The Spencer City Council, on Feb. 5, accepted a bid of $138,143 from Midwest Roofing Company to put a new roof on the city’s fire station.

Bill Northey, who was Iowa’s top agriculture official for more than a decade and a leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, died recently at the age of 64.

His death was publicly announced Monday by the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, of which he was chief executive.

“Bill was a tireless advocate for agriculture and a beloved leader,” the association said.

On Jan. 30, seven of Sioux Central's FFA members and one advisor went to Des Moines for the Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium. FFA members from across Iowa converged on the Iowa Capitol to build character, promote citizenship and volunteerism.

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate today announced the date for the 2024 Statewide High School Voter Registration Day, Feb. 13. On this day, Iowa high school students are encouraged to take steps to register to vote, make a plan to vote when they are eligible, and learn more about Iowa’s voting process.

The third Power to Explore Student Challenge from NASA is underway. The writing challenge invites K-12 students in the United States to learn about radioisotope power systems, a type of nuclear battery integral to many of NASA’s far-reaching space missions, and then write an essay about a new powered mission for the agency.

Lumen Media, the official communications division of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City will be expanding their reach to better serve the wide variety of demographics in the diocese.

“Following current trends and allowing for greater flexibility and timeliness, all Lumen Media news will be distributed across various electronic platforms at no cost to our audiences,” said Dawn Prosser, diocesan director of communications.

Farmers Bank introduces Johnson, as the newest real estate loan officer

The Spencer Chamber Ambassadors visited Spencer City Hall on Tuesday to welcome Traci Genson, the new city finance director. Genson has worked with the city for a year-and-a-half and stepped into this role after Brian Weuve's departure. She is a Spencer grad and has lived in the area since 2009 with her husband and two daughters. (Photo submitted)

A six-man team of Tigers Pa’s — looking remotely like a 2024 version of The Village People — entertained the crowd during halftime of the Spencer Tigers girls and boys home game against Storm Lake Friday. The annual dance routine, choreographed by SHS Monroe Daniels, raised funds for the Spencer Community Schools Foundation through fan donations and corporate matching funds.

There remains strong support for building a city-owned splash pad in Spencer, but the questions of where to build it and what features it should have still haven’t been answered.

Hundreds of students from dozens of schools gathered at Spencer High School on Feb. 3 to compete in the Northwest Iowa State Large Group Speech Contest.

Following a snowless Christmas in northwest Iowa, a subsequent sub-zero temperature cold spell and a couple of substantial snow storms which created ground blizzard conditions for several, the recent warm-up in the region — with highs reaching into the high 40s and scheduled to top 50 this week — Spencer area residents are wondering what’s next most of February and all of March remaining.

MILFORD — West O Beer, last Friday, announced its third annual “On Us” fundraising event series, organizational partners. Each month in 2024, On Us will raise money for and shine a spotlight on the following Lakes Area nonprofits and initiatives during the first half of the year:

• Feb. 1 — Bearded Rebellion.

• March 7 — Spirit Lake Music Boosters.

• April 4 — No Boundaries’ Boji Mileage Club.

• May 2 — Prairie Lakes Area Delta Waterfowl.

As Valentine’s Day turns many people’s thoughts to matters of the heart, Spencer Hospital is encouraging community members to specifically focus on their heart health. To encourage routine fitness walking for healthy hearts, the hospital is inviting community members to join in a fun virtual walk from Spencer to Valentine, Nebraska.

The Iowa Lakes Community College music department brings back a local favorite, Singing Valentines, for an enchanting experience this Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. The Iowa Lakes men's quartet is set to deliver soulful performances to make this Valentine's Day truly special.