Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Officials on the scene of a house fire in rural Montgomery County say four adults and seven children were left homeless following a house fire Monday afternoon about 10-miles southwest of Elliott. Firefighters from Elliott, Red Oak, Griswold and Villisca were called to the two-story home at 1296 C Avenue at around 2:50-p.m., Monday. Griswold Fire brought two tanker trucks to assist in supplying water to battle the blaze.

Scanner reports indicated some of the residents were transported to the hospital, but the extent of the injuries are not clear. No firefighters were hurt. The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to determine what caused the blaze. The American Red Cross will be working with the family to find shelter and clothing. We’ll update the story as additional details become available.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report two arrests over the weekend. On Saturday, 33-year old Reed William Johnston, of Glenwood, was taken into custody for OWI/3rd offense. Johnston was arrested just before midnight, Saturday, near the intersection of 230th & Cimarron in Mills County. His bond was set at $5,000. Earlier that afternoon, 65-year old Douglas Dell Boyington, of Emerson, was arrested in Emerson for Public Intox and Disorderly Conduct. His bond was set at $600.

Authorities in Mills County also investigated a reported incident of Identity Theft in Malvern, on Friday. And on Saturday deputies investigated an incident of Burglary in the 3rd degree and Criminal Mischief. The incident took place in Strahan.

Firefighters from Elliott, Red Oak and Griswold were called to the scene of a house fire about 10-miles southwest of Elliott, this (Monday) afternoon. The blaze occurred at a two-story home located at 1296 C Avenue. Griswold Fire brought two tanker trucks to assist in supplying water to battle the blaze. The first crews arrived on the scene around 2:50-p.m. There was no word on injures as of 3-p.m. We’ll update the story as additional details become available.

A fire at a farm early this (Monday) morning, resulted in the death of several chickens in Montgomery County.

Photo’s courtesy Brian Hamman.

According to Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman, the blaze at Sunbest Papetti’s Chicken farm happened shortly after 5:30-a.m.  Firefighters from the Villisca and Stanton Fire Departments responded to the scene, along with the Montgomery County EMA.

Hamman says the blaze was quickly contained by Villisca Firefighter’s to the east end of the south building before it spread throughout the entire structure or endangered other buildings in the complex. No injuries were reported to any firefighters. Crews were on scene for roughly 3 hours. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) – A Southeast Iowa farmer has come up with a surprising solution to the high cost of cattle feed.   Bob Batey, of Mount Pleasant, says his 50 cows devour the sawdust mixture he feeds them. Batey, who is 85, stumbled upon the idea in the 1970s when he noticed cows eating sawdust that had washed into their pasture from a nearby paper mill.

Experiments on his farm led him to discover a way to treat and cook sawdust that results in a digestible feed cows find tasty. It has a nutritional value equivalent to grass hay.  Veterinarian Tara Wellman-Gerdes of West Point confirms Batey’s cows are healthy.

The drought created a shortage of corn and hay, causing prices to jump for livestock farmers.

Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report five people were arrested over the weekend, on various charges. On Sunday, 28-year old Melissa Bolin, of Atlantic, was arrested for 1st offense OWI. On Saturday, 22-year old Mary Elizabeth Claybourn, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault.

And, last Friday, 56-year old Terry Calhoun, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault….24-year old Joseph Fredericksen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Criminal Trespassing…and, 28-year old Joseph Howell, of Lewis, was arrested on a Polk County warrant for Failure to Appear.

Each of those individuals were booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending a court appearance.

Forecasters say another winter storm is headed for Iowa that has the potential to drop significant snow on parts of the state. Meteorologist Roger Vachalek, at the National Weather Service, says this system should drop the deepest snow on a different area of Iowa from last week’s storm. He says the system will arrive late tonight and early tomorrow and it should bring snow to the southeastern half of the state. The heaviest totals are expected in the southeast. Cities like Ottumwa, Fairfield, Burlington and Keokuk could see between five and nine inches of snow. Parts of central Iowa may only see two to four inches, with little-to-no snow expected in the northwest. Vachalek says there’s another issue with this approaching storm.

Some strong winds may accompany the storm, with gusts around 15 to 25 miles an hour, so blowing snow could become a visibility problem for motorists. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for parts of southeast and south-central Iowa from late tonight into Tuesday. Cities in the advisory include: Lamoni, Ottumwa, Iowa City and Davenport. In far southeast Iowa, Lee and Des Moines counties are under a Winter Storm Warning from 3 tomorrow morning until midnight tomorrow night. Late last week, another snowstorm coated much of Iowa in white, dumping the most snow in the Sioux City area, which reported ten inches.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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Residents of Adair County and Guthrie Counties have a new option for receiving emergency announcements. Bob Kempf, Emergency Manager for both counties, said the system, which is designed to get emergency messages to the public in a quick and effective manner, has already by used twice over the past few months. He told KJAN News they used it this past week for the Boil Water advisory in Stuart, and again a couple of months ago with a Boil Order in Fontanelle.

According to Kempf, when the Boil Order was issued in Stuart last week, the system made 1,200 calls to residents within 5-minutes. Kempf says he’s spent four years testing options and researching companies offering the service needed. Last year, the EM Commissions selected Global Connect of Mays Landing, NJ, and have been working hand-in-hand with the firm to “go live” with emergency notification in both counties. He says it costs about $7,700 per year for both counties combined, which allows officials to send messages to as many groups as possible, with unlimited usage. While the system is expensive for the Counties, Kempf says the 1^st National Bank of Fontanelle and Greenfield are helping to defray costs by pledging $500 per year, but additional sponsors needed.

Signing-up to get your landline and/or cell phone registered for the announcements, is very simple. You can go to www.guthriecounty.org or www.adaircountyiowa.org. Click on the link to the emergency management page at either website and then on the emergency notification signup link. Fill out the form and press submit, your information will be registered within a few business days.  He says if you don’t have internet access, forms will be made available at City Halls in each county community and at the two County Auditor’s offices, and libraries. You can also call Kempf at 641-332-3030 and let him guide you through the registration process.

There is no cost to sign-up, and the information is owned by the two counties. Since it is proprietary, no company or person can sell it to a third-party vendor. The system stores and uses the contact information according to street address. It will not recognize Post Office Boxes or Rural Route addresses.

In the event of a localized emergency, your local street address will integrate with the notification system’s mapping capabilities. If you have any questions, you can call the Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Agency at (641) 332-3030.30.