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154 YEARS • NO. 45
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
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Diehl, Hooper win in contested races By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Candidate Dan Hooper pulled off an upset over incumbent Councilwoman Sarah Truitt in the race for the seat of Osceola City Council, Ward 2. In Tuesday’s election, Hooper
had 107 votes. Truitt had 76. The city-council position is a four-year term. These are the other unofficial results from the office of Clarke County Auditor for the city council and mayoral elections. Mayor In Osceola, there were three candidates vying to be elected
mayor. Incumbent Fred Diehl emerged as the victor in the election. Diehl had 244 votes. The other two candidates were Steve Squier and Ron Eshelman. Squier had 181 votes and Eshelman had 38 votes. The office of mayor is a twoyear term. Incumbent Councilman Glenn
Schaff was running for re-election for Osceola City Council’s at-large seat. He ran unopposed in the election. Schaff had 394 votes. The seat is a four-year term. Voter turnout In Tuesday’s election, there were 2,978 registered voters and 476 people voted in the election.
This is approximately 16 percent of the voting population in Osceola. The results for Murray and Woodburn’s city council and mayoral elections weren’t available on Clarke County’s website at the time of publication. They will run in an upcoming edition of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune.
Thomas shares story of hiking northern England
Contributed photo
Pictured are Tom O’Neall, left, and Billie Chase at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C.
By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
In honor Veterans Tom O’Neall, Billie Chase share honor flight experience By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
For two Clarke County veterans, it was the trip of a lifetime. Tom O’Neall of Murray and Billie Chase of Osceola were among a large group of World War II and Korean War veterans who toured Washington, D.C., Oct. 16, as part of the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight (EIHF). The veterans, along with guardians and staff members from the EIHF, left Cedar Rapids early in the morning, toured the city and it’s memorials. They returned at approximately 11 p.m. and were greeted by nearly 1,000 well-wishers. Billie Chase Chase, 88, served in the Pacific in World War II from 1944 to 1946. He said the honor flight was “very good.” “It’s a rewarding experiencing,” Chase Chase said. “It was very great.” Chase got to see the Iwo Jima, Air Force and World War II national memorials. However, the honor flight was eventful for him for other reasons. During the plane ride to the nation’s capital, Chase fainted and spent the morning in an emergency room. He attributed the fainting to the change in the plane’s air pressure. Chase missed the morning tours, but was able to join the group later in the day. “By mid-afternoon I was back with
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the group,” he said, “but I didn’t see all of the things, but I got to see a lot.” Members of the honor flight were touring Washington, D.C., during the time of the government shutdown, which meant the war memorials were supposed to be closed to the public. However, the honor flight veterans didn’t have many issues accessing them. Chase said his group had “no trouble” getting into the memorials. “Some of the things didn’t have any people around like they would have,” he said. Tom O’Neall O’Neall, 87, served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1947 in Korea. “It was wonderful. I thought it was real good,” he said of the honor-flight experi- O’Neall ence. There was also a lot of help available to the veterans who were on the honor flight, O’Neall added. He discussed memorials that were closed because of the shutdown and couldn’t be accessed, such as the Lincoln Memorial. “All that was open, we pretty much saw,” O’Neall said. As for O’Neall’s favorite memorial, it was hard for him to choose just one. “I don’t know, it was all really good I thought. ... Everything I saw I thought was wonderful,” he said. As for advice for other veterans who are thinking about going on honor flights, O’Neall said, “I think if they can go, they should go.”
Index Obituary .......................3 Editorial ........................4 Church Directory .........9 Classifieds .................13
What do you imagine yourself doing at the age of 84? For Mickey Thomas of Osceola, he can say he went on a 10-day hiking trip in the Lake District of northern England. “I thought that sounded like a great adventure,” Thomas said. Thomas was able to get a last spot available on the September hiking trip organized by World Tours. Thomas said he’s never hiked in northern England. However, he has hiked and climbed in the Alps in Europe. Training To train and condition, Thomas went on hiking trips in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and the Canadian Rockies. He also walked to work at Robinsons True Value. Thomas was the oldest hiker on the northern England trip. He said he was “pretty apprehensive about it.” “I was as prepared as I could get,” Thomas said. “I finished every hike that was scheduled. I was usually in the last of the hikers, but not exactly the last — close to it.” Favorite part As for his favorite part of the trip, Thomas said he enjoyed the hikes near the Scottish
border of northern England. “The Romans built a wall between England and Scotland,” he said. “They were unsuccessful in conquering the Scottish, and so they built this tall wall clear across on northern England. It still remains intact. It’s probably 10 to 12 feet high.” Thomas also said he enjoyed going to the Housesteads Roman Fort, which is near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. “It was a large fort, and it was built out of stones,” Thomas said. Staying active Why does Thomas still go on these hiking trips? Please see THOMAS, Page 4
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Trunk or Treat: The Hamer family of Murray dress as Scooby Doo characters during Trunk
or Treat Oct. 31 on the square in Osceola. A contest was held for the best “Trunks” during the event. The winners were American State Bank, best use of theme; Clarke County Speedway, scariest; and Wilkins Elevator, best costume overall.
Weather Your Local Weather Health ...........................6 Record .........................2 Sports....................... 7-8
Contributed photo
This is a picture Mickey Thomas took while hiking in the Lake District of northern England.
Thu
11/7
46/28 Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun.
Fri
11/8
51/30 Sunny. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s.
Sat
11/9
56/35 Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the mid 30s.
Don’t Forget
Osceola Farmers’ Market
The farmers’ market is planned 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Osceola Senior Center.
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