CATTLE COURSE
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary O’Daniels of Creston was named the 2016 Cross Country Assistant Coach of the Year by the IATC. For more on O’Daniels, see SPORTS, page 7A. >>
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a Women Managing Cattle course in Greenfield. For more information, see BUSINESS/FARM, page 5A. >>
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Four generations of Cooper’s family attended the school prior to its closing. He and the others planned to keep the main building and gym intact as a reception hall for reunions and wed- Cooper dings. The office building, he said, could eventually house city hall, a library and additional offices. Prescott School closed in June 2015. Students now attend classes at Creston Community Schools.
Juveniles charged in Creston Schools threat • Jan. 7 Three juveniles were charged with first-degree harassment in a Creston Police Department investigation just days after an online threat in which a Creston High School student mentioned the act of bringing a gun to school. Both school administration and Creston Police said the threat posed no immediate danger to students. Administration received word around 8 a.m. Jan. 6 that a high school student had posted the threat in a private online chat group around 5:45 p.m. Jan. 4. Superintendent Steve McDermott said the threat was not specific to any student, staff member or building and was “highly unlikely” to be real. The school followed protocol, placing students involved in the chat group under adult supervision away from the student body and notifying Creston Police. An officer arrived at approximately 10 a.m. Jan. 6.
Dillinger pleads guilty to murder, gets life in prison • Jan. 22 Jerry Dillinger, 37, of Thayer pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder during his arraignment Jan. 22 at Union County Courthouse. Dillinger was charged with these counts of murder Dec. 12, 2015, after the body of his exs i s t e r - Dillinger in-law, Loretta Lynn Dillinger, was discovered in a rural Union County stock pond Dec. 2, 2015, and a second body, which Jerry identified as Michael Robinson of Thayer, was later discovered on the property
Adviser of the Year
CNA file photo
A line of cyclists make the final ascent into Creston July 25 during RAGBRAI’s overnight stop in Creston. The hilly route into Creston left many cyclists exhausted.
of Dillinger’s residence in Thayer. Court documents show Dillinger confronted and killed them both Sept. 22, 2015. Dillinger was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison by Judge John Lloyd. Dillinger was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estates of Loretta Dillinger and Robinson. Dillinger later hanged himself in his prison cell Feb. 10. In addition, Jennifer Jean Hartley, 43, of Thayer was charged with first-degree murder March 22 in connection with the Dillinger case. Hartley, half-sister of Dillinger, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Loretta Lynn Dillinger and Michael Robinson.
RAGBRAI announces 2016 stop in Creston • Jan. 25 Creston was announced as the third of eight stops in the 44th Register’s Annual
Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, a weeklong westto-east cycling event that included approximately 10,000 cyclists. It was announced the 2016 route would stretch 419.9 miles across southern Iowa, beginning July 23 in Glenwood and ending July 30 in Muscatine. Cyclists were to stop in Creston July 25. RAGBRAI organizers said the 2016 tour would be the third-shortest course, the 24th flattest and 15th easiest. Stops were to include Glenwood, Shenandoah, Creston, Leon, Centerville, Ottumwa, Washington and Muscatine. The stop in Creston was a success despite many riders being exhausted from the grueling ride into town. Creston RAGBRAI organizers reported a $9,000 surplus following the event. That money was split between the three campground sites – Southwestern Community College, McKinley Park and Cres-
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Volume 133 No. 148
2016
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Cruz, Sanders win caucuses in Union County • Feb. 2 Both parties reported high turnouts for the Feb. 1 caucuses in Union County despite an impending blizzard. Ted Cruz won the Republican caucus in Union County, while Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucus. Party leaders at Creston’s Republican caucus scrambled to make extra ballots for the 541 caucusgoers as a line extended out the Creston High School doors for 30 minutes during sign-ins. Counting the Afton, Arispe and Lorimor precincts, Union County saw 702 Republican voters. C r u z e d g e d eventual President-elect Donald Trump by nine votes in Union Cruz County,
203 to 194. On the Democratic side, countywide turnout was 486. Sanders edged Hillary Clinton, taking 53.71 per- Sanders cent of the vote to Clinton’s 46.29 percent.
Prescott school auction brings $50K • Feb. 18 More than 60 auctiongoers crowded into a former Prescott School classroom Feb. 17 to witness the sale of the district’s buildings and grounds. Within 30 minutes, the auction, performed by Dan Kretzinger of Kretzinger Auction in Corning, had ended in handshakes, highfives and hugs as Prescott alumnus Justin Cooper, backed by a group of relatives and fellow alumni, purchased the property for $50,000.
• April 6 Iowa’s competitive Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) conference was a memorable one for Creston Community High School, as chapter adviser Shannon Smith was named Iowa’s Adviser of the Year, and s e v e r a l Smith students earned first-place awards. Additionally, as a whole, the Creston chapter took first place in the FBLA-OPOLY, a state program that encourages chapters to be active. The adviser award provides students the chance to recognize an adviser who gives his or her time to create an active chapter. The winner is announced at both the state and national conferences and advisers may only be nominated once every three years and must have been an adviser for at least three years. In her sixth year as the Creston chapter adviser, Smith also teaches business education at the high school and serves as Iowa’s FBLA state officer coordinator. 2016 | 2A
2016 Winter Issue
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