PRAIRIE CHICKENS
The 14th annual Prairie Chicken Festival will be held Saturday at the Grand River Grasslands Conservation Area in Kellerton. For more information on the festival, see page 3A. >>
PENALTY KICK LOSS The Creston boys soccer team fell to Class 1A No. 8 Council Bluffs St. Albert in penalty kicks in Tuesday’s season opener. For more on the Panthers, see SPORTS, page 7A. >>
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Opposition Turquoise Door brings more culture to the area grows to Iowa bill making many 911 calls secret
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
The Turquoise Door, pictured here, is the latest addition to the Greenfield square. The business opened in March and is owned by Galen and Sybil Schwochow and Vicki Morlan.
By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
GREENFIELD — Folks in Greenfield now have access to more culture in the form of The Turquoise Door. The Turquoise Door is the latest small business, opened by husband and wife duo Galen and Sybil Schwochow and Iowa artist Vicki Morlan. “Turquoise is her (Sybil’s) favorite color to begin with, and she paints. She was taking lessons from Vicki and the two of them got together, throwing ideas around, and they DOOR | 12A
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
From left, Vicki Morlan, Galen Schwochow and Sybil Schwochow smile for the camera in March in their new business, The Turquoise Door. After the trio decided to open a business dedicated to consignment and the arts, they rented the space on the Greenfield square in February and opened in March.
DES MOINES (AP) — Civil rights groups, media advocates and some lawmakers are opposing an Iowa bill that would end public access to many 911 calls, a broadly-worded measure that also could shield some police videos. The bill declares that 911 calls involving injured people are confidential “medical records” and exempt from Iowa’s open records law. The secrecy would apply to audio and video “not limited to” the call recordings themselves, a clause that critics fear could apply to videos documenting the aftermath of officer-involved shootings. Calls made by minors under the age of 18 or about minors would also become secret. The bill passed the Iowa House unanimously with little debate, with backers saying it would protect medical privacy and the privacy of children. But a chorus of opposition has emerged as the Senate considers whether to schedule it for a vote, the final approval needed before going to Gov. Terry Branstad. While states often debate which 911 calls should be public records, the sweeping Iowa measure appears rare. One organization that tracks state legislation said the ambiguous wording could be interpreted to include cameras and microphones at-
tached to officers’ uniforms and cars. “This is, to my knowledge, a very unique definition of a medical record,” said Nancy La Vigne, director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. “And one that could have some unintended consequences that could limit transparency and accountability of police.” Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, defended the language last week. He said it was intended to shield “anything Chapman that would be linked with audio or video of that medical call,” including video from body cameras and security cameras at dispatch centers. “We have an obligation to our constituents to make sure we’re protecting their medical information,” he said. Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix’s office said it’s still evaluating whether to pursue the bill. Branstad’s spokesman was noncommittal on whether he’d sign it. Its sponsor has said the legislation is a response to the release of 911 calls last year to The Associated Press 911 | 2A
Health insurer Wellmark to stop selling individual policies DES MOINES (AP) — A decision by Iowa’s dominant health insurance company to stop selling individual policies could leave thousands of residents scrambling to get new policies. The Des Moines Register reports Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield announced Monday it would stop selling the individual policies because of instability in the insurance market due to the Affordable Care Act and congressional Republicans’ failed
effort to replace the law. The decision means more than 21,000 Iowa residents who bought health insurance policies since Jan. 1, 2014, will need to find another provider. The change won’t affect those who have Wellmark insurance through an employer or those who bought individual policies that took effect before Jan. 1, 2014. The carriers Aetna and Medica also sell individual policies but haven’t committed to doing so for 2018.
CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER
Final shot: Annie Herr lines up a shot as the buzzer sounds during the championship game in Friday night’s Greenfield/ Fontanelle Lions Clubs’ donkey basketball fundraising event at Nodaway Valley High School. Herr and the green team prevailed with a 4-0 win over the blue team in the championship game.
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Volume 133 No. 217
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FANTASTIC F UR IN FINALS CONTEST WINNER
Sharon Gardner of Creston
Sharon tied with 6 other entries that had 2 correct teams. However, Sharon was the closest to the tiebreaker score!