(Des Moines)--The latest water summary update shows drought conditions remain in portions of northwest Iowa.

Statewide precipitation for June averaged 5.22 inches, which is 0.04 inches below normal. However, this average does not demonstrate that the localized monthly totals varied from a deficit-heavy 0.92 inches in Cherokee to an isolated high of 14.75 inches in Russell. Overall, June 2026 ranks as the 96th driest June in 154 years of statewide records.

In this area, almost all of Kossuth County, the southeast corner of Emmet County and the eastern third of Palo Alto County are in the D-1 or moderate drought category. The remainder of northwest Iowa is in the D-0 or abnormally dry category. Last month, all of northwest Iowa was in the moderate drought category.

(Fairmont, MN)--Officials are conducting an investigation after a citizen found bones and teeth Tuesday at Sylvania Park in Fairmont.

According to KEYC-TV, Fairmont Police sent the remains to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday and they were confirmed to be human. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was also contacted.

Authorities say, due to the perceived age of the remains and the park’s Native American significance, the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council was informed of the findings. Council representatives assessed the site on Thursday and will work with the Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist, forensic anthropologists, and other experts to determine whether the area is an unrecorded cemetery.

At the Minnesota Indians Affairs Council request, a portion of the park’s southwest corner is closed to the public for the foreseeable future. The public is asked to respect the closure.

Fairmont police say there are no known investigations related to the discovery and no threat to public safety at this time.

(Emmetsburg)--An Estherville man is facing sexual exploitation charges in Palo Alto County.

On Tuesday, the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office arrested 43-year-old Jessie Kinney of Estherville on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, a class B felony; enticing a minor, a  class D felony; and grooming, also a class D felony.

Kinney was transported, without incident, to the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office and was booked into jail to await his initial appearance before a magistrate.

The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Emmetsburg Police Department.

(Spencer)--The city of Spencer is still waiting for FEMA to buy out flood-damaged homes after historic flooding two years ago. Eighty percent of the properties in Spencer sustained at least some damage after two rivers crested at record levels. Spencer City Manager Kevin Robinson originally requested five-point-six million dollars to purchase 40 homes, but FEMA is only going to fund 25 properties, so he says the city will pay for the rest.

Homes purchased with federal funding will be demolished and replaced with green space or pocket parks. Robinson says the city has developed a flood response plan to protect residents from future disasters. One man was killed during the flooding when his pickup was swept into the river. While the federal funding will cover 25 properties, Robinson says 15 other houses will be covered through a local program.

Robinson expects FEMA funding to come within the next two weeks. Last month, FEMA awarded nearly five-point-five million dollars to Spencer and the local school district to repair parks, wastewater lift stations and an elementary school. Last week, the federal agency committed 22-million dollars to Rock Valley to buy and demolish 123 flood-damaged properties.

(from Radio Iowa)

(Spirit Lake)--The annual Bike Around Spirit Lake or BRASL will be held this Saturday in the Iowa Great Lakes area. Krista Smith with the Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce says bicyclists can chose from a 15 mile, 25 mile or 50 mile ride.

Smith says the 15 and 25 mile rides will begin at 7:15 and the 50 mile ride will begin at 9 am. She says there will be a lunch after the ride.

Smith says there’s a lot of interest in this year’s ride.

She says there’s still time to register for the event.

You can register online at spiritlakecc.com.

(Ruthven)--The 34th annual Bully Bullhead Celebration in Ruthven gets underway today and runs through Sunday. Jon Josephson with the Bully Bullhead Committee says today’s activities start with a tractor ride, followed by a burger luncheon and library book sale. Josephson says more events will be held this evening.

Josephson says events begin bright and early on Saturday with the annual fishing tournament at 7 am.

He says city wide garage sales will begin at 7:30.

He says the big parade will start at 1:30 pm followed by a bags tournament. The day will end with a street dance from 9 am to 1 pm featuring the Tank Anthony Band. Josephson says several more events are planned for Sunday.

