Carroll Daily Times Herald (Newspaper) - December 18, 2003, Carroll, Iowa TH mm mm imes Herald Weather Message Center Only One Week to Christmas Clear Low 19 Tomorrow Sunny High 36 Iowa December 2003 Single Copy 500 Casino advocates Riverboat creates rising tide Opponents contend residents are pawns for casino industry By DOUGLAS BURNS Times Herald Staff Writer SAC CITY Layering their presentation with dollar fig estimates and other economic ad of a ca sino in Sac County Wednesday argued that the project would be a catalyst for development in the About 50 people attended a gaming forum Wednesday night at the Townhouse Res in Sac City where sup porters of the casino outlined plans and opponents sever al of them wearing casiNO buttons took some of their first public swipes at the pro posed gaming The bottom supporters is that a Sac County casino likely would generate around 320 jobs and have an annual payroll of about Using the states smallest existing floating Cat fish Bend in Burlington and Fort as a reference the Sac County Gam bling Committee maintains that the jobs will pay an aver age of per Gambling proponents in Sac County along with their supporters in area cities and elsewhere have proposed the development of a casino complex on one of the Hallett Materials gravel pits southeast of Wall The area under consideration is 40feet deep and could eas ily accommodate a said Record farmland values in Iowa DES Iowa AP An Iowa State University farm economist says current record farmland values arent likely to signal a decline such as the farm crisis of the when prices hit highs then plunged In an annual ISU study Inside Scenes from Community Cho rus 9 4 Life 5 1011 11 1415 247 released Mike Duffy said the average value of an acre of farmland reached in the highest fig ure reported since ISU began conducting the survey in The average increase this year was an acre or The previous record for the value of an acre was in Thats right before the nations latest farm crisis when crashing values forced farmers off land that had been families for Duffy said the recent in creases are happening in a much different farm economy See FARMLAND on Page 9 Wall Lake City Manager Tom Hallett officials have told The Daily Times Herald they are supportive of such a plan should Sac County voters pass a referendum and if de clear several regula tory or legislative The initial plans call for a hotel and restaurant to be lo in the casino As far as gaming is con a typical small floating casino includes 600 slot ma chines and 12 Scott Lake Views city says Black Hawk Lake draws over people a year from a market area of people a geographic area that is cor nered by Fort Sioux Des Moines and He predicts a Sac County casino on the Hallett pits would have a similar Peterson said the effect of a casino on the county tax base could be profoundly using the Catfish Bend Casino as an the Sac County gambling committee said a similar facil ity could generate million annually in state and nearly for the county and all of its Area philanthropic groups and other organiza tions also would stand to reap tens of thousands of dollars through arrangements and outright financial the gambling committee But opponents say residents can expect organizations to be as a result of the social ills that stem from the some of them members of a local contend that supporters are presenting overly optimistic projections on the benefits of Christmas colors Daily Times Herald photo by Jeff Gina Bauck adds a bit of red to Carrolls white Christmas by caring for poinsettias at Enchanted The located on 71 is hosting a Chamber of Commerce Coffee Friday morning from 8 to 9 Wes president of the Iowa Gaming a trade organiza tion for casinos in the presents facts and figures on gambling in Iowa at a forum in Sac City on Eh recke didnt endorse any of a number of Daily Times Herald Photo by Jeff Storjohann proposals for new gambling facilities in but he talked about the economic benefits of Iowas legal gambling gener ally and sought to debunk what he says are myths about community Its not strictly the moral standpoint that we oppose this said Brian pastor at Faith Bible Church in Sac City and the founder of the Dont Gamble With Our Future Amongst our group are a good number of pastors from the Sac County and we absolutely are opposed to this on the moral But it doesnt work eco either so we figure that the moral issue takes about 10 seconds for us to deal In an interview with The Daily Times Herald following the Krause said he doesnt believe the gambling industry would ever locate in an area with such a relatively small population base and no direct access to Nobody has committed to our he Krause thinks Sac County and other communities he be have no shot at landing gambling boats are being used by the gaming industry in the referendum process to create the appearance of widespread support for more legal betting in In Krause Sac County is an unwitting stalk ing horse for the gambling industrys plans to develop ca sinos in other parts of They want to be able to say that the people of Iowa are clamoring for more gam Krause We dont want to give them that am Were being Were a Nobody in their right mind believes they are going to put that casino down Casino like Wall Lakes Tom say gaming industry executives See CASINO on Page 3 All Strings studio to present Angels Sunday By LARRY DEVINE Times Herald Staff Writer The beauty of angels has in spired the theme of All Strings Attached studios third annual Christmas The studio will present Christmas Angels at 1 and 4 at the Carroll Recreation Center Admission is and free will offerings will be wel The concert will feature the Carroll Area Symphony with 102 including about 10 alumni who are returning to join the performance the junior orchestra with about 45 members including fourth through plus high school mentors and 16 musicians in the studios new Strolling Strings youth All Strings owner and in Becky Windschitl will direct the sympho ny and Strolling As in past the concert will conclude with Handels Hallelujah Chorus per formed with members of the Carroll Community directed by David More than 30 All Strings members accompanied the Community Chorus on Hal Chorus at the chorus Christmas concert Sunday af at Holy Spirit u Highlighting the angels the concert will feature the number Angels in the Snow written by Dubuque composer Tracey The Community Chorus and a special childrens chorus formed for this num ber will combine to perform Angels in the Windschitl says shes tried to acquire the rights to per form Angels in the Snow for a couple of The childrens chorus is made up of 36 boys and Daily Times Herald Photo by Larry Devine Elisa daughter of Henry and Kai is a viola player in the All Strings Attached which will present its third annual Christmas concert at 1 and 4 Sunday at the Carroll Rec Center girls in third through eighth grades from Carroll Com Kuemper and Coon Many of the children are All Strings Attached but Wind schitl also called on music teachers Kathy Snyder at Car roll Middle School and Joan Gronstal at Kuemper Catholic to invite some top students to Angels in the Snow is currently a popular piece with See CONCERT on Pace 8
