa is a phone call or text away at www.Yourlifeiowa.org or 855-581-8111. Trained counselors provide guidance and support about bullying, and critical help to youth who feel they’ve run out of options and are considering suicide.  Since its launch, most callers and texters to Your Life Iowa have been female. Most callers who said they were bullying victims were between the ages of 9 and 12; the highest number of texts regarding bullying was from teens aged 13 to 16. The majority reported their bullying incidents occurred at school.

Most people who consider suicide want to live, but are unable to see alternatives to their problems and they often give warning signs such as:

• Threatening or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself
• Talking or writing about death, dying and suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary for that person
• Hopelessness
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
• Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping all the time
• Dramatic mood changes

There are ways to be helpful to someone who is threatening suicide:

• Be direct. Talk openly and factually about suicide
• Listen. Allow expression of feelings and accept the feelings you hear
• Don’t judge, debate or lecture
• Get involved, be available, and show interest and support
• Don’t dare him or her to do it
• Don’t act shocked. This could create distance between you
• Offer hope that alternatives are available, but don’t give glib reassurance
• Take action! Remove guns, pills or other means.
• If urgent, call your health care provider, 911, Your Life Iowa (855-581-8111) or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-TALK), or go to the emergency room.

The Iowa Transportation Commission Tuesday, approved nearly $3.5 million for eight State Recreational Trails Program projects. Two of the projects are located in the KJAN listening area. The State Recreational Trails Program was created in 1988 with the purpose of developing and maintaining recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized trail users. Funding is available to cities, counties, state agencies, local governments, and nonprofit organizations through an annual application-based program.

In southwest Iowa, the  Farragut to Shenandoah Trail Connection received  $487,500 from the Commission, and in west central Iowa, the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Trail Connector (in Dallas County) received  $92,897.

The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved a Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) Local Development grant application submitted by Audubon County. The action came during the Commission’s meeting this (Tuesday) morning, in Ames. Up to $314,977 will be made available to assist in reconstruction of approximately 1,300 feet of 190th Street located northwest of the city of Audubon. The project is anticipated to be completed by September 2014. Officials say the project is necessary to provide access to 20 acres for industrial purposes.

Funding for the grant comes from the county share of the RISE Fund.

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A 52-year-old northwest Iowa woman has claimed her $1 million Powerball prize.  Debbie Sheldon went to the Iowa Lottery headquarters on Monday after working a few hours at her job in Rock Valley. She’d bought the ticket at a convenience store in Sheldon. The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball number. It was one of five tickets nationwide to win $1 million in Saturday’s drawing.

Sheldon and her husband, Dave, plan to use the money to help their children and grandchildren and put a little money away for retirement.  Debbie Sheldon says the money also will let her and her husband “breathe financially a little bit now.”

No one won Saturday’s $88 million jackpot, so the prize will increase to about $108 million for Wednesday’s drawing.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Police in Red Oak report the arrest Monday evening of a woman on alcohol-related charges. 38-year old Ginger Lee Reed, of Shenandoah, was arrested at around 9:30-p.m. in the 1000 block of East Maple Street in Red Oak, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Reed was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 cash bond.

Due to the Federal government shutdown, the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) has not completed the weekly crop progress and condition report that is released weekly during the growing season. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey issued a statement Monday on harvest progress, however.

Northey said “Unfortunately due to the Federal government shutdown we will not have a crop progress report this week. In general, what I’m hearing from around the state is that many farmers were able to start harvesting before the wet weather moved in late last week. If we get several days of dry, warm weather this week as forecasted, that will help crops dry down and farmers will again be busy harvesting both corn and soybeans.”

State Climatologist Harry Hillaker, with the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship says weather-wise, the big news of the week was the severe weather impacting northwestern Iowa on Friday (4th) evening. Damage surveys are ongoing, however it would appear that this was Iowa’s largest tornado event for so late in the year since the outbreak of November 12, 2005. Tornado damage was reported from Woodbury, Plymouth, Cherokee and Buena Vista counties with large hail and high winds reported from an additional 15 counties across north central, southwest and central Iowa.

The past reporting week began with dry weather prevailing from Sunday (29th) through Wednesday (2nd) afternoon. Thunderstorms developed over western Iowa late Wednesday and spread across far northern and far southern Iowa on Thursday (3rd) morning. Thunderstorms brought widespread moderate to heavy rain from west central into east central Iowa late Thursday into Friday afternoon with a few reports of large hail and high wind in central Iowa. Friday evening’s storms were mostly confined to about the northwest one-half of the state with the heaviest rains centered upon Worth, Mitchell and Floyd counties. Weekly rain totals varied from only 0.02 inches at Fairfield to 5.19 inches near Colwell in Floyd County.

The statewide average precipitation was 1.19 inches while normal for the week is 0.69 inches. This was Iowa’s wettest week in 14 weeks (late June). Meanwhile, unseasonably warm and humid air dominated the state from Monday (30th) through Friday (4th) with afternoon highs reaching into the 80’s each day over much of Iowa. Sunday (29th) and Saturday (5th) at the beginning and end of the period brought seasonal temperatures. Temperature extremes varied from afternoon highs of 88 degrees at Sioux City on Wednesday (2nd) and at Donnellson, Fort Madison and Keokuk on Friday (4th) to Saturday (5th) morning lows of 37 degrees at Hawarden, Le Mars, Rock Rapids, Sibley and Sioux Center. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 7.7 degrees above normal.