(Jackson, MN)--The Jackson County Central School Board Monday evening was told that Riverside Elementary School in Jackson would likely close if the district’s operating levy referendum fails in November.

JCC Superintendent Mike Neubeck says the school’s gymnastics program would likely be cut as well, and funding for the indoor pool and several school activities, including cheerleading, FFA, speech and drama.

If the operating levy referendum fails for the 2^nd consecutive year, the school’s administration team would recommend to the school board cutting at least $800,000 from the budget.

Neubeck says the cuts mentioned are at the top of the list, as well as the ones that would probably affect the community, students, and staff the most.

The closure of Riverside Elementary School in Jackson would mean kindergarten through sixth grades would be housed at the Lakefield school building, with seventh through 12th grades at the high school campus in Jackson.

(Estherville)--The annual Champions in Education Banquet presented by the ELC Schools Foundation will be held this Saturday, October 3^rd at the Elks Lodge in Estherville beginning at 6 p.m. Andrea Nelson with the ELC Schools Foundation says this year’s honoree is Julie Bates.

Nelson highlights the schedule for the evening.

The cost for an individual ticket is $30 or a table for 8 people can be purchased for $200. Nelson says the banquet is the main fundraiser for the foundation.

Nelson says they also fund special projects.

Tickets for the Champions in Education Banquet can be purchased on the ELC Schools Foundation Facebook page, from any foundation member or at the door. Nelson spoke with Dave Van Roekel Tuesday morning on KILR FM 95.9.

(Estherville)—High school students interested in attending Iowa Lakes Community College are encouraged to attend one of the fall visit days next week on the college’s Estherville and Emmetsburg campuses. Iowa Lakes Director of Admissions Annie Kalous says the fall visit days will be held on October 8^th at 1 pm on the Emmetsburg campus and on Friday, October 9th at 10 am on the Estherville campus.

Kalous says students and their parents are encouraged to sign-up in advance.

She says it’s a great way for parents to get comfortable about sending their kids to Iowa Lakes.

For more information, contact Annie Kalous at -712-852-5254.

Kalous says another program in high demand is aviation.

Kalous spoke with Dave Van Roekel Tuesday morning on KILR FM 95.9. For more information, visit iowalakes.edu

(Jackson, MN)--Jackson County will hold a public grand opening for its new jail, law enforcement center and government center next Tuesday, October 6th from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The new facilities are located adjacent to the Jackson County Courthouse at 405 Fourth Street in Jackson.

Construction of these facilities started in the summer of 2024. The government center is already occupied and providing services. The jail and law enforcement center will open in late October.

The current county jail is fifty years old and has been in violation of numerous state regulations since 2005 due to a wide range of problems such as cells that are too small, lack of medical space and outdated systems. The Minnesota Department of Corrections warned the county that ongoing compliance violations at the jail could eventually lead to its closure.

The new government center will consolidate the county assessor, auditor/treasurer and recorder's office into a shared service division called Property & Public Services. This consolidation aims to enhance service delivery and efficiency. The center will offer services such as veteran services, driver's licensing, passport services and more.

(Welcome, MN)--A South Dakota man was sent to the hospital after a single vehicle accident Monday morning on Interstate 90 in Martin County.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the accident occurred about 9 am west of the Welcome exit. The patrol says a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado driven by 20-year-old Omar Abdi Omar of Sioux Falls was eastbound on I-90 when it left the roadway, crossing both eastbound lanes before coming to rest in the center median.

Omar was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Fairmont with non-life threatening injuries.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Sherburn and Welcome Police Department and Welcome Fire assisted at the scene.

(Spencer)--A Former Finance Assistant for the city of Spencer was sentenced Monday on charges of felony theft and credit card fraud.

The case arose after the State Auditor’s Office released a report on February 18^th of this year detailing a special investigation identifying that 53-year-old Lavonne Bell had stolen $46,098 during the period of January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2024, from the City of Spencer.

Due to a conflict of interest with the Clay County Attorney’s Office, Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Iowa.

