“We try to get information out on Facebook first because that’s pretty easy to get onto on your phone. We will also try to update the website if anything big happens. We pay attention to the weather and hopefully everything stays clear.”

NewtonFest began in 2015 as local residents organized to create an annual festival to highlight Newton’s history, art, music, and Red Pride. 

“We bring in middle school, elementary, high school kids if you want. Come on it, but we’ve not only expanded it to not only bicycles but scooters this year. What we’re going to look at is providing safety and trying to provide helmets for bikers as well as some kids on scooters. That’s one of my big concerns is kids that ride our sidewalks and streets. You know you hit a bump and you don’t have a helmet on, it can be problematic and lead to serious injuries. We want to make sure kids are safe. We do an obstacle course. We do bike safety and scooter safety. We’ll talk about the rules of the road.

The event is scheduled this morning from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. For the full interview, click here. 

This community-focused event at Pine Knolls Golf Club will bring together local businesses, organizations, and residents for a day of networking, friendly competition, and fun all while supporting the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and promote the Knoxville area. Many local businesses and organizations have partnered with the chamber to help sponsor the event. 

The four-man, best ball event will begin with check-in at 8:00 AM, followed by a 9:00 AM shotgun start. Teams of four can register for $400, which includes 18 holes of golf, lunch, merchandise, and the opportunity to win prizes. Awards will be given to the top team in each flight. Participants can also enjoy a variety of on-course activities, including raffles, mulligans, 50/50 drawings, and interactive golf games.Knoxville Chamber Director Megan Bennett encourages everyone to participate even those with limited golf experience.

“We would love just to see you out there and even if it is something you are not particularly good at, that’s ok, we have mulligans, we have a 50/50 raffle, we’ll have some oopsie strings so almost made it string that you can purchase to maybe help you get a better score and really just have a good time with the other people in your group and all the sponsors who make this event possible.”

To register or learn more, check out the event online or call (641) 828-7555. Hear more about the event from Bennett on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville. 

“So my wife and I were at the farmer’s market on a Tuesday afternoon, and it just hit me. I said, “You know what Rachel, we need to do a farmer’s market year round.” That’s when she introduced me to the public market, which is a little twist on a farmer’s market. Doing some research on it, we said, “That’s it. We got the city involved. They helped us out a little bit and Main Street Newton helped us out. Things just kept moving us forward.”

The Grey Moon Public Market has food and retail vendors along with a bar and an event area. The other six renovation projects that received Preserve Iowa awards were in Adel, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Muscatine, Oskaloosa, and Van Buren County.

Jaxson Willis of Knoxville was arrested in September of 2025 on charges of felony sexual abuse in the third degree and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a witness. On May 21st, 2026, Willis pled guilty to a lesser charge of Invasion of Privacy which is an aggravated misdemeanor. Willis had his sentencing in Marion County District Court Thursday where he was granted a deferred judgement and will be placed on probation for two years. 

According to court records, on August 5th, 2025, a report of a sexual assault was taken by the Knoxville Police Department from a victim who stated her boyfriend, 21-year-old Jaxson Willis of Knoxville, sexually assaulted her when she was incapacitated at his residence in March of 2025. The victim stated that she found a video of the assault on the defendant’s phone. The criminal complaint noted that the victim was incapacitated due to a medication use order by her doctor and that she had no recollection of the assault and deleted the video out of fear of its release.

The victim provided investigators with several text messages where the defendant admitted to sexually assaulting her. The criminal complaint stated Willis made multiple admissions to sexually assaulting the victim without her consent and that she was incapacitated at the time of the assault. During the investigation, Willis was advised multiple times by the investigating officer and his attorney to not have contact with the victim, in which Willis allegedly contacted the victim trying to convince her to not proceed with the investigation and make her feel guilty for filing the report. 

Willis will also have to register as a sex offender for ten years and complete a sex offender treatment program.

“I have to give all the credit to Chief Hawkins, his leadership team and all the officers. They’ve been incredibly great for the CPSM team to work through all this. They’ve been receptive to the feedback that has been received. Frankly, part of that discussion was Chief Hawkins going through a number of items that they’ve already been working to address or items that they’ve been looking to implement and change in the department. We’re just so fortunate to have such a great police department and taking in that feedback, and I’m just excited for the new heights they will reach as a department.   

For the full interview, click here.

The reimagined space will include a kitchen, meeting rooms, and remodeled bathrooms. The venue can be reserved for family get-togethers, class reunions, business and community meetings, baby and wedding showers, graduation parties, and more. 

“We’re excited to breathe new life into this iconic structure and offer a new multi-functional space for groups to gather,” says Danielle Huffine, KAA Board President. “It’s an important part of Knoxville’s history, and like many other downtown structures getting facelifts, it will bring the poolhouse into the 21st Century while maintaining its original charm.”

The poolhouse (also known as the bath house) has a long history of serving the Knoxville community. Constructed in 1938, the structure was an integral part of the new community concrete swimming pool, serving as the check-in, locker room, and concession stand for kids and adults looking to cool off during the hot summer days. In recent years, the poolhouse was used as a locker room for high school football teams to regroup during halftime and as a storage unit for the Knoxville Community School District.

After KAA took possession of Ken Locke Stadium in 2025, the organization has invested in many physical, safety, and security site improvements, including the installation of lights in spectator areas for evening events, upgrades to meet fire safety and restroom accessibility requirements, fixing structural issues that needed attention, landscaping improvements, and more. This year, the group has taken the first steps of reprioritizing its focus of transforming the facility into a community space by shifting its plans, beginning with the poolhouse remodel.

Once the poolhouse is open for business, the Association has plans of its own to host regular social events featuring music, food, and beverages, as an indoor/outdoor destination space for community members to meet their friends.

The outside grassy area east of the poolhouse will also be transformed. This space has been named “Pennie Plaza” in honor of Pennie Edwards Sommar who served on the KAA Board for over two decades and led the efforts to revitalize the stadium.

Once complete, the reimagined venue will be an additional revenue source for fundraising efforts and property maintenance.

KAA is funding the poolhouse project through donations and grants and asking for community support. More information about the project will be available online soon.

To make a donation:

– Online: Visit https://knoxvillealumniassociation.com/donate-to-the-locke/.

– By Mail: Send check to Knoxville Alumni Association/SOS, PO Box 662, Knoxville, IA 50138

– Venmo: @Knoxville-alumni-85