This week is National Radon Action Week. But before you can take action, you need to find out what exactly Radon is, and Guthrie County Sanitarian Stephen Patterson has the answer to that, “Radon is an element, just like how Oxygen, Hydrogen or Gold is an element. It’s found in a gaseous form in the ground. It’s radioactive, which makes it a health issue.”
Patterson says prolonged Radon exposure could leave you at risk for lung cancer. To find out if your house has high levels of Radon, you can purchase a detection test at any big box or hardware store, usually for under ten bucks. If your house does come back showing positive Radon levels, Patterson advises getting an active Radon mitigation system installed by a Radon mitigation specialist sooner than later.
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Those at Guthrie County Extension, such as Vicki Frohling, say you’re not going to want to miss the Iowa Forage and Grassland Council Conference being held at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines next month, “this annual event includes general and breakout sessions, and times for visiting with exhibitors.”
The event is gear towards anyone with interest in 4H or grassland issues and takes place Saturday November, 25th. Pre-registration is encouraged and discounted, but not necessary to attend. You can find more information on ISU Extension’s website.
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A new policy at West Central Valley schools disallows students from being able to ride home on a different bus other than their assigned one. District superintendent Dr. David Arnold says it’s a safety issue to not let kids get on a different bus to go to a friend’s or relative’s house, “we’re now going to be denying those requests, because we just can’t put kids on the bus in an unsafe manner.” Arnold says parents can call him with any questions at his office at 789-4480.
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West Central Valley School enrollment is up over fourteen students from last year. While that may not seem like a lot, district superintendent Dr. David Arnold says it makes a big difference in how much funding the schools get, “Our funding is based on student headcount, so if you take the $6,100 per student, you can see we increased our funding for next school year. The goal is to continue to be in the positive when it comes to student count, and not in the negative.”
Arnold thinks the district is doing the right things in order to continually draw more people into the community and into the classroom.
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Though they’re still tallying the total sales, Stuart Public Library Director Sandy Pollard is calling Saturday night’s auction a great success. Pollard says attendance was good, and they auctioned off around three hundred items given by eighty community donors. The highlight of the event was a gooseberry pie that brought in thirteen hundred bucks for the library. The proceeds of the event go towards running programs for area youth, and purchasing more books.
