SPECIAL ELECTION DAY
NEW SEASON
The special election to continue with the process of consolidating Prescott School District with Creston is scheduled for noon today. The polls are at Prescott City Hall in Prescott, and Southwestern Community College and Crest Baptist Church in Creston. Polls are open until 8 p.m.
Players in the Creston tennis program are moving up the ranks following a historic 2014 tennis season. Read more on the team in SPORTS, page 7A. >>
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TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015
325+ expected for FNB’s second annual Glow Run Race starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Registration still open. Proceeds to benefit American Cancer Society.
Race time is at 7:30 p.m. It is First National Bank’s fundraiser to benefit Relay for Life and American Cancer Society. “This event helped the FNB Relay for Life team raise $10,800 last year,” said event co-organizer Chantel Klejch, personal banker at FNB. “We’re excited for the event again this year. We’ve added more creativity and will have about 90 volunteers involved. There is still time to register if you haven’t already.” You can register for the
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By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
More than 325 brightly-colored runners and walkers are expected for the second annual Hope Glows 5K event slated Saturday evening.
event online by visiting www. fnbcreston. com. You can also register in person at both FNB Klejch locations in Creston. Klejch added you can also register the night of the event. The registration fee is $30. The fee includes a T-shirt and your choice of five glowing colors and glow swag. “If you are registering this
week or that night, though, you won’t get your T-shirt until after race day. But, everyone who registers is guaranteed to get one,” Klejch said. Runners can pick up their registration packets 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at First National Bank at 801 W. Taylor St. in Creston. Packets will also be available before the race at 6:30 p.m. on the west side of McKinley Park at the large shelter house. Please see GLOW RUN, Page 2
Spring is here — so are allergies By IAN RICHARDSON
March, but it can start earlier or later since it depends on when the trees begin budding. In gener- Sevier al, allergies take place when a person’s immune system overreacts to substances that don’t normally affect other people. These substances are called allergens, and during the springtime, tree pollination, grass and weeds are the main producers of them. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
CNA staff reporter
irichardson@crestonnews.com
It isn’t triggered by hay, and it doesn’t actually cause a fever. Nonetheless, hay fever — “allergic rhinitis” in medical terms — causes allergy-ridden misery for millions of Americans each year. And, if you’ve found yourself sniffling, tearing up or becoming more irritated recently, it may have gotten you, too. Robin Sevier, public health nurse at Greater Regional Medical Center, said in Union County, allergy season typically begins in mid-
and Immunology, hay fever causes a variety of symptoms, including sneezing, congestion, a runny nose, tearing eyes, dark circles under the eyes and itching in the nose, roof of the mouth, throat and eyes. Since symptoms occur when a person is exposed to allergens, Sevier said the best way to prevent symptoms is to limit exposure to allergens. “During the spring and summer months, try to stay in an air-conditioned environment if you have outdoor allergies so you’re not outdoors being around what gives you the allergy,” she said. Sevier said it’s up to each
patient whether allergy symptoms are bad enough to merit a doctor visit. She said Greater Regional has an allergist come down from Des Moines on the first Monday of each month to take appointments. One way allergists battle allergies is through injections that build up resistance to the allergens that cause allergy symptoms. Sevier said the public health department administers these to patients. For those who don’t want to see an allergist but are still seeking allergy relief, Sevier said several over-the-counter
Creston School District budget hearing set By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Creston Community School District Board of Directors will hold a hearing for the proposed fiscal year 2015-16 budget, followed by a special meeting to vote on the budget. The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday in the board room at the CCSD administration building. “We want to educate children the best we can,” said Billie Jo Greene, Creston business manager. “But, we also need to stay within the means of our budget, so that’s what we’re doing.” ■ The pubCurrently, the proposed tax rate, which is lic hearing the percent per $1,000 of is schedtaxable valuation, is 16.6 uled 6 p.m. percent. The tax rate is, in es- Monday at sence, determined by the Creston state legislators when School they vote on the percent of supplemental state District aid, formerly known as administraallowable growth. Sup- tion building. plemental state aid is a dollar amount which school districts are authorized to spend per student. If legislators vote to install a 0 percent supplemental state aid rate, the proposed 16.6 percent tax rate would go into effect. However, the proposed tax rate would decrease if the supplemental state aid rate increases. If supplemental state aid is set at 1.25 percent, Creston’s tax rate would be 16.27 percent. If supplemental state aid is increased to 2 percent, Creston’s tax rate decreases to 16.07 percent. Creston’s tax rate decreases to 15.8 percent if the state aid rate increases to 3 percent, and finally, if the state aid rate is set at 4 percent, the Creston tax rate would be set at 15.8 percent. For comparison, tax rates were 16.37 percent for the 2010-11 school year, 15.05 percent for the 2013-14 school year and 15.18 percent for the 2014-15 school year.
Please see ALLERGIES, Page 2
Please see BUDGET, Page 2
Drought expands across nation’s crop region DES MOINES (AP) — Drought conditions expanded last month amid weather that was warmer and drier across much of the western U.S., but spring rain in the agricultural Midwest could improve conditions for farmers preparing for the corn and soybean growing season. Weekly data released by the National Drought Mitigation Center shows moderate drought or worse covered 36.8 percent of the U.S. as of late last week, up nearly five percentage points from the previous week but slightly below last year’s levels. Over the last decade, the figure has
ranged from 9 percent in 2010 to nearly 52 percent during the devastating drought of 2013.
Farmers looking up Some areas of Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky saw rain last week, and additional rain could move across the same area this week. But abnormally dry areas are beginning to reflect the lack of moisture from last fall and recent months, said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the center. That’s a change from the last few years, when too much rain left many farmers in parts of Iowa and Illinois unable to plant or work in their fields.
“The dryness is kind of a double-edged sword,” Fuchs said. “They can get into the fields without fighting the wetness that traditionally for the last few years has been hampering some producers. But by the same token, dryness could start causing a problem down the road.” National Drought Mitigation Center
Widespread, pronounced precipitation deficits are noted over most of the Midwest during the last 90 days. Declining soil moisture indicate rapidly worsening conditions over the newly-expanded “abnormal dryness” area. Below-normal temperatures have mitigated the impacts of the dryness.
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The Winner of The Creston News Advertiser
Fantastic Four in Finals Contest is
Lori Kinyon of Orient
There were 7 entries with 3 teams correct but Lori was closest to the tie breaker.