2025 begins with winter storm, ends with EMS resolution

As a new year approaches and individuals reflect on the events that shaped their lives in 2025, we take a look back at the events and issues that shaped Iowa County and surrounding communities.

January

An intense snow band moved through Iowa Jan. 2, 2025, and while the snow was light and accumulation was small, it produced slick roads and hazardous driving conditions.

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Iowa County Sheriff Rob Rotter said his department investigated several accidents due to the weather, but they were minor and most of them — seven — involved drivers needing assistance after sliding into ditches.

The Williamsburg Kiwanis made a $5,000 donation to Williamsburg Parents and Leaders for Students organization to further the upgrade of the elementary school playground.

PALS are tackling the playground improvements a piece at a time.

The Williamsburg City Council approved the final plat for the vacation of Penn Street east of South Highland Street that will allow St. Mary’s Catholic Church to begin a building project that will create a parking lot between the church and its community center on the other side of Penn Street.

Iowa County Supervisors raised its rate for housing federal prisoners in the Iowa County Jail by $25 in a new contract with the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Marshal Service had been paying $60 a day.

Supervisors also agreed to accept more federal prisoners from the U.S. Marshals Service. More federal prisoners will also mean more money coming in to the commissary, said Rotter.

The Marengo Fire Department fought fire and ice after a wood-burning fireplace set a roof ablaze at 348 W. Marion St. in Marengo.

The temperature was around four degrees, and everything turned to ice as firefighters sprayed water on the flames. Ice covered the driveway and steps creating safety hazards that firefighters had to deal with in addition to the fire.

After hearing that the Iowa County Board of Supervisors discussed cutting home health services, Iowa County Health Department Director Lorinda Sheeler defended her department to the board.

Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas, a member of the county Board of Health, had suggested that the county consider dropping home health care — which is not required by the state — to save money.

Sheeler argued that home health is important for those who have no other option.

February

Iowa County and the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office agreed to provide a law enforcement presence on the Compass Memorial Healthcare campus.

Law enforcement agencies — city and county — have always been responsive to calls from the hospital, said Compass Chief Executive Officer Barry Goettsch, but hospital officials like the idea of having someone on site to deal with adverse situations as they arise.

With new numbers from department heads, who cut their budgets and adjusted revenue numbers, the Iowa County Board of Supervisors approved a tentative budget that would raise property taxes less than 6%.

The increase reflects a 3.23% increase valuation of properties and a 2.47% increase in the tax levy. Non-union employees did not receive wage increases, but the county absorbed the 13% increase in health insurance premiums.

March

Pickleball Iowa County started fundraising to put outdoor pickleball courts at Williamsburg Community Recreation Center. The nonprofit needs about $200,000 to make it happen.

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Emma Peebles became director of Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation and planned to expand community support for Belle Plaine businesses.

Community development had been without a director for an extended period of time before appointing Peebles.

The City of Williamsburg decided to make its own brine mixture instead of buying brine from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Williamsburg is one of many cities that have moved from granular sand and salt to brine — salt dissolved in water — for treating roads during winter storms.

The Williamsburg City Council decided to put cameras at its compost site keep unauthorized people from dumping organic waste there.

The council voted to purchase two cameras from Custom Connections in North Liberty — one that can read license plates and another with low-light color night vision.

The $5,000 price tag also includes a hard drive, cables and installation.

April

MidAmerican Energy Company told the Iowa County Board of Supervisors that it planned to eliminate the constant flashing lights on its wind farm.

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MidAmerican planned to erect an aircraft detection lighting system tower in the Diamond Trail Wind Project near Victor and Ladora in Iowa County.

The detection system will keep the flashing red lights turned off until they are needed to alert aircraft of the presence of the turbines.

Jacki Garringer McDermott began a weekly podcast for the English Valleys History Center, Inc. Facebook page in 2025.

McDermott reads from the diary of her great-great-aunt Mary Elizabeth Claypool Wade and uses the diary entries as a springboard to talk about the people and events of North English’s past.

Benton County Supervisors hired Shelby Chekal as mental health liaison for its sheriff’s office. Chekal will coordinate follow-up care for people in crisis.

