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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday,
August 3, 2006 |
Employees at Bennett Machine and Fabricating (BM&F) went on strike on the morning of August 1 after their three-year contract with the company ran out at midnight the same day. The 19 workers are members of the Teamsters Local 238.
“It’s mostly just wages–that’s the main issue,” said BM&F employee Scott Gienapp of Anamosa, who was battling 90-degree heat on the picket line Tuesday afternoon.
“They don’t give us any time (vacation and sick) for the overtime hours we work,” he added.
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Members of Teamsters Local 238 employed at Bennett Machine and fabricating formed a picket line outside the business on August 1 after their three-year contract expired at midnight the same day. (Journal-Eureka Photos and Story by Michelle Phillips) |
Gienapp said there are a handful of employees at BM&F that aren’t in the union, but everyone who is a member is participating in the strike.
Dale Walter, Business Representative for Local 238 out of Cedar Rapids said the strike would go on as long as it takes to reach an agreement with BM&F.
“We don’t want it to go on any longer than it has to, and we’re willing to sit down and talk,” Walter commented.
Mediation will begin on August 2, when parties from both sides will sit down with a federal mediator.
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Bennett Machine and Fabricating employee, Pete Roob of Anamosa, pickets the company on August 1. |
“His job is to keep the lines of communication open, and see if they can get a deal between the parties,” Walter explained.
A second three-year contract is on the table for negotiation at this time.
Walter said Teamsters Local 238 is very large with over 7,000 members.
Representatives for BM&F declined comment. |
Scott Gienapp |
Piglets Die During Power Outage
by
Michelle Phillips |
A bird that flew into a transformer was responsible for a power outage in Jones County that caused the death of 445 six-week-old piglets at a hog confinement nursery on July 28.
“It was just a freak accident,” said Jones County Sheriff Mark Denniston, who received a call from the owner of the facility, Keith Beck.
Beck called the office to find out how he should dispose of the animal carcasses from his property, located on the Jones/Cedar County line. Denniston then referred him to the regional DNR office in Manchester.
Joe Sanfilippo, Environmental Programming Supervisor at the regional DNR office said DNR officials were on the scene to assist Beck in locating a burial spot. The DNR used an interactive mapping device to determine the location.
“We found an area on another parcel of land owned by Beck,” said Sanfilippo.
He added that the area must have the right soil type so that there is no drainage into the water table. The site also had to be high enough above the water table so that it would not be tapped into when digging.
“We stayed on site to help them with how deep to dig and how big to dig the hole,” Sanfilippo explained.
Larry McMullen, ISU Extension Swine Field Specialist said airflow is imperative in a hog confinement facility.
“In a confinement nursery, as soon as it (power) shuts down it becomes a vacuum because without fans the pigs are deprived of oxygen. Suffocation could come almost immediately,” said McMullen.
McMullen said he recommends alarm systems and back-up generators for hog confinements. It is unknown if Beck had either of these safeguards in place.
He said that there is a danger of suffocation in any power outage, but the hot temperatures certainly make the situation worse.
“If the heat index, humidity and temperatures get as high as they are now, you do need to watch livestock, keep them cooled down and choose cooler times for transporting animals.” McMullen reminded.
Denniston said Beck was on vacation at the time of the incident and rushed back when he heard what had happened. Denniston added that the piglets belonged to another farmer, who was housing them in Beck’s nursery.
“He was upset and felt terrible about it,” Denniston added.
Beck was unavailable for comment at press time.
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Anamosa Women to Participate in Breast Cancer 3-Day Benefit
by Susan Yario |
Anamosa residents and friends of six years, Mindy Carstensen and Kristy Frasher, are walking together this month for a special cause. They have joined thousands of people across the country in pledging to walk 60 miles over the course of three days to promote breast cancer research in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Benefit. Walking for cancer research in Cedar Rapids has been a yearly event for these two ladies in previous years, but this time they have stepped it up a notch or two and are traveling to Minneapolis on August 17 to participate in a 20-mile a day walk.
Mindy’s older sister, Jilane Janda-Harnish passed away last October after fighting Inflammatory Breast Cancer for over four years. |
Friends Mindy Carstensen and Kristy Frasher will walk in the Breast Cancer 3-Day benefit in memory of Mindy’s sister Jilane Janda-Harnish, later this month. (Journal-Eureka Photo by Susan Yario) |
This rare form of cancer is difficult to diagnosis and extremely aggressive. Only six percent of breast cancer cases are IBC (as it is commonly referred to) yet twenty five percent of all breast cancer deaths are from IBC. In Jilane’s case, her doctors, chose to run a MRI versus immediate mastectomy surgery. This option along with experimental treatment gave her four years of life with her young two sons instead of an immediate death sentence as chemotherapy is not administered while recovering from invasive surgery.
Mindy became inspired by the concept when she saw an advertisement for the event on television in early spring of this year. |
Mindy Carstensen and her late sister Jilane Janda-Harnish sorting through family pictures, their mother Connie Sanders is in the background. (Photo submitted) |
She didn’t immediately sign up because she wanted to make sure that she would have enough financial support before she registered and paid a $90 non-refundable fee. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $2,200.00 prior to the starting date. She talked it over with her husband, Darwin and others, all who showed support for the challenge. When she mentioned it to her close friend, Kristy, there was no hesitation that she would be right along side her all the way.
