The seed plant in Belle Plaine currently known as Gro Alliance will have a new name under new management as of April 30. Precision Soya released the following statement this week:
“Precision Soya, the quality leader and preferred provider in the seed contract-production industry, announced today it has withdrawn from a joint business venture with Louis J. Schweigert and North-Gro of Cuba City, Wis., known as GRO Alliance.
“As of April 30, 2010, Precision Soya will manage and operate seed corn contract production services at its following plant locations: Bluffton, Indiana, Belle Plaine, Iowa, Whiting, Iowa, and Farmer City, Illinois. Precision Soya will offer field production, seed conditioning, warehousing and distribution services, as it had prior to the joint venture with GRO Alliance established in 2005.
“With this advancement, customers will enjoy the same direct communication with Precision Soya’s individual plants that has been the hallmark of the company’s superior customer service. The ability to communicate with each plant individually enables customers to relay their unique needs, which Precision Soya is fully equipped to meet.
“Precision Soya will continue to offer its technology, facilities and people to provide the integrity and service the industry demands, and help facilitate a seamless transition throughout the 2010 production season and for years to come.
“Founded in 1979 on the principles of quality and service, Precision Soya has 12 locations across the Midwest.”
Members of the new management team have been meeting with employees at the Belle Plaine plant this week. The plant employs 18 full-time workers in the local plant.

With first place finishes in the 4 x 800 and the shuttle hurdle relays, the Belle Plaine boys’ track squad finished third in the seven-team Ruritan Relays at Pekin on Monday. Albia raced out to the team title with 182 points. Lone Tree was second with 103 and the Plainsmen finished with 99 points, ahead of fourth place Waco with 70.
Other top finishes for the Plainsmen included a second by Stephen Muench and a third by Scott Croft in the 3,200 meter run. Seivon Steward was second in the 100 meter dash, finishing out of the lead by one one-hundredth of a second. Chad Olson was sixth in the 400 meter dash. Keegan DeMeulenaere was second in the 110 meter hurdles and John Long was second in the 1,600 meter run. Mitch Schmuecker placed fifth in the 400 meter hurdles. Ben Ehlen was second and Brent Stull was fourth in the 800 meter run.
The Plainsmen placed third in the 4 x 200, 4 x 100 meter and distance medley relays. They were fifth in the 4 x 400 meter relay.
The team will next be in action on Tuesday at the English Valleys Relays.

Belle Plaine’s girls’ track squad is getting primed for what should be another great season this year. Coach Julie Mantz welcomed a squad of 28 athletes, including Taylor Schafbuch and Megan Abernathy, seniors who were co-winners of the Most Valuable Player Award last season, as well as several team award winners.
Three seniors were lost to graduation, but this year’s squad includes seven freshmen.
Last year, the Plainsmen collected first place finishes in seven meets and won the conference meet for the third year in a row. They also sent several events to the state meet.
The coach says that there should be some experienced athletes for each event. The Plainsmen also boast a talented group of seven freshmen, several of whom had success in junior high and in other sports this school year. She added that if the Plainsmen hope to repeat as SICL Conference champions, they will have to find a way to stop North Mahaska.
They open the season Tuesday at the English Valleys Relays.
The following is a list of squad members, along with what they will be competing in this year and any major accomplishments from last year:
Seniors
Bree Nerison – 100, 200, 400 and hurdles.
Mallory Brandt – 100 and 200. Member of first team all-conference 4 x 200 and sprint medley relay teams.
Megan Abernathy – 100, 200 and long jump. Conference champ in the 100, long jump and a member of the 4 x 200 relay team. Placed 12th at state in the long jump. Member of the 4 x 200 relay team that placed tenth. Co-winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.
Taylor Schafbuch – 200, 400 and hurdles. School record holder in 400 meter hurdles. She finished 14th in the 400 meter hurdles at state and was a member of the 10th place 4 x 200 meter relay team at state. Co-winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.
Sara Haffner – 400.
Ariel Hawkins – 800.
Juniors
Andrea Lohf – shot and discus.
Abby Lohf – 400 to 3,000. Last year’s Guts Award winner.
Dani Coover – 100, 200 and hurdles. Member of conference champion sprint medley relay team. District champ in 100 meter hurdles, set a school record in the event and placed fifth at state. She also was a member of the school record-setting shuttle hurdle relay team.
Sophomores
Allie Upah – 400, 800 and possibly the 100.
Savannah Buch – 800, 1,500 and 3,000. Rookie of the Year Award winner.
Melissa Janss – 100, 200 and hurdles. Member of the conference champion sprint medley relay team.
Emily Mast – 400 and 800.
Hope Kriegel – 400, 800 and high jump.
Macy DeMeulenaere – 100, 200 and 400.
Meghan Miller – shot.
Freshmen
Jamie Rich – 400.
Darian Griffith – hurdles, 100 and 200.
Melissa Stull – shot and discus.
Emily Coover – 100, 200 and hurdles.
Julie Long – 800.
Kaley Hamilton – 400 and 800.
Dani Chilcote – 800.

