Obituary: Verden Dean Olney
Verden Dean Olney was born January 18, 1938, in rural Redding, Iowa to Carl and Vane (Paxson) Olney. He passed away on May 4, 2026, at the age of 88 in Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Dean left home at 17 years old and went to Chicago then to Texas and lived with the Caldwell family. He…
Read MoreGolf ready for postseason: Boys Second, Girls Third
By Ryan Stonebreaker MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The regular season is quickly getting to the postseason part of the schedule for high school golf and the Mount Ayr boys and girls golf teams hosted one last regular season meet last Thursday. The Mount Ayr boys team placed second and the girls third at their respective meets.…
Read MoreRaider boys take second at POI meet, 4×400 champs
By Ryan Stonebreaker CORNING, Iowa — The Mount Ayr boy’s track and field team placed second at last weeks Pride of Iowa Conference. The Raiders, SW Valley and Lennox were locked in a battle for the team title. SW Valley would ultimately win the POI title for the first time in their program’s history, scoring 119…
Read MoreRaiderettes claim 12th conference title
By Ryan Stonebreaker CORNING, Iowa — Led by eight events wins, the Mount Ayr girl’s track and field team won the program’s 12th team title at last week’s Pride of Iowa Conference meet. It is Mount Ayr’s first title since 2018. Mount Ayr won the shot put and high jump in field events; the 100, 200…
Read MoreRaiderettes win four events at home co-ed
By Ryan Stonebreaker MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The Raiderettes track and field team picked up a third place finish last Thursday as they hosted the Dave Still Mark Larsen co-ed Relays. Mount Ayr scored 94 points to place third behind meet champion Interstate 35 with 135 points and meet runner-up Wayne with a score of…
Read More4 In A Row, Mount Ayr are POI champs again
By Ryan Stonebreaker INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Mount Ayr boys golf team won their fourth straight Pride of Iowa Conference team title after winning the 2026 meet last Tuesday at Indianola. The Raiders scored a team low 337 points, seven strokes ahead of runner-up Nodaway Valley. The Raiders had three players earn all-conference honors for being…
Read MoreShaffer wins POI championship
By Ryan Stonebreaker AFTON, Iowa — The Raiderettes Jaylee Shaffer was the individual Pride of Iowa Conference champion during the POI meet last Wednesday in Afton. The East Union girl’s golf team captured the 2026 Pride of Iowa Conference title after holding off Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Mount Ayr. The Eagles had the advantage of playing…
Read MoreRaiders compete at Still / Larsen Relays
By Ryan Stonebreaker MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The second meet of a busy week saw the Raiders track and field team host the Dave Still/Mark Larsen Relays with a 12-team turnout. The top-3 teams were separated by only 1.5 points in the final team standings. Lenox won the meet with a team score of 107 points,…
Read MoreLOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull
One Hundred Years Ago (From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, May 5, 1926.* Note there were two May 5, 1926 in this volume.) The homecoming under the auspices of the P.T.A. organization was held at Lone Star school in Benton township Saturday, April 24. About 80 people were present. Former teachers present were Monroe Newton, Oscel Brown,…
Read MoreSnapshots of History by Mike Avitt
The Humeston & Shenandoah Railroad, a branch of the Keokuk & Western Railway, came through Tingley in the second half of 1882. Let’s see what the town did in preparation for the coming of the iron horse. There is an especially helpful article in the May 18, 1882 Ringgold Record newspaper. The railroad surveyors had…
Read More