Jeff council okays budget, also hears update on 1921 school repurposing project

Jefferson mayor Craig Berry opened the April 22 city council meeting by reading a mayoral proclamation honoring Jefferson Matters as the winner of a Great America Main Street Award (GAMSA). The proclamation noted that the award places Jefferson “among the best of the best” and notes  “countless volunteers, community leaders, business owners, and residents who have worked together to build…

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Letter to the editor – Do not allow eminent domain for CO2 pipelines

To the editor, A couple weeks ago I had a chance to read a Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) easement contract offer.  WOW!!  Ready to sign away your property rights “forever”?  As written, it appears the contract would be applicable to ALL real estate residential, industrial, businesses, agriculture, wherever. Last year the Iowa Utility Commission (IUC) gave SCS eminent domain powers…

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2025 Bell Tower season opens Saturday

The Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower will officially open weekends in May starting May 3-4.  Hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.  Daily hours begin Memorial Day weekend through the end of October, with hours from 10 am to 4 pm. At this time, the elevator is not operable so tours will not include a trip to…

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Here we are we

~a column by Colleen O’Brien As the kids used to say, “Where we are we, Mom?” I was relieved when I could answer“Here we are we,” as I finally pulled into our intended destination. And now, I’m the one asking, “Where we are we?”  hoping for an answer. After reading the first three pages of a really good book, Abundance,…

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The apostrophe and me

~by Denise O’Brien Van I’ve lived with apostrophes all my life (see writer’s name.)  And a recent friendly discussion about whether to write 1900 or 1900’s got me thinking about when and how to use that airborne punctuation mark. Overuse and underuse of the flying comma are everywhere. We’ve all seen the signs: Open Sunday’s Were open today No bicycle’s…

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Gary Harbaugh, 1944 – 2025

Gary Lynn Harbaugh, the fourth of five children, was born to Merritt P. and Elma J. (Gliem) Harbaugh on April 11, 1944, in Cherokee, OK.  He spent his childhood growing up and helping on the family farms at Jefferson and later in Webster City. He graduated from Webster City High School in 1962, then worked first at Morton Frozen Foods in…

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Now what?

~a column by Colleen O’Brien It’s not difficult to dislike a bully. The one we have in White Resort Mar A Lago has always been a mean, show-off guy, making fun of women who are “bleeding” (Megan Kelly); or imitating reporter Serge Kovaleski who has a neurological disease that causes erratic movements; or accusing MIAs of being suckers. But he…

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