THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 20 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
SAVE THE DATE By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Colfax Main Street has announced the dates for its major events in 2025. From celebrating Easter to the annual Colfax Country Christmas, residents can mark their calendars and
get ready for all of the fun activities. “Our promotion team has set the calendar for our recurring downtown events hosted by Colfax Main Street,” director Stuart Patterson said. “There may also be other fun events, projects and activities that may pop up
on the calendar, so please check our Facebook page for updates throughout the year.” Starting in April, the annual Eggstravaganza event is set for April 19 at Woman’s Club Park. In May, the Downtown Farmers Market will set up each Wednesday from May 21 through Aug.
Colfax Main Street announces community activities for 2025
27 at Mineral Springs Park. A community favorite, the Halloween Walk will be Oct. 21 throughout the downtown district. Wrapping up activities, Colfax Country Christmas is set for Dec. 6 in various locations in the downtown. The second Thursday of each
month, Colfax Bingo at Cocina Hernandez/Absolutely You Boutique is a great activity to show community support, get a bite to eat and maybe even bring home the jackpot. Each month a different guest caller brings their energy and a good time for the crowd.
New Jasper County sheriff settles in Sheriff Brad Shutts wants a forward thinking sheriff’s office that looks after employees and citizens of Jasper County By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County Sheriff Brad Shutts is still adjusting to his new leadership role, but the good state in which the department was left to him by retired sheriff and mentor John Halferty allows him to maintain the course the office was headed while also being forward thinking and proactive in its law enforcement. It is important to Shutts that the sheriff ’s office continues offering its quality customer service in every aspect of the department. Whether
it is policing, EMS support, communications or jail services, the new sheriff wants to set and meet high standards. He also wants the sheriff ’s office to maintain its community visibility. “One of the biggest deterrents to crime is being Schutts out there and being visible and being proactive,” Shutts said in a recent interview with Newton News.
“We don’t want to sit back or be reactive or wait for things to happen. Before we act we want to be out there on the front lines of it.” The sheriff ’s office, he added, is left in great shape after Halferty’s retirement. For the past few years the Jasper County Jail has made improvements to its pods to account for more inmates held as overflow from other counties. It is additional revenue for the county and it increased the maximum capacity to 96 inmates. Approximately 20 years ago the county completed the
construction of the jail, and Shutts said that has since been paid off. So now his efforts will be focused on maintaining and refreshing the building itself and keeping up with security to make it a safe place for employees and inmates in the years to come. “It’s the biggest division in the sheriff ’s office and the biggest portion of the budget besides the wages and things like that,” Shutts said. “We’re watching people and having to feed them and clothe them and such. It’s a mini town back there I guess you could say.”
Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office has also added EMS support to its litany of services. Instead of replacing the work of volunteer agencies, the sheriff ’s office has maintained it is providing additional support and higher level care when needed. It was a program first introduced by Halferty. Shutts wants it to continue. “We are getting a large majority of our shifts covered, and that’s seven days a week now from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. typically — sometimes they SHERIFF | 3
Veterans affairs could have a qualified applicant for new director by February Selection committee to hold candidate interviews within the next few weeks By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Applications for the new director or administrator of the Jasper County Veterans Affairs department have been submitted to commissioners for review. If all goes well with the selection committee’s interview process in the next two weeks, it is possible a candidate will be recommended for commission approval in February. Dennis Simon, director of human resources for Jasper County, said he has been sending applications to all five members of the veterans affairs commission ever since the position was posted. The department is in need of a new department head after the firing of former Veterans Affairs Adminis-
trator Alyssa Wilson. The deadline for applications was Jan. 10. Two days prior to the deadline, the county had received about 15 applications so far. Members of the steering committee were selected during the Jan. 8 veterans affairs commission meeting. In addition to Simon serving on the committee as an advisor, the commission chose Mike Gunsaulus, Supervisor Brandon Talsma and commissioners Marta Ford and Ed Spangenburg to conduct the interviews. Simon encouraged commissioners to send him their questions about individual candidates so that their input can be provided in the interview process. However, to avoid a quorum and possible violations to open meetings CONTACT US
laws, it was decided that only two commissioners can serve on the committee. Prior to the interview process, Simon recommended commissioners provide him and the committee an unranked list of their top five applicants. From there, the committee will decipher who to interview, giving special attention to overlapping names that appear on commissioners’ top-five lists. “Once the interviews are done, the selection committee will discuss and debate and we will make a recommendation to the commission on who to hire,” he said. “Obviously, you have the applications so if there is something you disagree VA | 3
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune The Jasper County Community Health Assessment found that lack of affordable housing was the third highest priority for residents.
Lack of affordable housing concern for Jasper County Almost half of Jasper County residents report problems with their current living arrangements By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles exploring Media the resultsShaw of the Jasper County Community Health Needs Assessment. Following mental health and substance misuse and lack of healthcare professionals, lack of affordable housing rounds out est. 1851
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the top three priorities for Jasper County. According to the Jasper County Community Health Needs Assessment, secondary data indicates that housing costs and rates of substandard housing are slightly higher than Iowa rates. Of residents surveyed, almost half, or 46.65 percent, reported experiencing a problem with their HOUSING | 3
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