(Estherville)--The Sons of Norway-Gro Svendsen Lodge in Emmet County is hosting a brunch next month to celebrate Mother’s Day and Norway’s Constitution Day.  Lodge President Staci Berg-Nelson explains how the event came about.

Berg-Nelson says the brunch will be held on Sunday, May 12th from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Estherville Lutheran Church.

She explains how the proceeds from the event will be used.

In other news, Berg-Nelson says the lodge will be at various parades in the area this summer.

For more information, contact Stacie Berg-Nelson 952-843-3210.

(Spencer)--The Clay County Fair Charitable Trust has announced the results of its 3rd Annual Farm to Fork FUNdraiser, held at the Clay County Fair & Events Center on Thursday, April 18th.

In addition to a delicious meal, attendees participated in various fundraising activities, including a quilt raffle, a 50/50 raffle, and live and silent auctions. Their generosity resulted in over $33,000 raised for the Clay County Fair Charitable Trust.

The trust provides funds to construct new facilities and renovate existing buildings at the Clay County Fairgrounds.

(Algona)--Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will invest in 14 urban water quality projects including one in Algona. Naig says $24,000 will be invested in a Bioretention Cell at Smith Lake.

The bioretention cell will be constructed by the Kossuth County Conservation Board. This practice will intercept runoff from an asphalt parking lot adjacent to the Water’s Edge Nature Center. The biocell will serve as a valuable filter for the water before it enters Smith Lake. Given the project’s close proximity to the nature center, students and visitors will learn about the importance of stormwater management, water quality and native plants.

(Spirit Lake)--The Rails to Trails Conservancy is celebrating Trails Day this Saturday, April 27 with nearly 200 events around the country. One of the events will be held in the lakes area, according to Erin Reed with the Dickinson County Trails Board.

Reed says whether you walk or ride a bike, everyone is encouraged to participate.

Reed says the Rails to Trails Conservancy has been around since 1986.

Again Saturday’s event will start at 10:00 am at the Tatanka Ska Trace trail head just east of Hy-Vee in Spirit Lake.

(Swea City)--A domestic abuse investigation last Sunday evening resulted in the arrest of a Swea City man.

The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says at around 9:15 pm,  Deputies received a call requesting assistance at a residence in Swea City. Upon arrival, Deputies conducted a brief investigation and arrested 31-year-old Michael Limon on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault of a Pregnant Person with Intent to Inflict Serious Injury, a Class D Felony.

Limon was booked into the Kossuth County Jail to await an initial court appearance.

A no contact order has been issued to prevent Limon from having any contact with the alleged victim in the case.

Limon is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on May 2^nd in Kossuth County District Court.

(Mankato)--Construction on the Highway 4 project from Sherburn to St. James is expected to begin next week.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the project commences on Monday from Sherburn to Ormsby, and will be completed in phases,

During the initial stage of construction, Highway 4 from Sherburn to Watonwan County Road 8 near Ormsby will be closed and traffic detoured to Martin County Road 8 near Dunnell, Martin County Road 13, Interstate 90, Martin County Road 27, and Watonwan County Road 8 near Ormsby until late August.

Additionally, Highway 4 through Sherburn will be closed starting Monday for approximately three weeks, with traffic detoured to Martin County Road 13 and Interstate 90.

Construction on Highway 4 from St. James to Watonwan County Road 8 will begin later this summer, with traffic detoured to Watonwan County Roads 27 and 8 until late August.

The Highway 4 project between Sherburn and St. James includes roadway, bridge, and drainage improvements. In addition to resurfacing approximately 25 miles of roadway, the bridge over Cedar Run will be replaced and multiple bridges will be repaired. Pedestrian accommodations in the cities of Sherburn and Trimont will also be improved.

Construction on the project is expected to be complete in late August, weather permitting.

(Sheldon)--The line-up is set for this year’s Risefest Christian Music Festival in Sheldon on June 7^th and 8th. RISE Ministries President and Founder Rob Rozeboom says this year’s line-up features several artists making their first appearance at Risefest.

Rozeboom says early bird tickets are still available.

He says nearly 1,200 volunteers are needed to help put on the event.

Risefest has been held every year but two since 2005. Rozeboom describes how the event has grown over the years.

Again, to purchase tickets for Risefest, go to: riseministries.com. Rozeboom spoke with Dave Van Roekel Wednesday morning on KILR FM 95.9.

