Area News

Bret Ruggles is the new activity director at Mount Ayr Community Middle/High School following action at a special meeting of the MAC board of directors Monday, March 24. Ruggles replaces long-time AD Scott Giles, who decided to step away from those duties. The change is effective at the conclusion of the current school year. In…

Motorists driving Iowa 2 between Interstate 29 and U.S. 275 in Fremont County need to be aware of an upcoming bridge replacement project that may slow down their trip. Beginning on Monday, April 7, until October 7, weather permitting, crews will remove and replace three bridges on Iowa 2, according to the Iowa Department of…

Three local taxing authorities will hold their tax levy public hearings next week for Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). The levy hearing for Ringgold County is scheduled for Monday, March 24 at 10 a.m. in the supervisors’ office on the second floor of the county courthouse. The levy hearing for…

In a move that surprised many area high school sports fans, the Central Decatur board of directors has approved a transition to 8-man football. According to an article in the March 5 Leon Journal-Reporter, the 8-man format will be adopted in middle school in Fall 2025 and at the junior varsity level in 2026, with…

The Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce will host a town hall with state senator Tom Shipley and state representative Devon Wood on Saturday, March 29 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Assembly Room at the Ringgold County courthouse. As in past years, the legislators will provide opening comments and then take questions from attendees. The…

[Editor’s note: In recognition of Mount Ayr’s sesquicentennial observance in September, the Record-News will run an occasional feature story recounting the early days of the city and county. Items are told in the vernacular of the day in which they were written, but some have been edited with discretion.] Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in Ringgold…

In 2022, Southwestern Community College in Creston received a $1 million grant from the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund to increase access to career academy programs in high-demand fields through new regional centers, including one in Mount Ayr. At that time, the project stalled. However, in minutes from the February meeting of the SWCC board…

At their regular meeting held Monday, March 10, the Mount Ayr Community Schools board of directors heard results from the latest round of testing at the elementary, approved e-rate funding for tech projects, and approved the renewal of sharing agreements with neighboring school districts. Assessment results “I’m very excited.” Those were the words used by…

Volunteers are preparing to usher in a new ongoing community meal being called “Open Table,” which will be held on the last Sunday of each month. The goal of The Open Table Project is to provide a free hot meal, and gather friends and neighbors around “the dinner table.” The United Baptist-Presbyterian Church have offered…

The Ringgold County Veterans Affairs office is continuing to work with the Central Iowa VA Healthcare Center out of Des Moines to assist rural Veterans in receiving medical and mental healthcare treatment locally. The Virtual Mobile Clinic (VMC), a 38 ½ foot recreational vehicle modified as a healthcare center, will be coming every other month…