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Sixteen departments fight fire in Paullina

December 9, 2009 By

It took 16 fire departments to battle a blustery blaze in the apartments above Mesner’s Restaurant in the northwest Iowa town of Paullina last night. The O’Brien County communications center got word of the fire shortly after 9:30 with Paullina police and fire called to the scene.

After evacuating all residents from the apartments and adjacent businesses, fire crews from 15 communities from a cluster in northwest Iowa ranging from Sutherland to Orange City were called to help battle the blaze. Fire crews were on the scene throughout the night and were hindered by the weather conditions which included a Blizzard Warning across the region.

The fire resulted in a significant amount of property damage. The Iowa State Fire Marshal has been called in to determine the cause of the fire.

Contributed by Ryan Long, KICD, Spencer

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Luke Symonds

December 9, 2009 By

INS-superiorstudent-header

Luke Symonds is a Senior at Cumberland-Anita-Massena (CAM) High School. He was nominated by Debra Brown:

AUDIO: About Luke Symonds

Luke-Symonds150“Each and every Friday night Luke Symonds takes the field, he’s one of the smallest players on the gridiron. As a 5’8”, 155 pound starter on the fifth-ranked CAM football team, Luke has never let his small stature be a deterrent to success. Instead, he’s used this challenge to not only motivate himself but encourage others as well. His coaches describe him as a tremendous team asset, a great team member who leads by example.

While the CAM football squad has enjoyed recent success, the school’s baseball team has faced much adversity. Challenges include numerous coaching changes and rebounding from 0-22 and 4-18 seasons. As the lone senior on this year’s team, Luke has already begun planning upcoming projects that will positively impact future Cougar baseball programs.

From organizing elementary skills camps to heading up fund-raising efforts for new dugouts, Luke’s dedication to his school’s baseball program is unwavering. This enthusiastic team captain will use his experience and positive attitude to help rally this spring’s baseball team. Luke’s leadership spans far beyond athletics.

The Boomerang Character Ed Program is a positive character-building program which partners high school students with elementary youth. Luke is one of only eight students selected by his teachers to serve as a Boomerang leader at the Anita Elementary. Over the course of twelve weeks, this young community volunteer encourages respect and responsibility while helping impressionable fifth-graders make wise choices.

This CAM senior continues his volunteerism and service to others by being an active member of his church and youth group. Luke serves regularly in his church and is always eager to roll up his sleeves to assist with community betterment projects.

For the past four years, Luke has helped organize and sponsor benefit basketball tournaments, involving youth from more than eight different communities. Designed to encourage fun and fellowship among teenagers, this annual event has also raised dollars to assist the needy with medical expenses and restock depleted food pantries.

From athletics to school and community events, Luke Symonds has devoted many hours to improving the quality of life for others. His positive attitude, great work ethic, and ability to lead others by his example make him a worthy candidate for the INS Superior Student of the Month Award.”

Filed Under: INS Superior Student

Report says 4% of elderly not getting enough to eat

December 9, 2009 By

The head of the Iowa Department on Aging says while the state scores good marks on a national report of hunger among senior citizens, 4% of the Iowa’s elderly people still don’t get adequate meals. Director John McCalley says federal stimulus dollars are temporarily helping.

“There’s a likelihood that the condition is a little bit better than what this report says because of those federal dollars,” McCalley says. “We also know that this report indicates that food insecurity among older adults is a problem that has, over time, been growing and it projects that it will continue to be a growing problem over the next ten years.”

The national reports shows Iowa ranking 41st among the states where older people are most likely to have inadequate nutrition. They’re most at risk in Mississippi, South Carolina and Arkansas, while the top ranking states are: Nebraska, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government

Robbers strike in midst of storm

December 9, 2009 By

A check-cashing business in Cedar Rapids is open for business today, in spite of the weather, and got robbed.  

Cedar Rapids police say two black men walked into the Check ‘n Go at about 11:10 a.m. today.  Both were wearing red hoodies.  Neither showed a weapon, but they robbed the store.  Witnesses say they left in a dark blue four-door vehicle that is at least 10 years old.  It had red license plates, the ones for auto dealers. 

A news release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department described it as a “surprise robbery,” adding: “The robbers obviously do not watch TV and the weather advisory as they were out in this inclement weather against the advice of newscasters.”

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Weather

Blowing snow continues to make travel hazardous

December 9, 2009 By
Blowing snow is causing problems across Iowa.

Blowing snow is causing problems across Iowa.

A blizzard warning remains in effect across of Iowa. Snow totals that ranged over one foot in many areas are being whipped around by high winds that are gusting near 50 miles an hour. 

Travel is still not advised at this time in most parts of the state.  Open, rural areas remain hazardous with whiteout conditions and drifting snow.

There is a tow ban for state highways as Iowa motorists who are braving the elements during this blizzard are finding very difficult driving conditions.

Andy Buffington is the emergency management coordinator for Winnebago and Hancock counties in northern Iowa. Buffington says it’s a good day to stay inside.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

Update, 10,000 now without power

December 9, 2009 By

MidAmerican now reports 5,800 people are without power in Iowa. Alliant energy reports it now has 4,200.

Mark Reinders, a MidAmerican spokesman, says crews were prepared for the blizzard. “We are geared to this kind of situation 24-7 anyway and it accelerates when there’s a storm,” Reinders says. “Our crews are communicating, making sure everything in the truck is loaded and ready to go, as well as we have a number of on-hand personnel to help out.” While parts of Iowa have been buried under 18 inches of snow, Reinders says the flakes aren’t their biggest concern.

“The snow isn’t really such an overriding factor in a storm situation compared to ice and wind — those are the two nastier parts of Mother Nature that we have to contend with,” he says. “The ice gets on the power lines and the wind, obviously, can bring those power lines down if they get heavy.” Reinders says repair crews are spread out in several locations, working to get electricity restored, but he notes, there are times when the utility teams have to wait for snowplows to access remote areas.

“We’re not going to send the crews out if we’re going to be putting them in danger; the work they do is dangerous enough,” he says. “We’re not going to put them out where the travel is so overwhelmingly dangerous that they’re more likely to have accidents. However, having said that, we want to get out there as quickly and safely as possible to get the power restored.”

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather Tagged With:

Grassley part of private “jobs summit” at White House

December 9, 2009 By

Senator Chuck Grassley is among a small, bipartisan group of senators who went to the White House this morning for a private jobs summit.  

Grassley was among a group of eight Republicans and 10 Democrats who started meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden this morning in the Cabinet Room at the White House, at about 10 o’clock Iowa time.  The topic is job creation. 

A statement issued by the White House indicated the president wants to “discuss the next steps for growing the economy.”  The president wants to divert money set aside for the Wall Street bailout and use it instead to finance road and bridge construction.  In addition, Obama’s suggesting small business tax cuts and tax credits for making homes more energy efficient. 

Grassley is the top-ranking Republican on the senate committee that drafts tax policy.

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,
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