News
Eliminated:
• Cinderella Project prom dress event
The Cinderella Project prom dress event is planned noon to 4 p.m. at Salon Glam, 108 N. Main St., in Osceola.
Earlham pounds Murray in district final
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155 YEARS • NO. 9
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015
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Fry defends ‘no’ vote on gas tax increase By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
It quickly became clear during a Feb. 27 Clarke County legislative luncheon that Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, and Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, were unhappy with some of the recent actions of their own Republican party. The issue at hand is the gas tax bill and how it got approved. The newly-approved bill is raising the state’s gasoline and diesel fuel taxes by 10 cents a gallon. Committee “switcheroo” Here’s where the statewide drama first started. A couple of weeks ago, the Republican Speaker of the Iowa House Kraig Paulsen made decisions to change up the ways and means committee members, which is where the gas tax bill was sitting at. Two of the ‘no’ gas tax voters on the committee were removed and two ‘yes’ voters were put in. “Reasonable people can have a conversation about whether or not we should’ve passed this gas tax, and reasonable people can arrive at different conclusions, and I’m fine with that. That’s part of the process. Reasonable people can’t be OK with the politics that went into play to get this through,”
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Marion Blumenthal Lazan speaks to Clarke and Murray students during a special assembly at Clarke Community High School Monday, Feb. 23.
Tragedy to triumph Lazan shares her story of surviving the Holocaust By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
“Mine is a story that Anne Frank might have told, had she survived. … This is also a story that conveys a message of perseverance, determination, faith and, above all, hope.” These words were uttered by Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust survivor, during a special assembly for Clarke and Murray students in the gym at Clarke Community High School Monday, Feb. 23. While Lazan’s intelligence and vivaciousness enraptured
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Marion Blumenthal Lazan displays the star of David the Nazis forced her to wear during the Holocaust. She said the Nazis took a proud Jewish symbol and turned it into a symbol of isolation and degradation.
the students, she spoke with a sense of gravity about why her life’s story is a story that must be told. Childhood Lazan was born into a Jewish family in Bremen, Germany, in 1934. During Adolph Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family, which consisted of Lazan’s father, mother and brother Albert, were trapped in Nazi Germany. The Blumenthals managed to travel to Holland, but soon that country was occupied by the Nazis. Over the course of six and a-half years, the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit and concentration camps. The camps included Westerbork in Holland and the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. Camp horrors Lazan recalled the first time she saw a wagon in the concentration camps. She originally thought the wagon contained firewood. She was wrong. “I soon realized that what was in the wagon were dead, naked bodies — thrown one on top of the other,” Lazan said. Frostbite was common in the concentration camps, so was hunger. What was worse, though, was the monthly “showers.” “We had heard about the exterminations and gas chambers in other areas of Europe, and we, therefore, were never sure when the faucets were turned on, as to what would come out — water or gas,” Lazan said. “The Nazis did their utmost to break us physically, spiritually and emotionally. Unfortunately, they did succeed with many of our people.” Four pebbles Even at a young age, Lazan was not going to be broken. To survive, she developed her own game, which was based
Sinclair said. The gas tax bill was passed by the Iowa House and Senate, and last week, Gov. Terry Branstad signed it into approval. The gas take hike went into effect Sunday. The way the gas tax bill was pushed forward to final approval has definitely angered some Republicans, especially those from rural areas that might not see as much of the benefits from the gas tax. Voting with constituents Fry said he was often asked if he voted with his constituents or whatever he personally wanted. “I voted according to my constituents. I was a no vote,” he said. “I had a ‘five to one oppose the gas tax’ coming in to my computer and to my telephone. That’s across the entire district. I didn’t break it down by county, but that was across my entire district. So, when I had that overwhelming marching orders from my district, I voted no on the gas tax.” Fry broke down into pieces what the gas tax bill will mean for Clarke County. In total, Clarke County will raise a little more than a million dollars from the 10cent gas tax. The county itself will receive approximately $442,000. The city itself Please see GAS TAX, Page 10
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, discusses the newly-approved gas tax bill while Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, looks on during a legislative luncheon Friday, Feb. 27, at Lakeside Casino.
Please see HOLOCAUST, Page 10
Republican chairman Kaufmann becomes vocal about local politicians By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann did not hold back on his feelings when he was a guest speaker at a Clarke County Republicans meeting Monday, Feb. 23, at Southwestern Community College’s Osceola center. The Osceola Sentinel-Tribune received an email invite to cover the event. Kaufmann discussed Democrat Dave Loebsack being the representative for the 2nd Congressional District in Iowa. SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2015
“The good news is he really doesn’t do anything in Congress,” Kaufmann said. “Generally, you want a Congress person that’s pretty proactive, but given his extreme liberal left professorial roots, I’m kind of glad he is not doing much. I hear he gives great tours of the Capitol, so, I mean, we do have that to be proud of.” Kaufmann also defended the perception of the nation’s Republicans. He said the talking point about Republicans and the war on women was “absolute, ridiculous nonsense.” He cited newly-elected Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of
Red Oak as an example. “Actually, the war on women is being waged by the people who are accusing Republicans of the war on women,” Kaufmann said. “Every glass ceiling that’s been broken has been broken by Republicans.” Key values According to Kaufmann, there are many key values that unite Republicans, including individuals handling their money better than government and respecting life at all stages of life. He said there’s a good Please see KAUFMANN, Page 10
Index Church Directory .........7 Classifieds ............... 8-9 Editorial ........................4 Neighbors ....................5
Obituary .......................3 Public Notices .............9 Record .........................2 Sports...........................6
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, center, speaks during a Clarke County Republicans meeting Monday, Feb. 23, at Southwestern Community College’s Osceola center.
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A fish fry is being served 5:30 to 7 p.m. at St. Bernard Parish Hall, 226 E. Pearl St. People may register for door prizes.
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