Pleasant Hill townhome sustains damage in morning fire
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa — A Pleasant Hill townhome sustained damage in a fire on Monday morning.
At around 10:30 a.m. the Pleasant Hill Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a townhome in the 6300 block of Gold Leaf Lane.
Iowa AG's office says DMPD officers 'legally justified' in Jan. 2 fatal shooting
According to Pleasant Hill Fire Chief Jamie Lee, when firefighters arrived at the scene they found flames coming from a closet containing the furnace. The fire spread to the attic and a second alarm was called to bring in additional resources. Firefighters were able to quickly put out the flames.
All of the occupants of the townhome were able to safely escape, Chief Lee said. One firefighter did sustain injuries when he slipped and fell on the ice.
'Unfortunately, that's what you run into when you're in this kind of weather, how cold it is that the water from the truck makes it very slippery,' Chief Lee said.
The home sustained significant damage on the second floor. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Metro News:
Pleasant Hill townhome sustains damage in morning fire
Iowa AG's office says DMPD officers 'legally justified' in Jan. 2 fatal shooting
Scholastic Spotlight: Creating a legacy to honor late Saydel librarian
Former Drake neighborhood Jethro's building destroyed in overnight fire
Cyclone Country Kennel Club of Ames Conformation Show finished
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
A new rhino is calling Blank Park Zoo home
DES MOINES, Iowa — There's a new rhino at Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo. The zoo announced Wednesday that four-year-old male 'AJ' had joined the fold. The eastern black rhino comes from the Cincinnati Zoo. His more formal name. Ajani Joe, means 'he who wins the struggle' in Swahili. AJ was brought to the zoo as part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, and officials said he will play a vital role in maintaining a genetically diverse breeding population. Woodworking meets Broadway in small town Iowa 'The arrival of Ajani Joe is the next major step at Blank Park Zoo in our efforts to help increase the population of this critically endangered species,' Blank Park Zoo President and CEO Anne Shimerdla said. 'Eastern black rhinos were nearly wiped out by poaching, with their population dropping by over 90% between 1970 and the early 1990s. Thanks to conservation efforts, population numbers have been on the rise.' Rhinos first came to Blank Park Zoo in 2012. Since then, two rhino calves have been born at the zoo. Victim injured in Des Moines apartment fire has died A new rhino is calling Blank Park Zoo home DMPD seek help to find suspect in violent assault with a shoe 'ICE Out' protest brings in hundreds in Des Moines Iowa DNR reporting fish kill at Des Moines lake Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education offers Hong Kong's Only Government-Recognized Special Child Care Work Registration within its PGDE(ECE) Programme
HONG KONG, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) proudly announces that its Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Early Childhood Education)(PGDE(ECE)) Programme has received formal recognition from the Social Welfare Department as equivalent to One-Year In-service Course in Special Child Care Work (SCCW). Professor Kerry Lee, President & Chair Professor of Child Development at YCCECE, stated, "We are proud to be the only institution in Hong Kong to offer a government-recognized Special Child Care Work Registration within our PGDE(ECE) Programme. This recognition underscores our commitment to providing exceptional training for future educators in early childhood development." Graduates of YCCECE's PGDE(ECE) programme will now: Be eligible to registration as: Qualified Kindergarten Teachers (Education Bureau) Child Care Workers (Social Welfare Department) Child Care Supervisors (Social Welfare Department) Special Child Care Workers (Social Welfare Department) Graduates can pursue further study at Master's and/or Doctoral Degree programmes in ECE and related disciplines as the most direct extension and upgrading in their own area of specialism. With 3 years teaching experience in kindergarten, graduates are also qualified to enrol in the Certification Course for Kindergarten Principals approved by the EDB. YCCECE's distinguished local and international teaching team brings a wealth of expertise and diverse perspectives to the classroom. The programme emphasizes hands-on learning through our extensive Professional Integrated Learning and Practicum placements, bridging theory and practice to ensure that participants are fully prepared for their future careers. "Our extensive network within the Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network allows participants to access a wide array of international and local kindergarten internship opportunities, including the Yew Chung Yew Wah Teachers of Tomorrow Scheme." Professor Lee added. "This experience enables them to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, developing essential skills for a successful career in early childhood education." About Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education ("YCCECE") The Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education ("YCCECE"), a member of Yew Chung Education Foundation (YCEF), is an accredited degree-awarding institution registered in Hong Kong under the Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320), with charitable status under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. It is the first and only higher education institution in Asia specialising in Early Childhood Education (ECE), invested wholly in this exciting foundational field. YCCECE, formerly known as the Yew Chung Community College ("YCCC"), was founded in 2008. In 2014, it was the first private higher education