THE HERALD’S YEAR IN REVIEW: PART 1

As 2023 comes to an end, take a look back at the local news stories that appeared in the Oskaloosa Herald throughout the year — and shaped our communities. Part 1 of the Herald’s Year in Review covers January through March.

JANUARY

EAGLE’S NEST CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE TO CHANGE HANDS

After being a staple of Oskaloosa’s downtown area for 37 years under Phyl Brager, it’s finally time for the Eagle’s Nest Christian Bookstore to transition into new ownership under Mindy Uitermarkt.  Uitermarkt is the owner of two Stepping Stones Christian Bookstores, located in Grinnell and Marshalltown.

OSKY COMMUNITY WELCOMES ITALIAN GROCERY STORE ROSSO AND WINE

A taste of Italy has arrived in Oskaloosa with the opening of Rosso and Wine by Paula Cipollina. Rosso and Wine is a boutique-style Italian grocery store, which celebrated its grand opening on Dec. 10, 2022. Cipollina isn’t just selling Italian food. She’s also teaching Oskaloosans how to make it. She has begun teaching a series of cooking classes and says interest has been high.

CLINGAN STARTS AS MAHASKA COUNTY CONSERVATION DIRECTOR

Mahaska County welcomed its new conservation director, Chris Clingan, who began the job on Jan. 3. Clingan graduated from Upper Iowa University with a degree in conservation management. He’s made a career of working in natural resource management, serving as the game warden for the Meskwaki Settlement, located in Tama County; a park ranger in Dubuque and Polk counties; and now as the conservation director for Mahaska County.

STUDENTS FIRST ACT DRAWS LOCAL PRAISE, CONCERNS

Local private schools are celebrating the passage of what could be considered one of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ most ambitious and controversial legislative victories to date. Yet, others have concerns about what this decision could mean for public education. The Students First Act, or House File 68, establishes an education savings account program for K-12 students to receive taxpayer dollars to fund the cost of private school tuition. Greg Ebeling, superintendent of the Pella Community School District, believes public schools will continue to educate the majority of the state's students. However, in order for public schools to remain strong, he said, they will need to receive adequate funding. 

FEBRUARY

LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS VOICE SUPPORT FOR EMA

Local first responders turned out in force to voice overwhelming support for the Mahaska County Emergency Management Agency at the joint EMA commission 911 Board meeting on Feb. 8. No major decisions were made at the meeting, which came after the Oskaloosa City Council received a report from an evaluation of Mahaska County’s EMA and E911 services, conducted by Resource Management Associates, or RMA. The report was initiated by the City of Oskaloosa, which was joined by Mahaska County. Some of the main goals of the evaluation included determining what services are needed in order to have a fully functioning EMA, and discovering options for cost effectiveness that might include rightsizing staff, outsourcing services and reorganizing the structure of the organization.One of the most controversial recommendations in the report was to downsize the EMA staff.

CITY OF OSKALOOSA SUED OVER EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

A contractor that worked on Oskaloosa’s Early Childhood Education and Recreation Center filed a lawsuit against the city for breach of contract. The lawsuit was filed in Mahaska County District Court on Feb. 11. Contractor Graphite Construction is suing the city of Oskaloosa over breach of contract because the city has not fully paid the contractor for work completed on the $31 million project. It’s not immediately clear if the city has yet been served notice of the lawsuit. City officials did not respond to a request for comment, and have for months not responded to the Herald’s requests for comment on the project. The project’s two pools appear to be the biggest remaining hangup with the project. City officials have made public concerns over workmanship with the project multiple times since it began in 2020.

MAHASKA COUNTY SUPERVISORS DISCUSS WIND TURBINES, ZONING

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors hosted a discussion with members of the local community concerning wind turbines and zoning in Mahaska County. The discussion took place at the board’s meeting Tuesday morning, in light of MidAmerican Energy’s public hearings, held Feb. 20-24, regarding a $3.9 billion proposed wind and solar project called Wind PRIME. The group discussed main complaints linked to wind turbines, including disturbance from their safety lights, excessive noise production and the dangers they pose to local wildlife. The County moved forward with an ordinance that would regulate the construction of wind turbines in July.

CLOW VALVE MOVES AHEAD WITH $75 MILLION EXPANSION

The Oskaloosa City Council approved waterworks manufacturing company Clow Valve’s application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority High Quality Jobs Program and Tax Exemption as they go ahead with a $75 million expansion project at the company’s Oskaloosa location. The project, which involves a 36,000 square-foot addition to the southwest side of the company’s existing iron foundry, will be a part of the Iowa High Quality Jobs Program, which works to provide businesses with assistance to off-set the costs associated with building, relocating or expanding premises.

MARCH

CITY COUNTERSUES RECREATION CENTER CONTRACTOR

The City of Oskaloosa this week denied claims brought by Graphite Construction, the main contractor of the Early Childhood Education and Recreation Center, and then brought claims of their own against the contractor. Attorneys for the city responded to a lawsuit filed by Graphite Construction with counterclaims of breach of contract and negligence. The city says the project was not completed in accordance with contract documents, and that the architect had notified the contractor of the deficiencies with the facilities' recreation and competition pools. The city says Graphite's failures also caused damage to the city's property and caused the city to incur unnecessary expenses.

ACCOUNTABILITY CONCERNS RAISED ABOUT 911 OVERSIGHT

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors heard from a member of the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Department regarding the future structure of oversight for the Mahaska County E911 Center. The board discussed the possibility of placing the E911 center under the jurisdiction of Oskaloosa Chief of Police Ben Boeke during their meeting. Joe Goemaat, a deputy with the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Department, shared his concerns that, for the sake of taxpayer accountability to Mahaska County’s rural areas, he believes that an elected official, such as the sheriff, should oversee the E911 board, rather than one appointed by the City of Oskaloosa. The board passed a motion to begin talking with city officials, including Boeke, about drawing up a plan to move forward with putting the E911 center under the Oskaloosa Police Department’s jurisdiction.

BARNES CITY WELCOMES MAHASKA COUNTY’S FIRST FEMALE FIRE CHIEF

The Barnes City Fire Department is welcoming a new fire chief — and she’s already making history. Tapanga Blom is serving as the first female fire chief in Mahaska County with the Barnes City Fire Department. Blom and her husband joined the Barnes City Fire Department at the beginning of 2022, after the couple bought a property within the department’s jurisdiction. Blom says Awtry himself was a major factor in the couple’s decision to join. As Mahaska County’s first female fire chief, Blom says she’s passionate about showing girls that they can be successful in male-dominated fields.

OSKY RESIDENT WINS BIG ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE

An Oskaloosa resident seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when he appeared on the Wednesday night airing of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune, winning more than $86,000. Cory Houser has been a huge fan of game shows his entire life. As a child, while other kids were dressing as skeletons and superheroes for Halloween, Houser was going door-to-door dressed as Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek, and even the iconic wheel from Wheel of Fortune.