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DAILY NEWS TUESDAY, DEC. 29, 2015 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Snow, ice, wind lead to cancellations, wrecks Newton Police responded to 10 stuck vehicles, one plow hitting car By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News A winter storm dropped between five and seven inches of snow on Jasper County in about a 12-hour span, leading to cancellations, postponements and dozens of traffic wrecks and other issues. A tow ban was put into effect for Jasper and many other Iowa counties, and a winter storm warning was in effect from Monday morning
through 6 a.m. Tuesday. Temperatures are not expected to go above the freezing mark within the next 10 days, so icy road conditions could remain for several days. Snow began falling around daybreak and continued throughout most of Monday, turning to sleet at times. Gusting winds, especially in the mid- to late-afternoon hours, kept sledders and small children from enjoying the snow, as the elements seemed
to be only for those who needed to be outdoors. The weather service reported 8.3 inches of snow had fallen in the Fort Dodge area by early Monday evening, and about 7 inches fell in southeastern Story County, near the Jasper County line. Newton Police had 15 weather-related calls for service involving Jason W. Brooks/Daily News motor vehicles between Several vehicles were either damaged in collisions or crashes or got stuck because 6 a.m. Monday and 8 of the winter storm that hit Iowa Monday. According to the National Weather Service, Jasper County received between five and seven inches of snow Monday by 6:45 p.m. a.m. Tuesday. Ten of these involved vehicles being stuck in with no damage; one dled by the Iowa State districts canceled or postponed practices or the roadway because of involved a snow plow Patrol. the road conditions; two striking a parked car; The State Patrol re- meetings. No classes were collisions with no one involved a semi that sponded to 236 calls for were canceled, as schools injuries; one involved a slid off the interstate service statewide Mon- are on holiday break. vehicle sliding into the and struck a DOT sign, day. STORM | 3A ditch on Interstate 80 which was a wreck hanSeveral area school
Wind-energy credit gives industry stability
Police chief said missing girl still not located Newton Daily News
Jason W. Brooks/Daily News TPI Composites, Inc. employees help assemble layers of a blade last week at the company’s Newton plant. Management says the recent extension of a federal wind-energy tax credit will help provide stability in the industry.
President signed extension that will help firms like TPI By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News A recently passed federal omnibus spending bill has good news for some groups including those who work in the wind energy industry. When President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 into law Dec. 18, he signed into law all the amendments and special provisions. Those provisions include an extension of wind and other renewable energy credits. This is good news for management at companies at TPI Composites, Inc., and, indirectly, all of its 900 employees. The stability created through government programs designed to foster growth of an industry says TPI representative Cleo Boyd, are essential to being able to proceed knowing incentives are in place to keep the industry moving forward. “We have 665 direct-labor
associates and approximately 200 support, administrative and management associates,” Boyd said. “Anything that can help the industry expand is good for our work force.” In addition to wind facilities and solar projects, the Act also extended for two years (i.e., for facilities with respect to which construction commenced in 2015 and 2016) the production tax credit and the election to receive the investment tax credit for a number of “green” energy production types. In an effort to pass an omnibus spending bill right before adjourning for the calendar year, Congress’ votes on the package weren’t close. The House approved the main bill by a 255163 vote; the Senate only took into consideration a handful of amendments, with the closest approval happening by a 65-33 margin. U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, the lone Iowa Democrat in the 114th
Congress, voted against the main passage of the bill. However, there were several carefully worded amendments, especially on the House version. The wind industry has enjoyed a federal production tax credit of 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour. An extension keeps in place tax breaks that don’t please all legislators, but the credit should also attract billions in investments into the clean-energy sector. American Wind Energy Association CEO Tom Kiernan said stability in policies will give the industry and investors a window to make big strides in wind turbine technology. “We’re going to keep this American wind power success story going,” Kiernan said. “With predictable policies now in place, we will continue advancing wind turbine technology, driving down our costs and TPI | 3A
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Ash tree removal plan in place to combat borer problem By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News A common problem gaining ground in the state of Iowa, the Emerald Ash Borer has made its way to Newton, and now the city is beginning to take steps towards dealing with the issue. The borer was first discovered in Newton in the spring of 2014 and has been spreading to many of the approximately 253 ash trees in the city. “EAB weakens tree limbs and, eventually, causes enough internal damage to make the trees difficult to drop
in a systematic fashion. Many foresters believe only highly valuable trees should be treated as treatment requires applications every two years. Tree removal is considered the best option for most ash trees,” Public Works Director Keith Laube said. In the city, 84 ash trees along street rightof-ways in the northwest part of downtown, 83 are located at Westwood Golf Course, 52 at Newton Union Cemetery, 25 at Maytag Park and 9 in the street right-of-way outside of downtown.
FEATURE
WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess said Tuesday morning there was nothing new to report in the efforts to locate a 12-yearo l d Ne w ton girl. Brown T h e N e w ton Police Department announced Saturday it was seeking to locate Charlene Rachelle Brown, who went missing from a residence in Newton and might be with a non-custodial parent or family members. There was no indi-
cation that Brown is in imminent danger, but there were also no specific vehicles or people named by the police as being involved. Brown is 5-feet, 2-inches tall, 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing white and blue flannel pajamas. Burdess said Brown’s case doesn’t qualify for an AMBER Alert because nothing in the investigation has shown she is in imminent danger. He said there might be some “court orders” that could happen Tuesday, but he had nothing new to report Tuesday morning about the efforts to locate Brown.
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
TREES | 3A
Patent to benefit corn growers
Application sent in early December / 2A
Volume No. 114 No. 158 1 section 12 pages
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