The Greene County Activities Booster Club will host a community pep rally for Ram fall sports Friday, Aug. 18, at Linduska Field. The pep rally will begin at 5 pm, followed by a tailgate meal grilled by the Greene County Cattlemen. A free will donation will be accepted for the meal. The Ram football team will scrimmage the Ogden Bulldogs…
Read MoreDay: August 16, 2023
Rams look for continued gridiron success in 2023
2022 District champs with 8-2 record ~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal The Greene County football team will be taking the field again soon, with a scrimmage this Friday at home against Ogden. This will be Coach Caden Duncan’s fifth season with the team, having a record of 32-9. With 26 returning letter winners, the Rams look to have a…
Read MoreCara Osborne comes to GrCo Schools as middle school principal
~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal Greene County Community School District has hired a new middle school principal, with Cara Osborne assuming the role. Osborne, originally from Boone, has worked in a variety of positions and places. Her first teaching job was at Newton Middle School as a seventh grade teacher, before moving to Long County Middle School in…
Read MoreView from my window – Book banning, a wedge issue
~a column by Mary Weaver “That doesn’t seem fair!” “That’s not right!” “He or she wasn’t dealt a good hand.” There are times when unfair things happen. Rain doesn’t fall, the wind blows too hard. A nail is in the road, resulting in a flat tire. Sometimes we just must accept life events. When purposeful decisions are made or actions…
Read MoreAugust 28 is Decision Day for putting new jail on Nov. 7 ballot
The Greene County supervisors are poised to place a $10 million bond referendum for the construction of a new jail on the Nov. 7 ballot. Heidi Kuhl of Northland Securities, the company that has handled previous bond sales for the county, met with the supervisors at their Aug. 14 meeting. She provided calculations showing growth of 4.4 percent per year…
Read MoreFiguring it all out, not for the first time
~ a column by Colleen O’Brien The best thing about being alive — at least right now at this age when I’ve lost beloveds, friends, acquaintances, movie stars, authors, columnists — is when I have something to look forward to. It comes to this: I’m happy to learn it, eager to employ it . . . that life doesn’t have…
Read MoreHousehold hazardous waste collection Saturday in Jefferson
A free hazardous waste collection is slated for Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9 to 11 am on the north side of the courthouse square. The event is for Jefferson residents only. Waste from schools and businesses, including farms, will not be accepted without prior approval. Items that will be accepted include aerosol cleaners and paints; ammonia-based cleaners; antifreeze; batteries (only…
Read MoreJeff council agrees to strategic planning, increases fees for city services
The Jefferson city staff and council will go through a process for strategic planning and goal setting at the suggestion of new city administrator Scott Peterson. The city council at its Aug. 8 meeting agreed to pay an amount not to exceed $2,000 to Callahan Municipal Consultants of Anamosa for the work. The last several years the council has started…
Read MoreWater Tower housing project gets state Workforce Housing tax credits
Rowland Real Estate LLC was notified last Friday that it will receive a total of $600,00 in state Workforce Housing tax credits for its proposed Water Tower Development in the northwest quadrant of Jefferson. The company will also receive $88,200 in sales tax refunds. The project will include a total of 20 rental units in a mix of four-plexes and…
Read MoreGreene County Schools open Aug. 23
~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal The Greene County Community School District has been busy preparing for the 2023-2024 school year, district wide and throughout the buildings. “There have been many things going on at each of our buildings to prepare ourselves for the school year,” said superintendent Brett Abbotts. The bus garage got a new roof, replacing the…
Read MoreFew ESA applications in Greene, Guthrie counties, but 427 in Carroll
`~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal More than 18,000 Students First Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) were approved as of Aug. 4, with area schools seeing the effects. ESAs are for students whose parents choose to enroll them into an accredited nonpublic school. Each student approved will receive an amount equal to the per pupil funding allocated to public school…
Read MoreWelcome rain for Iowa’s farms
Central and southeast Iowa were the recipients of above average precipitation, which limited days suitable for fieldwork to 4.7 during the week ending August 13, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Farmers in west central Iowa had 4.1 days for field work. Field activities included cutting and baling hay as well as harvesting oats. Continued precipitation has…
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