Top 10 News Stories for 2014
#1: Ex-Montgomery County auditor makes history as Iowa’s first woman elected to federal office
One of the biggest stories nationally in 2014 was a drastic change in the political landscape as the Republicans dominated the mid-term election, regaining control of the U.S. Senate by taking seven seats previously occupied by Democrats.
And leading that Republican charge was none other than Montgomery County’s former auditor, Joni Ernst.
A relative unknown who was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011, Ernst became a national figure seemingly overnight, capped by a resounding victory over Bruce Braley in the Nov. 4 election.
Ernst will replace Tom Harkin who announced in 2013 he wouldn’t seek re-election, creating the first open Senate election in Iowa in nearly 40 years.
During her acceptance speech, Ernst outlined many of the problems the country needs to address.
“This morning I was voting in Red Oak and as I looked around, I noticed that this is (a lot) different from Washington, D.C.,” she said. “In Washington, politicians are more interested in talking than doing. They ignore problems hoping they will go away. But you know what, ISIS isn’t just going to go away. The nearly al debt isn’t just going to go away. Our economic struggles aren’t just going to go away. And our problems aren’t just going to go away on their own.
“But we can overcome them ... because this is the greatest nation in the history of mankind. And there is nothing we can’t achieve. We are going to do this. But to get there, it starts with new leadership. And that is what Iowa has voted for today.”
Ernst also stressed the “Iowa values” she promises to bring to Washington, D.C., while remembering growing up in Stanton and wearing plastic bread bags to protect her good school shoes on rainy days.
“Our parents didn’t have much, but what they did have, they worked very hard for,” she said. “They taught us to live simply, not to waste and to help our neighbors. And they taught us to thank God every day that we live in this special place called Iowa.”
Before facing Braley in the general election, Ernst had to secure the Republican nomination in the June primary.
Running against four men, Ernst was polling third early in the primary campaign behind Mark Jacobs and Matt Whitaker.
However, that quickly changed when Ernst launched her first television advertisement, in which she touted her agriculture background, including a time in her life when she castrated hogs on her parents’ farm. Promising to “make ‘em squeal” by “cutting pork” in Washington D.C., Ernst captured the spotlight throughout the state and the nation and it instantly turned her into a household name.
Coupled with a high-energy campaign in which emphasized her unique qualifications as a mother and a member of the military, she easily won the primary, receiving more votes than the other four candidates combined.
Ernst continued to ride that momentum into the general election while Braley committed numerous political gaffes, including insulting longstanding Iowa Senator Charles Grassley at a private fundraiser.
Braley’s missteps cost him dearly at the polls, as Ernst won by a 52-44 percent margin, or 100,000 votes.
“Well Iowa, we did it. We did it,” Ernst stated. “It’s a long way from Red Oak to Washington. From the biscuit line at Hardees to the United States Senate. But thanks to all of you we are heading to Washington. And we are going to make ‘em squeal.”
By winning the Senate seat, Ernst further distinguished herself by becoming the first woman from Iowa elected to a federal office.
Following her election to the U.S. Senate, Ernst resigned her seat in the Iowa Senate, resulting in a Dec. 30 special election.
Local representative Mark Costello won the Republican nomination for the seat as he was elected from a pool of seven candidates at a special nominating convention in Clarinda.
Red Oak’s Steve Adams was selected to run for the Democrats and Mills County supervisor Don Brantz is running for the seat as a Libertarian.
A 1988 Stanton High School graduate, Ernst attended college at Iowa State University and joined the Iowa National Guard. Ernst was quickly promoted through the Guard’s ranks and is still actively serving at the rank of lieutenant colonel. In fact, after her election, Ernst spent the weekend training with her guard unit.
Following a deployment in the second Gulf War, Ernst returned home to Montgomery County with her husband Gail and successfully ran for auditor in 2004 and was re-elected in 2008.
Ernst’s journey to Washington D.C. began in earnest in 2010 after Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds were elected governor and lieutenant governor.
Ernst was nominated to run as the GOP candidate for the remaining two years on Reynolds’ term in the Iowa Senate, and she easily defeated Democrat Ruth Smith. She was elected to a second term in the Iowa Senate in 2012 when she ran unopposed.
