FRIENDLY SERVICE
Nodaway Valley serves past East Union 3-1 in Pride of Iowa Conference matchup. Read the details on SPORTS, page 7A. >>
creston
News Advertiser
SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
CRESTON CITY COUNCIL
Historical mural will not be completed By KYLE WILSON
This proposed “timeline mural” on South Elm Street included 10 to 14 images from Creston’s history. They had proposed hiring professional painter Brian Mullin of Corning. Traffic concerns Several city council members were concerned about the location of the mural being proposed in the request. “Talking with people about the mural, I’ve heard a lot of negative comments on the location and possible graffiti,” said Marsha Wilson, ward 4 councilwoman. “To be quite honest, I think Creston: Arts needs to do some fundraising themselves. They have not done bake sales or fundraising activities to try and bring in some of their own money.” Randy White, ward 1 councilman, heard concerns from constituents worried the mural on South Elm Street could create safety concerns with traffic slowing down or stopping to view the art. The only council member voting against the $5,000 motion was Rich Mad-
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
There will be no historical mural painted on the white walls along South Elm Street in Creston. Creston City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday evening to distribute $5,000 from the city’s hotel/motel fund to the Creston: Arts Council budget. This was not the full amount Creston: Arts was hoping for. They’d requested funding of $11,925 — which mostly included the mural ($6,500), hanging system and carpet for arts gallery located in the Depot and public address system for open mic nights. Brian Zachary with Creston: Arts confirmed this morning Zachary the mural on South Elm Street will not be completed now.
“To be quite honest, I think Creston: Arts needs to do some fundraising themselves. They have not done bake sales or fundraising activities to try and bring in some of their own money.” — Marsha Wilson
Creston’s Ward 4 Councilwoman
ison, ward 2 councilman. “I was thinking less money. I just Please see MURAL, Page 2
Creston, Prescott consolidation a possibility By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Consolidation between Creston and Prescott community school districts was considered at Creston School Board’s regularly scheduled meeting Monday. According to Steve McDermott, Creston and Prescott shared superintendent, thoughts on the possible consolidation started in July 2013, after former McDermott Orient-Macksburg and Prescott shared superintendent Doug Latham retired, O-M gained Clark Wicks, part-time superintendent, and McDermott became shared superintendent with Creston and Prescott. “The Creston board traveled over to meet with the Prescott board to talk about ideas of sharing or consolidation, and that was a very productive meeting,” McDermott said.
Iowa court halts ban on abortion pill system DES MOINES (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Tuesday halted a ban on the use of a video-conferencing system that allows doctors to distribute abortion-inducing pills to women in rural areas of the state. The stay means Planned Parenthood of the Heartland can continue using the system until the high court makes a final ruling on whether the Iowa Board of Medicine had the authority to adopt the ban last year. The agency was set to start following the ban Wednesday after a district judge ruled in favor of the board last month, the Des Moines Register reported. The district judge ruled the board had authority to regulate such issues and had met legal requirements for making new rules. Planned Parenthood appealed and the case was sent to the Iowa Supreme Court. The system allows Planned Parenthood doctors in Des Moines or Iowa City to prescribe abortion-inducing pills while meeting with patients in rural areas though a secure Internet video connection. Mark Bowden, the medical board’s executive director, expressed disappointment in the court’s ruling. “The board adopted the rule to protect the health and safety of Iowans,” he wrote. “The extension of the stay perpetuates what the board believes is inadequate health care and treatment for Iowans who seek medical abortions.” Planned Parenthood has said the ban is politically motivated and would jeopardize women’s access to safe health care.
Routes may change to reach bridge festival CNA file photo
Thoughts on the possible consolidation between Creston and Prescott schools started in July 2013.
Since then, ideas have continued being discussed. Reasons Prescott School Board decided to move in a direction they thought best for the students, McDermott said, and the board felt the best thing to do was consider a consolidation with Creston School District.
“The Prescott school offers only pre-k through sixth-grade classes,” McDermott said. “The secondary students already attend other neighboring school districts.” McDermott said this year there are Please see CONSOLIDATION, Page 2
WINTERSET (AP) — Rainstorm damage to U.S. Highway 169 has required its closure north of Winterset, the site of Madison County’s annual Covered Bridge Festival. Iowa Transportation Department officials have said they hope to have the highway reopened before the end of the year, but that largely depends on the weather. People headed to the Oct. 11-12 Covered Bridge Festival will have to use Iowa Highway 92 or approach Winterset from the south.
Iowa man pleads guilty in girl’s 1974 slaying The guilty plea ended a 40-year effort to hold 17-year-old Mary Jayne Jones’ killer responsible
Pilcher’s plea deal
■
IOWA CITY (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the 1974 slaying of a teenage girl at a rural Iowa farmhouse, ending a 40-year effort to hold her killer responsible. Robert “Gene” Pilcher, who was long a suspect in the slaying of 17-year-old Mary Jayne Jones but had maintained his innocence, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder during his second trial in the case in Ottumwa. Under a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge, which carries a sentence of life in prison. Both sides recommended a 10-year sentence, which
Under a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge, which carries a sentence of life in prison. Both sides recommended a 10-year sentence. Judge Richard Meadows imposed on the 68-year-old Pilcher. Pilcher’s first trial in January ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous agreement. Jones was last seen at an Ottumwa bank on April 9, 1974. Hours later, her naked, bruised and bloody body was discovered on a bed in a farmhouse 7 miles away. Investigators said she was beaten with a shotgun, possibly sexually assaulted and shot twice at close range with a rifle. The guilty plea stunned Judith Cabanillas, who was 13 when her older sister was killed.
THURSDAY WEATHER
CONNECT WITH US
COMPLETE WEATHER 3A
crestonnews.com | online 641-782-2141 | phone 641-782-6628 | fax Follow us on Facebook
72 57 PRICE 75¢
Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams Street | Box 126 Creston, IA 50801-0126
Copyright 2014
Volume 131 No. 76
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.
“I’m glad that it’s on record, finally, that he did what we always knew he did,” Cabanillas said. But she also wanted Pilcher to receive a stiffer sentence. He’ll get credit for two years he’s served since his 2012 arrest, and will qualify for reductions for good behavior. Wapello County Attorney Gary Oldenburger said Pilcher may serve five or six more years, with the release date ultimately decided by the parole board. “For a case this old, it’s difficult to have enough evidence to prove the case to a jury. This family has been waiting for 40 years for a resolution. I think it’s a good
outcome overall,” he said. Pilcher, then 27, was a suspect immediately in Jones’ death. The farmhouse was owned by Pilcher’s cousin, who was out of town. Four days earlier, Pilcher had lured another woman to the home, where she said he handcuffed and sexually assaulted her. Pilcher was charged with sodomy and perjury in that case, but investigators could not find evidence linking him to Jones’ death. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation re-examined evidence in 2010. Testing linked Pilcher’s DNA — by then in a database of known felons — to three semen stains left on the blanket where Jones’ body was found. Prosecutors suggested the crime was Please see GUILTY, Page 2
NEED LOCAL INFORMATION? Service Guides at the “click” of your mouse at www.crestonnews.com Retail Business | Community | Dining Special Events | Employment | Your Home