March 28, 2024

Week in Review

Mariposa project aims to improve water quality

The Jasper County Conservation has been working to improve the water quality and recreational potential at Mariposa Park. In order to accomplish this, the lake was drained last month, prompting the JCC to host a fish fry to update residents about the project.

Hundreds of displaced fish were harvested for the event and cleaned by volunteers.

Jasper County Conservation Director Kerri Van Zante along with project engineers from Shive Hattery explained the restoration progress. The project will add a boat dock and a fishing jetty.

Other upcoming projects include re-establishing the shoreline, creating a wetland, stabilization of the dam, refilling the lake and putting in new fish.

Grassley touts support for local biofuel industry

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley visited Newton Tuesday to show his support for biodiesel production in Iowa. An EPA proposal to roll back minimum volumes for biomass based diesel had producers in Iowa concerned. During his speech, Grassley pledged his support, promising to hold President Donald Trump to his promise to support renewable energy in Iowa.

Grassley spoke of the value he’s seen in the Iowa’s biodiesel industry, and he plans to keep fighting for it on the Senate floor. Under the proposed plan, lowering the minimum volume standard for 2018 and rolling back the numbers in 2019 will damage Iowa’s economy.

Biofuels are big business in Iowa, and REG’s impact on Newton has been significant. Seventy million gallons of biodiesel produced in Iowa plants is delivered to 284 locations nationwide.

Movie magic comes to Newton

Actors and crew members gathered at Razor’s Edge barbershop, 101 W. Second St. S. in Newton, to film a “S3rial” a short film Michael Berg wrote, directed and produced.

The film, which Berg bills as an Alfred Hitchcock style thriller, tells the story of a dramatic confrontation between two characters, a barber who’s a serial killer, and a beat cop who’s determined to bring him down. When Berg was scouting for locations earlier this summer he stumbled across the Razor’s Edge barbershop, and he quickly realized the location would be perfect for the climactic scene in the film where the cop and his quarry cross paths for the first time.

Monroe to add new ambulance

Monroe EMS recently received its new $181,000 Ford ambulance after a 2.5-year search and purchase process, and fire chief Robbie Wilson said it will be ready for service within 30 days. EMS volunteers said the focus for the new emergency transport is patient comfort. This is the town’s first ambulance with four-wheel drive and advanced suspension technology.

Prairie City
makes building permits change

Prairie City leaders have taken major step in reshaping the town’s building permit process.

Under a new ordinance approved Oct. 4 by the town’s city council, work done on residential and commercial buildings within city limits will no longer require a building permit for remodeling, repair or maintenance that will not change the structural footprint of the building. In the meeting, the council elected to waive the second and third readings, allowing the ordinance to go into effect upon publication.

After giving the city attorney John Judisch permission to draft a change in building code at last month’s meeting, the city council moved quickly and passed an ordinance in a 4-1 vote that will loosen building permit requirements.