The Leon Journal Reporter

Chamber Meet & Greet

Thursday, April 26 — 9:00 -10:00 a.m.

at Honey Tree Chiropractic

(See ad page 12)

Advance Tickets available at GWB, Farmers Bank, From the Ground, and the Leon Journal-Reporter for the Wine & Beer Walk to be held this Saturday, April 28, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Leon Chamber

Students Help Promote Earth Day

The Decatur County Conservation Board and Leon Hy-Vee are collaborating on a project to help celebrate Earth Day! Central Decatur 1st-4th grade students learned about why we celebrate Earth Day and why it is important. They then decorated a paper Hy-Vee sack with what they learned. These sacks will then be used for groceries during Earth Week (this week, April 16th-22nd) to help spread awareness of what we can do to help keep the Earth healthy and beautiful. Be sure to shop Hy-Vee April 16th-22nd to see the artwork that the CD students have created!

*The Little River Bait House is NOW OPEN for the season, located by the Little River Lake beach. The Spring hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The summer hours will begin Memorial Day Weekend. Randy Hinds is the manager and can be contacted at 641-446-8909.

*DCH 5K Fun Run 2018 April 21, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with check-in prior to race. Refer to ad on page 6.

DCH Announces Senior Life Solutions Partnership

The Decatur County Hospital is pleased to announce a partnership with Senior Life Solutions. Senior Life Solutions will be located within Decatur County Hospital at 1405 NW Church Street, Leon.

Aging brings many joys – more time with family and freedom in retirement – but our older years can also bring difficult life transitions including the loss of loved ones and stresses of age-related health concerns.

Decatur County Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions program, an intensive outpatient group therapy program, is designed to meet the unique needs of senior adults struggling with depression and anxiety often related to aging. Individuals may benefit from the Senior Life Solutions program if they are experiencing any of the following common indicators or triggers:

• Recently experienced a traumatic event

• Lost a spouse or close family member

• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities

• Changes in appetite

• Difficulty sleeping

• Loss of energy

• Feelings of sadness or grief lasting more than two weeks

• Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness

Following an individual assessment, participants meet three times per week in a supportive, encouraging group setting. The program staff includes a board-certified psychiatrist, licensed social workers, a registered nurse, and other professionals dedicated to the emotional well-being of the seniors in our community.

“Senior Life Solutions is known to strive for excellent patient care, improving the lives of seniors in the communities they enter,” said DCH CEO Greg Boattenhamer. “DCH is excited to bring this program to the residents of Decatur County and the surrounding region. This program will help fulfill the hospital’s new vision statement to care for people in holistic ways to improve overall community health.”

Family members, physicians, or other health professionals can refer individuals to the program.

For more information, call the Decatur County Hospital Senior Life Solutions program at 641-446-2320.

*Yutzy’s Greenhouse NOW OPEN. Refer to ad on page 2.

Library to Host Card Parties

The Leon Public Library will hosting a Card Party each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. beginning February 6.

The first party held will be a Cribbage Party which will begin with a lesson on how to play.

VITA Income Tax Assistance

If your income is $54,000 or less, you can take advantage of free income tax preparation. Appointments begin February 1 and are available Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays through March 29 and be held at 220 East Jefferson, Suite 1, in Corydon. Call 641-872-1755 for more details.

Smoke the Town BBQ Yields Runner Up Organizers of the Year

At the most recent Iowa BBQ Society’s Annual Meeting and Banquet, held January 13, 2018, the organizers for Leon’s Smoke the Town event, were recognized as runners-up for Organizer of the Year.

Marcia Stephens, along with Shannon Erb, were the driving forces who got the BBQ event to come to Leon over Labor Day weekend 2017.

“This is very exciting to have this recognition since it was Leon’s first year to host an event,” stated Mari Anne Stone Brown, formerly of Leon. Brown and her husband finished 5th overall at the event.

The Organizer of the Year is voted on by the BBQ Society members (cooks, judges, organizers) that are in attendance at the banquet.

Postage Rates Going up a Penny

Next week it is going to cost a little more to mail a letter.

The United States Postal Service has approved a hike in the postage rates that will take effect on Sunday, January 21.

The first-class forever stamp price will increase from $0.49 to $0.50 and postcard stamps and metered letters will also have a $0.01 increase. However, there will be no change to international single-piece letters or additional ounces. The additional ounce remains at 21 cents.

Postcard stamps will increase from 34 cents to 35 cents and metered letters increase a penny from 46 cents to 47 cents.

It was a year ago in January that the last increase went into effect.

LJR Office Relocates

The Leon Journal-Reporter has been re-located to 200 N Main Street (old Beachy’s General Store), for the next year as they tear down the current building and make plans to re-build.

Thank you for your patience and support as we take on this project.

The Decatur County Museum will be opening next Tuesday, May 30, at 1:00 p.m. for the season. The summer hours will be Tuesdays and Fridays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. through August.

Sign-Up for “The Oak Leaf”
Kayla Stalder, Decatur County Conservation Naturalist, has developed a quarterly conservation newsletter. “The Oak Leaf” highlights county park activities, new information and events.
If you would like to receive an e-mail version of the newsletter, contact Kayla at stalder.decccb@grm.net.

Join CD Athletic Boosters
The community of Leon and Central Decatur School District has a lot to be excited about at Central Decatur with the new facility upgrades and improvements to the campus. The new school year is just getting started and what a great opportunity to get involved for the upcoming seasons.
The Central Decatur Athletic Boosters is re-structuring and looking to get more parent involvement. This is a great opportunity to get involved and show what this community is capable of.