With all that support on her side, Mindy began the process of fund raising by sending a form letter provided by the Breast Cancer 3-Day.org web-site (one of the many tools available) to everyone on her Christmas list and within two months her goal of $2,200 was reached. Kristy began her fundraising after Mindy’s was completed in case all the dollars could not be raised and Mindy would need additional funds to walk the challenge. Kristy completed her fundraising in less than three months time. Both women tallied up with individual donations as well as dollars from Anamosa businesses; F&M Bank and Rogers Concrete.
She wasn’t about to give up on this objective, as it has special meaning for her. She feels very strongly about succeeding in the Twin Cities.
“For me it’s a spiritual thing to do with my sister. Everything they find out about breast cancer benefits all cancer research. I think any cause that women get behind, great things happen,” Mindy said.
For Kristy, breast cancer is also a relative occurrence. When asked why she is taking the challenge, she replied, “My two reasons for walking are one to help support Mindy and two my husband Jerry, lost his Mom (Diane Frasher) to breast cancer in February of 1995.”
Mindy expects the opening and closing ceremonies to be rough on her emotionally with memories of Jilane’s illness still close to the surface but is confident that she is physically strong enough to handle the miles. A knee injury in the early stages of training has pretty much healed and she has the go ahead from her physician to make the walk, as long as she keeps hydrated and Ibuprofen.
Kristy shares, “My biggest concern is getting blisters or hot spots on my feet. I hope it’s not this hot either. Dehydration would be a concern if the weather stays hot”.
The walk begins on Friday early morning at 6:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony at the Minnesota Zoo walking over the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, pass by The Mall of America before arriving at camp. Day Two will bring them up a few hills in the Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, one of the Twin Cities’ largest and most beautiful recreational areas. On Day Three the walk will end with closing ceremonies at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul.
Mindy and Kristy will return to Anamosa on August 21 their goals met, and overcome with the possibility of a new journey on the horizon for next year.
The net proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Days will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to fund breast cancer research and community outreach. The National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund will also benefit in an endowment for breast cancer initiatives.
For more information on the Breast Cancer 3-Day benefit, visit: www.the3day.org. |
McKean to Run for Anamosa School Board
by Michelle Phillips |
Current Anamosa School Foundation President, Connie McKean has put in her bid to run for the Anamosa School Board in the September 12 election. McKean said she has no axe to grind with the way the current school board is run, but she is concerned with making sure students are prepared for college, vocational training and the work force upon graduation from the Anamosa Community School District.
“I had thought about it (running) over the last several years, but I was focusing on the Foundation Board,” she said, and added that Scott Werling’s decision not to run this term pushed her to consider running.
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Connie McKean |
McKean said she has been dedicated to helping the schools, particularly in the area of academics, but she feels other activities are also important for kids as well.
“I am interested in other aspects (of education), but I would focus on academics as the central focus of the schools,” McKean explained.
She and her husband, Andy, have four children, who have been involved in many activities while in school. McKean said she was very impressed with the counseling their youngest daughter, Helen, received when she enrolled in high school this year. This is one of the school’s new measures for individualizing student schedules.
“I have learned so much about the educational system from being a mother of students with a wide range of interests and needs,” said McKean, whose 22 year-old daughter, Fern, suffers from autism.
One of the ways she feels students can be more prepared for life is by thinking about the future when high school begins.
“This will allow them to take the preparatory coursework to prepare for college,” McKean said, and cited the institution of an AP biology class at Anamosa High School last year as a step in the right direction.
McKean said she feels she has several strengths that will make her a good candidate for the Anamosa School Board, “My main strength is that I have the ability to think through a situation, come to a conclusion and think independently, but work cooperatively with the administration and school board members.”
McKean has earned a BA from University of Northern Iowa in 1981 and an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa in 1983. She currently works part-time as the Jones County advocate for the mentally ill, and has recently enrolled at the Grant Wood Area AEA to become certified as a substitute teacher. She and Andy ran the Shaw House Bed and Breakfast for 14 years. In addition to Fern and Helen, the McKeans have two other kids, Nancy, who will enter Truman State University this fall, and Evan, who is a sophomore at Illinois College.
Incumbents Sharon Weideman and Julie Fall will also be running for the three open school board seats this year. Those interested in running for school board must have the paperwork filed at the auditor’s office by 5 p.m. August 3. |
Marion Big Band to Take the Stage at WapsiAna Park |
Marion Big Band will perform at WapsiAna Park for the Anamosa Parks & Rec. Concert in the Park series on August 3 at 7 p.m.
The 17-piece band, affords 22 members, 17 regulars & 5 substitutes. A standard big band set consists of five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets as well as a four-piece rhythm section.
This group grew from a summer program through the City of Marion summer concert series.
Several musicians in the concert & jazz bands decided to play more often so they formed the group. Marion Big Band has them playing at civic activities and other venues 10-12 times through an average season. This is their tenth season together. The members range in ages from 20s through 60s. Rehearsal is once a week at the Marion Rec. Center.
A most memorable concert was the first time they played for the Marion Chamber of Commerce at Christmas in the Park. It was 65 degrees! Another winter it was 30 degrees when they began their concert and by the time their set was over the temperature had dropped 10 degrees.
With 180 songs in their repertoire, guitar player Bob Mason remarks that “there are certain songs people expect to hear from a big band, so we play those quite often”.
The majority of the program will be big band hits from the 30s and 40s: Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. The group is looking forward to playing in the band shell at WapsiAna, as this will be their third year performing at the Concert in the Park event.
If you plan on attending the event, don’t forget a blanket or lawn chair. In case of rain, the group will perform at the Lawrence Community Center at 7 p.m.
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