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• Legislative luncheon
Legislative luncheons are planned noon Friday and March 28, the fourth Friday of the month, at Lakeside Casino. The luncheons are hosted by Clarke County Development Corporation. Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, and Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, will be in attendance. The event is free to the public and lunch will be provided.
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154 YEARS • NO. 9
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2014
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Board approves superintendent’s resignation By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Clarke Superintendent Benita Gonzales is resigning her position. Clarke Community School Board approved her resignation during a school board meeting Monday night. The board room was packed during the meeting and seating became limited to standing room only. Jim Audlehelm, former
Clarke school board member, was also in attendance. Gonzales’ letter of resignation to the school board states, “I am sub- Gonzales mitting my letter of resignation effective June 30, 2014, so I may pursue other professional opportunities. It is also my hope that notice at this point
will give the district appropriate time to conduct their search for a replacement. I have had the pleasure of working with many quality people and have enjoyed the time spent at Clarke. I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of Clarke CSD and wish the very best for the future of this learning community.” Public comment During the public comment section of the school board meeting, Janine Nelson was the only person
to speak about the superintendent’s resignation. Nelson said she has been present during open board meetings and is aware of the leadership criteria in what makes a good superintendent. “As a dedicated member of this taxpaying public, I expect no less from each of you,” Nelson said to the school board members. Nelson requested the board pull Gonzales’ resignation from the other personnel resignations and
recommendations and be voted on as a separate item during the meeting. However, that didn’t happen. Gonzales spoke to the crowd when addressing her resignation. “I would like to say that I have very much appreciated working with many of the people here,” she said. “It’s been an outstanding experience. Some excellent people Please see SUPERINTENDENT, Page 4
ROCK ON
The Straits to perform at Lakeside Casino By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Clarke’s club soccer program draws interest from potential coaches By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
It’s time to get the ball rolling with soccer. According to Ryan Sweeney, Clarke activities director, there are two members of the community who are interested in coaching a club soccer team for Sweeney Clarke Community High School. A meeting was scheduled this week for the interested coaches. “The idea is to have a club this spring and see where interest level is and go from there,” Sweeney said.
Accident:
Sweeney said, of the two potential coaches, one has a coaching certification, and the other is taking coaching classes. “The intention is to have them both certified by the time the season starts. They have a passion for soccer and would like to be involved,” Sweeney said. The soccer club teams would be open to male and female high-school students. Practices/games As for when club practices would start, Sweeney said soccer is a spring sport and practices would start sometime before spring break, like most other spring sports. If there’s enough interest in club soccer, who would Please see SOCCER, Page 4
Copyright 2014
Contributed photo
Pictured is the promotional tour poster for The Straits.
pleasant experience,” Clark said. He joked, if the crowd asked nicely, maybe they would play some Scottish music. According to Clark, one of the few differences from Dire Straits to The Straits is when he looks over his shoulder while performing and sees a different musician playing. Once the U.S. portion of the tour is finished, Clark said the band will fly back to London and spend a night
1980, and he has played on every Dire Straits record from “Love Over Gold” onward and co-produced their last studio album “On Every Street.” Clark said he remembered the popularity of the band becoming extremely huge as the years went on. “Everything was on a huge scale with Dire Straits,” Clark said. “The scale is smaller with this band, and I welcome that because it makes life simpler. It’s more fun with this band.”
The Straits will perform 8 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Lakeside Casino’s Event Center. Tickets are $10, $20 and $30, and are available at www.redtrucktickets. com, at the Lakeside Ticket Counter or by calling the ticket counter at 641223-8544. People must be 21 years of age or older to attend.
Index Obituary .......................3 Editorial ........................4 Church Directory .........9 Classifieds .................11
there. The next day, they will travel to Russia — or more, specifically, Siberia — for their next leg of the tour. “At one point, we wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Clark said. Later this year, The Straits intend to record some of their own original material. Clark said the “whole process is well under way.” The Straits It has been 34 years since Clark joined Dire Straits in
Concert information
OST photo by ED BUESCH
A damaged vehicle sits at the intersection of Fillmore and Grant streets after an accident Feb. 19. According to an Iowa State Patrol report, law enforcement investigated the accident in Osceola. Kyle Sutton, 23, driving a Dodge Ram pickup south on Fillmore Street, lost control of his vehicle and struck a pole just south of Grant Street. Sutton left the scene of the accident and ran to his residence at 624 S. Fillmore St. Christopher Elben, 40, was an injured passenger who was transported to the Clarke County Hospital. Damage estimate is $5,000. The accident is still under investigation. To see Sutton’s charges from Feb. 19, go to page 2. SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
“Money for Nothing.” “Sultans of Swing.” “Walk of Life.” These popular Dire Straits songs were all over the airwaves in the 1980s, and can still be heard on many radio stations today. Now, that music is coming to Osceola with the band The Straits, which features Dire Straits’ Alan Clark and Chris White with other talented, hand-picked musicians. “People can expect to see Dire Straits music played extremely well by a superb band of word-class musicians,” said Clark during a telephone interview with the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune Feb. 20. The show is 8 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Lakeside Casino’s Event Center. How it began The band The Straits was formed when Clark and White, a saxophonist, were having breakfast at a hotel in Rome. They’d been presented with an opportunity to play a charity show. “I had no idea what this would become,” Clark said. “I was completely openminded about it.” The charity show soon evolved into a world tour for the band. During the time of the phone interview, The Straits were performing shows throughout the United Kingdom. Touring They travel to the United States this week for their tour, which will be the first U.S. tour for The Straits. “It’s going to be a very
Record .........................2 Public Notices ..... 10-11 Sports....................... 6-7
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