Governor mentions Emmet Co. brothers in Condition of the State

Governor Reynolds delivered her Condition of the State address on Jan. 14 and recognized Drew and Aaron Howing of Emmet County. The Howing brothers set out on June 23 with their boat and drone to …

Council talks trash, public safety

The Estherville city council approved significant public safety measures at Monday evening’s meeting, including a revised agreement for school resource officer at Estherville Lincoln Central School …

Emmet County Board of Supervisors

Rising costs and needed infrastructure repairs have challenged the Emmet County Fair Board, the Emmet County Board of Supervisors heard at their Tuesday, Feb. 21 meeting. Fair Board members Cami …

Local News
State health officials are intensifying their focus on Emmet County and surrounding communities as new data reveals both local and statewide concerns about cancer rates. The 2024 Cancer in Iowa …
Lexie Ruter, Emmet County Economic Development Director and Estherville Chamber Director spoke with Estherville Rotary Club last week about a wealth of economic development topics. Top of mind was …
A piece of Estherville history is getting a fresh start as local entrepreneurs Mike Eggers and Kristi Riley prepare to open The Depot, an innovative liquor store and tasting room in the former movie …
Jon Hoss closed his purchase from Al Robinson of the former Estherville Drug building in August 2023. After an initial plan to divide the storefront space into three retail spaces, bringing it back …
St. Mary’s Church in Armstrong held its final regularly-scheduled mass together on Sunday, Jan. 12. This goodbye was hardly the end of the newly-renovated building’s use in the community, …
Obituaries
Funeral services for Joyce E. King, 90, of Estherville, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Estherville Lutheran Church in Estherville with Pastor Tim Johnson officiating. Interment …
Funeral services for Lawrence (Larry) Behrends, 72, of Mesa, Ariz., formerly of Estherville, will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Estherville. Visitation will be at …
  Maxine Louise (Eaton) Skattebo was born October 21, 1929, at Emmetsburg, Iowa to Mable Brown Eaton and Floyd I Eaton. She passed away on January 11, 2025, at Lakeview Methodist Health …
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial for Dorothy Ann Mergen, 92, of Estherville, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Estherville with Father Paul Kelly …
Local Sports

Midgets’ defense locks down Indians

A rivalry can often bring out a team’s best performance. That was the case last Friday as Class 3A No. 2 Estherville Lincoln Central hosted Class 3A No. 6 Spirit Lake in girls’ …

HMS too strong for ELC

The Estherville Lincoln Central Boys Bowling Team took on one of the top teams in the area’s Class 1A district in hosting Hartley-Melvin Sanborn last Thursday. “We fought to a 20 pin lead at …

Spirit Lake takes control in second half to defeat ELC

The Estherville Lincoln Central boys were hanging with visiting Spirit Lake through the first part of the third quarter in hoops action last Friday. The Midgets had cut the deficit to three points, …

Midgets split non-conference duals in Rock Valley

ROCK VALLEY – A short-handed Estherville Lincoln Central Wrestling Team split a pair of non-conference duals last Thursday in Rock Valley. The Midgets defeated Central Lyon/George-Little Rock …
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

Memoir redefines the City of Light

“We’ll always have Paris,” Rick tells Ilsa in the classic film Casablanca in which Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman set for the ages Paris as a backdrop for romance. Some even consider the …

Sinister Graves offers in-depth character

    Marcie R. Rendon reprises her fascinating character Cash Blackbear in Sinister Graves, third in a trilogy about a young Native woman whose special powers make her an invaluable …
Michael Tidemann

Hatten biography recalls baseball glory days

With baseball season now in full swing, what could be a better read than the biography of a small-town boy who made it big in the major leagues. That’s the theme of Joe Hatten: Bancroft Major …