WELCOME BACK, MUSTANGS!
94 years of Percy family fun
Percy Fair celebrates annual gathering Aug. 25 with games, songs and friends
The perfect fit
New PCE principal brings knowledge and experience to position
By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
With a big shift in the elementary layout, new Prairie City Elementary Principal Jenni McCrory was the perfect leader to bring on board. Having served as the 3-5 principal for 14 years at Sergeant Bluff, McCrory brings in a wealth of knowledge to help make the transition as smooth as possible for the new school year.
“I’m really feeling good about things. We’re going to have some good things going on this year,” McCrory said.
A Walthill, Neb. native, McCrory received her music education degree from the University of South Dakota. She taught middle school band for six years before getting her masters in administration, going on to serve as the PK-4 principal in Sheldon. After seven years she moved back to the Sioux City area for the 3-5 principal position, which was “a dream job.”
“I was very excited to be there, closer to home, my husband is from the area so closer to family and a great place to be as
my kids were growing,” McCrory said. In 2018, she got her doctorate in education leadership and superintendents endorsement from USD and started to look at what was next for her family.
“My youngest son had graduated and my husband and I always said once our kids are out of school we can go wherever we want. I had been looking in this area for almost two years and was just keeping my eyes open. We knew we wanted to be in Central Iowa, our daughter is here and we enjoy the metro area,” McCrory said. “When former superintendent Havenstrite called me and explained the job I had an ‘Ahhh’ moment. I know this. I was super excited. It’s what I have lived for 14 years. Thinking about my leadership skills and my experience, I was really drawn to coming to help the staff and communities roll into this new culture, the new transition.”
Having just the older elementary students is McCrory’s “sweet spot.”
BOND ELECTION SCHEDULED
Jasper County calls for a $6.4M bond election this November to pay for a new secondary roads maintenance shop
By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer
Supervisors have called for a special election this November in hopes Jasper County residents will agree to a $6.4 million bond to pay for the second phase of the new Liberty Avenue Yard project, which will become the new home for the engineer’s office and the secondary roads department.
According to the resolution included in the board of supervisors agenda, general obligation bonds or capital loan notes would be used for the design, construction, equipment, furnishings and land site improvements for a secondary
Submitted
for the new administration building a few years back, supervisors say the bond will not raise the county’s property taxes. The bond for the administration building was for $3.6 million and passed with 64 percent approval in March 2021.
Officials say the county can accomplish this due to its low debt. The resolution approved by supervisors on Aug. 20 states the property taxes of a home with an actual value of $100,000 is estimated not to exceed $10.41. But changes in other levies may cause the actual annual increase in property taxes to vary.
roads maintenance building. Voters will decide whether it passes on Election Day. So in addition to voting for the next president of the United States and which two candidates will be on the county board of supervisors for the next four
years, Jasper County citizens will essentially vote “yes” or “no” to this proposed project and payment method. The project is currently estimated at $6,224,080. Similarly to how Jasper County pitched its bond referendum proposal
Newton News previously reported other projects besides the second phase of the new engineer’s office were included in the bond vote. However, it was explained by supervisor Brandon Talsma that spending thresholds for those projects did not exceed past the point where a vote of the people was needed.
“The reason it’s at $6.4 million is because, once again, with Ahlers & Cooney
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer
Kids get their annual back to school picture at the first day of school at Monroe Elementary Sept. 24. All students were back to start the new year Sept. 25.
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer
New Prairie City Elementary Principal Jenni McCrory joins the districts with almost 15 years experience leading 3-5 students.
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer
Photo By the time Election Day arrives on Nov. 5, voters will get to not only choose a new president and two new county supervisors but also whether or not a $6.4 million bond for the secondary roads maintenance shed will pass.
Worth Mentioning
Send your event to news@pcmexplorer.com
Events at The Gathering Place
Thursday, Aug. 29
• 5pm Acoustic JAMM session
Monday, Sept. 2
• 8am Coffee & Prayer with Pastor Ann
• 10am Video Exercise Class
Wednesday, Sept. 4
• 1pm “Get Fit, Move More” with Amy S. Thursday, Sept. 5
• 12:15pm Matter of Balance
PCM Food Pantry
The PCM Food Pantry at the Monroe Presbyterian Church, 113 S. Main St. in Monroe, is open 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays.
TOPS
TOPS 1025 meets at 5:30 p.m. every Monday at the First Reformed Church in Prairie City for weigh-in, with meeting to follow. Go to the north side parking lot at the church and enter in the north door. Call 515-994-2200 for information.