Belle Plaine girls’ track
April 6 at English Valleys Relays
April 12 at Iowa Valley Relays
April 16 at Nevada Colo-Nesco Relays
April 17 at Oskaloosa Relays
April 19 at Keota Relays
April 23 at BGM Relays
April 26 Belle Plaine Invitational
April 30 at West Liberty Relays
May 4 at Montezuma (SICL)
May 7 at Mid-Prairie Relays
May 11 at Montezuma Relays
May 14 Regional
May 20-22 State at Des Moines

Front Lt to Rt

Team members include, front row, from left: Taylor Schafbuch, Megan Abernathy, Bree Nersion,

Ariel Hawkins, Sarah Hafner, Mallory Brant. Second row: Savannah Buch, Melissa Janss, Macy

DeMeulenaere, Katie Croft, Andrea Lohf, Abby Lohf, Dani Coover, Emily Mast, Hope Kriegel.

Back row: Darian Griffith, Jamie Rich, Melissa Stull, Kaley Hamilton, Julie Long, Dani Chilcote,

Emily Coover, Nikki Miller, Allie Upah, Meghan Miller, Bailey Gorsch

By Evan Hrabak
League manager
The snow is gone and spring is upon us. Hockey and basketball are coming to a close. That can only mean one thing: slow-pitch softball is right around the corner. The 2009 season brought the league back to Belle Plaine and boy, was it a good time? After
an 11-game regular season, each team competed in a double-elimination tournament.
On Sunday afternoons, Franklin Park was a fun place to be! Whether you were playing or just watching the games, or even just wanted entertainment for the kids on the weekend… the Belle Plaine men’s slow-pitch softball league brought good things to the
community.
All team captains should report in as soon as possible, so that the season can be drawn up and the games may begin. In 2009, the season began in early May and concluded in early August, before district and state tournaments. This year, I’d would like to start the season earlier and hopefully add a couple more teams. If anyone wants to enter a NEW TEAM to the league, just contact me @ 444-3304 and I’ll get
things going.
Captains, please be advised that a captains’ meeting will happen within the next couple weeks. Each team should send their captain or another representative to the meeting so that questions, concerns and ideas may be presented.
So, get your shoulders oiled up and your gloves loosened. Stretch out and put your cleets on.
Let’s have some fun with the second season back in Belle Plaine!

