NDN-6-1-2016

Page 1

NEWTON

TENNIS TWOSOME

Wyre, Pressgrove prepare to take on state / 1B

DAILY NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW

newtondailynews.com

HIGH

78 52 LOW

Facebook.com/newtondailynews

@newtondnews

County approves election equipment maintenance By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News

Jason W. Brooks/Daily News Evelyn Van Sickle points to the banner put up in the Berg Middle School library during last week’s retirement party. She retired this spring after working as a para-professional with Newton schools for 46 years.

Nearly half a century

VanSickle retires after 46-year paraprofessional career By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News When Newton Community School District administrators put together a retirement get-together for Evelyn Van Sickle, there was no trouble finding educators who admired and respected the longtime paraprofessional. However, there’s one thing most school districts don’t usually have on hand: A 46-year pin. Van Sickle was presented with a pin at a small retirement event held last week in the Berg Mid-

dle School library, honoring both her and another retiring employee, counseling secretary Diane Plumb. Van Sickle retired this spring after a career as a Newton Schools paraprofessional career that began in 1970 — before many of her colleagues were born. “When I first started at Washington Elementary School, I was pretty much just doing recesses,” Van Sickle said. “Eventually, they had me help teach spelling.” Van Sickle, who is 85, didn’t begin in education until she had held a few other jobs in her 20s

IRS warns of latest scam variation involving bogus ‘Federal Student Tax’ Newton Daily News WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service issued a warning to taxpayers about bogus phone calls from IRS impersonators demanding payment for a non-existent tax, the “Federal Student Tax.” Even though the tax deadline has come and gone, scammers continue to use varied strategies to trick people, in this case students. In this newest twist, they try to convince people to wire money immediately to the scammer. If the victim does not fall quickly enough for this fake “federal student tax,” the scammer threatens to report the student to the police. “These scams and schemes continue to evolve nationwide, and now they’re trying to trick students,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Taxpayers SCAM | 3A

and 30s. She and her husband, F. Keith Van Sickle, are both from the Ringgold County area, and they met and married in the late 1940s and soon moved to Newton. Her husband worked for Maytag for 30 years before retiring in 1978, then ran Van Sickle Painting until 2007. He passed away in January of this year. Shortly after Evelyn returned to Berg, she suffered a heart attack, so retirement soon became a necessary next step. Van Sickle showed up to last week’s event smiling, walking around and greeting a who’s who of Newton educators and former district employees. VAN SICKLE | 3A

75 CENTS

7

98213 00008

4

SUPERVISORS | 3A

Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott explains the maintenance agreement with Election Systems and Software for election equipment purchased by the county in recent years.

Library roof getting back its blue By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News The Newton Public Library roof is getting a good scrubbing. On Tuesday, the stand out blue sheet metal roof began an almost six day cleaning — its first in at least 15 years. “I am almost 99 percent sure it has never been washed,” library director Nicole Lindstrom said. The dirt and soot that has accumulated on the roof is mostly due to the large trees in front of the building, Lindstrom said. Through speaking with colleagues at the Urbandale and Perry libraries who have similar roofs to Newton’s, Lindstrom found that neither of those building have had to clean the roofs because they do not have large trees nearby. Aside from improving the look of the building, removing the dirt will prevent mold, which could cause damage to the roof in the future if not managed. Also, soot has started to cover the roof of the building, giving it

Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News After more than 15 years, the Newton Public Library’s roof is getting what is thought to be its first cleaning, bringing back the bright blue it is known for.

a black look. “We are known for our blue roof throughout the community and surrounding area so we should really keep it blue,” Lindstrom said. Wood Roofing and Sheet Metal of Des Moines were selected to complete the job because of the special features of the roof. Because sheet metal was used in the construction

of the roof, it cannot be power washed. Should a power washer be used, the extra pressure could rip the seams and create leaks causing damage not only to the roof, but potentially the rest of the library. “We had to find a company that would scrub the roof by hand,” Lindstrom said. “Wood Roofing and Sheet Metal have been amazing so far. Just

the little spot I have seen cleaned is a drastic difference. I think the community will be shocked and the new look will be just in time for Newton Fest, too.” The cleaning is funded jointly by the Library Foundation and Friends of the Library. Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com

FEATURE

WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B

With several local elections taking place in the coming year, a maintenance agreement with Election Systems and Software will keep the recently purchased county equipment running smoothly. The Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved the two-year agreement Tuesday with the Omaha-based company for hardware maintenance and software licenses, general maintenance and support services. “More than a year ago the county purchased new election equipment, which we needed badly, and we received one year of free maintenance. We have gone through a couple of elections with it,” auditor Dennis Parrott said. The county will pay $13,680 per year, plus an additional $7,290 per year for the services, software licenses, firmware licenses and support fees. The services include telephone support, issue resolution, technical bulletins, routine maintenance, repair services and priority services such as priority on service calls, response time and certified ES&E parts inventory.

Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A

Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A

Mission Market Table

UM church gives back to community / 2A

Volume No. 115 No. 9 2 sections X pages

Thank you Gerri Garton of Baxter for subscribing to the Newton Daily News. To subscribe, call 641-792-5320 or visit newtondailynews.com.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.