TOTALLY AWESOME, DUDE!
Baxter celebrates the 90s at Baxter Fun Days 2025
Start with ART
Inaugural Hillbilly HeART Festival in Mingo sees hundreds visit the rural community
Colfax man’s standyour-ground defense doesn’t stick with jury
Jury trial results in guilty verdict for intimidation, armed with intent charges
By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
A Colfax man who claimed he was standing his ground when he repeatedly fired a 45 caliber pistol at another man who entered his driveway last year was found guilty of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and going armed with intent during a nearly four-day jury trial last month in Jasper County.
According to court documents obtained by Newton News, the jury found Norman Hopkins displayed a dangerous weapon in a threatening manner during an altercation with Ryan Doty, of Altoona, back on June 5, 2024. Hopkins was also charged with two counts of assault but was found not guilty of those offenses.
Newton News previously reported that at about 4:50 p.m. June 5, 2024, the sheriff’s office received a call about gunshots fired at an individual during a domestic altercation. Hopkins fired several rounds
from his Glock pistol at Doty, who arrived to the residence in a blue Ford truck.
Hopkins claimed he was acting in self-defense. In Iowa, individuals are justified in using reasonable force when a a person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to defend oneself or another from any actual or imminent use of unlawful force. However, the state argued he was not acting in self-defense.
Doty had made threats to the mother of his children, who happened to be living with her mother and step-father, Hopkins, at the time. Doty eventually entered the property driving his truck, but he was not justified in doing so since there was a no-contact order placed against him.
Local authorities charged Doty with two counts of violation of a no-contact order at the time of the incident, which are simple misdemeanors. He was also charged with an arrest
Mutton but love for ewes
Meet Jasper County Sheep Queen Hailey Dodge
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune
Tell us a little about yourself: My name is Hailey Dodge and I spend my summers in Newton since my dad is stationed in the military in Fort Hood, Texas. I am 14 years old and will be a sophomore in high school. I am also in the Sherman Sunbeams 4H group.
I started showing sheep when I was four. This will be my tenth year. I work my animals every day from May to the fair. In the spring for spring break I come up and help with lambing.
W hat is your favorite part of caring for them? My favorite part of caring for my sheep in my opinion is in the spring when I have to feed the bottle lambs. They seem all excited to get a bottle it makes me very happy.
How do you prepare them to show? To prepare my sheep to show I first start off with halter breaking them to lead so they can lead around the show ring with ease. The second step would be to wash the sheep close to the show date. I normally wash them about a week out so it give me time to fit the sheep out.
The third step would be to fit them out so they can look there in the ring. All while feeding them the proper diet of course.
Do you have any funny stories with your animal? My
first
Mingo
year of 4H I was showing in a junior showmanship. I was walking my yearling ewe around when she spooked and ran away dragging me
SHEEP | 3
Submitted Photo
2025 Jasper County Sheep Queen Hailey Dodge’s favorite part of caring for her animals is bottle feeding the lambs in the spring.
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune
The 90s were alive and well at Baxter Fun Days 2025 July 10-13. From hip hop kids to a stroll through Blockbusters, the community had a rad time at all of the events.
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune
Art enthusiasts and cyclist all enjoyed the work on display during the inaugural Hillbilly HeART Festival July 12 in Mingo.
Obituaries
Janna Lee Dailey
July 8, 2025
Janna Lee (Eastvold) Dailey, age 45, of Broomfield, Colorado, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025, in Longmont, Colorado, surrounded by the love of her family after a courageous battle with breast cancer.
Janna was born on May 20, 1980, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Judy Eastvold Sullivan and James Eastvold, and grew up in Colfax, Iowa. She was the cherished youngest sibling of her two older brothers, Jeff and Josh,
and from an early age displayed a bright mind, generous heart, creative spirit, and deep love for learning. Janna was a standout student—valedictorian of Colfax-Mingo High School’s Class of 1998. Her passion for books and languages took root early, becoming an insatiable lifelong reader as well as studying Spanish, pursuits that would shape much of her life. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Northern Iowa in 2002 with a degree in Elementary Education, then spent a year living in Madrid, Spain, teaching and exploring Europe. Janna returned to the U.S. and began her teaching career at Perry Elementary in Iowa (2004–2007). She later moved to work in Alexandria, Virgin-
ia, where she taught 6th grade at Belle View Elementary (2007-2011).
