2024 in review: Hard News

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a five-part year in review.

From politics to natural disasters, there were some big headlines in 2024.

Natural Disasters

On April 26, multiple EF-2 tornadoes hit Union County, devastating Homestead Assisted Living and other homes on West Prairie Street.

Neighboring counties brought in ambulances and law enforcement assistance, including Adams County Sheriff Alan Johannes and Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater.

The sheriffs and their deputies helped Creston first responders shut down access to Prairie Street so residents could be evacuated.

Clayton and Union County Supervisor Dennis Hopkins took point on finding transportation for residents. Hopkins was able to coordinate buses through the school while mayor Waylon Clayton reached out to First Baptist Church Pastor Dave Tebbenkamp.

Residents were evacuated to one of three locations. Those with family picking them up were taken in the church vans to Walmart as a receiving area. Memory care patients and others needing more assistance were transported via Southern Iowa Trolley to Creston Specialty Care. Remaining residents were bused to the Osceola Homestead.

The lodge and Union County Conservation at 3 Mile Lake were also damaged.

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On May 21, a fatal EF-4 tornado ravaged Greenfield, resulting in four deaths and dozens of injuries.

Powerful storms that rolled through southern Iowa spun up multiple tornadoes, including a fierce twister that smashed through Greenfield, with a population of about 2,000. The twister carved a bleak landscape of destroyed homes and businesses, shredded trees, smashed cars and widely strewn debris.

In the aftermath of the storm, parts of Greenfield appeared devastated. Mounds of broken wood, branches, car parts and other debris littered lots where homes once stood. Cars lay busted and bent while damaged houses sat skewed against the gray and overcast sky. Trees stood — barely — bereft of branches or leaves. Residents helped each other salvage furniture and other belongings from mounds of debris or from homes barely left standing.

Multiple people were injured in Greenfield. Emergency response units from several surrounding towns and counties responded. Multiple ambulances were seen leaving town with emergency lights activated. A triage stage was set up in the parking lot of Greenfield Lumber located on Highway 25. Nodaway Valley High School was converted into a shelter for those displaced by the storm.

Multiple tornadoes were reported throughout the state, and one also apparently took down several wind turbines. Des Moines television station KCCI-TV showed at least three wind turbines that were toppled by an apparent tornado in southwest Iowa, and at least one was in flames with black smoke pluming from the bent structure.

Politics

In January, former President Donald Trump won the Union County Republican caucus with 182 votes. He was followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 76; Nikki Haley, 33; Vivek Ramaswamy, 19, and Ryan Binkley, 7. Chris Christie was also on the ballot but did not receive votes. He ended his campaign the previous week.

Also at the caucus, Brian Bolton announced his candidacy for Union County Sheriff followed by Sheriff Mark Shepherd announcing his retirement.

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Bonnie Castillo, who was hired in summer 2023 to replace Union County Emergency Management Commission Director Jo Duckworth in 2024, resigned in March effective immediately ending months of disputes between the two.

Duckworth was planning her retirement as Castillo was being trained. Early 2024, Duckworth rescinded her retirement because of financial needs and wanted to continue as director. The commission eventually approved for Duckworth to continue.

What has happened since Castillo started was not productive as there were various accusations between Castillo and Duckworth in the office.

After Castillo resigned she was named director of emergency management in Harrison County. She filed complaints to the Iowa Public Information Board about how Union County handled meetings.

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Almost two months after the resignation of Ward 3 councilmember Matt Levine, Creston City Council appointed Jen Worisek to the position in June.

Worisek had previously run for city council in 2021, but was defeated by incumbent Levine. Levine received 127 votes, while Worisek received 103. She works as a paramedic at Greater Regional Health, and was previously a firefighter for the Creston Fire Department.

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In the November election, Republicans swept Union County, winning all the state and federal elections. The local races were uncontested.

Union County Supervisor incumbents Dennis Brown and Rick Friday were both re-elected, earning 3,795 and 4,343 votes, respectively. Brian Bolton ran uncontested for county sheriff, earning 5,061 votes. Sandy Hysell also ran uncontested as the incumbent for Union County Auditor, earning 5,043 votes.

Changes

On Jan. 1, the Creston City Council voted unanimously to approve the rental housing inspection program administrative policy. According to the policy, the purpose is to “provide safe and sanitary housing condition for the residents of Creston by establishing minimum standards and regular inspections for all rental housing units in Creston.”

The hot topic was under debate for much of 2023. Those against argued the new rules will drive up prices and take away privacy from tenants. Those for the new rules worry about the safety and well-being of tenants. The policy started officially on April 1.

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Big changes to the Creston Parks and Recreation board after a new director was appointed and two additional board spots were created. After a number of candidates and interviews, Rusty Zimmerman was chosen to replace retired Mark Huff.

The proposed changes add two more members to the board and make members appointed by the council rather than voted in by the community. Other changes to the ordinance include clarifying duties of the board.

Board member John Kawa expressed his disapproval of the proposed changes, saying the previous ordinance was written well and didn’t need to be redone.

The ordinance passed in July with a 5-2 vote, only councilmembers Josh Thompson and Jen Worisek voted against the revisions. With Gary Borcherding leaving the board, three new members were appointed — Margo Fuller, Todd Kinkade and Christie Bristow.

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On July 22, replacement of the water infrastructure was started in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of North Maple Street. Some pieces date back to the late 1800s. As part of this project, the Creston Waterworks replaced all or part of each service line at no cost to the customer.

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McKinley Lake began to drain in August as a part of the dredging project. The improvement project, valued at $4 million with all engineering fees, will include dredging. Years of silt build up have made the lake only be as deep at 4 feet in places. The plan is to remove much of the silt. The material will be placed at strategically determined locations as hauling what is essentially mud. Plans are to have the lake as deep as 12 feet in areas.

Work is expected to last through 2025. Board members are hoping snow melt and spring rains in 2026 will begin refilling McKinley Lake.

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With only one senior in the high school and some younger grades having less than 10 students, the Orient-Macksburg School Board unanimously approved in June to dissolve the district. The district’s final school year is in session, ending after the spring semester in 2025. Only about 100 students take part in schooling across kindergarten through 12th grade.

Proposals for the allocation of the district faced numerous challenges, including conflicting proposals and a changing deadline for elections. Stress associated with the amount of work needed to close and all-too-soon deadlines extended discussions.

Creston and Winterset forced a cancellation of a September vote following their objections to a proposed map and allocation. Additional discussions will take place in 2025.