‘JEWEL OF A SCHOOL’
Orient-Macksburg Schools recently released a series of videos titled “Jewel of a School” to highlight the communities’ school system. For more on the videos, see page 2A. >>
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR Jordan Johnson and Julanie Carter were named Southwestern Community College’s athletes of the year. For more on Johnson and Carter, see SPORTS, page 7A. >>
creston
News Advertiser
SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017
Groumoutis moves from Remains of one full-time business Iowa sailor killed at Pearl to another Harbor coming home TITONKA (AP) — The remains of an Iowa sailor killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are being returned for burial in Kossuth County. Authorities say William Kennedy, of Titonka, was one of 429 sailors and Marines who were killed aboard a U.S. battleship, the USS Oklahoma. He was 24. The Des Moines Register reports that Kennedy’s remains had been buried in
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Dino Groumoutis sits Tuesday afternoon at his desk in his new business, Creston Realty. Groumoutis opened the business March 1 and deals in residential, commercial and agricultural properties.
By BAILEY POOLMAN Start CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
For Dino Groumoutis, customer service is in his blood. Groumoutis, who helped with the family business, A & G Pizza Steakhouse and Lounge, for years, has moved from the restaurant business to the full-time real estate business. “When we sold the restaurant, I said that I would like to do this full time because I enjoy doing it so much,” Groumoutis said. The Groumoutis family sold A & G in July 2016 to Jake and Britni Kawa, after more than 40 years in the restaurant business. Now, Groumoutis, 46, has his hands full with time at Creston Realty, his new real estate office.
Own business
Groumoutis earned an associate degree from Southwestern Community College in business, which he has thoroughly used since. While helping his family with A & G, where he would cover most jobs such as cooking and business, Groumoutis of Creston worked part-time selling real estate. “I had sold real estate on the side since 2001,” Groumoutis said. “I was with First Realty for a number of years, and when Carol John, the owner, sold it to Retta Ripperger, it went to R Realty. So, I’ve been in the same office for 16 years.” While there, Groumoutis sold residential, commercial and agricultural properties. Things, however, haven’t changed a whole lot.
After opening Creston Realty in March, Groumoutis did not change much from what he did previously. Though, it was different now that he owned the business, rather than worked in another brokerage. “It was different in the sense that before, in my other business, I didn’t open that. My parents opened that, and I was born into that. So, there were some learning points along the way,” Groumoutis said. Groumoutis was unaccustomed to getting the proper paperwork and tax documents and such, but received assistance and research from various locations, such as Ripperger and the Iowa Association of Realtors. He also had to find a location for the storefront. In
the end, he chose a building just south of the railroad tracks and several blocks east of South Elm Street, located at 118 W. Union St. The building, with three overhead doors visible from the outside, was remodeled, painted and decorated thoroughly with the assistance of Groumoutis’ family. “Starting out, ideally you’d like to be on the highway or something like that. But, real estate’s different in the fact that people do a lot of their research online and then call you when they’re ready to look,” Groumoutis said. “So, the location, to me, I didn’t feel was as important.” Groumoutis said he likes the uptown Creston locale, and a friend of his owned the building, which he now rents. The inside includes a DINO | 2A
an area for the unidentified at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. They were recently identified as part of a Department of Defense effort that began in 2015. Service members will honor Kennedy as a plane carrying his remains arrives Thursday at the Des Moines International Airport. He will be buried next to his mother at a Titonka cemetery after his military funeral Friday.
Trump awaits highest level face-to-face contact with Russia WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump awaited the highest level face-to-face contact with Russia of his short time in office, scheduling a White House meeting Wednesday with Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat. The talks come one day after Trump fired the FBI Director, who was overseeing an investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Before that session, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stopped at the State De-
partment to see Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the get-together was a chance for the two to “continue our dialogue” and “exchange of views” that they started last month in Moscow. During that trip, Tillerson said relations with Russia were at a low and needed to be rebuilt. A Russian plan to stabilize Syria after more than six years of civil war was the most urgent foreign policy topic on the Trump-Lavrov TRUMP | 2A
CNA photos by SCOTT VICKER
Awards Day: Pictured, AT LEFT, is Creston Community High School senior Will Gordon, left, receiving a Union County Farm Bureau scholarship from Matt Ramaeker during Friday’s CCHS Senior Awards Day program in the CCHS auditorium. Pictured, AT RIGHT, is CCHS Guidance Counselor Tammy Riley, left, congratulating CCHS senior Erin Hanson on her scholarships to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles during Friday’s CCHS Senior Awards Day program. More than $650,000 in scholarships was awarded to the CCHS class of 2017 during the program.
THURSDAY WEATHER
CONNECT WITH US
COMPLETE WEATHER 3A
crestonnews.com | online 641-782-2141 | phone 641-782-6628 | fax Follow us on Facebook
66 46 PRICE $1.00
Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams Street | Box 126 Creston, IA 50801-0126
Copyright 2017
Volume 133 No. 243
2016
If you do not receive your CNA by 5 p.m. call 641-782-2141, ext. 6420. Papers will be redelivered in Creston until 5:30 p.m. Phones will be answered until 6 p.m.
If we are there... your picture is available at
www.crestonnews.com click on Photos
Bailey Poolman, reporter