Thunderstorms are expected to move into northern Iowa by mid to late morning as a cold front approaches from the northwest. Strong to severe storms are possible across this afternoon and evening as additional storms develop ahead of the boundary and move southeast through central and southern Iowa. Another very warm day is forecast with high temperatures in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Heat index values will approach 100 degrees by this afternoon. Much cooler conditions are forecast for Tuesday with highs in the 70s to lower 80s. The seasonably cool weather will continue through much of the week. Chances for thunderstorms will return late in the week and next weekend as another cold front arrives.

Before you dig into that remodeling project, you should survey the material to be sure you’re not unleashing dangerous asbestos fibers. Brian Hutchins with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says your home doesn’t have to be decades old to contain asbestos materials. “I guess the research would tell us that it’s more prevalent in older homes — like prior to 1990 — but it’s not to say that it can’t be in newer construction as well,” Hutchins says. “Asbestos products can still be imported into the U-S and there’s just a whole lot of different products that have used asbestos.”

Asbestos fibers can cause disease or cancer more than 20 years after the exposure. There are some key areas where you might find asbestos. “Piping insulation, that is an area where it is pretty common that it’s asbestos-containing material, especially in the old thermal insulation material. Flooring material, things like floor tile, linoleum and also the adhesive that is used to glue those materials down. Roofing material — it could be present in shingles and felt paper, and insulation as well,” Hutchins says.

He says you may not be able to tell if a material contains asbestos and should have it checked out. “The only way to know for sure is to actually have the material tested. It really should be sampled by a certified inspector, and then that gets sent into a lab where it is analyzed to determine its asbestos content,” according to Hutchins.

There are state regulations that apply to asbestos removal for commercial buildings, but they don’t apply to single family homes. Even so, Hutchins says you should really have a professional remove the asbestos, as doing it the wrong way increases your exposure. “As long as the material is not damaged and you’re not going to be disturbing it, there’s really no health concern at that point,” he says. “It’s really when you start disturbing that material and releasing those fibers into the air.”

Hutchins says the state certifies people who remove asbestos and you should look for someone with certification to do any removal work. July is Asbestos Awareness Month.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in  Montgomery County report the arrest at around 10:04-p.m. Sunday, of 37-year old John Wayne Goodall, of Red Oak. Goodall’s 1995 Chevy S-10 pickup  was pulled over near the intersection of Broadway and West Reed Streets, and he was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. He was subsequently cited for the offense, and released.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine what caused an explosion that injured five people performing electrical work at a manufacturing plant in northwest Iowa. The Osceola County Sheriff’s office says the explosion happened at the Timewell Tile plant in Sibley on Saturday morning while workers were switching some power lines to a newer transformer. Lieutenant Seth Hoffman says five men sustained burns in the accident. Some of the burns were extensive, but authorities didn’t immediately release their names yesterday.

TOLEDO, Iowa (AP) — Human rights lawyers are questioning the Iowa Juvenile Home’s use of solitary rooms for teen girls in foster care for months at a time. The Des Moines Register reports the state-run home where as many as 57 youths with behavior issues are treated uses isolation cells and sometimes withholds classroom instruction to control behavior.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s 911 system is working again after a problem that routed some calls to out-of-town call centers. The Des Moines Register reports problems started Friday evening and continued until Saturday. David Lingren, executive director of the Iowa Communications Network, says most of the system was operating normally by Saturday morning.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities believe that someone who was reported missing on the Upper Iowa River this weekend likely drowned. KCRG reports rescue crews were still looking for the person yesterday. Witnesses say someone went underwater near a dam east of Decorah on Saturday.

The Audubon City Council is set to meet Monday evening, to act on a resolution authorizing an amendment to a loan and disbursement agreement between the City, and the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA). The Council will also act on authorizing and providing for the re-issuance of the $2.066-million Sewer Revenue Capital Loan Note, Series 2002. The action is needed in order for the City to take advantage of a new, IFA reduced the interest rate from 3-percent to 1.75-percent.

The Council will also act on Audit proposals, and a motion to accept them, along with approving a request from the Audubon Chamber of Commerce pertaining to the T-Bone Celebration.

The meeting begins in the Audubon City Hall’s Council Chambers, at 7-p.m., Monday.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A rally has been held in Davenport one week after a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. The Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network organized the “Justice for Trayvon” rallies yesterday outside federal buildings in 100-plus cities, including Davenport. The rallies are intended to press for civil rights charges against Zimmerman.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a public reprimand for a Council Bluffs magistrate who wore his judicial robes in advertisements for his services as a private attorney. The Council Bluff Nonpareil reports that the state’s high court issued the reprimand Friday against Judicial Magistrate Clarence Meldrum Junior. The Supreme Court noted that, beginning in 2009, Meldrum placed the advertisements in phone books.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo man has been charged with animal torture, accused putting a dog in a running a clothes dryer. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 25-year-old Zachary Lee Smith was arrested Wednesday. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison. Smith has been released on a $5,000 bond.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A vintage safe filled with $250,000 worth of silver bars and gold coins has been stolen, and the owner is offering a $5,000 cash reward for its return. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports that the safe, which belongs to a Marshalltown woman in her 60s, was stolen on July 6th from an apartment garage.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a public reprimand for a Council Bluffs magistrate who wore his judicial robes in advertisements for his services as a private attorney. The Council Bluff Nonpareil reports that the state’s high court issued the reprimand Friday against Judicial Magistrate Clarence B. Meldrum Jr.

The Supreme Court noted that, beginning in 2009, Meldrum placed the advertisements in phone books. In his defense, Meldrum had said he never intended to imply that he “could pull any strings” for clients as a magistrate. He said he only wanted to show that he held a responsible public position.

But the high court said the ads violated the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct.

Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert reports cellular 9-1-1 service to the County has been restored, as of 3-p.m. today (Saturday). Some areas saw service restored by mid-day. In Shelby County, cellular 9-1-1 was restored between 1-and 2-p.m. The service had been down since about 6:30-p.m. Friday, and wireless phone users had been asked to call their local law enforcement agency instead of dialing 911. Those who called 9-1-1 using their cell phone, ended-up getting an Iowa State Patrol call center somewhere else in the state, which could have slowed response time based on unfamiliarity with the area the call was placed from.

The Des Moines Register reports the problem was blamed on a faulty piece of equipment on the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), the state-owned fiber-optic system. David Lingren, the network’s executive director, told the paper that a vendor working with the state tried to fix the problem by installing a new piece of software. That patch somehow made the problem worse, and the system failed to switch over to a backup system as it was supposed to.

Lingren’s agency worked all night on the issue, and by early Saturday afternoon, he said the network was working properly again. He said state officials would study what happened and look for ways to prevent such a problem from recurring with the 911 system. Stefanie Bond, a spokeswoman for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said she was unaware of Iowans having major difficulty gaining assistance in emergencies because of the glitch.

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