Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency are asking residents to make sure their address marker is visible from the roadway. As spring cleaning time nears, and residents begin to clean-up their yard and spruce-up their buildings, EMA officials ask you to pay close attention to your address marker. It should be bright and clearly visible from the road.

Emergency Responders, especially at night, depend on highly visible house numbers, street signs and rural address markers to properly locate you. 911 dispatchers will confirm your location based on your address and map location. If you question where your house number should be posted, you’re asked to check with your local, city authorities.

For Rural Residents, the marker belongs alongside your lane in the fence row. If the fence line is far from the main road, place the marker out of the right of way close enough so that emergency responders can see it. If your Shelby County rural 911 address marker has been damaged, lost or otherwise is not readable, call the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency at 712-755-5160. There is no cost for replacement address markers.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident of burglary. Officials say the Bluffs View Cafe’, in Pacific Junction, reported an instance of burglary in the 3rd degree. The report was received early Wednesday morning.

Sheriff’s officials said also, no injuries were reported following two separate accidents, Tuesday. The first took place just before six-a.m., a little over a mile north of Pacific Junction, at the intersection of Highway 34 and 195th Street. Authorities say a car driven by Jeremy Frazier, of Pacific Junction, was traveling north on 195th and approaching Highway 34, at about the same time a car driven by Raymond Hansen, of Council Bluffs, was traveling east on 34 and approaching the median crossing with 195th Street.

The Sheriff’s Office says Frazier’s 2004 Pontiac “prodded through the intersection” as Hansen was approaching, but saw Hansen’s 2002 Toyota, too late. He tried to accelerate, but his Pontiac was hit in the left rear by Hansen’s Toyota. An estimate of the damage is not available. Frazier was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

The second accident happened at around 5:30-p.m. Tuesday, on 221st Street in Mills County. Officials say a vehicle driven by Cole Peckham, of Glenwood, was traveling north on 221st when a vehicle in front of him slowed to turn onto Elderberry Drive. Peckham slammed on his brakes, but was unable to avoid hitting the other car, so he swerved into the east ditch. Peckham was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Tuesday, of a Villisca man. 53-year old Kirk Alan Black faces felony Possession of Methamphetamine, and Serious Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, charges. Black was arrested at around 4:25-p.m. Tuesday, at the intersection of Highway 34 and 390th Street, in Mills County. His bond was set at $100,325, but later amended to $100,000. Black’s preliminary hearing is set for April 9th.

A report from Iowa’s largest utility companies shows thousands of households are behind on paying their power bills. A federal program provides protection from having the power shut off between November 1st and March 31st — so the deadline is Sunday. Jerry McKim, director of Iowa’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, says he’s concerned about those who are not part of the program.
“People do get shut off in the winter, the numbers drop way off, but starting April 1st, it comes on with a vengeance,” McKimm says. “Just to give you an idea, in February, there were 1,254 involuntary disconnections reported by the state’s regulated utilities.”

McKim says fewer people applied for assistance this year, so there are funds available in LIHEAP for those who qualify. Because the moratorium expires Sunday, it may not prevent disconnection, but the money can be applied to past due bills while a payment plan is negotiated. McKimm says it’s a myth that power won’t be disconnected in the winter and if that happens, residents are allowed to negotiate a reasonable payment plan. “This doesn’t matter whether you’re low-income or not, any residential customer has this protection,” he says. “If you haven’t had a payment agreement that you’ve broken in the last 12 months, the utility shall, not might, shall offer you a minimum of 12 months to pay off the past due balance, and that’s a minimum not a maximum 12 months.”

McKim says a report from utility companies statewide shows nearly 234-thousand households have delinquent accounts. Although the companies are required to work with customers, he says it’s up to the individuals to ask for help.

(Radio Iowa)