Theatrical morning as sign comes down

Last Thursday morning, workers from Ace Sign Displays in South Sioux City, Nebraska arrived in Estherville to remove the marquee from the former movie theater and put up a new sign for the Grand …

Council OKs new commercial building

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation highlighted significant achievements and unveiled new programs during its 14th annual business recognition luncheon, which drew approximately 275 …

Zoning administrator proposal presented

The Emmet County Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday, Feb. 4 meeting heard a private agency contract proposal for planning and zoning services. Steve Hallgren of Planning Solutions LLC proposed a …

Local News
Cancer in 2025 is a story of hope and progress across generations Reporter’s note: I have told the story in this newspaper, years ago, of my high school friend, Dawn, who would have been my …
The Ringsted Community Improvement Organization at its Sunday, Jan. 26 meeting agreed to hire a contractor to shore up the basement walls of the Ringsted Danish Museum. The group received two bids …
Saturday night, officials of RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, announced the 2025 route, and Estherville will host the third night. Estherville hasn’t been a stop on the …
After performing January 23 for a friendly audience during the Speech Showcase in the Estherville Lincoln Central High School Little Theater, speech competitors traveled to district competition …
Talon Development has spent more than a decade developing, building, and managing multifamily real estate projects across Iowa, focusing on areas where housing options are limited and demand is high. …
Obituaries
Funeral services for Rozella Swalve, 87, of Estherville, will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the Estherville Lutheran in Estherville. Interment will be at East Side Cemetery, …
Paul H. Farber, 76, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died on Jan. 31, 2025, at Bickford of Cedar Falls after enduring Alzheimer’s disease for 4 years. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, …
James “Jim” Dalen, 78, passed away on January 12, 2025. Jim was raised on a farm near Wallingford and graduated from Graettinger HS in 1964. He met and married his soulmate Jane in 1967. …
Funeral services for Arla Stebritz, 74, of Armstrong, will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Armstrong. Interment will be held at a later date at …
Local Sports
Estherville Lincoln Central is the 2025 Lakes Conference Wrestling Tournament champions. Front from left are Austin Bradley, Breidyn Coulter, Gustavo Chitic-Aguilar, Warren Duitsman, Clayton Burton, Aiden White, Aiden Deim; back row: head coach Nate Dunlavy, Rafael Diaz, Bennett Duitsman, Braxton Johnson, coach Dan Burton, James Richard, Dylan Peta, Layton Yager, Brody Olson, Wes Martin, and coach Trevor Olson.

History in the making

SPIRIT LAKE — It’s been a long time a comin’. The Estherville Lincoln Central Wrestling Team won its first Lakes Conference title since 1990 at the annual meet last Thursday. ELC crowned …
Isabelle Harris, Terra Swedin, and Trista Guinn will represent GTRA/ELC at the Class 1A State Tournament this week.

Three Titans punch state tickets

SIOUX CENTER — Three Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire/Estherville Lincoln Central wrestlers will make a trip to state following action at the Class 1A Regional in Sioux Center last …

Estherville’s first 2,000-point scorer

With her 22 points on Friday, Jan. 24 against Storm Lake, Estherville Lincoln Central senior Haylee Stokes became the second player in school history to reach 2,000 points. The second player you …

Sheldon survives ELC rally

The Estherville Lincoln Central Boys Basketball Team was on the verge of getting its third victory of the season. The Midgets held a 47-45 lead late in Monday game against Sheldon. However, the …
From the opinion pages

Champions in Education say thank you

Dear Estherville Community, New Year’s Eve was special this year as we were honored by the ELC School Foundation as Champions in Education. In 2025, the Foundation will have served ELC for 30 …

Relay for Life Committee says thanks

The Emmet County Relay for Life Committee would like to thank you for your generous support and contributions to our fundraising events throughout 2024. No one is untouched when it comes to cancer; …

What a firefighter knows

I think that you will find that almost every community, no matter the size, has a Fire Department. The really big cities will have Career Departments where the firefighters work at the station until …

Local columns

The Rowley Report

The third week brought the capital city a reprieve of the cold weather and we were lucky to have several days of 40 plus degrees and sunshine. Inside we continued to hold subcommittee and …

Highlights from Henry

HSB 47: School Safety Enhancement House Study Bill 47 is one of the bills I served on the subcommittee for this week. After passing the subcommittee, the Education committee passed HSB 47 to …

The Rowley Report

The second week of this legislative session was shortened due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day. Monday, we also celebrated the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. It …