Just prior to the sentencing, Bell pled guilty to Theft in the First Degree, a class C felony and credit card fraud, an aggravated misdemeanor.  The Court then sentenced Bell to serve a 10-year prison sentence but suspended it and ordered she successfully complete a term of probation not to exceed three years along with successfully completing financial counseling classes. Bell was also sentenced to serve 365 days in the Clay County Jail with all but 30 days suspended, with work release permitted by the jail’s rules, to begin on October 5th. Finally, Bell was ordered to pay full restitution of $106,098.

(Estherville)--The Estherville Area Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Awards Banquet. Chamber Executive Director Lexi Ruter says they are accepting nominations in four categories.

Ruter says there are only a few requirements for nominations.

She says you still have plenty of time to submit a nomination.

Nomination forms can be found online at estherville.org. On another topic, Ruter says the chamber is introducing a new event next month,

Again, the first Coffee and Connections will be held on Thursday, October 22^nd at Williams and Company from 9 to 10 am.

(Spencer)--Local business and economic development officials will have the chance in early November to hear from the Vice President for Economic Development and Industry Relations at Iowa State University. Larry Wajda, Regional Director for the Northwest Iowa Small Business Development Center, says David Spalding will speak at 10:00 am Monday, November 2nd at the Spencer Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College.

The presentation is more than a month away but Wajda encourages those interested to sign-up as soon as possible.

He explains how to sign-up for the presentation.

Spalding’s office at ISU also serves as the state headquarters of America’s SBDC Iowa.

For more information call 712-580-8619.

(Arnolds Park)--The Arnolds-Park Okoboji Fire and Rescue Department had a busy few hours today(Monday) responding to three different emergency calls. AP-O Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth says the first call came in shortly after 11:40 am.

Yungbluth says water and gas were shut off while repairs were made and no one was hurt. He says they were then called to an injury accident.

One person was transported to Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. Yungbluth says with so many calls in such a short period of time they had to split up crews.

He says they were cleared from the accident scene about 1:30 pm. No further details on the accident are available at this time.

(Okoboji)--Learn about the history and progress of wastewater management in the Iowa Great Lakes region during the next Kenue Coffee Hour this Thursday at 10:30 am at the Maser Monarch Lodge.

This month’s speaker will be Steve Anderson, district superintendent for the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary  District. Anderson will discuss the history of sewage entering the Iowa Great Lakes and how wastewater treatment has evolved over time to protect our water quality.

“Clean water is incredibly important to our community, but many people may not realize how much  work happens behind the scenes to protect the Iowa Great Lakes,” said Amy Heibult, community  relations coordinator for the Dickinson County Conservation Board.

The program is free for adults to enjoy, and complimentary coffee will be provided. Registration is not  required to attend. For more programs offered by the Dickinson County Nature Center, visit www.dickinsoncountynaturecenter.com.

(Estherville)--The Estherville Lincoln Central Marching Bank took home top honors in the Class 2A competition Saturday at the North Central Iowa Marching Band Competition in Ft. Dodge.  ELC received 82.5 points to finish first out of four teams.

The ELC Marching Band won the awards for Best Color Guard, Best Brass, Best Woodwinds, Best Drum Line and Best Marching. Also ELC Senior Zeke Funston won the award for Best Soloist.

The ELC Marching Band will next compete at Algona Band Days on Saturday, October 3^rd.

(Estherville)--The city of Estherville will collect fall yard waste effective Monday, October 5th and continuing through Monday, November 23rd.

Residents taking advantage of this free service must use biodegradable paper leaf bags which need to be securely fastened and placed at the curb.

Residents must refrain from placing household waste, landscaping items such as planters and pots and pet waste in with the leaves and lawn rakings. Bags with unacceptable items will be left at the curb.

Collection will begin on Mondays each week, extending into additional days if needed to cover the entire city.

If you have any questions, call the city office at 362-7771.

(Spirit Lake)---A proposed recreational trail on the former railroad right-of-way from Orleans to just west of Superior has been awarded state funding. Erin Reed is Executive Director of the Dickinson County Trails Board.

Reed provides details about the project.

She says the state grant paves the way for the trail board to seek additional funds for the project.

Reed says they hope to begin work on the project in 2027.

The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors last week approved a resolution supporting federal funding for the project.

