WEEKEND EDITION
Friday
March 21, 2014
Go to www.crestonnews.com for Breaking News as it happens
Mount Ayr’s Showalter gains national honor
Saturday, March 22nd
Winterset Elementary Gym
9am - 5pm
— Winterset —
A one-day retail event featuring hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn and fiber and hand-knitted and crocheted items PLUS classes and demonstrations all day!
SPORTS, page 4A
Breakfast & Lunch Served • www.heartlandfiberpalooza.wordpress.com • 515-468-8593
High winds elevate grass fire concerns
Broken water line leads to precautionary boil advisory If your water bill starts with “044” you are in a precautionary water boil for the weekend. A contractor dug through a water line, draining a Southern Iowa Rural Water tower Thursday evening. A boil advisory is currently in place
for the northeast corner of Adams County and southern third of Union County as a precaution. The boil advisory will be in place until late Saturday or Sunday while test are run on the water. The water is safe for bath-
ing and animal consumption, but does need to be boiled before it is used as drinking water. SIRWA General Manager Dan McIntosh said their crew was able to restore water to affected residents last night around 9:30 p.m.
A calling system alerted all residents who used that water tower to announce the boil advisory. McIntosh added SIRWA will continue to update affected residents with a timeline by telephone and on the SIRWA website.
Making a splash
By JAKE WADDINGHAM
CNA associate editor jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
As outdoor spring cleaning begins and people burn off dead vegetation to get ready for the growing season, grass fires become a focal point for the Creston Fire Department. “One of the biggest things we find — and what we are nervous about going into today — are people that burnt on a nice day (Thursday), but it didn’t completely go out,” said Creston Fire Chief Todd Jackson. “People are not always looking far enough in advance for the days that Jackson are windy after they burn.” The National Weather Service forecast for Union County is a high of 58 degrees with winds out of the northwest at 10 to 20 mph. Gusts could reach more than 30 mph. There are no burn bans in Creston or Union County, but there are regulations to follow before clearing dead vegetation. In Creston city limits the fire must be contained to a burn barrel with a screen over the Please see FIRES, Page 2
Contributed photo
Nine of 13 Mz. Gorgeous contestants gather for a group photo during a calendar photo shoot by Sutton Studios. The “ladies” are competing 7 p.m. Saturday for the title of Mz. Gorgeous to raise funds for the splash pad, which will be installed in Afton City Park. Pictured, from left, are Mike Fry, Darren Moore, Josh Hamilton, Rick Friday, Chad Cass, Justin Staver, Dwain Ripperger, Adam Tallman and Todd Hamilton.
Thirteen “ladies” will compete Saturday for title of Mz. Gorgeous to raise funds for Afton splash pad project ■
By SARAH BROWN
CNA staff reporter sbrown@crestonnews.com
When it comes to helping out the community, 13 “ladies” — decked out in strappy high heels and formal gowns — will compete for the title of Mz. Gorgeous to raise money
for Afton City Park splash pad 7 p.m. Saturday at East Union High School’s auditorium. According to Afton City Clerk Toni Landers, Mz. Gorgeous is a beauty pageant where men of the town dress up as women and compete in three categories — evening gowns, lingerie and talent.
Master of Ceremonies Rick Foote of Afton will also ask each contestant a series of questions. After each division, contestants will “work the audience” to solicit monetary votes. A winner in each category will be named based on the amount of donations received. An overall Mz. Gorgeous will also be named at the end of the evening and presented a sash. “It’s really just guys in the community being silly for us
reminder
Snow parking ordinance expires end of March
to raise money,” Landers said. Rick Friday, who was crowned Mz. Gorgeous in 1986, is among the participants who is returning to “defend his title.” Other contestants include Dwain Ripperger, Josh Hamilton, Allan Landers, Adam Tallmon, Anthony Weeks, Todd Hamilton, Chad Cass, Mike Fry, Darren Moore, Please see SPLASH, Page 2
Severe Weather Awareness Week starts Monday Union County Emergency Management will recognize Severe Weather Awareness Week starting Monday and ending Friday next week. Each day will focus on a specific weather-related topic. Jo Duckworth, county emergency management director, encourages all businesses, schools, daycare centers, medical facilities and residents to participate in next week’s awareness week.
“I hope e v e r y one participates,” Duckworth said. “We aren’t immune to severe weath- Duckworth er, which we’ve learned in recent years. Employees and citizens need to know what to do or where to go in severe weather situ-
ations. People will react the way they are trained, and if they don’t know where to go, it could be catastrophic.” That said, Wednesday will be the annual tornado drill. Duckworth said a test tornado warning will be issued around 10:15 a.m. that day, and at that time all sirens in Union County will sound. “Knowing and practicing your plan will save lives in the event a tornado should oc-
cur,” Duckworth said. Other weather-related topics being publicized by Duckworth next week include flash floods (Monday), warning receptions (Tuesday), severe thunderstorms (Thursday) and family preparedness day (Friday). If flooding occurs, Duckworth warns citizens should
The city’s snow ordinance will expire March 31, but remember Creston’s Uptown has alternate parking all year. Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer said the department transitions from monitoring snow parking ordinance to serving nuisance abatements as people start to spend more time outdoors. “If we get a complaint, we Ver Meer make sure it is valid, then serve notice to abate the nuisance,” Ver Meer said. “They have 12 to 14 days before they are issued a civil citation.” A first offense civil citation is a $500 fine. Repeated offenses are $750. Nuisance abatement’s can be served for
Please see AWARENESS, Page 2
Please see PARKING, Page 2
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Volume 130 No. 199 Copyright 2014
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Contents
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B-2B Heloise Tips . . . . . . . . . . . 3B Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Weekend weather High 38 Low 18 Full weather report, 3A