NEWTON
HOME WATERS
NCMP takes on Ankeny at Newton YMCA / 1B
DAILY NEWS FRIDAY, SEPT 8, 2017 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW
newtondailynews.com
HIGH
82 56 LOW
Facebook.com/newtondailynews
@newtondnews
Monroe trucker identified as victim in I-80 rest stop murder By Mike Mendenhall Newton Daily News The Iowa County Sheriff ’s Office confirmed Thursday 60-year-old Monroe truck driver Earnest Kummer is the man who was found dead early Wednesday morning from apparent gunshot wounds inside his tractor trailer at an
Lesnic
Interstate 80 rest area near Victor. According to a statement released We d n e s d a y, 43-year-old Mariana T. Lesnic has been charged with
first-degree murder in Kummer’s killing and is being held at the Iowa County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond. Online court records show Lesnic will have her next court appearance Sept. 16. Iowa County Sheriff officials received a report at 2:37 a.m. Wednesday of a shooting at the westbound rest stop,
and when they arrived at the scene officers found Kummer dead with more than one gun shot wound. No other details on the murder were available as of Thursday afternoon, but in a statement the Iowa County Sheriff ’s Office said it is working with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to find
answers and determine what prompted Lesnic to allegedly murder Kummer. Kummer has been employed as a driver by Copeland Trucking in Des Moines since 2010. Copeland manager Charlie Hoag said they were notified about Kummer’s MURDER | 3A
Red Pride surges at Homecoming
David Dolmage/Daily News Addison Blair, 12, from Newton, takes a big bite out of his hot dog at Thanks with Franks held Thursday night in downtown Newton.
Sun’s out, Buns out Submitted Photo by Tayler Wearmouth, NHS Media Homecoming candidates pose for a photo outside Newton High School. Queen candidates are pictured in the front row, from left, Morgann Eide, Audrey Lucas, Liz McVey, Jensen Pauley, Jordan Banfield, Tessa Keeton, Marcelina Marvelli, Anna Forsyth, Lane Dethrow and Gracie Rorabaugh. King candidates are, back row, Grant Garvis, Garrett Sturtz, Dalton Pauley, Clayton Baltisberger, Blayden Rhone, Zachary Combs, Trevor Ergenbright, Ryan Constant, Benny Cheng and Carson Cazett.
Annual event brings students and the community together
I
By David Dolmage Newton Daily News
t starts with an idea, or more specifically, 200 ideas. Next week students at Newton Senior High School will celebrate Homecoming, and as the Newton community rides a tidal wave of Red Pride washing across the football field, it’ll be thanks to the hundreds of hours of work that students have contributed to make the event a success. Cardinals Got Game at NHS, this year’s homecoming theme, was winnowed down from a pool of more than 200 suggestions contributed by members of NHS’s student council. As soon as the student council settled on a theme for homecoming this fall, students went to work. Starting at the beginning of the summer,
teams of cheerleaders worked to create decorations, with a plan to fill the entire school. On Sunday afternoon they’ll hang the decorations, plastering the walls of high school with posters and banners. Monday, the first day of homecoming week is when the excitement really starts to build. Returning students will be awash in a shower of Red Pride, with the lower level decorated for a “Candyland” theme, and the upper level decorated to resemble the board game “Monopoly.” While students admitted that homecoming represents a lot of work as upperclassmen they’re also nostalgic as they realize their time at NHS is coming to an end. “It’s kind of crazy, freshman year you come in and you’re looking at the seniors and they
seem so much older, and now we’re the upperclassmen,” said student council president and NHS senior Tessa Keeton. Themes are an important part of Homecoming at Newton, and each event has its own theme that ties in with the overall theme. By Thursday the excitement will have ratcheted up to a fever pitch as the entire school comes together for the coronation of the Newton High School’s Homecoming King and Queen. The theme for coronation is Clue, and in the spirit of the event students plan to “dress to impress.” The coronation assembly will be held at 11:15 a.m. Thursday at the high school. On Thursday night the Homecoming Parade will start from HOMECOMING | 3A
Thanks with Franks draws a crowd to Newton’s square By David Dolmage Newton Daily News
Oscar Meyer would’ve been proud; Amy Neer has it down to a science. Meyer, who founded the ubiquitous company that bears his name would’ve been amazed to see Newton residents take hot dogs beyond the bun during the annual Thanks with Franks competition, held Thursday night on the square in Newton. Working her way through the crowd with a tray laden with hot dogs, Neer attends Thanks with Franks every year, and she’s figured out bringing your own tray is the key to success if you want to be able to sample a hot dog from every one of the 30 businesses that participated in the event. “It’s the only way to do it, I bring my own tray every year, because otherwise you run out of hands,” Neer said.
Neer, who works at TPI Composites, was also volunteering, helping her friends and coworkers build “Wind Dogs” for a line of hungry Newtonians that stretched around the courthouse. The Wind Dog, designed to look like a wind turbine, with 3 slices of cheese, mustard, relish and a single olive was a hit with the crowd, and with Neer. “It’s my favorite, I’d be a total traitor if I didn’t say that,” Neer said, with a laugh. Hot dogs are Neer’s favorite, and even when the strange brew of ingredients at Thanks with Franks doesn’t turn out quite right, it’s OK, because she’s still willing to give it a whirl. Several years ago TPI used food coloring to create “green” dogs, but according to Neer, they tasted a lot better than they looked. FRANKS | 3A
Meet the School Board Candidate: Q&A with Travis Padget Editor’s Note: On Sept. 12 Newton voters will have a chance to go to the polls to elect new candidates for the Newton Community School District Board. Four seats are open on the board this year, and four candidates will appear on the ballot. Board president Travis Padget and vice president Robyn Friedman will seek re-election this fall, while board members Shari Benson and Andy Elbert have chosen not to seek re-election. Also running for school board are Cody Muhs and Graham Sullivan. This week the New-
ton Daily News will feature a series of Q&As with each of the four candidates to give readers a chance get to know each candidate better. Travis Padget Occupation: Financial Advisor Family: Getting married this month! Years of residence within the NCSD boundaries: Born and raised in the NCSD. Left for college and a career on the East Coast before returning to Newton in 2001. Educational background:
BA from Cornell College, MA in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, JD from University of Iowa. Why do you want to serve Padget on the Newton school board? I received a great education from NCSD and found myself well prepared for a college education; I enjoy being a part of providing those opportunities to our future
$1.00
7
98213 00008
4
reer working with impoverished mental health and substance abuse clients. My work history has involved making serious decisions that could have had dramatic impact on people’s lives. I like to believe that I am a very thoughtful decision maker and I tend to look through the lens of the less fortunate members of our community. What qualifications do you think makes an effective school board member? I find the most important qualifications PADGET | 3A
LOCAL
WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
generations. I also believe that our teachers and staff are vital to this process as they are the front-line of providing education to our students and they deserve thoughtful consideration of changes that impact their abilities to teach. Finally, our schools have the ability to positively (or negatively) impact on our local economy, so we need to make decisions with that impact in mind. Tell us a little bit about your background: I have a long history of education and community service. I spent most of my professional ca-
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local Sports......................1B
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
Clock tower restoration
Work underway at the JC courthouse / 7A
Volume No. 116 No. 79 2 sections 16 pages
Thank you Max Maggard of Colfax for subscribing to the Newton Daily News. To subscribe, call 641-792-5320 or visit newtondailynews.com.