by Rep. Dustin Hite Another debate filled week has passed in the Iowa House and we are winding down. We still have some important tax and budget legislation to pass, but we are committing to staying in Des Moines until it gets done. One of my biggest responsibilities this session was being the floor manager […]
By Randy Paulson and Zoe Seiler The town of Humeston, Iowa, straddles Highway 65 in the northwestern corner of Wayne County, less than a 30-minute drive from the Missouri border. Its population peaked in the 1920s at 1,214 people. Today, the southern Iowa town has only 494 people. “A lot of kids, when they graduate, […]
The MCRF has gratefully received lately from community clubs, grants, and helpers along the community trail! The Mahaska County Community Foundation awarded a grant for $7,250 recently to complete a wildflower prairie along the trail. When fully grown, trail users will be able to see beautiful wildflowers along the trail, and in one area on […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Inside Penn Central Mall on Saturday, dogs and cats from area animal shelters wagged their tails, licked people’s faces, and put on their best behavior in hopes of finding a new home. Terry Gott, Animal Control Officer and Assistant Director of Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter in Oskaloosa, was on hand to assist […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – “911, Where’s your emergency?” Those words are spoken regularly by Mahaska County 911 Telecommunicators (Dispatchers) who answer the call for help when someone is having one of the worst days of their life. Cheryl Eklofe is the Mahaska County 911 Director, and she and her family have been a part of emergency […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Frankel Building, at 109 South Market, is the current location of Smokey Row Coffee in Oskaloosa. The historic building can trace its roots to 1889. The ceremony, which included an introduction by Ann Brouwer, with a welcome by Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt, and a short program by the building’s historian Calvin Bandstra […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Both Bank Iowa and William Penn have been holding separate Easter Egg hunts for years. A quick conversation had both places joining together to create an egg hunt for the ages. On Saturday morning, over 6000 Easter Eggs were cleaned up by hundreds of kids in under two minutes on the grounds […]
by Rep. Holly Brink Hello Friends, Coming off the heels of last week, we have devoted much of this week to agriculture and education. Some of the most important legislation this week introduced several much needed reforms and established the budget to our agriculture and natural resources departments, extension councils, and school district reorganization. Probably […]
by Sen. Ken Rozenboom This week the Senate passed a bill creating a children’s behavioral health system in Iowa. Last year the legislature made significant improvements to the adult mental health system in our state, and this year we are expanding those services to children. The creation of the children’s mental health system adds to […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Mahaska County Emergency Management has received another tool to ensure the safety of Mahaska County residents. At the most recent Emergency Management Commission meeting, EMA Director Jamey Robinson reported that his office had received several “bleed kits,” which he said can be utilized in a mass casualty/mass bleed event. Each kit is […]
