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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jefferson dives deep on recreation with parks, pickleball, historic pool
JEFFERSON, Iowa — Recreation can be relaxing. 'It's amazing. It's just amazing. It's a beautiful pool. They did a wonderful job,' said Jean Van Gilder, who has lived in Jefferson for over four decades. Recreation can be refreshing. 'I just want to see people getting out using parks, continuing to offer programs like here at the rec center, and seeing kids get involved and keeping people active,' said Nathan Kral, Jefferson Parks and Recreation Director. In the small town of Jefferson, recreation has also been rewarding. Van Gilder said, 'We tried to be inventive and looking forward thinking and looking at what we can offer people, and I think we're being successful at that.' Athletes like Van Gilder were more than eager in May for the grand opening of outdoor pickleball courts. She said, 'Oh yeah, we were there the day. The day that they got done putting up the nets. The young man who was putting up the nets said, 'Not yet, not yet' and we finally ran across when he said it's okay to play it.' Sharing Greene County's history from dollhouse to farmhouse That enthusiasm to stay active isn't hard to find in the town of 4,100. Kral says it wasn't hard to get community support for the courts. 'It was the community members who started the donation drive who got all these private donations. It was the Grow Greene County grants who also paid a big portion of that and then the city had a portion of the money that was donated to them privately too. So there's three different sources of funding we had for this.' Grow Greene County awards grants through the redistribution of gaming receipts at Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson. Since 2022, the Parks and Recreation Department has received grants totalling over $300,000. The community has noticed. Van Gilder said, 'We couldn't do it without local support, but Grow Greene County has been very much involved in what we've done. They gave us the half of the grant for the pickleball courts. The fact that they think it's important to see things in the community that are good for everyone.' The grants aren't just for the new and trendy. 'The pool is a huge source of pride for the town,' said Kral. Funds have been dripping in for a popular spot to beat the heat. Jefferson's Municipal Pool played a role in Americans beating the Great Depression. Constructed in 1937, it was one of hundreds of pools across the country built by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration that believed recreation would provide positive signs for the nation's recovery. Kral says the grants continue to keep the pool thriving for the new generations. 'Actually the pool liner. That's helped the pool from leaking. More fun things maybe, have been on a rock climbing wall and then a new slide. We've done that in the last two years.' Enhancements come at the request of the most experienced athletes to some of the youngest. Kral said, 'A little something for everyone from zero years old all the way up to 100. Something for everyone.' Washington Park recently received a complete overhaul this year with new equipment. 'Previously, I drove by the park and I haven't seen too many people using it. You get new equipment and it brings out new excitement in kids and it gets them out there and using in the parks,' said Kral. An excitement from the parks to the pool and causing a wave of positive change in local neighborhoods. 'Years and years ago, we had a really horrible campaign of 'Retire in Jefferson' but we don't want that. We want young people. We were just talking the other day with a gal after pickleball and across the street from her she's got neighbors moving in. It's going to be a whole bunch of young people on her street. So it's awesome,' Van Gilder said. What began as a splash to help reinvigorate a nation nearly 100 years ago continues its rippling effect today in a community small in numbers but swinging big on staying active. Van Gilder said, 'We have more and more people playing all the time, so it's just awesome. It's a great place to live. I love Jefferson.' Jefferson will be hosting a handful of recreational tournaments this weekend during its annual Bell Tower Festival, June 12-14. From bags and golf to three-on-three basketball and pickleball, anyone is welcome to register for the events. You can find out more at Jefferson dives deep on recreation with parks, pickleball, historic pool Newton death investigation underway after body found during search warrant execution Forecast: Heat and storm chances Caitlin Clark still out, won't play Tuesday Week-long fire at northwest Iowa ethanol plant ruled arson, search for suspect underway Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of selling fentanyl in fatal incident at Wild Rose Casino in 2023
A man is being held in the Clinton County Jail after police say he sold fentanyl pills to someone who later died from the drug, along with another person. Clinton Police began an investigation into the death of Scott Kenneth Brown, 43 and Stephanie Kaye Banker, 36, on November 8, 2023, following a welfare check at Wild Rose Casino in Clinton. As a result of the investigation, officers learned that Jeremy Tyshawn Shine sold pills to Scott Brown, which has been identified as a contributing factor in the deaths of Brown and Banker. Clinton Police obtained an arrest warrant for Shine for violating Iowa Code 124.401(1)(c) (10), possession with intent to deliver fentanyl less than 5 grams, a class C felony. A class C felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine between $1,370-$13,660. Shine was arrested on March 8 by the Clinton Police Department and is being held in the Clinton County Jail on a $100,500 cash-only bond while he awaits an initial court appearance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
