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City To Enforce Fireworks Laws
(Ottumwa)--- Ottumwa area residents are being reminded the City's annual fireworks display will be Friday evening at dusk. In the event of rain the display will be postponed until Saturday evening.
On the evening of the fireworks display traffic on the Wapello Street Extension will be restricted to right turns only coming in and out of Ottumwa Park. Left turns crossing the median will not be allowed. Motorists approaching from the south will only be allowed to pull into the southeast quadrant. Drivers approaching from the north will only be allowed to pull into the southwest quadrant. Motorists should plan ahead for heavy traffic and long delays in the Ottumwa Park area.
Residents are advised that possession of most fireworks is prohibited in the City Limits. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to 500-dollars. Sparklers, snakes, and caps used in toys are the only allowable types of fireworks in Ottumwa.
The Ottumwa Police and Fire Departments are planning a special enforcement project to reduce the use of illegal fireworks in Ottumwa Park during the City's fireworks display. Ottumwa Police Chief Jim Clark says "the police and fire departments will be working together to reduce the abuse of illegal fireworks and make our July 4th event safer for the community. This will be accomplished through seizures of illegal fireworks and making arrests as necessary".
DHS To Offer Food Assistance To Flood Victims
(Ottumwa)--- The Iowa Department of Human Services has announced the state is now offering emergency food benefits for flood victims. This is completely separate from the regular food stamp program.
Many people who are not eligible for regular food stamps may be eligible for emergnecy food benefits. In addition, people already receiving food assistance may be eligible for additional benefits.
The application is simple and if you qualify, benefits are immediate. One time benefits for a family of four is 542-dollars.
The Department of Human Services is now offering emergency food beneifts for flood victims to 48 Iowa counties including Wapello County. To apply please come to the Hellyer Student Life Center at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. For more information call toll free 1-877-937-3663.
Downtown Ottumwa Landmark To Under Major Change
(Ottumwa)--- A familiar landmark in downtown Ottumwa is about to under go a major change.
Officials from the Hotel Ottumwa have announced they have acquired the Harvester Building. Plans call for renaming the building the Hoffman Building once again.
When the building was built a number of years ago the six story building was named in honor of the Hoffman family. For many years the building was the site of Hoffman Drug and was a gathering point in downtown Ottumwa. For many years students from Ottumwa High School would meet at the soda fountain at Hoffman Drug on the way home of school.
Officials from the Schwartz family that owns the Hotel Ottumwa say in addition to renaming the building the Hoffman Building, the upper floors will be converted to upscale apartments with the lower floors remaining commercial office and retail space.
FEMA Opens Center In Ottumwa
(Ottumwa)--- Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Ottumwa to serve all of Wapello County. The Center serves as a readily accessible one stop office where applicants may go for information about FEMA aid and other disaster assistance programs.
The center is located at the Hellyer Student Life Center on the campus of Indian Hills community College in Ottumwa. It will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. seven days a week. The Center will be closed for the 4th of July holiday on Friday.
Anyone with storm related damage is encouraged to register with FEMA prior to visiting a disaster recovery center, but phones are available at the center if residents have not pre-registered. Register by calling FEMA's toll free number 1-800-621-3362 24 hours a day seven days a week or register online anytime at www.fema.gov.
When applicants call to register they will be asked to provide current contact information...... address and phone number, their social security number, insurance information, a brief description of damage sustained as well as the specific location of damaged property. Direct deposit is available for those who are eligible for assistance and can provide their bank information. Those who suffrered additional storm related damage after registering should call the toll free number again to report the additional damage.
Gas Prices Add To A Blue 4th Of July
(Undated)--- Gas prices are adding more blues to the upcoming red, white and blue holiday. Just like during the Memorial Day weekend, Triple-A-Iowa is predicting a drop in travel for the approaching three day holiday weekend.
Rose White a spokeswoman for the motor club says 4-dollar gasoline is the culprit again. She says
for the first time this decade, Triple A is estimating a decline in the number of Americans traveling during the upcoming Fourth of July Holiday. Triple A projects 40.4 million Americans will travel during the long weekend, down about 1.3-percent from last year. This is the second consecutive travel holiday this year where a year to year decrease was forecasted".
