Competition on the Jefferson Community Golf Course was matched by generosity as golfers, sponsors and volunteers came together for the Greene County Medical Center Foundation’s annual golf tournament Friday, June 12. The event raised funds that support healthcare services, programs and equipment needs, all for the benefit of Greene County and beyond. “We are incredibly grateful for the support we…
Read MoreYear: 2026
P.E.O. scholarships awarded from Hazel Brown Zachar fund
Recent 2026 graduates of Greene County Community School District, Lucy Vander Linden, Becca Anderson, Taylor Johnston and Addison Gannon were recipients of the Hazel Brown Zachar P.E.O. scholarships. Each of the four graduates were awarded $3,120 in college scholarships by the Hazel Brown Zachar endowment fund through P.E.O. International Foundation. Hazel Brown graduated from Jefferson High School in 1939 as valedictorian…
Read MoreSchoolboy Soldiers of Rippey IPBS segment available for viewing online
The Iowa PBS story about Greene County High School students in the Iowa history class and their Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey project is now available for viewing online. The 7-minute feature first aired June 11. Viewers can watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEevlUQWtAA or on the Iowa PBS website: https://www.iowapbs.org/shows/iowalife/clip/14252/schoolboy-soldiers-rippey-iowa-students-preserve-civil-war-legacy The story will also be featured in Iowa Life episode 310,…
Read MoreCamaraderie and help during sad times
~by Colleen O’Brien I began this story about history’s ability to make much better reading than the daily news. Similar things like the daily nonsense of politicians, government, commentators like me happened in the “old days,” and I romanticize them. Reading the “news” from the faraway past tense gives me the illusion of fiction if not fantasy, and pleasant reading…
Read MoreA challenging weather week for much of Iowa
Iowa farmers had 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 14, which is 1.9 days less than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 14 percent short, 66 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 15 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 13 percent surplus. Corn emerged…
Read MoreView from my window – Greene County weekend
June 14, 2026 Greene County is such an amazing place! The Bell Tower Festival and associated weekend activities are such a positive reflection on why we live, work, and play here. Let me give my perspective on the recap. The opening ceremonies were different, but even better with the changed logistics, with the stage at the southwest corner of the…
Read MoreGreene County district court, week ending June 12
Christene Rae Thompson, 50, of Jefferson was sentenced June 5 in Greene County district court to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of murder in the first degree in a jury trial in April. She must pay $150,000 restitution to the estate of Richard Thompson, her former husband and the murder victim. Prior to…
Read MoreGreene County magistrate court, week ending June 12
Cases were initiated in Greene County magistrate court during the week ending June 12 as follows: Amgela Jean Peterson of Carroll, possession of drug paraphernalia; Bryant James Margetta of Jefferson, possession of drug paraphernalia; Kristina Marie Greene of Jefferson, assault- general; and Lucas Darrell Smith of West Des Moines, possession of drug paraphernalia.
Read More4-H news
Greenbrier The June Greenbrier 4-H meeting was held at Clover Hall, with Rylan Hostetler presiding. In recognition of Dairy Month, members learned how milk is processed through a cheese plant and turned into the cheese sold in stores. Young Leader representative Autumn Barrett reported that the group will help clean and prepare the fairgrounds for the 2026 Greene County Fair.…
Read MoreBrown presented with Tower of Fame Award at Bell Tower Festival opening ceremony
Ellie Brown, a 1961 graduate of Jefferson High School, was honored with the Tower of Fame Award at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Bell Tower Festival Friday evening. The ceremony had a different look than in years past, with the backdrop not being the historic county courthouse, but the back of a rented concert stage brought in for the…
Read MoreFuneral notices
Myron Rinker, 88, of Rippey. Celebration of Life Saturday, June 27, at 10:30 am at the Rippey United Methodist Church. Interment: Rippey Cemetery. Survivors: wife Maralynn Rinker of Rippey; daughter Marilee (Steve) White of Centennial, CO; and son Marke (Jennifer) Rinker of West Des Moines; granddaughter Jodi Christina White; other relatives; and friends.
Read MoreRichard (Dick) Carstens, 1950 – 2026
Richard (Dick) H. Carstens, 75, of Jefferson, peacefully passed away June 12, 2026. He was born on December 7, 1950, in Carroll to Herman and Geniece Carstens. Dick grew up on a farm outside of Paton and graduated from Paton-Churdan Community School in 1969. He married his high school sweetheart Connie Fillman in 1971 in Farnhamville, at Holy Trinity Lutheran…
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