THE NEWSPAPER THAT SERVES ALL DECATUR COUNTY
12 PAGES USPS 310-140
LEON, IOWA, 50144, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2024
Primary Election Results The voter turnout for the Primary Election held last week amounted to 22.01 percent. Of the 4,784 registered voters in the county, 1,052 ballots were cast. The following are unofficial results. On the Republican side of the ballot, at the local level, four were vying for the Board of Supervisors. Taking the top two spots were Doug Tharp who garnered 626 votes and incumbent Ward Graham who recorded 356. Also pulling in votes were Jake Stone with 348 and Brent Marvin with 242. For County Auditor, Stephanie Daughton beat incumbent Charlene Hoover by a
vote of 492 to 388. Incumbent, Chris Lane picked up 811 for County Sheriff and was running unopposed. At the Federal level Zach Nunn picked up 767 votes for US Representative District 3. On the State level, Amy Sinclair grabbed 772 votes for State Senator District 12 and Sam Wengryn beat Brenda Brammer-Smith for State Representative District 24 by a 643 to 237 vote. Wengryn went on to carry District 24. He also won in Appanoose, Clarke, Lucas, and Wayne counties. Rita Audlehelm was running unopposed on the Democratic side of the ticket and she
garnered 128 votes for Board of Supervisor. Stephanie Daughton also recorded 11 votes on this side of the ballot. Federally, Lanon Baccam recorded 96 votes compared to Melissa Vine with 41 for US Representative District 3. At the State level, Nicole Lowe picked up 133 votes for State Senator District 12 and Sonya Hicks recorded 126 votes for State Representative District 24. A few votes were cast on the Libertarian ticket. Rita Audlehelm and Doug Tharp had 4 and 2 votes, respectively for Board of Supervisor; Charlene Hoover had 3 votes for Auditor; and Chris Lane had 2 votes for County Sheriff. The General Election is slated for November 5.
Long Creek Outfitters Named County "Business of the Year" at DCDC Event
P.O. Box 580, 111 NW. 2nd, Leon, IA 50144 E-mail: JRNEWS@GRM.NET VOLUME 95 - NUMBER 19
Playground Build Gets Underway Grand Opening Planned for June 30
The area near the Burr Oak Shelter at Little River Lake was all a buzz Monday morning as many volunteers began the week-long work of constructing the Little River Lookout Community Playground. In less than two years, the committee raised $450,000 necessary for the project. This was in the form of grants, donations and fund-raising. Donations continue to come in and are placed into an endowment to help with wear and tear on the playground and future beautification projects. It was reported that over 300 volunteers have signed up to help this week with an average of 75 needed each day. However, the committee said they could still use more helpers on Thursday and Friday. This large playground complex will be a great asset to not only the lake but to the community, as well.
Jodi Smith, owner of Long Creek Outfitters in Leon, was honored as the “Decatur County Business of the Year.” Pictured with Smith (right) is Cierra Fountain, DCDC Executive Director. On Thursday, May 30, the Decatur County Development Corporation (DCDC) held their Annual Fundraising Event at the newly renovated Decatur County Fairgrounds Event Center. “It was a fantastic night, with 125 attendees, made up of local business owners, community leaders, and DCDC supporters,” stated Cierra Fountain, DCDC Executive Director. Local businesses donated items for raffle baskets, totaling over $2,600 in value. The meal was catered by Leon’s very own Lizzie Yoder and served by the Decatur County ROCCS students. Another local business, La Bota, provided beverages for the cocktail hour. The evening’s program included: a presentation of current projects happening in
Decatur County, recognition of 2023/2024 Decatur County Leadership Participants, honoring board members for their years of service to DCDC, a keynote address by Leon native, Jeremy Parsons, CEO of the Iowa State Fair, and announcing the “Decatur County Business of the Year” award which was presented to Long Creek Outfitters, owned by Mark and Jodi Smith. Some history behind this outstanding business in Decatur County. Long Creek Outfitters was established in 1993 by Mark and Jodi Smith, to fill a void in the county and to fulfill a dream. Long Creek Outfitters has grown gradually over the years starting as a small 600 square foot store front on South Main Street to a 24,000 square foot free standing building
Annual Trail Trot Planned for July 4th Join Friends of Little River Scenic Pathways on the Fourth of July for their third annual Trail Trot 2 Mile Run or 4(th of July)k. The longer route is not quite a 5k, but closer to a 4k. All ages and abilities are welcome to participate. Check-in will be at 7:30am on the Leon square. A bus will take participants to the Little River Scenic Pathway west trailhead (by water treatment plant) promptly
at 7:45am, with the race beginning at 8:00am. Cost is $25 and includes a Trail Trot t-shirt. “We are offering a Student Discount this year for $15 (18 & under) to encourage youth participation,” stated Kayla Clausen, Director/Naturalist, Decatur County Conservation Board. Registration can be done up to the day of, but register by Fri(continued on page 7)
on the edge of town. In 1999, the store re-located to its current location in Leon on Highway 2 West, due to the need of expansion and continues to grow and grow and grow. They currently have 20 employees and have just opened a store in Kansas. Mark, Jodi and daughter (continued on page 12)
Playground Grand Opening June 30th
The Grand Opening for the Little River Lookout Community Playground will be June 30th at 5:00 pm. Donors, volunteers, community members and their families are all invited to join the official opening of the playground! Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic supper to enjoy at their leisure, after the Grand Opening! Final work will be done to the Little River Lookout during the weeks of June 17th and June 24th following the build. Though many will be excited to use the playground, visitors should respect the closure signage and remain off the playground until the pourin-place rubber is cured and final touches are complete, which will be up until the official grand opening date.
Painted Cross Walk If you’ve been scooping the loop or just driving around the square, you may have noticed the new brightly painted cross walk on NW 3rd Street (northside of New-2 -U). The Leon Chamber was awarded a Paint Iowa Beautiful grant from Diamond Vogel which helped to cover the cost of the paint. During the most recent Red Way Service Day that happens annually with the Central Decatur students, this project came to fruition. Tyler Reed, also owner of Destination Ink Tattoo business, designed and painted the crosswalk, with help from CD art students. “This was a trial run to see how well the paint holds up,” stated Cierra Fountain, Leon Chamber member. “If it holds up well, we’ll continue to do crosswalk projects around the square.”