News
Winners:
• Thursday Night in the Park
The event is hosted by Clarke Community School District starting 5:30 p.m. tonight on the courthouse lawn in Osceola.
2014 South Central Iowa Athlete of the Year winners page 8 www.osceolaiowa.com
154 YEARS • NO. 33
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Page begins term on city council By BAILEY POOLMAN
OST staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Dennis Page won the at-large city council position during Osceola’s special election Aug. 5. Page, who took over former council member Glenn Schaff’s seat, sat at his first council meeting Aug. 6. Page, a Clarke County local and 1964 Clarke Community HighSchool graduate, won unofficially with a vote of 261. Page will hold the at-large position through the remainder of Schaff’s term, which ends Decem-
ber 2017. “I made a lot of phone calls. We had a little meet and greet,” Page said about his campaigning experience. “Luckily I got Page plenty of support, I had a couple people call me and say they would like to make phonecalls on my behalf. … I’m also a hometown boy, and people believe in that. All those factors, I think, helped to get me elected.” There were 409 ballots cast in
the special election, split between absentee ballots and wards one, two and three. Page Page has been active in politics since his retirement. “I checked with the Democratic Central Committee here, and I’d been going to the meetings,” Page said. “I used to be really active with organizations when I first moved back to town and was running the Hardee’s here.” Page, who considers himself a moderate Democrat, said one thing he wants to do for Osceola is help those with out-of-date homes
update them. “I want to see if there isn’t some way we can come up with maybe a low-interest rate loan at one of our local banks so maybe they can get those properties up to date, or up to code, so that, you know, that we don’t have to go in and fine them,” Page said. Another thing Page wants to do is bring revenue up in Osceola by supporting the lake project and bringing businesses to the area. “I’m still kind of getting my feet wet,” Page said. “I guess I was really surprised (about the election results) because I thought it was
going to be a pretty close race. ... I didn’t anticipate quite that large of a margin. But, it was great to see we had four people run.” Resignation Schaff held Osceola City Council’s at-large seat for 14 years, including being re-elected in November 2013, before resigning in May. “I’d like to thank the council and these good people that wanted to stay up there 14 years,” Schaff said. “It was a pleasure working Please see PAGE, Page 4
City council makes CAMPAIGN TRAIL road changes, sets Diehl hosts public fundraiser for public hearings representative run, special guests present By BAILEY POOLMAN
other direction is to your right.” According to Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus, he has no objection to removing the stop sign at the intersection of Southern Hills and Harken Hills drives. “There is no mechanism for through traffic. If they go down that path, that road, they’ll get no farther than Councilman Page’s house,” said Duffus. “So, there’s no through traffic. There’s very little traffic at all on that road. So, I don’t have an objection.” The motion to remove the stop sign and install a yield sign at the intersection passed. CDBG The council members set a public hearing for Aug.
OST staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
During the regularly scheduled Osceola City Council meeting Aug. 6, council members voted to change a stop sign to a yield sign and set public hearings for the community development block grant on Fillmore Street and lease-purchase agreement for road equipment. Yield sign Council members voted to remove a stop sign from the intersection of Southern Hills Drive and Harken Hills Drive. Members also voted to install a yield sign in its place. “There are three homes that actually come out Southern Hills Drive and Harken Hills Drive,” said Council Member Dennis Page. “One direction is coming right at you. The
Osceola Mayor Fred Diehl was graced with the presence of Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, former Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell and former Iowa Senator, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge spoke during a fundraiser for Diehl’s campaign for Iowa state representative Monday at The Loft, formerly Southern Hills Winery. During the event, Judge, Harkin and Boswell spoke of their experiences with Diehl throughout the years, as well as their thoughts of him as state representative. Diehl has been active in politics since high school. “It started way back when I was in high school,” Diehl said. “I ran for secretary of agriculture, but I didn’t have enough votes. So, I went to another guy who I thought did and I said, ‘I’ll swing my 90 votes to you if you appoint me when you get elected.’ He got elected, and he appointed me assistant secretary of agriculture.” Diehl has been mayor of Osceola for 18 years, and said he has always wanted to pursue a position as a representative for the state of Iowa. “I’ve always wanted to do it,” Diehl said of running for state representative. “(Leonard) Boswell, he called me up and tried to talk me into it. Also, Mark Smith, who is another Please see DIEHL, Page 4
OST photo by SCOTT VICKER
Clarke’s Libby Bemis is the 2014 South Central Iowa Female Athlete of the Year. See page 8 for a story on Bemis, as well as the 2014 South Central Iowa Male Athlete of the Year.
Copyright 2014 2013
OST staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Please see CITY COUNCIL, Page 4
Athlete of the Year:
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
By BAILEY POOLMAN
OST photos by BAILEY POOLMAN
Top photo, Fred Diehl, Osceola mayor, speaks during a public fundraiser for his Iowa state representative campaign Aug. 4 at The Loft. Diehl was introduced by Iowa politicians Patty Judge, Tom Harkin and Leonard Boswell. Above, Diehl, second from left, poses for a photo with, from left, former Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell, former Iowa Senator, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin Aug. 4 at The Loft.
Index Obituary........................3 Editorial.........................4 Church Directory..........7 Classifieds..................11
Neighbors.....................5 Public Notices............10 Record..........................2 Sports...................... 8-10
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Don’t Forget Farmers’ market
The farmers’ market is planned 8 a.m. to noon Saturday on the courthouse lawn in Osceola.
Highs in the mid 70s and Highs in the low 80s and Highs in the low 80s and CHECK OUT OSCEOLAIOWA.COM FOR DAILY DEATH lowsUPDATED in the mid 60s. lows inNEWS, the mid 60s. lows in the low 60s. NOTICES AND SPORTS.