Carbon monoxide poisoning is a concern now with homes that are shut up tight against the winter cold. West Des Moines Fire Marshal Mike Whitsel says warming your car up inside the garage is one thing that can expose you to carbon monoxide poisoning. He says it’s not safe even if you have the garage door open. “Do not do that. Back the vehicle up, shut the garage door and let it run if you need to,” Whitsel says. He says warming the car up in the garage can allow the odorless, colorless gas to seep into your home and that can create levels that cause problems. “It’s in your home at all times, it’s just at low enough levels that it may not be detected,” Whitsel says. “The safest way and the best way to protect yourself is to have a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home.”

He says the detectors should be placed outside sleeping rooms. “If it is just one level, you want to make sure that you put that carbon monoxide detector outside of where you spend your time sleeping, outside of the bedrooms, that’s where you spend most of the day,” Whitsel says.  The detectors are ready available at various stores. He feels the best carbon monoxide detectors are the ones with digital readouts that tell you the level it is registering.

Whitsel says you should be sure your furnace has been properly tuned up and checked, and also never use a fireplace if you haven’t had maintenance done on the chimney to ensure it is safe. And don’t run kerosene heaters or gas generators inside. Whitsel says you should call the fire department or utility company if your detector goes off. There is a chance your detector may not be working, and he says you need to be aware the symptoms. “If you are experiencing carbon monoxide symptoms — the dizziness, the tiredness — and your detector hasn’t activated, you still need to do something about it,” according to Whitsel.

He says in this case you should also call the fire department and have your home checked out to be sure there isn’t an issue.

(Radio Iowa)

Many Iowans follow the rule of keeping their vehicles’ gas tanks at least half full during extremely cold weather as it can help engine performance, but be sure to choose the pump carefully. A new report finds paying for premium gas may not be worth the extra price. Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says the motor club study found some people will pump premium fuels occasionally as a “treat” for their engines. Weinholzer says, “Many people do use it in that way but looking at the return on investment, only a 2.7% increase in fuel economy and a 1.4% increase in horsepower certainly doesn’t justify the 20-to-25% higher cost of putting premium into your car versus regular.”

While regular gas is averaging two-36 a gallon in Iowa, premium blends are averaging two-73. The report finds only 16-percent of the vehicles on the road are required by the manufacturer to use the pricey premium fuel of 91 octane or higher. “If it’s required, use it, but if it’s recommended, it’s really not the best idea,” she says, “and it certainly doesn’t provide the ROI.”

On the other side of the coin, some Iowans may see certain ethanol blends being advertised in the dollar-85 range, a good 50-cents a gallon cheaper than regular gasoline. Weinholzer reminds, those less expensive blends are cheaper for a reason. “Not to dissuade people from using ethanol, whether it’s E10 or E15, but it costs less because there’s less fuel economy associated with it,” Weinholzer says. “When it comes to fuels and your vehicle, the best way to maintain your warranty is to put in whatever fuel the owner’s manual requires, not recommends, but requires.”

An earlier report from the motor club found drivers nationwide waste more than two-billion dollars per year fueling vehicles with higher-octane gasoline. It concluded there is no benefit to using premium gasoline in cars designed to run on regular.

(Radio Iowa)

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has refused to close a sentencing hearing for a woman charged with sexually abusing a child at her Mason City in-home day care. Thirty-one-year-old Tawny Symonds had submitted a written Alford plea in Cerro Gordo County District Court to child endangerment after prosecutors agreed to drop sexual abuse and assault charges. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges the state likely can prove the charge.

Her attorney had moved to close the sentencing, but state prosecutors objected. Symonds’ sentencing has been rescheduled to Feb. 12.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two more children have died as a result of the Dec. 21 fire at a Davenport mobile home park. Davenport interim fire marshal Jim Morris said in a news release Wednesday that 9-month-old Isabella Smead and 4-year-old Skylar Smead “succumbed to injuries sustained in the fire” at the Five Seasons park. They had been taken to an Iowa City hospital for treatment.

Authorities already had reported the fire deaths of the children’s mother, 23-year-old Kelsey Clain, and two other children, Jayden Smead, who was 5, and 2-year-old Carson Smead. Officials say there were no working smoke detectors in the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The drivers of two vehicles suffered minor/possible injuries during a collision at around 3-p.m. Wednesday, in Creston. Police report the accident happened at the intersection of Sheldon and Sumner Streets, when a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by 60-year old Timothy Sean Norton, of Creston, hit a 2017 Fiat broadside, causing a total of $6,000 damage. The driver of the Fiat was identified as 36-year old Paige Nicole O’Neil, of Creston.  Both Norton and O’Neil were transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center by ambulance, to be checked-out.

During the investigation, Norton claimed his traffic light had just turned yellow when he entered the intersection. O’Neil claimed she had the green light. Neither driver saw the other until it was too late. Authorities say the accident occurred close to the transition time between the red and green lights, and it is unknown which driver was at fault. No citations were issued.