Sam Hatch continuing his YMCA construction accident recovery - Page 3 to start taking shape - Page 13 www.harveycountynow.com - Newton, KS Vol. 1: No. 15 Thursday, November 19, 2015 $1.25 HARVEY COUNTY Rocky Mountain Large pill theft leads to changes BY ADAM STRUNK Over a two month period, from Au- Kidron Bethel, said nothing of the na- NEWTON NOW STAFF gust to October, around 200 doses of ture had ever happened in the past. [email protected] medication, including prescription Employees are extensively screened highs lead to narcotics, disappeared from the with background checks for criminal health care center. history and any other issues that NORTH NEWTON- Following the North Newton Police Chief Randy could affect their job performance or theft of a large amount of prescrip- Jordan said much of the medication the safety of the patients that reside area drug busts tion medication, security has tight- was pain killers such as Loratab, a in the facility. ened and procedures have changed at Schedule III narcotic. Kidron Bethel Village BY ADAM STRUNK Linda Peters, executive director of See PILLS / 12 NEWTON NOW STAFF [email protected] Harvey County sits more than 200 miles east HOMELESSNESS REAL IN COUNTY AS WINTER COMES of the Colorado border. But since the centennial state legalized recreational marijuana in 2013, some local authorities say the amount of large seizures of pot has doubled. The North Newton Police Department has been hauling the drug in by the actual bucket load. Josh Lowe, of the department, said since le- galization he's seen an increase in the regular- ity as well as the size of marijuana traveling through the community. “It's both really,” Lowe said. “A lot of people go there to use it. And they bring it back and not just small amounts.” Lowe said the department has seized more than 30 pounds of the substance since January, including a 13-pound load recently found stored in five-gallon buckets. He estimates around a See POT / 6 WORKING FIVE JOBS Bethel senior will finish school in three years PHOTOS BY WENDY NUGENT/NEWTON NOW BY WENDY NUGENT Harvey County Homeless Shelter residents, from left, Helen Smith, Crystal Preston and Jackson Faries talk the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 13, NEWTON NOW STAFF at the shelter. [email protected] Xi Cheng wants to be independent—so much so that she’s working five jobs to make ends meet. “I think no matter how much money my par- Finding their way ents make, I think of it as their money,” the Bethel College senior said, while sitting in BY WENDY NUGENT Mojo’s, dining on a warm cinnamon roll NEWTON NOW STAFF and a cool fruity [email protected] drink. Cheng, of Shanghi, elen Smith said she and her fi- China, is an only ancé, Mike, lived in a camper child. Her father is a Hwith no heat or air for a long mechanical engineer, time. and her mother works “We’ve been through the worst we for city government. can go through,” she said, sitting in Every Friday night, the Harvey County Homeless Shelter. Cheng Skypes with Smith said Mike lost his commercial her parents, who live drivers license, and before that, his in another time zone mother and father died. Mike is de- and are 13 hours pressed. ahead of North New- “He’s trying to get over this hump,” ton. She goes back Xi Cheng Smith said. “He lost his dad about a home every summer. year ago, and he’s trying to get over “Sometimes Christmas, but not every Christ- this hump.” mas,” Cheng said about visiting her parents. Her jobs include staff photographer for The See HOMELESS / 6 The local homeless shelter is bedecked with strollers. See JOBS / 12 Mail Label Newton church collecting holiday packages for around the world BY WENDY NUGENT God Jesus as his savior and became NEWTON NOW STAFF a missionary himself,” said Melanie [email protected] Baird, who is in charge of the shoe- box collection at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Newton. The All one little boy in Peru wanted church has done this for about 20 for Christmas was a red ball. Noth- years. Shoeboxes will be collected ing else. Just a red ball. Not an through Monday, Nov. 23, at the Xbox. Not a big computer. church, 1515 N. Anderson in New- He received a shoebox filled with ton. goodies through Samaritan's Purse Although she didn’t know his age, Operation Christmas Child one Baird said about the boy, “I just year, and the boxes were handed out know that he was young enough without anyone looking through that he wanted a ball,” Baird