Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The public will have a chance to get another update on the status of the troubled Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant at a meeting in Blair, NE., next month.  But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to reschedule Tuesday’s meeting with Omaha Public Power District officials in Maryland because of a major storm forecast to hit the east coast.

The public meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Dana College’s Gardner-Hawks Center in Blair. After officials discuss the efforts to restart the plant, there will be time for questions.

Fort Calhoun sits 20 miles north of Omaha. It was initially shut down for refueling maintenance in April 2011, but flooding along the Missouri River and a series of safety violations forced it to stay closed.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports one-person was injured during a hunting expedition Saturday, in Poweshiek County. Officials say 78-year old Darrell Lamb, of Grinnell, suffered minor injuries after being struck in the face by shotgun pellets while hunting pheasants.

Lamb was hit in the face by two pellet shots, when a pheasant flushed between him and three other members of his hunting party at the end of a food plot. Lamb and the others could not see one another because of the height of the food plot and the topography of the land.

The man was treated and released from Grinnell Regional Hospital. The incident occurred at approximately 11 a.m. Saturday.

Officials with the Griswold Community School District are inviting the public and especially veterans to the 2012 Veterans Day Program. The event will take place 2-p.m. Sun., Nov. 11th, in the auditorium at the Griswold Middle School/High School building. Guest speaker is Alan Cranston, of Marne, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1956 at the age of 19, and retired in 1975. Following the program, everyone is invited to the cafeteria, for a dessert bar and fellowship.

In conjunction with the annual Veterans Day Program, cards of thanks are being sent to the men and women from our local area, currently serving in the military. You’re asked to providethe names and addresses of those service persons to: Ivan Lynch, or Denise Mardesen, at 712-778-2154, or Nancy Taylor at 712-778-2152. Or, e-mail ntaylor@griswoldschools.org., by no later than November 8th.

w/ Brett Johnson

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a burglary occurred sometime Friday in Red Oak.

At about 5:15 PM, the sheriff’s office received a report from 52-year-old Marlin Peterson of rural Red Oak, who says someone had broken into his residence on Friday between 7 AM and 5 PM and took some of his personal belongings.  The loss was estimated at about $1,000.

Anyone with information should contact Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

Daily polls track the progress of the ups and downs in the presidential race in Iowa — but a poll taken a couple of months ago shows optimism for one of the most popular hunting seasons opening today (Saturday). D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz  conducts the annual roadside pheasant survey — and after five years of lagging numbers — he says the bird population was up 17 to 20-percent. Things may even be a little better than the poll indicated, as Bogenschutz says they depend on the morning dew to push the birds out where they can be counted.

“You know for good dew, you need good soil moisture and that wasn’t very abundant in Iowa this August, so the counts maybe didn’t capture everything that was out there,” Bogenschutz explained. “They are what they are and we’ve been hearing some things anecdotally, people running the combines have been seeing a few birds out there where they didn’t see any last year, so I think we’ve got a good first step toward bouncing the numbers back.” While the dew provides some margin for error in the pheasant poll, Bogenschutz can usually get a pretty good idea from it of how many ringnecks hunters will bag.

He says they can look at the numbers and make an estimate of the harvest. “This year I’m estimating we’ll probably harvest somewhere between 150 and 200-thousand birds — compared to only a hundred thousand last year — so a little bump up compared to last year, a good start,” Bogenschutz says. Another factor in favor of the hunters is the progress of the harvest, with is over 90-percent complete for corn and soybeans. “For the opener that’s going to be a plus for the hunters that are out there, all those standing crops won’t be available to hide the birds, so that might actually improve (the hunt) success wise,” he explained.

Birds trying to stay alive and away from hunters usually have some standing corn or beans to use for a getaway. “You know in a normal year only 50-percent of the corn usually’s out by the opener and this year it’s essentially all out,” Bogenschutz says, “and that will help hunters in finding birds.” Bird populations have been down the last five years due in part to bad weather.

(Radio Iowa)

Plastic tubes filled with luminous chemicals are popular with Iowa trick-or-treaters but they’re also the subject of hundreds of calls to the Poison Control Center every fall. Spokeswoman Joan McVoy says while the glow sticks do help make children more visible in the dark, but they can also cause problems. “They’re plastic and little kids love to chew on them because it’s soft and kind of like a teething ring and they break it open because it’s not that hide,” McVoy says. “Inside, there’s a chemical that gets in their mouth and the parents panic and call us because their child’s mouth is now glowing in the dark.”

Last year, glow sticks were the subject of 282 calls to the poison center’s hotline. Parents who realize their kid has managed to munch through a glow stick need to act — and quickly.  “It that happens, give us a call,” McVoy says. “The nurse is going to be able to tell you whether it’s going to be a problem or not. If it gets in the eyes, it may also cause some burning and stinging and the nurse will tell you what you’re supposed to do.” While getting that glow stick goo certainly isn’t good for you, it’s probably not going to be fatal to your child.

“It’s poisonous because it can make them sick and cause some symptoms,” McVoy says. “It’s not something that we would send them to an emergency room, but a parent should give us a call and we’ll give them instructions.” The Regional Poison Center number is 800-222-1222.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press