DES MOINES — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird congratulated Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Lefever and Milford Police Officer Maverick Warburton on their graduation from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in a ceremony held at The Bridge Church in Johnston on Friday, Dec. 13. The graduation ceremony was attended by family, friends, and law enforcement officials from across the state.

HARTLEY — Hartley Family Care Clinic is thrilled to announce several enhancements to its health care services beginning in January 2025. These changes reflect the clinic's ongoing commitment to providing accessible, high-quality health care to Hartley and the surrounding communities.

2024 was a busy and successful year representing our families, farmers, businesses and rural communities in Congress. I made over 320 stops on my biannual 36 County Tour, launched the second iteration of my Feenstra Agriculture Tour, held several town halls with Iowans, and advocated for our shared values on Capitol Hill.

P.E.O. scholarships

Moped class

Morningside University fall dean's list

What happens in Clay County when there’s a three-car pileup with multiple severe injuries on County Highway B14, 4 miles west of Fostoria, and 20 minutes later, someone gets their arm caught in a piece of equipment on a farm outside of Royal?

Spending nearly six months in Tanzania, participating in work on behalf of STEMM, the Kevin and Tara Brown family were forced to adapt to a new environment, break through language barriers, surrender many creature comforts and live within a much smaller residence. And they’re better for it.

The halls of Lincoln Elementary School have been bustling with activity as contractors work to bring the building back better than ever following the catastrophic June 22 flood.

The Spencer Community School District is investing in a comprehensive overhaul of the flood-damaged building and adding new features to make the school a more modern learning environment.

SHELDON — RISE Ministries has announced a new artist for RiseFest 2025, KB.

“I’m excited to have KB for the first time at RiseFest,” Founder and President Rob Roozeboom said.

He continued, “I’ve been in the audience or speaking at events where KB was performing and I’ve always appreciated his heart and his calling. He’s one of the top Christian hip-hop artists and we’re grateful to have him at RiseFest 2025.”

Every Christmas, various groups come together to participate in the Adopt-A-Family project at Spencer High School. The Student Council, the 12th Grade Discipleship Ways class and the SEA for made this service project a "tree"-mendous success. This year, their efforts provided meaningful support to numerous families in a variety of ways. (Photos submitted)

The new, nonprofit Long-Term Recovery Group established in the wake of the devastating June 22 flood is fully staffed, has office space, and stands ready to assist residents with needs not being met by state and federal resources, said the group’s director Sheriffa Jones.

Jones formally introduced her team during the Dec. 16, regular City Council meeting. The group includes Allison Munter as operations assistant and Megan Hinges as logistics and volunteer coordinator.

DES MOINES — The Iowa Finance Authority board of directors recently announced the award of a total of more than $12.5 million in grants to 27 Local Housing Trust Funds to support local housing initiatives. The grant awards are made available through the Local Housing Trust Fund program and are expected to assist 2,636 families across all 99 Iowa counties.

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation will welcome four new board members for 2025: Katherine Cota, director of the Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake; Todd Glasnapp, supervisor at Emmet County; Brett Johnson, city councilman at the City of Spirit Lake; and Matt Ricklefs, city councilman at the City of Storm Lake. Cota, Glasnapp, Johnson and Ricklefs were voted by membership to three-year terms on the board starting Jan. 1.

Summer seasonal positions for 2025 at Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries offices are open for applications until Jan. 10.

Learn about fisheries careers and gain valuable experience while working alongside biologists and technicians. Positions are available in research, management, culture and aquatic invasive species. Six-month positions usually start at the beginning of April and three-month positions start the middle of May.