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FIFTH STRAIGHT
See video footage from Jerry Dillinger’s sentencing, Ben Carson’s meet and greet and Saturday’s legislative coffee all online at www.crestonnews.com under the “video” tab.
Depth pushes Panthers past New Hampton for fifth straight John J. Harris Invitational title in Corning over the weekend. More in SPORTS, page 5A. >>
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RAGBRAI will stop in Creston July 25 By IAN RICHARDSON
An estimated 10,000 cyclists will spend the night in Creston July 25, the city’s first time as a host city since 1997. Creston also hosted in 1984. ■
CNA staff reporter
irichardson@crestonnews.com
Get ready. RAGBRAI is coming to Creston. Creston was announced Saturday as the third of eight stops in the 44th Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), a weeklong west-to-east cycling event that will include an estimated 10,000 cyclists this year. The 2016 route will stretch 419.9 miles across southern Iowa, beginning July 23 in Glenwood and ending July 30 in Muscatine. Cyclists will stop in Creston the night of July 25. “I think it’s a wonderful happen-
ing for the community,” said Ellen Gerharz, Creston Chamber of Commerce executive director. “It gets our name out there, and it shows what we’ve Gerharz accomplished in the last 19 years.” RAGBRAI organizers tout this year’s route as the third-shortest course, the 24th flattest and 15th
easiest. Stops include Glenwood, Shenandoah, Creston, Leon, Centerville, Ottumwa, Washington and Muscatine. “To do a true southern route, we had a lot of towns this year that were anxious to host,” RAGBRAI director T.J. Juskiewicz said in a press release. “It just worked out that towns were open to it. Pretty much construction-free. Looks like the route is going to be a good one.” RAGBRAI | 10A
This map shows the route for RAGBRAI 2016. The route begins in Glenwood and ends in Muscatine, with Creston as the third stop on the journey. (Des Moines Register graphic)
dr. ben carson visits creston
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Dillinger pleads guilty to murder Friday By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN
Ben Carson, Republican presidential candidate, puts an arm around Joy Hensworth of Creston to pose for a photo during a meet and greet Friday afternoon at Adams Street Espresso. Also pictured is Joy’s daughter, Stephanie Hensworth.
Carson discusses decreasing debt, making peace with other countries and improving veteran care.
By KELSEY HAUGEN
■
CNA staff reporter
khaugen@crestonnews.com
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s meet and greet in Creston Friday opened with a prayer and moment of silence for Braden Joplin, the Carson campaign volunteer who died in a car accident near Atlantic Tuesday. “A lot of times, people say to me, ‘Why would you get involved in the slimy world of politics after a career in medicine?’” Carson said. “But there’s a reason. It really is the very same
reason that Braden Joplin got involved as a volunteer for my campaign – because you care. You care about what’s happening to our nation.” During the retired pediatric neurosurgeon’s visit to Adams Street Espresso, he offered solutions to decrease national debt, discussed the importance of making peace with other countries and laid out his
plan to improve veteran care.
National debt
Right now, national debt is at nearly $19 trillion. “The problem is a federal government that is spending the future of our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren with reckless abandon,” Carson said. “It was Thomas Jefferson who said, ‘It is immoral to
borrow money from the next generation.’ We’re not only borrowing from the next generation, we’re borrowing from multiple generations beyond that point.” According to Carson, the current representatives in Washington, D.C., show no concern for future debt. “This is not a partisan issue; this is something that all of us must get involved in,” Carson said. “If God sees fit for there to be a Carson administration, CARSON | 10A
Jerry Ray Dillinger, 37, of Thayer pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to two life prison sentences without parole Friday during his arraignment at Union County Courthouse. The charges stem from a December investigation into the discovery of the body of Loretta Lynn Dillinger, who was found in a rural Union County stock pond, and the body of a second victim, which Jerry identified as Michael Robinson of Thayer, on the property of Jerry’s residence. Robinson shared children with Shelly Hartley, Jerry’s niece. “When a person pleads guilty, it’s not merely a matter of saying, ‘Yes, I did it.’ The court has to be convinced that all the information is there and that they understand all the aspects of the consequences,” said
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Jerry Dillinger listens to questions posed to him by Judge John Lloyd during his arraignment and sentencing Friday at Union County Courthouse.
Union County Attorney Tim Keyon. “The impact that the justice system has on this, the family can understand that the system has done what it can to give everyone closure.” During the 9:30 a.m. arraignment Friday, when normally Jerry would plea and pretrial conference and GUILTY | 2A
Education leads in first legislative coffee By IAN RICHARDSON CNA staff reporter
irichardson@crestonnews.com
Rep. Tom Moore, R-Griswold, said Saturday that a bill showing “considerable commitment to K-12 education” will hit the House floor this week, beginning the dialogue on how much additional money K-12 schools will receive in next year’s budget. With Iowa’s legislative session two weeks underway, Moore and Sen. Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, visited Creston for an hour-long
With Iowa’s legislative session two weeks underway, Sen. Tom Shipley and Rep. Tom Moore preview what’s in store at the first legislative coffee of the year. ■
coffee Saturday morning at the restored depot. The legislators fielded questions from Creston residents and provided a snapshot of what to expect in the coming weeks, with issues including school funding, rural school transportation costs, water quality and oversight of Iowa’s transition to privat-
ized Medicaid. About 20 people attended the event. Many have forecasted education funding to be the largest debate in Iowa legislature this year. Moore, who sits on the education committee and is vice-chairman of the education appropriations subcommittee, said Saturday that the pro-
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posed House bill would send a 2 percent increase in state aid to schools. He said it includes $81 million for schools, as well as $53 million to Moore fund the state’s teacher leadership program. He said the bill passed committee 1310 on a party-line vote last week and will be the first action the House will take. “That will take up 84 percent
of the additional new revenue,” Moore said. “I think that shows considerable commitment to K-12 education, especially in a year where revenues have ... not (been) where we’d like it to be or where we thought it was going to be.” Moore said the state has $153 million in new revenue but $193 million in ongoing expenses, which includes the teacher leadership program and Medicaid. Moore said House Republicans want to avoid dipping into the COFFEE | 10A
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