Mount Ayr Jazz Band takes fourth at Iowa Jazz Championships
The Mount Ayr Jazz Band finished in fourth place at the Iowa Jazz Championships on Tuesday, April 2. Ashlyn Byer received one of four Outstanding Performer Awards for all of Class A. Brittney Gilliland, vibes; Aiden Comer, trombone; and Ashlyn Byer, flute were also named Outstanding Soloists. There will be a pep rally on Thursday,…
Read MoreRemember the ‘Greatest Generation’
To the editor: Lou Conter, the last survivor of the USS Arizona, died Monday of heart failure at his home in California. His death is a reminder that we are losing, on a daily basis, the Americans who lived through the depression and World War II. Newman and author Tom Brokaw called these Americans “The Greatest…
Read MoreSnapshots of History: Wishard Chapel
By Mike Avitt As I was researching James B. Wishard I came up with more questions than answers. But, I did get some answers, so let’s see how Wishard Chapel was named. The first mention I found of Father Wishard was in 1879 when the Mount Ayr Post Office placed a notice in the newspaper…
Read MoreTrump will destroy USA
To the editor: Donald Trump recently claimed that if he is not elected President in 2024, that America will cease to exist. I hold the view that if America ceases to exist, the cause would be Donald Trump’s election as President in 2024. Leota M. Lipovac Urbandale
Read MoreThanks the community
To the editor: On behalf of Madalynn Stewart’s family, our heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love, prayers, and generosity of so many communities at our time of loss and grief. As Madalynn’s grandmother, our family experienced compassion, friendship, and amazing support as we gathered in Mount. Ayr to celebrate Maddie’s life. The support was…
Read MoreLooking Back
One Hundred Years Ago (From the Mount Ayr Record-News, Thursday, April 16, 1924.) The wholesale egg dealers of Iowa in their meeting held at Des Moines March 20, 1924 unanimously adopted a resolution to commence on April 1, 1924, to buy eggs on a two-grade basis. The clean eggs of fair size to go as…
Read MoreMount Ayr awarded $340,000 CAT grant for pool
After considering 11 projects, the Enhance Iowa Board awarded $3,025,047 in Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants to projects in 10 communities including the City of Mount Ayr. Mount Ayr was awarded a $340,000 CAT grant, on Thursday, April 4, filling the final gap in funds needed to replace the original pool built in 1963.…
Read MoreCounty sets FY25 budget, will fund an IT Director next year
The Ringgold County Board of Supervisors hired an IT Director for the county, approved 2 percent increases in salary, and set their FY25 budget at their regular meeting on Monday, April 8. New IT Director Zachary Hague will be transitioning the management of IT infrastructure internally beginning April 22. Hague received his Associate of Applied…
Read More60 Years in a Clip Joint
By Mike Avitt Dick Simpson is in the business of turning heads. Not as a pretty young lady might turn heads; Dick does it with clippers, scissors, and a barber chair. And he’s been doing it for sixty years now in the same shop. Dick finished barber school and began his internship at Clarinda. However,…
Read MoreDaycare staffing shortage
Since the pandemic, childcare has become increasingly challenging, as the number of people providing daycare has decreased. There is a shortage of in-home providers and staff for the existing centers in Ringgold County. While the issue isn’t unique to our area, organizations are collaborating and asking for support to promote childcare business and education in…
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