THE NEWSPAPER THAT SERVES ALL DECATUR COUNTY
10 PAGES
USPS 310-140
LEON, IOWA 50144, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
P.O. Box 580, 110 N. Main, Leon, IA 50144
E-mail: jrnews@grm.net
Decatur County SCICF to Hold Contest for $1,000 For the third straight year, South Central Iowa Community Foundation (SCICF) announced that citizens will have an opportunity to win $1,000 for the Decatur County Endowment of their choice held at SCICF. There will be a clip and mail contest entry form in next week’s editions of The Leon Journal-Reporter and The Lamoni Chronicle. SCICF is a growing community foundation helping improve the quality of life in Decatur, Clarke, Ringgold, Lucas and Union counties. The foundation invests, administers and distributes endowment funds to benefit local programs, projects, and non-
$25,000 Matching Grant Needed for Leon’s Noel Park
profit organizations. Endowments are created by individuals, families, businesses and organizations for lasting positive change, meeting challenges, and ensuring the causes and communities they care about will last forever. This year, SCICF will award nearly $200,000 to Decatur County for community improvements, scholarships and vital organizational support. For more information about SCICF visit www.scicf.org, call the foundation office at 641217-9105, or visit with a Decatur County SCICF Board member; Mike Frost, Kay Herring, Sam Mendenhall, Mary Stogdill and Alysha Van Laar.
The City of Leon, in conjunction with the Leon Visioning Committee, has been awarded a $50,000 DEKKO Foundation grant to make improvements at Leon’s Noel Park. Fundraising efforts are underway to raise $25,000 in order to get a full $50,000 DEKKO Foundation 2 to 1 matching grant. The purpose of the grant is installation of sidewalks and expanding parking. Sidewalks will be installed that will make two loops and connect the entire park. This will not only make it much safer and easier to walk around the park, but will also make Noel Park a destination for outdoor exercise. A great way to get involved is to sponsor a 4 foot section of the sidewalk. Donating $100 will buy a 4 foot section where you can place a plaque with your name or have a loved one’s name memorialized. Donations of any amount are welcome and may be made at the Leon City Hall or by mail at 104 W 1st St..
Caucuses to be Held February 1 Decatur County will join the rest of the State of Iowa February 1 in holding its respective caucuses. The Democratic Party Caucus will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the various precints will meet at the following locations: for Davis City – at the Davis City Community Center, for Decatur City – at Central Decatur High School, for Garden Grove – at Central Decatur High School, for Lamoni – at Memorial Student Center on Graceland University campus, for Leon – at Central Decatur High School, for Pleasanton – at Davis City Community Center, for Van Wert – at Van Wert Community Building and for Weldon – at Van Wert Community Building. It is noted that you must be in-line or signed in by 7:00 p.m. to participate. The purpose of this caucus will be to discuss and adopt proposed resolutions to be added to the county platform, to elect delegates and alternates to the County Convention, and to elect precinct committee persons to the County Central Committee. For questions about the Democratic Caucus or if needing a ride to one of the above locations, contact Jordan Pope at 641-777-8275. The Republican Precinct
Caucuses will begin at 7:00 p.m. with the following precincts and locations: Precinct 1 (BL/ FA/Lamoni) at Lamoni High School; Precinct 2 (BU/HA/MO/ NB/Davis City/Pleasanton) at Lamoni High School; Precinct 3 (DE/Decatur) at Leon Community Center; Precinct 4 (GG/ HP/WO/Garden Grove/LeRoy) at Weldon Community Center; Precinct 5 (GR/RL/Grand River) at Leon Community Center; Precinct 6 (FR/LC/Van Wert/ Weldon) at Weldon Community Center; and Precinct 7 (Leon/ Center/Eden) at Leon Community Center. At these caucuses, two persons will be elected to the County Central Committee, delegates and alternates to the County Convention held March 12 will be decided, and propose and vote on platform planks to send to the county convention. From Precinct 1 eight delegates will be elected, from Precinct 2 three will be elected, Precinct 3 two elected, Precinct 4 three elected, Precinct 5 eight elected, Precinct 6 three elected, and Precinct 7 eight elected. Voter registration forms will be available to register or to update your information.
VOLUME 84 - NUMBER 51
Annual Chamber Banquet
“Fore” Below Zero....?
