The 40th Bell Tower Festival included several friendly competitions. Young performers took advantage of an opportunity to be on stage and compete for a chance to be on the Bill Riley Stage at the Iowa State Fair. Performers came from Jefferson, Cherokee, Gowrie, Harlan, Urbandale and Bayard. Winning in the Sprout division for ages 2-12 was 10-year-old vocalist/pianist Norah Otis…
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Bell Tower of Fame Award to pharmacy entrepreneur Charlie Porter
The 40th Bell Tower Festival opened Friday evening with the presentation of Bell Tower of Fame Award to Charlie Porter, a native of Jefferson and one of the founders of Medicap Pharmacies. This isn’t the first time Porter has been lauded in his hometown. Porter, a 1965 Jefferson Community High School graduate, was homecoming king and king of the Charity…
Read MoreHigh-powered delegation in Jeff to announce rural scholarship program
~by Noah Rohlfing for The Scranton Journal A “Silicon Prairie” in Iowa might not be a crazy thought anymore. At least, that’s the hope of a group of investors and collaborators who debuted a high school development scholarship geared towards the training of students in future high-demand technological fields at a press conference in the rotunda of the Greene County…
Read MoreBell Tower Festival, ‘Retro with a Twist’
The 40th Bell Tower Festival this weekend is themed “Retro with a Twist” for good reason. The festival has been planned not by Greene County Chamber and Tourism, but by a committee of volunteers headed by Pete Russell. Starting with nothing but good ideas, the committee solicited donations for start-up funds, hoping the 2019 festival will be profitable and provide…
Read MoreBrick work under way at career academy
The beginnings of Greene County Schools’ new career academy are above ground despite the wetter than normal May. Last week masons began laying brick that will be the interior walls of the career academy. As of the weekend, the interior wall footings were poured and work had begun on the footings for the exterior walls.
Read MoreSupes approve $30K to GCDC for land purchase
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline Kick-starting the development of new work-force level housing in Greene County was on the agenda for the board of supervisors at their regular meeting Monday, June 3. There was spirited discussion among the supervisors concerning a request by Greene County Development Corporation for $30,000 of county money which would enable GCDC to purchase land east…
Read MoreHistorical Society hosting ‘Iowa History 101’ exhibit, art show and spelling bee
All part of the Bell Tower Festival this weekend ~by Chuck Offenburger for the Greene County Historical Society The Greene County Historical Society is participating in the 40th Bell Tower Festival in Jefferson June 7-9 in three ways – hosting a special traveling display on state history on E. Lincoln Way adjacent to the Thomas Jefferson Gardens, hosting the Bell…
Read MoreCorn, soybeans nearly three weeks behind average year
Iowa farmers continue to battle wet field conditions as another week of heavy rainfall limited farmers to only 1.3 days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the week ending June 2, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. The southern third of Iowa had 0.5 day suitable for fieldwork or less for the second week in a row.
Read MoreTax sale set for June 17
The county treasurer’s annual tax sale will be held Monday, June 17, at 9 am in the board room on the second floor of the courthouse in Jefferson. At that time, all real estate property on which the 2018 taxes have not been paid will be sold for the cost of the unpaid taxes. Owners whose property is sold can…
Read More2019 Bell Tower of Fame honors entrepreneur and philanthropist
When you see the Medicap logo on the pharmacy storefront in Jefferson, Charlie Porter, a former Jeffersonian, gets the credit for building the franchise that has spanned the nation. A 1965 graduate of Jefferson High School, Porter will be honored as the 2019 Bell Tower of Fame Award recipient during opening ceremonies of the Bell Tower Festival Friday, June 7,…
Read MoreImpact Award presented to Jerry Roberts
For the past nine years Jerry Roberts has served as emcee and presenter of the Greene County Impact Award. Sunday it was Roberts’ turn to listen and then stand up to receive the 2019 Impact Award from stand-in emcee Chuck Offenburger. The Impact Award was initiated to honor someone for his or her volunteer efforts that have touched the entire…
Read MoreChampion J-S grappler Chase Flack dies after 20K race in DSM
Chase Flack, 26 and a member of the Jefferson-Scranton Class of 2011, died earlier today after collapsing near the finish line of the Dam to Des Moines 20K race. Just two weeks ago he climbed to the Mount Everest base camp at 17,600 ft. The cause of his death is unknown at this time. Flack will be remembered as a…
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