MINBURN, Iowa — Authorities have issued a boil advisory for the residents of Minburn due to a water main break that caused a drop of pressure draining the water tower on Friday night.

Residents in the city of Minburn should boil water as a precaution. Bring all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing food to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using. Or, use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Tap water can be used for bathing and similar purposes.

Repairs and flushing were completed. The water service will collect and test two sets of water samples, taken 24 hours apart, to determine when the water is safe and the advisory can be lifted.

Contact City Councilman Joe Stuetelberg at 515-419-1183 or the Water Supply Operator, Mitch Johnson, at 515-669-1103 for more information.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered that all flags be lowered to half-staff Saturday from sunrise to sunset in honor of an Iowan killed at Pearl Harbor who will be laid to rest. Eli Olsen, 23, was a Navy petty officer serving on board the USS Oklahoma when it was sunk by Japanese pilots during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Olsen’s remains were only recently identified. Services are being held today at the Exira Lutheran Church, beginning at 10:30 a.m. He will be buried at the Exira Cemetery.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Eli Olsen, of Exira. KIA Dec. 7, 1941 on the USS Oklahoma.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Latino Heritage Festival is back after being canceled in 2020 and enduring rain in 2019. Festival executive director, Joe Gonzalez, says he’s glad the weather forecast looks good for the weekend. And this year, there are even more sponsors to help make up for two years of lower earnings.

“We find that, you know, that it’s really, really special to us, you know, that there’s so much interest and people want to be a part of it,” Gonzalez says. There are fewer exhibitors at this year’s festival. Gonzalez attributes that to some hesitation with the pandemic. But, he says, that won’t take away from any of the fun and education.

“This time is going to be even a greater learning experience because of taking the time off. And then also because we’re, you know, a little bit smaller than usual.” Tickets for Latino Heritage Festival this weekend in downtown Des Moines are five dollars.

(Radio Iowa) – An actor who closely resembles the United States’ 16th president will be touring Iowa schools and libraries next month, hoping to inspire students to learn about history as well as the man known as the Great Emancipator. Kevin Wood has spent many years studying Abraham Lincoln, learning all there is to know about him so he can give an accurate portrayal.  “Growing up, I always loved history and I spent six years, my junior high and high school years, in Illinois which, as you probably know, is the Land of Lincoln,” Wood says. “I went to a high school in a town where the courthouse is still standing that Abraham Lincoln practiced law in. That all got me interested in history and Lincoln, in particular.”

As one who rose from obscurity to the highest office in the land, Wood says Lincoln can be an inspiration for students today to likewise dream. “It’s a first-person historical presentation, in character the whole time, even during Q-and-A,” Wood says. “Essentially, Mr. Lincoln will talk about his life and times and he’ll start with a little speech he made out at Gettysburg that you might’ve heard of.”

Wood’s first appearances as Lincoln are scheduled for October 4th in Milford and West Bend, with more scheduled during the month in: Fenton, Swea City, Ringsted, Webster City, Marcus, Manning and Glidden.

(Radio Iowa) – Elementary and middle school students across Iowa will be tuning in to NASA-TV during “watch parties” this (Monday) morning to see if astronauts aboard the International Space Station answer their questions. Sara Nelson, an assistant director at the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, says it’s a very special event for young Iowans who took part in Astro Camps this past summer. “The youth prepared their questions, recorded them and they were sent to NASA,” Nelson says, “and NASA’s TV production company puts them together and then that video is played for the astronauts and they answer live on NASA-TV the questions that the students submitted.”

I-S-S astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will answer the series of questions from the Iowa students, though the kids don’t know which ones are going to air. “It is a surprise for the students. We had about 30 students submit questions and they were mentored by adults to hopefully get a good question out there,” Nelson says. “We had one question that stumped them which was really interesting and they had to get a Nobel laureate to answer it.”

That student’s question involved how to measure and quantify unseen objects in space, a far better query, Nelson laughs, than the typical questions about the use of space toilets. America’s space program is going through an exciting transition in this post-shuttle era and Nelson says the enthusiasm is contagious. “There’s actually been a renewed interest in our Artemis program, the return to the Moon, and then thinking about going to Mars, and of course, some of the recent launches with more civilian-type astronauts being launched,” Nelson says. “We’ve actually had quite a few requests for information and ‘What kind of lessons can I do in my classrooms?’ from teachers.”

The Earth-to-space call will air live starting around 11 A-M Central. Anyone can watch for free via NASA-TV, the NASA app or the NASA channel on YouTube. There is an Iowan in the astronaut corps. Raja Chari is a Cedar Falls native who will command a mission to the ISS that’s scheduled for launch late next month.