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Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Parent survey gives mixed results on neighborhood schools
INSIDE TODAY
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
Health
Increase your child’s food label nutrition know-how Page 7A
Mandi Lamb/Daily News Theresa “Terri” Supino, charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the 1983 deaths of 20-year-old Steven Fisher and 17-year-old Melisa Gregory, enters the Jasper County courtroom Wednesday followed by her attorneys, Steven Addington and Jill Eimermann. The trial is tentatively planned for early next year and will not be held in Jasper County.
Sports
Change of venue granted for Supino in Copper Dollar Ranch murder case
Cardinals clash with Panthers in 2014 season opener Friday Page 1B
Trial expected to be held in January or February 2015
Weather
By Mandi Lamb Daily News Associate Editor
Friday
High 82 Low 66
Saturday
High 82 Low 65 Weather Almanac
Wed., Aug. 27 High 77 Low 64 No Precipitation
Also: Astrograph Page 5B Calendar Page 3A Classifieds Page 4B Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
Friends in Hope spearheaded by volunteers
Opinion Page 4A
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 3A
Our 113th Year No. 72
98213 00008
SUPINO See Page 5A
New group hopes to help local homeless
Dear Abby Page 6A
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The double first-degree murder trial in the 31-year-old Copper Dollar Ranch homicide case will not be held in Jasper County. During a pretrial conference Wednesday morning, Judge Terry Rickers said there would be “substantial prejudice” against 54-year-old Theresa Lynn “Terri” Fisher Supino if her trial were held in the Newton or Des Moines areas. “After reviewing that information, the court agrees there would be substantial prejudice if it were to be tried in Jasper County,” Rickers said. “This case has been a source of notoriety for several years.” In making their request for a change of venue, Supino’s attorneys, Steven Addington and Jill Eimermann, provided the court with a copy of the “Cold Justice” episode that aired March 28 and chronicled the show’s investigation of the murders as well as Supino’s arrest by local authorities. They also submitted several articles by the Newton Daily News and Des Moines Register as well as segments from Des Moines television stations. Although Jasper County Attorney
Mike Jacobsen initially filed a motion resisting the change of venue in July, Addington said he and Jacobsen agreed the defense would win the motion. Jacobsen asked that consideration be given to the victims’ families when choosing a new location for the trial, which is expected to last approximately three weeks and is tentatively planned for some time between mid-January and the end of February. Rickers said he would inform the attorneys once an available location is found. The bodies of Supino’s Gregory estranged husband, 20-year-old Steven J. Fisher, and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Melisa L. Gregory, were found the morning of March 3, 1983, at the former Copper Dollar Ranch, located about four miles northwest of Newton. Both appeared to have been attacked with an unknown weapon, initially thought to be a large caliber firearm. Autopsies performed on the victims the day their bodies were found indicated both died as a result of multiple “chop wounds” — 13 to Fisher’s head and 17 to Gregory’s face and head — inflicted by a heavy-edged instrument. Steven also had a fracture to his lower sternum and abrasions to his groin.
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Earlier this year, there was a destitute woman living in the gazebo at Searland Park and a number of citizens were displaced when the city had to condemn several commercial residences. Newton has also been no stranger to travelers who are down-and-out. With the issue of homelessness seemingly
on the rise in Newton, a band of citizens has joined together to form Friends in Hope, a new nonprofit group that is a subsidiary of Newton’s Salvation Army office. “We don’t have any big dreams of having a shelter or anything like that — we know it’s needed. What we’re thinking about approaching it from is seeing if there would be a group of churches or individuals that might be willing to sponsor or pay for an apartment that we might use for temporary housing,”
Building configuration has been a contentious issue within Newton ever since the Newton Community School District moved away from the neighborhood schools concept in 2010. With hard feelings still lingering on both sides of the issue, the current NCSD Board of Education is exercising precaution in its public discussions on the matter, which is why it opted to extend the opportunity for parents with K-6 students to participate in a building configuration survey. Jim Gilbert, associate director of elementary services, presented results the district had gathered from more than 200 parents who elected to participate in the survey during Monday’s board meeting. The participants of the survey had given Gilbert their input during registration on Aug. 5 and 6 and during each of the four elementary buildings back-to-school nights. According to the survey, 58 percent of respondents felt it was important to minimize student travel. In addition, 66 percent of respondents felt it was important to minimize the number of schools that students attend during their experience within the district. Those numbers seem to support a move back toward neighborhood schools, and were additionally supported by 61 percent of respondents wanting the district to maximize opportunities for students to interact with students in other grade levels. Another 81 percent of respondents want to sustain longterm student-parent-staff relationships. While those figures seemingly support neighborhood schools, other figures from the survey contradicted those numbers. Sixty-two percent of respondents felt that academic factors, such as instructional resources, curriculum focus, learning styles, teacher collaboration and student grouping should play a bigger role in determining building configuration. The remaining 38 percent of respondents to that question felt that student travel, number of schools attending, grade level SCHOOLS See Page 5A
New sidewalk installed at city hall Project to improve traffic to police department By Jamee A. Pierson Daily News Staff Writer
said Rita Baker, FIH spokesperson. The group met informally several times during the summer, before formally organizing a few weeks ago. Baker said FIH is approaching the homeless issue from a different standpoint than most organizations. They are abiding by the philosophy of giving a hand up, rather than hand out, which is why its volunteers are to be more like mentors.
Over the past few weeks, work took place in front of the Newton City Hall to help direct traffic between the city offices and the police department. A new sidewalk was added between the city hall front doors and the sidewalk that leads to the police department. Also, a sign for the police department was placed in immediate view to help alleviate residents using the wrong door. “We get a lot of people looking for our police department and they walk in the front doors and due to security they have to walk all the way around (to get to the police department from city hall),” said Keith Laube, director of Newton Public Works. “A lot of times when they go around they cut across
FIH See Page 5A
SIDEWALK See Page 5A