Measles are a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications and death, particularly for babies and children under 5 years. Given that vaccination rates have dropped over the years, it is possible that measles will make an appearance in our hospitals, clinics and communities.

GROTON, Conn. ― The U.S. Navy is commissioning of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Iowa (SSN 797), on April 5, at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.

Scheduled for a 10 a.m., ceremony start, is expected to last 60 to 90 minutes. The commissioning is the time when the Navy accepts a new ship into the fleet, and it becomes a United States Ship (USS) for the first time.

The Spencer Community School District is proposing a modest property tax levy increase for the 2026 fiscal year, a move made necessary by the district’s multimillion-dollar flood repair bill.

Driver cited for failure to obey stop sign

The Spencer School District has taken steps to partner with the Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates program, or iJAG, beginning next school year to give struggling students more opportunities to connect their school work to a potential career.

"We've found that many students who are unsuccessful simply don't see the point of their education," Spencer High School Principal Kristen Doebel said. "This program is about instilling hope by helping students see a future that excites them."

Spencer Rotary Club be accepting gently used books on April 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the parking lot outside Spencer Municipal Utilities. The book drive will be conducted the second Friday of each month through October — weather permitting. The collection doesn’t accept encyclopedias, text books, magazines or moldy books. (Photo submitted)

Iowa historical fiction writer, Ann Hanigan Kotz, will take the audience through the early 20th century in her program, “Iowa’s Prohibition & Bootlegging Legacy.”

The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, at 4-5:30 p.m., and is open to the public aged 21 years and over, free of charge.

The search is underway for the next Clay County Fair Queen, with applications now being accepted for the 2025 queen pageant. The winner, who will be crowned on Sunday, June 8, at the Clay County Regional Events Center. They will serve as an ambassador for the Clay County Fair and compete for the Iowa State Fair Queen title.

The Spencer Chamber of Commerce will host its final Eggs & Issues legislative forum on March 29. This forum offers residents of northwest Iowa the opportunity to connect with local legislators in a Q&A format.

The events will feature a panel from 9-10 a.m., with doors opening for first-come, first-served breakfast in Spencer City Hall Council Chambers.

The calendar says March so, chances are, Iowans have a blizzard warning day when it’s time to break out the frozen pizza and hunker down. That happened on March 4 and March 19.

Or, it’s a red flag warning, like on St. Patrick’s Day when conditions were too dry and windy to start a burn pile.

And soon the atmosphere will have enough energy to form anvil-shaped clouds over the Scharnberg Park swimming beach on a humid afternoon.

“Trafficking.”

It’s a major issue, and one which Algona’s Stacy Besch isn’t going to ignore.

Recently, Spencer resident Sonna Winther traveled to Cherokee to join a friend and see Besch talk to an audience in the evening. She addressed the school district’s fourth through 12th graders during the day.

Besch is committed to bring her presentation to all 900 communities in the state to bring a “tidal wave of awareness.”

After devastating flooding hit Spencer back in June 2024, CAASA, the Center Against Abuse and Sexual Assault, lost their main building to the stream of storm water.

Eight months later, CAASA celebrated its resilience and community support at their High-Stakes for Hope charity casino night, raising an estimated $16,000 to $17,000 for sexual assault survivors.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. ― A book tour promoting the release of “Amazing Iowa,” by Michelle Sprout Murray, is underway across the state. Murray will serve as the reader's tour guide as the author shares her home state through the written word, released by Reedy Press.

DES MOINES — As warmer weather arrives and winter turns to spring, the Iowa Insurance Division is reminding Iowans that now is the time to be thinking about flood insurance.

A Spencer man is facing four felonies and one misdemeanor charge after police say he stole dozens of Iowa lottery scratch-off tickets from a local business over the course of several months.