News
• Sportsman’s Banquet
Youth movement:
The second annual Sportsman’s Banquet is planned Saturday at Clarke County Fairgrounds. The schedule is: • Social hour and games at 5 p.m. • Dinner and games at 6 p.m. • Live auction and raffle winners at 7 p.m.
Pair of freshmen leading Clarke cross country page 1S
www.osceolaiowa.com
154 YEARS • NO. 38
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
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J M A OU D! N R U P
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Clarke homecoming candidates: Students in Clarke’s homecoming court jump for a photo Friday at Clarke Community High School. Members of the court are Jacob Redman, Lenin Lopez, Dalton Sweeney, Colin Morris, Chris Hanson, Seth Audlehelm, Cassidy Bierbrodt, Allyssa May, Tracy Morgan, Elly Eddy, Delaney May and Macey Snell.
School board approves purchasing four new school buses By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Four new school buses will soon be pulling up to Clarke Community School District. During a Clarke School Board meeting Sept. 9, the board unanimously approved purchasing four new in-stock school buses from Thomas Bus Sales for $80,911 each. “You have to do something. You have to do something,” said Clarke Transportation Director Rick Perin, who started in the position in July. “As a novice coming into this from the outside, I look at it and I say you’ve got to do something. It’s obvious. Anybody
can see that’s obvious … anything that you buy is going to be helpful.” A month ago, Perin recommended the board should purchase six new buses. His recommendation was based on the quality of the district’s six oldest buses. Clarke’s oldest bus, No. 19, is 25 years old. The bus doesn’t go on routes and is for emergency use only. Decision making The board discussed the district’s current projects and other projects in the works that will need to be paid for in the future. “I feel a little pushed and hurried on this, and I think I’m comfortable buying four buses,” said Board member Larry Gibbs. Board member James Bair said he was
Bad behavior repercussions Bad behavior by students on school buses has been discussed during Clarke School Board meetings. During a Sept. 9 board meeting, school-bus driver Tom Murr said Clarke Elementary Principal Jill Kiger has implemented bus-riding training during recess time. If students are reported to be a problem on a bus, they miss out on recess, because they have to learn about proper bus-riding behavior. “It is very effective. I want to tell you,” Murr said.
not comfortable with buying four buses. “I think we can get by with three buses,” Bair said. “I think we can be looking for good, used buses like we’ve done in the past through the years. I think three gets us where we need. That’s almost a-quarter of a
million dollars that we’re spending on something we haven’t spent in the past. I think we need to be more diligent about keeping our
Please see NEW BUSES, Page 4
CCRC receives later than expected court date By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Clarke County Reservoir Commission (CCRC) is going to be waiting longer than expected to get its day in court. A court date in Clarke County was set March for 10 to determine if CCRC can authorize declaratory judgment in its watershed project. “That’s obviously later than we would like, but
that was what worked out with the court administrator’s schedule and the attorneys. That was the compromise, if you will,” said Dave Beck, the project’s coordinator, during a CCRC board meeting Sept. 12. Lake project There is an ongoing CCRC watershed project that will provide a water supply for Osceola and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) with an 816-acre lake in
Clarke County. The reservoir project could provide 2.2 million gallons of water per day. The total project cost for the reservoir is estimated at $37.6 million. Funding for the project includes many sources, especially funding from local option sales taxes (LOST). Right now, CCRC is going through the process of declaratory judgment with Please see COURT DATE, Page 4
Clarke’s 2012-13 school year shows highest graduation rate in recent years By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
The numbers are climbing. In an approximately fiveyear period, the graduation rate at Clarke Community High School has steadily increased. “We want the best education for kids as possible,” said Clarke Community SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2013
High School Principal Kim Antisdel. “And, the data is proving that kids are staying here. They’re not dropping out.” Wake-up call For the 2009-10 school year, Clarke’s graduation rate was 76.19 percent. “That became a real concern,” Antisdel said. “It was a concern of the board. It was a concern of the
community and the concern of the staff.” Since then, officials have worked to improve the graduation rate for the school district. There’s a before- and after-school program called Study Tables, where students can get extra help Please see GRADUATION RATE, Page 4
Index Obituary .......................3 Editorial ........................4 Church Directory .........7 Classifieds ................AA
Neighbors ....................5 Public Notices ...........10 Record .........................2 Sports...................1S-4S
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Latino Festival:
Members of Jovenes Embajadores perform a dance during Osceola’s Latino Festival Sunday on the courthouse lawn in Osceola. The Latino Festival was also held to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, which was Sept. 16.
Weather Your Local Weather Thu
9/19
84/56 A few thunderstorms
Fri
9/20
73/45 Clouds giving way to
Sat
9/21
74/48 Sunshine. Highs in the
Don’t Forget Farmers’ Market
The farmers’ market is scheduled 8 a.m. to noon Saturday on the square in Osceola.
possible. Potential for sun . Highs in the low mid 70s and lows in the CHECK OUT OSCEOLAIOWA.COM FOR DAILY UPDATED NEWS, DEATH NOTICES AND SPORTS. severe thunderstorms. 70s and lows in the mid upper 40s.