The primary election on Tuesday, June 2, is rapidly approaching. Greene County auditor Jane Heun and Secretary of State Paul Pate encourage voters to cast absentee ballots by mail. Forms were mailed recently which included pre-paid postage for returning them to the Greene County auditor’s office. The forms can also be downloaded directly from the Iowa Secretary of State website,…
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Planting well ahead of average year, welcome rainfall received
There were 4.3 days suitable for field work during the week ending May 17, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Windy days made spraying weeds difficult, but planting continued prior to most of Iowa receiving rain in the latter half of the week.
Read MoreCOVER Greene County slates mask distribution
The first drive-through public distribution of face masks in the COVER Greene County mask initiative will be held Thursday, May 21, from 5 to 6:30 pm in the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot, 801 W. Lincoln Way, in Jefferson. There is no charge for the masks. More than 250 face masks are available to hand out on a first-come, first-served…
Read MoreMain Street plans Zoom meeting on reopening business in the pandemic
The Greene County public health department and Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn will review the most recent proclamations of Gov Kim Reynolds regarding COVID-19 at a Zoom event hosted by Jefferson Matters: Main Street’s economic vitality team. Each will provide the most recent recommendations and an overview of the remaining restrictions on economic activity in the state.
Read MoreCounty Fair is canceled; stay tuned for youth exhibit info
The Greene County Fair has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair board and Greene County Extension announced Monday that virtually all elements of the fair will be postponed. The exception is the youth exhibits. The fair board press release follows: The Greene County Fair board and Greene County Extension have announced several changes to the upcoming 2020 Greene…
Read MorePaid consultant says supervisors should verify matrix numbers
~by Victoria Riley The Greene County supervisors have long held they have no power to prevent construction of a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) if the master matrix submitted with the construction permit meets the minimum 440 points. In recent years, the supervisors have accepted master matrices as presented, not questioning scoring even when the point total is only slightly…
Read MoreA deeper look: Interview with Becky Sexton, Twin Lakes Environmental
~by Janice Harbaugh The Background: At a public hearing for Stumpf Finishers, LLC held by the Greene County board of supervisors on May 11, allegations were made by the public that Becky Sexton had attempted to intimidate residents of the county over their exercise of free speech. Allegations were also made that the master matrix scores submitted by Sexton to…
Read MoreTower Tunes will mark Memorial Day weekend
The Bell Tower Community Foundation has scheduled special Tower Tunes Live concerts for Memorial Day weekend. A variety of patriotic songs and hymns will be played by three musicians over the weekend to celebrate this important holiday. Concerts will be played from 12:15 to 12:30 pm each day. Wendy VanderLinden will play Saturday, May 23, Yvette Bardole will play Sunday,…
Read MoreJeff council okays loan to wrestling academy, contracts for runway and trails
The Jefferson city council at its May 12 meeting paved the way for an elite wrestling program to relocate in Jefferson with the approval of a $150,000, 10-year forgivable loan to T.J. Sebolt. Sebolt and his father Scott Sebolt are negotiating the purchase of The Fieldhouse from Greene County Youth Athletic Association. The building was originally the Safeway grocery store,…
Read MoreSaddorises get okay on hog CAFO
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline The Greene County board of supervisors presided over two public hearings at their regular meeting May 11. Both hearings were applications for new CAFOs (confined animal finishing operations) to be built in Greene County. The public and media attended through videoconferencing and telephone connections through Zoom.
Read MoreSupes okay new hog CAFO despite lack of support from county residents
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline The Greene County board of supervisors presided over an historic public hearing held through videoconferencing at their regular meeting on May 11. Forty people, including the board, electronically attended the hearing on the Stumpf Finishers, LLC application for a hog confinement in Highland Township. Many of the attendees activated their video capabilities through Zoom and…
Read More60-ton boulder being moved from Bayard to Glidden
~courtesy of The Scranton Journal A Bayard landmark is about to become the Liberty Rock in Glidden. If things go as planned, City officials hope to have the project completed by the end of 2020. The late Max McCord grew tired of hitting a large rock with his farm equipment many years ago and decided to dig up the rock.…
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