alex NIELSEN
jay WOLFE
trenton WELLS
joe RICKER
caleb LANGE
hallie LINHART aurora AREVALO
katie DUKES haylee LAMASTERS
natalie MOSTEK
Who are the winners?
Turn to page 1S to find out.
creston
News Advertiser
SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015
Corning woman visits rural Chinese village
Huntsman sentenced to 20 years on theft charges
Mary Fuller was one of 42 participants from 15 countries accepted in home-stay program. ■
By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
By KELSEY HAUGEN
CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com
MACOMB, Ill. – Though Mary Fuller has been to 18 countries, her deepest appreciation is for small towns – whether it’s her hometown of Corning or a village of 1,200 in Jinhua, China. Fuller, a graduate student studying recreation, park and tourism administration (RPTA) at Western Illinois University, recently completed a three-week homestay project in the historical Suoyuan village in Jinhua and returned home July 12. “It’s been very interesting living in rural areas in different countries,” said Fuller, 29. “There’s obviously a lot of differences, but there are also similarities. Everybody knows what everybody’s doing, whether that’s good or bad.” The rural lifestyle of the Suoyuan village and the project’s relevance to Fuller’s area of study piqued her interest in applying in April. She was one of 42 participants accepted from 15 countries, and one of two from her university. Jeremy Robinett, an assistant professor in the RPTA department, was also selected. The Jinhua home-stay project aims to provide an intimate perspective of life in a traditional Chinese village. Goals for those who
Contributed photo
Mary Fuller, left, and Hangzhou, China native Iris Gu visit the Zhuge Family Village in Jinhua, China, July 1. Fuller and Gu were two of 42 individuals from 15 countries who participated in the three-week Jinhua home-stay project.
participate in the project include learning about Chinese culture, helping preserve the original culture of the villages and promoting the villages as tourist destinations. Participants paid for their airfare and travel Visa, but room, board, transportation and a stipend were included in the program. “I loved the fact that it was a home-stay project, so we actually got to visit with locals on a daily basis in a way most tourists don’t get to,” Robinett said. While the Suoyuan village is slightly smaller than Corning, Fuller said the two towns were similar in size and emphasis on agriculture. She has also lived in other rural areas internationally, including a Zambian village in southern
Africa. “That sense of community really appeals to me,” she said. “I’ve always found smaller towns more appealing.” During her time in the Suoyuan village, Fuller received a comprehensive introduction to its history, customs and architecture, learned handicrafts like paper cutting and participated in martial arts and musical performances. “I did spend a couple days in Beijing and one in Shanghai, but I definitely preferred the village,” Fuller said. Her host family, which consisted of a father, mother and 29-year-old son, housed three participants and a volunteer translator. Fuller said the mother was hospitable and cooked for
them. Fuller’s favorite dish was lotus root cooked with garlic, chili and ginger. In addition to learning about Chinese culture, the participants developed materials to attract more international tourists to Jinhua and its historic villages. Fuller’s team created a magazine with information on the food, nature and culture of area. This part of the trip was especially interesting to Fuller, who studied agricultural communications as an undergraduate. “I’ve worked in marketing and communications in the past, so I do have an interest in tourism marketing,” she said. “The project was a great hands-on experience of creating materials ourselves using our own photos. It tied in really well with what I want to do.”
Contributed photo
THURSDAY WEATHER
83 61
No decision yet on new Pleasant Hill chief By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
CONNECT WITH US crestonnews.com | online 641-782-2141 | phone 641-782-6628 | fax Follow us on Facebook
COMPLETE WEATHER 3A
Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams Street | Box 126 Creston, IA 50801-0126
Copyright 2015
Please see HUNTSMAN, Page 2
Not yet. Don Sandor, city manager in Pleasant Hill, said this morning Pleasant Hill City Council did not reach a decision on a new police chief at their regular meeting Tuesday evening. There are five finalists for the position, including current Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer. “The council had some questions last night that I will be getting answers to,” Sandor said. “We want to keep this process moving. We don’t want to keep everybody waiting. It will probably be a case where I get the council the answers and we pro- Ver Meer ceed with a special meeting.” The other four finalists are Kim Wadding with Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, Al Pizzano (retired New York Police Department), Lawrence McNaul (retired West Liberty chief) and Hiawatha Police Chief Dennis Marks. Pleasant Hill (pop. 9,082) is located about 6 miles east of Des Moines. Ver Meer has been police chief in Creston since 2008.
Mary Fuller, back row, second from right, poses with a group of Jinhua home-stay project participants and an opera teacher following their Wu Opera performance in Jinhua, China July 11. Wu Opera is a traditional form of Chinese opera.
PRICE 75¢
Lyndsay Jo Huntsman, 44, of Creston was sentenced to 20 years of prison for five counts of first-degree theft this morning at Union County Courthouse in Creston. Sentencing for theft counts 4 and 5 will run consecutively. Sentencing for theft counts 2, 3 and 6 were suspended at this time. Parole opportunites will be decided at a later date. Huntsman is also required to pay court costs and restitution, which is currently an unconfirmed amount as she has already paid a portion of that. A hearing will be set to decide the amount of restitution she still owes. “I cannot, in good conscience, grant Huntsman probation,” said Judge Dustria A. Relph. “I spent a lot of time trying to decide what would be appropriate in this case. ... It just jumped out at me that you’re not taking accountability for this.” Huntsman pleaded guilty to the theft charges May 29, and sentencing hearing was rescheduled from July 31 to today. Huntsman misappropriated approximately
Volume 132 No. 53
2014
If you do not receive your CNA by 5 p.m. call 641-782-2141, ext. 6450. Papers will be redelivered in Creston until 6:30 p.m. Phones will be answered until 7 p.m.
Need local information? Click into the Services Guide at...
www.crestonnews.com — where you will find —
Retail Community Business Guide Guide
Dining Guide
Special Employment Events Guide Guide
...information at the “click” of a mouse!
Your Home Guide