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156 YEARS • NO. 1
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW
Check out the biggest stories that came out of Clarke County in 2015 By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
As 2016 officially begins, it’s important to remember and reflect the events of the previous year. It’s a blueprint to see where the next 12 months will take us. The biggest news stories in Clarke County in 2015 dealt mainly with legal judgment and criminal issues, as well as some weather phenomena thrown in between. Here is a list of the top news stories run in chronological order. • Jan. 29: Osceola homicides An Osceola man charged with double homicide is claiming self-defense. Richard Ryan L a m b Carson has been charged with two counts of f i r s t - d e - Carson gree murder in the deaths of Erick Reyna, 22, and Noe Flores Rascon, 27, both of Osceola. On Saturday, Jan. 24, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Osceola Police Department received a report that Reyna and Rascon had gone missing during the evening hours on Friday, Jan. 23. After further investigation, the two men were located Sunday, Jan. 25, in a vehicle at 1305 255th Ave., Osceola, in rural northern Clarke County. They were deceased. It appears both victims died of gunshot wounds. A press conference was held 11 a.m Monday, Jan. 26, at Clarke County Law Enforcement Center. It was led by Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus, Clarke County Sheriff Bill Kerns and Michael Motsinger, a special
agent in charge of Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation. Osceola Police Department is being assisted by Clarke County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Three other Osceola residents were charged in connection to the double homicide: • Lynn Ranean Sutton — one count of accessory after the fact. • Tracy Kay Johnson — one count of accessory after the fact. • Christopher Martin Elben — one count of accessory after the fact. Accessory after the fact is a result of the suspects helping the perpetrator after the crime had occurred. A jury trial for Carson has been scheduled Feb. 9, 2016. • April 16: Iowa Supreme Court favors landowners The highest court in the state of Iowa has issued their verdict in the case of the Clarke County Reservoir Commission’s (CCRC) reservoir project. The Iowa Supreme Court sided in the favor of the appeal from the local landowners and not the CCRC. The judgment was issued Friday, April 10, 2015. On April 8, 2014, Judge Sherman W. Phipps of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa ruled CCRC’s ongoing Squaw Creek Watershed project is for a public use, public purpose or public improvement as defined in the Iowa Code. The district court said CCRC may use the power of declaratory judgment and eminent domain in the reservoir project. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use by a state. Declaratory judgment is a court review for acquiring land for a public project. It
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad cars are blown off the tracks near Lacelle Road Sunday, May 17.
authorizes CCRC to purchase land from voluntary sellers and exercise eminent domain for involuntary sellers within the area of the watershed project. An appeal from local landowners was filed May 6, 2014, in Clarke County Courthouse on the judge’s ruling in the CCRC court case. The appeal was about if CCRC has the right to the power of eminent domain with its ongoing reservoir/ watershed project. Documents from Iowa Supreme Court state, “We strictly construe statutes delegating the power of eminent domain and note the absence of a clear legislative authorization for a joint public-private entity to condemn private property.” According to court records, in an attempt to correct this potential error, CCRC showed that Clarke County Conservation Board, Clarke County Development Corporation and Clarke County Soil and Water Conservation District had withdrawn as members of the commission. • May 7: New Hy-Vee Osceola Hy-Vee has been upgraded. After many months of construction at the store, a ribbon cutting was held Fri-
A ribbon cutting ceremony is held at Osceola Hy-Vee Friday, May 1. SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2016
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Index Church Directory .........5 Classifieds ...................7 Editorial ........................4 Obituary .......................3
day, May 1, to showcase the business’ new amenities. It was a long winter for both customers and employees with constant construction going on throughout the business. This is a list of Osceola Hy-Vee’s new amenities • In-store pharmacy • Market Café with full-service restaurant and bar • Chinese Express • Expanded produce, wine and spirits • Expanded selections in meat and dairy • Huge bulk foods section • Health market section • May 21: Train cars blown off tracks An early morning thunderstorm had enough force to blow off approximately 80 Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train cars in Clarke County. “It was here one minute and gone the next,” said Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus. What was thought to be a potential tornado touchdown was actually shown to be straight-line winds. According to Allan Mathias with Clarke County Emergency Management, an update from the National Weather Service showed a storm with straight-line winds of 65-70 miles per hour. The winds could have reached 75 miles per hour at one point. The storm caused the damage between 3 and 3:30 a.m. Sunday, May 17. Most of the damage is in the rural parts of the county, west of Osceola. The empty train cars blew off the tracks near Lacelle Road. According to BNSF officials, there were no reported injuries and no major financial losses in the accident. The severe thunderstorm appeared to take many people by surprise, and Duffus did say there was no weather warning issued. It was confirmed there was no advanced notice from the National Weather Service for the Clarke County area. That is one reason why the sirens didn’t go off. “It was just here and gone,” Duffus said. “The
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Fred and Ann Diehl stand by their plaque after a dedication ceremony at an Osceola City Council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4.
meteorologist talked about how nobody saw this.” • July 2015: New state law targets CCRC CCRC was dealt a blow with a change in Iowa law on eminent domain, which created language that changed the law on use of eminent domain for the creation of public water supply surface water reservoirs throughout the state. However, this doesn’t stop the CCRC from purchasing land from willing sellers in the project area, which is currently going on. • Aug. 13: Train depot plaza named in honor of Diehls It was the surprise of the evening, and it left Mayor Fred Diehl and his wife Ann almost speechless. Almost. During the end of the Osceola City Council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4, the council unanimously passed a resolution to dedicate the train depot park as Fred and Ann Diehl Depot Plaza. Indeed, the goal of the night was to make sure the Diehls didn’t hear any word of the plaque and dedication in their honor before it happened. Ty Wheeler, city administrator/clerk, and Bill Trickey, Clarke County Development Corporation executive director, discussed the enor-
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37/35 Light rain. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in the mid 30s.
mous amount of work that went into restoring the train depot, and the Diehls have spearheaded the effort. The naming of the plaza was just one way the city showed appreciation to the Diehls, who have served the Osceola community for many years. • Nov. 5: Election results name Osceola’s new mayor In a contested race to become Osceola’s new mayor, Clarke Community School District teacher T h o m a s Kedley Kedley topped his other two opponents with the most votes after an election Tuesday, Nov. 3. Longtime mayor Fred Diehl did not seek re-election. For Osceola City Council Ward 1 seat, Douglas P. Gay beat opponent Byron Jimmerson with 105 votes to 61 votes. Osceola City Councilman Chris Dorsey did not seek re-election. Osceola City Councilman David Walkup ran unopposed in the election for Osceola City Council Ward 3 Please see YEAR IN REVIEW, Page 4
Don’t Forget
Weather
Public Notices .............8 Record .........................2 Sports...........................6
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Mix of rain and snow. Highs Snow showers early. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in in the low 30s and lows in the low 30s. the upper teens.
New editorial
Check out a new edition of the ‘Back in Time’ editorial on page 4.
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