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Auditor urges passage of specific bills Changes to election dates, felony voting rights among legislation By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News Submitted Graphic This artist’s rendering shows the new face of the Lauterbach Buick GMC building to be built on the car dealership’s new location on First Avenue East.
Lauterbach Buick GMC: Moving on out, to the east side By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News Almost a year has passed since Lauterbach Buick GMC purchased the former car dealership on First Avenue East. Now, demolition work is underway and within a couple of weeks a new showroom will be built, bringing a fresh, new look to the building. “General Motors has kind of precipitated this with their image program. They want all of the dealerships to look standardized,” owner Jason Lauterbach said. The former Axtell Ford building has been empty for a number of years. “The building was in poor shape but we really felt like we needed more space,” Lauterbach said. “It came down to renovating that building and helping make that end of town look nice.” The Lauterbach deal-
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News Before the new building could be put into place at Lauterbach’s new location on First Avenue East, the old showroom had to be demolished. Along with a new showroom, a complete renovation is planned for the existing building, giving the dealership much needed space for future growth.
ership purchased the building along with the seven acres it sits on, giving ample room for any future growth. It was not the first time Lauterbach looked at expanding the
business, though. “About three years ago we had plans at our current location and had an addition planned for the side of the building but we ran out of space on our
lot. We are kind of land locked here with about an acre and a half and decided not to do it,” Lauterbach said. LAUTERBACH | 3A
Coffee with a Cop and a Crayon
County auditors in Iowa have their eyes on specific bills proposed in the Iowa Legislature. Dennis Parrott is the senior lobbyist for the Iowa Association of the County Auditors. This is in his seventh year of going to Des Moines and helping look out for the best interests of auditors. Here are some of the bills county auditors are watching closely this session, according to Parrott. Some cleared last week’s first funnel date while Parrott others did not and are dead for the rest of the 2016 session. SF 2242 : Two years ago, a piece of legislation unintentionally put the responsibility for receiving city candidate filings on county auditors. SSB 3147 would allow county auditors to designate that task back to city clerks, who had always handled that duty in the past. The bill passed the Senate on a 50-0 vote. “I support this bill,” Parrott said. “City clerks have always had this responsibility.” HF 2286 : This bill did not make it past the first funnel date. Parrott says he likes the element of this bill that creates an additional 60-day public notice in advance of county, city, school district and township bond elections. However, the proposed two-year waiting period after a second failed election would be a big adjustment for some local governments. “The purpose behind the bill is to keep governments from slowly pounding voters into submission with repeated bond issues,” Parrott said. “I like the part that calls for more advanced notice.” SF 2256 : Voter registration can be done by sharing relevant data between applications for state identification and county governments. Parrott said there is a 21-day window of refusal that makes the proposal tricky. AUDITOR | 3A
One to hospital after wreck Two-vehicle accident happened Friday morning Newton Daily News
Jason W. Brooks/Daily News Four-year-old Ava Rogahn completes a coloring book page as Newton police officer Julie Britton looks on during Thursday’s Coffee With a Cop event at the Newton Public Library. The Newton Police Department periodically holds the events to allow area residents to get to know NPD officers and voice concerns.
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At least one person was taken to a hospital by ambulance Friday morning after a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Highway 6 East and county road T12, just east of Newton. Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office Chief Deputy Duane Rozendaal said he spoke with a deputy who was at the scene. Apparently, a vehicle eastbound on Highway 6, waiting to turn left on T12, was rear-ended by another vehicle at about 7:30 a.m. Rozendaal did not know the extent of the damage or injuries. Newton Fire Department personnel could not be reached by deadline for details. Visit www.newtondailynews.com for more information as it becomes available.
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
K-12 school funding stalled
Other topics move to ahead in Legislature / 2A
Volume No. 114 No. 200 2 sections 14 pages
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