Iowa's Radio News Network
Two children have died in separate boating accidents in Iowa, while a family of four escaped injury when their boat was destroyed on the Mississippi River.On this Memorial Day, people across Iowa and nationwide are honoring the valiant men and women who’ve fought for the freedoms we enjoy. A small museum honoring veterans will be opening for the first time today in the north-central Iowa community of Williams. Connie Wahlert, of Williams, says the facility will be dedicated to veterans past and present.
Wahlert says she got the idea for a museum while she attended a reunion with her husband, saw the collection of things other people were displaying and decided to dig out her husband’s military gear. Also, when her mother died, Wahlert got all of her late father’s Army belongings. From there, Wahlert decided to start creating a collection of memorabilia to honor veterans.
She said the Legion building on Main Street in Williams was sitting empty and contained some display cases so she got permission to start the museum and began collecting items from area veterans.
Wahlert says the collection is really taking shape. There’s an area for prisoners of war, a Killed In Action table full of pictures of veterans who died in battle, all sorts of uniforms on mannequins, and other items displayed ranging from medals to canteens.
The Williams Veterans Museum will be open from 1 to 3 PM today and there are plans to open the museum during the community’s Independence Day observance on July 5th as well as for other occasions. For more information, call (515) 854-2428. Williams is located in north-central Iowa’s Hamilton County, just east of Interstate 35.
Thanks to Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City
The state’s Character Counts program is seeking nominations for its annual awards which honor outstanding individual Iowans, schools, sports teams and businesses. Amy Smit, coordinator of the program, says there are several types of awards they’ll be handing out.
The Citizens of Character Award recognizes friends, neighbors, students and anyone you may look up to, while the Educator of Character Award and the School of Character Award recognizes teachers and entire schools which help to promote good character. Other awards single out school athletic teams, and businesses or organizations that demonstrate good character.
The six pillars of character include: Caring, Citizenship, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility and Trustworthiness. Smit says a new award is named after an Eagle Grove Boy Scout who was killed in a tornado in 2008.
Everyone who’s nominated for an Iowa character award will also be considered for the Aaron Eilerts Community Service Award. It was presented, posthumously, to the boy’s family last year and recognizes an individual who makes their community a better place through dedicated volunteerism. The entry deadline for all awards is July 8th.
Smit says the winners will be announced later this year. Winners will be notified in September and there’ll be a big banquet on October 23rd for the awards ceremony. For more information on how to nominate someone go online to www.charactercountsiniowa.org
Thanks to Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City
Peter Riggs
Summer doesn’t actually arrive until June 21st but this holiday weekend is usually considered the start of the summer season. Jeff Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says his office is going to be recognizing the state’s first-ever Heat Awareness Day next week.
Johnson says the weather service has two basic tools it uses to warn Iowans about the extreme heat. “A heat advisory is when we’re having conditions at above 100-degrees on the heat index and the heat index combines temperature and humidity,” Johnson says. “The second is a heat danger warning and that’s when we’re looking at above 110, 115 on the heat index. That’s a condition where you really need to take it easy and stay in air conditioning.” [Read more...]
The use of rain barrels to collect runoff from downspouts is not a new practice, but it seems to be making a bit of a comeback. Jan Aiels with the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids says they’ve sold hundreds of rain barrels this spring and have a waiting list for another order expected to arrive this week. “Many people have bought more than one…they have an overflow hose, so when one barrel fills, it immediately starts to fill the second barrel and you can store more water,” Aiels said. Most rain barrels sell for around $100.
There are a number of benefits to collecting rain water. Aiels says if more homeowners would use rain barrels it could reduce the risk of flooding. “I have a rain barrel on my home because, that way, I can control the runoff from my property. I can catch it and reuse it in my garden and on my lawn rather than watch it go down the gutter and into the storm sewer,” Aiels said.
The barrels sold at the Indian Creek Nature Center hold 65 gallons of rain water. A hacksaw can be used to cut the downspout and place the barrel underneath. There’s a screen on top of the container to keep out mosquitoes and debris. A standard hose can be attached to a spigot at the bottom of the barrel. “The pressure from all the water in the barrel forces water out through the hose,” Aiels said.
Capturing rain water and saving it to water lawns and gardens can save homeowners money on their municipal water bills and the rain water is chlorine free – so it’s better for plants. The Indian Creek Nature Center launched a “million gallon challenge” campaign this spring. Aiels says 1,000 rain barrels, during a “typical” spring or summer, could reduce runoff by one million gallons.
O.KayHenderson.com