(Estherville)--Grants are now available for drainage districts to finance water quality projects. Iowa Drainage District Association President John Torbert says about $10 million dollars in grant funds is available for water quality projects.

Torbert says under Iowa code, drainage district members cannot be assessed for water quality projects.

He details the types of projects that are eligible for funding.

Torbert made his comments at this week’s meeting of the Emmet County Board of Supervisors.

(Wallingford)--The Wallingford Fire Department was paged to a grass fire this(Wednesday) morning on 250th Street southwest of Wallingford.  The fire was reported shortly after 10:30 am. Fire Chief Jarrod Fisher says the fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported.

(Fairmont, MN)--One person was sent to the hospital after a two vehicle accident Tuesday in Fairmont.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the accident occurred shortly before 11:40 am at the intersection of northbound Highway 15 and Interstate 90. The patrol says a 2019 Ford transit van driven by 35-year-old Derek Vonbank of Waseca was northbound on Highway 15 and a 2013 Chevrolet Impala driven by 88-year-old Everett Hanning of Granada was exiting westbound Interstate 90 when the two vehicles collided. The transit van rolled after the collision.

Vonbank was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Fairmont with non-life threatening injuries. Hanning and a passenger in the Impala were not injured.

The Fairmont Police Department and Mayo Ambulance assisted at the scene.

(Estherville)--As National Volunteer Appreciation Month unfolds, Northwest Iowa RSVP seeks to illuminate "Food Pantry Support" as a cornerstone in the organization's mission to support community welfare and combat food insecurity locally.

Food insecurity continues to be a growing concern nationwide. To alleviate this concern, RSVP volunteers age 55+ in the 5-county area of Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, and Palo Alto, give generously of their time to help ensure food reaches those in need through volunteer opportunities with food deliveries, in food pantries, and with hot meals programs.

Food pantries in the region include Upper Des Moines Opportunity locations, food box pickup locations, multiple mobile food pantries, and pantries operated by various non-profit entities.

Volunteers support hot meal programs at area senior centers and entities like Grand Avenue Community Outreach (GACO) in Spencer. Lakes Area Activity Center in Spirit Lake, Occasions in Spencer, Algona Senior Center, or Estherville Senior Center Dinner Date.

For more information about volunteering, contact your Northwest Iowa RSVP Coordinator or visit www.iowalakes.edu/RSVP.

(Estherville)--The Emmet County Board of Supervisors Tuesday received an update on the Red Rock Wind Energy Project in Emmet and Dickinson counties. Joe Crowley is Project Developer for Invenergy, the company building the wind farm. Crowley says Dickinson County is in the process of rewriting its wind turbine ordinance which has delayed the project.

Crowley says they originally planned to build 83 turbines in Dickinson County but due to the expected changes in setback requirements, the number of turbines maybe pared back.  Invenergy plans to build 18 turbines in Emmet County. Crowley says they are happy with Emmet County’s wind turbine ordinance.

Crowley outlines the work the company has been doing in Emmet County.

He says the project could result in a $20 million benefit to the county.

In other business, the board approved the county budget for 2024-25 fiscal year. The budget includes total expenditures of about 13-million-409 thousand dollars, an increase of about $800,000 compared with the current year. The property tax levy for rural areas is $9.37 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, an increase of about 13 cents. The rate for urban areas is $6.02, an increase of three cents.

(Des Moines)--Area lawmakers were pleased with the 2024 Iowa Legislative session which wrapped up early this past Saturday. Education issues played a major role in the session, according to area State Representative John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake.

Wills was also pleased lawmakers approved a bill to allow school staff to be armed.

He says certified staff would have qualified immunity.

Wills says another highlight of the session was raising teacher pay.

(Algona)--Libraries in Kossuth County are facing nearly 200-thousand dollars in budget cuts. Kossuth County Library Association president Lany  Mitchell says that cut in county funding means each of the county's 12 libraries will get about seven-thousand dollars in county support in the next fiscal year. She says  that will be  a death knell for at least four of the libraries in the county.  The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors met with area residents for nearly two hours Monday afternoon to hear their concerns. Library officials learned just last week that the county would be reducing their funding. Mitchell is director of the public library in the small community of Wesley.