While working at Belle View in Northern Virginia, she met Tom Dailey in 2009 at the convergence of common friends and late nights. Great times followed as Janna and Tom grew forever closer in love and dedication to each other. Janna and Tom married in 2011 at Wakefield Chapel in Annandale, Virginia. Janna became a mother in 2012, welcoming Colin Thomas into the world followed by Charlotte Lee in 2013 and Chase Jennings in 2015 all while in Virginia.
Ever the over achiever, her professional life progressed, serving as a School-Based Technology Specialist for Belle View Elementary (2011-2015) and earning a Master’s degree
Free Prairie Wildflower Photography
Walk
Join Mike Cox, a photographer and refuge volunteer, for a guided prairie walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 19 at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. While you explore the stunning prairie wildflowers, Cox will share photography tips. Any type of camera is fine for this program, including cell phone cameras. Meet at the entrance to the visitor center. It is recommended to wear pants and sturdy closed shoes, bring insect repellent and drinking water. Contact nancy_corona@ fws.gov or call 515-994-3400 to register and for information.
HOWARD ST. CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Disciples of Christ)
Pastor Josh Burns 101 N. Locust St., Colfax Cell - 515-779-3148
SUNDAY - 10 a.m. Fellowship;10:30 a.m. Worship, in person or online via YouTube
MONDAY - Pastor Josh day off TUESDAY - 9:30 a.m. Coffee Time; 2:30 p.m. Chair Yoga
WEDNESDAY - 3:30 p.m. After school elementary youth; 6:15 ChiRho and CYF youth supper; 7:30 p.m. Youth Group
THIRD SUNDAY - 8 p.m. Elders meeting, Board meeting after church; Collect for Food Pantry
FOURTH SUNDAY - Potluck Dinner
FIFTH SUNDAY - Potluck Breakfast
FIRST MONDAY - WIC appointments
FOURTH & FIFTH TUESDAY - 3 p.m. Table of Grace
IRA UNITED CHURCH
Pastors Doug Cupples and Phil Butler
SUNDAY - 9:30 a.m. Church service; 10:30 a.m. Sunday school
Communion first Sunday
in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2012 from Virginia Tech; receiving her diploma on her first Mother’s Day. In 2015, Janna and her family relocated to Broomfield, Colorado with Janna somehow driving three children aged 3 and under along with her mother-in-law Fran across the country while Tom drove the moving truck. There, Janna found a welcoming and supportive community among parent clubs, book clubs and school related endeavors that come in concert with raising three young children. Two years later, she transitioned into a new professional chapter with Absolute Insurance Agency working closely with her brother Jeff.
But above all her ac-
complishments, Janna most treasured her role as a mother. She poured her heart into raising her three children and giving her everything to make their world full of warmth, learning, and love, whether as a Girl Scout troop leader or scoring little league baseball games and everything in between. Janna was a remarkable woman—brilliant, kind, witty, and endlessly thoughtful. She had a gift for teaching, a love for cooking and travel, and a joy for life that was contagious. Whether exploring a new museum in a foreign country, crafting a blog post, trying out countless new recipes, or attending to every detail of her children’s lives, Janna gave selflessly and fully. She had a beautiful smile, a big heart, and a presence
that lit up every room. Janna is survived by her devoted husband, Thomas Dailey; her beloved children, Colin, Charlotte, and Chase; her parents, Judy Eastvold Sullivan and James Eastvold; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Jeffrey and Tara Eastvold, and Joshua and Katie Eastvold; her brother-in-law and sisterin-law, Paul and Maggie Dailey; mother-in-law Frances Dailey; and her many adored nieces and nephews: Storm, Camille, Jace, Stone Eastvold; Jack, Lila, Elsie, and Alex Eastvold; Pierce and Mallory Dailey. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at Darrell Howe Mortuary, 1701 W. South Boulder Road, Lafayette, Colorado.
