Sites of the Month

Great Sites to Check Out

(from Partner Communication's monthly newsletter)

Watch The World’s Wind

earth.nullschool.net – Thanks to supercomputers and weather satellites, the Wind Map team has come up with a global map of the wind. Click and drag to rotate the globe or double click to zoom in. Click once to see what the wind is doing at any point in the world.

Discover Your Inner Artist

weavesilk.com/ - This interactive site helps you create works of art using just your mouse of touchpad. Click on “Draw something” to begin the process, then let the spirit move you. Everything you draw will automatically be duplicated to make a symmetrical image.

Enjoy Fair Food At Home

food.com – If you didn’t get enough of iconic fair food this summer, check out this fairly spectacular recipe collection. It features favorites such as chocolate bacon, fried Twinkies, corn dogs, blue-ribbon pies, and more.

Learn Fast and Have Fun

memrise.com – If the back-to-school season has inspired you to learn something new, you may want to check out this education site. There are thousands of free courses – from languages to history to trivia – all using science-based learning techniques to improve your memory and increase your fun.

Enter Your Birthdate for Cool Statistics

you.regettingold.com – We’re all getting older. But thanks to this site, we can also get wiser. Enter your birthdate to see all kinds of factoids including how many birthday candles have been on your cakes so far, approximately how many breaths you’ve taken in total, and major news headlines from each phase of your life.

Is Your Fireplace Ready for Fall?

usfa.fema.gov -- With temperatures dropping, you may be in the mood to start a fire in your fireplace or woodstove. Before you do, take a quick look at this site. It offers reminders on the importance of inspections and cleaning, using the proper wood and more.

Recipes for a Better Morning

cookinglight.com – September is Better Breakfast Month and a great time to try some quick and healthy breakfast recipes. Take a look at delicious options including Blueberry Power Muffins, Greek Yogurt Parfaits, and Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese.

Understanding Ebola

cdc.gov – The recent West African outbreak of Ebola has captured headlines and understandably raised concerns. This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a great resource for learning about transmission, signs and symptoms, risk of exposure, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

We have 5 Mousehole Days t-shirts for youngsters available at City Hall for half price. We have 1 2T, 1 4T, one Youth Small, 2 Youth Large. We have 1 Small Adult shirt available.
We also have 1 Melbourne Movie left - $15

DATA BREACH ALERT

Russian Hackers Steal 1.2 Billion Passwords

Have you heard of the CyberVor hackers in Russia? Hold Security, the Milwaukee firm that discovered the hack this summer, gave them the name CyberVor since “vor” means “thief” in Russian. These thieves stole 1.2 billion usernames and passwords, along with 540 million email addresses across 420,000 sites.

To do it, they used a botnet, which is a network of computers infected with a virus or malware that lets a hacker control or monitor them to some degree. Whenever a user on an infected computer visited a website, the computer tested the website to see if it was susceptible to hacking. If it was, the criminals flagged the website, and returned later with a hack called an SQL injection, which reproduces the website’s database contents.

This data breach prompts us to again remind you to regularly change your passwords. If you use the same passwords for multiple websites, quit this practice. Reusing passwords makes it easier for hackers to get into many of your accounts and access key information like your credit card data.

The Internet and Your Kids

Keeping children safe is any parent's first priority. But computers, tablets and smart phones have become so common, we can sometimes forget danger lurks in the form of predators, identity thieves and plain old bullies (school has started)! Here are a few tips:

  1. Talk to your kids about the dangers of online predators. It's an uncomfortable topic, but don't assume-even the most confident-seeming child can be caught unawares by sometimes sophisticated predators.
  2. Talk to your child about bullying (both sides of the issue). We've all heard horror stories about children who were bullied relentlessly. Social media, email and texting give bullies 24-hours access.
  3. Warn your child to NEVER give personal information (address, phone, social security number, birth date) without your permission. Many adults are often fooled into giving info to identity thieves – and kids can be especially vulnerable.
  4. Speaking of that - KNOW what sites your child visits! Visit the browser history – and make private browsing (where the sites aren't recorded in the computer's history) off limits! Safety trumps privacy – you wouldn't let your child travel to the largest city in the world unattended, would you? That's what the Internet IS...the largest gathering of people on earth!
  5. Does your kid use the Internet at friends' houses or other places besides home? Are THEY monitoring and controlling Internet use, too?
  6. Watch for changes in behavior – withdrawn behavior can be a sign something is wrong. Your child may be being bullied, or a predator is attempting to drive a wedge between them and you.

