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Calhoun County to hold first women’s summit

LAKE CITY — The first Calhoun County Women’s Summit, with the theme SHE Grows Here, will be from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Lake City Community Memorial Building. It is sponsored by Calhoun County Economic Development in partnership with Mid Iowa Insurance. The event will highlight women’s leadership, entrepreneurship and impact in Calhoun County and rural Iowa. While attendance is free, advance registration is required at the Calhoun County Economic Development website, calhouncountyiowa.com. The summit will feature local women sharing personal stories of ...

Sleepy sheep highlight author visit

Regional author and illustrator Bruce Arant brought Farmer Simpson and his sheep alive for local children recently. As part of the Fort Dodge Community School District’s Visiting Author program funded by the Fort Dodge Senior High Alumni Association, Arant presented his books and ...

Agriculture meets education

GOWRIE — For some students at Southeast Valley High School, Thursday’s drive to class came with a clutch, a cab, and a family legacy, as Central Plains FFA members arrived to school in nearly two dozen tractors. The annual Drive Your Tractor To School event was organized by the ...

Ernst bills on wasteful spending advance

Two bills U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst wrote to call attention to budget-busting federal spending are now advancing in the House of Representatives, which increases their chances of eventually becoming law. The Iowa Republican’s Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act was approved by the Senate in December. Her Stop Secret Spending Act was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last year. Both bills have now been approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and await action by the full House. “As I shine more light on wasteful Washington ...

Pheasants Forever to hold Webster County banquet

A night of fun, fellowship and fundraising is on tap for the Webster County Chapter of Pheasants Forever this Saturday. The group’s 41st annual banquet takes place at the Webster County Ag Center on the Webster County Fairgrounds. Banquet Chairman Jerry Beck anticipates a crowd of around 500 people for the event, which enjoyed a growth spurt last year. “We had a terrific turnout (in 2025) and cleared the 500 mark after being right around 400 historically,” said Beck, who added that the uptick has also reached membership numbers for the group. “Advanced sales this year are ...

Conrad tapped by Reynolds for state board

Webster County Supervisor Niki Conrad has been nominated by Gov. Kim Reynolds to serve on the Iowa Workforce Development Board. Her nomination was made on March 2. “I’m honored by the governor’s appointment and am grateful for the opportunity to serve — pending Senate confirmation, of course,” said Conrad. “Workforce challenges are front and center for rural communities like ours. I look forward to both learning and contributing to this bipartisan effort.” Conrad’s appointment was placed on the Senate’s En Bloc Confirmation Calendar on March 17 with a unanimous ...