Volume 14, Number 10
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Thursday, March 10, 2016
NS Council Holds Quick Session It was a fairly quick meeting for New Sharon city officials March 2. They were able to move through a short agenda. New Sharon City Councilors held a public hearing on the fiscal year 2017 budget and considered dates for hearings for building permits during the meeting. The budget calls for expected revenue of $1.087 million and expenses of $1.695 million. Anticipated carryover from fiscal year 2016 is $1.592 million. No comments were received and the
councilors approved the budget as submitted. Jill Pickard was here for the public comments in regards to her property and the New Sharon Little League diamond at Reed Field. She stated people attending events had damaged her fence and is constantly in her yard. The trash the people leave is a big issue. Councilor Terry Hudson said that he would speak to the Little League board and talk to the property owners. He did say that they had signs all made to put on the fences stating they are on pri-
vate property. City staff had placed a request to purchase a power washer and a GPS unit for marking curb stops and manholes. Neither unit reached the $500 threshold for council approval, so staff was told to make the purchase. Councilors set March 16 as the date for a public hearing for building permits for Ryan McGriff to build a fence and shed at 210 E. South Street, and B&L Auto for a fence. The next meeting will be on March 16 at 6 p.m.
EBF Directors Approve Calendar, Personnel
EDDYVILLE – The EddyvilleBlakesburg-Fremont Community School District Board of Directors met at the district office in Eddyville Feb. 22 for a regular board meeting. Board members approved the 201617 school calendar and set the time and date for the public hearing on the 2016-17 fiscal budget. Eddyville Elementary Principal Chris Fenster presented the 20162017 budget. If the budget is approved, the tax rate will remain consistent at $10.187 (per $1,000 taxable valuation). The hearing will be held March 21 at 6 p.m. The school calendar was approved as well as the 2016-2017 Modified Supplemental Application and Request for At Risk / Drop-Out Prevention Supplemental Aid and Allowable Growth in the amount of $275,648. Both are routine approvals needed each school year. EBF member, CD Brinegar presented the Agri-Power FFA happenings including FFA Sub-District
results and the preparations that are underway for state competition. In a split vote 5-2, Charles (Chuck) Seddon was hired as maintenance director and supervisor for the district. He will replace Russ Bayer, who resigned in January. All voted affirmative except for Mark Haselhuhn and Doug Brinegar. Several personnel additions were approved. The board voted to approve the hiring of para-educators, Shyanne Langstraat, BASIC; and Tanya Huffman, BASIC. The board also approved the following as track coaches: Jason Messamaker, high school boys assistant.; Bob Shepherd, junior high; and Stu Stetter, junior high. It was announced there would be a work session will be held prior to the March 21 board meeting to discuss finances, communication, preschool enrollment, and the Basic Program Summary. In other business: Heather Severson provided infor-
mation on a small grant that Blakesburg Elementary received along with an update on the enrollment advertising for the daycare and preschool. Katie Rosvold and Michele Ratliff presented an update on the current state of the day care, with projections based on enrollment numbers and a rate increase. Fenster presented information on the Read Before School Initiative, Summer Reading Program, and Family Reading Night. Sarah Tobiason, Fremont Elementary and Blakesburg Elementary Principal, presented information on general maintenance inside and outside the buildings, Teacher Leadership Grant, and Iowa Assessments. Donna Keesling presented information on the Teacher Leadership Instructional Strategist, Improving Culture, Community Service Day (May 23), and Professional Development.
