Dems sweep top Iowa races as Emmet County holds red

Iowa elected a Democratic governor and a Democratic U.S. senator Tuesday, and Democrats won three of the state’s four U.S. House seats. Emmet County voters went the other way in nearly every …

Council sets Nov. 16 hearing on data center rules as noise and health questions grow

The council’s question Monday night was not whether a data center would be loud. It was whether it might hum in a way no decibel meter catches. The Estherville city council voted to hold a …

Water Trails sets sights on flood-era log jams Clearing river tops 2027 goals as $1.15 million access project and new kiosks near finish line

The Emmet County Water Trails board has two big projects nearly across the finish line:. The hardest item on its 2027 list is one no grant has solved yet: clearing the log jams, sandbars, and downed …
Local News
An early-morning kitchen fire damaged an Estherville residence at 920 North 13th St Tuesday, with firefighters rescuing two family dogs but three pet birds dying in the fire. The Estherville Fire …
Estherville’s Planning & Zoning Commission finished its line-by-line review of the proposed data center ordinance Thursday, Oct. 29. The Commission then voted 5-0 to recommend the ordinance to city …
The rebuild of Highway 9 through Estherville will take four construction seasons, from 2028 through 2031. Crews will work in stages so that drivers, businesses and residents always have a way through …
The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees in a special session Tuesday, Oct. 27 reviewed the draft stage of a fiscal 2023 audit with an Illinois company the college has retained. Sara …
Seasoned runner, poet and author Tyler Sullivan signed his history of Emmet County before a full house Friday, Oct. 30 at the Lil’ Danske Kirke Danish Museum in Ringsted. The book is one of five …
Obituaries
  Visitation for Mary Jean Thiel, 92, of St. Joseph, Mo., a 1952 graduate of Estherville High School, begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Heaton-Bowman- Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel …
  A memorial service for Lester Thompson, 95, of Emmetsburg, formerly of Estherville, will be held at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Estherville …
Funeral services for Juanita Clabaugh, 72, of Estherville, will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Home in Estherville with Pastor John Hanna officiating. Interment …
  Mass of Christian Burial for Earl H. Erickson, 89, of Wallingford, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Estherville. Interment will be at …
Local Sports

ELC begins first season of high school girls wrestling

Seniors Myla Fisher and Moriah Reineke lead the first-ever Estherville Lincoln Central Girls Wrestling Program into the 2026-27 season. The two seniors have participated in the shared program with …

Warriors win slugfest, pull away from Panthers

KINGSLEY — Greyson Colegrove accounted for nine touchdowns, rushing for six and throwing for three, as No. 8 North Union rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 9 Kingsley-Pierson, 68-50, in a …

North Union to face top-ranked Audubon today

After scoring 60-plus points in each of its first two playoff games, No. 8 North Union (9-1) faces a much tougher test as the Warriors travel to Audubon to take on the top-ranked Wheelers Thursday in …

Girres races to 55th at State

FORT DODGE — Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire sophomore Addaley Girres wrapped up her first cross country season with a 55th-place finish at the Class 1A State Cross Country Meet last …
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 …