(Armstrong) – The city of Armstrong experienced a power outage for a period of time at around 5:30 this morning due to a downed power line. Emmet County Emergency Management Director Travis Sheridan.
The downed power line was located near Bank Midwest. A hole was melted into the asphalt cement near the power line. Power was restored to the city by 8:30 this morning.
(Spencer)--It’s day seven of the 2026 Clay County Fair in Spencer. One of the most popular attractions at the fair is Grandpa’s Barn which gives kids the chance to see baby farm animals while learning about Iowa’s number one industry – agriculture. Ben Pullen with the Clay County Fair Board says Grandpa’s Barn is in its 16th year at the fair.
Pullen says visitors will see a variety of farm animals.
He says visitors to the barn can also try their hand at milking a cow and the combine simulator.
Grandpa’s Barn is located on the northwest corner of the fairgrounds.
(Estherville) – The Iowa Lakes Community College Music Department invites the community to an elegant evening of music, fine food, and philanthropy during UNCORKED, a new semi-formal fundraising gala on Saturday, October 17th at 5 p.m. at the Janice K. Lund Performing Arts Center on the Estherville Campus. Jessi Strom with the Iowa Lakes Music Department says the event is a revival of Corks and Kegs.
All the proceeds raised will benefit the Estherville Performing Arts Series. Strom says tickets are now available.
To purchase tickets, contact the Iowa Lakes Music Department at 712-362-7918 or email music@iowalakes.edu.
(Spencer)—One of the strolling acts visitors can see at this year’s Clay County Fair is The Cup Guy. His shows features trick shots, hilarious stunts and red cups. Brian Koenig performs as “The Cup Guy” and has been doing solo live shows for the past 6 years.
Koenig says he’s performed in many fairs across the United States.
Koenig says he has loved what he’s seen from the Clay County Fair.
The Cup Guy performs four shows every day at the Fair. Performance times are at 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, and 3:30pm. For more information, visit claycountyfair.com.
(Estherville)--Iowa Lakes Community College has been awarded $2 million in federal funding to continue its TRIO Talent Search program for another five years.
The new grant provides $400,000 annually from 2026 through 2031. The award follows a highly competitive federal grant cycle marked by significant changes to the Talent Search competition and provides long-term stability for a program that has served generations of students and families throughout the Iowa Lakes region.
TRIO Talent Search is a federally funded college and career access program serving students in grades 6–12, with an emphasis on students who are potential first-generation college students or meet federal income guidelines. Services are provided at no cost to students or families.
Under the new grant, Iowa Lakes will serve students in the Algona, Bishop Garrigan, Emmetsburg, Emmetsburg Catholic, Estherville Lincoln Central, Graettinger-Terril, North Union, Okoboji, Ruthven-Ayrshire, Spencer, Spirit Lake High School and West Bend-Mallard school districts.
The new grant also expands Iowa Lakes Talent Search services to Pocahontas Area Community School District.
(Spirit Lake)--Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company has announced that a newly-constructed distribution facility in Spirit Lake is set to open in November.
The new facility is located in the East Lake Industrial Park on Highway 9 East in Spirit Lake. All 36 employees in sales, distribution, merchandising, warehouse and administration will relocate to the new facility in phases throughout November and December.
Company officials say the new building will modernize operations and improve the work experience for its team members in Spirit Lake. The move will also eliminate the traffic congestion occasionally caused in front of 18th Street as trucks backed in and out of docks.
The construction of the 7,750-square-foot facility is set to be completed and opened in November 2026. Atlantic Bottling purchased the 8-acre lot in December 2025.
Coca-Cola has been in Spirit Lake, since its 18th Street location was built in 1948.
(Washington, D.C.)-- Diesel prices have surged to a record high just as harvest begins in Iowa, forcing farmers to pay more to fuel equipment during one of the busiest times of the year. The average price of a gallon of diesel in the U.S. hit a record high of $6.27 on Tuesday, according to the American Automobile Association. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the Trump Administration could lower the price of diesel fuel by placing an embargo on diesel fuel exports. He points to similar actions by past presidents.
Grassley says those high fuel costs eventually make their way to the consumer.
On another topic, President Trump has proposed paying every American $5,000 if Republicans win the mid-term elections. When asked about the proposal, Grassley touted the things Congress has done this session to lower taxes.
Grassley says he wants to wait until after the election before commenting on Trump’s proposal.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.
