A new perspective By IAN RICHARDSON
CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com
It started with a drive through Macksburg. Michael Nixt, 31, was traveling down a street in the small town when he
found himself examining the old-style architecture on the buildings. And he liked what he saw. “They are really old, but they’re still well kept-up,” he said. “It’s almost like being transported back in time, and it’s really interesting, really scenic.”
Local photographer Michael Nixt launches Kickstarter fundraiser for rural Iowa photobook project
■
Nixt decided he wanted to capture this kind of rural Iowa scenery the way he best knows how: through photos. That’s how his project, currently titled “Iowa: A Picture of Living,” began. In the coming months, Nixt plans to create a photobook
of rural life in southwest Iowa, with a few profiles of people he meets who live in the area. Nixt plans to visit towns like Creston, Afton, Winterset, Greenfield, Atlantic, Fontanelle, Bridgewater, Orient Macksburg, Shannon City and Arispe and see what he can find.
So far, Nixt has shot some samples and launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of $5,000 to cover the necessary equipment to complete the project. A portion of the proceeds, he Please see PHOTOBOOK, Page 2A
IN THE PHOTO:
Michael Nixt shot this photo of cattle on a farm five miles outside of Macksburg. It is a sample of the slices of rural Iowa life he’s planning to capture in his photobook, “Iowa: A Picture of Living.”
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Corning fire station complete Hillary Clinton in Winterset Saturday ■ Construction began in May 2014 with part of the cost paid for by USDA grant
By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter
bpoolman@crestonnews.com
CORNING — Corning firefighters held an open house in honor of the official completion of the new Corning fire station Sunday, and between 300 and 400 people attended the event. The station, which originally cost $1.5 million and had been in the works since 2008, was officially completed in early July. Construction began May 2014, and part of the cost was paid for by a United States Department of Agriculture grant. “The contractors did a good job,” said Brian Kannas, Corning Fire chief. “There were some minor things, you know, that needed to be touched up, but we never had any problems getting them back to do it.”
Contributed photo
Don Willett, former Corning Fire chief and current emergency manager, hands out flyers while guests sign in at the open house for Corning Fire Department Sunday in Corning. The open house celebrated the completion of the $1.5 million fire station on Davis Avenue.
The building, which is twice the size of the former Corning fire station, includes offices for the fire chief and emergency manager, a training room, kitchen and decontamination room,
as well as the bay for fire trucks and an L-shaped storage loft. “It’s outstanding. There’s a lot more room, you know, for advancement,” Kannas said. “They (Corning fire-
fighters) love it. The day of the open house, we made sure to thank the public for their support.” Corning Fire Department is home to 30 volunteer firefighters.
WINTERSET — Hillary Clinton will be in southwest Iowa this weekend. Clinton — the Democratic front-runner for president and former U.S. secretary of state — will attend the Third District Democrats Summer Wine Down event Saturday evening at Madison County Historical Complex in Winterset. She is tentatively set to speak to supporters at 5 p.m. “She confirmed yesterday. I would be excited if I wasn’t so busy planning,” said Pam Deichmann, member of the Third District planning committee. Clinton Deichmann said another Democratic presidential candidate will also be in Winterset Saturday. Martin O’Malley is slated to speak 4 p.m. Saturday at the Madison County Historical Complex in Winterest. O’Malley visited Creston earlier this month and spoke to supporters at the home of Karl and Jan Knock. Current polls for the Democratic nomination show Clinton with a large lead. She has about 57 percent of the vote. Bernie Sanders has about 17 percent and O’Malley currently has 1 percent.
Scientists identify a ‘close cousin’ to Earth CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have identified a “close cousin” to Earth that’s orbiting a sun-like star and might harbor life. “It is the closest thing that we have to another place that somebody else might call home,” said Jon Jenkins from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. The researchers announced their discovery Thursday based on observations from NASA’s Kepler
space telescope. This older, bigger cousin to Earth is called Kepler-452b. What makes this planet remarkable is that it orbits its star at about the same distance that Earth orbits the sun. What’s more, its home star looks to be similar to our sun. Based on what scientists know today, Jenkins noted it’s the nearest thing to another Earth-sun twin system. “Today the Earth is a little less lonely because there’s a new kid on
the block,” Jenkins said during a news conference. He led the team that discovered Kepler-452b. The last Kepler discovery that had scientists gushing was just over a year ago. That close-to-Earth-size planet, Kepler-186f, also was in the habitable zone of its star. But that faint dwarf star was unlike our sun. John Grunsfeld, NASA’s science mission chief, emphasized that the exoplanet system identified Thursday — “a pretty good close cousin
Adair tractors will roll in 6th annual ride Heritage Center on the west edge of Greenfield at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast is free for paid riders and guests can purchase a meal. Displays featuring the Mormon Trail will be available for viewing. Tractors will leave at 8:30 a.m. and travel to Washington Township where they will take a short break on the historic Avondale Church lawn. The ride will then continue through southwest Adair County taking in such sights as several Mormon Trail
Event is slated for Aug. 1 and sights include Mormon Trail crossing and original trail ruts. ■
GREENFIELD — The Adair County Historical Society will host its sixth annual Heritage Tractor Ride Aug. 1. The ride will highlight the Mormon Trail. Riders and onlookers will gather for breakfast at the
crossings, original trail ruts, and native prairie. Lunch will be at Mormon Trail Lake, where more historical information is available, and will feature grilled hamburgers courtesy of Nichols Farms. The meal will be served by the Summerset Citizens 4-H Club, with a freewill donation going to the club. Tractors and riders will Please see TRACTORS, Page 2A
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to the Earth and our sun” — is the closest so far. “And I really emphasize the ‘so far.’ “ The planet-hunting Kepler will keep churning out new discoveries, Grunsfeld noted, and possibly find even better matches for “Earth 2.0.” Kepler was launched in 2009 and has nearly 5,000 potential exoplanets to its credit — worlds beyond our solar system. It is helping to address such fundamental questions
as where do we come from and where are we headed, and arguably the biggest question of all: Are we alone in the universe? Grunsfeld said thanks to Kepler’s latest finding, we’re taking “one small step in answering that question today.” While scientists are uncertain whether Planet 452b is rocky like Please see SCIENTIST, Page 2A
Full stretch:
Creston center fielder Josie Sickels stretches to catch a fly ball hit in the left-center gap by Winterset’s Macy Johnson in the fifth inning of Thursday’s state softball semifinal game. The Panthers lost to Winterset 10-0 in five innings. More on the game on page 7A. The Panthers are set to play Pella 1:30 p.m. today in the third-place game.
CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON
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