Make sure the summer is filled with in-person play, too! The online world is an amazing place, but help your child stay mentally sharp and socially skilled by ensuring they get OFF the computer or phone and spend some quality, IN PERSON time with other kids.

If you will be moving, contact the city clerk’s office before your final date. We need to know your forwarding address and when you will be moving so we can do the final read on your meter.

DISASTER SPECIALIST WARNS OF WEATHER SHIFT

(Taken from Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Informer Newsletter {January 2013})

More severe weather and more destructive storms are on the horizon for Iowa, and city and utility officials need to prepare now. That’s the judgment of Eddy Weiss, a disaster preparedness & response specialist/firefighter/storm chaser and severe weather aficionado who spoke to IAMU member utility managers at the association’s recent Superintendent and Foremen’s meeting.

Weiss, whose company, Chasing4Life, operates the Chasing4Life disaster Response Team (C4LDRT), is no stranger to adverse weather, and in fact, as a storm chaser, seeks it out – which motivated him to recently move from central Nebraska to Eldora, Iowa. Weiss says in his opinion Iowa will be the epicenter of increased severe weather activity in the coming years, and he wants to be in the middle of it. He pointed out to the audience that what has been referred to as “tornado alley” in the United States for the last 50+ years has shifted further east, and Iowa is now considered part of it. One recent study states Iowa has had one of the highest rates of tornado touchdowns per 100 square miles in the past two decades, with only Florida and Kansas having more.

Weiss joked with the meeting attendees that while we may have dodged a bullet in missing the “Mayan Apocalypse” of December21, 2012. What the Mayans actually said in their prophecies was not that the world would come to an end, but after that date the world would enter a new era. He said he feels as far as weather is concerned, that time has already arrived with a significant increase in severe weather activity, with the worst still to come. Weiss’ mission is to help people deal with disasters through proactive planning – what he calls the “what if it happens here” philosophy. His corporate slogan is “With more education will need less response.” He urged IAMU members to indulge their “paranoid side” and think about what happens when various infrastructure, departments and business in their hometowns go down due to disaster, and to make contingency plans now before the time arrives. More information is available at Weiss’ web site,

Surviving Winter

It is important for us to prepare for the power of winter storms.

It is also important to check and winterize your vehicles before the winter season begins. Keep your gas tank nearly full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines. Make sure your car's battery is in good shape – cold temperatures can reduce the effectiveness of a battery by 50 percent.

If expecting adverse weather during your trip, tell someone at both ends of your journey where you are going and the route you intend to take. Report your safe arrival. Make certain that both parties have your cell phone number and license plate number before you start your trip.

Here are some Driving tips. Be gentle with both the accelerator and brake. Don't use cruise control in wintery conditions. Don't be overly confident in your four-wheel drive vehicle. You may get going quicker than others but you can't stop faster. Four-wheel drive vehicles can lose traction as quickly as two-wheel drive.

Carry a winter storm survival kit in the back seat of your vehicle (in case your trunk jams or is frozen shut) that includes:

 Blankets or sleeping bags

 Flashlight with extra batteries

 First-aid kit

 Shovel, tools, booster cables and windshield scraper

 High-calorie non-perishable food (raisins, candy bars, energy/protein bars, etc.)

 Sand or cat litter to use for traction

 Cell phone adapter

Millions of dangerous, faulty space heaters have been recalled.

Is yours one of them?

Even if you haven’t received a recall notice on your space heater – many people don’t, since they didn’t register their space heater with the manufacturer when they purchased it – check to see if it’s been recalled before you plug it in for the first time this fall. Go to the U.S. consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website at and enter the manufacturer’s name and/or model number in the Search box at the top of the page. Check the Recalls & News Releases button before starting your search.

A faulty space heater can present a burn hazard or overheat and catch fire, damaging your home. If you own a recalled unit, don’t use it until it’s been repaired or replaced.

Follow these safety tips to prevent home fires.

After checking to see if your electric space heater has been recalled, give the unit a checkup before plugging it in.

If your space heater hasn’t been recalled, give it the once-over. Inspect the case, guard, controls, cord and plug—and never operate a heater you suspect is damaged. If the unit looks OK, follow all of the manufacturer’s operating and maintenance instructions.

Also check for a secure fit of the space heater’s plug in the wall outlet. If it’s loose, use another outlet to power the heater and have an electrician replace the original outlet.

