Local News
Kalona

Riverside City Council approves FY26 contract of $40k for Kalona Library

RIVERSIDE Riverside’s City Council is stepping up again to help finance the operations of the Kalona Public Library. The City Council approved a Fiscal Year 2026 contract with the …

Kalona expands park network, looks to future with Trails Committee

KALONA Over the past two years, the City of Kalona has made significant investments in expanding its parks and recreational spaces, improving equipment in Kalona City Park, and ensuring that …

Wellman council meets for eight minutes

WELLMAN Not every city council meeting is a long one, and with an absent city administrator, the odds tip toward brevity. The Wellman City Council met Monday night for a mere eight minutes, during …
Riverside

‘Disappointed’: IRGC grants Cedar Rapids casino license

ALTOONA It wasn’t the result Washington County was hoping for, and leaders fought hard to prevent it, but the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission concluded Thursday that the proposed Cedar …

Supervisors approve Southtown speed limits, consider Riverside pipeline

WASHINGTON For Washington County Supervisors Tuesday, main business concerned eight personnel changes, agreeing to changes in speed limits for Kalona’s Southtown and the incorporated area of …

Progress 2025: Riverside

The Star Trek city is ready for warp speed with community center, pickleball and downtown projects. Paul D. Bowker gets the lowdown from mayor Allen Schneider and city administrator Cole …
Wellman

Pat & Krista Gent honored as Master Pork Producers

Pat and Krista Gent have been raising pigs from wean to finish on their family farm in Wellman for over a decade, doing everything from grinding feed and hauling pigs to marketing. At the Iowa Pork …

Wellman Food Pantry fundraiser sees great turnout

Folks turned out for the Wellman Food Pantry’s Soup & Chili Cookoff fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 2, making the event a big success. The Food Pantry, which is based out of Asbury United Methodist …

Wellman Rotary’s Soup Supper

People flooded into the Parkside banquet room on Wednesday night, Jan. 22, for the Wellman Rotary’s soup supper, which served as a fundraiser for a new veterans/first responders memorial in town. …
Lone Tree

Lone Tree School recognized for excellence

Lone Tree Community School is proud to announce that it has been honored with the prestigious Better Together 2030 “Inspire” Award. This award recognizes educational institutions that go above …

Train service proposal linking Iowa City and North Liberty is all stop

IOWA CITY The dream of a rail service connecting the University of Iowa and Iowa City with North Liberty and Coralville had become so real that Lone Tree’s Jon Green, a Johnson County …

Progress 2025: Lone Tree

Gradual growth, pleasant parks, and family festivals are what make Lone Tree an attractive community, mayor Josh Spilman tells Emily Marner. As he enters his final year in office, he takes time to …
Features
Progress 2025: Wellman
It might not be flashy, but sometimes progress means replacing 100-year-old infrastructure and reversing course on decades of apathy. City administrator Kelly Litwiller and mayor Ryan Miller talked …
Progress 2025: Kalona
At the end of 2024, Cheryl Allen sat down with city administrator Ryan Schlabaugh and asked him about progress in Kalona. They discussed new housing, commercial development and the new Comprehensive …
Band Night
The Mid-Prairie band took the field for a terrific halftime performance on Senior Night, October 11.
All eyes on the future
KALONA Hillcrest Academy experimented with a sixth grade program last school year, introducing a class of students who will end up being great ambassadors for the program. That is because next …
Hills

The conclusion on Johnson County’s jail: ‘Very, very bad condition’

IOWA CITY While Johnson County and the City of Iowa City decide whether they will join together to build a new police facility and jail, the county is facing a repair bill of more than $3 …

JoCo Board agrees to help turn ‘nightmare’ into traffic roundabout

IOWA CITY One of Johnson County’s most growing areas has produced a road intersection that would challenge even the most gifted NASCAR driver. Said one Johnson County Sheriff deputy: …
Iowa City/Coralville

Meet Atrium Village’s new administrator

“Coming here has been a breath of fresh air,” says Stephanie Kronlage, Atrium Village’s new administrator, who began working for the non-profit, Hills-based independent living and nursing care community in March.

Carol J. Bean

Carol J. (Conklin) Bean, 89, of Ainsworth, died Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, at Sunrise Terrace Care Facility in Winfield. A graveside service will be held Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Oregon …
Washington County

Animals, ordinances, opioids, moving okayed by board

WASHINGTON Starting with PAWS & More’s annual report and funding request, and ending with use of opioid funds, Washington County supervisors Tuesday acknowledged their allocation for PAWS’ new …

WaCo Field & Friends Party

The Washington County Cattlemen’s Association and Washington Keokuk County Corn & Soybean Growers Board raised funds for annual activities at their Field & Friends party on Saturday, Feb. 1. …
Johnson County

Ed Bartels appointed as interim Johnson County lead engineer

IOWA CITY Ed Bartels, Assistant Johnson County Engineer, was appointed by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to at least temporarily take over as the county’s lead engineer at the end …

Lone Tree’s Green appointed as JoCo Supervisors Chair for 2025

IOWA CITY Former Lone Tree mayor Jon Green was appointed as Chair of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors during its organizational meeting last week and ran his first meeting the same day. …