#2: Split school board approves $13 million new high school
A year-long building project culminated in December when the Red Oak school board voted 3-2 to pursue half of it, resulting in the permanent relocation of the middle school to an expanded high school campus.
At a Dec. 15 meeting, the school board voted to borrow $13 million in future tax revenues to finance the construction project, which will likely start in May, 2015 with a completion date in the summer of 2016.
Bill Drey, Lee Fellers and Kathy Walker voted for the proposal while Paul Griffen and Warren Hayes voted against it.
The project will include construction of a new high school and renovation of the existing one, which would be used as a middle school.
Relocating the middle school to the high school was one of two parts to a district wide building project that also had Washington Intermediate and Webster Preschool relocating to the current Inman campus.
Total cost for the Tigervision project was estimated at $27 million and would have required a 60 voter approved bond issue.
By pursuing just half of the project at the $13 million cost, the board was able to proceed with construction without a public vote.
During the Dec. 15 meeting, board members indicated a public vote on the remainder of the project would be pursued at a later date.
#3: Storms cause widespread damage
Two rounds of severe thunderstorms resulted in extensive damage throughout Montgomery County and an influx of construction companies repairing and replacing residential roofs.
The first severe thunderstorm struck Red Oak April 13, during a 36-hour span that included sunshine, 85-degree temperatures, high winds, rain, hail and even some snow.
After a week full of warmer temperatures and dry conditions, Montgomery County had been under a burn ban. Saturday morning’s high winds with gusts up to 35 miles per hour reinforced the need for that ban. After a morning of temperatures in the 60s, Saturday afternoon felt like a summer day with a high of 85 under sunny skies.
That summer motif remained as clouds quickly moved in after 6 p.m. and a thunderstorm warning was issued for southwest Montgomery County.
When the storm arrived, it brought some large, damaging hail measuring several inches in diameter.
“I think most of the major damage was on the northeast side of town,” Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Brian Hamman said. “There were a bunch of cars damaged and probably some roofs as well.”
In addition to dimpled car hoods and roofs, several Red Oak residents reported broken windshields and windows.
After the thunderstorm rolled out, cold temperatures and a steady, slow falling rain set in for most of Sunday. Between the two days, just a little less than two inches of precipitation fell on Red Oak.
Completing the weather cycle, the spring-like rain showers turned into snow showers Sunday night as the temperature dropped to 32 degrees.
While the pavement was too warm for the snow to accumulate on the roads, it did cover yards and vehicles.
A second round of severe storms hit Montgomery County June 7, forcing the temporary closure of polling places during the primary election.
Unlike the first round of thunderstorms, this group included high winds measured up to 50 miles per hour which uprooted trees and rains that measured 3-5 inches.
A trailer house in nearby Emerson was completely destroyed by a large tree that landed in the middle of the structure. No one was in the residence, located at 201 Oakwood, at the time.
#4: Principal’s firing prompts protests, investigation
The firing of a high school principal ignited a fire storm of controversy for the Red Oak School District that resulted in a $100,000 settlement and the accusation and eventual admittance of violating state public information laws.
After a special meeting May 5, the Red Oak School Board voted unanimously to begin the termination process of Jedd Sherman, the high school principal since 2008.
Sherman appealed the termination and a hearing was scheduled in front of an administrative law judge.
However, days before that hearing, Sherman agreed to a $100,000 settlement offer from the school board.
While the school district dealt with the fallout of Sherman’s firing, which included a student protest and public meetings urging the board to reconsider, the school board was accused of violating state law regarding how they fired the principal.
Sherman and Don Rogerson filed separate complaints with the Iowa Public Information Board accusing the school board of violating Iowa law regarding open meetings.
In their complaints, Rogerson and Sherman accused the school board of discussing Sherman’s performance in closed session against his wishes and posting inaccurate agendas. Margaret Stoldorf filed a third complaint against the school board following a June meeting in which an interim principal and assistant principal was hired, alleging the posted agenda was too vague and lacking information.
