News
Shake-up:
• Annual dinner coverage
Coverage from Osceola Chamber Main Street and Clarke County Development Corporation’s annual dinner at Lakeside Casino will be featured in the Jan. 29 edition of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune.
I-35 knocks off CD, shakes up POI race
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154 YEARS • NO. 3
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015
1000 Jeffreys Drive, Osceola, Iowa (641) 342-2175 101 North Main, Osceola, Iowa (641) 342-2191 801 East Main, Lamoni, Iowa (641) 784-3120 113 South John Wayne Drive, Winterset, Iowa (515) 462-5090 Member FDIC • Equal Housing Lender
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Iowa Supreme Court to hear CCRC appeal Feb. 18 By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
The date is set, and it has come much quicker than many would’ve expected. During a Jan. 15 Clarke County Reservoir Commission (CCRC) meeting, Dave Beck, project coordinator for the CCRC’s ongoing reservoir project, said the Iowa Supreme Court has set the oral argument for the appeal on eminent domain to be heard Feb. 18, 2015. “Certainly, this is much sooner than I told you it would happen,” Beck said. “I told you it would happen based on Ivan (attorney),
what he’s had in his history. Normally, he would’ve thought the date would’ve been somewhere nine months to two years out.” Attorney Ivan T. Webber is currently the CCRC’s legal counsel on its reservoir project. What is the project? CCRC’s ongoing reservoir project in northern Clarke County could provide a water supply for Osceola and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) with an 816-acre lake, which could provide 2.2 million gallons of water per day. West Lake, the current water source, doesn’t meet the needs of Clarke County and SIRWA.
Burglaries reported at CROSS Ministries, Clarke County Animal Shelter By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Two burglaries occurred at two well-known Osceola businesses recently, and there’s a good chance both incidents are related. According to Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus, CROSS Ministries was broken into sometime during the night of Saturday, Jan. 10, and morning of Sunday, Jan. 11. A break-in at Clarke County Animal Shelter occurred during the same hours. It isn’t known at this time if one or more suspects committed the burglaries. “It’s hard to say,” Duffus said. “... It used to be pretty much one person, but that’s not so much the case anymore. Sometimes it is, but you just never know.” The suspect(s) broke the glass out of a door to gain entry into CROSS Ministries. Money was taken from the business, but an exact
loss amount was unavailable. Animal shelter At the animal shelter, entry into the building was also gained by breaking a door. Dog food was reported as missing. Not all of the details in the case could be reported to the news media, but Duffus did say an item of interest was a dog was taken from the shelter during the break-in. “We did recover the dog,” he said. Duffus said he believes the two burglaries are more than likely related. “We can’t always say that, but more than likely they’re related. Whenever you have two on the same day, they’re most generally related,” he said. “It could be a coincidence, but usually not. We’ve got some leads in the animal shelter that we’re following up. We’ll see where that takes us over the next week.” The incidents are currently under investigation by Osceola Police Department.
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Honor band: Pictured, from left, are Terence Havlik, Reed
Morris and Nick Johnston at Clarke Community High School Friday, Jan. 16. They participated in the South Central District Honor Band Saturday, Jan. 10 at Ankeny High School. SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2014
“Certainly, this is much sooner than I told you it would happen.” — Dave Beck
Project coordinator for Clarke County Reservoir Commission’s reservoir project
The total project cost for the reservoir in the CCRC reservoir project is estimated at $37.6 million. Funding for the project includes many sources, especially funding from the local-option sales tax. On April 8, 2014, Judge Sherman W. Phipps of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa ruled CCRC’s ongoing Squaw Creek Watershed
Please see IOWA SUPREME COURT, Page 4
Teacher spotlight For McWilliams, patience, humor are keys to working with elementary students By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Editor’s note: This is a continuation of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune’s “Teacher spotlight” series. Walk into Steve McWilliams fourth grade classroom at Clarke Community Elementary School and some of the first things you’ll notice are his collection of Garfield the cat posters and Saint Louis Rams football paraphernalia. The classroom has an inviting atmosphere that helps to foster the education and learning process. “Maybe I think like a 10-year-old, I don’t know. It works pretty well,” McWilliams said while laughing and shrugging his shoulders. Local guy McWilliams, who grew up in Osceola, said he was OST photo by AMY HANSEN a “late starter” to teachSteve McWilliams, a fourth grade teacher at Clarke Community Elementary School, is ing because he worked for pictured at his desk in his classroom. Jimmy Dean for 12 years and was in the U.S. Air really still like school, they Force. like to please the teacher,” “I think just trying to understand The armed services seems he said. “So, they’re just fun to run in McWilliams’ fam- to work with. It’s fun to see where they’re coming from, and ily because he was born in the light go off when they remembering that some things are Germany while his dad was learn new things.” easy for some and hard for othstationed there in the miliBeing influenced tary. Math is the subject ers, and vice versa.” At the age of 30, McWil- McWilliams likes teachliams went to get his teach- ing the most. One of his — Steve McWilliams ing degree and graduated biggest influences growing Clarke fourth grade teacher from Simpson College in up was Frank Riley, who Indianola. taught math to McWilliams you pull them through that McWilliams found a at Clarke Community High them is kind of a challenge, weak area, trying to make it but it’s fun.” long-term substitute posi- School. a strength for them.” Patience and humor tion at Clarke. He was hired “He always emphasized Starting a teaching career For McWilliams, the seto teach for the district soon that there was more than at an older age than in his cret to teaching children is after. He has taught fourth one way to solve a math early 20s, as well as having grade at Clarke for 20 years, problem, and he would go to have patience and huchildren of his own, has mor. and been in the same class- above and beyond trying to helped McWilliams in the “I think just trying to room for all of those years. help you if you did not see elementary education field. understand where they’re According to McWil- it one way, then you would “I mean, face it, when liams, there aren’t a lot look at it another way,” coming from, and rememyou have kids of your own, of men in the elementary McWilliams said. “I just bering that some things are you have to develop that easy for some and hard for education field, and there liked math because of that. others, and then vice ver- patience, and I think the needs to be more. It was fun in high school, sa,” he said. “I mean, every- patience and thinking like “I think I just like work- and it can be real struggle a 10-year-old still works to ing with kids, and at the ele- for kids, and so, trying to body’s going to have their my advantage. It helps,” he strengths and weaknesses, mentary level, the majority find the way that works for so just trying to be patient as said.
Index Obituary .......................3 Editorial ........................4 Church Directory .........7 Classifieds ...................9
project is for a public use, public purpose or public improvement as defined in the Iowa Code. Therefore, 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 authorizes CCRC to purchase land from voluntary sellers and exercise eminent domain for involuntary sellers within the area of the watershed project. The appeal An appeal from local landowners was filed May 6, 2014, in Clarke County Courthouse on the judge’s ruling in the CCRC court case. However, the CCRC has the power to purchase land during the appeal process. Purchase agreements from local landowners are
Neighbors ....................5 Record .........................2 Sports...........................6
Weather Your Local Weather Thu
1/22
40/28
Mix of sun and clouds.
Fri
1/23
48/31
A few clouds. Highs in
Sat
1/24
49/35
More sun than clouds.
Don’t Forget Fry Times
A new edition of the Fry Times by Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, is featured on page 4.
Highs in the low 40s and the upper 40s and lows Highs in the upper 40s CHECK OUT OSCEOLAIOWA.COM FOR DAILY NEWS, DEATH NOTICES AND SPORTS. lowsUPDATED in the upper 20s. in the low 30s. and lows in the mid 30s.