(Terril)--The city of Terril this(Friday) morning issued a boil advisory that is in effect until further notice.

According to a notification from the city, the advisory was issued due to a programming issue with the city’s new water treatment facility that couldn’t be resolved prior to the town hitting a low pressure. City officials say the water tower nearly drained and didn’t re-fill. Terril residents are advised NOT to drink the water without boiling it first

The notice adds that residents will be notified as soon as sample results show no bacteria. The city anticipates the issue will be resolved by noon Saturday.

This is the second time in three months a boil advisory has been issued for Terril. The city will hold a public informational meeting regarding the ongoing water issues at 5:00 pm Monday, September 14th at the Terril Public Library.

(Armstrong)--Voters in the North Union School District will decide the fate of a $12 million bond referendum this November. North Union Superintendent Travis Schueller says the referendum would finance a new gymnasium and multipurpose area.

Schueller outlines what’s included in the project.

He says officials concluded now was the right time to proceed with the project.

Schueller details the benefits of a larger gym.

He also explains the impact of the project on property taxes.

Schueller says school officials plan on holding community meetings on the bond referendum in October. If you have any questions contact the North Union School District at 712-868-3542 or e-mail: travis.schueller@nuwarriors.org

(Des Moines)--Iowa experienced a wetter than average August overall, but drought conditions persist in the northern and western parts of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

An area of severe drought that appeared in western Iowa during August has kept the drought watch active in northwestern Iowa and triggered a new drought watch for central Iowa.

Statewide precipitation totaled 4.79 inches during August, which is 0.66 inches above normal. However, most areas of the state saw near- to below-normal rainfall, with northwest Iowa experiencing deficits ranging from 1.00 to 3.00 inches.

In the KILR listening area, eastern portions of Emmet and Palo Alto along with almost all of Kossuth County were in the D-1 or moderate drought category. The west portions of Emmet and Palo Alto counties and all of Clay and Dickinson counties were in the D-0 or abnormally dry category.

(Estherville)--Work continues on the new entrance project at the Estherville Lincoln Central Football Stadium. ELC Superintendent Andy Armstead provided a construction update at Wednesday evening’s school board meeting.

(Armstrong)--A 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will be held Saturday at the North Union High School Football Field beginning at 10 am.

Participants will climb 95 times up and down the stadium steps to honor and remember the lives lost on September 11^th, 2001 while showing gratitude to the brave men and women who serve our community as first responders.

Participants may also choose a partner climb, where two people split the stairs or a 5K walk around the track.  The event is open to all ages and fitness levels.

There is no entry fee, but freewill donations will be accepted with 100-percent of the proceeds going to local first responders. 

(Spencer)--Seasons Center for Behavioral Health will be celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of Autumn’s Center later this month with a free, family-friendly Kids’ Carnival. Stephanie Pohar, Vice President of Marketing & Fund Development at Seasons Center, says the carnival will be held on Thursday, September 24^th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Sunset Park in Spencer.

Pohar says the carnival will provide fun for children and families of all ages.

For more information on Autumn’s Center visit, seasonscenter.org.

(Estherville)--The Estherville Lincoln Central School Board Wednesday evening approved the Construction Contract and Bond for the Football Stadium Bleachers and Press Box Improvement Project. The low bid for the project was awarded to Graves Construction of Spencer in the amount of 1-million-343-thousand-420 dollars. ELC Superintendent Andy Armstead.
 

Armstead says they received a total of three bids on the project.

In other business, the board voted to purchase 15 tables for the new tailgate area at a cost of $22,000.

The board also accepted gifts from Don and Mary Schiltz and Hy-Vee Inc. for the stadium project.

(Jackson, MN)--The Jackson Municipal Airport’s annual Fly-In Breakfast will be held this Sunday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The Jackson Lions Club will be serving a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage. Door prizes will be awarded, and airplane rides will be offered courtesy of the Jackson Flight Club.

Proceeds from the breakfast benefit the Jackson Lions Club. The money collected for airplane rides helps cover the cost of fuel.

(Fairmont, MN)--A Truman woman is facing drug charges after a traffic stop last week in Fairmont.

According to the criminal complaint, 44-year-old Erica Boerner was stopped early on September 1st near the intersection First and Dewey Streets in Fairmont after an officer noticed her truck had no license plate lights.

Boerner’s driving privileges were revoked and officers reportedly smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. During  a search, police found 11-point-8 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, drug paraphernalia, marijuana and small baggies inside the vehicle.

Boerner also allegedly had difficulty staying awake and showed signs of impairment. She was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont for a blood sample after field sobriety testing could not be completed.

Boerner was charged with fifth-degree drug possession, third-degree DWI, driving after revocation and possessing improperly packaged cannabis product in a vehicle. The complaint also notes prior drug, DWI and driving-after-revocation convictions.

