The moment Carter Kupper realized Donald Trump won the election last fall, he started looking at flights and making plans to attend the second inauguration of President Trump. Kupper solidified his travel plans during December, and by early January Kupper had everything lined up to attend the swearing in of the 47th president of the…

[Editor’s Note: This week we present the third of a four-part series examining student enrollments in area school districts. Last week’s article presented the effects of open enrollment on district populations. This week presents average grade size as a potential indicator of future district enrollments.] As has been documented in this series of articles dealing…

The calendar for the 2025-26 school year and personnel were main topics of discussion at the Monday, February 10 meeting of the Mount Ayr Community Schools board of directors. Calendar District superintendent Jason Shaffer presented three potential calendars for the board to review. Once calendar would closely resemble the current calendar with the first and…

Despite below-normal precipitation in January, drought conditions remain stable across the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update. January’s preliminary statewide precipitation was 0.32 inches, or 0.65 inches below normal. January is typically the driest month for the state, but increased rainfall during the previous months helped prevent drought conditions from deteriorating. Total rainfall…