Following an investigation, the IPIB determined the school board did not violate Iowa law regarding the closed sessions, but was guilty of not posting accurate and complete agendas.
After that finding, the school board and the IPIB reached an informal resolution to the three complaints, in which they agreed they violated Iowa code. Also under terms of the resolution, the board and Superintendent Terry Schmidt agreed to receive additional training on the meetings law.
#5: Sciola church moved to history center
Montgomery County’s oldest standing church moved to a new home in October.
Under sunny skies, Des Moines-based Billy Bell movers loaded the 143-year-old Sciola church onto a flatbed trailer and drove it through county back roads to the history center in Red Oak.
The 20-mile move required about 3.5 hours to complete.
Numerous utility workers from Mid-American, Rural Electric Cooperative and Windstream dotted the route, which started north of Villisca. Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson led the procession, which at times also included members of the Iowa State Patrol and Red Oak Police Department.
Those law enforcement personnel would close one-mile portions of the roads being used, which were primarily gravel and blacktops north of Highway 34. The main highway was used for about a 1-mile portion just east of Red Oak.
History Center Executive Director Dave McFarland and they have been raising funds for more than a year to pay for the church’s relocation.
“These churches are disappearing so fast, its not even funny,” McFarland said. “So I said we need to save this church and we need to save it now.”
The church, which seats about 100 people, has largely sat empty for about 10 years and is in need of a new roof.
“The interior is absolutely beautiful. It looks like it did 30-40 years ago,” McFarland said. “But we are going to have to get a roof on it soon to keep it that way.”
Initial cost estimates of $30,000 to move the church were nearly doubled as McFarland estimates the bill currently stands at nearly $59,000.
After spending another estimated $5,000-10,000 to finish the foundation and add a new roof, long-range goals for the church include adding steps and a handicap ramp, as well as a heating and cooling system.
McFarland said then he hopes to see the church used for weddings and maybe even the occasional service.
“We have been planning on having weddings in there and get the local league of ministers or something to have an Easter or Christmas Eve service in there,” he said. “We are hoping it will not only be historical but an asset for the community as well.”
#6: Stabbing at ax murder house thrusts Villisca into spotlight
Villisca once again became the center of the national spotlight for the wrong reasons after a Wisconsin man previously treated for brain damage stabbed himself at the Ax Murder House in November.
Robert Laursen Jr., 37, of Rhinelander, was staying at the ax murder house with his mother and stepfather when he stabbed himself in the chest around 1 a.m. Nov. 7. He was airlifted to Creighton University Medical Center where he remained in intensive care for several days.The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and quickly determined the stabbing was self-inflicted.
However, due to the unusual location of the incident, it garnered national and even international attention.
Laursen was reportedly conducting an amateur paranormal investigation at the home, which was the site of Iowa’s largest unsolved murder in 1912. Eight people, including six children, were killed at the home with an ax.
According to an online fundraiser held for Laursen in April, he had suffered brain dramage from a series of mini strokes, causing him to seek disability benefits. The fundraiser, which ended in June, raised more than $5,000 to help him and his wife avoid foreclosure on their home.
#7: Stanton, Villisca open community centers
The Stanton and Villisca communities both had new centers open in 2014.
Stanton’s Viking Center, a $3.5 million 25,000 square foot community center, officially opened in May with a grand opening ceremony that featured more than 400 people in attendance.
“It was almost overwhelming,” Viking Center Director Justin Miller said. “We really didn’t know what to expect; it was a great turnout. Everyone was very positive and complimenting of the facility. I left feeling pretty good, good vibes.”
The project itself took more than six years of planning and fundraising.
The main feature is the wellness center with gymnasium, which is open seven days per week (Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sun 1-10 p.m.).
In addition to the wellness center, the Viking Center serves as a site for the Stanton Public Library, the Good Shepherd Preschool and is also a FEMA-approved storm shelter.
The Viking Center is located next door to the Stanton School on Elliott Street.
Meanwhile, the Villisca Fitness Center officially opened for business Oct. 1.
“The idea to provide wellness opportunities for the community and a real gymnasium for our elementary students has been in the works for about three years. Construction started in June 2013, and now we’re ready to go,” Southwest Valley School Superintendent Willie Stone said in September.
