The Henry County Board of Supervisors met Thursday morning, December 4th, at 9 a.m. The meeting opened with approval of the agenda and the November 25 meeting minutes.

Department heads then delivered routine updates.
Nathan Milks reported that field work began earlier this week. Tracy Sammons of the Secondary Roads Department noted that crews worked 12-hour days over the weekend to complete snow removal following last week’s storm. She also announced that the bridge on 235th Street, west of Mount Pleasant, will close on Monday to begin a full replacement project scheduled for completion in November 2026.

Blake Vierra, Assistant County Attorney, shared upcoming district and trial court dates. He also noted a recent rise in truancy referrals. Under Iowa law, students may be referred to the county attorney once absences reach 20% of a grading period, unless exempt.

Public Health Director Katie Reuter reported steady demand for flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations.

Veterans Affairs Director Roger Pittsenbarger updated the board on the November 26th VA meeting and said their next meeting is scheduled for December 18th. He also reported strong turnout for the department’s breakfast events and warned of misleading mailers being sent to area veterans advertising “additional healthcare benefits” that ultimately require paid premiums.

Caleb Waters informed the board that the county dump station is operational, though installation of fiber optics for security cameras has been delayed due to cold weather. Waters also reported the completion of the new Story Book Walk, a collaboration with the Mount Pleasant Library and Rotary Club. He expressed concerns about tight budget timelines, noting that multiple departments must also work through their own governing boards for approvals.

Recorder Lynnae Buffington announced that staff member Marla Willey will retire in February and said she plans to promote Tamara to Deputy without filling the vacancy.

County Treasurer Kellie Sloan updated the board on an upcoming statewide rollout of a new scheduling system for motor vehicle and driver’s license appointments. The system, which goes live January 20, will allow Iowans to schedule appointments anywhere in the state and will replace the subscription-based system the county currently pays for.

Chad White delivered an update on behalf of Sheriff Rich McNamee, who is in training this week. McNamee reported a decrease in call volume this year compared to previous years, with inmate counts remaining in the upper 50s throughout the month. Housing out-of-county inmates has generated $4.2 million during the reporting period. McNamee also urged residents to celebrate safely this holiday season and to keep emergency kits, including blankets, jumper cables, and extra clothing in their vehicles.

Auditor Robin Detrick said her office is working on several year-end reports due this month. The board also announced the hiring of Gunnar Sloan as the county’s new IT personnel.

During public forum, several residents voiced strong support for Deputy Lopez and urged the county to reimburse his legal expenses. Lopez recently succeeded in having his name removed from the Brady-Giglio list and is seeking reimbursement for the costs associated with that process.

The meeting adjourned following public comments.

Henry County drivers should expect a long-term road closure starting next week. Beginning Monday, December 8th, the bridge over Big Creek on 235th Street — also known as Business 34 just west of Mount Pleasant — will close for a full bridge replacement project.

The closure is expected to last nearly a year, with work scheduled to wrap up in November of 2026. A detour will route traffic onto Franklin Avenue, Old Highway 34, and Goodyear Road. Drivers are urged to follow posted signs, as speed limits in the area have been adjusted. Heavy trucks are asked to use the Mt. Pleasant bypass.

Anyone with questions can contact the Jake Hotchkiss or Henry County Engineer’s Office at 319-385-0762.

The City of Fort Madison will hold a groundbreaking and project update tomorrow, Friday, December 5th, for two major facility projects.

The event begins at 2 p.m. at the site of the new Fire Station at 2200 Avenue L, followed by an update at the new Public Works Facility on 21st Street.

Voters approved up to $12 million for a new fire station in 2024, though the city expects the project to come in much lower, with construction set to begin in spring 2026.

Work is already underway on the new 15,000-square-foot Public Works building. The facility will house trucks and heavy equipment and is designed for future expansion.

Future plans include additional parking, updated staff facilities, and a new salt storage building as the city continues to grow its Public Works operations.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in cooperation with the Iowa Beef Industry Council, will host a Beef Quality Assurance training program in Sigourney, Iowa this fall. The program will cover numerous best management practices and will qualify producers for BQA certification.

