Official Paper of Parkersburg, Aplington, New Hartford, Aplington-Parkersburg Schools, and Butler County
INSIDE Falcons fall in district final
Briefly. Butler County Soil, Water Commissioners to meet
The Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners will have their regular meeting on Thursday, March 17 starting at 8:30 a.m. at the USDA Service Center in Allison. The agenda includes: District activities, NRCS report, CRP Plans & revisions, CSP, EQIP, and State and REAP cost share applications. The meeting is open to the public.
A-P Food Pantry sets March distribution date
The A/P food pantry will distribute food on Friday, March 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. Please call 3461076 to reserve your food box by Wednesday, March 16. Reservations must be made to receive a food box.
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clipse
NEWS - REVIEW
Local woman turns story of personal tragedy into Amazon Best Seller By JOHN JENSEN Eclipse News-Review PARKERSBURG — Twenty years ago Courtney Frey had a story to tell; she just was not sure she wanted to tell it. Now that story of personal tragedy, “Restiutution” has become a best selling book that has received rave reviews on Amazon. com. “The story really started for my own personal healing,” the Parkersburg woman said. “I had gone through a lot of trauma and adversity as a child and felt that through writing I could just start to purge and do some self-healing. “It was very self-healing,” she said. “It did not start as ‘I want to publish a book.’ I went down in my basement and didn’t come up for about four weeks. And then after writing the book I just kind of put it away.” Fast forward to a four years ago as Frey found some unexpected spare time after being downsized at work. With copies of the book both in print form and on floppy discs sitting in
a purple crate in her basement, she suddenly found new motivation in the form of her best friend ... one of the people featured in her book. “Through the years my best friend Amy kept pushing me, ‘You know you really need to get that story out,’ because I would share it occasionally with other women who had certain struggles, saying ‘Hey I wrote this, it might help you.’ “(When I lost my job) I called Amy and said ‘What am I going to do?’ and she said, “Courtney the book ...’” Getting the book prepared to send to a publisher proved to be more of a task than Frey expected. The floppy disks she stored it on proved to have corrupted over time, meaning that she needed to retype her entire manuscript from copies she had printed after first writing the story. That done, she sought a publisher willing to print and distribute the book. “I’ve always been a writer, I’ve done a lot of freelance writing, but See FREY page 3
Aplington Historical Society to host luncheon fundraiser
The Aplington Historical Society will hold a Soup Luncheon Fundraiser on Monday, March 7th at the Aplington Community Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free will donation appreciated. Join us for a variety of soups, sandwiches, desserts, and beverages. This is also a great time to become a member/ friend.
Aplington Community Club to meet
The Aplington Community Club will meet Tuesday, March 8 at noon at Maple Manor Village.
Aplington Ambulance nearing fund raising goal
The Aplington Ambulance Fund drive is close to their projected goal of $75,000. The committee has been overwhelmed by the support of this project. However, we still are not there. Please consider a donation, large or small, to this very important funding opportunity. All donations can be dropped off at Aplington City Hall, at LSB bank, or mailed to PO Box 308, Aplington, IA.
Pictured is the cast of “Haphazardly Ever After,” which will be presented by the Aplington-Parkersburg High School drama department Thursday and Friday. (Courtesy photo)
A-P drama department to present ‘Haphazardly Ever After’ By BOBBI ABBAS Special to the Eclipse News-Review PARKERSBURG — On Thursday and Friday, March 4 & 5, the Aplington-Parkersburg High School Drama Department will present “Haphazardly Ever After” beginning at 7 PM both evenings.
The play is a story about King Barnabas and Queen Mildred who are tired of their grown bratty children (Prince Hairgel, Prince Slacker, Princess Cinnamon, and Princess Peppermint). They want them out of the house. They try using a therapist, teachers, marrying them off, using the magic mirror, calling on
the Fairy Godmother … but nothing works. Finally they get some help from the fairies that leave a fairy tale book behind, which leads them to getting supplies from the Enchanted Depot. Problems arise when the children take the wrong potions, but of course, there’s a happily ever after ending.
General admission tickets will be sold and the door and activity tickets will be accepted for the performance. A-P Music Promoters will also be hosting a free-will donation meal both nights beginning at 5:30 p.m. There will also be ice cream sundaes and root beer floats after the performances.
