THURSDAY, AUG. 7, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 46 • 1 SECTION • 6 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Bringing music to life
Colfax-Mingo Jr/Sr High School fundraising for new digital piano
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
Metro Creative Colfax-Mingo Music Director Tyler Harper is raising funds to purchase a new digital piano for the district.
The Colfax-Mingo Jr/Sr High School is looking to add a new piece of musical equipment. Music director Tyler Harper is working to “bring music to life” with a new Yamaha Clavinova through a GoFundMe fundraiser. “At Colfax-Mingo Jr/Sr High School, music is more than just a class — it’s a place where students discover confidence, creativity, teamwork and joy. But our music classroom is long overdue for a major update,” Harper said. “For more than 50 years, our upright piano has served students and staff faithfully, but it has reached the end of its playable life. It no longer holds tune consistently, has mechanical issues and limits what we can do musically.” By adding the Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, a state-of-the-art instrument, it will offer versatility, durability and quality sound. According to Harper, it will also allow stu-
dents to rehearse and perform with consistent sound quality, provide access to modern features like recording, layering and rhythm patterns, support vocalists, choirs, soloists and music classes across grade levels and inspire a new generation of musicians in a rural school setting. The goal of the fundraiser is $4,500. Those funds will cover the cost of the piano, delivery, setup, a rolling dolly and a protective cover. “Your support — whether $5 or $500 — helps us replace a piano that has seen generations of students and helps ensure music remains a vibrant part of the Colfax-Mingo community,” Harper said. “Every donation helps us bring music to life in a meaningful, lasting way.” To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/ support-colfaxmingos-new-yamaha-clavinova. “Let’s retire the old upright with dignity and invest in the future of music at Colfax-Mingo,” Harper said.
Sweet as honey, flowers so fresh Hive & Petal owner Catherine Schut brings her passion for connection and sustainability to her growing flower farm By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune About a decade ago, Catherine Schut started down a path that would bloom into a successful business and ongoing process of learning and growing along with her land. Hive & Petal, a boutique flower farm dedicated to growing florals, is the product of a lot of hard work and passion
for building a sustainable organically inspired farm. “I’m the type of person who likes to have projects lined up, things to do, things to keep me busy,” Schut said. “We were looking for a way to continue to add value to the property and I love growing beautiful things.” Her journey started when she and her husband, Paul, purchased a 100-year-old acreage near
Prairie City with “good bones” in need of restoration. Through many surprises, trials, errors and plenty of successes, she now has fruitful flower gardens and busy bees, along with her friendly farm cats and talkative chickens. “In the beginning, having space like this, it was really hard to envision FARM |3
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune Hive & Petal owner Catherine Schut holds a bouquet of flowers grown on her farm in rural Jasper County.
Jasper County recruits BBS for architectural services for training center Facility will allow for growth opportunities for sheriff’s office By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Supervisors have recruited architectural firm BBS Architects Engineers to help with the Jasper County Law Enforcement Training Center project. Specifically, the board of supervisors approved a service order with BBS for the design and construction documentation, bidding assistance, construction administration and structural engineering for the training center, which is being renovated from the old Jasper
County Animal Rescue League building. Adam Sparks, maintenance director of Jasper County, presented the service order to supervisors during the July 15 board meeting. For the aforementioned scope of services, it will cost the county $79,900. BBS will essentially handle the schematic designs, bidding process and administration of the project. According to county documents, the renovated training center will include a classroom for up to 40 people, two to three offices, a renovated entry ves-
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tibule, a breakroom with kitchenette, a said first responders throughout the garage bay for ambulance parking, two county have struggled to find places to new private restrooms and with shows train for years. and an open unfinished training space. By having a year-round facility deIt has also been required the north- voted to interior and exterior trainings, west section of wall be removed or re- Cross said it would provide law enforceplaced to accommodate overhead doors ment officials opportunities to utilize Shaw Media all of their tools and test themselves in adjacent of all walls and roof structure. In 2023, Newton News reported on a variety of different scenarios. For inthe county’s intentions of turning the stance, breach tools like rams or sledge JCARL building to a training center. It hammers cannot feasibly be used on was pitched by then-Sheriff John Hal- personal property. ferty and Sergeant Tracy Cross of the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office. They FACILITY |3 est. 1851
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