THURSDAY, JAN. 25, 2024 • VOLUME N0. 129 • ISSUE NO. 19 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
IS THERE A SNOW DAY TODAY?
Guidelines help show when local schools will stay home from class due to weather
Preliminary results of Iowa Republican Caucus show Trump’s popularity is still strong
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Winter break is having a hard time letting go with students and staff at area schools getting multiple snow and cold weather days at the start of January. Colfax-Mingo and Baxter Community School Districts recently shared some of their guidelines for when school will be let out early, delayed or canceled due to weather. “We don’t have a hard and fast rule, it’s more of a judgment call,” Baxter Superintendent Mickolyn Clapper said. “Typically if it’s 20 to 25 below zero with windchill that would cause a lot of concern it would possibly make us consider a 2-hour delay or cancellation.” C-M Superintendent Tim Salmon also said if temperatures fall below -25 wind chill the district
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune School will be canceled if heavy snow and/or ice make it exceedingly hazardous or impossible for school buses to travel routes along with staff and students to attend school safely.
would find it to be not safe for student and staff. Other weather events make for addition guidelines for the district. “Snow and ice are a different story. It depends on the amount and conditions of the roads,” Salmon said. “We have staff that go out in certain areas to see road conditions and report those back to me. These conversations typically start at 4:30 a.m. if the storms come in overnight.” Ice is an area that the district
is very cautious with. He said if there are a lot of rural roads that are not cleared, they have to take that into consideration when deciding on whether school will go forward for the day. “We have set 6 a.m. as our deadline to make the decision, but if we can make it earlier, including the night before we like to provide families and staff time to prepare,” Salmon said. GUIDELINES | 3
‘It’s time’: The Farmer’s Wife closes its doors, leaving behind strong legacy Newton small business was considered the ‘anchor’ of the downtown By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune For the past 21 years, Bonnie Terpstra took pride in making sure she utilized every square inch of space in The Farmer’s Wife to display her home decor merchandise, and after announcing last month that the downtown business would be closing its doors, large gaps have started to appear on the walls. But none will be as large or as impactful as the gap left behind by one of Newton’s most popular and most resilient small businesses. In a series of Facebook posts, Terpstra explained she has no specific end date; it all depends on when her inventory is depleted. It is a bittersweet decision, she said, but she had her
Jasper County wants Trump, and so does the rest of Iowa
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Bonnie Terpstra, owner of The Farmer’s Wife, announced she will be closing the 21-year-old small business that many consider to be the “anchor” of downtown Newton.
reasons. At 59 years old, the demanding work of filling the store literally from top to bottom has finally caught up to her. Between the stairs and the ladders and the lifting of boxes, her knees are all but spent. She needs knee replacement surgery soon, and
with that comes a long recovery. The store has withstood the closing of Maytag and the pandemic, but running a retail shop while also healing from major surgery is just not possible. Another reason Terpstra wants to close up shop is to have more
time with family. In less than two years she lost both of her parents and her mother-in-law. She realized through the pain of loss that life is short. With almost 11 grandchildren in her family, Terpstra is tired of the business taking away time from them. “I want to be that grandma that is always there for them, and I just can’t with the responsibilities that come with this,” Terpstra told Newton News last week inside her shop, which has remained in its current location at the northwest corner of the town square for two decades. “It’s time. It’s time for me.” Hundreds of people have reacted to the Dec. 17, 2023 goodbye post from The Farmer’s Wife. Customers coming in for THE FARMER’S WIFE | 3
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Donald Trump was the clear favorite going into the Iowa Republican Caucus, and results show that was true in both the state and in Jasper County. Out of the 1,375 registered Republicans who voted in Jasper County precincts, 751 (about 54 percent) voted for the former president to be the nominee. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received 314 votes (about 22 percent) while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki received 179 votes (13 percent). Meanwhile Vivek Ramaswamy earned only 108 votes in Jasper County. The long-shots Ryan Binkley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson received 19 votes and three votes, respectively. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got no votes in Jasper County, and altogether he received a measly 35 votes in Iowa. According to the preliminary results posted by the Republican Party of Iowa, Trump commanded a 51 percent victory statewide with 56,260 votes as of 11:22 a.m. Jan. 17. In total, 110,298 votes were cast. DeSantis got 23,420 votes (21.2 percent) while Haley ended up with 21,085 votes (19.1 percent). Ramaswamy could not break into a five-digit total, receiving 8,449 votes (7.7 percent). Binkley got 774 votes (0.7 percent) and Hutchinson got 191 votes (0.2 percent). Interestingly, Trump seemingly won 98 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Haley pulled an outlier victory in Johnson County, beating Trump by only one vote. At the Newton precinct of Jasper County caucuses, Trump was supported by special guest speaker Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. Initially, Newton resident Dean Earnhart stepped up as the speaker in favor of the former president, but after some issues with the microphone Gaetz took the lead. “I want to start just by thanking all of you because I watched the mainstream media say the weather was TRUMP | 3
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Supporters of Donald Trump watch a video of the former president speaking to them about the Iowa caucuses and supporting his campaign.
COLD CAUCUS, COLOSSAL CROWDS Turnout high at Jasper County caucuses despite frigid temperatures, deep snow By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Newton residents gather around tables during caucus night Jan. 15 at Berg Middle School. Despite frigid temperatures and overwhelming snowfall, residents showed up in droves to participate in the caucuses, which were overwhelmingly in support of former president Donald Trump in Jasper County and throughout the state.
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Jack and Jean Ferguson were not going to miss the Republican caucus, and neither was the woman whose car they found stuck in the middle of the road. Like them, she was on her way to the Kellogg precinct, going against the national narrative that Iowans would not show up for caucus due to recent snowstorms. “She had run into a big snowbank,” Jack said. “The maintainers had not been able to get
through the road at that point, so they backed out and didn’t finish plowing the road. She come upon it too fast, couldn’t get stopped and had run into the snowbank. She couldn’t even open her door. She was buried!” Thankfully, the driver had a cellphone and called someone Media to pick Shaw her up. The Fergusons helped the woman into their car and took her to a neighbor’s house until her ride arrived. Although her plans may have been changed after getting stuck, it showed people were est. 1851
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still dedicated to participating in caucuses. Weather most certainly had an effect on the turnout of the Republican caucuses in Jasper County, but not in the way political pundits were expecting. Many individuals did opt to stay home, but even so the attendance was exceedingly high at the Newton precinct in Berg Middle School on the night of Jan. 15. Although you would not have noticed it driving past the school. CAUCUS | 3
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