Wednesday December 11, 2013
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Late Panther rally falls short against Shenandoah SPORTS, page 7A
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Creston man in custody after morning manhunt By JAKE WADDINGHAM CNA staff reporter
jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
A Creston man involved in a possible shooting in Adams County is in custody after a short manhunt near Creston this morning. Peter James Wiley, 32, last known address 908 W. Adair St., was transported to Wiley Greater Regional Medical Center to be treated for burns he sustained after fleeing his vehicle that caught fire on 160th Street west of Creston city limits.
Wiley’s charges are still pending at this time. This morning Adams County Sheriff released the description of a vehicle involved in a possible shooting. Creston Police Sgt. Eric Shawler identified a vehicle matching the description in Creston around 5:15 a.m. Shawler pursued the vehicle, driven by Wiley, until the car caught fire on 160th. “The driver got out (of the vehicle) and took off on foot while (he was) partially on fire,” said Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer. Creston Police and Union County Sheriff set up a perimeter where Wiley entered a field. According to a Creston Fire report, firefighters were notified of the vehicle on fire on 160th at 5:29
Branstad defends Juvenile Home decision DES MOINES (MCT) – The need to find appropriate settings that would better serve minors housed at the Iowa Juvenile Home trumped other considerations in the decision to secure alternative placements for the 21 youth currently residing at the staterun Toledo facility, Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday. Branstad said he believed the findings of a task force he appointed to look into conditions at the Toledo home signaled the need for a change of philosophy. The governor concluded the situation could not be tolerated and there was no need to put off the move to find more-appropriate placements for children who had been subjected to an institution with “significant” problems for a number of years. “It’s never easy and change is always a hard thing, but I think we’re doing what’s in the best Branstad interest of these kids,” Branstad said one day after the Iowa Department of Human Services announced that residents were being moved and lay off notices went out to the home’s 93 employees effective Jan. 16. “It’s been pretty well documented that they were not treated well, that they were abused, they were held in detention inappropriately, education was denied them, and this is something that cannot be tolerated,” the governor said. Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Garwin, whose district includes Tama County, said Monday’s DHS announcement caught him and the Toledo community by surprise, but Branstad said the focus was the needs of the children, “not the needs of the Legislature or the people who are employed or anybody else.” Fisher said he was “not at all happy” with Monday’s swift action, saying he believed an arrangement could have been made to keep delinquent youth housed at the Toledo facility under state care with a private provider brought in to care for those designated as children in need of assistance (CINA). Please see BRANSTAD, Page 2
a.m. Firefighters extinguished the fire, which resulted in a total loss of the vehicle. A pistol was located near the abandoned vehicle. Creston police officers Jayrd Merritt, Melissa Mower and police dog Minko located Wiley in the field behind a terrace after about a 45 minute search. A report from Adams County Sheriff Department is expected to be released late today. Wiley will be treated and released at GRMC and will be turned over to Adams County Sheriff. The Creston News Advertiser will continue to update this story as information becomes available online at www.crestonnews. com and in Thursday’s edition.
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Creston firefighter Lee Freeman puts out a fire in a car after the driver, Peter James Wiley, fled the scene during a pursuit this morning on 160th Street. According to a Creston Fire report, firefighters were notified of the vehicle on fire on 160th 5:29 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the fire, which resulted in a total loss of the vehicle. Loss estimate is $1,500.
RAISE THE ROOF ■ Winterset woman goes from Des Moines surgeon to SWCC carpentry student.
Mandi’s medical background
By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
W
hat made 51-year-old Denise Mandi go from being a doctor in Des Moines to enrolling in Southwestern Community College’s carpentry program? “I needed a new challenge,” Mandi said. Mandi quit her job as section chief of foot and ankle surgery at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines this year and became a SWCC carpentry student in August.
Change Mandi, who was born in Delaware, knew from a young age she wanted to get into carpentry. “I can remember when I was in, like, sixth grade, telling my dad that I wanted to be a carpenter,” Mandi said. Mandi “And, that conversation went somewhere along the lines of, ‘Over my dead body is my daughter going to be a carpenter.’” Instead, Mandi looked into architecture. However, no colleges in Delaware offered architecture, and it was too expensive to go to an out-of-state school. So, she picked mechanical engineering as a major. Then, because mechanical engineering was not what she had hoped, she changed her major. “I changed my major halfway through my senior year to biology,” Mandi said, “and went to medical school.” Mandi moved to Iowa to attend Des Moines University, a medical college, and became a surgeon. She did her residency
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Denise Mandi, Southwestern Community College carpentry student, nails a piece of fiber board to a wooden frame when the SWCC carpentry students built two rooms for a Creston Fire Department’s training burn in October.
in Philadelphia, Pa., then moved back to Iowa and was part of the faculty at DMU. She then took 12 years off to raise her three sons before working at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines from 2004 until she quit this year to attend SWCC. “I’ve always wanted to be a carpenter. My dad was a builder,” said Mandi. Mandi described herself as someone who, once her mind is made up, goes for it. “One time, I decided during that 12 years I was raising my kids, they had trouble getting a bus driver for their bus route,” Mandi said. “And, I just decided I’ll drive the school bus, and I did.” That mindset got Mandi into Southwestern’s carpentry program.
Carpentry Mandi started at SWCC in August, with an expected graduation in spring 2015. “I did a lot of research into these types of programs around the state and SWCC had the best by far,” said Man-
di. “It’s one of the only programs that still builds an entire home. And, we build one every year, which is awesome. I’ll get to build two homes while I’m here.” Even though she travels Monday through Friday for classes on SWCC’s campus, Mandi said she loves the program. “I love it. Love it. I’m learning so much,” said Mandi. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I expected that I would learn a lot about construction. I was familiar with terms, that kind of thing. I had used tools before, I had built tree houses and things like that with my kids, ... but never had worked from start to finish in new construction.” Despite being the only woman in the class, Mandi said she has never been singled out. “I’ve never really gotten that whole ‘you’re a girl, what are you doing here’ vibe. Never. They’ve (the instructors) been really awesome,” said Mandi. “I don’t think I had to really
Denise Mandi attended Des Moines University from 1985 to 1989 before moving back to the East coast for her residency, where she met her husband. “I was working first in Philadelphia and New Jersey at private medical practices there,” said Mandi. “And then, when we moved back here, I was faculty at Des Moines University for a little while.” She was at DMU from 1992 to 1995. Then, after 12 years of raising her sons, ages 22, 20 and 17, she went back to work in the medical field at Broadlawns in Des Moines. “I was a surgeon. I was section chief of foot and ankle surgery at Broadlawns. I was president of the medical staff. I was chairman of the Department of Surgery,” Mandi said. “I kind of accomplished everything I could accomplish in medicine.” Mandi and her husband plan to retire in Pella. Two of their three sons attend Central College in Pella, and the third, who will graduate from high school this coming May, plans to attend Central as well.
earn their respect any more than any of the guys did. They want to see what you’re willing to do, what you can do, what you know and how hard you’re willing to work, just like anybody else.” Still, that didn’t stop Mandi from making sure she could keep up with her classmates. “I’m a five-foot-nothing, 51-year-old woman. It’s kind of hard to keep up with these Please see MANDI, Page 2
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Volume 130 No. 129 Copyright 2013
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Contents
Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Thursday weather High 32 Low 14 Full weather report, 3A