BQA certification is perhaps more important than ever as major packers now require a current BQA certificate from feedlot producers selling market-ready cattle, said extension beef specialist Patrick Wall. All major packers now require that suppliers are BQA certified.

“Beyond just fulfilling that requirement though, the BQA program includes a great deal of useful information that producers can take home and immediately utilize in their beef cattle operations,” Wall said. “The program will include information that applies to all facets of beef cattle production including cow-calf, stocker/backgrounder, and feedlot.”

Iowa beef producers, veterinarians, feed industry personnel and anyone interested in beef cattle production are invited to attend.

The program will take place from 6-8 on p.m. on December 11 and will cover all the major production practices required for BQA certification. Topics of discussion will include animal care and handling, management of feedstuffs and feed additives, management of animal health products, proper injection site techniques, biosecurity and record keeping. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Patrick Wall at patwall@iastate.edu or 515-450-7665.

BQA is a nationally coordinated, state-implemented program that raises consumer confidence by offering proper management techniques and a commitment to quality within every segment of the beef industry. The Iowa BQA Program is funded by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Beef Checkoff. To learn more about the Iowa BQA Program and other upcoming certification trainings across Iowa, visit iabeef.org.

Wall reminded people that those unable to attend an in-person workshop may complete their training online at bqa.beeflearningcenter.org

To register for this event please call the Keokuk County Extension Office at 641-622-2680 or email Emily Belvel at ebelvel@iastate.edu

For an expected 100,000-plus deer hunters, the long wait is almost over, Iowa’s gun deer seasons are right around the corner.

But before heading to the timber, it’s important that hunters go through their gear, sight in their gun and take time to review their hunting safety plan, said Craig Cutts, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau.

“Hunters should check their blaze orange gear to make sure it still fits and that that orange hasn’t faded to the point of being ineffective,” Cutts said. “We’re not hiding from deer during the firearm seasons; we want to be seen by the other hunters. The more external blaze orange that’s worn, the better the chance that hunters will be seen in the timber.”

The minimum amount of blaze orange required by Iowa law to hunt in the firearm deer season is a 100 percent solid blaze orange vest, but hunters should wear as much blaze orange as possible, he said.

“We have a lot more hunters choosing rifles and rifles can travel much greater distances so blaze orange is really important,” he said. “But they also need to be cognizant of that distance, so they need to take good shots – avoid shooting at running deer, and know what’s in front of and behind the deer, in case the shot misses.”

Not shooting at running deer is key to avoiding property damage or injuring another hunter. With the added distance rifles are capable of, hunters really need to be aware of what is behind the deer if the shot misses.

Cutts said there has been an average of nine hunting related incidents over the past three deer gun seasons involving rifles with around six involving personal injuries. Following the hunting plan is another way to avoid problems.

The hunting plan identifies the location, outlines each person’s role, describes how it will unfold and when the hunters are expected to return home. Hunters are encouraged to leave a copy of the plan with someone in the event of an emergency.

“You cannot deviate from the plan,” Cutts said. “The problems start when you see the deer coming out of a different area than you expected, then leave your location to get closer to the deer and suddenly the hunter is in the line of fire.”

Iowa’s first gun season is Dec. 6-10; second gun season is Dec. 13-21. For more information on hunting safety, contact your local conservation officer.

Iowa’s most popular deer hunting seasons start this weekend, when more than 100,000 hunters take to the timber for the long-awaited gun seasons.

Iowa’s first gun season is Dec. 6-10. Second gun season is Dec. 13-21. While hunters are split about 50-50 to which season they hunt, the trend has been moving toward second season due to the flexibility of hunting two weekends. Hunters are expected to harvest 55,000 to 60,000 deer during these two seasons, which is 50-60 percent of Iowa’s total deer harvest.

So far this fall, youth, disabled hunter, early muzzleloader and archery hunters have reported 28,600 deer through the harvest reporting system, which is three percent below the five-year average.