Here are some more safety tips to keep in mind:

  • Place the heater on a level, hard and nonflammable surface – not on a rug or carpet – where people won’t bump into it.
  • Never run the heater’s cord under a rug or carpet. This can damage the cord, causing it and nearby objects to burn.
  • Keep the heater at least 3 feet from bedding, drapes, furniture, papers and other flammable materials.
  • Don’t power the heater with an extension cord or power strip.
  • Always turn off the space heater when you go to sleep – and don’t put one close to a sleeping person.
  • Turn off the space heater if you leave the house – or even the room where the heater’s located.
  • Keep children and pets away from the unit at all times.
  • During use, frequently check to see if the heater’s plug or cord – or the wall outlet – is hot. If either of them is, immediately discontinue using the heater. Then replace the heater or have it inspected and repaired by an authorized technician. If the outlet is hot, call an electrician to check and/or replace the wall outlet.
  • To prevent electrical shocks and electrocutions, always keep the electric heater away from water, and never touch an electric heater if you’re wet.

For more information on space heater safety, go to the UL website at the CPSC website at

One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a “Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm.” A smoke alarms greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire. Prepare an escape plan and practice it often. Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two (2) escape routes from their bedrooms

PET OWNER REMINDER:It is unlawful for any owner to allow an animal to run at large within the corporate limits of the City (Chapter 55). Animals found in violation shall be seized and impounded at the impoundment facilities and/or may receive a fine. The owner may be served a summons to appear before a proper court to answer charges. The owner may also be invoiced by the City forseizure and transport charges

The City of Melbourne offices will be closed on November 27 and 28 for Thanksgiving and December 25 for Christmas.

SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS - NOVEMBER 2, 2014

At 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November we set our clocks back one hour to return to Standard Time. Daylight Savings Time is four weeks longer since 2007 due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. Daylight Savings Time will return on March 8, 2015.

FACTS ABOUT IOWA CITIES

There are many online resources that can help you develop an Internet safety plan for your family. Research, and develop a plan that works for you!

  • There are 493 cities under 500 in population; 296 from 501 to 2000; 122 from 2,001 to 10,000; 38 over 10,000.
  • If you drank bottled water every day for 70 years, it would cost about $101k. The same for tap water? Roughly $40. (Source: Des Moines Water Works, 2012)

For traffic counts by county or city, see ( For example: The busiest spot on Iowa’s roadways is on I-235 in Des Moines between 56th Street and 42nd Street where the average daily traffic in 2012 was 118,300 vehicles per day. (From the Iowa DOT:

  • Motor vehicles on Iowa’s public roads traveled an estimated 31.58 billion miles in 2012 (Iowa DOT).
  • More DOT information is available online:
    Waterways
    Bicycles and Pedestrians
    Roadside Maintenance and Enhancement

A Citizen’s Guide to City Council Meetings

Regular City Council meetings are conducted the second Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., in the City Hall, at 111 1st Street. Agendas for upcoming Council meetings are available on our website and in the City Clerk’s Office the Friday afternoon prior to the meeting. Current agendas are also available at the meeting.

Time is set aside for public participation toward the beginning of each meeting. At this time, residents wishing to address the City Council concerning items of interest, not included on theagenda, may do so for five (5) minutes. The person addressing the Council, when recognized, must state their name and address for the record. All remarks shall be directed to the entire City Council. The Council cannot act on any item not listed on the agenda and will delay action until the next month when they are fully informed on the matter.

Important Utility Bill Information

Utility payments are due upon receipt and considered late after the 15th of the month. There is a drop slot in the front door of City Hall and payments are collected each day. Any payment dropped in the box after 3:00 p.m. is considered the next day’s business. If the 15th falls on Saturday or Sunday, the box is emptied at 8:00 a.m. on the Monday following and any payments made after 4:00 p.m. are considered late. The 15th is not a postmark deadline and all payments received after the 15th are considered late. If you do not receive your bill, please do not hesitate to contact us at 482- 3338 to request a duplicate billing or to find out the amount due.

WHAT, I FORGOT TO PAY MY WATER BILL???

You can sign up to have your water/sewer bill automatically taken from your bank account at MidWestOne Bank each month. This service is convenient and free. This will eliminate any late fees. You will still receive your bill so you know the amount that will be deducted. The amount is taken out around the 10th of each month. If you sign up before month end, it will start with the next bill.