Fundraising for new animal shelter has started

The fundraising campaign for a new Greene County animal shelter is kicking off with T-shirts for sale and a donation drive. It is coincidence that it comes at the same time as discussion about how the city of Jefferson deals with feral cats. T-shirts have been designed by Greene County High School art students. They’re available at ShineOn Designs on…

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Help offered with feral cats

News of the Jefferson police department’s handling of trapped feral cats spread last week after mayor Craig Berry mentioned a meeting with representatives from Animal Protection and Education and the Animal Rescue League. Although some of the reaction was mean and bitter, particularly the targeting of Jefferson city council member Matt Wetrich, who represented the city in television news coverage,…

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Winter hangs on, slowing field work

As cold, wet weather persisted yet another week, statewide Iowa farmers had only 1.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 15, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. When conditions allowed, farmers in the southern two-thirds of the State were busy applying fertilizer and seeding oats with isolated reports of tillage.

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Tanner Taylor to perform in Jefferson

Professional jazz pianist Tanner Taylor will return to Jefferson as a special guest Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28, at Prairie Blue Creative Arts in Jefferson “SIRENS” featuring vocalists Jenny Wailes, Jamie Friess-Leggitt, Angie Gingery, and Nicole Friess-Schilling. The evening of song will showcase popular Broadway music and jazz. Taylor studied under Jack Oatts and Manhattan School of Music’s…

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Poetry, lifesaver

~a column by Colleen O’Brien Our current national poet laureate is 46-year-old Tracy K. Smith. Educated at Stanford, Harvard and Columbia and a professor at Princeton, she has dedicated her laureate mission to visits to small towns across the country that have had little exposure to famous, live poets. She believes that poetry can be a lifesaver to all of…

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Scranton council works on RAGBRAI fees, regulations

The Scranton city council approved several items relating to the upcoming visit by the bicyclists on RAGBRAI®. The council took action at its April 10 meeting. A resolution that set the fees, locations and regulations for vendors on July 23 during the RAGBRAI pass through was unanimously approved. Preliminary approval was given to the plans for Wine on Wheels and…

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Plan now for Food Safe course in May

Community and church groups that anticipate serving a meal during RAGBRAI, along with anyone involved with the Bell Tower Festival as a food vendor, 4-H leaders and members who volunteer at the Clover Café during the county fair, and farmers market vendors are encouraged to mark their calendars for Safe Food food safety training.

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The Behn Report

April 13, 2018 The governor signed a number of bills this week. One of these was Senate File 481, regarding the enforcement of immigration laws in Iowa. It requires an Iowa police or sheriff’s department having custody of a person subject to an immigration detainer request to fully comply with any instruction and legal document provided by a federal agency.…

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J-S grad Kyle Roeder returning to Jefferson in well-known opera role

Kyle Roeder, a 2013 Jefferson-Scranton graduate, will be in Jefferson Thursday, April 19, singing the role of the barber Figaro in Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera “The Barber of Seville.” Roeder, a Drake University graduate, is touring with OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera’s educational touring troupe. OPERA Iowa will perform a children’s opera, “Jack and the Beanstalk,” during a school…

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