City of Jefferson to Celebrate 4th of July
Saturday is America’s Independence Day and the City of Jefferson will be celebrating by hosting another fireworks display.
Each year, the City Council designates $3,000 in the City’s budget for a 4th of July fireworks display. The company that provides the fireworks is J&M Displays and the City signs a three-year contract with them.
Fire Chief Randy Love says his volunteer firefighters will also be on hand as a precaution.
The fireworks will start at dusk tonight at the Greene County Fairgrounds. The Jefferson VFW Post #9599 will be serving hot dogs and water for a free-will donation before the fireworks. The proceeds will go toward making repairs to the VFW Hall.
The rain date for the fireworks is Sunday, July 5th.
Local Authorities Find Missing Jefferson Teen on Monday
Greene County Chief Deputy Jack Williams says 14 year-old Janelle Brophy was found near her parent’s home in the 1300 block of K Avenue, in a timber area.
Brophy went missing around 2:30pm on Sunday, June 28th and prompted a search by the Greene and Carroll County deputies along with the Jefferson, Churdan, Scranton and Grand Junction Fire departments. Williams says Janelle’s mother thought she was going for a walk but never returned home. The search ended at 9:30pm Sunday and resumed at 7:30am on Monday.
Brophy was found in a different direction than what her mother had indicated before Janelle went missing. Williams adds that they used thermal-imaging cameras, an Iowa State Patrol airplane and some local farmers donated utility vehicles to aid with the search. There was no statewide Amber Alert notification.
Brophy was transported to Greene County Medical Center by Greene County Emergency Medical Services for signs of dehydration.
Williams would like to thank all those involved for helping with the search of Janelle Brophy.
Jefferson Man Sentenced from a December Incident
A Jefferson man was sentenced to probation after he pled guilty to charges from a December incident.
According to court documents, 35 year-old Joshua St. John pled guilty to an aggravated misdemeanor for forgery and a serious misdemeanor for possession of methamphetamine. He had his two year prison sentence suspended and was sentenced to two years of probation on the forgery charge. He was also ordered to pay over $625 in fines, court costs and a law enforcement surcharge. He received a two-day prison sentence plus fines, court costs and a law enforcement surcharge on the meth possession charge.
The charges stem from an executed search warrant on December 2, 2014 in the 100 block of East State Street. Police officers recovered drug-related items, plus stolen checks and prescription drugs that were from another residence. St. John’s other charges including possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and nine counts of possession of prescription drugs were dismissed.
29 year-old Nicole Johnson was another suspect in the case and was sentenced to three years of probation in May on a Class D Felony charge for aiding and abetting forgery.
Churdan Library to Host a Fundraiser Tomorrow
The public is invited to close out their 4th of July celebrations with a special fundraiser on Sunday in Churdan.
Churdan Library Director Shari Minnehan says they will be serving grilled burgers, brats and hotdogs with baked beans, chips, watermelon, desserts and beverages for a free-will donation. The meal will be served from 5 to 6:30pm in the community room. Plus, there will be a book sale going on at the library, where people can purchase a variety of items including t-shirts for $10 and tote bags for $5.
There will be kid games like a bounce house and the evening will end with a performance by the Town and Country Band at 6:45pm at the band shelter. Lawn chairs are encouraged. Minnehan invites everyone to Churdan for a fun way to end the holiday weekend.
“We just thought it would be fun and we always enjoy having the Town and Country Band play. We know we always have a good crowd to come out and enjoy them, so we’re looking forward to having two exciting things happen on Sunday night.”
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the library’s building expansion project, which Minnehan adds that they’ve raised about $50,000 of the $250,000 project.
$20 Million Bond Referendum Scheduled for September for the Greene County School District
Greene County School District voters will be asked to go to the polls in September to vote on the issuance of a $20 million bond referendum for two school building expansions.
A facilities study committee that was made up of school board members, teachers, administrators and representatives from each of the district’s communities, determined that the district needs to reduce its number of building from five to two to increase efficiencies and consolidate its expenses. Committee and School Board member Sam Harding says he’s been through these types of transitions before as the current school district evolved.
“Closing the Scranton building at one point we had to do to consolidate our expenses (and) closing the North Grade Building just before I got on the Board, (so I’ve) been through a lot of them. I got to say this is probably the most massive because looking out on the horizon, the numbers just don’t look good coming down the pipe from the state for funding for the general fund.”
The plans include adding four additional classrooms to the elementary building in Jefferson and converting the facility into a pre-kindergarten through fourth grade building. There would also be a parental drop-off area and a more secured entrance to the building.
The current high school building would be converted into a 5th through 12th grade building. A new fifth through eighth grade portion includes adding four more classrooms to the west side of the campus and have a separate, more secured entrance for middle schoolers and a drop-off area. 24 more classrooms, which includes a cafeteria and competition gym, is included for a new high school block on the northeast side. A new district administration office will be located between the two with minimal interaction between the high school and middle school students.
The vocational classrooms will be a shared space along with an expanded performing arts space, a wrestling room expansion, increased parking capacity and a geothermal and HVAC system upgrade throughout the building.
The district is proposing to close the middle and intermediate schools and the administrative building. Plans for those facilities includes repurposing the school buildings and deeding the administrative building to the Greene County Early Learning Center.
If the bond is approved, it would last for 20 years and it would add $2.70 per $1,000 of property tax valuation. The special election will take place on September 8th.