Area News

Veterans Day program honors local combat soldier A Veterans Day celebration was held at Mount Ayr Community School Monday. National Honor Society students Jaxy Knight, Brock Shaha and Olivia Huntington gave a presentation about the experience of a local veteran, Jerry Dean McAlexander, who served in Vietnam. Jerry’s wife, Rose, shared his medals, papers, and…

[Complied and written by the Iowa Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Iowa, Sponsored by Ringgold County Superintendent of Schools, Mount Ayr, Iowa. 1942. Published with permission from Ringgold County Gen Web iagenweb.org/ringgold] When the Civil War erupted, Mount Ayr was a village with only 250 residents. Editor George Burton…

by Mike Avitt On October 19, MOVE (Men Of Vision Evangelize) Ministries arrived in Tijuana, Mexico for a one week mission trip. Shannon City Community Church was well represented on this trip with six members aboard: Rev. Al Rusk, Scott Mitchell, Steve Johnston, Toby Williamson, Luke Still, and myself. We stayed at a facility called…

The 2024 general election resulted in no surprises in Ringgold County. With no opposition appearing on the ballot, supervisors Colby Holmes and Steve Knapp, auditor Amanda Waske, and sheriff Rob Haley all cruised to new terms in office. As expected, the Republican team of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance easily outdistanced their chief rivals, Democrats…

At their regular meeting Monday, October 28, the Ringgold County board of supervisors signed a 90-day employment agreement with Dr. Mike Wells to serve as county attorney on a part-time basis. The move fills the vacancy left by the resignation of long-time county attorney Clint Spurrier, who left that role to accept a position with…

[Editor’s note: In recognition of Mount Ayr’s sesquicentennial observance next year, 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.] By Mrs. B.M. Lesan (1862-1941)  In…

Ringgold County Hospital’s board of trustees met Monday, October 27 for the regular monthly meeting followed by a closed session. Amy Mobley led off the meeting sharing some recent real time responses from outpatients using RCH services. Occupational Therapy and Imaging were noted for positive comments received including “the care is top notch,” “they make…

Election Day 2024 is only five days away, and final preparations are in place for county voters. Early in-person voting A short time remains to cast an early in-person vote at the courthouse. To facilitate a last push for early voting, the Auditor’s Office be open until 5 p.m. Friday, November 1 and open from…

Last year, the Ringgold County Board of Supervisors approved both wind turbine and solar ordinances to establish minimum requirements and regulation of siting, construction, operation and decommissioning of commercial energy systems. While 1,500-2,000 feet setbacks from residences, businesses, property lines, and roadways are the industry standard, Ringgold County set larger set back distances based on…

Scholastic sports have traditionally been played on wide-open outdoor football, soccer, baseball/softball fields and running tracks or in large gymnasiums for volleyball, basketball, and wrestling. Players in the newest sport at Mount Ayr Community High School, however, compete in a tiny 12×8-foot room located off the school library. Say hello to the Raider Esports team!…