Clay County Community Foundation’s mission statement reads, “Connecting donors who care with causes that matter.” In the case of most of these grants presented, the “donor” is the state of Iowa. In 2005, any county that did not have a licensed gaming facility was offered the chance to share in that revenue by forming a county foundation, which Clay County did. Seventy-five percent of those dollars allocated to us from the State each year are distributed in the form of grants to nonprofits.

Farmers Trust and Savings Bank announced the addition of Nikole Madsen as a personal banker to the team. Madsen comes with over nine years of experience in banking and financial services, including retail banking, credit card services, and consumer and commercial lending.

“Create hope in the world.”

Cole Milbrath had the “privilege” of being a bone marrow donor for a 6-year-old girl battling leukemia.

“I simply answered the call God put before me,” Milbrath said. “… This Easter season I had the most life changing experience. I have been in the donor registry for many years now, but in January got the call to give this young girl and her family hope. I have two kids of my own so the emotions hit very close to home.”

In celebration of National Volunteer Month, in April, the Northwest Iowa Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) reaffirmed its commitment to serving local communities by providing essential volunteer services. This commitment is made possible through the renewal of an AmeriCorps grant, ensuring three more years of funding, and a continued partnership with Iowa Lakes Community College, the local sponsor of Northwest Iowa RSVP since 1977.

At around 2 p.m. Monday, April 8, the sun and moon will align almost perfectly above Spencer’s little corner of the Earth, causing a near-total eclipse.

New data has unearthed which states have the highest population of residents in treatment for alcohol abuse. The data shows that Iowa has the highest level of patients, with a rate of 254 people per 100,000 seeking help. According to the latest statistics, Iowa saw over 28,400 patients in treatment for any substance abuse issue, resulting in the state having a rate a huge 198% above the U.S. average (85 per 100,000).

The Spencer City Council’s Finance Committee delayed making a recommendation on purchasing two new fire trucks during its meeting on April 2 as members said they needed more information on financing alternatives.

On a 6-1 vote held on April 1, the Spencer City Council approved an agreement that one councilor said could see the city exchange $159,000 worth of services, assessment reductions, and land for a property valued at just shy of $95,000.

When the headline surfaced, "Officials confirm HPAI dairy infections" a thread began to unravel that we have not seen the end of yet. North America appears to be awash in bird flu virus as the wild bird migration traverses the continent. Biologists were concerned that at some point the virus would jump species to animals other than poultry. Finally, it happened when dairy cows in Texas and Kansas were confirmed to have been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza — or HPAI — virus.

On Saturday, March 2, Sioux Central’s FFA Chapter had seven LDEs and four CDEs perform at Orange City for District Contests. Out of all the events performed, three of them made it to state.

This year, the Spencer Community Schools Foundation awarded scholarships to 79 seniors on Sunday, March 17, at the Clay County Regional Events Center. These awards are available through benefactors, as well as annual contributions from those choosing to support students, the school and the community.

On March 9, Spencer High School traveled to Kuemper Catholic High School, in Carroll, for the IHSSA State Contest. Spencer qualified 35 entries for the state contest. These students performed and earned 30 I ratings and five II ratings.

The Sioux Central Community School District FFA Ag Issues Team visited the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in Des Moines on Thursday, March 28. They presented to Secretary Mike Naig and other department staff. Their topic is foreign ownership of farmland. Given that the bill to strengthen Iowa’s law will soon be signed by Gov.

DES MOINES — Heather White, of Linn Grove, has been named to the president's list for the winter 2024 quarter at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines. To qualify for the president's list, students must attain a GPA of at least 3.75, in their most recent quarter, for a minimum of four credit hours.

SHELDON — RISE Ministries announced Matthew West as the newest artist added to the RiseFest 2024 concert stage lineup.

“God is putting together an awesome lineup for RiseFest 2024,” RISE Ministries founder and President Rob Roozeboom said. “The addition of Matthew West on Saturday is incredible. Matthew is a great songwriter and his interaction with the audience is always so fun to watch. …”