In the current fiscal year, Kossuth County provided over 270-thousand dollars for libraries in 12 communities. For several facilities, that county funding is the vast majority of the library's budget. Cutting library hours is not an option for many, as state funding gets cut if a library isn't open for at least 20 hours a week. Board Chairman Kyle Stecker says budget cuts would have to be made to restore funding for the county's libraries.

Kossuth County library leaders say that leaves them in limbo, not knowing whether the budget cut will be rescinded and they'll be able to stay open.

(from Radio Iowa)

(Des Moines)--The Iowa Association of Business and Industry has revealed all 68 nominees for the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa, including several made in the KILR listening area.

Every nominee is now up for first-round voting from now until April 30. The nominees will then be paired down to a “Sweet 16” bracket. After five rounds of voting, the winner will be announced on June 5.

The competition looks to highlight Iowa’s manufacturing industry, according to a release.

Local nominees include AERO 59 Series NASCAR Wheels made by AERO Race Wheels Inc. of Estherville, Butter Braid Pastries made by Country Maid Inc. of West Bend, Single Barrel Straight Bourbon made by Century Farms Distillery of Spencer and The Iowa Candle made by Candle Creek Farms of Mallard.

You can vote online at coolestthingia.com.

(Emmetsburg)--Iowa Lakes Community College will hold a ribbon cutting and open house at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday for a new outdoor Fitness Court® situated next to the Arthur and Audrey Smith Wellness Center in Emmetsburg.

Funding for the project was made possible through partnerships with a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign and local community partners.

The new Fitness Court® is designed to be inclusive, catering to adults aged 14 and older of all fitness levels. Considered the world's best outdoor gym, the Fitness Court® allows users to leverage their body weight to complete a workout using seven stations. To further enhance the experience, users can download the free Fitness Court App, a platform that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience. The Fitness Court App is available for iOS and Android.

(Des Moines)--Before adjourning the 2024 session over the weekend, Iowa lawmakers approved changes to the state’s income tax code. The bill is the product of negotiations between Republican lawmakers and the governor on how to proceed with speeding up the 2022 income tax cuts. Area State Senator Dave Rowley, a Republican from Spirit Lake, says the bill is projected to save Iowa taxpayers $1 billion.

Rowley says lawmakers advanced two constitutional amendments on income taxes.

He says lawmakers also approved three bills he managed related to insurance.

Rowley says lawmakers failed to approve a bill to extend the moratorium on new casinos in the state.

The Legislature approved a nearly $9 billion state budget for the next fiscal year.

(Estherville)--The Estherville City Council held a brief special meeting Monday evening to approve the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. The budget includes an increase of about $2,245,000 to $27,350,000. The primary reason for the increase is due to capital projects at the wastewater treatment plant and the airport. Estherville City Clerk and Finance Director Beth Burton says the general fund budget increased by 10-percent to $489,285.

Burton says the property tax levy is $16.68 per thousand dollars of taxable valuation, a decrease of 42-cents compared with the current year’s budget. For a house with an assessed valuation of $100,000, that will mean a decrease of $19. The city’s taxable valuation went up by $18.6 million, but Burton says that figure is misleading.

Overall, Burton says the city budget is in very good shape. No one spoke at a public hearing on the budget.

(Lakefield, MN)--Four people were sent to the hospital after a two vehicle collision Sunday afternoon in Jackson County near the Iowa-Minnesota border.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the accident happened around 4:20 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 86 and 720^th Street in Minneota Township. The patrol says a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by 46-year-old Shellie Williams of Round Lake was stopped to turn and a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by a 17-year-old juvenile female from Round Lake was traveling northbound on Highway 86 when the two vehicles collided.

Both drivers and two juvenile passengers in the Williams’ vehicle, a 17-year-old female and a one-year-old male, were taken to Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Lakes Regional Healthcare Ambulance and Lakefield Ambulance assisted at the scene.

(Algona)--The Kossuth Palo Alto County Economic Development Corporation is searching for a new executive director. Maureen Elbert, who has led the organization since 1998, has announced plans to retire by the end of the year. Elbert explains why she decided to retire.

Elbert says a succession plan has been in place for more than a year.

She was asked about highlights of her 26 years leading the organization.

Elbert says one of the keys to success is getting the counties and communities to work together.

Elbert says she has agreed to help the new director get acclimated to the position. Her last day will be before the end of 2024.