Newton
Serving Newton & Jasper County Since 1902
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Friday, September 27, 2013
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Newton, Iowa
A Legacy of Love
OBITUARIES Martha (Sheeler) Brayton
INSIDE TODAY
Chamber, NDC host Skilled Iowa testing day at DMACC By Bob Eschliman Daily News Editor
Lions Club
Leader Dogs for Blind benefit Page 7A
Submitted Photo John and Jo Jenkins look up at the H.A. Lynn Field stands during a night last fall that honored former coach Jenkins for his outstanding achievements. “It was a very special night,” Jo said.
Sports
PCM cross country in Monroe Page 1B
Former coach’s family unites in face of dementia Part 2 of a two-part series By Kate Malott Daily News Staff Writer Red Pride Throughout Newton Senior High School football coach John Jenkins’ career, the Cardinals played against fellow legendary head coach Jerry Pezzetti and the Ankeny Hawks nearly every year. The experienced coach, now calling the shots at Ankeny Centennial, holds an impressive 313-130 record with the team. Pezzetti started coaching at Ankeny in 1970 and was a close friend with Frank Gilson. He even served as a pallbearer at his funeral. “We’ve always had the absolute greatest respect for New-
Community
Free show to benefit Capitol II Page 1C
WEATHER
Saturday
ton,” Pezzetti said. “There probably isn’t another town in the state with such a great football community, and that’s largely because of John. “Every time we played, whether we won or lost, you knew it was going to be real, hard-nosed football. You knew you were going to have to tackle as hard as them, run as hard as them, play as hard as them. “The kids believed in their coaches and had pride in their sport,” Pezzetti continued. “He couldn’t have done a better job.” One thing John took pride in doing was hosting instrumental football camps for young players in the area and inviting speakers to join from surrounding collegiate programs, like Iowa and Iowa State.
Dan McCarney, former University of Iowa assistant coach and Iowa State University head coach, said he has known John for decades. They worked together in many of those valuable football camps and in numerous recruiting efforts. “The best coaches I have been around are the ones that take a collection of young men who are just a ‘group’ and turn them into a ‘team’ that represents a school, town and state the way everyone respects and admires. Who better than John Jenkins?” McCarney said. “How special was Newton Cardinal football on a Friday night in the fall? Always JENKINS See Page 8A
Active Aging Week draws to close
High 69 Low 45
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
Sunday
High 75 Low 47 WEATHER ALMANAC
Thurs., Sept. 26 High 84 Low 62 No Precipitation ALSO: Astrograph Page 5B Classifieds Page 4B Comics & Puzzles Page 6A Dear Abby Page 6A
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
Ty Rushing/Daily News John Postma reads to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School first-graders Alex Riney, Cade Bauer and Karter Prellwitz on Thursday. John is a Park Centre resident and was reading to the children as a part of Active Aging Week activities Park Centre lined up through Saturday.
By Matthew Nosco Daily News Staff Writer
Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 3A Our 112th Year No. 92
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Newton Athletic Boosters changing tailgating for NHS football games
A few changes are taking place with regard to tailgating hosted by the Newton Athletic Booster Club at Newton Senior High School’s Friday-night home football games. First, the cost to tailgate is being lowered to BOOSTERS See Page 5A
Golden Apple award goes to PCM principal
Opinion Page 4A
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SKILLED IOWA See Page 5A
Park Centre Lifestyle Director Lori Griffin took some of her residents to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on Thursday as a part of their Active Aging Week activities. “It’s going very well,” she said. “Great participation and we were lucky to have great weather.” Park Centre will wrap up it’s Active Aging Week activities today with a walk and lunch around Lake Red Rock. Staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 7923121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.
Reactions to the National Career Readiness Certificate test ranged from “that was really hard” to “it was easier than I expected.” But whether the roughly one dozen community leaders and Newton residents who took part in the Skilled Iowa testing day received NCRC certification or not, they all learned something about themselves Thursday morning. And, for many of them, future employers will be able to tall something about them, as well. “[I] had a great time with the test,” Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Darrell Sarmento said. “The NCRC test was not easy, which means this is a very valuable tool for employers to use in hiring. I’m happy with my ‘silver’ certificate for my first time out.” The Chamber and Newton Development Corporation partnered to host the event at the DMACC Newton Campus. Testing is available at the community college on a regular basis by appointment, but Thursday’s testing event was meant to serve as a promotion of Newton’s efforts to become a Skilled Iowa Community.
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Perseverance and the silver lining were very much the themes to Stephanie Langstraat’s nomination letters for the Golden Apple award, a recognition given out once a month to an Iowa educator who performs above and beyond the call of duty. The middle school principal from the Prairie City-Monroe district was held up high by nine different students who, when assigned to think of a strong leader in the community, selected Langstraat for her work in the school.
Each student compared Langstraat to a different historical leader, one drawing a parallel to Harriet Tubman as she discussed her fearless demeanor in the face of the school’s bomb threat last school year. “When we had the bomb threat, she was calm and kept us on our toes,” the letter read. “She took charge and made sure we were all safe. Following the plan set in place with her in charge made us very safe, and I feel comfortable saying I trust her with my life, as we very well did that day.” GOLDEN APPLE See Page 5A
Matthew Nosco/Daily News Stephanie Langstraat, principal of the Prairie City Monroe middle school, accepts the Golden Apple Award from the WHO staff at a ceremony on Wednesday.