Bluegrass Express brings gospel concert to Bar None Cowboy Church
Bar None Cowboy Church, 1690 W. 19th St. S., Newton, will welcome the Illinois and Oklahoma based band, Bluegrass Express, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24, for a wonderful evening of bluegrass gospel music. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
Bluegrass Express was formed in 1980 by the fa-
ther-son team of Gary and Greg Underwood and has performed extensively ever since, from Michigan to Mississippi and all points in between. Featuring tight harmony that can only be found in a family band along with superbly proficient instrumentation, a live performance is certain to delight audiences of all ages. Collectively, they have more
Church Schedules
METZ COMMUNITY CHURCH
3253 W. 62nd St. S., Newton Pastor David Rex 641-521-4354
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10:10 a.m. Worship Last Saturday of month - 8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, Colfax Minister, Pastor Cody Dyer Church Office 674-4165
SUNDAY, July 20 - 9 a.m. Fellowship; 9:15 a.m. Bible Education Classes;
10:25 a.m. Message by Pastor Cody Dyer; 11:30 a.m. Potluck Dinner; 12:45 p.m. Quarterly Business meeting
MONDAY, July 21 - 6:30 p.m. County Fair Parade; First Baptist Church to hand out water and popcorn
TUESDAY, July 22 - 3:30 p.m. Women’s Prayer & Coffee; 6:30 p.m. Gospel of John Bible Study
WEDNESDAY, July 23 - 9 a.m. Busy Bee Quilters and Fresh Encounter Prayer
THURSDAY, July 24 - 6:30 p.m.
The church schedule is brought to you by Coburn FUNERAL HOMES Colfax-Prairie City-Monroe 515-674-3155 www.coburnfuneralhomes.com
JOURNEY STARTS HERE
Primary Health Care offers:
Men’s Group
SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH
Newton, Iowa
SATURDAY - 4 p.m. Mass
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Mass
COLFAX FIRST UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
S. Locust & W. Division St. Office - 674-3782
Rev. Phil Dicks pastor
SUNDAY - 10:30 a.m. Sunday School; Family Worship
HOPE ASSEMBLY OF GOD
126 E. Howard Rev. Paul Avery, pastor Church: 674-3700 hopeassemblyofgod@yahoo.com
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10 a.m. Worship; Today is Food Pantry Sunday
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
CATHOLIC CHURCH
302 E. Howard St., Colfax Fr. Marty Goetz
515-674-3711
SUNDAY - 11 a.m. Mass
MINGO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Rev. Phil Dicks
515-689-4926
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Worship service (Sunday school not meeting at this time)
ASHTON CHAPEL
8887 W. 122nd St. N., Mingo
Pastors: Larry Craig & Mark Eddy
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10 a.m. Worship
BETHANY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 5627 N. 95th Ave. W., Baxter 641-227-3402
Pastor Chris Hayward
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Sunday School
(Sunday after Labor Day to second Sunday in May); 10 a.m. Sunday Worship. First Sunday communion. All are welcome. baxterbethanyucc.org
EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH
BAXTER Mike Mclintock, Pastor
SUNDAY - 9:15 a.m. Sunday School; 10 a.m. Worship; 6 p.m. Awanas
WEDNESDAYS - 1st & 3rd - 6:30 p.m. Mens Bible Study 2nd & 4th - 6:30 p.m. Men’s and Womens Bible Study
THURSDAYS 10 a.m. - Womens Bible Study
BAXTER
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
218 S. Main, Baxter Pastor Ben Spera Church: 641-227-3382 SUNDAY - 10 a.m. Worship
WEDNESDAY - 6 p.m. Bible Study
THIRD THURSDAY of month6:30 p.m. Theology on Tap at Bea’s Place on Main Street Check us out on Facebook and baxtercongregational.com
than a dozen studio recordings to their credit. In 2024, the band’s single “Don’t Say Goodbye If You Love Me” from their “Tribute to Jim & Jesse” project reached No. 8 on the Mountain Bluegrass top 12 and No. 13 on the Hooked on Bluegrass top 50. For more information call Bar None Cowboy Church at 641-521-4354.
