The Greene County supervisors got mixed news at their July 22 meeting when Joan St Clair and John Heydon of McDonald Insurance presented costs for renewal of the county’s insurance through the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP). The bad news is that the county’s total bill for insurance – property, crime, boiler & machinery, auto physical damage, workers’ compensation and…
Read MoreMonth: July 2024
Jefferson’s Russell Park: From a swamp to a peaceful oasis in the middle of town
~by Denise O’Brien Van for the Greene County Historical Society Once upon a time, Jefferson’s Russell Park was a wetland, home to muskrats and bullrushes. More than a century ago, that swath of swamp in the middle of Jefferson was transformed into a peaceful park named after the judge who donated the land. Mikki Schwarzkopf of Jefferson will relate the…
Read MoreRoutine business for Scranton city council
The Scranton city council handled routine business during their 40-minute meeting on July 9. Fund transfers and the allocation of ARPA money resolutions were unamiously approved. A change was made to the insurance, raising the deductibles for building and auto insurance. Ashley Squibb reported the Scranton Fishing Day was the best they have hosted so far. Ninety youngsters were registered…
Read MoreGenealogical Society meets Aug. 3
The August meeting of the Greene County Iowa Genealogical Society will be Saturday, Aug. 3, at 10 am in the basement to the Jefferson public library. Everyone is welcome and the basement is handicapped accessible. The reference library is open every Saturday from 9 to 11 am and Wednesdays from 1 to 3 pm.
Read MoreWomen’s suffrage movement topic of library program
The Churdan public library will host historian Kathy Willson, on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 9:30 a.m. August 26, 2020, marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. In this program, Wilson investigates why women had to fight for decades to get the right to vote, why Black and minority women were excluded from the…
Read MoreLifeServe in Scranton next Monday
LifeServe Blood Center thanked the community of Scranton for hosting a blood drive in March. A total of 21 units of blood were collected, saving and potentially sustaining the lives of 63 people in need. Additional drives are scheduled in Scranton on Mondays, July 29 and Nov. 18. They will be held in the Scranton United Methodist Church from 2:30…
Read MoreCrops just a little behind average year
Most of the state received little rainfall and experienced below average temperatures. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 5.9 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 21, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay, and applying fungicides. Topsoil moisture condition across Iowa rated 1 percent very…
Read MoreGreene County district court, week ending July 19
In Greene County district court a judgment for a $105 fine with a $15.75 surcharge was entered against Whitney Case, 38, of Jefferson, after she pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct- abusive epithets/threatening gesture, amended from domestic abuse assault causing injury or mental illness. The court found her unable to pay court costs or restitution for her court…
Read MoreGlenn Carstensen, 1933 – 2024
Glenn John Carstensen was born April 18, 1933, on a farm near Paton. He passed away peacefully at home near Jefferson on July 19, 2024, at the age of 91 years. Glenn was the son of Clarence and Alice (Namanny) Carstensen. In 1936, Clarence, Alice, Glenn, his older brother Kenneth and sister Shirley moved to a farm 5 -1/2 miles…
Read MoreGrCo Schools okays bond sale for solar project, hires outside firm for facility assessment and planning
Also learns of many issues with HVAC system at high school The Greene County Schools board at its July 17 meeting approved the needed resolutions to sell $6.1 million in school capital loan notes to pay for installing solar panels at the district’s three schools. The sale was scheduled to start for the next day. According to school superintendent Brett…
Read MoreGrCo school board prepares for new year
The Greene County Schools board of education spent much of the July 17 meeting preparing for the 2024-25 school year, approving fees, student and staff handbooks, and more. Greene County parents will see no increase in the fees they pay when they register their children for school for the coming year. The board approved book fees, meal prices and activity…
Read MoreSupervisors hear city of Jefferson’s strategy with dead ash trees
The Greene County supervisors had a short agenda for their July 15 meeting, listing only the monthly update from Jefferson city administrator Scott Peterson and approval of the auditor’s quarterly report of passport fees collected. Peterson told the supervisors the widening and resurfacing project on E. Lincoln Way is scheduled for completion Sept. 22. “Work is starting off OK but…
Read More