Paton-Churdan and Greene County high schools both held commencement exercises for the Class of 2025 last weekend. Honor graduates at Paton-Churdan (above) were valedictorian Grace Cullum (left) and salutatorian Kinnick Steimel (right). They’re pictured with principal Annie Smith. Honor graduates at Greene County (below) were (pictured, from left) salutatorian Emma Shipley and co-valedictorians Ella Shipley, Hailey Carman and Kamden Kinne.
Read MoreMonth: May 2025
County going ahead with debt for courthouse HVAC
The Greene County supervisors are moving forward with upgrades to the heating/cooling/ventilation at the 108-year-old courthouse using funds from the local option sales & service tax (LOSST). Voters in the unincorporated areas of the county had twice rejected that funding source for the much-needed project. After the second ballot issue failed, county officials learned they could transfer LOSST revenue from…
Read MoreHis own ‘High Castle’
~a column by Colleen O’Brien “What if” stories are fun to read, as well as thought-provoking. Philip K Dick, a science fiction author of the 1940s through the 1970s, wrote a novel belonging to the subgenre of science fiction known as alternate history. The Man in the High Castle is about an alternative end to WWII: The Germans and the…
Read MoreDry week for Iowa farmers
Little or no precipitation and warm temperatures allowed Iowa farmers 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 18, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Corn and soybean planting made rapid progress. There were scattered reports of replanting as early planted crops in some areas had struggled to emerge with the dry conditions. Topsoil moisture…
Read MoreView from my window: Vision 2030
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW VISION 203O I have just finished reading a book entitled ABUNDANCE written by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. It was unsettling. The authors describe abundance as a state in which there is enough of what we need to create lives better than what we have. The authors prescribe that the focus must be on future building…
Read MoreGreene County district court, week ending May 16
In Greene County district court Kyle Dean Rysavy, 26, of Jefferson was sentenced to a term not to exceed two years in prison with credit for time served after he changed his plea to guilty to a charge of harassment- second degree. The prison term was suspended. If Rysavy eventually serves the term it will be consecutive to a term…
Read MoreGreene County magistrate court, week ending May 16
In Greene County magistrate court a judgment for a $105 fine with a $15.75 surcharge was entered against Roger Keith Ketchum Jr of State Center after he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct- fighting/violent behavior. Court costs were $60. Liberty Ann Norgart of Grand Junction was fined $105 with a $15.75 surcharge after she pleaded guilty to a…
Read MoreGrCo school board increases pay, approves superintendent contract, amends budget
The Greene County Schools board of education at its May 14 meeting approved pay increases for substitute teachers and some hourly employees. The pay for substitute teachers for the new school year will increase from $150 to $160 per day. Substitutes who work in the same classroom for 11 or more consecutive days will receive $190.52 per day, a $10…
Read MoreStudents earn Seal of Biliteracy
Greene County high school students have demonstrated their proficiency in Spanish by earning the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is available to students who take an approved proficiency test and earning a set number of credits in the language. Students receiving the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are (front, from left) Ava Binkley, Fredy Aguilar, Rylyn Sigler and…
Read MoreRibbon cutting at pickleball courts Thursday
The new pickleball courts at Russell Park are already in use, but an official ribbon cutting ceremony is slated for Thursday, May 22, at 1:30 pm. The courts are free to use and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. All are invited to the ribbon cutting. The Jefferson park and recreation board and staff thanked Grow Greene County Gaming…
Read MoreCity council hears ambitious urban renewal plan
The Jefferson city council at its regular meeting May 13 set public hearings for June 10 on amending the city’s urban renewal plan to include 10 different projects for which tax increment financing could be used. City administrator Scott Peterson stressed throughout the presentation that none of the projects are certainties at this time, but the requested action “would lay…
Read MoreLetters from World War Two topic of Historical Society program Sunday
A program about letters, and the people who wrote and received them during the 20th century’s two World Wars, will be presented at the Greene County Museum, 218 E. Lincoln Way, on Sunday, May 18. The free event, part of the museum’s Sunday program series, is set for 2 pm. Mikki Schwarzkopf of Jefferson will read excerpts from letters penned…
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