September 2019

REINBECK - Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain caused flash flooding across Northeast Iowa this weekend and early into this week, leaving many basements and fields underwater.
 
In Reinbeck, the Oakleaf Golf Course has been temporarily closed after Monday night’s rain flooded Black Hawk Creek, leaving almost all of the course underwater.
 
Oakleaf Manager Christie Lichty says all but one of the nine holes have water.
 

GRUNDY CENTER - When he’s not busy at his day job in youth ministry, Brad Hillebrand of Grundy Center enjoys spending time on his unique hobby - brewing his own beer.
 
The recipe is a little more complex than just turning water into wine (or beer). It requires a little barley, some hops and some yeast, along with plenty of patience and a dash of creativity.
 
Hillebrand says he first got started home brewing about five years ago.
 

If there’s one thing that Dike-New Hartford Superintendent Justin Stockdale wants prospective voters in the district to know before they head to the polls on Tuesday, September 11, it’s that the renewal of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) is not a tax increase.
           
“We’re not asking for anything more than what we’ve had the last 10 years. It’s still the same 50 cents,” he said. “It’s simply a renewal of what we’ve had for a long time.”
           

With each passing year, I come to love summer less and less. It’s too hot, I don’t have anything resembling a beach body, I can’t find the time or the money to go on a real vacation and with a host of festivals and fairs, it feels like most of my work here is done at night or on the weekends. So, unsurprisingly, Labor Day is anything but a mournful affair: Kellie and I find ourselves excitedly checking the weather forecasts and game schedules as we anxiously await our favorite season of all.