Men’s Recovery meeting
Lighthouse Recovery Ministries hosts a Men’s Recovery meeting at 6:30 p.m. each Monday at Grace Alive Church, 703 W. Second St. in Prairie City. Contact Barb at b.miller@lighthouserecoveryia.com with questions.
PCM Clothing Closet
The PCM Clothing Closet, on the second floor of the Family Life Center at 105 S. Sherman St. in Prairie City, will be open from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
GriefShare begins Sept. 4
First Reformed Church in Prairie City will begin a new session of GriefShare on Wednesday, Sept. 4. If you have experienced the death of a loved one and are looking for support, healing and hope, you are welcome to join us. The 13-week program consists of discussion; informative videos presented by Christian counselors, authors, pastors and others who share their stories and found hope through faith. In addition each participant will receive a workbook containing five daily exercises each week as well as other resources. There is a $20 registration fee (scholarships available). Whether your grief journey has just begun or you’ve been walking this path for a long time, GriefShare can help. For more information or to register, contact Mary Lemmert, 515-205-0835 or at hope2you@aol.com. Begin your journey from Mourning to Joy with GriefShare.
Kingdom Criers at Brethren Church
The Kingdom Criers Gospel Quartet will perform in concert at 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Prairie City Church of the Brethren, 12015 Hwy. S6G. The concert is in conjunction with a fundraiser for a new Fellowship Hall addition and a free will offering will be taken. The public is invited for a coffeetime of desserts and ice cream following the concert.
Jasper Community Foundation announces grant awards
Dan Skokan, president of the Jasper Community Foundation, announced $125,000 in grant awards were distributed recently to area non-profit organizations. The community foundation receives funds for grant-making and endowment building each year from the state-sponsored County Endowment Fund Program. The grant proposals were received from educational, municipal and non-profit organizations throughout Jasper County.
“I am pleased to announce the Foundation awarded grant funding to 25 non-profits throughout Jasper County. These grant funds will provide much-needed financial support for a variety of important programs and services in our communities,” Skokan said. “Each year we make an effort to fund a wide variety of programs that touch residents all over the county. This year we were able to make grants to organizations supporting programs and services in human services,
DAR
For its July meeting, Grinnell Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution enjoyed a presentation by Sharon Falck of Grinnell. Falck, a retired home economics teacher, is a member of the local Grinnell quilt guild. For the past 11 years, she has had a special relationship with the Lakota people through the Dakota Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Falck supports Lakota quilters by donating used sewing machines which she has had serviced and repaired. She has donated 81 sewing machines and three sergers in the time she has worked with the Lakota.
To show their appreciation the Lakota have gifted Falck with quilts including a Morning Star quilt. The Morning Star
Grant Funding for Abandoned Wells and Cisterns Available
Unwanted and abandoned water wells are a hazard to our drinking water supplies and pose a real safety hazard to people, animals and equipment or vehicles. Each year in our country, a number of individuals are injured or killed due to falling into old, forgotten wells. It is the responsibility of every property owner to ensure that their properties do not have any wells that pose a hazard to person or groundwater.
Contact Jasper County Environmental Health today to schedule a free assessment at (641) 792-3084
education, recreation, arts and culture, community vitality and many others.”
The Foundation awarded grants that ranged from $900 to $10,000 to new or enhanced, innovative programs that address needs or issues within Jasper County.
All submitted grant proposals were reviewed by the Jasper Community Foundation Board. The 25 organizations receiving funding through this program are:
City of Mingo — $2,500
City of Monroe — $2,400
Food Pantry of Colfax — $2,250
Friends of the Lynnville Library — $2,500
Jasper Co Agriculture Society — $2,500
Lucy’s Pet Pantry — $2,500
Prairie City Farmer’s Market — $900
Colfax Park & Rec Auxiliary Board — $4,500
Kid Assist — $6,271
Jasper Co Conservation — $8,100
Newton Fire Dept — $5,000
Club News
is an important figure in Lakota ceremonies and represents the direction from which spirits travel to earth. It is a link between the living and the dead thus symbolizing immortality. During the ceremony in which the quilt is gifted to a person, the quilt is draped over one’s shoulders.
Falck discussed the many issues facing Native Americans in our society including stereotypes; the Indian schools that attempted to erase native culture; the numerous
Colfax Library — $3,250
Friends of Rock Creek — $10,000
Colfax Mainstreet — $4,000
Kick it Forward — $10,000
MercyOne — $5,000
Lynnville Historical Society —
$3,000
Jasper Co Historical Museum — $4,000
Newton Community Theater — $5,000
Food Bank of Iowa — $5,000
Sully Garden Club — $5,000
Baxter Economic Dev Corp — $8,000
Sully Hometown Pride — $5,000
Newton Arboretum — $8,000
Lynnville Sully Comm Education Foundation — $5,000
Jasper Community Foundation — $6,000
The County Endowment Fund Program made the funds for these grants possible. This Fund was established by the state legislature in 2004 to help promote charitable giving and endowment building throughout the state.
missing Native American women; and Bureau of Indian Affairs regulations that are harmful to the Native American population such as a decision which will allow marijuana to be grown on reservations which could be genocide for a population which has addictive personalities.
