News

Conservation areas, Central Park take hits from derecho

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:45pm

     “I can say that of the 23 years I have worked here at Central Park, this was the worst damage from a storm event that I have witnessed. We have had other high winds and ice storms that have caused damage in other years, but none like the Aug. 10 event.”

     Those words were shared by Jones County Conservation Naturalist Michele Olson as she reflected on the Aug. 10 derecho that swept through southern Jones County.

     “The entire park was affected, especially heavily wooded areas of the park,” offered Olson.

City pursues former Energy building buyout

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:43pm

     The City of Monticello is one step closer to possibly seeing the demolition of the former Energy building.

     Located at the corner of Main Street and E. First Street, the building is owned by the Welter family.

     During a special Monticello City Council meeting on Aug. 31, the council approved the buyout of the Energy building. This requires a 15 percent ($60,000) match. The resolution also included moving forward with the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Feldmann resigns from city council

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:42pm

     Monticello City Council member Gary Feldmann, Ward 1, submitted his resignation on Thursday, Sept. 3, effective immediately.

     “I feel I can no longer be a good elected representative,” Feldmann stated.

     He shared that reasons for resigning are two-fold.

     “First and foremost, after only eight short months, I’m exhausted of fielding complaints from citizens,” he said. “I now see why it is getting harder and harder to find people interested in running for city council.”

MCSD reports 50 students out related to COVID

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:41pm

     Monticello Community Schools Superintendent Brian Jaeger released his weekly district-wide update on Friday, Sept. 4, concerning COIVD-19.

     The week of Aug. 31 through Sept. 4, students had four full days of in-person classes, and a required online learning day on Wednesday.

     “Our staff has done a fantastic job of putting together in-person learning and online learning for every student,” reported Jaeger. “As you could imagine, this is a big challenge for our staff as we have never done daily preparation for both in-person and online learning before.”

County awards derecho storm debris cleanup project

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:39pm

     The Jones County Supervisors approved the low bidder for a countywide project to remove debris from county right of way following the Aug. 10 derecho storm.

     The board received four bids for the project during their Sept. 1 meeting, ranging in contract price from $222,098 up to $645,300. B&J Hauling & Excavation (Brian Monk) was the low bidder.

     County Engineer Derek Snead said there’s an estimated 375 different sites throughout the southern portion of the county that have debris sitting in the right of way.

Questions go unanswered regarding Nov. 3 election

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:30pm

     County Auditor Janine Sulzner, Commissioner of Elections, reported at the Sept. 1 Jones County Supervisor meeting that there have already been 1,900 requests for absentee ballots.

     While those ballots cannot be issued until Oct. 5 at the earliest, Sulzner said so many legal issue have risen surrounding the Nov. 3 election, causing voter confusion.

     Three counties in Iowa (Linn, Woodbury, and Johnson) have issued absentee ballot forms for voters in those counties, but the forms were pre-filled out with each voter’s personal information.

MCSD offering ‘Grab and Go’ Wednesday lunches

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:28pm

     Pat Kelly, Food Service director for the Monticello School District, announced that school lunches would still be made available to students on Wednesdays.

Donations sought for Personal Hygiene Kit Supply Drive

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:16pm

     The Fifth Annual Jones County Personal Hygiene Kit Supply Drive is taking place now through Wednesday, Sept. 30.

     This event is in honor of 9/11 and Patriot Day.

     Personal hygiene supplies are being collected for local veterans. All collected items will be organized into kits and distributed to local food banks. You can donate individual items or sponsor a full kit for $5. Sponsored kits will include your business logo.

Items to donate:

     • Deodorant

     • Toothpaste

     • Toothbrushes

     • Floss

MVHS inducts members into NHS

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:16pm

     Maquoketa Valley High School inducted 12 new members into its National Honor Society chapter Monday, Aug. 31.

     Students were recognized for their outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service.

     Newly inducted members are: Payton Beaman, Kaela Clemen, Logan Johnson, Avery Krapfl, Jenavieve LeGassick, Caleb Livingston, Amanda Mohr, Paige Panosh, Parker Sternhagen, Emilee Supple, McKenna Thompson, and Paige Winter.

Sulzner encourages participation in Voter Registration Month

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 2:15pm

     Jones County Auditor Janine Sulzner joins Secretary of State Paul Pate in encouraging Iowans to register to vote or update their registration in conjunction with National Voter Registration Month, which runs through Sept. 30. Additionally, Tues., Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day.

     “Having your voter registration record up to date will save voters time at the polls and will reduce the possibility of delays for those who wish to vote early with an absentee ballot,” said Sulzner.

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