said. them. And the little boy got what he Baird said there are many stories WENDY NUGENT/NEWTON NOW always wanted—a red ball. These are what the packed shoeboxes look like. “Because of that ball, he received See CHURCH / 6 A unique We are Newton’s ONLY Family Owned one of a kind shopping “Dent and Bent” Grocery Store experience! Fresh Products too! • Wiebe Cheese MERIDIAN GROCERY YODER DISCOUNT Farm Fresh Unruh Eggs 101 S. Meridian, Newton • Bakery Selection GROCERY Newton's best (1 mile off US 50 West) 3406 Red Rock Road kept West • Old Fashioned German 316-283-4374 Yoder side secret. Sausage • And More! Mon-Sat. 8am-7pm Vision Cards Accepted 620-466-5119 Page 2 www.harveycountynow.comNEWS Newton Now November 19, 2015 SEW MANY DRESSES Women’s Missionary Union makes garb for orphan girls BY WENDY NUGENT NEWTON NOW STAFF [email protected] The idea for making pillowcase dresses for lit- tle girls overseas came when the scripture “I was naked and you clothed me” and pictures of pillowcase dresses were found in an old mis- sion book. “We thought, ‘Surely we can do that,’ and it built from there,” Melanie Baird with Im- PHOTOS BY WENDY NUGENT/NEWTON NOW manuel Southern Baptist ABOVE: Nancy Hardeman, left, and Melanie Baird talk while Hardeman Church in Newton said sits at the sewing machine with a pillowcase dress. RIGHT: From left, regarding the Women’s Melanie Baird, Nancy Hardeman and Joan Augustine stand near a dis- Missionary Union Pillow- play of pillowcase dresses at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in case Ministry at the Newton. church. “Matthew 25:36 says, 'I They get their pillow- sent to a foreign coun- was naked, and you cases from people who try.” clothed me,' so the ladies donate them or inexpen- A couple of weeks ago, are beginning a new min- sively at the local Et the women sent a box of istry to make dresses for Cetera Shop or estate 30 dresses to Mexico. little girls in other coun- sales. They also plan to ship 40 WOMEN’S MISSIONARY UNION tries from a pillowcase,” “We started collecting to 50 dresses to Haiti said Joan Augustine, trim, and we’ve come up through Kingdom Life Women's Missionary Union at Immanuel head of the WMU at the with something that’s church in Hesston. That Southern Baptist Church in Newton is a group of church. useful for a little girl who church has been involved 10 to 12 women who study and pray for mission So, a few months ago, maybe would never have in building up an orphan- projects around the world and in Newton. they started making had a pretty little dress,” age in Haiti, and Augus- Their mission projects in Newton this year in- dresses out of pillow- Augustine said. tine has at least one clude The Salvation Army, Pregnancy Care Cen- cases, with gathered One such pillowcase granddaughter who does ter, Amber Hope at Youthville and a Prayer Quilt necklines and armholes was blue with a bunch of mission work there. Ministry. sewn in, as well as bows yo-yos sewn on. The About 30 folks from the at the neckline and vari- women left the yo-yos as church go there every ous kinds of ribbon and a decoration. summer to do mission teens and preteens. Some man added. rick-rack enhancing the “We try to make ‘em work, and three to four young women said they’d Others can join in on bottom. The other end of kinda colorful,” Augus- times a year, the church never wear a pillowcase the fun, as anyone can the case is hemmed. The tine said about the sends a shipment to that dress, but they seemed to help sew the dresses. women use a variety of dresses, adding the lady country. The Newton warm up to them. Even one of Baird’s who made the yo-yo pil- women want to include girls in the church do a “It worked out fine neighbors went to help. trims on the dresses. fashion show. During the “Sometimes, our deco- lowcase “never would dresses in a shipment. until they went back to About 10 to 12 women have guessed her pillow- Before sending the summer when they made school,” Augustine said. meet once a month. rations are to cover boo- dresses, the WMU boos,” Baird said. case would have been next group of dresses off, “They had a lot of fun “We just sew all day,” made into a dress and the women might have women were joined by doing it,” Nancy Harde- Baird said. Apple dessert is bloomin’ delicious t’s a bit tough to tell flavor of pie without all the butter, brown sugar, by the store decora- the work. flour and cinnamon and Itions, but Thanksgiv- The recipe is for a then spread the mixture ing is approaching.