No comments were received when the Greene County board of supervisors held a public hearing during their Jan. 20 meeting to approve the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated total cost of the new jail. The plans and specs were provided by ISG, with an estimated cost of $9.6 million. The voters approved a bond of up to…
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Landus announces layoffs across the company
Landus has recently announced companywide cuts affecting multiple locations across the company, with various position levels affected by the layoffs. About 10 percent, or approximately 60 of the company’s Iowa-based workforce was notified Friday, Jan. 17, they were being laid off, effective immediately. Matt Carstens has president and CEO of Landus for four years. of the co-op. He referred to…
Read MoreJeff council sets policy for social media, mass texting
The Jefferson city council at its Jan. 14 meeting approved a policy regarding use of social media and mass texting. The policy refers to social media sites, including Facebook, operated by the city. City administrator Scott Peterson provided the pertinent points of the policy. From the perspective of city employees, it specifies that employees should have no expectation of privacy…
Read MoreWadsworth advances in American Legion Oratorical Contest
Greene County senior Payton Wadsworth will advance to the department (state) finals in the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest, having placed first in an Area contest Jan. 12 in Carroll. She will compete against two other orators in the department finals Feb. 16 in Des Moines. There, the first place winner will receive a $2,000 college scholarship, the second…
Read MoreSheriff thinking ahead to summer, asks for public nudity ordinance
The temperature was well below freezing when the county supervisors met Jan. 13, but sheriff Jack Williams is looking ahead toward summer. He asked the supervisors to consider enacting an ordinance dealing with public nudity. Williams said several people have approached him about preventing a problem that occurs in the southeast corner of the county “where public nudity goes on…
Read MoreIowa farmers produce near record corn and soybean crop
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the 2024 Iowa Crop Production Annual Summary released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The national summary and state summaries are released in January each year. “Iowa’s resilient farmers battled another year of rollercoaster weather conditions. The spring started with the lingering historic drought and…
Read MoreReynolds calls for focus on health care, childcare, disaster recovery in 2025
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital DispatchJanuary 14, 2025 Gov. Kim Reynolds, delivering her Condition of the State message Tuesday, said the state needs to take action on disaster recovery in the wake of 2024 floods and tornadoes, in addition to laying out policies she said can help address Iowa’s workforce shortages in child care and health care. It’s Reynolds’ eighth…
Read MoreGreene County Schools changing provider of special education/support services
Greene County Community Schools will receive special education and support services from Heartland Area Education Agency next school year. The move, which is now allowed with a change in Iowa law last year, will take Greene County Schools out of the Prairie Lakes AEA. The decision to change AEAs was approved by the Greene County Schools board at its regular…
Read MoreSupervisors hear salary requests from other elected officials
Greene County elected officials are looking for parity with their peers as they discuss salary increases for the next fiscal year. County treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen, recorder Deb McDonald and sheriff Jack Williams made their salary requests at the board of supervisors’ Jan. 6 meeting. Mechaelsen reported her salary ranks 48th among county treasurers in Iowa and that she wants to…
Read MoreGrCo junior class raising funds for After Prom
A pair of fundraisers are underway by the Greene County junior class for after prom activities. This week shoppers at the Jefferson Fareway and Hy-Vee grocery stores can round their grocery total up to the nearest dollar, with the extra cents going to the class for After Prom. Also, now through Feb. 11, raffle tickets are available to win $200…
Read MoreHome State Bank marks 90 years of community-focused banking
Home State Bank in Jefferson reflects on its inception as staff celebrated its milestone 90th anniversary during its December holiday open house with customers. On October 1, 1934, M.E. Brunner, Warren Garst, E.A. Milligan, C.B. Fletcher, Chester Oppenheimer, and O.W. Harris opened the original location on the west side of the square with $50,000 in capital and the goal to be…
Read MoreUpcoming parenting workshops offered online from The Science of Parenting
Research conducted by Zero to Three (2016), found that parents need and want information and support. Eighty percent of parents work to be better parents, and 69 percent of parents say if they knew more parenting strategies, they would use them. Despite this motivation, however, almost half of parents say they aren’t getting the support they need during times of stress.…
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