NHS BASKETBALL HOSTS MID-NIGHT MADNESS EVENT Cardinal fans can get an early look at the girls and boys teams / B1
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Papa Murphy’s looks at Newton location By Abigail Pelzer Newton Daily News
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News
The cast and crew create the final “Tapestry” for the seven part play hitting the stage at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
‘Tapestry’ hits the stage at Newton High School By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News Curtains open at 7 p.m. Friday for the Newton High School play “Tapestry.” Performances both Friday and Saturday begin a 7 p.m. for the seven “thread” production written by Craig Sodaro. “It’s seven international style fairy tales. If a child comes to see it, they are going to get something out of it and like it; and if an adult, they are going to get the adult message. Each one has a really good moral for today’s society,” said Melinda Worthington, play director. The play opens with a king, grieving over the death of his son, arresting the man who owns the land and the fence that his son died on. Both men are sentenced to death, but before execution takes place the wife of the fence builder must create a tapestry to provide the king comfort. The weaver begins, telling stories as she goes to help prolong all of their lives. The first thread tells the story of young woman who must learn about herself and her appearance through meeting different people. The second thread concerns
two farmers who have a chance at a tremendous fortune, but it may cost them everything and the decision they make about that chance. The third thread is about three sisters who set out with a magic map from their mother to find what their hearts desire and what they eventually found. The fourth thread is about a man who has no self confidence but upon a chance meeting receives a stone to give him confidence. He goes on to find the woman he loves but before they will happily ever after, she tests him in his love for her. A comedy, the fifth tread is about a wolf who doesn’t eat meat and is kicked out of her pack. While her pack is trying to take down a troll, the wolf helps the troll get away. After a famine, the wolf pack has to head north to the land of the trolls where the fates of all the wolves are decided. The sixth tread tells a story of a queen who has to go on a journey and has a test to find who will watch over the kingdom while she is gone. She places stones and watches to see what all of the people will to do get around them choosing who
will oversee by the actions they take. On a more serious note, during seventh thread, the woman weaves the story of a mother who loses her daughter and almost succumbs to her own grief. Upon completion of the tapestry, the King must decide whether he has found consolation and peace and the fates of the men and the weaver are decided. A total of 38 performers will be on stage throughout the night with an additional seven behind the scenes in the crew. “This is a really busy time of year, high school kids are always busy. The play is really nice because each scene is self contained. If you are in that scene you aren’t in any other scenes. It works out really nice because I can make this big master schedule and the kids give me their conflicts and that is how we run practice,” Worthington said. “The performers have done an excellent job in it. They have really embraced their roles, they are cooperative and they work together as a team as well.” Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com.
Local artist creates elaborate sets for NHS plays By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News For the past three years, Marvin Campbell has donated his time and talent to the productions of the Newton High School Drama department. With little to no money, Campbell creates elaborate sets with just cardboard, wood and paint. “It’s all for the students, that’s the bottom line,” Campbell said. “It turned out that with the economic conditions that exist, there is big demand on cutting budgets. There has been on the street talk, unofficial talk, that the drama department was going to take a drastic cut because of lack of funds. My daughter talked to me about it and I said that I would volunteer to build the sets and to work with the students where possible in construction of sets.” His daughter is director Melinda Worthington, who praised the work that her father does as well as how he works with the students. “The students that take part in the production at all levels, they are very ARTIST | 3A
Take-and-bake pizza franchise Papa Murphy’s is eyeing a Newton location. Frank Liebl, executive director of the Newton Development Corporation, said the company has visited Newton several times and is now looking for an owner/operator for the franchise. “They have a concept of finding a local person to make an investment in partial ownership and they would open here,” Liebl said. “They have to have some skin in the game to be an owner/ operator.” The company has two sites that are favorable, Liebl said, although those locations will not be disclosed until the project moves forward. “They are very interested in Newton,” he said. The Newton Goodwill Career Connection Center is assisting in hiring the position. For more information, contact Miranda Kulis at 641-791-0424. Papa Murphy’s takeand-bake concept was established in 1981 and has since grown to be the fifth largest pizza company in the United States. According to its website, Papa Murphy’s has more than 1,400 locations. Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com
Fire safety urged as winter weather sets in By Abigail Pelzer Newton Daily News If Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik had to pick a season that sees more fires, he said it would be the one that just started. “As soon as furnaces are turned on and fireplaces are lit, our calls come up,” Wellik said. Of the 2,500 calls the Newton Fire Department received last year, about 400 of those were for fire calls — the
bulk going to EMS services. “A v e r a g e wise we see a big increase in fires this time of year,” said Newton Fire Marshal Mike Knoll. Wellik One of the greatest challenges the department sees is non-working smoke detectors, Knoll said, a trend that impacts almost every Iowa
community. Smoke detectors are so important, Knoll said, they were at the forefront of a distribution effort in May in which the NFD, United Way of Jasper County and American Red Cross installed 80 smoke detectors after canvassing more than 200 local homes. Knoll also heads Fire Prevention Week in October, in which the fire department works with elementary school students to encourage safety. Although fires can oc-
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places cleaned annually, he said. If you missed the opportunity at daylight savings time, the recent brisk weather serves as another reminder to check those smoke detectors. “We always tell people when you turn your clocks, back it’s a good time to check your smoke detectors,” Wellik said. Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com
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WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
cur anytime of year, there are still things every homeowner should do to ensure they are prepared for a safe winter season. Wellik said he urged local residents to check their furnaces and ask professionals to do a maintenance check. “Making sure equipment is clean and maintained is important,” Wellik said. “Having someone actually come in and see that everything is operating correctly is key.” Also, be sure to have fire-
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
Tips for Healthy Hips
Healthy hips help prevent falls and protect against fractures should a fall happen. / 2A
Volume No. 113 No. 126 2 sections 14 pages
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