THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2024 • VOLUME N0. 121 • ISSUE NO. 42 • 1 SECTION • 10 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Jasper County has been added to president’s disaster declaration EMA had been requesting additional assistance since the May floods and storms By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County has now been added to the president’s major disaster declaration following the severe flooding and wind storms that occurred one month ago. The decision comes
after emergency management officials met with state leaders and even U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to convince the feds for help. “Advocating for Iowans’ needs at the federal level is my core responsibility as an elected representative,” Grassley said in a state-
ment to Newton News. “Local residents and emergency responders have communicated with my staff and spoken with me directly about the urgent need for federal assistance following May’s severe storms. I was glad to support Jasper County’s addi-
tion to the Major Disaster Declaration, and I stand ready to help storm-impacted Iowans recover in any way that I can.” In a press release from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, it was announced three more counties had
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County last week renewed its contracts with elderly nutrition’s congregate meals sites in Colfax and Monroe, which will now both be paid the same amount of rent after The Gathering Place requested an increase a number of months ago. The rent for both facilities is now $400 per month. Kelli Van Manen, program director of Jasper County Elderly Nutrition, said the contract for the Colfax Community Senior Citizens Center was submitted to the supervisors for the original rate of $200 per month. But she said Colfax has expressed a desire to increase the rent, noting expenses have gone up. “We are currently paying $400 for The Gathering Place,” she said. “Colfax doesn’t have quite as many people attending as The Gathering Place, but they are
our backup kitchen and they are currently providing $450 in volunteers per month, helping to deliver meals to help cut expenses.” Van Manen, who has worked elderly nutrition for the past 14 years, told the board of supervisors her budget can afford to pay Colfax $400 per month, especially
considering the facility has been paying the $200 rate for many, many years. She recommended the board agree to a rent increase. Supervisors agreed to pay more rent. Denny Stevenson went so far as to say an increase was probably past due. RENT | 3
DECLARATION | 2
Colfax Main Street holding Game Night fundraiser July 12 By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
File Photo Two elderly nutrition cooks prepare for congregate meals. Jasper County will now be paying more rent at its Colfax congregate meals site after the board of supervisors agreed to pay more at the new congregate meals site in Monroe.
gency Management Agency, continues to receive calls from residents who are still negatively impacted by last month’s storms. Many saw damages to their homes and essential utilities like heating and
Go out for Game Night
Jasper County pays more rent at Colfax congregate meals site Payment is now the same as rent for The Gathering Place in Monroe
been added to the presidential disaster order: Jasper, Adams and Cedar. The counties of Adair, Polk, Story and Montgomery were included in the original declaration on May 24. Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County Emer-
What’s better than a night with games, pizza and beer? Raising money for a local project at the same time. Colfax Main Street is holding a Game Night Fundraiser Party from 6 to 10 p.m. July 12 at The Colfax Historical Society Building. “The idea for the fundraiser came from our organization team,” Colfax Main Street Director Stuart Patterson said. “One of the volunteers had participated in a similar fundraiser and had a lot of fun and they thought it would be a fundraiser activity that the community would be interested in.” To participate, a group of six ages 21 and over, or 18 or older for non-alcohol participants, must complete a 550 piece puzzle, consume a large Georgioz pepperoni pizza and drink a case of Busch Light beer over the span of four hours. Whoever gets it done first, wins not
only bragging rights but their entry fee of $300 back. Second place wins half of their registration fee back. “We are encouraging the teams to dress up with a beach party theme and we will have prizes for best team costume and best individual costume,” Patterson said. “We’re also going to throw in some fun random challenges for the teams to complete.” Funds raised will be used towards Colfax Main Street project. They hope to have 15 to 20 teams participating. “One of Colfax Main Street’s more inward strategic transformation strategies is to ‘support a strong, sustainable Main Street Colfax nonprofit program,’ which means we are focusing on increasing volunteerism, sustainability fundraising practices and enhancing communication about the Main Street Colfax program to FUNDRAISER | 3
Baxter special NEWTON RADIO STATIONS LOSE LOCAL VOICES election July 9 Syndicated satellite programming replaces on-air personalities
Two city council seats up for grabs in Baxter special election following the city receiving a petition to vote rather than appoint members By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune After receiving a petition, the City of Baxter will hold a special election to fill two city council seats. The special election is set for July 9 and will include three candidates vying for two seats. On the ballot will be Joel Schabilion, Dalton Kinzel and Michael Churchill. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Baxter City Hall. Absentee voting is also available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on normal business days through July 8 at the county auditor’s office at the Jasper County Courthouse in Newton. At the June 10 council meeting, interim clerk Kel-
ly Groskurth informed the council a petition for a special election was received for the seat vacated by former council member Josh Meckley, who resigned at a special May 2 council meeting. The council had approved filling the seat by appointment and at the May 28 meeting selected Churchill to become the newest council member. According to Iowa Code, a petition can be made to hold a special election to fill the seat and one was presented within the time frame needed. Also, because a seat was filled by appointment earlier in the year it is also on the ballot July 9. That seat is currently filled by Kinzel, who has been serving since January. CONTACT US
at KCOB and Energy 106.7, leaving the community furious and at a loss without familiar figureheads
Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune From left: Joe Swanson, commercial production director, has been spending a great deal of his time at the library to apply for jobs after Alpha Media USA decided to terminate local on-air personalities for Newton’s radio stations; Jamie Grout, content manager, is spending more time at his part-time job in Hy-Vee after he was fired from what he has described in the past as his dream job; and Randy Van Roekel, news director, sits on the porch of his home in Newton, the market he was expecting to finish his radio career on his own terms.
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Editor’s note: This is Part one of a two-part series. Watch next week’s Jasper County Tribune for the rest of the story. Bob Lane has been a longtime
listener of Newton’s radio staShaw Media tions, so he found it odd when the local content he had been accustomed to all these years had suddenly vanished. He wasted no time making a complaint, and that is when he learned the onair personalities at KCOB and est. 1851
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Newsroom: 641-792-3121, ext. 7 • Advertising: 641-792-3121, ext. 2 Subscriptions/Delivery: 641-792-5320 • Billing: 641-792-3121, ext. 6
KRTI-Energy 106.7 were fired. As usual, news travels fast in Newton. Only this time, one of the key figureheads in delivering quick, on-the-spot local news stories was now the top story in RADIO | 3
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