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Former Panthers Collin Bevins and Keaton Hulett on ranked Northwest Missouri State University defensive line. See photo in SPORTS, page 7A. >>
Read letters to the editor from Karon Finn and Marcia Fulton about water quality and the upcoming school board election, respectively, on page 4A. >>
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Donation helps SWCC purchase first drone By KELSEY HAUGEN
CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com
After the receipt of a donation, Southwestern Community College (SWCC) has purchased its first drone to be used for marketing and educational purposes. The drone, a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, features a camera to take aerial photos and video. Ed and Marge Naven of Creston provided SWCC with the funds for the drone. “There are a lot of applications for aerial vehicles like this in marketing, agriculture and video production,” said Joel Wires, SWCC marketing coordinator and designer. “Ed thought it would be a great learning tool, and we had to agree
with him. It will be a good opportunity to expose students to a new technology that’s simple to use.” Every other year – or anytime SWCC adds Wires a new building – the college has hired a pilot to allow Wires to take aerial photos of the campus. The drone will eliminate the need for a pilot. “Traditionally, you have to go up in an airplane, and it’s a lot more cost and time intensive,” Wires said. “We’re looking at updating some of our aerial photos of our athletic facilities, so (the drone) will give us the opportunity to do that on our own.”
The drone will also be used as an educational tool for students, especially those in agriculture classes. “You can program it using GPS to keep track of crops growing,” said Tom Lesan, SWCC vice president of economic development. “You can fly over the corn or bean fields to show students in the fall how Lesan they’re doing or check on cattle to see if they have calved.” Lesan said there was a lot of discussion before deciding to buy the Please see DRONE, Page 2
Contributed photo
Southwestern Community College (SWCC) has purchased its first drone after receiving a donation from Ed and Marge Naven of Creston.
Pilot survey: More than 8 in Pope Francis: 10 want curbside recycling Priests in Holy Year can absolve ‘sin of abortion’
By IAN RICHARDSON
CNA staff reporter
irichardson@crestonnews.com
More than 8 in 10 residents surveyed after completing a spring pilot program say they want Creston to begin offering curbside recycling citywide. The survey followed a three-month trial for families living in the James Subdivision and on South Park, McKinley, South Stone and South Bureau streets — extending as far north as West Adams Street. Approximately 200 residents received yellow-lidded 96-gallon receptacles from Waste Management and were able to recycle plastic, cardboard, cans and paper for curbside collection every other Tuesday. The program began in April and concluded June 30, with a survey following the program. In the survey, which residents could complete online or by phone, 70 of 80 respondents said Creston should offer curbside recycling in the future, with five “maybes” and five “nos.” An additional 12 called in but did not answer survey questions. Nine responded “yes” to whether they liked the program. One responded “no,” and two responded “maybe.” Waste Management Municipal Relations Manager Mike Eischeid said the amount of feedback was “off the charts.” “What I was told is for us to expect a 10 percent response on the survey, and Creston just blew it out of the water,” he said. “Creston was close to 50 (percent), which is just kudos to the town.” Other questions involved how satisfied residents were with the trial process, how convenient it was,
Contributed photo / CNA graphic by IAN RICHARDSON
This graph compiles feedback from the 92 respondents to the recycling pilot program. Results for the question include 59 online surveys, 21 phone surveys and 12 who simply responded “yes,” “no” or “maybe” to whether Creston should continue the program. According to the data, 79 respondents are in favor of curbside recycling while six said “no” and seven said “maybe.”
whether they received adequate information about the program and whether it encouraged them to recycle more. All responses were 80 to 90 percent positive. In a section prompting online respondents to explain whether the program met expectations, the main drawback among reviews was the receptacles were too large and cumbersome. In a final section asking for further questions or concerns, many asked about the potential cost.
What’s next
Cost will, in the end, be the deciding factor, said
Mike Taylor, Creston city administrator. “I think most people are interested in recycling,” Taylor s a i d . “But it’s just what price are they in- Taylor terested in?” Taylor said Creston’s contract with Waste Management for garbage pickup isn’t up until June 30 of next year. He said Creston City Council has received the results and will likely
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Volume 132 No. 67
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write up a sheet of requirements for the next garbage pickup contract, which may include an option to offer a bid that includes curbside recycling. The ultimate decision for the council, Taylor said, will then be weighing the cost and deciding whether Creston residents really want to pay extra for recycling. At this point, the specific amount it would cost per person, per month is not yet clear. Creston residents currently pay $18.50 Please see RECYCLING, Page 2
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis declared Tuesday he is allowing all priests in the church’s upcoming Year of Mercy to absolve women of the “sin of abortion” if they repent with a “contrite heart.” Reflecting his papacy’s central theme of mercy, Francis said in a letter published Tuesday by the Vatican that he has met many women bearing “the scar of this agonizing” decision to abort. He said God’s forgiveness cannot be denied to those who repent, and thus is giving all priests the discretion to absolve the sin in the Holy Year of Mercy running Dec. 8, 2015 until Nov. 20, 2016. The church views abortion as such as grave sin that, until now, a Catholic woman who wanted to repent for an abortion could not simply go to her local parish priest. Instead, her diocese’s bishop needed to delegate a priest, expert at dealing with such confessions, to hear the woman’s confession. Francis is making it possible for women to bypass this complicated process and confess directly to any Catholic priest, who can grant absolution if he determines the woman is contrite. The pontiff said having an abortion is “an existential and moral ordeal.
Look in today’s edition of the Creston News Advertiser for the
“The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father.” — Pope Francis
I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision.” The comments draw on Francis’ decades of pastoral experience with rank-andfile faithful in his native Argentina. “The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father,” the pope said. He said that is why he has decided to concede to all priests “the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.”
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