Archive for: December 2009

Bruce and Janette Temple of Ainsworth announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Catherine, to Timothy James Scheetz. He is the son of Robert Scheetz of Coralville …

November 16, 1917 – December 16, 2009
Opal TeBockhorst, 92, of Kalona, died Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at her home in Richmond following a lingering illness. Services were held Sunday, December 20, …

It was mainly a for land’s sake meeting for Riverside’s council Monday.
The council, in four separate items of business, approved land re-zoning, exchanged land with a local business, received a purchase offer for city owned land and agreed to buy some land to create a secondary road near the elementary school.
Approval of the ordinance for re-zoning of property owned by Larry Tener from A-1 to C-3 followed a public hearing in which no objections were raised. The property is on Highway 22 east, near Bud’s Custom Meats business.
A second Public Hearing, in which no objections were raised, dealt with an exchange of city property with Ed Pechous, Riverside Grain and Feed, that involves approximately 4,500 square feet of land. The exchange also provided for easement agreements between Pechous and the city regarding downtown property.
The third land item is an offer from Brad Acker and Dan Sweeting to purchase Lot 2 in the cityÕs Eastside Commercial site. The two, who offered $2 per square foot, plan to build a hotel on the site. There will be a 120-day period during which a feasible study will be done. Action on the offer will not come until next year.

December 25, 1933 – December 19, 2009
Phyllis J. Bloom, 75, of Wellman, Iowa, died Saturday, December 19, 2009 at  Parkview Manor in Wellman following a lingering illness. Graveside services were held Tuesday, December 22 at Wassonville Cemetery, Wellman. Condolences may …

Forecast calls for harsh winter weather, with a strong chance of slips, trips and falls
According to this year’s Old Farmer’s Almanac, winter in the upper Midwest will be colder than normal,

We urge customers to do the right thing, not …

By Mary Zielinski
The big winners in the fall grant cycle of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) are youth and veterans. The award ceremony November 18 at the Riverside Casino saw 14 of the 27 grants given to area schools and youth programs and another four to projects benefiting veterans. The WCRF is the nonprofit license holder for the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort and receives its funding from state mandated allocations.
Total of the 18 grants is $476,658 and range from $1,770 for the Girl Scouts Green Girls to $200,000 (given in two years at the rate of $100,000 each year)) for the Washington School DistrictÕs $2,200,000 facilities improvement plan. The Hawkeye Area Council Boy Scouts received $2,750 to aid with the $25,700 Washington County Venturing Outreach program.
The single biggest grant was $1,055,000 to the City of Kalona for its $2,848,937 downtown revitalization project to be provided in a five-year period, which means the city will receive approximately $200,000 per year. Officially, the WCRF awarded a total of $1,748,643, which includes the multi-year grants. The WCRF had received, by its October 9 deadline, 46 grant applications that totaled $2,983,630 in requests. Officials noted that the WCRF received $2,727,000 from the Casino gaming operation through October.
The grants struck a nice balance with funds to the school districts helping not only with classroom technology and educational programs but also with bus and school safety. One of the grants, to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, is $9,991 to help with the $11,991 School/Active Shooter Response Equipment. In simple terms that means having equipment to respond to a possible terrorist (or shooter) situation at a school. As a deputy noted, “It’s like insurance you hope you never have to use, but you know you had better have it.”