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

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

Lone Tree Scott Powers, 52, of Lone Tree, who was arrested back in July in connection with the death of his 76-year-old father, Richard Powers, is now scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday, July 27, 2027... 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

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

Lone Tree At its meeting on Wednesday, the Lone Tree School Board approved City Construction to be its construction manager at risk should the HVAC project bond pass this November. While Miron Construction received higher scores from the school board regarding an interview the board had with Miron and City on September 18, a lower price point and higher scores on a technical review lifted City over Miron. Since City had the higher total score, the board had to either approve City as the CMAR or restart the bidding process... 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

Lone Tree Last December, the Lone Tree Fire Department purchased a new medical response truck, a 2026 F-350, from Mincer Ford. The emergency lighting and decal work was completed by 424 Design... more

Lone Tree Johnson County is considering a pilot program to expand housing in six smaller cities: Lone Tree, Hills, Oxford, Shueyville, Solon and Swisher. During the most recent Lone Tree City Council meeting, representatives discussed the proposed program and how it could help the community... more

The trial of Scott Powers, a Lone Tree man charged with killing his 76-year-old father, Richard Powers, has been postponed until July 2027. His trial was originally scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027... 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

The Lone Tree gym was filled with excitement last Wednesday as the crowd waited to hear that one of its own, Jessica Howard, had been named the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year. Howard was also recently named the Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year. During last week’s ceremony, Howard was joined by Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow and Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, who attended on behalf of Gov. Kim Reynolds. The 2025 and 2026 Iowa Teachers of the Year, Melanie Bloom and Stephanie Pritts, also attended... more

The Lone Tree school board interviewed its top two Construction Manager candidates for the HVAC project that will face voters in the form of a bond referendum this November. City Construction, based out of Iowa City, and Miron Construction, based out of Wisconsin with a regional office in Cedar Rapids, each sent teams to Wednesday night’s board meeting hoping to be selected to manage the project, should voters approve it this fall... more

Over the weekend, heavy rain caused flooding in many areas, including Kalona, Wellman, Washington and Lone Tree. According to reports, Kalona and surrounding communities such as Wellman, Riverside and Washington received about 2 to 5 inches of rain. Other parts of the county were affected as well. The National Weather Service reported approximately 4.91 inches of rain in Ainsworth... more

Lone Tree middle school and high school business and computer science teacher Jessica Howard was recently named the Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year. Howard said she was thrilled and honored to receive the recognition... more