Knights of Columbus to host fish fry
The Knights of Columbus of Holy Family Parish (which includes the Parkersburg and Dike areas) will be holding a fish fry Friday, March 4 at St. Gabriel Church (located corner of T-55 and D-35, rural Reinbeck), serving from 5 to 7.
Parkersburg churches to host Lenten Lunches
Parkersburg Ministerial is holding its annual Lenten Lunches at Parker Place. Lunch will be served at noon with a service at 12:30 p.m. beginning Feb. 17. The theme for this year’s lunches will be The Service of Diminishing Lights. The March 2 meeting will focus on Matthew 10: 17-31. Mark Eggleston of First Congregational Church will lead the service. The March 9 service will focus on John 6:1-15 with Jerry Avise-Rouse of the United Methodist Church leading the service.
In this week’s issue
Pages of the Past..........page 2 Obituaries.....................page 3 Aplington News...........page 4 Church News................page 7 Classifieds........... pages 10-12
Sports.................. pages 13-14
Wolverines earn top seed in 2A State Tournament¡The Dike-New Hartford boys’
basketball team earned its second state tournament berth in four years and third overall Saturday with a 61-57 victory over South Hamilton in Marshalltown. The Wolverines enter the tournament as the state’s only undefeated team and earned the No. 1 seed in the state tournament. They will face Pella Christian in the first round of the tournament next Monday (March 7) at 8:15 p.m. More on both Saturday’s substate game and last Tuesday’s Wolverine district final victory over Aplington-Parkersburg is printed in today’s sports section. (John Jensen/Eclipse News-Review photo)
WEDNESDAY March 2, 2016 14 pages | 2 sections 144th Year • No. 9
$1 New Hartford area residents speak out for, against planned subdivision
By MIRA SCHMITT-CASH Mid-America Publishing ALLISON — A few Butler County citizens spoke on a request by Todd Hunemuller to create a subdivision on land he owns in rural New Hartford. Three members of the Butler County Planning and Zoning Commission and half a dozen members of the public heard his request at a hearing Friday, Feb. 19. As only three of five commissioners were present, the commission tabled action for its March 18 regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. in the Butler County Courthouse. Hunemuller requested to subdivide approximately 21 acres of his own property at 32068 Spring Ave. in rural New Hartford into five, 4 to 5-acre lots to sell. Licensed surveyor Steve Busse worked with the County Engineer’s Office on the plat. Roads into the subdivision would be private. The project is not laid out in a way that would become a public street, so it would not add to the county road network, County Engineer John Riherd said. Any subdivision has to have a capable septic system, Hunemuller said, citing the county sanitarian. The project is coming before the commission because an ordinance was written and passed in 1994 stating that parcels to hold a house and which have an area between 1 1/2 and 35 acres have to be sent to the Planning and Zoning Commission for tentative approval. Hunemuller bought the property in 1997 and said it was enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) at the time. Hunemuller said when he bought the ground it was in CRP and he was told it was rocky, though another attendee said he had farmed it previously. Hunemuller and family planted approximately 30,000 trees on it. He said he got nothing from the land (no payments) only enjoyment. The return on investment for Hunemuller was, to have it as his retirement. “It is my wife’s idea of being able to have a little money for our time,” he said. Hunemuller said he is trying not to be restrictive on the price of homes (so as not to price locals out of the market), but he is including stipulations to make the homes fit into the landscape. He referenced a landowner’s covenant that very few trees can be removed. Building plans would have to go through Hunemuller as the developer. Riherd said there are times when people move into the country and expect city services to follow them; however, this is a rural area. As media’s presence was unannounced, officials requested that citizens who commented be kept anonymous. An attendee said he had farmed the Hunemuller property for several years, prior to it being put into CRP, and that it was decent farm ground. “I hate to see houses put on what probably could have been farm ground,” he said. A woman who lives across from the subdivision and bought her property in 1993 said she was against the subdivision, as she wanted to maintain a rural setting. Hunemuller said the woman commenting and her husband had been good neighbors and good people. One commenter noted a fear of setting a precedent. However, there are other subdivisions in rural Butler County, Zoning Administrator Mitch Nordmeyer said. Commissioner Meinard Koop of New Hartford said if New Hartford were to expand as a bedroom community, expansion would have to See SUBDIVISION page 8