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Tuesday, September 24, 2013
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Newton, Iowa
New school board members make waves in first meeting
OBITUARIES Marta Mellinger, 60
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
INSIDE TODAY
Out with the old and in with the new was the theme of Monday’s Newton Community School Board of Education meeting, as the new board members were sworn in and departing board members took part in their last meeting. “Thanks for the warm seat,” new board member Robyn Friedman jokingly told outgoing board member Dennis Combs, after he and Don Poynter moved from the board table to the audience.
Agriculture
Crazy for Cotton Candy Grapes
In addition to Friedman, Travis Padget was the other new face and Andy Elbert and Sheri Benson retained their positions on the board. “I know that we’re going to miss Dennis and Don and we appreciate all their years of service and I know they will be missed,” NCSD Superintendent Bob Callaghan said. “However, this is an exciting time for our board, as two new members of our community have been elected to replace this outgoing leadership.” “The enthusiasm shown by all of you with the recent forum was enthusiastic and excit-
ing,” he continued. “I can tell you that as a leadership team, our expectations are high and that your impact on our students is going to be vital to their success.” The new board wasted no time in establishing themselves and a few changes were made. Starting on Oct. 14 school board meetings will start at 7 p.m., so as not to conflict with Friedman’s duties with the Newton YMCA board. The Oct. 28 board meeting will now be held at Aurora Heights and the BOARD See Page 2A
Miss Iowa USA, Miss Iowa Teen USA pageants returning to Newton
Page 7A
Sports
Cards snag fifth at Westwood Page 1B
Testing event Thursday at DMACC By Daily News Staff
Miss Iowa Teen USA pageants are the official state preliminary pageants to the national Miss USA and Miss Teen USA programs. The newly crowned winners will receive thousands of dollars in college scholarships, prizes and awards. “The newly crowned Miss Iowa USA will advance to compete in the nationally televised Miss USA Pageant live on NBC next spring,” Wallace
In days gone by, a diploma from a college or trade school could prove you had the skills necessary for a highskill, high-pay job. But, times change. Today, there are many mediumto high-skill jobs that pay well, but don’t require a diploma. Some, in fact, require very specialized skills that can only be provided on the job. So, how do employers find the right people to fill those jobs? Enter the National Career Readiness Certificate. The NCRC is a credential — accepted almost everywhere in the United States — that demonstrates achievement and a certain level of workplace employability skills in: • applied mathematics, • locating information, and • reading for information. In an effort to improve the community’s ability to attract highskill, high-pay jobs, the Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce and Newton Development Corporation are encouraging everyone in Newton to take the NCRC test. They are
PAGEANT See Page 5A
NCRC See Page 2A
Competition is part of Miss Universe scholarship program By Bob Eschliman Daily News Editor
Sports
Seventh graders at Knoxville today Page 1B
WEATHER
Wednesday
High 78 Low 54
Thursday
High 82 Low 58 WEATHER ALMANAC
Mon., Sept. 23 High 76 Low 52 No Precipitation
Astrograph Page 5B Classifieds Page 4B
Stephanie Alexander Special to the Daily News
Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
Newton Clinic’s newest doctor didn’t grow up in Iowa, but everyone assumes she did. “I was raised in Wisconsin, in a little town called Waterloo,” said Dr. Stephanie Bantell. “It was so small that even people in Wisconsin hadn’t heard of it. I’d say ‘Waterloo’ and they’d say, ‘Iowa?’” The physician, who provides family practice and OB services, may have lived in a community of only 3,000, but she found plenty to keep herself busy.
Dear Abby Page 6A Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 3A
Our 112th Year No. 89
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Daily News File Photo Richelle Orr of Hampton was crowned Miss Iowa USA at in the Newton Senior High School auditorium last October at the conclusion of the Miss Iowa USA pageant. The high school will host the competition again this year.
hotels and restaurants to ensure visitors will have a pleasant stay. “We’re excited to once again bring back and welcome the pageant organizers, participants and their friends and family to Newton,” NCVB Executive Director Linda Bacon said. “We now know from the last two years the flood of excitement and entertainment the pageant brings to the community, and you can’t help but get caught up in its wake.” The Miss Iowa USA and
Newton Clinic welcomes new doctor, 18th provider
ALSO:
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The Iowa component of one of the world’s largest scholarship competitions is returning to Newton again next month. The 2014 Miss Iowa USA and Miss Iowa Teen USA pageants, part of the Miss Universe Organization, will take place the weekend of Oct. 12 and 13 at Newton Senior High School. With more contestants expected than in previous years, the event, which has now called Newton home for the past two years, will draw approximately 1,000 people for its third year. “Women from opposite ends of Iowa will join together in Newton this fall to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” pageant co-director Denise Wallace said. “We are thrilled to be bringing back such a high-profile and internationally recognized event back to the community of Newton.” Wallace’s organization, Future Productions, is the licensed producer of the state event. She has been working closely with Newton Senior High School, the Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well local
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She thrived academically, knowing by the third grade that she had an affinity for science and knowing by age 16 that she wanted to be a doctor. “However,” she said with a mischievous grin, “being a doctor was my back-up career, in case being a singing and dancing actress didn’t work out.” She may be joking, but her love of the arts was absolutely serious. She danced from a young age, studying ballet, jazz and tap, performed in show choir and drama club, and won the female lead role in
“Guys and Dolls” as a teenager. If all that didn’t keep her busy enough, she was also in cheerleading, cross country and swimming, and did a mentorship with the local physician during her senior year of high school. For someone who is clearly a renaissance woman, the pursuit of medicine was a great fit. “I knew it would be challenging and that I wouldn’t get bored,” she said. Bantell’s hard work in the classroom paid off when the time came to apply for college. She received a full-ride scholar-
Submitted Photo Dr. Stephanie Bantell — pictured with her husband, Adam, and their son, Dante — is accepting general and OB patients at the Newton Clinic.
ship at the University of New Orleans, where she majored in biomedical science and graduated only months before Hurricane Katrina struck. “My husband Adam, who was my boyfriend at the time, attended Tu-
lane University and graduated when I did,” Bantell said. “It was hard to watch TV and see the flooding and damage, knowing it all as well as we did.” If the jump from small-town Wisconsin to the Big Easy seemed im-
pressive, Bantell’s next move was even more dramatic. Following a month of backpacking in Europe, she started at Ross University School of Medicine in the Caribbean. DOCTOR See Page 7A