(Spencer)--One of the free entertainment acts at this year’s Clay County Fair is Elephant Encounter. Samantha is the emcee for the Elephant Encounter and explains how it got started.
Samantha says the act will also educate fairgoers about Asian elephants.
The Elephant Encounter is located just north of the Farmer’s Bank Stage. Performance times are 11 am and 2 pm during the week and 11, 2 and 5 on Saturday and Sunday.
(Estherville)--The city of Estherville is removing the traffic signals at a downtown intersection. City crews will be removing the traffic signal lights at the intersection of North 6th St. and 2nd Avenue North.
Motorists and pedestrians need to be mindful of the changes at the intersection. North 6th St. traffic will have the right of way. Cross traffic on 2nd Avenue North must obey the stop signs before entering the intersection.
(Spencer)--A Spencer woman is facing multiple charges for financially exploiting an older individual.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday arrested 58-year-old Amy Schneider of Spencer on an active Clay County Warrant on charges of Financial Exploitation of an Older Individual, a Class B Felony, Theft in the 1st Degree, a class C felony and Theft in the 2nd Degree and 3 counts of Forgery, all class D felonies.
Schneider was being held without bond. A no contact order was issued preventing Schneider from having any contact with the victim.
A preliminary hearing for Schneider is set for October 5th at 3:45 pm in Clay County District Court.
(Estherville)--Iowa Lakes Community College is reporting a 4.4 percent increase in student headcount for the Fall 2026 semester compared to the previous fall.
Iowa Lakes Community College President Scott Stokes says Iowa Lakes is continually looking at what students are seeking and what our communities and employers need.
Enrollment growth this fall can be seen across both transfer and career and technical programs. Transfer majors increased 13 percent compared to last fall and have grown 50 percent over the past two years. Several career and technical programs also experienced notable growth: including Cosmetology, up 46 percent; HVAC, up 23 percent; and Construction Technology, up 18 percent.
The Fall 2026 increase also builds on the longer-term enrollment growth that Iowa Lakes has experienced. Current headcount is 2.9% above the three-year average and 3.3% above the five-year average, reflecting continued strength in the number of students accessing education through Iowa Lakes.
The growth extends to students who are beginning their college experience before graduating from high school. Secondary enrollment increased 15.2% compared to Fall 2025, as more students take advantage of the ability to begin college coursework through Iowa Lakes.
(Estherville)--The Emmet County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved signing of the Substantial Completion Certificate with Christensen Construction for the Courthouse Addition. The board also approved change order paperwork reflecting a credit of $42,860 for the project.
The board discussed a leak in the Sheriff’s Office that started after construction on the new addition began. The leak is where the addition and the sheriff’s office adjoin. Steve Christensen of Christensen Construction joined the meeting by phone and agreed to fix the leak. Auditor Heidi Goebel says the county can now take possession of the addition.
In other business, Supervisor Jeff Quastad was appointed to the YES Center Board with John Pluth serving as an alternate.
Pluth also reported that Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative CEO Ryan Craig would like to be on a future Board agenda to discuss the positives and negatives of data centers.
(Estherville)--The 2nd season of the Estherville Performing Arts series kicks-off with Jive for Five on Tuesday, September 22nd at the Janice K Lund Performing Arts Center on the Estherville Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College. Jessi Strom with the Iowa Lakes Music Department says the concert begins at 7 pm.
Strom says the 2026-2027 Performing Arts Series will feature a total of six performances.
She says some of the performers will be working with local students.
Strom explains how to get tickets for one or all of the performances.
Strom spoke with Dave Van Roekel Tuesday morning on KILR FM 95.9.
(Spencer)--The Iowa State Patrol is emphasizing the importance of seat belt usage at the Clay County Fair. Iowa State Trooper Kevin Krull says they have a new simulator at this year’s fair that shows the dangers of being unbuckled in a rollover accident.
Krull explains how the simulator works.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, unrestrained occupants account for about 47% to 50% of all passenger vehicle fatalities. Krull says the numbers are even worse if you are ejected from the vehicle.
Krull says speeding remains a major concern on Iowa roads.
The rollover simulator is located on the north edge of the depot building at the Clay County Fairgrounds.
(Rock Rapids)--Two area residents are facing drug charges following a traffic stop earlier this month in Rock Rapids.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says the traffic stop occurred about 2 am on September 5th after a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer was observed driving erratically at the intersection of Highway 9 and North Lincoln Street in Rock Rapids.
