By Sam Parsons

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met yesterday morning and had a discussion about wind turbines and zoning within the county. Mahaska County resident Micah Van Mersbergen spoke with the board about MidAmerican Energy’s proposed $3.9 billion wind and solar energy project called Wind PRIME.

Van Mersbergen said that while no potential locations have been made official, he guessed that MidAmerican would be looking into Mahaska County as a candidate for some wind turbines, so he gathered feedback from residents of Cedar Township and Harrison Township on that possibility. He said that he didn’t hear from anyone who would either approve of them or be neutral to them.

County attorney Andrew Ritland chimed in regarding the possibility of creating a zoning board to regulate wind turbines. He said that Mahaska County is in the minority of counties that do not have a zoning board, and that the vast majority of counties who regulate wind turbine development do so through a full zoning board. Ritland said that one idea for the county to regulate wind mill turbines would be to implement exclusion zones of either 1,500 feet or 2,500 feet, preventing wind turbines from being developed within those distances of another structure to ensure no turbines were being built too close to people’s residences. He called the regulation of wind turbines a “balancing act” between tax revenue and the amount of development they want in the county. 

Ultimately, no action was taken, with board chair Mark Groenendyk saying he would like to see a more robust collection of community input before making a decision.

OSKALOOSA, IA — The Oskaloosa Community Schools has named Marcia DeVore as its next director of teaching and learning.

DeVore has served as principal of Lincoln Elementary in the Charles City Community School District since 2013. Previously, she was an elementary associate principal and dean of students. DeVore began her career in education as a middle school reading teacher.

DeVore earned an Iowa Administrative Certificate in grades PK-12 from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, along with a master’s degree in education.

“My family and I are excited to be part of Oskaloosa Schools and the larger Oskaloosa community,” said DeVore. “Accepting this position was not just about a good career fit for me, but also a good school fit for our son and a community fit for our family. Oskaloosa checked all the boxes.”

As director of teaching and learning, DeVore intends to collaborate with the district leadership team to continue building a positive academic environment and foster success for all Osky students. She will focus on empowering teacher leadership throughout the district’s schools and across grade levels.

“We are delighted to welcome Marcia DeVore to the Osky Schools family,” said Mike Fisher, Superintendent. “I am confident that her leadership expertise and wealth of experience will provide immense value to our schools and the students we serve.”

DeVore will relocate to Oskaloosa with her husband, Justin, and son, Jonah, who is a current eighth-grade student at Charles City Middle School and will begin attending Oskaloosa High School this fall. DeVore’s daughter, Hannah, is now a senior at Charles City High School, with plans to attend college in the fall.

OTTUMWA – The city of Ottumwa experienced a water main break over the weekend, periodically leaving some residents in the western part of the city without water.

On Friday evening, February 17th, 2023, a large water main in the 300 block of West Main began leaking. Upon investigation by the Ottumwa Water Works, they discovered a major leak in a fitting that was most likely installed in 1905.

The areas of Ottumwa that were affected by this leak at the time were the 400 through 1000 blocks of W. Second, 400 through 1000 blocks of W. Main, and 700 through 900 blocks of Gateway Drive. 

Work began right away on permanent repairs and was conducted throughout the weekend, and included equipment and crews brought in from other states. Water flow had been restored on Saturday, and by 4pm on Sunday, new valves had been installed for a more permanent fix.

The Wapello County Emergency Management Agency said they will release more details on their Facebook page in the near future.

PELLA — On February 16th, 2023 at 5:26 p.m. the Pella Police Department and City of Pella Community Ambulance responded to a report of vehicle hitting a pedestrian accident near the intersection of West 4th Street and Fountain View Drive in Pella. A Ford F150 struck a 5-year-old child that had entered the roadway on a sled from a hill near the intersection. The child was transported to Pella Regional Health Center. Life saving measures were attempted by City of Pella Community Ambulance personnel and PRHC staff. The child was pronounced deceased shortly after their arrival at the hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the child and all those involved in the incident.

The investigation is ongoing. The Pella Police Department is being assisted by the Iowa State Patrol in the investigation.