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Obituary: Preston Hayse

Preston Loring Hayse was born February 7, 1942, to John Robert Hayse and Virginia Estella LaShier Hayse in Mitchell, South Dakota. He was named after his two uncles on either side. The family moved back to Sioux City, Iowa to be closer to other family before Preston started kindergarten. He grew up hunting with his…

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Obituary: Joyce England

Joyce Elaine England, born November 26th, 1942, in Ringgold County, IA to Paul and Veneta Dukes. Joyce departed this life on December 11, 2025, at the Clearview Nursing Home with family by her side. Joyce was welcomed home by her older brother John Philip Dukes on their family farm near Diagonal, Iowa. She attended country…

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Mount Ayr boys drop a pair

By DALTON SHADLE MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The Raiders dropped a pair of close games last week, falling to both Bedford and Southeast Warren. In Last Friday’s game, the Raiders dropped a tightly contested game against Southeast Warren 69-63. Mount Ayr started the game strong by jumping out to a double-digit lead after the first…

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Raiderettes continue their winning ways

By Dalton Shadle MOUNT AYR, Iowa — Mount Ayr won a pair of games on back-to-back nights late last week to remain perfect on the young season. The Raiderettes nearly doubled up visiting Southeast Warren 81-47 last Friday in Mount Ayr to improve to 6-0 on the season. The Raiderettes came out explosive in the…

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LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

One Hundred Years Ago (From the Mount Ayr Record-News, Thursday, December 23, 1925.) Iowa leads the U.S. and the world in the amount of sweet corn canned. The past season broke all records, the Iowa canneries turning out 24,000,000 cans or about five for every man, woman and child in the U.S. Mr. and Mrs.…

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Snapshots of History by Mike Avitt

This week’s postcard has no information on the back, but the photo appears on page 85 of the Mount Ayr Centennial Book and the names appear in the book. Before I give you the names, let’s look at what the picture tells us. The band members are wearing uniforms. Uniforms cost money. But bands were…

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One Starry Night Brings Bethlehem to Life in Ellston

The Ellston and Tingley United Methodist Churches celebrated “One Starry Night in Bethlehem” this past Sunday, at the Ellston Methodist Church. Families, friends and visitors took part in a fun-filled interactive experience that brought smiles and laughter to all. Walking through the “Bethlehem Marketplace” gave everyone a chance to experience crafts, local service projects and…

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Heirloom decorations a family tradition

By JEFF SNYDER MOUNT AYR, Iowa — A baby’s first Christmas, the Eiffel Tower ornament from that trip to France or the handmade Popsicle stick cross covered in colorful glitter, these are all holiday decorations that stand the test of time. Each year dust covered boxes reemerge from the basement or attic and open up…

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Super Moon on full display

By Jeff Snyder MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The last full moon of the year came and went on December 4. In addition to being the last, it was also one of the most spectacular moons of the year. Each full moon is assigned a name and in this case, perhaps aptly named, this one was…

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Mount Ayr Community Schools Winter Concert Delights

by Jeff Snyder MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The MACS students treated all comers to their annual Christmas/Winter concert on Monday night. The program included performances by all grade levels including choir performances by elementary students as well as those in the advanced grades. The program consisted of traditional holiday favorites and contemporary takes on lesser…

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