HAUNTED HIKE
PANTHER COMEBACK The Creston/O-M football team picked up its first district win of the season in a 44-43 come-from-behind victory against ADM. For more on the Panthers, see SPORTS, page 5A. >>
Ringgold County Conservation Board is hosting a Haunted Halloween Hike Saturday. For more information, see page 12A. >>
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Lenox dismisses early Friday Audlehelm over threatening note joins CNA newsroom staff
Contributed photo
Pictured is the front entrance to Lenox High School. The school received a threatening note Friday and kept students on lockdown until it was determined to be safe, eventually dismissing students early. It marked the second time in a week an area school had such an incident, after Southwest Valley evacuated students Wednesday because of a possible bomb threat. Investigators later determined the bomb threat at Southwest Valley was false.
By CARTER ECKL CNA staff reporter ceckl@crestonnews.com
LENOX – Lenox High School dismissed its students early Friday after the school received a threatening letter. The school was placed on a level 2 lockdown and nobody was allowed in or out of the building until the students were released at 1 p.m. Taylor County Sheriff’s Office was still investigating the threat Friday afternoon, but Lenox principal Mike Still said he did not believe it was a credible threat. “We do not feel that this threat was a credible threat. At the same time, we don’t know who wrote the note so that investigation contin-
“WE HAVE our processes and procedures on paper, but it becomes a different scenario when you have to enact them.”
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MIKE STILL
Lenox High School principal
ues,” said Still. Students were dismissed a few at a time with the last students leaving the high school around 1:30 p.m. “We have our processes and procedures on paper, but it becomes a different scenario when you have to enact them,” said Still.
Still admitted there were things the school can work on. In addition, teachers and staff were debriefed by Taylor County Sheriff’s Office after the day. “At the end of the school day, we did have a debrief session with our staff and then debriefed with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office to answer any questions and address some is- Still sues we need to be better at,” said Still. The threat Friday capped a suspicious week for local schools after a bomb threat closed Southwest
Valley High School and Corning Elementary school Wednesday afternoon. Students were released early while the Adams County Sheriff’s Office cleared the school. After investigation, the bomb threat was later deemed unfounded. “There was not a threat made toward Southwest Valley Schools,” read a statement from Adams county Sheriff’s Office. “This information was not learned until the schools were evacuated and dismissed for the day.” The two incidents are unrelated. No further information about the ongoing investigation at Lenox High School is currently available.
Substitute teacher shortages create challenges for districts LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A persistent shortage of substitute teachers is creating challenges for Nebraska and Iowa school districts, and lawmakers who want to address the issue are still trying to pinpoint a solution. Lawmakers from both states said the problem is
most severe in rural districts. In Nebraska, senators convened a hearing last month to look for ways to minimize the time regular teachers spend out of the classroom. “When you’re in smalltown Nebraska, you don’t have a big group of substitute teachers,” said Nebras-
ka state Sen. Mike Groene, chairman of the Legislature’s Education Committee. “We need to widen the pool.” The shortage stems from a combination of trends, Groene said. Mandatory training days during the school week draw many regular teachers out of
their classrooms, forcing schools to hire substitutes. Family leave policies allow teachers to take off up to 12 weeks at a time, and school administrator say many young teachers take advantage of the full allotment. Iowa and Nebraska’s low SUBS | 2A
Tyra Audlehelm has joined the Creston News Advertiser staff as staff reporter, covering the Union Audlehelm County Board of Supervisors beat and writing features. Audlehelm, 22, is from Osceola. She is a 2013 graduate of Clarke Community High School and graduated from Southwestern Community College in 2015 with an associate degree in letters. She has been attending Ashford University online and will graduate in November with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in communications. “I’ve loved to write since I learned how to,” Audlehelm said. “I’ve always known I wanted to write. There’s a lot of media bashing anymore and I’d like to let people know there are still good
journalists out there.” In her spare time, Audlehelm enjoys writing short stories, golfing and playing with her two dogs – a pit bull and a Louisiana catahoula leopard dog. Audlehelm recently completed authoring a children’s book called “Diesel’s Day” that will be published in time for Thanksgiving. Audlehelm and her husband, Seth, live in Osceola. Her parents have been married for 31 years and live in Osceola, while Seth’s parents have been married for 25 years and live in Osceola. She has one older sister, who is married, and a 2-year-old niece she calls “my favorite person in the world.” Audlehelm started as staff reporter today. “It’s my dream job to work for a newspaper, so I’ve been really excited,” she said. To welcome her to the community or send story ideas, contact Audlehelm at taudlehelm@crestonnews. com or 641-782-2141 ext. 6433.
Des Moines runway closed for repairs after heavy rain DES MOINES (AP) — The Des Moines Airport had to divert and delay some flights after heavy rain caused a runway problem. Airport Executive Director Kevin Foley says the runway was closed between 4 and 6:05 p.m. Saturday so a
team could fix the problem. He says the team had found the runway had bubbled after rain seeped beneath the pavement. Foley says officials will try to find out why the water caused the runway to bubble.
CNA photos by SCOTT VICKER
Spooky decorations: Pictured are Halloween decorations in a yard along West Howard Street in Creston. Shown, AT LEFT, are inflatable light-up decorations and, AT RIGHT, are light-up panels featuring various Halloween characters. More Halloween decorations are popping up around town as Halloween inches closer at 15 days away. TUESDAY WEATHER
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Volume 134 No. 96
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