After a threat was made against the Van Buren County High School around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office promptly responded.

This incident was investigated by the Sheriff’s Office staff with assistance from the High School’s administration. It has been determined that there is no ongoing threat to the staff or students.

According to Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, multiple people called in reference to the school going into lockdown. However, the lockdown was for an unrelated police K9 unit check of vehicles in the parking lot. The lockdown had nothing to do with any threat to the school.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the administration of Van Buren County High School for their prompt alert and response to today’s incident.

We would also like to thank the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for the use of their K9 team.

March 2024

Upcoming Events Around Henry County

March
27th – Commercial Pesticide – Ornamental & Turf Pest Control
27th – Region 27 Ames STEM Trip
29th – 4-H Babysitter Clinic
April
2nd – Introduction to Planning & Zoning for Local Officials
13th – 4-H Regional Clothing Workshop
15th-20th – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Week

To find out more information about these upcoming events head to the Henry County Extension website or Facebook page!

Horticulture Headlines

Creating Raised Bed Planters

Wanting to add functional and attractive raised garden beds to your home? Click here for types of raised beds, advantages of having raised garden beds, and the construction of them.

Manage Garden Plants that Break Dormancy Early

Recent warm temperatures across Iowa may cause some concerns for gardeners as they see buds and foliage emerge in February. This puts plants at risk of damage if below-average temperatures return. In this article, you will be advised on what to do when plants break dormancy early. Click here to read full article.

Henry County & 4-H Happenings

SWITCH – Salem Elementary

This month, Erin was off to Salem Elementary School for her SWITCH Program. SWITCH (School Wellness Integration Targeting Child Health) is an innovative school wellness initiative designed to support and enhance school wellness programming. With the help of the students pedaling the blender bike, Erin made peach-carrot smoothies! Smoothies are a good snack and an easy way to add your fruits and vegetables for the day.

Peach-Carrot Smoothie Recipe: frozen banana, peaches, and cooked carrots. Add your choice of yogurt, milk, water, or peach juice, and enjoy!

Van Allen 4-H After School Program

We are four weeks into the 4-H After School Program at Van Allen! The students have been diving into the Engineering Design Process. Students first designed their doghouses on paper and then brought those designs to life by making them out of cardboard with the help of their mentors! It was fun seeing how creative these young engineers were and how they overcame obstacles while putting the houses together.

A Burlington woman is facing criminal charges for lighting a fire on the porch of house she believed was her friend’s.

The incident occurred just after 4:30pm on March 19, 2024. The resident of 2224 Vineyard in Burlington called DESCOM after she received an alert of motion from her security camera. The resident, who was not home at the time, watched video from her security camera as a woman lit a fire on the resident’s porch. The resident said she did not know the woman and had never seen her before.

Officers from the Burlington Police Department and Burlington Fire Department were dispatched to 2224 Vineyard and when they arrived, they found Michelle Young, 46, standing on the porch. Young told officers her friend lived there and admitted to setting a fire on the porch. Young told officers the items she set on fire were miscellaneous items she picked up while walking in the area.

Officers were able to view the video from the security camera and positively identified Young as the person who had started the fire. Michelle Young was arrested and during her arrest, officers discovered Young was in possession of drug paraphernalia. The fired department quickly extinguished the fire and there was minimal damage to the porch.

Young was charged with Reckless Use of Fire, a serious misdemeanor, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.