The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Council Bluffs construction office says bridge painting work will cause lane restrictions on U-S Highway 6 between Iowa Highway 192 and Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs, beginning Wednesday, June 1^st, weather permitting.

Officials say the first phase of the bridge painting will cause traffic on westbound Highway 6 to be restricted to one lane for about 3 weeks. Once complete, the contractor will begin work on the second phase of the project, which will cause traffic on the eastbound Highway 6 bridge to be restricted to one lane.

The entire project is expected to be finished in mid-July, weather permitting.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a Cass County woman wanted on an outstanding drug-related warrant has turned her self-in. 20-year old Rhiana Marie Christensen, of Cumberland, was charged with Keeping a Place for Possessing Controlled Substances, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Officials say the charges stem from a search warrant executed at Christensen’s apartment in Audubon, on April 30^th.

Christensen has been seen by the magistrate, was ordered to pay a fine, and was released from custody.

An Atlantic teen received a warning for striking an unattended vehicle in the Fareway parking lot Wednesday evening, in Atlantic. Alex Tarr was warned after her vehicle struck a car in a parking stall, as Tarr was attempted to park.

Atlantic Police say Tarr pulled into a parking stall next to a vehicle registered to Julie St. John, of Atlantic.  She hit St. John’s vehicle as the teenager was backing-up while trying to get into her parking stall, at a better angle.

Damage from the mishap, which happened at around 5:20-p.m., amounted to $1,500.

A note for residents of Atlantic: The City will be testing the Tornado sirens today, through Noon, instead of the regular weekly test on Friday. Some of the sirens were hit by lightening recently, so they are testing now to determine which ones need to be fixed. There is no imminent severe weather threat.

Thousands of Americans – from Joplin, Missouri to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and elsewhere – are trying to piece their lives back together after losing homes and other possessions in natural disasters. Iowans are quick to offer help, but Arvid Huisman with the Salvation Army in Des Moines says unsolicited donated goods like clothing, furniture and food only create problems.

“Most agencies, including the Salvation Army, are simply not set up to store, transport and distribute those items on the other end,” Huisman explained. And he says few agencies that help disaster victims have the needed warehouse space to store donated goods.

He suggests donating cash instead. “It allows us to be totally flexible to meet immediate needs the victims have,” Huisman said. Donated goods, which may not even meet the needs of disaster survivors, also require agencies to redirect personnel to sort through those items rather than providing services to victims.

“When people donate goods, if they’re accepted, it drives up costs because we then need to store them and transport them,” Huisman said. “Cash donations are still the most effective way to help the storm victims.” Donations may be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or online at www.salvationarmyusa.org. Huisman says the Salvation Army’s thrift store in Joplin was destroyed by Sunday’s tornado as well as a truck used by the store. An extensive renovation of the thrift store was recently completed. The death toll from tornado in Joplin has climbed to 125, while tornadoes in nearby states have claim more than a dozen lives.

(Radio Iowa)

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend cook-outs, the USDA is making a change in the recommended cooking temperature for pork. Joyce Hoppes, spokeswoman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says the new information is important.

“Now, we can now cook pork to the internal temperature of 145 degrees, followed by a three-minute rest time,” Hoppes says. “This new temperature will help insure a juicy and flavorful product.” Hoppes says there is another rule to remember. When you take the meat from the heat source, let it sit for three minutes before cutting into it.

“When you take something off the grill or out of the oven, it still continues to cook a little while so that temperature still rises,” she says. “Another important thing is during that rest time, the juices settle in the meat, they set, so when you slice the meat you don’t lose a lot of the juices and flavor.” Hoppes says since it doesn’t cook quite as long, whole cuts of pork may have a bit of a different look — more of a “medium rare” pork with a little blush of pink. Hoppes says the 145-degree temperature is for whole cuts of pork only.

“This guideline is for whole muscle cuts like loins, chops and roasts,” she says. “When it comes to ground pork, the recommendation is still 160-degrees for ground pork. That is to assure the meat is completely cooked.” Hoppes says all poultry must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165-degrees. Learn more at: http://PorkBeInspired.com