THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 19 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
GARAGE FIRE GROWS TO INCLUDE HOUSE IN COLFAX One person sustained minor injures in a fire that totaled the garage and possibly the house By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune Fire crews from Colfax, Mingo, Prairie City, Mitchellville and Newton work on a garage and house fire Jan. 13 in the 200 Block of West Broadway Street in Colfax.
An early afternoon fire in Colfax resulted in a total loss of a garage and significant damage to a residence. The Colfax Fire Department was called at 12:47 p.m. to the 200 block of West Broadway Street on reports of a garage fire and explosions. It found a fully engulfed garage and spent the next hours fighting not only the fire but cold and wind to extinguish the flames. “There was a lot of fuel in the garage,” Colfax Fire Chief JD Smith said. “It was a little windy and it pushed the fire to the house. It was all extinguished and then about an hour later the house rekindled. The house wasn’t that bad early but the second round it did more damage.
Not sure what rekindled it but it was really rolling the second time. Initially the house had smoke and water damage.” It took only six minutes from the time the CFD got the call to arriving on scene. Along with CFD, fire departments from Mingo, Prairie City, Mitchellville and Newton were called in to help with the fire. Given the time of year, the firefighters weren’t only battling the flames but also the conditions outside. “The worse thing is the pump. Keeping the water flowing and the pumps going when it is that cold can be a challenge,” Smith said. “The guys have pretty good gear on that keeps you pretty warm. When it is that cold it doesn’t take long to get worn out, so we cycle people in and out.”
Survey shows Baxter overwhelmingly in favor of 4-day school weeks Additional Q&A meeting about the potential schedule change Jan. 29 By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Results from the four-day school week survey for the Baxter Community School District found the majority of those surveyed are in favor of the change. The district shared the overall results of the 457 re-
sponses it received along with feedback in categories including staff, students, parents/ guardians and community members. “We believe it is important to provide our community and families with both an outlook on the survey results and common FAQ information,” the dis-
Healthcare provider shortage high priority for county Jasper County at about half of the state average for providers, less than half compared to the U.S. By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles exploring the results of the Jasper County Community Health Needs Assessment. Coming in as the second highest priority for Jasper County, shortage of healthcare professionals in not a new issue for the area. From OB services no longer being offered at MercyOne in Newton to more than 85 percent of Jasper County residents receiving healthcare services outside of the county in the past two years, the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) shined an even brighter light on the growing problem. “This is really alarming to me,” Jasper County Health Department Administrator Becky Pryor said. According to the assessment conducted over the
past eight months by MercyOne Newton Medical Center and the Jasper County Health Department, secondary data indicates there are significantly less primary care providers in Jasper County than in Iowa or the United States. According to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, there is a rate of 55.54 primary care providers per 100,000 population in Jasper County. That is almost less than half of the state average of 109.71 per 100,000 and less than half of the national average of 113.29. Primary health providers include practicing physicians specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. More than one-third of those surveyed responded it was difficult to get a healthcare appointment and rated PROVIDERS | 3 CONTACT US
trict said “We hope that as you review this information you are able to find it both useful and helpful as we continue to looking at the four-day instruction school week opportunity.” Overall, 291 of those surveyed, or 64 percent, are in favor of the four-day school week. Those who are neutral on the topic came in at 15 percent, or 69 votes, with those opposed at 21 percent, or 97 votes. The group most in favor of the
change was staff at 83 percent, or 43 votes, in favor. Nine percent or five votes were neutral to the idea and 8 percent, or four votes, were opposed. Students, on the other hand, had the largest percentage opposed to the switch at 27 percent, or 43 votes. They had 58 percent, or 92 votes, in favor and 15 percent, or 23 votes, register neutral. Parents/Guardians had 62 percent, or 126 votes, in favor with 17 percent,
or 34 votes, neutral and 21 percent, or 43 votes, opposed to the idea. The community had the second most in favor at 68 percent, or 30 votes. Sixteen percent or seven votes were neutral with the same percentage opposed to the four-day school week. When listing top concerns, parents and guardians said the length of the school day, BAXTER FAQ | 3
Stay active outdoors in the winter by ice fishing Jasper County Naturalist Greg Oldsen shares some tricks of the trade and how to stay safe while out on the ice
Metro Creative Fishing doesn’t have to just be a warm-weather activity. Ice fishing gives anglers a chance to cast their line even when the temperature drops.
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune As the temperature outside falls into single digits, anglers who do their fishing when water is frozen are just getting warmed up. Ice fishing is a seasonal favorite that gives enthusiasts a chance to continue casting their rods, even if it looks a little different, and reel in “the big one” even
when it isn’t sunny and warm. “Ice fishing is a great way to get outdoors through the winter months,” Jasper County Naturalist Greg Oldsen said. “One main Shaw attraction thatMedia many ice anglers share is the ability to access areas of a pond or lake on foot. Those without a boat/canoe/kayak during the open water season are limited to fishing from the bank, but during ice season you est. 1851
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can explore as much of the water body as your feet will allow.” Like most outdoor activities there are safety protocols to follow and ice fishing has several important ones, including all of the same rules and regulations set for open water fishing. According to Oldsen, four inches of clear ice is the ICE FISHING | 3
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