P&Z leans toward small data centers in town corner

Estherville’s Planning & Zoning Commission began drafting data center rules last Thursday night. The early direction is cautious: small facilities only, and only in a designated area away from …

You have the last word

For the past eight weeks, the Estherville News has gone to the picnics and cookouts, the debates, the trainings and checked in with the county auditor and secretary of state so you could walk to the …

Built for the boom

Estherville is weighing whether it wants a data center. It already has a factory that depends on them. PDU Cables builds the custom power cables that carry electricity to the server racks inside data …
Local News
The Emmet County Board of Supervisors after its weekly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 27 dedicated the $1.6-million west Courthouse addition. The addition took 18 months to complete and was funded with …
Radon – colorless, odorless and as close as your downstairs basement. That was the message several Armstrong residents had when they attended a radon informational meeting Monday, Oct. 26 at the …
Ringsted Community Improvement Organization members at their Wednesday, Oct. 21 meeting discussed an upcoming author visit 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Tyler Sullivan will sign his Emmet County …
Estherville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3388 was once again recognized for outstanding community service. The post recently received an award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars national office. …
Fresh off of Thursday’s Heartland Honor Choir event, high school choir members donned their robes for a Sunday concert in the Estherville Lincoln Central High School Little Theater. Directed by Mr. …
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 …