The Belle Plaine Police Department has received several reports in the past week of residents receiving suspicious telephone calls. According to Chief Kris Hudson, these telephone calls are usually from a male who speaks with a foreign accent. The man tells the person that they have won a million dollar – plus sweepstakes, and in order to claim the money, they need to go to and get a money order or Money Gram and send money (in the report the department received recently, they were asking for $1,900) to another state, sometimes to Canada.
“The bottom line is these phone calls are scams,” Hudson said. “It doesn’t make sense that you would have to send out that kind of money in order to collect more money in return. We need to get the word out to our citizens that if they receive such calls, do not give out any information whatsoever, and to simply say they are not interested and to hang up. It is not rude or impolite to hang up on someone who is trying to deceive them and steal their money.
“The calls are mostly to the elderly. The report today was concerning a telephone call received from (876) 292-1755, and if you do a Google search, it shows that there is an active scam taking place from this number.
“Some of the other calls reported involve a male voice calling the person on the other end Grandma or Grandpa, the caller then says they have a cold and its their favorite grandson calling,” the chief said. “The party called then acknowledges that it is a grandson and the conversation is started. They usually ask Grandma or Grandpa to send money for whatever reason. The report I got this week was for a trip to Canada. The person in Belle Plaine knew at that time the call was a scam and did not give any money.
“These are some tips I got from the FBI website:
Telemarketing Fraud
When you send money to people you do not know personally or give personal or financial information to unknown callers, you increase your chances of becoming a victim of telemarketing fraud.
Warning signs — what a caller may tell you:
- “You must act ‘now’ or the offer won’t be good.”
- “You’ve won a ‘free’ gift, vacation, or prize.” But you have to pay for “postage and handling” or other charges.
- “You must send money, give a credit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier.” You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully.
- “You don’t need to check out the company with anyone.” The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau, or consumer protection agency.
- “You don’t need any written information about their company or their references.”
- “You can’t afford to miss this ‘high-profit, no-risk’ offer.”
If you hear these–or similar–”lines” from a telephone salesperson, just say “no thank you,” and hang up the phone.
Some Tips to Avoid Telemarketing Fraud:
It’s very difficult to get your money back if you’ve been cheated over the phone. Before you buy anything by telephone, remember:
• Don’t buy from an unfamiliar company. Legitimate businesses understand that you want more information about their company and are happy to comply.
• Always ask for and wait until you receive written material about any offer or charity. If you get brochures about costly investments, ask someone whose financial advice you trust to review them. But, unfortunately, beware — not everything written down is true.
• Always check out unfamiliar companies with your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General, the National Fraud Information Center, or other watchdog groups. Unfortunately, not all bad businesses can be identified through these organizations.
• Obtain a salesperson’s name, business identity, telephone number, street address, mailing address, and business license number before you transact business. Some con artists give out false names, telephone numbers, addresses, and business license numbers. Verify the accuracy of these items.
• Before you give money to a charity or make an investment, find out what percentage of the money is paid in commissions and what percentage actually goes to the charity or investment.
• Before you send money, ask yourself a simple question. “What guarantee do I really have that this solicitor will use my money in the manner we agreed upon?”
• You must not be asked to pay in advance for services. Pay services only after they are delivered.
• Some con artists will send a messenger to your home to pick up money, claiming it is part of their service to you. In reality, they are taking your money without leaving any trace of who they are or where they can be reached.
• Always take your time making a decision. Legitimate companies won’t pressure you to make a snap decision.
• Don’t pay for a “free prize.” If a caller tells you the payment is for taxes, he or she is violating federal law.
• Before you receive your next sales pitch, decide what your limits are — the kinds of financial information you will and won’t give out on the telephone.
• It’s never rude to wait and think about an offer. Be sure to talk over big investments offered by telephone salespeople with a trusted friend, family member, or financial advisor.
• Never respond to an offer you don’t understand thoroughly.
• Never send money or give out personal information such as credit card numbers and expiration dates, bank account numbers, dates of birth, or social security numbers to unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
• Your personal information is often brokered to telemarketers through third parties.
• If you have information about a fraud report it to state, local, or federal law enforcement agencies.

Genesis Development, a non-profit organization with offices in Belle Plaine, is in the running for a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Officials with the agency that serves people with disabilities, are asking local residents to vote for Genesis in a nationwide poll during the month of April.
Starting on April 1, voters may go to www.refresheverything.com and vote often during the month of April. Voters who go to that site should scroll through the projects until they find the Genesis logo and the project, “Enable people with developmental disabilities to become part of their communities.” The first time you visit the site, you will be asked to register and create a password. You will need that password each time you vote.
Two grants of $250,000 will be awarded and Genesis is one of 1,000 applications that was accepted for the month of April. If Genesis is awarded the grant, officials say the money will go toward the purchase of 10 vehicles for seven if the Genesis locations to transport people with disabilities to medical appointments, community events, shopping, recreational and leisure outings and field trips.

This Thursday is Belle Plaine PTO Night at Pizza Hut. From 4-9 p.m., 20 percent of sales of regular priced pizzas will be donated to the Belle Plaine PTO. Participants must present a voucher that will be sent home with elementary school students in their folders on Wednesday.

