THURSDAY, AUG. 21, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 48 • 1 SECTION • 6 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Josh Britton and ‘Johnny Bolt’ to serve as SRO duo at Baxter schools
Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Jasper County Deputy Josh Britton and Johnny Bolt will serve as the school resource officer duo at Baxter Community School District.
Sheriff’s office forms partnership with school district for enhanced safety and relationship building By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Baxter Community School District has a new school resource officer starting this year, and he brings with him extensive experience in community policing. Deputy Josh Britton of the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office also has a dog tagging along with him: John, or “Johnny Bolt,” a Crisis Canine in training. Sheriff Brad Shutts announced the identity of the new SRO in an Aug. 11 press release. Acquiring an SRO for the Baxter school district took
Making his mark
almost a year. Newton News previously reported in March that the sheriff ’s office and Baxter school district formed a partnership to provide a dedicated SRO to students and staff. Sheriff Brad Shutts said at the time the project had been in the works for over a year and finally came to fruition thanks to a grant. Federal grant money will only provide a little more than $41,000 each year. The school district will allocate $45,000 during the 2025-2026 school year, then $47,500 in 2026-2027, then $50,000 in 2027-2028 and $52,500 in 2028-2029. Shutts
said quarterly payments will be billed to the Baxter school district. According to the agreement between Baxter and the county, the SRO shall be assigned a four, 10-hour day work week to coincide with the district’s new fourday school week schedule. At this point, the sheriff ’s office has not decided who will be hired to become the SRO at Baxter Community School District. When an SRO is hired on in Baxter, he or she will have to patrol the district and neighboring BAXTER SRO | 3
Jasper County 4-H Hall of Fame inductee Ed Machin is hands-on making a difference at the fairgrounds
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Ed Machin has made an impact on the Jasper County Fair nobody can miss. From infrastructure to serving as a board member and helping his own children with their animals and projects, Machin is a well-deserving selection for the 4-H Hall of Fame. “I didn’t see it coming,” Machin said. ‘I’ve done a lot of work there, though, and I enjoy doing it.” From fourth grade through high school, Machin built his foundation in 4-H. He continued his passion for 4-H, FFA and the fair when his children HALL OF FAME | 3
Jasper County purchases hardware to print absentee ballots in-house County auditor says new equipment can cut costs in half every election cycle By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune Ed Machin receives his award at the Jasper County 2025 4-H Hall of Fame selection during the ceremony Aug. 17 at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
UNVEILING KRAMER PARK
Jasper County Conservation names park where nature center resides after board member Carol Kramer, honoring her more than 30 years of dedication to project
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Carol Kramer and daughter Katy Kramer Lee smile after unveiling the sign to Kramer Park. The park is named after Carol and her late husband Frederick “Fritz” Kramer, who have been lifelong advocates and supporters of Jasper County Conservation and its pursuits to build a nature center.
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Carol Kramer always envisioned a better home for Jasper County Conservation, but she
never expected to see part of it named after her and her late husband. For as long as Kramer has been a member of the Jasper County Conservation Board, she has dreamed of CONTACT US
having a nature center that served as a hub for staff and an educational experience for the many families and children who support the department. PARK | 3
The Jasper County Auditor’s Office will be obtaining new hardware to print off absentee ballots in-house during elections rather than ordering them out of state. Supervisors approved the new piece of hardware called “Ballot on Demand” for a total of $8,825, which includes a warranty license, maintenance and support fees. Jasper County Auditor Jenna Jennings said the hardware would only print absentee ballots, which is what many other offices do around the state. Typically, the County Auditor’s Office has ballots printed and shipped directly from Omaha. Election Day ballots will still be printed and shipped this way. At the last general election, Jennings said about 27,500 ballots were ordered at a cost of 27 cents each. Coupled with other fees, that totals to about $9,400. “We think we can cut the costs in about half with every election that we are printing our own,” Jennings said. “We think it also
would be nice to have that as a safeguard if we get low on our stock. And we’re always trying to hit that fine line of getting as close to zero left in the office at the end of the day.” But the Jasper County Auditor’s Office also wants to make sure it has enough in case more citizens show up to vote. Jennings argued the more than $8,000 price tag of the hardware will pay for itself over time. She said the auditor’s office went through 8,237 absentee ballots during the 2024 election. “We’re seeing an uptick in absentee voters as we continue to go through the years,” Jennings said. Election Systems & Software’s Ballot on Demand system includes a printer, laptop and BOD software. According to the company’s website, the system automates and streamlines ballot production and distribution, offering flexible options for on-demand ballot printing needs. Security features include a physical and system access controls, audit logs, encryption, validation and digital signature and system application controls.
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est. 1851 Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Poll data is sealed in blue bags on Election Day. The Jasper County Auditor’s Office recently purchased new hardware to print absentee ballots in-house, which could cut down on costs.
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