Falck recommended the book The Land Is Not Empty by Sarah Augustine to further explore these issues. In conclusion, Falck recommends that when performing mission work, the needs of the population should be your primary consideration.
We can stop HIV, Iowa— by staying up-to-date on recommended screenings!
Health screenings help to identify diseases and chronic conditions before symptoms occur. The CDC recommends:
Talk to your healthcare provider about getting screened! Forgot if you’ve had a screening? Ask them to check your records!
Screenings are important because HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C don’t always have noticeable signs or symptoms. Some people should be tested more often—visit the web resources below to learn more!
Scan here to learn more about HIV screening recommendations Or visit https://cdc.gov/hiv/testing/
Scan here to learn more about hepatitis C screening recommendations— Or visit https://cdc.gov/hepatitis-c/testing/
Scan here to learn more about hepatitis B screening recommendations— Or visit https://cdc.gov/hepatitis-b/testing/
Submitted Photo Sharon Falck was gifted this Morningstar quilt by Lakota quilters to thank her for her work with them.
Having led from preschool through fifth grade in her past, she knows exactly where she wants to be.
“When I went to Sergeant Bluff and took on 3-5, I was really able to laser focus myself and get really good at what each grade looks like. I could really support just those three grades,” McCrory said. “I see it as a benefit for myself as a leader that I can focus my energy in the upper elementary realm and getting them ready for middle school. I prefer that upper elementary age and I feel like, for me, it is the perfect fit. This is my sweet spot.”
She is also excited about what PCM Elementeries have been doing, specifically with Leader in Me. The program is new to her and she can’t wait to dig in and see why it is so popular with not only the staff but the kids, too.
“I have sat in on some planning meetings and trainings this summer and I’m super excited to see it in action. Every time we talk about it I hear more and more about how excited the kids are,” McCrory said. “The philosophy of believing that all students are leaders. I think sometimes students are misunderstood or give themselves a reputation so coming in with a clean slate and everybody having that mindset of every student is a leader, we just need to figure out what the leadership skill is that they possess.”
the main building was constructed in the 1930s and then an extension was added in the 1980s.
we reached out to them multiple times, we do not have to include those smaller projects on it,” he said. “We can include those projects as part of a larger bond issuance but not part of this bond issuance that we need approval for.”
Other projects initially mentioned in those early discussions include a training facility for the sheriff’s office, maintenance shops at Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve and Mariposa Park and an outdoor archery range and classroom components for the upcoming environmental education center.
While those projects are still being planned, they will not appear on the ballot. Only the bond request for the secondary roads project will be considered.
The total estimated cost for all projects is $7.5 million.
SECONDARY ROADS
SHOP
For almost 100 years, the secondary roads shop has been located about 1.5 miles inside the city limits of Newton. According to the bond project communications on the Jasper County website,
The proposed shop is located on a county road outside city limits and near Interstate 80, which the county says would eliminate the delay of navigating through city streets and allow for quicker response times. Staff say the current shop is in need of more space but is in deteriorating conditions.
Which ultimately limits secondary roads on the type of equipment that can be pulled into the bays. For instance, due to their weight, bulldozers and track hydraulic excavators are restricted to areas without basement underneath. The ceiling in the main shop is also too low to extend dump truck bodies for repairs. Equipment only continues to get larger in height and width, making the current shop more obsolete as time goes on.
Photographs included on the county website show cracks, exposed rebar and other deteriorations in the current office. It also includes a photo of the vintage 1935 Caterpillar Model 22, which is featured as a decorative piece outside the current engineer’s office along the 900 block of North 11th Avenue East.
The Model 22 is 9 feet long, almost 5 feet wide and more than 4.5 feet tall. It weighs more than 3 tons. Whereas a 1998 Caterpillar D5 is more than 11 feet long, more than 7 feet wide and almost 10 feet tall. It weighs nearly 13 tons.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
TRAINING FACILITY
Following the closing of the Jasper County Animal Rescue League a number of years ago, Jasper County took possession of the building in 2023 and conducted law enforcement training in the space. From there the sheriff’s office recognized an opportunity to create a training facility for all first responders in Jasper County.