CORNERSTONE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
1000 E. 12th St., Newton Rev. Josh Farver, pastor Phone 641-792-4650
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10:15 a.m. Worship
WEDNESDAY - 6:30 p.m. Prayer Meeting and Bible Study; Youth Group
HERITAGE WORD OF LIFE ASSEMBLY OF GOD 102 Second St. NW, Mitchellville Pastor Dave Adams 515-967-3330
SUNDAY - 9 a.m. Bible classes; 10 a.m. Worship service; 6 p.m. Evening service
WEDNESDAY - 7 p.m. Evening activities
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF HOPE Capitol II Theatre in Newton SUNDAY - 9:30 a.m. Livestream Worship Service
MITCHELLVILLE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLES OF CHRIST 210 Third St. NW, Mitchellville Text/Voicemail 515-519-0206 SUNDAY - 10 a.m. Coffee Time; 10:30 a.m. Worship Time, in person or via YouTube Live at 1040 am
WEDNESDAY - 5:30pm W.O.W Youth Group with supper provided Visit mitchellvillechristianchurch.org and follow us on Facebook
• Free testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis
• Free hepatitis C testing (if qualified)
• PrEP (HIV prevention medication)
• PEP (emergency medication for preventing HIV after exposure)
• Help connecting to care & treatment for people living with HIV
• Free condoms, safer sex supplies & supplies for reducing harms of substance use
Locations: To make an appointment: Call 515-248-1500 Schedule online at: https://phctheproject.org/free-testing Also, look for
Des Moines
Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PHC University Medical Clinic
1200 University Avenue, #120 Des Moines, IA
Ames
2nd Wednesday of the month
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PHC Medical Dental Clinic 3510 W. Lincoln Way Ames, IA
Marshalltown
1st Monday of the month 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PHC Medical Dental Clinic 101 Iowa Ave., W, #102 Marshalltown, IA
• • • Baxter Fun Days 2025 • •
property, Hopkins
was standing at the top of the long driveway. The state said Hopkins started firing his weapon into Doty’s truck. Two shots pierced the windshield on the driver’s side. Doty slammed on the brakes and ducked down. Doty shifted the truck in reverse and used his backup camera to try and navigate his way down the driveway. He missed a
curve in the driveway and high centered his truck in a bed of rocks near a drainage ditch. The state argued Hopkins continued to walk down the driveway, firing the gun at Doty and his truck. Unable to move his truck, Doty flees the scene on foot along a gravel road to get away from Hopkins. The state argued Hopkins contin-
around the ring. The funny thing about it is that the best first showman got a special award and there I was bawling my eyes out after getting drug around and I still somehow won the award.
What did it mean to you to be selected as queen? To me being sheep queen would be to fulfill in a family tradition because my mother and both my aunts where
ued to walk all the way to the truck and fire rounds toward Doty. Hopkins claimed in the trial he was standing his ground and defending himself and his family, justifying his actions.
However, the state argued Doty never even got out of the truck and questioned how Hopkins could assess the threat if he never exited
Jasper County Sheep Queens when they where about my age. It also means doing what I love, promoting the animal and the breed of sheep. I love to get more youth interested in showing sheep at the county fair.
What are you looking forward to at the Jasper County Fair? What I am looking forward to at the county fair most is to see all my friends and to make more memories with some of my favorite people and animals.
What would you tell other kids looking to get involved with an-
the vehicle. Hopkins will be serving a mandatory prison sentence, which is different from a mandatory minimum sentence. With a mandatory prison sentence, it means Hopkins will likely get five years in prison but the Iowa Department of Corrections ultimately determines how long he serves that sentence.
imals or 4H/FFA? I would tell other people interested in getting involved that showing sheep and showing in 4H in general builds some necessary leadership skills and qualities that most people need and look for in jobs. I would also say that no matter what or how your animal places in a show it’s the fact that you took leadership and cared for that animal enough to train it feed it get it ready to show that counts. It shows the kind of person you are and the one you want to be in the future.
Where
have all the flowers gone?