(Washington, D.C.)--Farmers are hoping the full Senate will take action soon on a new farm bill. The bill was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this month on a party line vote. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is a member of the Ag Committee.

Grassley says the lack of bi-partisan support for a farm bill is very unusual.

He says the disagreement is on the error rate in the SNAP or food stamp program.

Some political observers say the Senate may delay action on the Farm Bill until after mid term elections.

(Algona)--The runway at the Algona Municipal Airport has been closed since this past Monday, September 21^st  for a construction project that is expected to be complete by mid-October.

The grass runway will be available until this Monday, September 28th, when both runways will be closed for about a week. The project will involve rehabilitating approximately 4,000 feet of runway. The Federal Aviation Administration will pay about 95-percent of the project cost. The City of Algona’s share will be about $24,000.

This project will wrap up a series of improvements at the Algona Municipal Airport. In the fall of 2025, the airport completed a project that involved paving a 240-foot runway extension to the south of the existing Runway 30, a 200-foot displacement of Runway 12, and constructing turnarounds beyond the hold position markings at both ends of the runway. A new electrical vault building was built to support new navigational lighting. New edge lighting was also installed for the runway, turnarounds, and taxiway.

(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Endowment Fund recently awarded more than $107,000 in grants to help fund 17 projects throughout the county.

Grant awards include $15,000 to the Graettinger-Terril PTO for a sensory playground area, $10,000 to Lakeside Lutheran Camp for their Campcare and beyond project, $10,000 to Pearson Lakes Art Center for Treehouse Masters, $8,000 to the Okoboji Community School District for their Angel Fund, $7,500 to the Lake Park Historical Society for Heritage Square Reimagined, $7,000 to the Dickinson County Museum for a modular exhibit and the New Inn project and $5,000 to Save Turtle Lake for a waterway restoration project.

In its 21 years of existence, the fund has provided nearly $2.1 million in grants to 450 projects countywide, while collaborating with 110 nonprofit groups and each school district.

Donation information, as well as how to apply for future grants through the fund, can be found at dcefund.org.

(Estherville)—Tickets are on sale for the annual Sip the ‘Ville event taking place this coming Thursday, October 1st in Estherville. Lexie Ruter with the Estherville Chamber of Commerce says Sip the ‘Ville will be held from 4 to 8 pm.

Ruter explains how to purchase tickets for Sip the ‘Ville.

On another topic, Ruter says preparations are underway for this year’s Fright Hike at Ft. Defiance State Park..

She says Fright Hike is one of the chamber’s most popular events

Fright Hike will be held on Saturday, October 17, with a Lights-On Hike from 6:00–7:00 p.m. for those who prefer fewer scares, followed by the Full-Scare Hike from 7:00–9:30 p.m. For more information, call 712-362-3541 or visit estherville.org.

(Fenton)--A Minnesota man was arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop Wednesday evening in Kossuth County.

The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says shortly before 7 pm, Deputies stopped a 2003 Toyota Carolla driven by 32-year-old Luis Rodriguez Burgos of Fairmont on Highway 15 near Fenton.

According to the criminal complaint, Deputies conducted a consent search of the vehicle and found a vape which tested positive for THC, and a small pill bottle with a green, leafy substance in it that smelled like Marijuana.

Rodriguez Burgos was arrested on charges of Possession of Marijuana-1st offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was also cited for Speeding, Driving Under Suspension, and Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance.

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

(Estherville)--The author of a book on a bank robbery that occurred in Sherburn, Minnesota in 1896 will be speaking in Estherville next month. The Estherville Public Library and the Emmet County Historical Museum will welcome author Jeffrey M. Sauve on Thursday, October 8^th at 6:30 pm at the library. Sauve will present his new true?crime history book: Wheels of Murder: The 1896 Bank Robbery That Shocked a Small Prairie Town.

The brothers were Hans and Lew Kellihan. Two people were killed in the Sherburn bank robbery. Sauve says Estherville played a key role in the manhunt.

Sauve says the book details the emotional fallout from the bank robbery and manhunt.

Again the presentation will be on Thursday, October 8^th at 6:30 pm at the Estherville Public Library.