The goal of this facility would be to allow first responders a safe environment to learn and train on the most current standards. Currently, the building is being used for training at a minimal standard. The sheriff’s office wants to add classroom space, restrooms and a training room with movable walls.
Additional renovations could also allow the advanced life support program to expand even further by providing housing for the ambulance, medical and training equipment and an office space. It would
The staff’s willingness to take on additional responsibilities is also impressive to her. From transitioning to grade aligned teams to whole school initiatives, she is ready to get rolling with the great things that have been started.
“I am also impressed with the different teams in the building. An academic team, a social-emotional team, an environmental team and an activities team. The teachers are doing all of these great things,” McCrory said. “I am used to doing it all so it is fun to see them and see them being excited for it and taking ownership of it.”
She does know there are areas for improvement and is ready to dig in and work to make the academic experience the best it can be at the school.
“We have some work to do with cur-
also allow for more EMS training opportunities and even CPR and basic medical classes for citizens.
By the end of 2023, a firearms range was added to the north side of the property. The county proposes the classroom and firearms range can be used for hunter safety courses and even law enforcement lead classes for citizens.
CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Four projects are planned for Jasper County Conservation. The first is classroom components — tables, chairs, projectors, whiteboards, laptops, microscopes, iPads, display furs and aquariums — for the environmental education center, which is going to be located on 40 acres of landed southeast of Newton.
Another component project at the nature center is the archery range, and bonds would help pay for the range itself and equipment, including a backstop berm, parking lot, backstop netting, a shooting shelter, target stands, targets, bows, bow stands and arrows.
The current maintenance shop at Mariposa Park, which is a detached garage, is dilapidated and no longer able to serve its purpose. Conservation
riculum and test scores and making sure that we are learning at a high level. That is one of my goals, that we are getting quality instruction so students can all learn at a high level to their greatest potential,” McCrory said. “We are pushing them, it is not status quo, what more can you do. (I’m) working and pushing and guiding the staff to do that with the students.”
With work underway and a lot more to come, getting the year underway is what will really kick off the start to McCrory’s time at PCM.
“I am excited to get the kids here, to see them and introduce myself to them,” McCrory said. “I am excited to get the year started and see where it goes. I can’t wait to grow along with the staff as we grow as a new family.”
has noted it needs to be replaced. The bond would fund the demolition of the old shop and build a new structure with an office for park staff.
In addition, a concrete pad and septic system would be established for a park host to be located at the shop in order to make Mariposa Park more accessible and user-friendly during the busy camping season. It would also provide 24-hour staff located directly in the park.
Another shop is planned at the Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve.
The current shop is more than 50 years old. After the derecho in 2020 and the hailstorm in 2023 — coupled with a rusty roof and rotting interior — the structure needs replaced. The bond would build a new shop within the same footprint, GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK TO JASPER COUNTY
Jasper County plans
to hold numerous in-person and virtual town hall meetings leading up to the bond vote on Election Day. There will also be an open house for the secondary roads maintenance shop to close out the town hall meetings from 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at 4800 Liberty Avenue. Zoom meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, 24 and Oct. 8, 22. In-person meetings are scheduled at 6:30 p.m. for the following dates:
• Aug. 29 in the Prairie City Community Building, 503 S. State St.
• Sept. 19 in Lynnville City Hall, 308 East St.
• Oct. 10 in Baxter Community Building/ City Hall, 203 S. Main St.
• Oct. 17 in Jasper County Admin Building, 315 W. 3rd St. N., Newton.
• Oct. 24 in Amboy Grand Building, 220 High St., Kellogg.
Submitted Photo
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors is calling for a $6.4 million bond election for the second phase of the Liberty Avenue Yard project. The project will construct a new secondary roads maintenance shed.
Empowering Iowa small businesses to support America
Innovation should not just come from Washington when it is thriving right here in the heartland. In Iowa, small businesses make up 99 percent of businesses and employ more than 50 percent of the workers in our state.
While these businesses have been put through the wringer by inflation and the unrelenting tsunami of regulations, Washington has punished them in a much less obvious way over the last 15 years — by squeezing them out of selling to the biggest consumer in the country: the federal government. Since Fiscal Year 2008, the number of small businesses competing for federal government contracts has been cut in half.
YOUR VIEW
From Washington, DC
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst
When I became the top Republican on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee last year, I immediately set out to reverse this concerning decline. I found one of the biggest obstacles was wacky government jargon and quickly introduced the ACCESS Act to streamline the process and make it more accessible for small businesses to
Concerned for the state of our union
Recently, while driving around Newton, I counted over 100 flags being flown. Last weekend, I drove to central Missouri and I was surprised by how many flags were being flown and on display. I think this might be a sign of the concern for the state of our union. Our society and country is a mess. We cannot continue down the current path and survive!
