CONSTITUTION WEEK
Constitution Week, which honors the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution Sept. 17, 1787, begins Thursday. Read a letter from Marjorie Kinkade about Constitution Week on OPINION, page 4A >>
SAINTES COMEBACK
After the Panthers established an early lead Tuesday night, the St. Albert Saintes rallied to take a five-set Hawkeye 10 victory. For more on the game, see SPORTS, page 10A >>
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015
Council discusses hiring fifth dispatcher By KYLE WILSON
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
For several years, retaining part-time dispatchers at the Union County Law Enforcement Center has been a struggle. And, it doesn’t take long to figure out why. Just take a look at the job description. Part-time dispatchers don’t receive health insurance benefits, work mostly nights and weekends, start at $12 per hour and face a highly stressful
job. “It takes a special person to do that job, especially with some of the calls we get,” said Paul Ver Meer, police chief in Ver Meer Creston. Currently, Ver Meer is in the process of hiring a part-time dispatcher, but he isn’t having much luck. Tuesday, he suggested two options to Creston City Council
that would help attract and retain qualified dispatchers. The first option: Eliminate the need for two part-time dispatcher positions by hiring a fifth full-time dispatcher. Adding this full-time dispatcher would allow all open shifts for holiday, vacation and sick leave to be covered. “It’s a career position, so we will get more applicants and they will stay longer. Last time we had 40 applicants for a full-time position,” Ver Meer said. Rough cost estimate for this
option with benefits is $65,000 per year. The second option: There are currently four full-time and twopart time dispatchers. Ver Meer recommended raising the pay of the two-part time positions to $17 per hour. Rough cost estimate for this option with benefits is $45,000 per year. Ver Meer said he believes he can find enough money in this fiscal year’s budget to pay for whichever option the council recommends. Ver Meer noted the
county does pay half of the dispatcher’s salary. Randy White, ward 1 councilman, Marsha Wilson, ward 4 councilman, and Creston Mayor Warren Woods recommended adding a fifth dispatcher Tuesday. Rich Madison, ward 2 councilman, preferred the second option. Ver Meer said he would let the council members look over the numbers and he would talk to each individually at a later date before he moved forward with either option.
Data shows deer accidents are on the rise in Iowa ■ The odds of Iowa
drivers hitting a deer are more than twice the national average, according to data from State Farm.
CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON
Homecoming court: Creston High School’s 2015 homecoming queen candidates pose next to their escorts in the CHS
gym. Pictured, left to right, are Seth Maitlen, Caitlin McIlravy, Cooper McDermott, Jessica Beatty, Ryan Kucera, Jenna Taylor, Cameron Leith, Alyssa Higgins, Nick Walsh and Taylor Briley. Creston’s Hall of Fame induction and queen coronation will be 12:15 p.m. Sept. 25 at the CHS auditorium.
Iowan accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting woman STUART (AP) — A 36-year-old Des Moines man has been charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting an acquaintance. Stuart Police Sgt. Ryan Harding says Corey Drake held the woman at a motel
in Stuart overnight Saturday. She talked to police on Sunday, and Drake was arrested at his home. Adair County Jail records say Drake remained in custody Tuesday. Online court records don’t list the
name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment on Drake’s behalf. News about the allegation stunned some residents in Stuart, a city of about 1,600 people that sits 35 miles west of Des
Moines. Stuart resident Nate Westre told Des Moines television station KCCI that, “You never want to hear about that anywhere, but especially in your hometown . your backyard.”
LINCOLN, Neb. — Iowa drivers are more than 13 percent more likely to collide with a deer than they were last year, according to new claims data from State Farm. The odds drivers will hit a deer in Iowa are one in 68, compared to the national odds of one in 169. Using its claims data and state licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm, the nation’s leading auto insurer, estimates the state by state chances of any single American motorist striking a deer, elk or moose. More 2015 State Farm deer collisions facts: • Iowa is ranked third in the country for the most deer collisions. Iowa was ranked fourth in 2014. • The national cost per claim average is $4,135, up 6 percent from 2014 when the average was $3,888. • The months a driver is most likely to collide with a
deer in Iowa, mostly due to mating and hunting seasons, are October, November and December. For the ninth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with one in 44 odds. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the ninth year in a row, with one in 8,765 odds. “Though Iowa may not have as many deer collisions as West Virginia, these types of collisions still occur and we encourage all drivers to be cautious,” said Ann Avery, State Farm Public Affairs Specialist. “It’s important that drivers are practicing safe driving habits and watching out for animals on the road. Wearing your seat belt and practicing defensive driving tactics could make a significant difference.” Injuries, vehicle damage and fatalities all can result from vehicle collisions with deer. In 2013, 191 deaths were the result of collisions with animals, with deer being the animal most often struck. These tips could help drivers avoid a collision: use extra caution in known deer Please see ACCIDENTS, Page 2
Stand-up comedy:
Comedian and TV writer Ricky Smith (middle) brings an uproar of laughter from the crowd of Southwestern Community College (SWCC) students by asking sophomore Kevin Shields (left) of Memphis, Tenn., if he fulfills certain racial stereotypes. Also pictured are sophomore Terrance Smith (sitting left) of Memphis, Tenn., and freshman Gilbert Bush (sitting right) of Olympia, Ill.
CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN
#RAKE: Comedian and TV writer Ricky Smith looks out at the crowd
of Southwestern Community College (SWCC) students and faculty who attended his talk Tuesday afternoon in the Student Center. Smith spoke about his nonprofit organization, Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere (#RAKE), while mixing in jokes about corn, racial stereotypes and his wife divorcing him via Facebook. See video online at www.crestonnews.com
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