The Rotary Club of Jefferson announced the winners of the 2026 Bell Tower Festival parade organized by the service club for the past 30 years. Special emphasis on the categories for the awards this year coincided with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. There were 82 entries in the parade and 25 chose to be judged…
Read MoreYear: 2026
Corn, soybeans doing well across the state
Iowa farmers had 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 21, 2026, which is 0.2 more days than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 16 percent short, 60 percent adequate, and 22 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 21 percent short, 60 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus. Corn…
Read MoreGreene County district court, week ending June 19
In Greene County district court Conner Laine Groves, 29, of Scranton was sentenced June 16 to two years in prison after she pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment- first degree, amended from tampering with a juror. The prison term is concurrent to a term she is serving on an arson charge. She was fined $855 with a $128.25 surcharge;…
Read MoreFoundation golf tournament drives support for local healthcare
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 MoreSupes allow more anhydrous east of Churdan, discuss pioneer cemeteries, Bell Tower Festival
The county supervisors at their June 15 meeting held a public hearing and then approved a permit allowing NEW Cooperative to place a third anhydrous tank at its facility on Highway 4 about four miles east of Churdan. There are two tanks now; the third will bring the total capacity to 135,000 gallons. Jeff March of NEW Cooperative said the…
Read MoreP.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.
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