Discussion of extending mask mandate set for Thursday ~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline At their regular meeting Jan. 11, the Greene County board of supervisors approved final plans and specifications for the Raccoon River Valley Trail bridge repair project which has been in the works since the bridge, located 2.5 miles south of the Jefferson depot, was damaged in March…
Read MoreMonth: January 2021
Covid positivity rate at 6.7 percent as of Wednesday
The 14-day positivity rate for Covid-19 testing in Greene County nudged its way back to 6.7 percent as of Wednesday morning, from 5.8 percent Tuesday, according to Greene County public health director Becky Wolf. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the county is 701. There have been seven new cases in the last 24 hours, eight in the last…
Read MoreBusy week for Ram matmen
~courtesy of The Scranton Journal The Greene County wrestling team traveled to Burnside Jan. 7 where they battled Audubon, Ogden and Southeast Valley. The Rams came away with two victories, defeating Audubon 60-12 and Ogden 51-23. They fell to the hosts, 53-24. It was career victory number 50 for sophomore McKinley Robbins. The top ranked Class 2A wrestler at 120…
Read MoreRam girls get third hoops win of season
The Greene County girls basketball team fell in non-conference action Jan. 4 to Webster City 53-18 but won their Heart of Iowa Conference clash with Saydel Jan. 8, 59-42. Both games were played at the new Greene County gymnasium in Jefferson. The Rams are now 2-2 in conference play and 3-4 overall. Friday was Senior Night. Eliza Carlson, Brianna Osterson,…
Read MoreRam boys get first win of hoops season
The Greene County boys basketball team celebrated its first victory of the season and in the new gymnasium, a 59-45 win over Saydel on Jan. 8. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Rams lost to Webster City 51-36 in non-conference action. GC is 1-6 overall and 1-3 in Heart of Iowa Conference standings. “I thought we did a lot of nice…
Read MoreVibrant mainstream media, the light that nurtures democracy
~by Tori Riley, publisher/editor, GreeneCountyNewsOnline The short-lived takeover of the U.S. capitol Wednesday by supporters of President Donald Trump looked more Yemeni or Costa Rican than American. Shock and sadness were the first reaction of many of us. I cried as I watched the news unfolding. “That just can’t be happening here. We don’t do things like that,” I thought.…
Read MoreHow do I do it?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien After the election of Joe Biden as our 46th president, I relaxed, let go of politics. My four-year low-grade fever subsided. If I reverted and thought about politics, it was while I was catching up on things that didn’t have to do with divisiveness, cruelty, disdain, bullying, lying. I looked forward to peaceful discourse –…
Read MoreJeff council ready to pay a share of the animal shelter
Public support, a planned expansion of the Jefferson wastewater treatment plant, and an upcoming bond issue are lining up to make a new animal shelter a reality. Although it wasn’t on the agenda for the Jefferson city council’s Jan. 12 meeting, the council by consensus agreed to move forward with a bond issue of approximately $500,000 for a new animal…
Read MoreScranton native Dennis Stevens takes up cartooning during pandemic
Publishes first book of cartoons Dennis Stevens, a 1960 graduate of Scranton High School, has just published Out of My Mind, a book of original cartoons created during the pandemic quarantine. The son of the late Wilmer “Shorty” and Lela Stevens, Stevens earned a bachelor of fine arts from Drake University. He began his work career at Look Magazine in…
Read MoreEnergy savings topic at Jan. 22 Ag Coffee
Greene County Extension & Outreach is hosting a series of Ag Coffee events, bringing farmers and other agricultural professionals together for an informal discussion on current ag topics. The next Ag Coffee is slated for Friday, Jan. 22, from 9:30 to 11:00 am at the Greene County Extension Office meeting room. This month’s topic will be “Energy Savings for your…
Read MoreReynolds names priorities in Condition of the State Address
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds delivered her 2021 Condition of the State Address Jan. 12 at the Statehouse. Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery: Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Governor, legislative leaders and members, justices and judges, my fellow Iowans: Our state constitution says that, every year, the governor must communicate to the general assembly the condition of…
Read MoreCovid positivity rate down to 5.8 percent
The feared increase in Covid-19 cases following Christmas hasn’t happened, although the two-week incubation period after New Year’s hasn’t passed yet. The 14-day positivity rate for Covid-19 testing in Greene County is 5.8 percent as of Tuesday morning, Jan. 12, according to Greene County public health director Becky Wolf. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the county is 693.…
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