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Newton High prepare to take on Fort Dodge at home / 1B
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$10,000 grant awarded for site prep on First Avenue By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News
Anthony Victor Reyes/Daily News Monroe High School graduate, Terry Bellon sits in his 1958 BMW Isetta Friday near his home in Monroe. The car, which is fully dressed in its flags, logo magnets and fez, has participated in at least 250 parades.
Classic micro bubble car zig zags its way through town By Anthony Victor Reyes Newton Daily News
M
ONROE — decked out in a fez and waving the American and Iowa flags, many people around Monroe may have noticed a peculiar-looking, red bubble speeding through town and parades around Iowa. Although it is not a tiny space craft zooming through the Hawkeye State, it is definitely a rarity worth stopping for and getting a closer look. “From the first time I saw it, I was fascinated with that car,” Terry Bellon, the owner of the 1958 957 BMW Isetta 300 Export Sliding Window Convertible said. “It has a little, BMW single-cylinder motorcycle engine — like 12 horse power, 250 cc.” When Bellon was 10 years old, he remembered watching bright red, BMW Isettas zig zag through a parade route. He said
he couldn’t remember much from that day, but he said he will always remember one thing — the car was cool. “There were 17 or 18 coming down the street. It just looked pretty cool,” the Monroe resident said. “During a parade, the kids are pointing at my car saying ‘I want one. Where do I get one?’ That is kind of nice.” Bellon’s father was a Freemason and owned his own Isetta. When Bellon came of age, he soon followed his father’s footsteps and joined his own Blue Lodge group through the Za-GaZig Shrine. The Monroe High School graduate then purchased his own unique vehicle in 1992, and has been driving the tiny car in parades since. “I was my dad’s co-driver and I remember at the age of 30, I was about 100 pounds heavier than I am now,” the 52-year-old said. “My dad isn’t really skinny, but it he isn’t very heavy either. People
used to give us a lot of guff about being able to fit in there. I drove around with him for a year, one summer. We paraded together, then I bought my own. I wanted my own. I wanted to drive.” As one could probably guess, this vehicle, which was manufactured in five countries — England, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Brazil, is a rare find. Bellon said with only 8,000 of these BMWs imported to the United States, there are only about 1,000 left running around the United States. “What really appealed to me, is mine is a convertible. The back window will fold down. So when I have the car moving, I get a little air going through my car,” Bellon said. “A lot of the other guys are not fortunate to have. (During a parade), it gets really hot in there.” According to Bellon, after the initial work of stripping off the MICRO CAR | 3A
A $10,000 grant was awarded to the developer working along the First Avenue corridor. Newton City Council approved the grant to John C. Gretlein to help with site preparations for redevelopment. Gretlein purchased the properties between 1223 and 1315 First Ave. E. in July and plans to redevelop the land to bring in potential employment opportunities along with improving the city’s curb appeal and increasing local shopping options. Selling agent Dick Boggess said Gretlein does not have specific plans for the land but he is willing
to build to suit if a business is interested. “I’ve had some citizens who have already noticed the demolition happening in that area. I am happy to see some progress and anxious to see more,” councilwoman Evelyn George said. The funds awarded are in exchange for site preparation activities including demolishing the buildings on the property, removing all retaining walls, steps, asphalt, rubbish, stumps, trees, shrubs, fencing, buried tanks and pipe and placing a sign to promote the economic development of the property. The work is to be completed no later than Dec. 15. GRANT | 3A
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News A redevelopment project is underway for the properties between 1223 and 1315 First Ave. E. The city recently awarded a $10,000 grant to owner John C. Gretlein to assist in site preparations.
NPD Citizen Police Academy demonstrates types of force By Kayla Singletary Newton Daily News Editor’s Note: This is one in an occasional series about the Newton Police Department Citizen Police Academy, which spans nine weeks and offers local citizens an opportunity to engage in classroom and handson training. Wearing the badge gives police officers the authority to carry several items of force, but the proper training of when and how to use them is vital to the job. During the second week of the Newton Citizen Police Academy, participants were given the opportunity to learn about various kinds of force aside from verbal
persuasion — a taser, chemical agents, a police baton, police canines and approved firearms. Inside the Emergency Management building Tuesday night, a classroom full of Newton residents received knowledge about real-life situations police officers face. A taser instructor from the NPD, Randy Oldfield, explained how a taser operates and when the “drive stun” mode could be used. Oldfield has been with the NPD for 13 years, and he currently works the third shift, which he said is often more violent. Oldfield said a taser is an effective tool during altercations or when someone has escaped from custody.
“Audible commands are important, you have to articulate it and repeat, ‘taser, taser, taser,’” Oldfield said. In addition to being articulate, officers must ensure they have a reason every time they deploy the taser, with each pull of the taser lasting around five seconds. Some instances of when Oldfield has used the taser while on duty included felony warrants and during assaults when someone was doing harm to or threatening someone else. “I draw it out a lot more than I use it,” Oldfield said. “We have to make judgments in a snap and in the heat of the moment.” After an officer de-
Kayla Singletary/Daily News NPD field training instructor Dillon Lavely demonstrates the use of the police baton and why it’s effective in certain situations.
ploys their taser, they must arrest the individual immediately and transport them to Skiff Medical Center for probe removal and evaluation.
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a taser on duty. Officers also must experience what it feels like to be struck by a taser.
EVENTS
WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
NPD officers must attend four hours of classroom work and practical exercises administrated by a certified taser instructor prior to carrying
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local Sports......................1B
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
POLICE | 3A
Top five things this weekend
Go & Do features local events / 8A
Volume No. 116 No. 93 2 sections 16 pages
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