A healthy crowd came out to see Julie Bates accept the honor of Champion in Education, enjoy a taco bar, and play a competitive game of trivia.

Salamanders, shapes, and heart

Stan the Salamander was a climber. Julie Bates knew this, so she put a screen over the top of his enclosure in her preschool classroom. One night, Stan got out anyway. Nobody saw him again until …

PDU Cables to expand on South 1st Street; council clears way with sewer agreement

A growing manufacturer is getting room to grow, and the city is helping clear the way. Workers will once again be manufacturing and moving product out of the former John Morrell site in Estherville. …

Red Rock to negotiate additional right-of-way

The Red Rock wind project plans to negotiate an additional right-of-way through a joint drainage district, the Emmet County Board of Supervisors learned at its Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting. Manashree …
Local News
SIOUX CITY — The two men who want to represent Emmet County in Congress disagreed Wednesday night on nearly every pocketbook issue facing rural Iowa. They agreed on how to disagree. Republican …
In an Aug. 25 filing, Billy Joe Long, individually and Billy Joe Long as father and next friend of A.J.L., a minor, dismissed any and all claims against North Union Community School District and …
ALGONA — Iowa State Bank, Algona, Iowa and its holding company, Mid-Iowa Bancshares Co., have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Swea City Bancorporation, Inc. and its subsidiary bank, …
Music concerts, stage productions, and concert series events don’t happen without a cost. Hence the Iowa Lakes Community College Music and Performing Arts department is pulling out all of the corks …
The Estherville Elks Lodge has made a generous donation to the Emmet County Nature Center for youth programming. Emmet County Conservation Board Director Matt Reineke made the announcement at the …
Obituaries
Ashley Naomi Hanson, 44, of Estherville passed away after a long courageous battle on Sept. 30, 2026 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A celebration of her life will be held on …
Joel Evans, 72 of Swea City, passed away at his home on Oct. 4, 2026. A memorial visitation will be held from 3-6 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Swea City on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. A memorial …
Funeral services for Deanna Kay Sorbo, 79, of Estherville, will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Estherville Lutheran Church in Estherville with Pastor Tim Johnson officiating. Interment …
Leonard Elmer Suess 79, passed away peacefully on Sept. 7, 2026, surrounded by family in Sioux Falls, SD where he currently resided. He was born and raised in Springfield, MN. He is survived by …
Local Sports
ELC’s Kyle Danner (7) hangs on to the OABCIG ball carrier while Kaden Fechter (22) looks to help finish the tackle.

Fourth Quarter Dooms ELC

Estherville Lincoln Central’s defense held strong for most of Friday’s game with Odebolt-Arthur/Battle Creek-Ida Grove, but the Midgets’ offense couldn’t find its footing as the Falcons …
Sisters Kaiya and Kacie Brechwald go up for the block against Spirit Lake last week.

ELC earns fourth win at home tournament

With a 2-0 win over Harris-Lake Park, the Estherville Lincoln Central volleyball team picked up its fourth win of the season this past Saturday at the Midgets’ own tournament. ELC went 1-3 on the …

Titans put up big numbers in win over Gaels

RUTHVEN — Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire’s defense held St. Edmond to 2 yards rushing and dominated the Gaels in a 66-12 win last Thursday in Ruthven. While the Titans punted on their …

Warriors challenge defending champion Golden Bears

ALGONA — In a battle of ranked teams, Bishop Garrigan made a few more plays than North Union and held on for a 34-28 win over the Warriors last Friday. The Golden Bears came up with a key stop …
From the opinion pages

Iowa voters must elect candidates who prioritize of property rights

To the Editor: Five years ago, Summit Carbon Solutions rolled out its plan for the Midwest Carbon Express, a 2,000-mile pipeline designed to transport carbon dioxide collected from ethanol plants in …

Advocating for a 10 MPH speed limit on sidewalks

To the Editor: Our city council recently passed the first of three required readings to set a 10 MPH speed limit on wheeled vehicles on our city sidewalks. The ordinance, if passed, would apply to …

CO2 pipeline easements are forever

To the Editor: Last week, Summit Carbon Solutions received yet another setback for its proposed CO2 pipeline when a North Dakota judge revoked its permit for the sequestration site, declaring it …

Local columns

Boundless a treasure trove of Native art and literature

For eons, Native art has held the fascination of all cultures. Lisa A. Crossman and Heid E. Erdrich have compiled a stunning volume of indigenous work in the book Boundless, based on an exhibition by …

Book recalls lives of servicemen before ultimate sacrifice

Anyone who has seen the film We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson has seen how war impacts the personal lives of not just those who went to war but also the families who stayed behind and prayed for …

A modern day version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’

  Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” focused on manners and goodness, two virtues sometimes forgotten today. Shortly before the novel was published, our Founding …