Scattered rainfall allowed Iowa farmers 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 28, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay, and applying fungicides. Topsoil moisture condition across the state rated 1 percent very short, 12 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.…
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GrCo school board schedules special meeting
The Greene County Community Schools board will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 4:30 pm in the district conference room at 101 Ram Drive in Jefferson. Agenda items all deal with selling notes against projected physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) revenue to pay for installing solar panels and related equipment at all three district school buildings. The…
Read MoreJoe Shelly candidate for Iowa House District 47 seat
Democratic delegates from Dallas, Greene and Guthrie counties convened July 19 at Sportsman Park in Dawson to nominate Joe Shelly of Perry as their candidate to represent Iowa House District 47. The district includes northwest Dallas and all of Greene and Guthrie Counties. Shelly is a semi-retired union pipefitter and currently serves on the Perry city council and Dallas County…
Read MoreJeff council ups cash rent for airport tenant farmer, okays bids for street/alley repair
The Jefferson city council needed just 20 minutes to deal with items on the July 23 meeting agenda. The first item of new business was to approve the farm lease with Adam Ebersole for the 159 city-owned acres around the municipal airport runways. Ebersole and the city are now in the second year of a two-year contract. Cash rent for…
Read MoreSupervisors hear insurance renewal costs, update on TIF and career academy payments
The Greene County supervisors got mixed news at their July 22 meeting when Joan St Clair and John Heydon of McDonald Insurance presented costs for renewal of the county’s insurance through the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP). The bad news is that the county’s total bill for insurance – property, crime, boiler & machinery, auto physical damage, workers’ compensation and…
Read MoreJefferson’s Russell Park: From a swamp to a peaceful oasis in the middle of town
~by Denise O’Brien Van for the Greene County Historical Society Once upon a time, Jefferson’s Russell Park was a wetland, home to muskrats and bullrushes. More than a century ago, that swath of swamp in the middle of Jefferson was transformed into a peaceful park named after the judge who donated the land. Mikki Schwarzkopf of Jefferson will relate the…
Read MoreRoutine business for Scranton city council
The Scranton city council handled routine business during their 40-minute meeting on July 9. Fund transfers and the allocation of ARPA money resolutions were unamiously approved. A change was made to the insurance, raising the deductibles for building and auto insurance. Ashley Squibb reported the Scranton Fishing Day was the best they have hosted so far. Ninety youngsters were registered…
Read MoreWomen’s suffrage movement topic of library program
The Churdan public library will host historian Kathy Willson, on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 9:30 a.m. August 26, 2020, marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. In this program, Wilson investigates why women had to fight for decades to get the right to vote, why Black and minority women were excluded from the…
Read MoreLifeServe in Scranton next Monday
LifeServe Blood Center thanked the community of Scranton for hosting a blood drive in March. A total of 21 units of blood were collected, saving and potentially sustaining the lives of 63 people in need. Additional drives are scheduled in Scranton on Mondays, July 29 and Nov. 18. They will be held in the Scranton United Methodist Church from 2:30…
Read MoreCrops just a little behind average year
Most of the state received little rainfall and experienced below average temperatures. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 5.9 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 21, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay, and applying fungicides. Topsoil moisture condition across Iowa rated 1 percent very…
Read MoreGrCo Schools okays bond sale for solar project, hires outside firm for facility assessment and planning
Also learns of many issues with HVAC system at high school The Greene County Schools board at its July 17 meeting approved the needed resolutions to sell $6.1 million in school capital loan notes to pay for installing solar panels at the district’s three schools. The sale was scheduled to start for the next day. According to school superintendent Brett…
Read MoreGrCo school board prepares for new year
The Greene County Schools board of education spent much of the July 17 meeting preparing for the 2024-25 school year, approving fees, student and staff handbooks, and more. Greene County parents will see no increase in the fees they pay when they register their children for school for the coming year. The board approved book fees, meal prices and activity…
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