“We’ve had a strong harvest in Eastern Iowa, which has offset a lower deer harvest in Western, Central, Southern and Northwestern regions of the state,” said Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). To date, the 2025 harvest is about exactly the same as the 2024 harvest at this point in the season.

“We are getting reports of low deer numbers in Central and Western Iowa in the wake of severe hemorrhagic disease impacts from 2024 and 2023. Hunters are encouraged to reach out to our wildlife staff and conservation officers to discuss what they are seeing in the field.”
Weather-wise, the 10-day forecast calls for high temperatures from middle 30s to middle 20s, which means the snow is likely here for a while.

“The cooler temperature generally leads to better harvest, but the snow can be tricky. We know that snowfall on opening day leads to a 10 percent increase in harvest for the season. Snow does make it easier to see deer, track deer and to see deer signs, which are all the right conditions for hunters to be successful,” Elliott said.

“However, if the snow is too deep, it can lead to fewer deer harvested and that’s likely due to hunter behavior, not deer behavior,” he said.

The gun seasons have been traditionally associated with groups of hunters walking through the timber, pushing deer towards other members of the hunting group, but results of the 2024 deer hunter survey found that gun season hunters are divided evenly in how they pursue the deer.

About half participate in traditional deer drives, while the other half prefer to hunt from stationary position. The deer hunter survey found that overall, 80 percent of respondents indicated they are satisfied with the overall deer hunting experience, citing the social aspect of the hunting groups and the opportunity to put deer meat in the freezer as two reasons they hunt.

Hunters are required to include the main beam antler measurement when reporting their deer harvest.

“Main beam antler measurement allows us to estimate the percentage of yearling bucks as part of the harvest. There was a strong variation across Iowa where counties with lower deer densities and less deer habitat saw a higher rate of yearling bucks as a percentage of the buck harvest,” Elliott said.

Statewide, yearling bucks made up roughly 40 percent of the total buck harvest.

The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Board of Directors announced $12.2 million in grants to 26 Local Housing Trust Funds to strengthen local housing initiatives. The awards were made through the Local Housing Trust Fund Program and are expected to benefit 2,473 families.

“These grants are an essential and highly effective resource, empowering regions to direct funds where they are needed most to meet local housing needs,” said IFA Director Debi Durham. “The success of this program is reflected in the thousands of Iowans who now have safe, affordable homes, made possible through strong partnerships with Local Housing Trust Funds across the state.”

The grant funds will support a range of initiatives aimed at developing or preserving housing for low-income households across the spectrum of housing needs. This includes the development and preservation of housing, assistance for persons experiencing homelessness, rental assistance, homeownership support, bolstering the capacity of local housing organizations and other efforts that directly address local housing needs.

“This support advances our mission to ensure residents in Northeast Iowa have access to well-maintained, safe and affordable housing,” said Spiff Slifka, Board Chair of the Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund (NEIRHTF). “With much of our region’s housing stock aging, these funds are critical to preserving homes and strengthening the vitality of our communities.”

The State Housing Trust Fund helps ensure decent, safe and affordable housing for Iowans through two programs. The Local Housing Trust Fund Program receives at least 60 percent of the SHTF allocation to provide grants for organizations certified by IFA as Local Housing Trust Funds. The remaining funding supports the Project-Based Housing Program, which aids in the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing. IFA administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations.

Established by the Iowa Legislature in 2003, the State Housing Trust Fund continues to play a vital role in advancing Iowa’s housing priorities. The awards announced today are expected to leverage an additional $3.6 million in other financing or approximately 30 cents for every dollar of Local Housing Trust Fund Program funding.

Since its inception, the State Housing Trust Fund has supported more than 41,400 Iowa households through the LHTF Program, investing more than $140 million and leveraging an additional $130 million in other funding to advance local housing initiatives.

Locally, the AHEAD Regional Housing Trust Fund – serving Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren, and Wapello Counties – will receive just over $469,000 while Great River Housing – serving Des Moines, Henry, Lee, and Louisa Counties – will receive nearly $478,000. The list of 2026 Local Housing Trust Fund awards is available here.