institution to provide formal teacher training in Hong Kong with the launch of its Higher Diploma in ECE (HDECE) programme. In 2018, YCCC was transformed into YCCECE with the launch of its flagship Bachelor of Education (Honours) in ECE (BEdECE) degree programme. This milestone represented a full-circle in YCEF's 90-year history, with the completion of a novel 'B to B' (Baby to Bachelor) education spectrum. In 2022 the College became the first self-financed tertiary institution in Hong Kong offering the Certification Course for Kindergarten Principal. In 2024, the College has successfully achieved institutional accreditation for operating postgraduate degrees, enabling it to launch the new Master of Education and Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education programmes in the 2025/26 Academic Year. The College's main campus is situated in Tin Wan, while its city campus is located in Kowloon Tong. YCCECE is deeply committed to nurturing new generations of passionate and inspired ECE professionals, who will have an enduring impact on the lives of numerous young children and their families, growing a better future together. Media Enquiries and Contact: Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education Marketing, Communications, and Development Office: comms@ View original content: SOURCE Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education
Scientific American
6 days ago
- Scientific American
Tree Planting Efforts Could Actually Worsen Climate Change
CLIMATEWIRE | Carbon markets that fund forest preservation and tree-planting might actually be worsening climate change by increasing risks for wildfires that emit massive levels of greenhouse gases, a new United Nations-affiliated report says. Forests have been seen as one of the most effective places to counter climate change by absorbing carbon emissions. But that's changed, says a May paper from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), an academic arm of the international U.N. In the past decade, wildfires of record-breaking size have erupted in places such as Canada, Australia, Siberia and the Amazon rainforest. This week, forest wildfires forced evacuations of thousands of Canadians in Manitoba and Alberta provinces. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'Forests and peatlands have increasingly transitioned into massive carbon emitters in many parts of the world due to increasing wildfires,' the report says. Climate policies and carbon-mitigation activities 'fail to account for these substantial emissions.' The report highlights weaknesses in a central global strategy for addressing climate change — planting and protecting trees — which has attracted billions of dollars from polluters that fund the projects to offset their own carbon emissions. A large share of the money is paid through the voluntary carbon market, a largely unregulated system that has come under increasing scrutiny over its integrity. Recent major wildfires have been particularly harmful. The 2023 forest wildfires in Canada emitted more greenhouse gases than the total industrial emissions of any country in the world except for China and India, Ju Hyoung Lee, a research fellow at UNU and lead author of the report, said in an interview from Seoul, South Korea. In California, wildfires in 2024 destroyed parts of forests that were supposed to be storing carbon through an offset program under the state's cap-and-trade carbon market. Without systematic monitoring of forest conditions, the paper says, the voluntary carbon market and other policies that promote forests 'may unintentionally exacerbate wildfire hazards.' Planting new trees to absorb carbon could have the opposite effect, the report says, as more heat and increased carbon dioxide emissions from climate change accelerate forest growth while also depleting soil moisture. 'Planting more and more trees in such an environment with the purpose of carbon mitigation will likely increase carbon emissions due to future fires,' the report warns. When the businesses certifying forest projects in the voluntary carbon market consider wildfire risk, they normally look at historical incidents of fires, Lee said. But, she added, 'Forests are changing, and our forests [won't] be like what it was like for the last 20 years." Historical data often leaves out the past five years, which includes some of the worst fires on record, Lee said. As a result, fire risk is typically underestimated by nonprofits such as Verra, which sets standards for and certifies climate projects to be listed on the voluntary market, Lee said. Representatives for Verra did not respond to a request for comment. Concerns about forests and their changing dynamics have existed for more than a decade, Kaveh Madani, director of the UNU-INWEH, said in an interview from Toronto. The report hopes to get the message out, Madani said, that existing forest programs and certification standards were developed using science that's now outdated — and the projects 'can increase the risk of increased emissions, in some cases.' Madani emphasized that not all forest programs in the voluntary carbon market and elsewhere create a wildfire threat. The paper advocates reforming the voluntary carbon market and similar systems to better account for forest conditions and to prevent unintended consequences, including more wildfires. Rainfall, soil health, and expected future droughts and heat waves should be considered before approving forest projects 'as a carbon emissions reduction solution,' the paper says. Satellite observations could identify areas where forests are growing and fuels are accumulating, leading them to be excluded from carbon markets 'due to the potential high emissions in case of future fires,' the paper says. The risk of wildfire and other environmental conditions that could damage forests 'must be included in our planning for the future and the schemes that we have in place,' Madani said.