March 22, 4:08 p.m.- Police responded to 708 Ninth Avenue for a civil dispute.
March 22, 5:54 p.m. – Clarissa Cantu, 19, of Marengo was cited for driving while revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop in the 500 block of 11th Street.
March 23, 7 a.m. – A stray cat was caught at 1003 Ninth Avenue and taken to Countryside Veterinary Clinic.
March 23, 7:15 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 400 block of 11th Street.
March 23, 8:28 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 1000 block of 15th Street.
March 23, 4 p.m. – Vehicle unlock at Washington Apartments.
March 23, 7:08 p.m. – Police were called to 1610 13th Avenue for a sick animal. Officers put down a squirrel.
March 24, 10:47 a.m. – A stray dog was caught by a resident and turned over to police, who took it to the veterinary clinic.
March 24, 11:40 a.m. – Suspicious phone calls were reported 1401 10th Avenue. The matter remains under investigation.
March 24, 3:45 p.m. – An injured stray cat was picked up in the 1000 block of 12th Street and transported to the veterinary clinic.
March 24, 4:30 p.m. – A report of harassment at 905 Ninth Avenue remains under investigation.
March 24, 8:25 p.m. – A stray cat was caught at 1307 Ninth Avenue and taken to the veterinary clinic.
March 25, 11:30 a.m. – Suspicious phone calls were reported at 605 Fifth Avenue. The matter remains under investigation.
March 26, 11:15 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 700 block of 15th Street.
March 26, 4:17 p.m. – Police assisted the Belle Plaine Fire Department at the scene of a controlled burn at 13th Avenue and 77th Street.
March 26, 6:02 p.m. – Police responded to 13th Avenue and First Street for damage to a manhole cover and the street.
March 26, 6:39 p.m. – Ambulance assist at the Belle Plaine Nursing and Rehab Center.
March 26, 8:12 p.m. – Vehicle unlock at 905 Ninth Avenue.
March 26, 8:12 p.m. – A gas drive-off at Casey’s is under investigation.
March 26, 9:16 p.m. – Police responded to 1502 Third Avenue for a domestic dispute. No charges were filed.
March 26, 11:40 p.m. – A female juvenile reported harassments. The culprits were warned.
March 27, 12:21 a.m. – Nathan Thill, 17, Belle Plaine, was cited with a curfew violation in the 900 block of 13th Street.
March 28, 1:20 a.m. – Officers responded to 116 11th Street for a dispute. No arrests were made.
March 28, 4 p.m. – A stray dog, possibly a pit bull, was reported running loose in the 1000 block of Eighth Avenue. Police responded and determined that it was not a pit bull. It was returned to the owner.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Could it be that we’ve finally turned the corner when it comes to decent weather in this area? If you believe in all this March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb stuff, this week is for you.
It’s time to emerge from our long winter’s nap and get out and do something. There are a few activities happening this week in the area to keep us busy.
This afternoon, be sure to stop by the Belle Plaine Community Center from 5-7:30 p.m. for Super Sign-up Day. The Belle Plaine Parks and Recreation Department will be offering a wide variety of summertime activities for all ages and today’s the day to reserve your spot.
The Belle Plaine third and fourth graders will present their spring concert Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Lee Gym.
This is Easter Week and there will be special religious services at local churches. Other Easter season activities will include an Easter egg hunt Thursday at Longfellow Elementary School. That will be followed by a one-hour early dismissal on Thursday. There will no school on Good Friday and also on Monday, April 5.
The annual community Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation, will be held Saturday, April 3, at 10 a.m. at Franklin Park. This year, due to construction at the south end of the park, the hunt will be held near the baseball diamond. Parking will be available across 11th Street.
The outdoor track season gets underway today, March 29, as the boys will be at the Ruritan Relays at Pekin beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Plans are being finalized for the annual Belle Plaine Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation. The hunt is scheduled for Saturday, April 3, beginning at 10 a.m. at Franklin Park.
This year, due to the aquatics center construction, the hunt has been moved to lower Franklin Park, near the ball diamond. Parking will be available across 11th Street.
Numerous prizes provided by local merchants and other treats will be distributed.