Where have all the flowers gone? I’ll take and tell you where a good chunk of the flowers have gone: two places, at the intersection of Highway 34 and the Henry-Des Moines County Line Road on the east end of New London, better known as Heald Trucking; and all along Main Street in Mediapolis (Mepo). They say men are more finicky about their weight than women, and more gossipy. Men can also be more eccentric about flowers. Take Brad Heald of Heald Trucking in New London, and Herschel Smuck, owner of Main Street Tire in Mediapolis, for example. They both love flowers. They both go out of their way to tend and show off their
flowers, in a dump-truck way. For a number of years, off-and-on, Brad has bequeathed his Dad’s old dump truck with marigolds or chrysanthemums (mums) flowing out of the back end of the dump truck. He calls it his Mump Truck. It sits along the south side of Highway 34. Many motorists stop to take pictures and get the back story. This year, marigolds are flowing out of the back end of the Mump Truck, onto the ground, like a bride’s wedding train. In fact, that’s how all this got started in 2018, when his daughter, Coral, got married. Brad wanted to celebrate her betrothal, so he hired the planting of all these mums into the Mump Truck and spilling out onto the ground in honor of
Fail your way to success
By Bryan Golden
Fear of failure is one of the biggest fears people have. Ironically, failure is an integral component of the success process. There are two distinctly different types of failure. Absolute failure is when you give up. Successful failure is when you get back up. Of course, not everything you attempt works out as planned. When striving for a goal, you will likely discover many ways which don’t work as anticipated. Successful people throughout history have experienced this phenomenon.
It took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries before he finally discovered a workable formula for a commercially viable lightbulb. When asked how it felt to fail so many times, Edison explained that he hadn’t failed at all. Instead, he had discovered 9,999 ways a light bulb wouldn’t work.
Henry Ford went bankrupt twice before his third attempt at a successful automobile manufacturing company finally took hold. R. H. Macy went bankrupt three times before he came up with a successful business model. Dr. Seuss was rejected by 23 publishers before the 24th publisher sold millions of his books.
Most job seekers go through this process before landing a position they want. They fail their way to success by sending out hundreds of resumes. Their goal is to get one or more interviews which ultimately lead to at least one job offer. Then, if the job doesn’t meet their expectations, they have to start the process over again.
You learned to walk by failing your way to success. Each time you fell down, you struggled to get back up. Each iteration of this process taught you muscle control and balance. You ultimately learned to walk because you refused to give up.
There are countless other examples of people who have failed their way to success. Yet, there are also even more people who have failed and then given up. It’s up to you whether you will experience successful failure, or absolute failure.
Here are some strategies to use in order to fail your way to success. First, accept failure as a necessary ingredient for success. Each failure gets you one step closer to your objective. Failure is a learning opportunity which shows what requires adjustment.
After each failure, determine what went wrong and look for ways to make improvements. Success requires continuous learning. Seek to constantly add to your skills and knowledge. Study successful people to determine what they have done right. Learn from unsuccessful people what not to do. Taking action is crucial for producing results. Always be in motion working towards your objective. Keep trying new approaches until you find a working formula. Get up right away each time you stumble or fall.
Leave your comfort zone. You’ve got to try things you have not done before. When what you are doing is not working, you must make positive changes. This requires venturing into the unknown. Failure is likely if you take steps which are too big. Big steps are difficult to manage and complete. Big steps should be broken down into a number of smaller, more manageable steps. For example, opening a large restaurant from scratch is fraught with challenges. If you have little or no experience, your chances of failure increase.
Instead, start with a small sandwich shop. As you gain success and experience, you could expand your business. By taking smaller, more manageable steps, failures are more readily recoverable.
Don’t fear failure. Embrace successful failure as essential for goal attainment. Use each failure as the invaluable learning tool it is. The way you fail yourself to success is by getting right up whenever you fall down.
Contact Bryan Golden at Bryan@columnist. com
her. So unique and creative. Then there’s Herschel Smuck in Mediapolis. He has a business on Main Street, Main Street Tire, so he has a particular interest in the beauty of downtown Mepo. He’s a member of the Lion’s Club, and every morning, before work, he sets out with his ATV pulling a water tank, and waters all the baskets of flowers hanging from light poles. It takes about an hour and two tanks of water, but it’s something he enjoys while he watches the sun rise. He also potted these flowers, with the help of the Lions.
But Herschel isn’t satisfied with just hanging baskets. No. Across the street from his tire shop sits an old farm elevator, a dump truck, and a flower pole. The dump truck (Smuck Truck) is dumping flowers into the elevator, and the elevator is dumping the flowers into a “flower pole.” It’s a poignant sight, like a Granddad Barber Pole. People come from all over just to see the flowers in
downtown Mediapolis.
BTW: Brad and Herschel know each other. Brad has bought truck tires from Herschel. They have lots of things to talk about, mainly flowers.