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nssun@iowatelecom.net
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641-637-4031
Experience the Magic of Peter Rabbit Tales OSKALOOSA — “Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter...” These famous lines captivated young audiences for over one hundred years. Now, the magic of Peter Rabbit Tales comes to the George Daily Auditorium stage on Monday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. Based on three of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit books, this play uses fantastic masks, whimsical puppets, gorgeous scenery, and original music to bring the magical, marvelous world of Peter Rabbit to life. Peter Rabbit, his sister Flopsy, and his cousin Benjamin are all grown up. Flopsy and Benjamin are married with bunnies of their own when the nasty badger, Tommy Brock, decides to steal the babies. Peter and Benjamin set off on an adventure to rescue them, and along the way, relive their childhood misadventures with Mr. McGregor and his cat. On their journey, they manage to avoid the dangerous fox and recruit a cheeky squirrel and a kindly hedgehog to help them find the bunnies. With adventure, drama, chase scenes, and of course, a happy ending, Peter Rabbit Tales is perfect for families and young children! The George Daily Auditorium is also offering a free workshop with the Peter Rabbit Tales cast on Monday, March 14 at 2 p.m. This workshop will engage upper elementary through high school students with ways to show a story with movement and how characters can be developed through body language. For more information or to participate in the free
workshop, contact Andy McGuire, the Education Director, at (641) 6723795 or youth@georgedaily.org. Peter Rabbit Tales is the final performance of the 2015-2016 professional season at the George Daily Auditorium. Enchantment Theatre Company, the company producing and touring Peter Rabbit Tales, is a non-profit arts organization in Philadelphia. The company presents only original work based on classic stories from children’s literature, using its signature blend of masked actors,
pantomime, magic, large-scale puppets, and original music. Don’t miss this whimsical show at the George Daily Auditorium on Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m.! Tickets cost $17 for adults and $7 for students and are available by calling (641) 672-0799, online at www. georgedaily.org, or at the George Daily Auditorium box office. Peter Rabbit Tales is sponsored by Optimist Club of Oskaloosa and Mahaska Health Partnership.
Hy-Vee Warns of Social Media Giveaway Scam WEST DES MOINES — Hy-Vee, Inc. issued a warning to customers about a fraudulent grocery giveaway post circulating on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. The giveaway is not affiliated with or supported by Hy-Vee, and customers are urged to not engage with the scam website or provide their personal information. In recent weeks, these posts have surfaced using the likeness of other major retailers. Hy-Vee suggests that
customers beware of any offers that sound too good to be true, have unaffiliated URLs and contain grammatical errors or misspellings. Hy-Vee officials are diligently working to get the website taken down. In the meantime, they recommend that customers not share the post and simply delete it. The fraudulent post states people will receive $150 worth of groceries for their birthday. “We want our customers to know
this giveaway is in no way affiliated with our company. We also want to educate them on the dangers posed by sharing and clicking on the post,” said Tara Deering-Hansen, group vice president of communications at Hy-Vee. People who have accidentally clicked on the scam link and provided their personal information will want to scan their computer for viruses and malware and change any password information.
MidAmerican, Alliant Energy, Warn of Scams DES MOINES – MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy are teaming up to fight back against scams. Phone billing scams targeting utility customers continue to be a daily battle for the utilities, resulting in money lost for several customers. Since the beginning of the year, customers have reported more than 400 fraudulent calls to the two utilities. The scammers are targeting all customer bases; however, small businesses and Spanish-speaking customers seem to be the most frequent targets. In most scam cases, callers pose as utility employees and threaten to shut off power unless the customer makes a payment. Scammers are persistent and aggressive. They use sophisticated methods to trick customers, which include: Spoofing Caller ID to make the call appear as if it is coming from the utility. Impersonating energy auditors in
an attempt to get inside your home or business. Intimidating customers by showing up at your door or claiming that a crew is in route to disconnect service. Requiring that the customer pay using either a credit card over the phone or with a pre-paid (Green Dot) card. Claiming there is an issue with electric or natural gas service equipment inside the house. Customers who receive a suspicious call should hang up and call local police and their utility to report the scam and check on the status of their account. Call MidAmerican Energy at 1-888-427-5632 or Alliant Energy at 1-800-255-4268. Protecting customers from scams is a top priority for Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy. They want to educate customers on how to avoid falling victim. If customers
are behind on bills, they will receive several notifications; disconnection is a last resort, not a first step in the process. Both utilities accept many different forms of payment. A specific payment method is never required when paying your bill. You can always follow these steps to stay safe: Never give out personal information such as credit card or account numbers. Utilities will not ask you for this information over the phone. Ask for proper identification from anyone who approaches you. Call the appropriate utility to verify the purpose for the visit. Use the number published on the website or in the phone book. For more information, visit Alliant Energy’s or MidAmerican Energy’s website and watch an informative video.
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INDEX
North Mahaska Pg. 2 EBF Pg. 3 Opinoin Pg.4 Society Pg. 5 Legals & Local News Pg. 6 Classified Pg. 7 Sports Pg. 8
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