(Spencer)--Crews have shifted traffic on U.S. Highway 71 near U.S. Highway 18 on the north side of Spencer into the right lane for both north- and southbound traffic, closing the left lanes of the four-lane divided highway. This traffic pattern will remain in place from Clay County Road M-44 to Clay County Road B-17 until Thursday, Oct. 22, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 3 Office.   

According to the DOT, A 12-foot lane-width restriction is in place in each lane.  Crews need to finish the median crossovers before winter halts construction. The next phase of the project will include detour route paving on Fourth Avenue West. This detour route was selected to reduce the impacts of construction to traffic in Spencer and to prevent a long detour route.

Crews will reopen U.S. 71to its normal four-lane pattern, with two lanes of traffic in each direction, during the Clay County Fair timeframe.

Drivers should watch for barrels along the shoulders of the roadway. They protect culvert pipes that will be installed for the median crossover project associated with the roundabout construction scheduled for 2027 at the U.S. 71/U.S. 18 north junction, known locally as the “North Y”.

(Bancroft)--The 7^th annual Bancroft Fall Bonanza will be held this Saturday on Main Street in Downtown Bancroft. Volunteer Laura Arndorfer says a new event for this year is a 9/11 tribute.

Arndorfer says the fall bonanza will be held from 9 am to 1 pm.

Another new event this year is Game On Mobile Virtual Gaming beginning at 10 am.

She says Toby the Kid will be returning for another year.

For more information visit the Bancroft Fall Bonanza Facebook page

(Jackson, MN)--A Sherburn woman was injured in a single vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 90 in Jackson County.

The Minnesota State Patrol says at around 2:25 pm, a 2013 Ford Edge driven by Kathy Boe of Sherburn was traveling eastbound on I-90 about 4 miles east of Jackson when the vehicle went into the ditch.

Boe was taken to the Jackson Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Fire and Ambulance assisted at the scene.

(Estherville)--The Estherville City Council Monday evening approved the second reading of an ordinance regulating electric scooters, e-bikes and other mobility devices. The third and final reading will take place at the council’s next meeting. Estherville City Administrator Penny Clayton says city staff will also have more information on possibly implementing a 10 mph speed limit on city sidewalks.

The council also approved the second reading of an ordinance amending the city code regarding ATVs and UTVs.

In other business, the council approved a change order for the 2026 Storm Sewer Project. Clayton says the city was forced to cancel the original project.

She says the contractor on the project will now be doing some pavement work at the new public safety building,

The change order will increase the cost of the contract by about $80,000. Clayton says the sewer work will now be included as part of the Central Avenue repaving project.

The council also approved the first readings of ordinances replacing a yield sign with a stop sign at the intersection of 5^th Street and 2^nd Avenue North and replacing stop signs with yield signs at the railroad crossings at North 2^nd St.

(Okoboji)--Birders of all experience levels are invited to enjoy one final morning on the course during the last Birding on the Green program of the season on Monday, September 14^th from 7 to 9 a.m. at Brooks Golf. Dickinson County Community Relations Coordinator Amy Heibult says Brooks Golf is an Audubon certified course.

Heibult says the free program is for adults and teens ages 13 and up.

She says attendees can usually see a wide variety of birds on the course.

For more information, visit dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com.

(Des Moines)--The Iowa Economic Development Authority has announced $39.84 million in workforce housing tax credits to support 69 projects across the state, including one in Graettinger.

The Graettinger Economic Development Council will construct four single-family homes on infill lots in an established neighborhood, replacing vacant and dilapidated properties with modern homes. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes will be built through Homes for Iowa, a nonprofit that trains incarcerated Iowans in the building trades, then moved to Graettinger. The project will make use of existing infrastructure and support community growth.

The 69 projects are expected to create 2,093 new residential units - 1,225 in larger communities and 868 in smaller towns.

(Milford)--Fire destroyed a camper Monday afternoon at Emerson Bay on the west side of West Lake Okoboji.

Milford Fire Chief Jim Carpenter says when crews arrived on scene, they found yellow smoke coming from the camper. Carpenter says the fire was immediately knocked down but the camper was likely a total loss. He says the fire was started in the rear portion of the camper and was likely caused by an electrical malfunction.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters were on scene for about 45 minutes.

(Estherville)--The Iowa DNR’s plans to drawdown 12 Mile Lake in southwest Emmet County as part of a lake restoration project was the subject of a joint meeting of the Emmet and Dickinson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.  Emmet County Supervisor Jeff Quastad wants a second opinion on the legality of the project and its possible impact on a joint drainage district.

Quastad said he first discussed the issue with Iowa Drainage District Association Legal Counsel, Doug Stryk.

Discussion during the joint meeting included the possibility of making 12 Mile Lake part of the drainage district.