Gasoline prices are already well over 4-dollars a gallon nationwide and White says Iowa is very close. The price of self service gasoline in Ottumwa is 3-dollars and 87-cents a gallon. The price of crude oil hit new record highs overnight. With that offiials say the price of gas is expected to go up before the holiday weekend.
July 4th Holiday Brings Closings
(Ottumwa)--- With the July 4th holiday just around the corner the City has announced a number of office closings.
The City of Ottumwa departments and offices at City Hall will be closed Friday in observance of Independence Day. City non-commercial trash and recycling normally collected Friday will be picked up THURSDAY. Whaley Waste rural residential trash and recycling collection schedules are not affected by the Holiday.
Also the Ottumwa/Wapello Recycling Center and the Ottumwa/Wapello Landfill will be closed Friday but will be open regular hours on Saturday. The Ottumwa Public Library will be closed and the Ottumwa Transit Authority buses will not operate Friday July 4th but will resume regular routes and schedules Saturday.
The Beach Ottumwa will be open special hours.........noon to 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Special admission for families up to 6 family members get in for 20-dollars plus tax. Active military and veterans will receive 2-dollars off regular admission with I.D.
And all county offices in Wapello County will be closed Friday.
More National Emergency Funds Released To Iowa
(Washington)--- Additional National Emergency Grant funds are headed for Iowa and several counties in southeast Iowa. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley says the remaining 11-million dollars is part of 17-million released by the U. S. Department of Labor.
Grassley says the grant will continue to help Iowans with the clean-up and recovery efforts following the floods. The funds can be used for clean-up, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and land within the affected communities. Funds can also be used to provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims.
Counties in the Ottumwa area covered by the grant funds include Davis, Keokuk, Mahaska, Wapello, Van Buren and Washington counties.
More Signs Of Ottumwa Returning To Normal
(Ottumwa)--- There are more signs that Ottumwa is returning to normal following the Flood of 2008. Officials have announced the Market Street Bridge and West Second Street at Barrows Branch are both open to traffic once again. Both streets were closed most of the month of June following flooding on the Des Moines River.
Officials have also announced some of the paved sections of the Ottumwanoc Tribal Trail on the levee system has been re-opened to pedestrain and bicycle traffic. Trail users can utilize all paved sections of the levee trail on the south side of the river. The paved section on the north side levee from the Skate Park to the old Wabash Railroad Bridge is open to the public as well. All other parts of the levee trail remain closed to the public.
Persons using the open section of the trail should remain cautious near floodwaters and stay away from the water's edge. Touching debris that has washed up from flood waters is strongly discouraged as these materails are considered contaminated with bacteria and viruses. Hikers and bikers are asked to not disturb any equipment, hoses or sandbags on the levee system. Residents are asked to stay off all unpaved pofrtions of the levee system.
Also the Municipal Parking Lot by the Hydro Electric Dam and the adjacent Skate Park parking areas remain closed to the public. The only exception is for customers going to the Ottumwa Water and Hydro officer rear entrance through the Municipal Parking lot.
Motorists Beware of Street Projects In The City
(Ottumwa)--- City Public works crews will be completing the asphalt patching on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Ottumwa Regional Health Center and Ottumwa Clinic starting Monday July 7th. The work should take one day to complete weather permitting.
During this time, traffic in the work zone will be reduced to one lane. Through traffic on Pennsylvania should seek alternate routes if needed. The work will not close the entrances to Ottumwa Regional Health Center or the clinic. In order to avoid delays drivers going to the health center or clinic may wish to bypass the work zone by driving around the back of the health center complex to rearch their destination. Plan ahead to allow extra travel time.
And motorists and neighborhood residents are being advised that crews will be working on sewer repairs on East Manning. Work will begin today (Thursday) July 3rd on the section of East Manning Avenue from North Court to North Green. After the holiday weekend work will resume on Monday July 7th moving east to the section of Manning between North Green and North Jefferson.
This schedule may change depending on the weather. Drivers will need to seek alternate routes as needed around the work zones.