The Marengo City Council changed its animal protection and control ordinance after a District Court Judge upheld a not-guilty verdict in dog-bite case in 2024.

Tiffany Gotsis, of Marengo, had been charged with allowing an animal to run after, chase or attack a person, but Fisher found the language of Marengo Municipal Code Section 55.24 limiting.

After more than a year of research, the Belle Plaine School Board approved a plan to switch to a four-day school week in the fall.

“We spent about a year and a half researching the topic,” said Superintendent Chad Straight. The change was suggested by parents, teachers and community members.

Justin Parsons stepped down from his position of Williamsburg police chief to join the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department.

As Williamsburg police chief, Parsons helped establish the Iowa County mental health liaison program that has taken some of the burdens of mental health confrontations off families by having a professional deploy with officers to help people in crisis.

Little Tigers Childcare at Iowa Valley Elementary School in Marengo began accepting applications for placement in the fall.

The school district, Compass Memorial Healthcare and Marengo Community Development were among the agencies that collaborated to find a solution to the town’s child care shortage.

Montross Cattle Farm, which began selling meat direct to the consumer about three years ago, opened Montross Market in North English.

Stacy and Chris Montross operate a cow-calf operation with their two children. They sell their meat and other natural foods from different vendors at their store

May

Millstream Brewery, of Amana, was awarded a $25,000 Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant to support the expansion of its hard apple cider production.

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Millstream Brewery, Iowa’s oldest operational brewery, planned to use the funding to improve the efficiency and scale of its cider production, incorporating more locally sourced apples into the process.

Iowa County Community Development awarded sign and façade improvement grants to Iowa County Abstract, of Marengo; Switzer and Wilson Counseling Services, of Marengo; and bARe Skin Bar, of Williamsburg.

A Benton County resident talked with county supervisors about starting a shrimp farm. Eric Franzenburg would like to sell the shrimp from the farm at V-40 and Highway 30 and as a wholesaler.

Franzenburg has been interested in starting a shrimp farm for a long time. The shrimp would be raised indoors in tanks and would be mature in three months. He hopes to produce 1,200 pounds a year.

Jason Mochal, the Williamsburg assistant police chief, was promoted to chief of police. Mochal had been serving as interim chief since the resignation of Justin Parsons.

The Regional Environmental Improvement Commission, which manages the Iowa County landfill, asked Iowa County supervisors to pass a flow control ordinance to force trash haulers to take Iowa County garbage to the Iowa County landfill.

Commission member Garret Dozark said the county needs an ordinance to eliminate friction between REIC and towns in the county.

The ordinance would give REIC means to ensure that waste generated in Iowa County is taken to the Iowa County landfill, Dozark said.

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The new Marengo swimming pool opened with a ceremony and open house. Marengo Mayor Adam Rabe said during the pool’s grand opening that the project was a community effort.

Robert “Bud” and Georgia Van Scoyoc Johnson put up the first $250,000 for the project and later added another $500,000.

Fundraising efforts from Pennies for the Pool, Pool Pals, businesses and individuals and the passing of a $3.8 million bond issue made the new aquatic center possible, Rabe said.

Marengo attorney Lou McMeen led the effort for a new pool.

June

More than 50 people lined South Highland Street near State Street in Williamsburg as part of the nationwide No Kings protests planned by Indivisible and other organizations.

Mike Raabe’s retirement plan included opening a restaurant. The 1982 Belle Plaine High School graduate opened Udder’s Burgers & More in downtown Belle Plaine after spending three decades as a speech pathologist, mostly in Texas

July

The Iowa Valley Alumni Association recognized charter members of its Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Service Awards during an all-school reunion over the July 4 weekend.

Rick Wanamaker, class of 1966, was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the family of Charles R. “Bob“ Dillin, class of 1936, received his Outstanding Service Award during an assembly at the high school.

Frontier Co-op broke ground for a $25 million expansion project at the Belle warehouse at 200 Industrial Park Blvd. The project will provide additional jobs and economic growth for the community, officials said during a ground-breaking ceremony.