The new building houses a full-size gymnasium with six adjustable basketball hoops, two volleyball courts, two electronic scoreboards and a three-lane walking track.
It also includes a fitness room of about 1,400 square feet, with elliptical machines, treadmills and weight equipment.
Southwest Valley students, youth leagues and city league participants will be able to use the gym free of charge for all school and league activities. For private use, the gym and exercise room are available for rental, and there will be memberships available for purchase by individuals and families.
“As a district, we are just trying to do something that helps our kids and at the same time provides a service to our community,” Stone said.
The fitness center, which is located at 211 Central Ave., south of Enarson Elementary School, is open Monday thru Friday from 5-9:45 a.m. and 5:15-11 p.m.
#8: Water leak forces middle school closure
While the middle school won’t be permanently closed until 2016 (see related story), it was temporarily closed and relocated to the high school campus for a semester due to a Labor Day weekend water leak.
The water leak caused extensive damage to the 100-year-old school, especially to the electrical and fire alarm system.
Most of the repairs were covered by the district’s property insurance.
The exact cause of the water leak was never determined, but it originated in a janitor’s closet.
Foul play was ruled out based on a review of the school’s surveillance tapes.
Nearly 80 percent of the middle school classes were relocated to the technology center, with the remaining 20 percent occupying space in the high school.
Repairs were completed and following inspection by the state fire marshal, the school board approved the middle school for re-occupancy at its Dec. 15 meeting. Students will return to it when the second semester resumes Jan. 5.
#9: Bautista pleads guilty in May shooting of neighbor
A Red Oak man was sent to prison less than three months after shooting his neighbor in a Memorial Day weekend dispute.
Raphael Bautista Silva, 32. was arrested May 31 after a nine-hour manhunt. He shot Clyde Zeigler, 36, multiple times the night before outside Silva’s home at 407 4th Avenue.
Zeigler, who lived nearby, had gone to Silva’s for a barbecue. Both had been drinking excessively and an argument ensued.
About 10 p.m., Silva went inside his home and came out waving a pistol “indiscriminately.”Moments later, Silva pointed and fired the pistol, hitting Zeigler.
Silva, 32, pleaded guilty to willful injury Aug. 18. District Judge Kathleen Kilnoski sentenced him to five years in prison.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Montgomery County Attorney Bruce Swanson agreed to drop charges of attempted murder and going armed with intent.
#10: Westboro wins controversial flag burning lawsuit
Iowa’s flag desecration laws were ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in a lawsuit filed against Red Oak Police Chief Drue Powers and Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Westboro Baptist Church after Powers and Sampson threatened to arrest church members if they desecrated the United States flag during protests in Red Oak in 2010 and 2012.
However, U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt said the laws Powers and Sampson were enforcing are “facially overbroad and, therefore, unconstitutional under the First Amendment.”
In his ruling, Pratt also cited a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that found burning a flag in protest was protected by free speech.
Members of the controversial Topeka, Kan., church have gained national attention by promoting their anti-homosexual message, especially at soldiers’ funerals. As a result, a counter-protest group, the Patriot Guard, which consists of motorcycle riders, formed and would also appear at those same funerals.
The protesters first came to Red Oak in July, 2010 to protest the funeral of a member of the Patriot Guard, Milton Lantz.
Prior to arriving in Red Oak, protest organizer and lawsuit petitioner Margie Phelps, the daughter of church founder Fred Phelps, was told by Powers the state’s flag desecration laws would be enforced.
According to court records, “as a result of Chief Powers’ statement, members of the church refrained from putting the flag on the ground or hanging it from their bodies.”
Westboro protesters returned to Red Oak a little more than two years later to protest the funeral of James Skalberg.
Sampson and about five other local police officers were present at the protest to ensure it remained peaceful, which it did, despite one altercation. Westboro picketers began to step on the flag and when asked to stop, Shirley Phelps, one of the picketers, initially refused saying it was legal under the constitution. The police threatened to arrest her if she continued. She then stopped but said the police should be expecting a call from their lawyer.