Area News

[Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of a four-part series examining student enrollments in area school districts. Last week’s article presented enrollment trends. This week focuses on the impact of private schools on public school enrollments, especially since the advent of Education Savings Accounts, also known as private school vouchers.] Iowa instituted its Education…

Diagonal students receive unexpected gift This summer promises to be an exciting time for a small group of Diagonal students. For 10 days in July, DHS freshmen Jaylynn Doolittle and Weston Drake and eighth-graders Avery Grace and Shae O’Kelley, along with their chaperons Lacy Doolittle and Crystal Drake, will embark on an educational tour of…

Once a nationally accredited foundation, the South Central Iowa Community Foundation (SCICF) is considering regaining their accreditation, but it is not a requirement to operate as a foundation. “They have a list of things they would like to see,” said SCICF Board Chair Dennis Jeter, while discussing accreditation in a phone conversation “a list of…

More details are emerging for Mount Ayr’s sesquicentennial celebration September 19-21. Musical headliners include the Final Mix show band, Ritchie Lee and the Fab 50s, the Mikey Needleman Band, Tony Bohnenkamp, Jake Schrodt Music, Jesse and the Medicine Men, the Ridge Runners, and Mount Ayr’s own Korbie Rinehart. The main stage will be set up…

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…

[Editor’s Note:This week we present the second of a three-part series examining student enrollments in area school districts. Last week’s article compared the latest certified enrollment numbers to those from five years ago. This week examines the effects of open enrollment on district populations.] Back in the 1989-1990 school year, Iowa was the second state…

It’s been a long time, but anything worth having is worth waiting for. And the wait is almost over for movies-goers in Ringgold County as the new projector has arrived at the Princess Theater in Mount Ayr. According to theater manager Karen Bender, installation of the projector should happen this week with the Princess back…