Bruce Hanson and Williamsburg native Deb Smith purchased The Raider, an iconic Williamsburg ice cream and sandwich shop.

The biggest change people will notice is the switch to Coke products, Smith said. She has a 40-year Coke collection that she wanted to display; the red, white and black Coke colors are the same as Williamsburg’s school colors.

Iowa City native David Ballandby settled into his role as mental health liaison for Iowa County’s law enforcement agencies. He began working with Iowa County law enforcement in April.

August

Williamsburg police decided to replace their Sigs with Glocks due to concerns about accidental discharge.

Police Chief Jason Mochal told the Williamsburg City Council that the Sig Sauer P320 has caused concern nationally because of alleged accidental discharge.

The city council agreed to purchase seven Glock 47 MOS8 Gen5 9 mm pistols from Kiesler Police Supply for $4,480.

Volunteer firefighters from six area fire departments battled a blaze that destroyed the home of a Deep River family.

Dan and Brenda Sutfin lost their home at 1997 Highway 85 in the blaze that started from an apparent lightning strike.

No one was injured in the fire.

The Homegrown Band, which has performed in the Marengo area for more than 50 years, was inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame

Reg, Ken, and George Mattison III linked up with other musicians of the area to form the Homegrown Band, so named because the original members were “homegrown” in Marengo.

Iowa County agreed to pay a $3,000 administrative penalty for violation of Iowa’s solid waste disposal law after the county secondary roads department burned what it said was landscape waste and bridge pilings.

In the agreement with the DNR, Iowa County Secondary Roads will cease all illegal open dumping, open burning and improper solid waste disposal on any property, will provide proof of proper disposal of the sold waste and any ash from the burn pile and will pay a $3,000 penalty.

September

Elery Hinrichsen, of Williamsburg, raised money for a SIDs organization when she participated in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show

“I lost a little boy I babysat to SIDs,” Hinrichsen said. She represented the Iowa SIDS Foundation in honor of Max Krueger.

Fireside Winery south of Marengo took top honors at the 2025 Iowa State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Its sweet white wine, Blu, earned both the Best of Show — Sweet White award and the coveted Governor’s Cup, the competition’s highest honor.

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The new Compass Memorial Healthcare Emergency Department opened to patients and visitors.

The new wing, which overtook a block of West May Street between Western and Lafayette Avenues, has seven rooms and a triage room that can be used as an eighth, ana large nurses station beneath skylights.

Trent Forrest and Jake McLaughlin purchased the bar at 131 S. Main St. in North English, added a kitchen and reopened as Main Street Pub and Grub.

Forrest, a North English native, hated to see a 50-year-old establishment close, and he didn’t want the town to lose another eating establishment.

The Amana Firefighter’s Association partnered with the Iowa County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, to establish the Middle Amana Fire Station Expansion Fund.

This special project fund will support the expansion of the Middle Amana Fire Station, creating more space for vehicles and equipment and improving response times and safety for both volunteers and the communities they serve.

The City of Williamsburg missed the Sept. 19 filing deadline for the city election making write-in votes necessary for mayoral and city council candidates.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said 34 school board and city candidates across seven counties will not be listed on the ballot in the November election due to errors made by filing officers.

October

Compass Memorial Healthcare announced the opening of its community pharmacy inside the main entrance of the hospital. The pharmacy was opened in direct response to patient and community feedback requesting more convenient, affordable access to prescription medication and over-the-counter products, the hospital said.

Iowa County Sheriff Rob Rotter was nominated for U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Iowa. He is awaiting confirmation by the United States Senate

An Iowa County youth and a Williamsburg police officer thwarted the plans of a 15-year-old Michigan girl to set fire to a school and shoot students.

A minor from Williamsburg had been talking with a person online who referenced plans for a school shooting and posted a photo of a firearm. Officer David Klaaren investigated and, within a few hours, contacted the FBI which contacted the school in Michigan against which the threat was made.

Michigan police intervened before the plan could be carried out.

North English continued raising money to reopen the swimming pool at Knoll Ridge County Club. The pool was open in 2024, but not in 2025, said Cassie O’Rourke, one of the residents working to reopen the pool.