Ottumwa City Council Rejects Planning Commission membership
(Ottumwa)--- In some what of a surprise move last night, the Ottumwa City Council rejected a resolution that called for the financial support of the Area 15 Regional Planning Commission.
If approved the resolution would have authorized the payment of almost 10-thousand dollars as the city's membership fee and financial support of the Regional Planning Commission. If the resolution had been approved, the Commission would have continued to provide development, grant writing and tehcnical services to the city.
Under questioning from councilman Gordon Aistrope, City Planner Dave Shafer told the city council there has been several grant applications for Ottumwa processed by the Regional Planning Commission including one for the enterprise zone, the trail system and for the Ottumwa Transit Authority.
Aistrope questioned if Ottumwa would need the services of the Regional Planning Commission if the city were to obtain a grant writer as is rumored at City Hall. Ottumwa Mayor Dale Uehling suggested the city meet with officials from the Regional Planning Commission to review their services before deciding if the city should hire a grant writer. Uehling said the matter needs further study.
Aistrope moved to table the matter and was seconded by Shannon Addison......however the motion failed. On a vote of 3 to 2 with Keith Caviness and Bob Meyers casting the two yes votes, the council rejected the resolution.
Ottumwa Man Faces Drug Charges
(Ottumwa)--- A 40 year old Ottumwa man Rodney Allen Schnoor is facing drug charges following his arrest early Wednesday morning at his house at 206 Clayton.
Authorities say officers from the Iowa State Patrol's tactical unit, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Ottumwa Police, and the Southeast Iowa Inter-Agency Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Schnoor's house. During a search officers seized items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine. Schnoor has been charged with manufacturing more than 5 grams of meth and the purchase of more than 7500 milligrams of pseudoephedrine within a 30 day period.
He is being held in the Wapello County Jail on a 100-thousand dollar bond.
Southeast Iowa Fire Department To Receive Federal Funds
(Washington)--- Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley has announced the U. S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded more than 412-thousand dollars in grants to seven Iowa Fire Departments. The funds are through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
Grassley says "helping firefighters respond quickly and appropriately can save lives, money and heartache". He says "these funds will help make sure our fire departments have the equipment and training necessary to protect local citizens.
The Hedrick Volunteer Fire Department will receive more than 57-thousand dollars. The Richland Fire Department was awarded a grant totaling more than 159-thousand dollars through the Vehicle Acquisition Program. These funds can be used to purchase pumpers, brush trucks, tankers/tenders, rescue vehicles , ambulances, and fireboats.
State
40 FEMA Homes Enroute To Iowa
(Undated)--- Several dozen temporary homes are on the way to Iowa to help those displaced by flooding. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was speaking at a press conference in Cedar Rapids earlier in the week when he received a cell phone call from David Paulison Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Harkin returned to relay word that 40 FEMA mobile homes were on the road from Arkansas and should arrive in Iowa before the weekend.
Cedar Rapids officials had asked for 500 of the homes to fill a serious housing shortage after the flood. Flooding displaced roughly 25-thousand residents in Linn County. Cedar Rapids Mayor Pro Tem Brian Fagan says officials are still trying to determine where residents and businesses will be allowed to rebuild.
Cedar Rapids housing inspectors in Cedar Rapids say around two thousand homes in flooded areas are uninhabitatable and will need demolished.
Dogs And Fireworks Don't Mix
(Undated)---Many Iowans are already celebrating the 4th of July by shooting off noisy fireworks and firecrackers which makes this a stressful time for dogs and their owners. Paula Sunday a dog behavior counselor at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa says for starters don't take your canine to a fireworks display.
She says some dogs can handle it but most dogs are really freghtened and very disturbed by the huge inconsistent noises and lights causing some of them to go through windows or cause themselves harm. She says if you're leaving your dog home while you attend a fireworks show, keep them in an internal room if possible and make sure the animal has been walked before you go. Also keep a radio or T.v. on to distract them from the noise.
Also Sunday says make certain your dog is wearing proper identification. She says it's vital since the animal could take off running because of fear.