This is our generation and we are responsible to be responsive and respond. Thank God for our Founding Fathers, who risked everything to pass on to us a form of government like no other on earth. It is worth defending: Defending our borders; defending the millions of babies murdered in and out of the womb; and defending young children from sexual mutilation. Our insane open-border policies have bankrupted many states’ education, housing, feeding, providing medical aid, etc. These services will destroy many, many services for our own citizens in time. We are trillions of dollars in debt and counting. Known rapists, murderers, child molesters, drug dealers, human traffickers and terrorists are coming in alarming numbers.
It’s high time the silent majority — we Christians, along with our pulpits-wake up, stand up, and speak up. Let’s not be like Germany and allow another holocaust!
Historians agree, if the clergy in Germany would have banded together in opposition to Hitler in the ‘30s, the holocaust would never have happened.
I also heard on TV the other night a recent survey shows eight in 10 believe the church has lost its influence it once had. If so, God help us!
Clayton Newell Newton
SHARE YOUR VIEW
Letters to the Newton News will be edited for libel, grammar and length and should not exceed 400 words. We reserve the right to shorten letters and reject those deemed libelous, in poor taste or of a personal nature. Include your full name, address and a daytime phone number for verification. Signed columns as well as letters to the editor and editorial cartoons represent the personal opinion of the writer or artist.
Submit letters to newsroom@newtondailynews. com or Newton News, P.O. Box 967, Newton, Iowa 50208
SPEAK OUT
How to contact your elected officials Jasper County Supervisors
Brandon Talsma, chair 4309 W Fourth St. S. Newton, IA 50208 641-526-3142 btalsma@co.jasper.ia.us
Doug Cupples, vice chair 1205 S. 20th Ave. W. Newton, IA 50208 641-521-8725 dcupples@co.jasper.ia.us
Denny Stevenson 110 Railroad Street Kellogg, IA 50135 641-521-8553 dstevenson@co.jasper.ia.us
compete. This commonsense bill promotes job creation and supports communities right here in Iowa.
After all, Iowa small businesses are not just mom-and-pop shops. They operate as trailblazers of invention, bringing vital technologies that support our national defense to bear.
Opening the door for these small businesses to compete in the federal marketplace is about providing the government access to the latest cutting-edge technologies and ensuring a robust defense industrial base to protect our nation. It also ensures tax dollars are used more efficiently.
A steady presence of new firms creates the necessary competition to keep costs low and forces Washington bureaucrats to be good stewards of tax dollars, instead of just doling out contracts to the same few companies year after year.
My advocacy is not limited to the halls of Congress. The best way to ensure the federal government under-
stands how to work with small businesses is by sitting down and meeting with them.
This month, I hosted my second annual Entrepreneur Expo in Ames to get federal agencies out of the D.C. bubble and into the heartland.
The event was a roaring success, as hundreds of attendees were able to hear from 75 speakers from 40 different state and federal agencies about how their businesses can compete and win.
Reversing the rapid decline in the federal marketplace won’t happen overnight, but I am confident that we have momentum on our side to unleash entrepreneurship in Iowa and across this country.
Small businesses power our states, and it is long past time we remove barriers and equip them to support and supply the federal government.
Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.
Seniors paying more under the Biden-Harris Administration
When I became a doctor and took the Hippocratic Oath, I promised to refrain from causing harm or intentionally hurting people. And when I was elected to office, I promised to fight for and protect the needs of Iowans.
Meanwhile, remember that Democrats promised they would bring down healthcare costs for Americans, especially seniors. Since the Biden-Harris Administration took office, Medicare Part D premiums have skyrocketed, increasing by 57 percent. They are about to go up again, and seniors need to be prepared.
More than 650,000 Iowans depend on Medicare. This year, they had 22 Part D plans to choose from — that’s less than half the number that was available in 2007. Some saw their Medicare Part D premiums — the monthly amount paid for health coverage — increase as much as 119 percent from last year. Nationally, the average increase was 21 percent.
The bad news doesn’t stop there. Premiums are expected to go up by another 50 percent or more in 2025! That means in just a few months, some Iowa seniors, many on a fixed income, will be spending almost $200 a month on healthcare premiums alone.
So, how did a law that was supposed to lower healthcare costs end up causing them to skyrocket? When my Democratic colleagues wrote the inaccurately named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), they moved more than $100 billion out of Medicare, promising that any savings from the law would make
Our District
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
up for the loss. But they knew it wasn’t true, so they added gimmicks to distract from the fact that it would be years, maybe never, before Americans saw any real savings. The problem with gimmicks is they don’t solve the problem.
