Newton
Serving Newton & Jasper County Since 1902
Daily News
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Monday, March 24, 2014
www.newtondailynews.com
Stutt to present Secondary Roads budget for FY15
OBITUARIES James Johnson, 50 David L. Rowray, 71 Claudia J. (Valentine) Wyatt, 62
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
INSIDE TODAY
Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the highest walkable peak in the world. Adventurers who wish to go higher (think Andes or Himalayas) must be trained and equipped for technical climbing. However, just because he wasn’t weighed down with ropes, carabiners and anchors, it doesn’t mean Dr. Edwards’ ascent of Kilimanjaro was any Sunday walk in the park. Day one of the trip was the flight to Africa, and day two was spent in Arusha, a city of about half a million in the country of Tanzania,
County Engineer Russ Stutt will be one of many department heads presenting at Tuesday’s Jasper County Board of Supervisors meeting. Stutt will be seeking the board’s approval for several matters, including approval of the Secondary Roads Department 2014-15 fiscal year budget, so that it may be submitted to the Iowa Department of Transportation. The Secondary Roads Department is expecting to receive $10,385,598 in receipts for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which is a bit less than the $11,133,052 the department received for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Secondary Roads lists its expenditures for the 2013-14 fiscal year at $11,133,052 and at $10,385,598 for the 2014-15 fiscal year. During his department’s public hearing on Feb. 25, Stutt had a total of 38 projects budgeted beginning in fiscal year 2014-15 and ending in fiscal year 2018-19. Stutt said all of the projects would include rebuilding bridges and replacing roads and there were no plans to build bridges in new locations. Projects that begin in the 201415 fiscal year, will cost an estimated $4.3 million and are being financed through a mixture of local, farm to market, special and federal aid funds. Stutt will also ask the board to accept the low bid from Indianolabased Herberger Construction Co. to replace the Van Zante Bridge, which is located over the South Skunk River and just southwest of Galesburg. If approved, the project would cost $1,490,787.50 and work would begin this year.
KILIMANJARO See Page 5A
SUPERVISORS See Page 7A
Local
Homeschoolers visit Capitol Page 2A
Submitted Photo Of the 15,000 individuals who attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro each year, only 40 percent successfully reach the summit. This past February, Newton Clinic’s Dr. Pat Edwards, second from left, joined those ranks. Joined by friends Jim Jenkins, Terry McGuire, Mike Williams, Phillipe Sussholz and Phil Webb, along with three guides (one pictured here) and 20 porters, they made the journey in about a week.
Sports
Kane puts Cyclones in Sweet 16 Page 1B
Local doctor hits new heights with Mount Kilimanjaro climb By Stephanie Alexander Special to the Daily News When asked to describe his recent arduous climb to the infamous summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, local physician Dr. Pat Edwards uses words like “freezing cold” and “relentless” and “pitch black.” Yet, when given the follow-up inquiry of whether or not he would endure the punishing experience again, his response is immediate: “Oh yeah.” Best known as a beloved local doctor who has provided family practice care at Newton Clinic since 1987 and delivered hundreds of babies at Skiff
Weather
Tuesday
High 31 Low 19
Wednesday
High 50 Low 40 Weather Almanac
Friday, Mar. 21 High 58 Low 32 No Precipitation
Sat., Mar. 22 High 33 Low 20 No Precipitation
Medical Center, Dr. Edwards also has a reputation for tackling challenges. He’s an avid athlete who has completed a number of marathons, but more recently his sights have been set on bigger obstacles. Namely, mountains. “Two years ago, a group of us climbed Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S.,” he said. “Last year, we nearly made it to the top of Mount Rainier, but got turned back right at the end because of weather. Right away, we asked ourselves, ‘What are we going to do next?’” He admits it was his idea to take on Africa’s
Positive changes coming to Skiff billing process Effective April 1, Skiff Medical Center will begin providing its billing services internally. This will mean easier-to-understand statements for patients and will include the option to pay bills online. Since September 2009, Skiff has partnered with an organization called Early Out Services, which was responsible for working to collect the balance for individuals who receive health care at Skiff. Although Early Out Services’ task was to “collect” payments, they were not a “collection agency” — but the difference wasn’t apparent to consumers.
High 31 Low 14 Trace of snow Also: Astrograph Page 5B Calendar Page 3A Classifieds Page 4B
SKIFF See Page 5A
Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
Ty Rushing/Daily News Saturday was a very windy day in Jasper County, but the bison at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City didn’t seem to mind. The bison enclosure at NSNWR takes up around 700 acres of the more than 8,500-acre refuge. North American bison are sometimes mistakenly called buffalo, which are only found in Africa and Asia,
Skiff honors recipient of DAISY nursing award
Dear Abby Page 6A
By Stephanie Alexander Special to the Daily News
Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 7A Our 112th Year No. 215
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Where the bison roam
By Stephanie Alexander Special to the Daily News
Sun., Mar. 23
7
Newton, Iowa
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Submitted Photo The five nurses who were recognized during Skiff’s first 2014 DAISY Award ceremony were, from left, Patty Habel, Sandy Verwers, Donna Spidle, winner Brenda Malott and, not pictured, LeAnn Zach.
Brenda Malott, registered nurse at Skiff Medical Center, was recognized for her extraordinary nursing skills during the organization’s first 2014 DAISY award ceremony on March 13. The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses was presented to Malott following a nomination by Lora Mattson, Social Services Director at Skiff. Mattson shared the story of a patient who had received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. The family, as would be expected, was very upset and in
need of assistance. “Brenda was on call for Skiff Hospice,” Mattson said, “so she came to explain services to the patient and family. As she spoke with them, Brenda showed the many traits of a DAISY Award recipient.” Mattson went on to describe how Malott demonstrated all of the Skiff iSpark values (integrity, service, passion, advocacy, responsibility and kindness) in the process of instructing and comforting the patient and his loved ones. “It was truly extraordinary nursing,” Mattson said. DAISY See Page 5A