Local Specials

Croton and Mooar/Powdertown are a couple of Lee County’s small unincorporated communities.  Mooar/Powdertown is located just north of Keokuk, along Highway 61 while Croton sits just a few miles south of Farmington near the Avenue of the Saints.

Neither community has a sanitary sewer system, which prompted them to start working with Mount Pleasant-based RUSS (Regional Utility Service Systems) in 2010.

The projects were put on hold months ago over funding and personnel issues with RUSS.  The residents are now being asked whether they should keep working with RUSS.

RUSS

Despite the failure of the proposed consolidation of Abingdon, Avon and the Bushnell-Prairie City school districts, consolidation in some form is still on the table.

The “Just Vote No” committee in the B-PC district was the most vocal group opposed to the measure. They opposed including Abingdon because of the length of bus rides for students who would have gone to junior high school there. Many members support a consolidation with Avon.

Voters have not had a chance to decide on that option.

B-PC Superintendent David Messersmith said, “I've been in contact with Superintendent Oakley from Avon and I'm sure our board would communicate with their board to explore some sharing opportunities.”

Lee County has been called the “Poster Child” for unemployment in Iowa.

Help could be on the way with the possible development of a fertilizer plant, but that would be just the start of what is needed to reverse years of job losses.

A recently-released study highlights the county’s strengths and weaknesses, but taking advantage of that information requires community support and interest.

Phil Chancellor of Keokuk has more free time on his hands now that he has retired after a career in the field of high-tech telecommunications.

When he recently had seven hours to spare, he did not spend it with family and friends or working around his house.