Newton
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Daily News
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Sheriff’s office collaborating with ‘Cold Justice’ on cold case since December ‘12
OBITUARIES Mary Helen Etter, 80 LaVonne Peterson Erickson, 81 INSIDE TODAY
By Daily News Staff
Local
AFSCME Council 61 visits Capitol Page 2A
Entertainment Local boy in Altoona play
Submitted Image Raceway Ridge Reinvestment District, the area highlighted in yellow, is being considered for a nearly $50 million retail and hotel development. Premier Development, which owns the property, hopes the reinvestment district — a relatively new economic development option in Iowa — will help spur additional development in the area near Iowa Speedway.
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Council endorses Reinvestment District plan near Iowa Speedway By Bob Eschliman Daily News Editor
Sports
The Big Game 2014 Page 7A
Weather
Thursday
High 37 Low 28
Friday
High 40 Low 25 Weather Almanac
Tues., March 4 High 28 Low 18 No Precipitation Also:
finance capital investment over a 20-year period. This type of sales tax-increment financing was used to develop the area adjacent to Kansas Speedway. Strawhecker said Premier is proposing to develop an
COUNCIL See Page 5A
Trent Tiffany (23) is zeroed in on the basket from behind the three-point line in the corner. Newton student fans were waiting and cheering him on to make the shot that would tie the game at the end. Newton special needs student-athletes played their annual Big Game in front of a packed house Tuesday morning at NHS. To find out the outcome go to today’s sports on page 7.
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Jocelyn Sheets/ Daily News
Our 112th Year No. 202
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— Troy Strawhecker of Premier Development in Urbandale
80-room limited service hotel within the district, as well as more than 260,000 square feet of retail space. The retail footprint would include two “big box retailers” as well as more than 100,000 square feet of supporting retail. “I can’t tell you specifically what retailers we’re talking about, but I can tell you it’s destination retail of a type that isn’t duplicated within a 75-mile radius,” he told councilors Monday night. “This is all contingent on state approval of a reinvestment district.” The Iowa Economic Development Authority will make a determination on reinvestment district applications in June. Pre-applications may be submitted only between March 1 and 15 of each year; to be considered for establishment, the city must play a role in the reinvestment district.
Final shot
Astrograph Page 11A
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At Monday night’s meeting, the Newton City Council unanimously endorsed an application to the state to create a Reinvestment District that could lead to hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in new investment for the community. Troy Strawhecker of Premier Development in Urbandale, which owns 25 acres of land immediately north of Iowa Speedway, between Rusty Wallace Drive and Interstate Highway 80, made a brief presentation to the council. He also supplied a copy of his proposal for Raceway Ridge Reinvestment District. Last year, the Iowa General Assembly allowed for the creation of reinvestment districts, which would use up to four cents of the Iowa Sales Tax and all five cents of the Hotel-Motel Tax generated within them to
“I can’t tell you specifically what retailers we’re talking about, but I can tell you it’s destination retail of a type that isn’t duplicated within a 75-mile radius.”
Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty issued a press release Tuesday afternoon announcing the sheriff ’s office has been working with TNT’s “Cold Justice” on the Copper Dollar Ranch cold case murders since December of 2012 and that an episode on the murders will air Friday, March 21. “The Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office has utilized many resources while investigating the homicides of Steven Fisher and Melisa Gregory,” Halferty stated in the news release. “The Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office and the Jasper County Attorney’s Office both made the decision that ‘Cold Justice’ could offer resources, experience, insight and guidance to the investigation. Members of ‘Cold Justice’ offered over 40 years of homicide investigation experience, equipment and technology, and prior successful prosecutions of numerous cold case homicides.” Authorities have not specified what led to the break in the 31-year-old cold case. “There will be no additional comments, in order to ensure that Theresa Supino receives a fair trial,” Halferty concluded in the statement. The bodies of Fisher, 20, and Gregory, 17, were found shortly before 8 a.m. March 3, 1983, at the former Copper Dollar Ranch, located about four miles northwest of Newton. Both died as a result of multiple “chop wounds” — 13 to Fisher’s head and 17 to Gregory’s face and head — by a heavy-edged instrument, according to court documents. Supino, 53, of Altoona and formerly of Newton, was charged Monday with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the case. Supino was married to but separated from Fisher at the time of his death, and Fisher and Gregory had been in an ongoing dating relationship with each other. Supino will appear in court for a preliminary hearing at 9:30 a.m. March 10.
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