While I was in Mediapolis, waiting to talk to Herschel, I observed him move a semi-tractor and trailer, then a huge combine. (He’s a man of many talents, with hands gentle enough to caress a flower petal, but strong enough to wrestle a combine tire.) When he nearly knocked over a light pole with one of his flower pots hanging from it, he was more concerned about the flowers, than the light pole. There are certain priorities in life.
So, where have all the flowers gone? Brad and Herschel have picked them everyone. (Song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” written by Pete Seeger and sung by Peter, Paul and Mary, still popular today.)
ContactCurtSwarmatcurtswarm@ yahoo.com.
Did Veterans Affairs fail our veterans, again?
On Tuesday, July 8, Prairie Meadows Events Center in Altoona presented a Jeremy Glazier Film “From Iowa & Back - The Vietnam Era.” This film has won awards in the Professional Documentary Category at Cedar Rap -
ids Film Festival and Cream of the Crop Award in the Iowa-made Category. From all who attended we thank Prairie Meadows for a wonderful event, from the Event Center to providing us with refreshments. It was a very special evening.
We wish more could have attended this event, but we had asked the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Office if they could supply transportation for the Vietnam group for ones interested in attending. We were promised that they would ask the Veterans Com-
most efficient ways to move energy. It’s also the way a lot of Local 177 laborers earn a living and provide for their families.
mission and would get back to us with an answer. That answer, whether it was yes or no, never came so we were forced to tell the veterans who wanted to attend they would have to find their own transportation.
Thank you again Prairie Meadows for a wonderful event. Jasper County Vietnam Veterans Committee Patricia Hollenbeck, Donna Stravers, Pam Schnathorst Newton
fordable and reliable, we have no choice but to keep investing in the systems that deliver it — namely, pipelines.
The people who build pipelines take it seriously. I know firsthand how much training and care go into building and maintaining them.
That attention to detail makes pipelines one of the safest and
SHARE YOUR VIEW
That’s why I support Gov. Reynolds’ veto of HF 639. The bill was based on fears about pipelines, not facts, and it would’ve made it harder to build the infrastructure Iowa depends on.
Pipelines quietly deliver the oil, natural gas and other liquid fuels that keep our economy running.
If we want to keep energy af-
HF 639 would’ve taken us in the wrong direction. I’m glad the governor recognized how important this issue is and made the right decision.
Ruben Jimenez Marshalltown
Letters to the Newton Daily News will be edited for libel, grammar and length and should not exceed 400 words. We reserve the right to shorten letters and reject those deemed libelous, in poor taste or of a personal nature. Include your full name, address and a daytime phone number for verification. Signed columns as well as letters to the editor and editorial cartoons represent the personal opinion of the writer or artist. Submit letters to newsroom@newtondailynews.com or Newton Daily News, P.O. Box 967, Newton, Iowa 50208
SPEAK OUT
Brandon Talsma, chair
4309 W Fourth St. S. Newton, IA 50208
641-526-3142
btalsma@jasperia.org
How to contact your elected officials Jasper County Supervisors
Doug Cupples, vice chair 1205 S. 20th Ave. W. Newton, IA 50208
641-521-8725
dcupples@jasperia.org
Thad Nearmyer
4360 S. 96th Ave. W. Monroe, IA 50170
641-891-8863
tnearmyer@jasperia.org
Baxter baseball ends historic season following loss to ACA
Bolts limited to one hit against Eagles
By Troy Hyde Sports Editor
SULLY — The best baseball season in Baxter Bolts history ended on July 12 in the Class 1A District 12 championship game.
The Bolts were limited to one hit against Ankeny Christian Academy starting pitcher Landon Curtis, and the Eagles advanced to the Substate 6 championship game following a 6-0 win at Lynnville-Sully High School.
The Eagles scored twice in the second to take the lead for good and then added three in the fifth and one in the seventh to advance to the substate championship game for the second straight season.
Ankeny Christian got a rematch against Lynnville-Sully, which defeated the Eagles, 1-0, in nine innings in last year’s state-qualifying matchup.
The Hawks drubbed Ankeny Christian 11-1 earlier this season. They played on July 15 in Newton.
The Bolts were plagued by five errors, and Jace Bottorff had the lone hit. He doubled in his final prep game.
Hayden Burdess walked and stole one base, Cael Wishman and Colton Moffit both walked once and Cody Spurgeon was hit by a pitch.
