Newton
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Daily News
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Severe storm targeting Iowa
Ty Rushing/Daily News The former Emerson Hough Elementary School campus has been used to house a number of programs for the Newton Community School District, Heartland Area Education Agency and the Drake HeadStart Program.
By Jamee A. Pierson Daily News Staff Writer A severe storm system is expected to hit Iowa starting late this afternoon and last into the night, including risks of severe weather with damaging winds, isolated large hail and even isolated tornadoes, according to the national weather service. “The whole state of Iowa is under the threat, with some severe weather scattered across the state,” Harry Hillaker, state climatologist said. Along with the winds, heavy rain in the amount of one to two inches with some areas getting as much as three plus inches, is expected, leading to potential flash flooding through most of the state.
Board urged to return Emerson Hough to elementary school Advisory committee makes recommendation BREAKING NEWS This story first appeared online at www.newtondailynews.com
Reasnor native involved in research on greenhouse gas Newton Daily News
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer Parents that want to see both the return of neighborhood schools in Newton and Emerson Hough being reconfigured back into an elementary school gained a new ally Monday. The School Improvement Advisory Committee made the recommendation to the Newton Community School District Board of Education that the district should convert Emerson back into an elementary school during Monday’s board meeting. “What we have done is look at all of the different things that have been presented to us,” said Paula Klosterboer, a teacher at Aurora Heights Elementary School and a SIAC member. Klosterboer said this recommendation was based on information from the parent and teacher surveys, the demographic projections the district received from its study conducted by RSP and Associates and parents desired class sizes. “All of those things have led
WEATHER See Page 5A
Ty Rushing/Daily News School Improvement Advisory Committee members Chantelle Lundberg, Sara Van Manen, Paula Klosterboer and Tammy Parriott recommended the board of education consider returning Emerson Hough back into an elementary school at Monday’s meeting.
us to believe that this facility is needed as an educational learning center for elementary students,” Klosterboer said. SIAC was created during the latter part of 2013 to advise the board. It’s made up of parents, community members and various district staff members, and has three sub-committees — facilities, staffing and budget. Other member of the SIAC’s facilities
subcommittee that presented were district teachers Tammy Parriott, Sara Van Manen and community members Tom Hoover and Chantelle Lundberg. Earlier during the meeting, Superintendent Bob Callaghan presented the updated results of the K-6 parent survey on building SIAC See Page 5A
CROOKSTON, Minn. — Nate Harthoorn, of Reasnor, a junior majoring in natural resources, has been involved in a research project focused on greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gas research is a focus of Assistant Professor Katy Nannenga, who teaches environmental science at the University of Minnesota Crookston. In area fields, her work has gone on for almost a decade. Recently, however, the environmental science research has expanded into turfgrasses. There are two locations that are part of this study: the U of M Crookston football practice field and Lincoln Park golf course in Grand Forks, N.D. Nannenga, along with Assistant Professor Kristie Walker, have taken the research to an area golf course to conduct research. At the golf course, there are three different areas that are part of the research project: the green, dry rough, and wet rough. Each week, samples are taken from these areas using collection chambers that are capped. The samples are taken through the caps using a syringe. Students take samples immediately after the chamber is set into the turf, and in two twenty-minute intervals following. Samples are transported back to the laboratory on campus for analysis. RESEARCH See Page 5A
Four buildings to be demolished by city By Jamee A. Pierson Daily News Staff Writer Three buildings located south of Skiff Medical Center and one a block southeast on East Fourth Street North were boarded up and marked for demolition, but they won’t be gone for at least a few months. The houses and apartment buildings located at 315, 323 and 403 on North Fourth Street East and 304
E. Fourth St. N. are the four buildings recently purchased by the city as a part of the Dangerous and Dilapidated (D&D) program. “Instead of having a blighting effect on the neighborhood, they buy them to tear them down,” Mel Duncan, city building official said. The D&D program is a tool for the city to address DEMOLITION See Page 5A
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News One of four buildings located by Skiff Medical Center is marked for demolition after being purchased by the city for the D&D program.
Heartland Co-op and United Western merge
Coen wins Bix 7 High School Challenge
One of central Iowa’s largest co-ops, West Des Moines-based Heartland Co-op, merger with United Western Coop became official this month. | 8A
Newton High’s Grace Coen has had two stellar years on cross country courses and tracks. Coen opened her junior cross country season with a strong race two weeks ago. | 1B
INDEX Local News • 2A 7
98213 00008
4
Calendar • 3A Obituaries • 3A
Today
High 81 Low 69
Police Blotter • 3A Opinion • 4A
Comics & Puzzles • 6A Dear Abby • 6A
Classifieds • 4B Astrograph • 5B
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Volume No. 113 No. 79 2 sections, 14 pages