According to the incident report, the driver, 38-year-old Bryan Kladstrup of Spencer, had bloodshot/water eyes slurred speech and jittery movements. He later showed multiple signs of impairment during field sobriety tests, and a urine sample tested positive for multiple substances.
The Rock Valley Police Department K-9 Gus gave a positive alert, providing probable cause to search the vehicle. During the search two plastic baggies containing a white crystallized substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine were found.
One of the baggies was found in a back pack belonging to a passenger in the vehicle, 38-year-old Jonathon Heidebrink of Milford.
Kladstrup was charged with first-offense operating while under the influence and possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine, third or subsequent offense.
Heidebrink was charged with second-offense possession of a controlled substance- methamphetamine.
(Estherville)--A disturbing social media trend featuring a sinister version of the beloved children's book character the Cat in the Hat is prompting warnings from schools and law enforcement agencies across the country. Estherville Lincoln Central Superintendent Andy Armstead says he first became aware of the A-I generated Tik Tok videos last week.
Armstead says such videos can go viral in a hurry.
He says school officials always take such threats very seriously.
Armstead says students or parents who see a video with a threatening message should report it to school officials or law enforcement.
Armstead made his comments on the ELC Superintendent Spotlight program which can be heard every Saturday at 8:45 am on KILR FM 95.9.
(Arnolds Park)—Officials are pleased with the just concluded summer tourism season in the Iowa Great Lakes. Kiley Zankowski with Okoboji Tourism says it was a very successful season.
Zankowski says the price of gas may have caused some people to vacation closer to home.
She says as expected the 4th of July was the busiest weekend of the summer.
She says Labor Day was also very busy.
Zankowski says they hope to keep attracting visitors in the fall.
Zankowski says the peak locations for visitors continues to be Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Des Moines, Omaha, and Minneapolis, but they’ve also seen an increase in the number of visitors from Chicago, Kansas City, and Wisconsin.
(Graettinger)--Four people are facing charges after an underage drinking investigation earlier this month at a Graettinger bar.
On September 5th at approximately 10:45 p.m. the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office investigated minors consuming alcohol underage at the Side Street Saloon in Graettinger. After an investigation, deputies arrested 19-year-old Carson Baak of Ruthven, 20-year-old Kellen Sikora of Ruthven and 20-year-old Isaac Murphy of Graettinger with possession of alcohol under the legal age.
Subsequently, 25-year-old Thomas Scott of Graettinger was charged with one count of employee supplying alcohol to person under legal age.
(Graettinger)--A Graettinger man has been arrested on grooming and other charges.
At approximately 8:10 pm Friday, the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office arrested 32-year-old Drew Kingswan of Graettinger on valid Palo Alto County arrest warrants for Enticing a Minor Under the Age of 16, a class "D" felony, Grooming, which is also a class "D" felony, and Telephone Dissemination of Obscene Material to Minor 1st Offense, which is an aggravated misdemeanor.
Kingswan was booked into the Palo Alto County Jail to await his initial appearance before a Judge. He was given a $12,000 cash only bond.
Kingswan was also arrested earlier this month in Dickinson County on two counts of enticing a minor under the age of 16 for the purpose of sexual abuse and two counts of grooming, all class D felonies.
(Okoboji)--The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released more details regarding a boat crash that injured two people Saturday evening on East Lake Okoboji.
The DNR says at around 7 pm, a 42-foot-long catamaran style racing boat was operating on East Lake Okoboji between Stoney Point and the Narrows when it collided with a dock and launched over a boat hoist containing a boat, came ashore, and crossed 255th Avenue before coming to rest.
The operator, 73-year-old Duane Ver Meer, and a passenger, 68-year-old Lisa Ver Meer, both of Spirit Lake, were reportedly trapped under the boat. They were both freed and taken by ambulance to Lakes Regional Healthcare before being transferred to a Sioux Falls hospital. Their conditions currently are not available.
The Iowa DNR, Iowa State Patrol, Spirit Lake Fire and Rescue, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office and the Spirit Lake Police Department all esponded to the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Sportscast - 09/18/26
ELC Superintendent Andy Armstead talks social media and A.I. concerns
R-A Principal Courtney Cook - Upcoming Events Taking Place in Ruthven
Supt. Travis Schueller - Bond Referendum Information for New Gymnasium/Multipurpose Area
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