Area News

January Celebrations Randy Taylor was sworn in to the Board of Supervisors. Local couple Mack and Jeanine Greene retired from their jobs at the Mount Ayr Hy-Vee after more than two decades. Mack started at Hy-Vee on June 6, 1999 and retired January 1, 2023 after over 23 years of service. Jeanine started her time…

The council moved forward with offering new insurance options for employees, and reversed their decision to fix the broken down garbage truck at the regular meeting of the Mount Ayr City Council Monday, December 18. Health Insurance After a thorough presentation of employee health insurance options available, Mount Ayr city council members had a lengthy…

New ipads for board members, a good revenue for the short month and various miscellaneous items highlighted the regular monthly meeting of the Ringgold County Hospital board of trustees, held Monday, December 11. Starting off the meeting, board members were given new ipads. The ipads will be used to share information between board members and…

The 2023 Iowa State University Land Value Survey reported a 3.7% increase to $11,835 per acre for average Iowa farmland values from November 2022 to November 2023. This continues the increase in land values from last year, and the $11,835/acre nominal land value is the highest ever since data collection began in the 1940s. However,…

Members of the Mount Ayr Fire Department and First Responders were called to a two-car accident on Friday afternoon in front of the Ringgold County Hospital driveway. According to the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department, at approximately 3:45 p.m., a vehicle driven by Bricey Ann Gorman of Mount Ayr was leaving the parking lot of the…

On December 7 eight Ringgold County residents presented a concept for the new pool planned at Judge Lewis Park to the Enhance Iowa Board in hopes of obtaining CAT grant funds. Two Mount Ayr high school students, Ryce Reynolds and Hayden Ruggles, traveled to Des Moines to take part in the eight minute presentation. They…

Local families in need of Christmas food One hundred and 80 Ringgold County families will need help putting a Christmas dinner on the table this year. To help a local family have a good Christmas, you can purchase a $10 Christmas box when you check out at the Mount Ayr Hy-Vee. Matura Neighborhood Center will…

The Mount Ayr board of education elected 2023-2024 officers, renewed early retirement policies, and approved free student breakfast in 2024 between January – March during their annual organizational meeting Monday, December 11. Samantha Jo Elliott attended her first meeting in official capacity, taking part in lively discussions during the full meeting. Board Officers Elected Patricia…

High winds, tornadoes, hail, derechos and flooding have caused considerable damage across Iowa in recent years. Insurance companies are now shouldering the burden as claims rise in Iowa, and are bracing against the impact. “Now is not a good time to be shopping for [home and auto] insurance policies,” says Lois Ibbotson with Tyler Insurance.…

The fate of a broken down garbage truck was the main topic of discussion at the regular meeting of the Mount Ayr city council Monday, December 4. The council considered whether to leave a garbage truck, that had been used for over 7 years with 84,000 miles on it, at Trivista in Altoona for repairs,…