With fewer than 100 days to go to the November election, retired three-star Admiral and candidate for U.S. Senate Mike Franken will hold several public meetings across western and southern Iowa, as Franken nears the milestone of holding at least one public meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. He will conduct a Palo Alto Meet and Greet from 2-3 p.m., Saturday, at Soper Park in Emmetsburg. Franken is running to challenge Sen. Charles Grassley.

Fairgoers will be able to enjoy a farmer’s market experience and learn more about locally produced foods at the 2022 Clay County Fair powered by SMU, Sept. 10-18.

“Ag education is what the Clay County Fair is all about,” fair manager Jeremy Parsons said. “We are excited this year to expand our ag education efforts across the fairgrounds, and this unique market will be one of the centerpieces of that effort.”

OKOBOJI — Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic choreography — “Legally Blonde” is so much fun, it should be illegal! Harvard's beloved blonde takes the stage by pink storm in this fabulously fun, upbeat story of self-discovery and award-winning musical based on the adored movie, “Legally Blonde.” The musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams.

ESTHERVILLE — The Iowa Lakes Community College Foundation will hold a fundraising event for the Steve Reighard Memorial Scholarship on Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Izaak Walton League grounds.

The event will include a trap shoot, silent auction, and lunch. The trap shoot will consist of two rounds of 25, with a cost of $25 per round for those who supply their rounds and $45 for those who do not. Lunch will be $10, with freewill donations also accepted at the event.

The P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education was established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women in the U.S. and Canada whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to complete a degree or certification that will improve their marketable skills for employment to support themselves and/or their families.

ESTHERVILLE — Community Colleges for Iowa selected Iowa Lakes Community College employees Corey Menning and Cindy Oviatt to receive the Outstanding Faculty and Staff awards at the annual Trustee Conference on July 21. The conference was hosted by Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. The Outstanding Faculty and Staff awards recognize faculty, staff, leaders and trustees from Iowa's 15 community colleges dedicated to excellence and accessible education.

DES MOINES — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Matt Russell announced that 12 Iowa counties are authorized for emergency haying or grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program acres for fiscal year 2022. FSA's fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. The six counties approved for emergency haying or grazing include: Buena Vista, Clay, Ida, Palo Alto, Pocahontas and Sac.

WEST DES MOINES — Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker named Aaron Wiese as Hy-Vee’s next CEO, effective Oct. 1. Wiese is currently vice chairman of Hy-Vee Inc. and president of the company’s supply chain and subsidiaries. Jeremy Gosch will remain as president and chief operating officer of Hy-Vee, overseeing all of the retail operations for the business. With the announcement, Wiese and Gosch will continue to report to Edeker, who will continue to serve as Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board.

The Spencer Chamber Ambassadors recently visited Spencer McDonald’s to see the remodeled store, new ordering services and meet the staff. (Photo submitted)

After several months of drafting, review and a public hearing resulting in a recommendation from the Planning Zoning Commission, Spencer’s City Council discussed amending the city’s current ordinance to allow chickens within city limits during their meeting on Monday. After a 4-3 vote, the first filing was approved by the council.

A contract for an upcoming project to establish a city sewer system on 25th Street and 11th Avenue Southeast was awarded to Valley Contracting by the Spencer City Council during Monday’s council meeting. The contract was awarded at $426,931, which, was 98% of the engineers estimate according to Ross McWhirter, engineer from Kruse, Cate and Nelson.

A decision has yet to be made on whether the power should be restored at the trailer park located at 317 W. 18th St. A hearing took place on Tuesday in Clay County District Court, with Judge Shayne Mayer receiving a request from petitioners for a permanent injunction.

A crowd of supporters turned out for Boys Town’s 11th annual Blue Water Bash Fundraiser at Camp Okoboji. Celebrating the end of their two-week summer camp, Boys Town youth shared their stories and their satisfaction with the program. Eventgoers enjoyed music entertainment from DJ Ness and violinists B2Wins, as well as a live auction of gift items to raise money. With hopes of winterizing the Okoboji camp, Boys Town’s goal of fundraising $100,000 that night was met.

The Northwest Bank Stage will feature six different quality acts at the 2022 Clay County Fair powered by SMU, Sept. 10-18. This is just a portion of the $180,000 in free entertainment offered to fairgoers.

No damage was reported after the Spencer Fire Department responded to a gas leak at 1605 Third Ave. E. Friday. Deputy Fire Chief Mark Stover said the crew was responding to a gas line break before the meter, and they had managed to slow and secure the leak until Black Hills Energy arrived to shut off the gas. Though a few houses were evacuated, Stover reported no one had been injured. (Photo by Celia Brocker)