Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
Vol. 6, No. 21
PCMExplorer Local People. Local Stories.
A heartfelt thank you
Hundreds of people gather to wish former Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty well at retirement open house
Jasper County auditor, sheriff and supervisor sworn in
Elected officials take their oaths to uphold Constitution and serve the people By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer A constant line of well-wishers could be found at former Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty’s retirement open house Jan. 4 at the Jasper County Fair Grounds. Memories from his 38 years of service lined the walls and friends, family and community members he met along the way stopped by to say thank you.
Jasper County approves resurfacing of Quicksilver Avenue and Poplar Avenue The $457K and $282K projects could start as late as June 2025 By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer Two resurfacing projects in Jasper County have come in under the engineer’s estimates, which reinforces statements County Engineer Michael Frietsch has made recently that bid packages are leveling back out to reasonable costs after they were put in jeopardy by the pandemic and ensuing economic hardships. The board of supervisors awarded both contracts to Manatt’s, Inc., who will be tasked with the resurfacing and milling of Quicksilver Avenue and Poplar Avenue. Jasper County will pay more than $457,000 for the Quicksilver Avenue project, and more than $282,000 for the Poplar Avenue project. Engineer estimates for both projects were $752,861 and $462,858, respectively.
Three elected officials in Jasper County were sworn in to their respective offices last week. County Auditor Jenna Jennings is now officially elected to the office after being appointed to it back in 2023; County Sheriff Brad Shutts takes over after a competitive primary; and Supervisor Doug Cupples secures his third term. Senior Judge William Price swore in all three individuals before the start of the Dec. 31 board of supervisors meeting in the Jasper County Courthouse. After each person was sworn in, he allowed them a few moments to address the audience and make a few moments to their constituents. Jennings thanked her friends and family for getting her through the elections process, especially when the past two years since she was appointed county auditor have been busy. In addition to running her first election in 2023, she also led her first presidential election this past year, as well as a recount. She also thanked the public for electing her to serve as county auditor for the next four years. Shutts swore his oath of office with one hand on the Bible, which was held by his wife Stephanie Shutts. The new sheriff was surrounded by family members, who had posed for pictures in the courthouse a few minutes earlier. “I would just like to say thank you to my family and my wife Stephanie for all their support through this process,” Shutts said after swearing in as the new sheriff, succeeding retired sheriff John Halferty. “It was a career goal. I’m glad that I have been given the blessing of the voters and the community of Jasper County.” Cupples commended Shutts for taking his oath with his copy of the Bible. He also thanked his Lord and savior for the opportunity to serve the people of Jasper County. Cupples also thanked SWORN IN | 2
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer Potholes and patched roadway fill Quicksilver Avenue near Monroe. The road locally known as Old Highway 163 is set to be resurfaced after the Jasper County Supervisors gave approval to the project.
“So the good pricing continues,” Frietsch said. “We’re significantly below our estimate, which is good for our farm-to-market.” Quicksilver Avenue is Old High-
way 163 located outside of Monroe; the roadway runs parallel to nearby train tracks. Frietsch said the RESURFACING | 2
Christopher Braunschweig/PCM Explorer Brad Shutts is sworn in as sheriff of Jasper County before the board of supervisors meeting on Dec. 31 in the Jasper County Courthouse in Newton.
ROZENBOOM: Significant changes to education would be a mistake in 2025 legislative session Former chair of Senate Education Committee wants to prioritize property taxes and fine tuning education-related matters By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Editor’s note: The following story is the second in a three-part series going over the priorities of lawmakers who represent Jasper County communities. The issues covered do not represent all of what legislators want to accomplish but merely a small handful of what they consider top priorities. Iowa State Sen. Ken Rozenboom of District 19 is no longer chair of the Senate Education Committee, which means he can concentrate more on issues not solely related to education.
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Even so, the longtime lawmaker still wants to fine-tune some education-related matters and not make any major changes. Rozenboom had asked to not chair any committees this year. He had served as the chairman of the Iowa Senate Education Committee for the past few years, taking over for Sen. Amy Sinclair. But this session he said he is taking a different role behind Rozenboom
the scenes and will be working closely with newer lawmakers. Iowa State Sen. Lynn Evans will take over the Senate Education Committee this year, giving Rozenboom a bit of a break. To chair a committee like that at a time when a number of changes were made to the Iowa school system made it easy for Rozenboom to get lost in education and lose track of everything else. Significant changes were made to the Iowa education system, most notably the reform of the Area Education Agencies (AEAs) and the introduction of educational savings accounts
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(ESAs) or what critics call vouchers. Rozenboom expects there to be continued fine-tuning of those issues, but nothing major. Both subjects received widespread attention and generated a fair amount of controversy. Rozenboom went so far as to say it would be a “mistake” to make any more major changes in the 2025 legislative session. People need a chance to catch their breath and adjust to the new normal. “Let’s keep in mind in the past four years, yes, we talked about changes to ROZENBOOM | 2
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