Obituary – Debbie Poore
Debbie was one of the kindest, most joyful, and most faithful Christian woman anyone could hope to meet. She was one of five children born to James and Marilyn Woosley on February 12, 1961, in Bloomington, Illinois. Growing up on the farm outside Garden Grove, Iowa, she spent her days searching the creek for arrowheads…
Read MoreRinggold County Welcomes Fair Goers
by Jeff Snyder MOUNT AYR, Iowa- The city of Mount Ayr welcomed county fair attendees from near and far for its annual Ringgold County Fair festivities. The fair kicked off on Tuesday, July 7 and lasted through Sunday July 12. The Ringgold County Future Farmers of America (FFA) along with the local chapter of the…
Read MoreP33 Set for Major Upgrades Following $2 Million Federal Award
by Jeff Snyder DIAGONAL, Iowa — Officials from the federal, state and local level gathered at the Freedom Rock pavilion in Diagonal last Thursday to officially announce a $2 million federal investment to help improve a portion of the P33 roadway located between Diagonal and State Highway 2. On hand for the ceremony were U.S.…
Read MoreMount Ayr beats Essex
Advances in postseason By Ryan Stonebraker MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The Mount Ayr baseball team made short work out of its first round Class 1A district foe last Friday, beating the Essex Trojans 19-0 in four innings. The Raiders improved to 12-7 overall and hosted SW Valley on Tuesday night in the next round (results…
Read MoreRaiderettes Beat SW Valley To Win 12th Game
Postseason Starts This Week By Ryan Stonebraker CORNING, Iowa — The Raiderette softball team enters the postseason with 12 wins under their belt. This comes after a 19-1 win at SW Valley on June 29 to sweep the season series between the two schools. In the other game of the week, Mount Ayr fell to state…
Read MoreObituary: Joyce Ann (Gibson) Kaster
Joyce Ann (Gibson) Kaster was born January 28, 1941, in Kellerton Iowa and passed away July 1, 2026, at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines Iowa with her two sons by her side. Joyce was the second child of Chet and Doris (Duffield) Gibson. Joyce married Ronald Kaster and to this union two sons were born,…
Read MoreLOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull
One Hundred Years Ago (From the Mount Ayr Record-News, Thursday, June 30, 1926.) Dance halls are quite common in rural communities, pavilions for this purpose being erected in groves, on banks of rivers or upon lake shores. Being outside of the incorporated towns or cities they become subject to township supervision and control. County attorneys…
Read MoreSnapshots of History by Mike Avitt
This is the fifth installment of my memories of Mount Ayr from 1970 to 1973. Things were a little different back then. I think it was the winter of 1972 Tom Terry and his friends built a very large snow bunny on the north side of the courthouse. I’d say it was eight to 10…
Read MoreIowa paved roads to see speed limit changes
By Olivia West MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The default speed limit on most of Iowa’s two-lane state highways and rural paved roads increased from 55 mph to 60 mph on July 1, 2026, under Senate File 378 signed by Governor Kim Reynolds. It’s estimated a total of 1,800 signs will be updated, but not all…
Read MoreSNAP rules changed again
By Jeff Snyder MOUNT AYR, Iowa — A federal judge ruled on June 29 that states, including Iowa, were not allowed to restrict certain food purchases using the federal government sponsored Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The ruling stated that states do not have the right to redetermine the definition of “Food” under the SNAP…
Read More