Newton
Serving Newton & Jasper County Since 1902
Daily News
Thursday, May 15, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Iowa Speedway, Blue Ox announce partnership
OBITUARIES LaVeta M. Beitel, 92 Gladys M. Ervin Jenkins, 76
Speedway campgrounds will bear the name of industry leader in towing technology
the agreement, Blue Ox will be named the Official Towing Products Provider of Iowa Speedway. Blue Ox is the leading manufacturer of tow bars, baseplates, weight distributing hitches, gooseneck hitches Special to the Daily News and motorhome suspension products. The Blue Ox brand is familiar to many NASOfficials from Blue Ox along with Iowa CAR team owners, fans and drivers who Speedway Track President Jimmy Small make race tracks their home for more than have announced a new multi-year partner- 30 event weekends a year. ship that designates the trackside general “We are excited to announce our partcampgrounds and driver/owner motorcoach nership with Blue Ox, a company with a camping lots as the Blue Ox Campgrounds. strong reputation and a perfect fit with our The two-tiered trackside campground passionate fan base,” said Small. “While overlooks Turns 3 and 4 above the “Fast- the partnership is new, Blue Ox continues est Short Track on The Planet.” As part of to set the standard for advancements in
INSIDE TODAY
Inside Today
Special preview of this year’s racing season
New things a ‘poppin’
towing technology and safety.” “Blue Ox is pleased to partner with the Iowa Speedway,” noted Blue Ox President Jay Hesse. “We wanted to sponsor this track because of our fondness for the NASCAR fan base and because we see a lot of advantage in promoting our tow bars, weight distributing hitches, gooseneck hitches, etc. in this venue. Also it is the closest track to our factory in Pender, NE so it is easier for us to attend. We look forward to many years of working with the track to support our NASCAR friends” SPEEDWAY See Page 5A
New sculptures add character to First Avenue By Kate Malott Daily News Staff Writer
Local
Berg Students of the Month Page 2A
Ty Rushing/Daily News Today, the Jasper County Historical Museum will open its “Pop-Up” Museum in downtown Newton. Ken Barthelman, the museum’s executive director, showcased one of the walls at Monday’s preview event held for the museum, which pays tribute to the advertising specialty industry in Newton and will be open from today until June 15. The pop-up is on the first floor of the former Pappy’s Antique Mall located at 103 First Ave. W.
Health
Keeping grilled meats healthy
Driving down First Avenue, you might have noticed the addition of a few new sculptures in the community. New to Newton this year is the implementation of the First Avenue Sculpture and Art program, which is part of the city’s comprehensive plan. It’s a collaborative effort between the Iowa Sculpture Festival, Centre for Arts & Artists, ReNew Newton, SCULPTURES See Page 5A
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Supervisors approve a number of requests for Secondary Roads Department
Weather
By Ty Rushing Senior Staff Writer
Friday
High 58 Low 37
Saturday
High 66 Low 43 Weather Almanac
Wed., May 14 High 59 Low 40 No Precipitation Also: Astrograph Page 5B Classifieds Page 4B Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 3A Our 112th Year No. 253
98213 00008
SUPERVISORS See Page 5A
Bruntz greets supporters
Dear Abby Page 6A
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“Ask and you shall receive,” could become Jasper County Engineer Russ Stutt’s motto after the Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved all three of his requests at Tuesday’s meeting. Stutt’s request to purchase new culverts — the structure that allows water to flow under a road — was approved. The low bid of $80,774.02 comes from Ankeny-based Contech Engineered Solutions. Stutt said this would be paid for with funds from the 2014-15 fiscal year budget and not the current FY14 budget. A new machine shed was approved to be placed at the Secondary Roads Department’s Baxter location. Washingtonbased Greiner Buildings Inc. was selected, and it had a bid of $130,000. Stutt said there are currently eight machine sheds scattered around the county, and they were trying to reduce the number to four. His final item that the board approved even came as somewhat of a surprise to Stutt. The board approved the county to receive a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The grant reimburses the county 90 percent of costs or
$231,165, whichever amount is less, for doing HSIP related projects to county highways. The remaining 10 percent of funds would be paid for by funds from IDOT’s Traffic Safety Improvement program. “I kind of thought we were going to get approved for 10 to 15 miles, and they actually approved of everything we submitted. So that’s very good,” Stutt said. Under the grant, the county would have to repaint pavement markers and center lines on 36.5 miles of five specified roads in Jasper County with high build waterborne paint. Stutt said the chosen roads were newer and that it made more sense to chose those roads since it would help preserve them longer and they wouldn’t need to be repaved anytime soon. Stutt wasn’t the only county official to have his office benefit from grant funds on Tuesday. The Jasper County Conservation Office received approval to hire a seasonal intern thanks to a Fish Iowa grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Gunnar Johnson will begin work on May 19 at a rate of $10 an hour. He
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Ty Rushing/ Daily News Crystal Bruntz held a campaign fundraiser in Baxter on Wednesday night to support her bid for Iowa Senate District 15. Iowa Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix made an appearance to show his support for Bruntz. The Republican Primary takes place on June 3.
Kate Malott/Daily News “Puppy Love” by Nick Klepinger is located in the flower bed on northeast corner of First Avenue and First Street in Newton. The sculpture was added in April as part of the First Avenue Sculpture program to better educate, excite and entertain local citizens.
Skiff noted for short ER wait times Special to the Daily News Skiff Medical Center recently was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 60 top hospitals with the shortest door-to-diagnosis Emergency Department wait times. The publication notes that the hospitals chosen are ones “with a doorto-diagnosis time of seven minutes or less as listed on Hospital Compare. Times are ‘door-to-diagnosticeval’ times from Hospital Compare’s Emergency Department Care Measures list. Hospitals with insufficient data were excluded from the creation of this list.” Skiff was one of only four hospitals in the state of Iowa to receive the designation. For the complete list, visit www.beckershospitalreview.com/ lists/60-hospitals-with-7-minuteor-less-door-to-diagnosis-ed-waittimes.html. To learn more about Skiff, call (641) 78-SKIFF (787-5433), visit www.skiffmed.com or “like” Skiff at www.facebook.com/skiffmed.