When temperatures dipped below zero this past weekend, two young golf enthusiasts, longing for it to be Spring, started dreaming about hitting the links. Instead of bundling up and going outside to work on their golf swings, Kristin and Elsa Schaff, daughters of Shaun and Samantha Schaff of Leon, did the next best thing by washing and scrubbing their clubs preparing them for warmer weather. So it appears, from the photo, that they had a little assembly line going in the middle of their living room... Elsa doing the scrubbing and Kristin drying the clubs off. As the temperature fell below the zero mark overnight, into Monday, dangerous windchills prevailed resulting in Superintendent Chris Coffelt delaying school for a couple hours. (submitted photo)
The Annual Banquet and Citizen of the Year Celebration will be Thursday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Leon Golf and Country Club. RSVP to Kolton Hewlett by Friday, January 22 at 641-3440624 or koltonhewlett@gmail. com. Cost is $10 for Chamber members, $15 for non-Chamber members. Everyone is invited to attend!
CD Boys Basketball High School Hoops Before Iowa Energy Game February 6 The Central Decatur high school boy’s basketball team will be playing the Avoca-Hancock-Shelby-Tennant-Walnut (AHSTW) team at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 6, at Wells
Several Advance to Next Round of K of C Free Throw Contest
Fargo Arena in Des Moines, prior to the Iowa Energy game at 7:00 p.m. Tickets MUST be reserved in advance and cover both games. Discounted tickets are available for $7.00 (compared to the $16 through the Energy). To order tickets or if you have any questions, contact the school or Head Coach Zach Clark at 641446-4816 or you can also purchase the tickets on the school website. The CD Quartet (Annalise Minnick, Cierra Clark, Brianna Keeney and Mary Lindsey) will also be performing the National Anthem prior to the Iowa Energy game.
Go APE Supper and Silent Auction
(submitted photos)
Go APE (After Prom Events) committee of junior and senior parents is hosting a fund raiser supper and silent auction on Friday, January 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the CD high school commons. The cost is $5.00 per person for the beef ‘n noodles meal with mashed potatoes, hot roll, dessert and drink. The silent auction will occur during the basketball games. All the proceeds will go towards the After Prom Entertainment.
Subscribe to on-line edition at journalreporterleon.com K of C Free Throw Contest The local chapter of the Knights of Columbus of Decatur, Ringgold, and Wayne County held their annual freethrow contest on Sunday, January 17, 2016, at the Central Decatur High School gym. Thirty-five participants ages 9 through 14 (17 boys and 18 girls) entered
Leon Fire Chief Doug Moffett, left talks with fireman Tim Hatfield following the fire on SE 12th Street.
Leon Home Catches Fire; Firemen Battle Icy Conditions A young family escaped injury when their home caught fire last Tuesday night, January 12. At approximately 6:30 p.m. the Leon Fire Department was called to the home of Willie Roach and Amanda Ameigh at 307 SE 12th. When firemen arrived on scene there was a considerable amount of smoke coming from the top portion of the home and in a short amount of time fire broke through into an upper story room. The Lamoni Fire Department was also summoned for mutual aid for the use of their ladder truck. Both departments
battled the stubborn blaze for nearly two hours before bringing it under control. The firemen also battled frigid conditions. As they would spray water onto the fire, ice instantly formed on the ground and ladders making maneuvering around the area treacherous. The upper portion of the home was severely damaged along with the rest of the house sustaining smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Along with Roach and Ameigh, four children (a freshman, a junior, and two month old twins) lost clothing and other belongings in the fire.
the competition. Winners pictured at right with Grand Knight Kyle Sheetz: Girls: Age 11, Annika Evertsen of Central Decatur; Age 12, Eily Hall of Central Decatur; Age 13, Maizee Lindsey of Central Decatur; Age 14, Emma Atwood of Central Decatur. Boys: Age 9, Samuel Boothe of Central Decatur, Age 10,
Rayce Snyder of Wayne; Age 11, Brayden Olson of Lamoni; Age 12, Tyler Hamilton of Central Decatur; Age 13, Cole Pedersen of Central Decatur; Age 14, Michel Evertsen of Central Decatur. Winners advance to the district competition to be held Sunday, February 7, 2016, at Clarke Community High School.