Hills After years of discussion, Hills voters have approved a bond to build a new fire station and city hall. Residents approved the $5.1 million bond last Tuesday with 68.4% support, exceeding the 60% needed to pass. The measure received 349 yes votes and 161 no votes.... more

Des Moines Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican businessman Zach Lahn in the Nov. 3 general election and will become Iowa’s first Democratic governor since Chet Culver, who left office 15 years ago. Lahn carried Washington County by fewer than 400 votes, according to unofficial results... more

Do you have a story to tell about an act of kindness, memorable holiday experience, or family tradition that you would enjoy sharing with the community? If so, please share it with us at The News! We're working on our Holiday Guide coming out in November, and our theme is "Stories of the Season: Celebrating Giving, Kindness and Community." We would love to include your story! Please email your submission to JJ at News@thenews-ia.com -- photos are welcome as well! Deadline is Friday, November 13... more

Washington County Board of Supervisors (District 3) (1 seat) Marcus Fedler (R, incumbent) – 1,122 votes (54.9%) JoAnn Whitmore (D) – 920 votes (45.1%) (District 5) (1 seat) Brendan DeLong (R) - 1,004 votes (60.9%) Lynette Isles (D) – 644 votes (39.1%) County Attorney Nathan Repp (R) – 7,420 votes (100%) County Recorder Teresa Mangold (R) – 7,557 votes (100%) County Treasurer Lindsay Greiner Adam – 7,539 votes (100%) Iowa House District 92 (1 seat) Heather Hora (R, incumbent) 7,307 votes (55.2%) Brittany Erikson (D) 5,933 votes (44.8%) Mid-Prairie CSD Bond: 19,000,000 (60% to pass) (YES) 1,977 votes - (67.3%) (No) 961 votes - (32.7%) Federal U.S. House Iowa District 1 (1 seat) Christina Bohannan (D) - 172,833 votes (53.6%) Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R, Incumbent) 138,105 votes (42.8%) Michael Bridgford (N) 11,805 votes (3.7%) U.S. Senate Josh Turek (D) - 670,543 votes (50.5%) Ashley Hinson (R) - 615,770 votes (46.4%) Thomas Laehn (L) - 41,177 votes (3.1%) State Governor Rob Sand (D) - 757,6326 votes (56.1%) Zach Lahn (R) - 607,415 votes (43.9%) Attorney General Nate Williams (D) - 681,097 votes (50.9%) Brenna Bird (R, Incumbent) - 657,405 votes (49.1%) Secretary of State Paul Pate (R, Incumbent) - 711,766 votes (53.2%) Ryan Peterman (D) - 625,867 votes (46.8%) Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig (R, Incumbent) -701,882 votes (52.7) Chris Jones (D) - 629,249 (47.3%) Treasurer of State Roby Smith (R, Incumbent) - 664,948 votes (50.3%) John Norwood (D) - 655,763 votes (49.7%) Auditor of State Taylor Wettach (D) - 666,632 votes (50.2%) Chris Cournoyer (R, Incumbent) - 660,159 votes (49.8%) more

IOWA CITY Johnson County voters slammed the door Tuesday on a proposed new jail that would cost nearly $100 million. Needing a 60% approval rate on Election Day for a $94.5 million … more

IOWA CITY A request by Johnson County Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz to look into helping the Iowa City School District through a financial crisis was not supported by the rest of the board in a work … more

ELECTION DAY When: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Voting hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Sharon Center United Methodist Church, Lone Tree American Legion, Hills Community Center, and a number of other … more

Hills During the Hills City Council meeting on Monday, October 26, Trojans Youth Baseball board president Grant Pippert discussed possible upgrades to the Hills baseball complex. Currently, the club pays $3,200 annually to use the baseball diamonds and also makes improvements to the fields... more

IOWA CITY One of the biggest Johnson County elections in years is happening Tuesday. In addition to a $94.5 million bond referendum on a new jail and sheriff’s office, the election will … more

Certain races in Washington County will be taking place such as District 3 (Riverside, Ainsworth, Crawfordsville, Brighton and Coppock), District 5 (Ward 2 and 3 in Washington), and the state representative for District 92 (Washington and parts of Johnson County)... more

Hills - Can you believe it? Atrium Village is now 45 years old. On Monday, Atrium Village celebrated a major milestone as the nursing home facility marked its 45th anniversary. During the celebration, residents and staff gathered in the dining room, where they viewed photos highlighting moments from the facility's 45-year history... more

Hills The city of Hills is looking to build a new fire station and provide more space for its city offices. The fire station is more than 50 years old, and the city offices are around the same age. During an information session Wednesday, Oct. 14, city officials pointed out that Hills has not built a public office building in more than 50 years. Officials emphasized the need for new facilities as the existing buildings age and become more expensive to repair. Discussions about addressing those needs began well before this year... more

IOWA CITY When early voting for this fall’s mid-term elections began Oct. 14, more than 1,600 showed up in one day to vote at Johnson County’s campus in Iowa City. “We were very … more

IOWA CITY A moratorium on the construction of data centers in Johnson County may be headed for an extension into 2027. The Board of Supervisors will vote next week on a nine-month extension … more

IOWA CITY Johnson County has about $1.1 million remaining from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation of $29.5 million, and the Board of Supervisors, previously promising that every … more

Over the last six months, the city of Hills has been discussing a potential new fire station and city office building. Talks about the building began early this year. In late May, the city purchased the former elementary school site from the Iowa City school district for $450,000. The school was torn down in early 2025. A few months later, in July, the council approved placing a bond measure for the fire station and city office building on the November ballot. The measure is for $5.1 million, and Hills residents will have a chance to vote on it in November... more

Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say, and you’re all about clean. Your home is neat and tidy, and so are the garbage bags you bring out to the street at the appointed time. You’ve sorted … more

IOWA CITY Johnson County is rolling out a pilot program that could help expand housing in Lone Tree and Hills, among four other small cities in the county. Members of Johnson County’s … more

IOWA CITY Johnson County’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget of $165 million is adding another $13.5 million in expenditures in the Fall Amendment. Dana Aschenbrenner, Finance Director, said much … more

During a previous meeting, the Hills city council reviewed its Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue and discussed how much should be committed annually toward bond payments for the proposed new fire station and city offices if the measure passes in November... more