SUMMER FOOD
NATIONAL QUALIFIER Creston Community seventh-grader Corbyn Vicker qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in three events. For more on Vicker, see SPORTS, page 9A. >>
Area schools are offering summer food service programs. For more information on the programs, see page 14A. >>
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
Newton Metallica charity Fireworks concert sports Creston ordinance will connections not change before July 4 CITY COUNCIL
By CARTER ECKL CNA staff reporter ceckl@crestonnews.com
Contributed photo
Metallica, pictured, is playing a concert at Iowa Speedway in Newton Friday to raise funds for The Native Fund. The Native Fund is a charity started by former Iowa Hawkeye and NFL tight end Dallas Clark and actor Ashton Kutcher to help fellow Iowans in need.
By ALEX FELKER
CNA staff reporter afelker@crestonnews.com
NEWTON — Metal-mainstay Metallica will rock Newton’s Iowa Speedway Friday, when the band makes an appearance as part of its “WorldWired” 2017 international tour. Why Iowa? And why Newton? The concert’s proceeds will benefit Iowa natives Ashton Kutcher and Dallas Clark’s disaster-relief organization, The Native Fund, which is “commited to raising funds and organizing resources that can be used to assist the people of Iowa in their times of need,” per the organization’s mission. Coincidentally, former Iowa Hawkeye football teammate of Clark and Creston native Kyle Mc-
Cann has been involved in The Native Fund since its early conception. After serving as legal counsel for the nonprofit, McCann accepted an executive role with the organization in early 2016. McCann described his position as one that requires many hats. “With the organization still in its infancy, my role is continually evolving to address n e e d s and challenges that arise. As you m i g h t imagine, the last McCann several months have largely been spent planning the upcoming Metallica concert, which is The Native Fund’s primary fundraiser for 2017,” Mc-
Cann said. The venue itself is expected to attract a crowd size of nearly 30,000, making its way across the state in roughly 15,000 vehicles. “We looked at several venues around Iowa as possibilities for hosting the Metallica concert,” explained McCann, “but we felt the Iowa Speedway was the best fit. The Speedway has successfully hosted many large-scale racing events in the past, and we are hopeful, given its central location and infrastructure, it will prove to be a successful concert venue as well. “With the Iowa Speedway less than two hours away,” McCann added, “we would love to have a Union County contingent come over to Newton and support this event.” The Native Fund itself simply summarizes its ef-
forts as “Iowans helping Iowans.” The nonprofit organization was put together by Clark and Kutcher partly in direct response to the catastrophic 2008 floods which wrecked havoc in Cedar Rapids and greater southeast Iowa. Though the pair each lived in out-of-state homes at the time, both wished for a way to help. Out of that wish came The Native Fund, which seeks to “provide assistance and relief through its financial and programmatic resources to Iowans suffering from a natural disaster, to Iowa’s post-9/11 veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are in need of medical or other assistance and to Iowa children afflicted with life-threatening illness or disease.” METALLICA | 2A
Creston will not adopt a new firework ordinance before July 4. After 20-plus minutes of discussion, the seven city council members decided to not take action to amend the ordinance pertaining to fireworks. With the decision, no one will be allowed to shoot off fireworks within the city limits, continuing the same laws in place in Creston for the last eight years. Illegal shooting of fireworks carries a simple misdemeanor charge and a fine of up to $625. It is against state law to use, or set off, fireworks on any public property including lakes and state parks. The discussion and ideas were based around the state of Iowa’s newly passed bill, signed into law by former Gov. Terry Branstad, allowing the regulation and sale of fireworks to anyone over the age of 18. This means the sale of fireworks will still be legal in Creston. Brandon Vonk, Vice President of the Creston Shooters, set the appointment with city council and voiced his opinion that Creston needs to be clear about what the ordinance is. “The confusion part of it is, you’re going to have people who don’t understand the state of Iowa passed a
law, that Creston can opt out of,” said Vonk. Vonk’s main concern was p u b l i c Vonk safety and making sure everyone understands the city’s law. Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer felt the same way. “There is nothing stopping people from using fireworks – just not in the city l i m i t s , ” Ver Meer said Ver Meer. Vonk suggested a few different options for a future ordinance, such as timed shoots that could be better regulated by city officials. “Do Fridays and Saturdays from June 13 to June 30 and July 1-4. That way the fire department and police department are ready for shooting on Fridays and Saturdays,” said Vonk. “Reason that is, because if you do an open shoot, Monday through Thursday, you’ve got people going to work at 5 a.m.,” added Vonk. “I don’t think we need an open shoot down here because I think it could cause a huge headache between the police station and the fire CITY | 2A
Senators to ask about Trump pushback on Russia investigation WASHINGTON (AP) — A day before a Senate panel hears former FBI Director James Comey’s first public account of his dramatic firing, lawmakers will question senior members of President Donald Trump’s national security team about surveillance law and are expected to ask whether the president has tried to influence investigations into Russia’s election meddling and pos-
sible coordination with the Trump campaign. Two of the four national security executives scheduled to testify before the Senate intelligence committee Wednesday were reportedly asked by Trump to publicly state that there was no evidence of collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Director
CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER
Field makeover: Casey Scheidel of Iowa Cubs Sports Turf in Des Moines removes grass this morning from the lip of the
infield at the Bill Sears Complex east field in Creston. Iowa Cubs Sports Turf is working on the east and west fields at Bill Sears Complex today, grading the infields and fixing the lips of the infields so the fields drain properly.
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