The Jefferson city council at its Nov. 25 meeting approved an application for a $250,000 Regional Transportation federal grant for construction of a shared-use path from the intersection of W. Central Ave and N. Walnut St to the southeast corner of the Greene County High School property. Total project cost is estimated at $400,000, with the city and Greene County…
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Supervisors encouraged to control growth of digital mining, data centers
The Greene County supervisors will hold a public hearing Dec. 1 on an amendment to the county zoning ordinance regarding data centers and digital mining. County attorney Thomas Laehn said at the Nov. 24 supervisors’ meeting that the amendment isn’t necessary, that without it companies could go through the steps to obtain a conditional use from the board of adjustment.…
Read MoreHarvest finished, end of USDA crop reporting season
Mostly dry conditions and above normal temperatures allowed for 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Nov. 23, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities were fertilizer and manure applications as well as fall tillage. Topsoil moisture condition statewide rated 4 percent very short, 27 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus.…
Read MoreGrow Greene County ‘Gives Back’ to area service agencies
A tradition was started in 2016 by the Grow Greene County board of directors to surprise deserving agencies in Greene County with a Give Back Award during the holiday season. This year on the heels of another successful year at Wild Rose Jefferson, the Grow Greene County Board gave out six Give Back Awards on Nov. 19. Rather than surprise…
Read MoreGrCo school board swears in new members, OKs purchase of CNC equipment
The Greene County Schools board held its organizational meeting Nov. 19. Bonnie Silbaugh and Michelle Fields retired from the board. Returning board member Cindi Daubendiek and newly-elected board members Megan Holz and Katie Nelson were sworn in. Daubendiek, who served as board president during the past year was re-elected as president; Tim Riphagen was elected as vice president. The board…
Read MoreCourt of appeals upholds dismissal of lawsuit against city re: rezoning for housing
The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld a decision in district court in June 2024 to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the city of Jefferson, the city council and the mayor after rezoning a parcel of property on W. Head St west of N. Elm St from light industrial to residential- multi-family. The rezoning would have allowed KCG to build…
Read MoreSupervisors see draft zoning amendment for crypto mining and data centers
The Greene County supervisors took a first look at their Nov. 17 meeting at a proposed amendment to the county’s zoning ordinance dealing with cryptocurrency mining centers and data centers. The proposal was prompted by the interest of Simple Mining in building a digital mining and data center between Jefferson and Scranton. County attorney Thomas Laehn drafted the amendment and…
Read MoreGreene County post-election audit confirms Election Night results
Following the Nov. 4, 2025 City/School Election, Greene County officials conducted the required post-election audit on Thursday, Nov. 13. The audit confirmed a perfect match between the hand count and the Election Night results from the voting machines. By Iowa law, the Secretary of State randomly selects a precinct in each county the day after the election. This year, the…
Read MoreIt’s time to help Santa
The annual Toys for Greene County Kids drive has begun. Last year, through the generosity of donors, more than 305 Greene County children received toys as Christmas gifts. “Many of these kids will not receive toys at Christmas if they don’t get them from this type of project,” volunteer organizer Sherry Graven said. Toys are needed for ages newborn through…
Read MoreCollaboration enhances pediatric care at medical center
A collaborative effort between the Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and the Kiwanis Club of Jefferson has resulted in heartwarming and impactful enhancements in the Greene County Medical Center emergency department. Abby Skoglund, director of nursing, explained that the idea for a more child-friendly space was born from the input of PFAC, which is a committee comprised of healthcare professionals,…
Read MoreJeff council okays internal loan from water treatment plant for various purposes
The Jefferson city council at its Nov. 11 meeting approved an internal loan of $800,000 from the water plant construction fund to the tax increment finance (TIF) fund, an amount reduced from a $1.8 million loan discussed in September. As city administrator Scott Peterson explained then, the city can’t receive TIF revenues unless it has certified TIF debt. That debt…
Read MoreMidwest Mission to pack 150,000 meals for hurricane-impacted Jamaicans
Community volunteers invited to help respond to Hurricane Melissa’s devastation Midwest Mission invites the public to help pack 25,000 Rice and Soy Blessing Bags—meals that will feed 150,000 people in Jamaica following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. “Hurricane Melissa left behind an extreme level of destruction,” said Danille Curtis, Iowa director of Midwest Mission. “Communities were flooded, homes destroyed, and…
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