Both boards approved a motion to hold a meeting with Bob Goodwin who Dickinson County uses as a drainage district attorney. The conference call will include Quastad, Dickinson County Supervisor John Clark, Emmet County Attorney Melanie Summers Bauler and Assistant Dickinson County Attorney John Martin, 
 
In other business, the Emmet County Supervisors approved an ordinance establishing fees on zoning permits and related zoning and development activities. The ordinance covers new permit applications, zoning compliance permits, sign permits, variance application permits, conditional use applications and request for rezoning applications.

(Estherville)--Emmet County Auditor Heidi Goebel was recently appointed to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Goebel says the mission of the independent, bipartisan commission is to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process.

Goebel explains how she was chosen for the position.

She says she felt honored to be appointed to the commission.

Goebel says regional meetings are held monthly by zoom and there is also a national meeting held annually.

The next national meeting will be held in Philadelphia in April 2027. Goebel says her expenses to attend the national meeting will be paid for by the commission.

(Fairmont, MN)--The Martin County Library System has received the largest donation in its history. Robert and Hazel Clark, a longtime Fairmont couple, donated $248,000 to the library.

The Clarks lived in Fairmont from 1958 until their deaths and were longtime library patrons and donors. Hazel died in 2020 at age 101, while Robert died in July at age 104. The library’s annual budget is about one million dollars.

Library officials have not decided yet on how the money will be spent.  They want to be careful about using the funds to benefit the entire Martin County Library System.

The donation will officially be considered for acceptance at the Martin County Library Board meeting on Tuesday. 

(Milford)--A Spencer woman is charged in Dickinson County with first degree theft, a class “C” felony, in a nearly half million dollar check scam.

According to the criminal complaint, 55-year-old Rosanne Norlin of Spencer allegedly deposited a check for $485,668 into a corporate account at United Community Bank in Milford. Court documents say the check was affiliated with a business in California, and that she allegedly drained money from the account beginning in late March of this year through a series of cashier’s checks and cash withdrawals.

Norlin was arrested on August 31st and booked into the Dickinson County Sheriff Jail. Online court records indicate she has since been released after posting a $10,000 bond.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for September 11th in Dickinson County District Court.

(Okoboji)--No injuries were reported after a sailboat overturned Sunday morning on West Lake Okoboji.

The incident occurred shortly after 10:30 am between Gull Point and Pillsbury Point. Five people were reported in the water and were believed to be trapped under the boat.

The five people were rescued from the water by other boaters before emergency crews arrived on scene. First responders stood by as the sail boat was up righted and brought to shore.

Agencies responding to the scene include the Iowa DNR Lakes Patrol, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire and Rescue, the Lakes Area Fire Boat, and Milford Fire Department.

(Spirit Lake)--A 32-year-old man is facing felony charges for enticing a minor in Dickinson County.

The Spirit Lake Police Department arrested Drew Kingswan on Wednesday evening on two counts of enticing a minor under the age of 16 for the purpose of sexual abuse and two counts of grooming, all class D felonies.

A preliminary hearing for Kingswan is scheduled for September 14th at 4 pm in Dickinson County Court.

As of Friday afternoon, Kingswan was not listed on the Dickinson County inmate roster.

(Estherville)--A Spencer woman is facing charges after allegedly attacking two jailers Thursday afternoon in the Emmet County Jail.

According to Emmet County Court records, 18-year-old Kya Erickson is charged with assault on persons in certain occupations-causing bodily injury, a class D felony, and assault on persons in certain occupations, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to the criminal complaint, two jailers entered the jail cell occupied by Erickson as she was attempting to harm herself. In the cell, Erickson began hitting one of the jailers in the upper body area causing injury. She also pushed and ran into the other jailer and threw trash from her trash can toward the jailers.

A preliminary hearing for Erickson is set for September 14^th at 4 pm in Emmet County District Court.

Erickson was being held on a $7,000 cash or surety bond.

(Des Moines)--Swimming is not recommended at two beaches in the Iowa Great Lakes area during the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to the latest weekly beach monitoring report from the Iowa DNR.

Both of the beaches are located on Big Spirit Lake.

The DNR says Crandall’s Beach is listed as vulnerable due to exceeding the single-sample limit for E. coli. Marble Beach is classified as less vulnerable due to exceeding the safety thresholds for algal toxins.

All other monitored beaches in the Iowa Great Lakes were listed as OK for swimming, including Ainsworth Beach, Triboji Beach, Pikes Point, Gull Point and Emmerson Bay.

(Spirit Lake)--As previously reported the 20^th annual Iowa Water Conference will be held September 16^th and 17^th in the Iowa Great Lakes. New for this year is a standalone community track that is open to the public. Research Administrator Laura Frescoln says the event will be held on Thursday, September 17^th from 2 to 4:30 pm at the Maser Monarch Lodge in Spirit Lake,

Frescoln outlines the topics that will be covered as part of the community track.

She says there is no cost to attend.

For more information, go to iowawatercenter.org.