Spurgeon was hit by a school record 16 pitches this summer and sported a teambest .523 on-base percentage.
Baxter finalized its season at 17-7. The 17 wins set a new program record. The previous record was 10 set each of the past two seasons.
The loss also snapped Baxter’s six-game winning streak. ACA is 4-0 against the Bolts
since 2020. Tyson Fincham led the Eagles (15-10) with three hits, while Curtis fanned 10 and allowed one hit and three walks in seven innings. He used 103 pitches and will not be available in the substate championship game.
Andrew Mora, Braley Miller and Conner Crosby all had two hits at the plate.
Moffit (9-2) took the loss for Baxter after allowing five runs — two earned — on eight hits, two walks and one hit batter in five innings. He struck out eight and ended his season with an earned run average of .90. Moffit fanned 119 batters in 70 1/3 innings, which currently leads the
class. Wishman tossed the final two frames and surrendered one unearned run on one hit and two walks. He struck out six and finished his season with 72 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.
Baxter 4, Collins-Maxwell 1 MILO — Moffit and Wishman combined to toss their second straight one-hitter this postseason, and Baxter used 10 singles to score four runs during a 4-1 victory over rival Collins-Maxwell on July 10.
The Bolts advanced to the district championship game for the first time in program history after scoring twice in the third and twice in the
sixth during the 1A District 12 semifinals. Baxter won two of the three meetings against Collins-Maxwell this summer.
The Bolts won the game despite committing four errors in the field. Moffit improved to 9-1 on the mound after allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk. He struck out eight in six innings and used 90 pitches.
Wishman struck out the side on 13 pitches in the top of the seventh to earn his second save of the season and second save in the playoffs. Wishman also had two hits and one steal to help the offense. He led Baxter with 50
total bases and 16 steals and he batted a team-best .411 this summer.
Burdess led the Baxter offense with three hits, one run, two RBIs and one steal and Spurgeon finished with two hits and one RBI.
Colton Damman, Liam Trent and Aiden Johnson had the other hits, Damman scored one run and James Esqueda walked once, scored one run, totaled one RBI and stole one base. Cole Frasher scored one run and Bottorff was hit by a pitch.
Collins-Maxwell (10-14) scored its run in the top of the six, and the Spartan pitchers fanned 10 in the loss.
Wolverines hand Bolts season-ending loss
Baxter softball drops regional opener to rival GMG
By Troy Hyde Sports Editor
GARWIN — Riah Boege had two hits at the plate and spun a no-hitter in the circle to lead the GMG softball team past Baxter on July 7. The Wolverines led the Class 1A Region 8 first-round game 6-0 after one inning and went on to down the Bolts 10-0 in four innings. It was GMG’s sixth straight win, but the Wolverines were eliminated, 5-3, by BCLUW on July 9.
GMG out-hit Baxter
10-0 and both teams committed one error.
Klaire Shanks tossed 3 2/3 innings in the circle and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, four walks and one hit batter with five strikeouts.
Blaire Jutting allowed five earned runs on one hit, three walks and two hit batters in 1/3 of an inning.
Taelyn Sash led GMG (11-10) with two hits, one run and one walk. Boege added one walk to her two hits and struck out 11 Bolts and threw a no-hitter from the circle. North Tama 10, Bax-
ter 9, 8 innings
TRAER — The Bolts and Redhawks completed a suspended game from June 23 on July 3 and North Tama rallied for a 10-9 win in eight innings during Iowa Star Conference play.
The Bolts led 6-4 after one, but the Redhawks rallied to take a 7-6 lead after four.
Baxter’s three-run fifth pushed the visitors back in front, but North Tama scored once in the sixth, seventh and eighth to rally.
Baxter out-hit the Redhawks 15-13, but the Bolts were plagued by
seven errors. The Bolts also forfeited their game against Central City on July 5. That goes down as a 7-0 loss in the scorebook.
Hannah Huffaker and Madison Jochems each had three hits to lead the offense against North Tama.
Huffaker scored one run and had two RBIs, Jochems scored one run and tallied one RBI and Emileigh Beals chipped in two hits, one double, two runs and one RBI.
