May 21st, 2024, was perhaps the most active day of a busy severe weather season last spring in central Iowa, which included a major flash flooding event in Newton and Jasper County. Many communities received 4-6 inches of heavy rainfall following multiple rounds of thunderstorms earlier in the season. The rain event cancelled school, closed businesses, and halted travel throughout the city and county. Mayor Evelyn George says among the areas impacted was the intersection of East 12th Street and First Avenue East. George says a mitigation project is underway aiming to relieve flooding events and improve storm sewers in that area, and the Newton City Council is working to move that project ahead. The bidding for phase one of the project is later this year, with the goal for completion sometime the following summer. Hear more about the latest in the City of Newton on today’s Let’s Talk Newton.