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Volume One Hundred Twenty Two Number 48 16 Pages November 27, 2013
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Road Runners gets warm welcome
Road Runners Bar & Grill was welcomed into the Lakota business community last week, during a ribbon cutting ceremony held Wednesday, Nov. 20. Owner Donna Heidecker thanked the community and her family for their support in making the business possible. She and her husband, Greg, purchased the restaurant this September from Doug and Sally Price. North Iowa Betterment arranged the ribbon cutting – its first such ceremony held in Lakota. Cutting the ribbon are Donna Heidecker, center right, and NIB Executive Director Alyssa Thompson.
Deckt he windows this Christmas
Sgt. Nich Wood is welcomed home by Rake Mayor Louise Hagedorn, second from right, last Saturday evening, Nov. 23. At right is Nich’s wife, Jill.
Rake celebrates soldier’s homecoming
Buffalo Center businesses will face off this Christmas to see who has the most holiday spirit. North Iowa Betterment is challenging businesses to a Christmas window decorating contest, and each vote for the winner will help out a good cause. The contest begins following Thanksgiving, when businesses are asked to create holiday displays for their windows. The public will be able to vote for their favorite display, and voting will take place in the form of donations for the North Iowa Food for Families food pantry. Participating businesses will place a box at Johnson’s Food Center, and each item placed in a box, such as non-perishable food items and paper products, will count as a vote. People can vote as many times and for as many businesses as they wish. The business whose box receives the most items will be declared the winner. Voting begins Monday, Dec. 2 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 22. The winner will be named on Monday, Dec. 23. For more information about the contest, contact North Iowa Betterment at 562-2222.
Donna and Greg Heidecker, owners of Road Runners Bar & Grill, stand by the new sign on their renovated storefront.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving
North Iowa Elementary students join the Buffalo Center Tribune staff in wishing our readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday this week. From left are: Noah Bechtel, son of Aaron and Katie Beacom, Sophia Hagen, daughter of Jamie and Amy Hagen, and Brogyn Greensky, son of Dana and Katy Greensky, all of Buffalo Center. All three are members of Mrs. Meis’ second grade class.
BCPD steps up traffic enforcement The Buffalo Center Police Department is taking part in a state-wide effort to enforce traffic laws during the Thanksgiving holiday. Buffalo Center Police Chief Matt Holmquist says he’ll be taking extra time to look for things like seatbelt
violations and drunk drivers this week, as part of the Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP). The department was awarded a grant through the program, which will facilitate extra hours for the highvisibility enforcement effort.
News Events
Buffalo Center celebrates 125 years in 2017
Community Thanksgiving service Wednesday
Buffalo Center will be celebrating its 125 year centennial in 2017. The public is invited to visit NIB to check out the commemorative crockery and t-shirts that are for sale. See the back page of this edition for a listing of products available and prices.
The entire community is invited to an ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service this Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at First Reformed Church in Buffalo Center. Pastor Mark Brickzin of Bethlehem Lutheran Church will deliver the message for this year’s service.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, nine traffic fatalities occurred during the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday. Six of those nine deaths were motorists who were not using seatbelts. Between January 1 and November 8 of this year, 263 Iowans lost their lives in traffic fatalities. That number is down 40 from the same period one year ago. Almost 39% of those killed were reported as not wearing their seat belts, while 26% were listed as unknown or could not be determined. More than 50% of all traffic fatalities, not including motorcycles and pedestrians, are the result of drivers/occupants not taking the time to buckle up. Motorists are reminded to buckle up, slow down and drive responsibly, in order to save lives and reduce crashes.
By Carol Mahnke Looking forward only to taking a shower without his boots on and being home with his wife, Jill, Sgt. Nich Wood, 29, was amazed when the sky lit up red, white and blue around Thompson, as he drove home from his third tour of duty, this one in Afghanistan, Saturday evening. He and Jill were escorted by fire engines with lights flashing from Thompson, Buffalo Center and Rake along Highway 9 and then north to their Rake home. “It was an awesome welcome,� Wood said. “It feels really good!� About 40 hardy Rake residents were gathered at the Rake Fire Department to welcome Wood home on that bitterly cold evening. “It really shows we live in a great community,� he added. “It was really a surprise!� He said his tour of duty “had its ups and downs.� “For the most part it was uneventful,� he said. “It was not what I expected – I thought it would be a lot worse.� National Guard 833rd Engineering Company from Ottumwa had one of the toughest jobs in Afghanistan, clearing routes of IEDs (improvised explosive devices). The deployment
See inside for your
A crowd of about 40 people came out to the Rake Fire Station last Saturday to welcome Nich Wood home from Afghanistan. lasted 11 months, seven of them in Afghanistan. Jill Wood, meanwhile, attended paramedic school in Iowa City and is just completing her final requirements now. She explains that school kept her mind occupied so she couldn’t dwell on what Nich was doing. Since U.S. troops were gradually withdrawing from the country, Wood’s company had to make do with less equipment as time went on. The 833rd would be the last Iowa unit to be deployed to a combat zone. Wood, chief mechanic, had to continually repair available equipment, sometimes scrambling for the parts he needed. “We still got our mission done,� he said. He said he has “mixed emotions� about how the 12-year war in Afghanistan is ending. “As soon as we
Appointmentof Thompson mayor set for Dec. 10 The Thompson City Council will appoint a new mayor on Tuesday, Dec. 10., during a 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall. The appointment follows the death of Mayor Bob Johnson, who won reelection on November 5. The newly appointed mayor will serve out the current term, which ends January 1, 2014, as well as the new term beginning January 2. The mayor’s seat will be up for election again on Nov. 4, 2014. Citizens can also petition the City to hold a special election for mayor, and petitions are due within 14 days of the appointment.
leave, it’ll go back to the way it was before or maybe get worse,â€? he said, noting that Afghanistan has been at war since the 1970s with Russia. “But we’ve been there long enough ‌ to make it a better place,â€? Wood said. “We’ve opened their eyesâ€? to possibilities in the 21st century world. Wood says he and his comrades presented themselves with pride and integrity, which deterred the enemy. Afghanistan is a quieter place than it’s been in previous years, according to Wood. The enemy apparently doesn’t want to mess with the “beehiveâ€? that is the United States presence, he explained. They apparently prefer to wait until the beehive continued on Page 4
Content
Page 2 .............................. Opinion Page 3 ............................... Society Page 4 ................................Church Page 5 ................... Obituary/Local Page 6 .................................. News Page 7 .................................. News Page 8 .................................. News Page 9 .................................Legals Page 10 ...............................Legals Page 11 ........................ Classifieds Page 12 ..................... Marketplace Page 13 ..................... Marketplace Page 14 ......................... Education Page 15 .................................Sport Page 16 ............ Quasquicentennial
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