One of those gimmicks is lowering the cost Iowa Medicare beneficiaries pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs. Next year, the new out-of-pocket maximum for drugs is going from $3,300 down to $2,000.
That sounds great, but someone has to pay for the $1,300 difference. It was supposed to be the insurers, but they are passing the cost onto beneficiaries through higher premiums. Insurers knew the out-of-pocket cap would kick in next year, so they started raising premiums this year.
Another gimmick is a 6 percent limit on premiums. Democrats would have you believe that everyone on Medicare would be protected from double-digit premium increases from insurers, but the reality is that the cap only applies to a portion of the premium related to basic benefits, not the actual premiums plans charge for coverage.
Knowing the political fallout from this flawed approach, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a demonstration to buy
down premiums in 2025. They propose to spend billions more from Medicare to cover up their mistake, not to change the law, but to dodge the political hit coming in October when seniors start to shop for plans and see massive premium increases.
Had Democrats simply not raided Medicare in the first place, this new raid on Medicare wouldn’t have been needed. Now, taxpayers will pay billions more for the flawed law’s impact on costs.
One simple solution Congress should enact now is to stop using Medicare as a piggy bank. Those so-called “savings” from the IRA are not going back into the system. Instead, they are being used to fund Democrats’ pet projects like financing a Travis Kelce movie, solar panels, or tax breaks on Chinese-built electric cars.
Iowans deserve better; that’s why I am working to fix the law, end these misappropriations of funds taken out of Medicare, and provide better care and lower costs for seniors in our state.
Correcting this sleight-of-hand maneuver will take time, so Iowa seniors need to prepare right now for October 1. That’s when they will start shopping for their 2025 Medicare plan and could see another increase in costs due to the Inflation Reduction Act. What we need to do now is ensure that leaders live up to the promise of the Hippocratic Oath and do no harm through another raid on Medicare to fund programs outside of Medicare.
Doubles Horseshoes Pitch 1st Jerry McLaushlin and Brian Recor
2nd Chad and Dorthy Hartley
3rd Britt Tripp and Mickoel Heaton
Kids Parade
Leia Rizzo, Oakley Morris “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” Lynch Family - Kassie, Kenzie, Keslie, Kemrie, Kellie, plus Lu “Christmas in August” Harper Talbot “Christmas in August” Jenkins Pendroy “Mr. Grinch” Skyler Breckenridge “Skyler’s Tree Farm” Henry and Raelyn Rozendaal “Santa’s Sleigh” Kate Cummins, Harrison LeGrand “Mr. and Mrs. Claus with their Elf Buckwheat”
Barrett Cummins, Ruby “The Grinch” Ryker and Baylor Kingery “The Grinch, Cindy Lou Who and Max” Lena and Miles VanWyk “The Grinch Steals Old Settlers”
Owen Cave “Santa I’m on the nice list”
Ella Cave “Santa I’ve been good”
Explorer PCM
Old Settlers results
Bike/Trike Races
Boys 3 and under - 1st Tony Rizk, 2nd Bixton Lanphier, 3rd Huck Pendroy, 4th Layton
Girls 3 and under - 1st Kate Cummins, 2nd Evelyn Morris, 3rd Elizabeth O’Dell, 4th Braelynn Rozendaal
Boys 4 year olds - 1st Daxton Pendroy, 2nd Everett Evans
Girls 4 year olds - 1st Josephine Van Wyk, 2nd Lena Van Wyk
Boys 5 year olds - 1st Mac Martin, 2nd Greyson Waddell, 3rd Henry Rozendaal, 4th Henry St. Peter
Girls 5 year olds - 1st Ella Cave, 2nd Laiken Van Ryswyk, 3rd Bowie Van Ryswyk, 4th Eliana O’Dell
Boys 6 year olds - 1st Dane Cartwright, 2nd Samuel Kingery, 3rd Gibson LaZella, 4th Memphis Van Wyk
Girls 6 year olds - 1st Josie Edwards, 2nd Baylor Kingery, 3rd Emery Ulrey, 4th Taegyn Terpstra
Boys 7 year olds - 1st Brooks Van Ryswyk, 2nd Maverick Whitfield, 3rd Liam Hansen, 4th Casen Burns
Girls 7 year olds - 1st Charlotte Van Ryswyk, 2nd Penny Brinegar
Boys 8 year olds - 1st Owen Hume,
2nd Connor Wilson, 3rd Leo Ainsworth, 4th McCoy Martin
Girls 8 year olds - 1st Hannah Kingery, 2nd Aliyah Bonnett, 3rd Adaline Franzen
Boys 9-10 year olds - 1st Backham Van Ryswyk, 2nd Nathaniel Kingery, 3rd JoJo Street, 4th Brody Tangeman
