~courtesy of The Scranton Journal The Greene County Early Learning Center hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning for the new facility at 306 S. Vine St in Jefferson. A 9,484 square foot building will be constructed with Harold Pike (HPC, LLC) of Ames serving as the contractor for the $2,015,000 project. Sam Harding will serve as owner’s representative during the…
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Greene Countians among ‘rural heroes’ honored at Iowa Rural Summit
The 5th Annual Iowa Rural Summit last week included a first-ever recognition of “rural heroes” – and Carla and Chuck Offenburger of Cooper, Peg Raney of Jefferson, and Jefferson native Bill Morain of Lamoni were among the 13 individuals honored Thursday evening at Kirkwood Community College. The Rural Summit brings together leaders from small towns across Iowa each year, and…
Read MoreNew high school dedicated Sunday
About 100 persons attended the dedication of the new Greene County High School Sunday afternoon. The event was held a year late due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Construction crews were able to work around supply chain challenges and have the building ready for students for the 2019-20 school year but no community event was held. The time to reflect on…
Read MoreABC Award nominations open
Jefferson Matters: A Main Street & Chamber Community (JM:MS&CC) is seeking nominations for the 2021 ABC Award. Nominations should be submitted by Friday, Oct. 29, at 4 pm. The award will be presented at a Community Appreciation Night in 2022. The ABC Award (Above and Beyond the Call) is presented annually to an individual or couple who through their personal…
Read MoreMuch of state remains dry, pastures not doing well
Despite spotty precipitation, Iowa’s farmers had 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Aug. 22, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting hay and oats. Producers were utilizing the release of CRP land for haying and grazing. Topsoil moisture levels across Iowa rated 24 percent very short, 40 percent short, and 36 percent…
Read MoreCovid-19 numbers see ‘significant’ increase
Greene County public health director Becky Wolf reported Monday, Aug. 23, that “as expected, we are seeing a significant increase in cases (of Covid 19) again.” Per the CDC COVID Data Tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, the 7-day positivity rate for Covid 19 testing is 14.3 percent, increased from 11.3 percent on Aug. 20. Thirty-one new cases have been diagnosed in the past…
Read MoreGrCo school board hears of preparations for new school year, okays ‘Return to Learn’ plan
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline With new buildings and programs in the district and continuing challenges from the pandemic, the Greene County Community School District board of directors met for a work session prior to the regularly scheduled board meeting on Aug. 18 and discussed a five-year rolling plan to address needs. The board identified the following goals as the…
Read MoreStart prepping now – 10-digit dialing for local calls starts Oct. 24
In July 2020, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order approving the designation of 988 as the 3-digit dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. To facilitate implementation, area codes in 37 states where the 988 prefix is a working prefix and which now use 7-digit local dialing must switch to 10-digit local dialing. This includes our 515…
Read MoreDedication slated at new high school
The new Greene County High School and Career Academy will be formally dedicated Sunday, Aug. 22. A program will be held in the school gymnasium at 1:30 pm. Speakers at the event will include school board president Dr Steve Karber, Greene County board of supervisors chair John Muir, a representative of Grow Greene County, and several others who played key…
Read MoreLandus expanding use of inmate work program to Churdan, Paton
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline Landus Cooperative plans to augment its harvest staff in Churdan and Paton with inmates from the Rockwell City prison this fall. Dan Clark, Iowa Prison Industries director, and Adam Yetmar, Rockwell City deputy warden, briefed the county supervisors about the program at the board’s Aug. 16 meeting. A representative from Landus was also present. Clark…
Read MoreRaccoon River Valley Trail inducted into Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame
The 89-mile Raccoon River Valley Trail, the longest paved loop trail in the nation, known as the “quintessential central Iowa experience,” secures more than 16,000 votes in national contest Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), the nation’s largest trails organization, announced last week the induction of the Raccoon River Valley Trail into its Rail-Trail Hall of Fame after the trail secured a record-breaking…
Read MoreScranton bank robber enters guilty plea in federal court
~courtesy of The Scranton Journal The suspect accused of robbing the Scranton offices of Peoples Bank in February has entered a guilty plea in federal court. Court records show that Zachary Michael Anderson Wailes, 27, of Fort Dodge, entered a guilty plea to a federal bank robbery charge for allegedly entering Peoples Bank in Scranton on Feb. 25 while armed…
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