Beals led Baxter (221) with a .313 batting average and had a teambest 12 runs and 24 total
Cody Spurgeon
Baxter junior Cody Spurgeon led the Bolts baseball team with 17 walks and he had a team-best on-base percentage of .523. He was hit by a team-most 16 pitches this summer, which set a new school record. Spurgeon also totaled 18 runs, 12 hits and 12 total bases.
bases in her first prep season.
Shanks finished with two hits, one run and one RBI, Lillian Grunstead doubled and totaled one run and one RBI, Mallory Bottorff registered one hit, one run, two RBIs and one walk and Savannah Frasher collected one hit, one run and two walks.
Grunstead led the Bolts with six doubles this summer, while Bottorff finished with a team-most nine RBIs.
Jutting posted one hit and two walks and Avery Wonders contributed one hit and one run.
Both Bolts pitched in the game, too. Wonders (1-9) took the pitching loss after allowing seven runs — one earned — on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
Jutting surrendered two earned runs on two hits and five walks with one strikeout in four innings.
Addison Hochstetler led North Tama (5-14) with two hits and four RBIs and spun all eight innings for the pitching win. Harper Rausch added three hits and three RBIs.
Randy Taylor
Baxter sophomore Hayden Burdess puts the ball in play against Ankeny Christian Academy on Saturday. The Bolts lost the district championship game, 6-0, but finished their season with a school-record 17 wins. (Photo by Randy Taylor)
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to approve an Engineering Service Agreement with CGA for the evaluation of traffic impacts generated by current and future development on T-33 at and North of intersection with S. 128th Ave E. in the amount of $10,000.
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to approve the final pay estimate for 137 (Bridge C08) in the amount of $1,662,847.68 to Peterson Contractors Inc.
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to approve a Cigarette/Tobacco/Nicotine/Vapo r permit for Fore Seasons Sports Bar & Grill.
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to adopt Resolution 25-104, approving Transfer Order #1554 in the amount of $1,980,801.36 from Local Option Sales Services Tax Fund to the General Fund.
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the Office of the Jasper County Auditor. Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to adopt Resolution 25-105, approving Transfer Order #1555 in the amount of $1,937,328.00 from the General Fund to Various Funds
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the Office of the Jasper County Auditor. Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to adopt Resolution 25-106, approving Transfer Order #1556 in the amount of $299,497.00 from the General Fund to Various Funds
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA A complete copy of the resolution is on file in the Office of the Jasper County Auditor. Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to approve claims paid through July 1, 2025.
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion
& TALSMA Motion by Talsma seconded
Nearmyer to
in
YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Motion by Nearmyer seconded by Talsma to
regular meeting and enter into a work session. YEA: NEARMYER & TALSMA Dennis Simon will be drafting two policies to put before the Board regarding Court Time for the Sheriff's Office and Call Back Time for the Engineer's Office The Board also discussed the new policies that may be going into effect such as an Outside Employment Policy and Flex Time Dennis Simon is going to work with the County Attorney to draft an Outside Employment Policy. Recorder, Denise Allan, spoke to the Board about appointing an additional deputy. Talsma asked Simon about the policy discussing falsifying information on time sheets/payroll records aka
hiring Recorder's Office Deputy Recorder Michelle Hull, effective 07/12/2025. This is a summary of Resolution 25-108. A full copy of the Resolution is available at the Jasper County Courthouse between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday July 17
Public Notice
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on 07/08/25 and approved Resolution 25-107, creating one (1) permanent fulltime Deputy Recorder position. This is a summary of Resolution 25-107. A full copy of the Resolution is available at the Jasper County Courthouse between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday July 17
Public Notice
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on 07/08/25 and approved Resolution 25-109 hiring Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff, Ty Jones, effective 08/04/2025. This is a summary of Resolution 25-109. A full copy of the Resolution is available at the Jasper County Courthouse between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday July 17
Public Notice
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on 07/08/25 and approved Resolution 25-110 for the Resolution Approving Jasper County Policy: Call Back Time This is a summary of Resolution 25-110. A full copy of the Resolution is available at the Jasper County Courthouse between 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday July 17
Public Notice
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on 07/08/25 and approved Resolution 25-111 for the Resolution Directing Sale of $1,895,000* (Subject to adjustment per terms of offering) Taxable General Obligation Urban Renewal Capital Loan Notes, Series 2025C This is a summary of Resolution 25-111. A full copy of the Resolution is available at the Jasper County Courthouse between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday July 17