Girls 9-10 year olds - 1st Jaelyn Bonnett, 2nd McCarthey Edwards, 3rd Blakely Van Ryswyk, 4th Mazie Martin
Boys 11-12 year olds - 1st Emery Hume, 2nd Cooper Burns, 3rd Nixon Kain, 4th Eli Gibbs
Girls 11-12 year olds - 1st Elsey
Ainsworth
Running Races
Boys 3 and under - 1st Tony Fisk, 2nd Brooks DePringer, 3rd Huck Pendroy, 4th Munson Curry
Girls 3 and under - 1st Elizabeth O’Dell, 2nd Emillyn Morris, 3rd Kate Cummins, 4th Braelynn Rozendaal
Boys 4 year olds - 1st Everett Evans, 2nd Josiah Brouwer, 3rd Dax Pendroy
Girls 4 year olds - 1st Parker Van Wyn Garden, 2nd Leha Van Wyk, 3rd Josephine Van Wyk
Girls 5 year olds - 1st Mac Martin,
2nd Luke Peterson, 3rd Davis Jenkins, 4th Kenry Rozendaal
Girls 5 year olds - 1st Eliana O’Dell, 2nd Ella Cave, 3rd Laiken Van Ryswyk
Boys 6 year olds - Memphis Van Wyk, 2nd Dane Cartwright, 3rd Daxton Elam, 4th Walker Dalbey
Girls 6 year olds - 1st Grace Morris, 2nd Emery Ulrey, 3rd Bayler Kingery, 4th Emerson Hennessee
Boys 7 year olds - 1st Maverick Whitfield
Girls 7 year olds - 1st Penny Brinegar
Boys 8 year olds - 1st McCoy Martin, 2nd Owen Dalbey, 3rd Gabriel O’Dell, 4th Connor Wilson
Girls 8 year olds - 1st Hannah Kingery, 2nd Olive Judge
Boys 9-10 year olds - 1st Nathaniel Kingery, 2nd Cooper Baxter, 3rd JoJo Street, Aidrik Osterhaus
Girls 9-10 year olds - 1st Harper Reinholdt, 2nd Ashlyn Ulrey, 3rd Teslyn Terpstra
Boys 11-12 year olds - 1st Owen Kingery, 2nd Logan O’Dell, 3rd Harrison LeGrand, 4th Jack Dalbey
Girls 11-12 year olds - 1st Elsey Ainsworth
MercyOne Newton created $77.7M impact on local economy
Last year, MercyOne Newton Medical Center generated 378 jobs that added $20.9 million in total wages and $77.7 million in total gross domestic product to Jasper County’s economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association.
“Hospitals have a significant positive impact on the local economies they serve which is why it is so vital to have a strong hospital in rural communities like ours,” Chad Kelley, chief operating officer at MercyOne Newton Medical Center, said. “Hospitals are economic drivers which utilize
local businesses to support operations, thereby creating jobs not only within the hospital’s walls but externally in the community as well.”
One component of the total economic stimulus hospitals provide to local communities includes charitable community benefit services. Community benefits are activities to improve health status and increase access to health care, including uncompensated charity care, health screenings, support groups, counseling, immunizations, nutrition services and transportation programs. “MercyOne Newton Medical
Center contributed more than $3.3 million in charity care and community benefit services alone in the last fiscal year.
More than 1,000 individuals directly benefited from these community service programs in our local community,” Kelley said.
The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data to the American Hospital Association’s annual survey of hospitals. The study found that Iowa hospitals employed 137,841 people in 2023. As an income source, hospitals provided over $9 billion in wages. Hospital expenses accounted
for over $21.3 billion of the state’s gross domestic product.
“Iowa’s hospitals and health systems implemented the programs and services accounted for in this study in response to their communities’ needs,” IHA President and CEO Chris Mitchell said. “Many of these programs and services wouldn’t exist without hospital support and leadership. With IHA’s advocacy, these efforts help ensure the financial stability of hospitals, making it possible for them to provide the services and programs most needed by the people they serve.”
The Iowa Hospital Associ-
ation is a voluntary membership organization representing the interests of hospitals and health systems to business, government, and consumer audiences.
Overall, MercyOne Newton helped create 3.6 percent of all jobs, 4.2 percent of all wages, and 6.7 percent of all gross domestic product in Jasper County during the last 2023-24 fiscal year. MercyOne Newton Medical Center is committed and proud to deliver health care services to residents of Jasper County and the surrounding areas both today and into the future.
