NHS INDUCTEES
ALL-AMERICAN
Twenty CHS students were inducted into the National Honor Society Tuesday afternoon. Who are the new members? See page 12A. >>
Former Mount Ayr state champion Noah Larsen earned All-American honors in two events for Iowa Central Friday. More in SPORTS, page 7A.
creston
News Advertiser
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
Commission recommends rezoning for Casey’s By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
The final decision is now in the lap of Creston City Council. Creston Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday evening to recommend the council approve rezoning one of Jesse Giza’s lots on the corner of Townline Street and North Sumner Avenue in Creston from C-2 light commercial to C-1 commercial. Giza is requesting the land be rezoned so that Casey’s General Store can build a new 4,200-plussquare-foot convenience store that would provide fresh pizza, donuts, made-to-order sub sandwiches, self-serve ice cream, six gas pump islands and a walk-in beer cooler. “This property is ideal from our perspective,” said Leanne Krell, general counsel for Casey’s General Stores. The commission did recommend the council approve this rezoning
CNA file photo
Creston Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended the rezoning of one lot on this property on the corner of Townline Street and North Sumner Avenue from C-2 light commercial to C-1 commercial so that a new Casey’s General Store can be built.
contingent on only Casey’s General Store building on the lot. And, if the agreement between Giza and Casey’s somehow falls through and Casey’s does not build there, that the property would immediately return to C-2 light commercial. Wayne Pantini said Union County Development Association is in favor of the new Casey’s project with its only concern be-
ing extra pedestrian traffic on the major highway, as there are no sidewalks or trails in that area currently. Pantini recommended extending the current walking trail eastward toward this new Casey’s store. Krell said a traffic study along with a thorough site plan review will be done before any construction starts. Toby Henry, who lives near the
proposed site, expressed his discontent with the Casey’s project. He was concerned with his property value possibly decreasing, job loss in the community, the type of late night clients the store would attract if it was 24 hours and extra traffic and lighting in the area. “Not to mention, my wife and I already pick up five or six 40-gallon barrels of trash on my prop-
erty after winter,” Henry said. “People stop at that stoplight and throw their trash out. That will only increase if this Casey’s is built.” Krell said no firm decision has been made on whether this new Casey’s would be 24 hours. She did say, historically, Casey’s built on major highways are 24 hours. CASEY’S | 2A
Theme chosen for Creston Alliant Energy, MidAmerican RAGBRAI event July 25 warn about phone scams
Creston RAGBRAI, which will bring an estimated 10,000 cyclists on July 25, will feature live music and a beverage garden uptown. ■
By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
T
he theme for Creston RAGBRAI on July 25 was decided Tuesday morning. The theme will be “Get Your Caboose to Creston.” This theme will be used on T-shirts, the community website (www.crestonragbrai.org), all signage and during promotions through the planning process. “ I think the theme is clever, and a ma- Gerharz jority of the (Creston) population harkens back to us being a train town,” said Ellen Gerharz, spokesperson for Creston RAGBRAI. Craig Mittag, publicity co-chairperson, said the historic caboose in uptown Creston will provide an attractive backdrop for media interviews during the event. There is also discussion about an information center being placed near the caboose for the estimated 10,000 cyclists that will invade the city that day. Mittag added, with the beverage garden and entertainment in the uptown
CNA graphic by DENNIS KUYPER
area, the restored Creston Depot with trains passing slowly through the area that evening will play well into the theme. T.J. Stalker, beverage garden chairman, and Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer eased concerns about foot traffic near the railroad tracks that night. Stalker said he’s talked with officials at Burlington Northern Santa Fe about having a 12-hour window that evening whereby trains will travel at a reduced speed. “ W e will also have a law enforcement offi- Ver Meer cer at all
entrances and exits near the beverage garden area,” said Ver Meer, who will have several extra officers on patrol that night. Steve Crittenden, treasurer for the event, said he’s received most of the committee budgets and the executive committee plans to meet next week to discuss nonprofit and for-profit vendor fees. Crittenden said the budget for bands and entertainment was decided at $5,900. “That’s our first set-instone expense,” Crittenden said. Rich Paulsen, entertainment committee member, said the main stage will be in uptown Creston and located in the city parking lot just west of the restored Depot. That location was select-
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Volume 132 No. 200
2016
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ed because there is a nearby transformer that will provide the power the bands will need. There will be three bands performing uptown July 25. They include: local bands O r e o Meatwagon and Templeton Fade, along with Paulsen Double Vision, a Foreigner tribute band from Kansas City, Missouri. There will also be music at the bandshell in McKinley Park during the afternoon, and the entertainment committee is working THEME | 2A
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 1-800255-4268. 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 website at www.alliantenergy. com or MidAmerican Energy’s website at www.midamericanenergy.com.
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