State pool inspectors are requiring that the pool be resurfaced and have new lifeguard stands before the pool can open, said O’Rourke.

Resurfacing will cost nearly $42,000, according to Friends of Knoll Ridge. Two lifeguard stands will cost about $20,000.

November

Belle Plaine’s school bond issue, seeking up to $7.95 million for additions to the elementary and high schools, passed during the Nov. 4 election.

Voters in Iowa, Benton, Tama and Poweshiek Counties cast 464 votes in favor and 209 votes against the measure, close to 70% approval.

Voters in the Williamsburg Community School District voted against a $7.945 million bond proposal to fund the district’s Learning for Life Project.

Students of Leanne’s School of Dance in Marengo were chosen to perform during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

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The dance team holds fundraisers all year to pay competition fees, and that money is also used for the trips every four years.

This year a total of 33 people, including 15 dancers, spent a week in New York as the dancers prepared for the performance.

Belle Plaine farmer and businessman Zach Lahn entered the race for Iowa governor.

Lahn launched his campaign in Belle Plaine at his family farm, according to a news release. He said he plans to emphasize strengthening rural communities, supporting anti-abortion measures and “making Iowa healthy again.”

The Williamsburg City Council agreed to borrow money from the city’s Boyd fund to pay for an unexpected road project. The Iowa Department of Transportation plans to widen the Interstate 80 bridge at Williamsburg which will require that the City of Williamsburg move a manhole.

The city council agreed to borrow from the City’s Boyd fund and repay the loan to the city with interest, as suggested by Tim Oswald of Piper Sandler, the city’s investment company.

Alexander Lee, agency council for Iowa Public Information Board, trained current Marengo city council members, future city council members, city officials and the police chief in open meetings and open records laws.

The training was part of an informal resolution agreed to by the City of Marengo after a complaint of open records violations was filed with the IPIB by Marengo resident Matt Loffer earlier this year.

Montezuma High School senior Peyton Tindle spent four days in Denver touring the Broncos training facilities and watching the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs play football at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium thanks to Make-A-Wish Iowa and Make-A-Wish Colorado.

Peyton was diagnosed in the spring of 2024 with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, stage 2. He endured four rounds of chemotherapy over three months that year.

Peyton was nominated for the Make-A-Wish trip by his doctors and nurses at Blank Children’s Hospital. He took a limo to visit the Broncos training facility, mingled with players and coaches and caught a touchdown pass from Bronco’s backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham and spiked the ball in the end zone.

Peyton remains cancer free.

December

After looking at four options, Iowa County Supervisors decided on a plan to finance an $8 million, 10-year contract for emergency communications management with Racom.

The 10-year plan Supervisors approved would raise the debt service levy to 83 cents for the first six years and drop it to 57 cents for the last four years, according to figures provided by the Board.

The county approved the radio contract in November.

Former Iowa County Attorney Lou McMeen died at the age of 83. A native of South Dakota, McMeen spent nearly 60 years in Marengo, practicing law and working for the community he loved.

As a private citizen, McMeen was instrumental in getting a levee built to keep the Iowa River at bay, and he led a campaign for construction of a new swimming pool which opened in 2025.

The City of Marengo agreed to let Adam Rabe, Iowa County Emergency Medical Services director pursue the establishment of a first responders unit for the City of Marengo.

Currently Williamsburg’s first responders have to cover Marengo when both ambulances are out because Marengo doesn’t have first responders, Rabe said.

Before the year’s end, Iowa County Supervisors approved a resolution that declares emergency medical services an essential service, making way for a tax levy to fund the service if voters approve.

Supervisor Abby Maas voted against the resolution. Supervisors Kevin Heitshusen, Jon Degen, Chris Montross and Seth Meyer voted “yes.”

Adam Rabe, EMS director, noted that the resolution doesn’t levy a tax, it “just opens the door for a potential levy.”

Maas said would have voted for a resolution declaring EMS essential, and that would have bound future boards to pay for it. She voted against the levy, not against EMS, she said.