Eveejo Christeson of Garner (right) will compete for the title of Miss Iowa USA this weekend at Des Moines. Christeson, 19, is a 2007 graduate of Garner-Hayfield. She currently is a student at NIACC and works full time at Opportunity Village at Clear Lake. She also assists part-time at Active Learning Childcare Center in Garner. The new Miss Iowa USA will be crowned Sunday at Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Des Moines. LEADER photo by Rebecca Peter

By Rebecca Peter
A Garner young lady will compete for the title of Miss Iowa USA this weekend. Eveejo Christeson, 19, is the daughter of Sheri Jensen and Dan Christeson. She will join other contestants from throughout Iowa in the Miss Iowa USA Pageant, November 22-23, in Des Moines.

Preliminary competitions for Miss Iowa USA are on Saturday. The crowning of the 2009 Miss Iowa USA will take place on Sunday at Roosevelt High School Auditorium.

This is Christeson’s first pageant experience. “I wasn’t very interested in pageants,” she admitted. She was surprised when she received an application for the Miss Iowa USA Pageant in the mail in June. On a whim, she filled it out and sent it in along with a photo of herself.

Christeson’s next surprise was a phone call from Future Productions – the parent company of the Miss USA pageant (and their affiliated state pageants), Miss Teen USA and the Miss Universe Pageants. [more]

Rockwell Police Chief Rick Whitney acquired a Ford Ranger for the city to use when winter snowfall makes the roads a hazard.

By Travis Fischer
Rockwell Police Chief Rick Whitney won’t be detoured by heavy snowfall this year. When the roads become too perilous for his squad car, Whitney will bring out the Police Department’s new 4-wheel drive truck.

“It’s a basic, to the bones, military issue Chevy Blazer,” said Whitney. “I’ve seen these things in my time in the military and I’ve never seen one stuck.”

Acquired through a government military surplus program for police departments, the truck came at just the right price. “The only cost to the city is wages and mileage to pick it up,” said Whitney. [more]

Royal Molander, a member of the Garner Ceremonial Unit, salutes the U.S. flag during the Veterans Day program, Tuesday, Nov. 11 at the Garner-Hayfield gymnasium. LEADER photo by Rebecca Peter

By Rebecca E. Peter
The Garner community joined the nation in honoring the men and women who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Services.
The annual Veterans Day program was held at Garner-Hayfield High School gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Col. Joan Gouge of Garner was the featured speaker. Gouge is a member of the Iowa Army National Guard (IA ARNG) where she is Deputy Commander of Administration for the IA ARNG Medical Command. She holds a Masters Degree in health care administration from Des Moines University. Since February of 2000 to the present, she serves as the IA ARNG State Chief Nurse.

“So often we hear about what is not being done for our veterans’ needs,” Gouge stated. “Lessons learned from the past have created a new attitude and direction in taking care of veterans today. Our ultimate goal is to not let that veteran be forgotten any more.” [more]