SETTING HIS SIGHTS Anthony Simmons, a legally-blind runner at SWCC, qualified for the indoor national championship meet in Albuquerque, N.M. See his story in SPORTS, page 7A. >>
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THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015
Council denies plans for Adams Street bridge project
CNA photos by KYLE WILSON
Above, this bridge on Adams Street was built in 1940 and needs replaced. Engineers estimate the bridge has four years of life remaining before additional weight limit requirements would need to be posted. Below is the street view of the bridge needing replaced on Adams Street. Creston City Council is debating whether to put a walking area on the north or south side of the bridge. Creston Parks and Recreation is requesting the walking area be placed on the south side so pedestrians would have a view of McKinley Lake when they cross.
By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
Preliminary plans for a $1.7 million bridge replacement project on Adams Street were denied by Creston City Council Tuesday evening. The bridge — which divides McKinley Lake and Hurley Creek — was built in 1940 and is in need of replacement. The plans were denied Tuesday because council members couldn’t agree on which side a walking area should be located on the bridge. John Kawa, chairman of Creston Parks and Recreation, expressed during public forum the park board Kawa wants to see the walking area on the south side of the bridge. There, walkers and runners would be able to cross with a view of the lake. “They’ll be looking at a cleaned-up swamp if you put it on the north side, which makes no sense to me,” Kawa said. “We recommend putting it on the south side. We’d like to continue our walking trail around the lake. That’s been our plan for 10 years. Kids could also go fishing there the way they did 50 years ago.” Mike Taylor — city administrator —said engineers created preliminary
plans for a walking area on the north side in order to minimize the number of times pedestrians would have to cross traffic. He added the preliminary plans Taylor would allow for the current trail to continue along the north side of Adams Street, cross the bridge and a new trail could be built that would head back north on Cottonwood Street. “It would create a U-shape,” Taylor said. “The dirt work is ready for trails to be constructed on Cottonwood Street.” Creston Mayor Warren Woods reminded the council the north side
would provide better access if, in fact, housing is established in the Cottonwood Subdivision. Additionally, city officials stated placing the walking area and continuing the trail on the south side could also cause complications with infringement on private property and create an easement situation. However, city council members voted 4-3 against the preliminary plans. Voting against were Marsha Wilson, Dave Koets, Gary Lybarger and Ann Levine. For the plans were Nancy Loudon, Randy White and Rich Madison. Wilson requested city officials ask the engineers to calculate the costs Please see BRIDGE, Page 2
House committee OKs broadband bill with key changes DES MOINES (AP) — A House committee has approved Gov. Terry Bransta d’s broadband bill, but made several key changes in how the legislation will Branstad support expanding high-speed Internet in Iowa. A full commerce committee voted 22-1 Wednesday in support of the bill, which in its latest version would strip away $5 mil-
lion in state funds for a grant program. Lawmakers agreed to instead fund the program through federal and private dollars. It’s unclear how much money will immediately be available for the program, which aims to help service providers build up infrastructure for broadband, also known as high-speed Internet. The bill also would expand a property tax program from three years to 10 years. Rep. Peter Cownie, a West Des Moines Republican, says other changes to the bill are possible.
McDonald’s chicken gets new standard: No human antibiotics Chipotle and Panera already say they serve chicken raised without antibiotics ■
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s says it plans to require chicken suppliers to stop using antibiotics important to human medicine within two years. The company says its suppliers will still be able to use a type of antibiotic called ionophores that keeps chickens healthy and isn’t used in humans. Later this year, McDonald’s also said it will no longer serve milk from cows treated with a particular artificial growth hormone. Many cattle, hog and poultry producers give their livestock antibiotics to make them grow faster and ensure they are healthy. The practice has become a public health issue, with officials saying it can lead to germs becoming
resistant to drugs so that the drugs are no longer effective in treating a particular illness in humans. Chipotle and Panera already say they serve chicken raised without antibiotics, but the announcement by McDonald’s is notable because of its size; the company has more than 14,000 U.S. locations. Chipotle has nearly 1,800 locations, while Panera has almost 1,900 locations. “This really does move the ball quite a bit,” said Gail Hansen, a senior officer with the antibiotic resistance project with The Pew Charitable Trusts. Hansen said that ionophores, the antibiotics that will be allowed by McDonald’s, are not considered medically important for humans. Hansen noted the poultry industry had already been moving away from the use of antibiotics used in human Please see MCDONALDS, Page 2
Iowa Senate panel OKs bill on minors using guns Current law allows a minor who is at least 14 years old to use a pistol or revolver under direct supervision of a parent. ■
DES MOINES (AP) — Legislation that would lower the age at which children in Iowa could use guns with a parent’s supervision received preliminary approval from a Senate panel Wednesday, though the bill’s sponsor said he’s still trying to round up enough support to advance it.
A three-member judiciary subcommittee approved the bill unanimously. It now heads to a full committee for consideration, though it needs to advance by Friday to beat a procedural deadline in the Legislature. Current law allows a minor who is at least 14 years old to use a pistol or revolver under direct supervision of a parent or guardian. Sen. Steven Sodders, D-State Center, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation would drop that age to 7 years old under an amendment he introduced. He said it’s intended to allow parents to properly teach their children how to use weapons.
At least one father told the panel the bill could be beneficial. “The problem with the current law is I as a parent am a felon if I try and teach my kids about gun safety,” said Nathan Gibson, of Johnston. Several groups spoke about the potential dangers of lowering the age limit. “Children may have the physical capability to fire a gun, they don’t have the decision-making capability to decide when that should happen, when that should not happen, when they Please see GUNS, Page 2
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Lizzy Eslinger, daycare volunteer, reads to Becca Swanson, 1, and Jarrett Pingree, 4, while the children’s parents attend Love and Logic, an early childhood parenting program hosted by Southwestern Community College Parents as Teachers at Early Childhood Center Tuesday.
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