Yard and garden: Tomato problems
Learn the options for addressing basic tomato problems in the home garden
Tomatoes are popular vegetables in the home garden. Most gardeners currently are enjoying their harvests. However, tomatoes are susceptible to a range of disorders that can compromise their quality and yield. In this article, horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach discuss what you can do when you encounter issues with your tomatoes.
Why are my tomatoes cracking?
Fruit cracking is a common issue in tomatoes, often appearing at the top or stem end of the fruit as cracks that radiate out from the stem or circle the stem in concentric rings. Fruit cracking is associated with wide fluctuations in soil moisture levels, such as heavy rain or deep watering after a dry spell, causing rapid water uptake and subsequent cracking. Large beefsteak-type tomatoes are particularly prone to this issue.
To prevent fruit cracking, maintain consistent soil moisture, especially during fruit development. This can be achieved by watering thoroughly once a week during dry periods and using mulch, such as dried grass clippings, straw and shredded leaves to conserve moisture. Additionally, for better results, choose crack-resistant varieties such as Jetstar, Mountain Spring or Mountain Fresh.
Several of my tomatoes are misshapen. Why?
Misshapen (catfaced)
fruit may be due to cool weather during fruit set. Exposure to 2, 4-D or similar broadleaf herbicides can also cause misshapen fruit. Catfacing is most common on large-fruited tomato varieties. Affected fruit shows leathery scars, bulges or holes at the blossom end of the fruit. The incidence of catfacing is typically highest on the early maturing fruit and declines during the remainder of the growing season.
A blackish spot develops on the bottom of my tomato fruit. What is the problem and how can it be prevented?
Blossom end rot is the likely cause of the problem. This common problem on tomatoes appears as a brownish-black spot on the fruit’s blossom end (bottom). Secondary organisms invade and cause the fruit to rot. Blossom end rot is most common on the earliest maturing fruit that ripen in July and early August. Blossom end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency in the developing fruit. Wide fluctuations in soil moisture levels impair calcium uptake by the root system of the tomato plant. Excessive nitrogen fertilization may also contribute to blossom end rot.
To prevent blossom end rot, provide consistent moisture to the plants. When dry, water tomatoes weekly with 1 to 1½ inches of water and mulch to maintain soil moisture. Avoid over-fertilization and remove affected fruit to help the
plant focus on healthy fruit development. There is no need to apply calcium to the soil as most Iowa soils contain more than adequate calcium levels.
Blossom end rot can also occur on pepper, eggplant, summer squash and watermelon.
My tomatoes are developing white or yellow areas on the sides of the fruit exposed to the sun. Why?
Sunscald on tomatoes appears as white or yellow patches on fruit exposed to extreme heat. These areas eventually dry out, become sunken and can rot due to secondary infections.
Losses due to sunscald can be reduced by growing tomatoes in wire cages. Cage-grown tomato plants provide good foliage protection for the fruit. Also, control Septoria leaf spot and other foliar diseases, which defoliate the plants and expose the fruit to direct sunlight.
My tomato plants are wilting despite adequate rainfall. Why?
Wilting in tomato plants may be caused by Verticillium or Fusarium wilt, soilborne fungi that block water flow through the plant’s vascular system. Symptoms include daytime wilting with recovery overnight that worsens over time, yellowing foliage and eventual plant death. A cut through the lower stem of a dead plant often reveals a brownish discoloration of the vascular tissue.
Nothing can be done for plants that have Verticillium or Fusarium wilt. Plants that die should be removed and destroyed. Crop rotation is of limited value as the vascular wilt fungi may survive in the soil for several years. The best prevention is using resistant cultivars which are marked with V or F following the cultivar name.
Stalk borers are anoth-
er possibility. Stalk borers are insects that bore into plant stems and can also cause wilting and death. They attack a wide variety of plants, including tomatoes and many weeds that surround the area. Stalk borers are purple and cream-striped caterpillars and are an early-season pest that moves from tall grassy weeds to plants in the garden.
An individual stalk borer may go from one plant to another, damaging several plants. The adult is an inconspicuous grayish-brown moth. Stalk borer-damaged plants may survive when given good care. They are best managed by removing plants that die and controlling tall weeds around the garden. Stalk borers are not easily controlled with insecticides.
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6: Term 2021-2025 Rod DeHaai Board Member District 4: Term 2023-2027 Lori Jungling, Board Member District 1 Term 2021-2025 Jeremy St Peter, Board Member District 5: Term 2023-2027 Non-Voting Members Art Sathoff, Superintendent Becki Vasseau,