The dedication ceremony will be held at 11 am. For a complete schedule of events visit the Lost Island Betterment Association Facebook page.

(Armstrong)--The State Auditor’s Office has released a procedures report for the City Armstrong. The report included 18 findings and recommendations. Fourteen of the findings were reported from the previous year and there were four new findings. The report covers the period from July 1^st, 2024 to June 30^th, 2025.

The findings include lake of segregation of duties, lack of utility reconciliations, disbursements exceeding budgeted amounts, deficit fund balances and transfers not approved by resolution.

(Graettinger)--The Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire school boards last month hired an outside firm to conduct an audit concerning discrepancies identified during an internal review of shared-service financial records. GTRA Superintendent Marshall Lewis says the audit report by Trust Point has not been completed.

Lewis says he thinks some members of the public may have misunderstood how long the report would take.

When the audit is complete, Lewis says another joint meeting of the school boards will be held to present the information to the public.

Lewis made his comments on the GTRA Superintendent Spotlight program which can be heard every Wednesday at 5:45 pm on KILR FM 95.9.

(Mason City)--A Spirit Lake man was found dead early Wednesday morning at a park in Mason City.

According to the Mason City Police Department, officers were called just before 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, for a report of an unresponsive adult male on the ground inside Lester Milligan Park, located at 1180 15th Street Southwest. 

When officers arrived, they found a deceased man near a vehicle in the park’s gravel parking lot. Mason City Fire medics and an investigator with the Cerro Gordo County Medical Examiner’s Office also responded to the scene. 

Police identified the man as 47-year-old Bradley Johnson of Spirit Lake. Authorities said his family has been notified. 

Police said there is no indication of any threat to the public, and no additional people are believed to be involved. 

The State Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy as part of the investigation.

Police said the case remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time.

(Trimont, MN)--The annual Trimont Fun Fest gets underway today and runs through Sunday in Trimont, Minnesota. Fun Fest Committee member and Trimont City Clerk Kelly Harder says the celebration will kick off this afternoon with a new event, a magic show from 4 to 5 pm at Triumph Hall. Harder says Friday will start with a tractor ride at 8 am.

Harder says Saturday begins with a pancake feed from 8 to 10 am at the Trimont Fire Department followed by the annual parade at 10.  She says the rest of the day’s activities will be held at Anderson Park.

She says a kids pedal tractor pull will be held at 4 pm.

Harder says there will be a few more events on Sunday.

For a complete schedule of events visit the Trimont Fun Fest Facebook page.

(Okoboji)--The Dickinson County Conservation Board invites the public to celebrate the official opening of Sherwood Forest Park during a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Monday, July 20th at 10:00 a.m.

The ceremony will take place at Sherwood Forest Park located at 3301 Lake Shore Drive in Okoboji. The event will include a brief welcome and an official ribbon cutting to commemorate the park's opening.

Following the ceremony, community members are invited to explore the park and experience its many new recreational opportunities.

The park features a bike pump track with three skill levels, allowing riders to progress from beginner to advanced tracks. Families can enjoy a large playground complete with four oversized slides and natural climbing structures inspired by the surrounding landscape.

Additional amenities include modern restrooms, shaded seating areas, limestone seating oases surrounded by native landscaping, natural promenades, planted native fields,  an off-road mountain bike trail with technical obstacles, and approximately two miles of biking and  walking trails that wind throughout the park.

(Adel)—Funeral arrangements have been set for an Algona native who was killed in the crash of a military plane last month.

35-year-old Air Force Major Brad Hovey was part of the crew involved in a B-52 plane crash at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 15th. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff during a test mission, killing all eight people on board.

According to Major Hovey’s obituary, a public visitation will be held on Thursday, July 16, at New Hope Church in Adel, Iowa. A funeral service for friends and family is scheduled for the following day.

At this time, the cause of the crash remains under investigation by the U.S. Air Force.

(Algona)--The 27^th annual Founders’ Day celebration gets underway Thursday in Algona. Avery Pederson, Executive Director of the Algona Area Chamber of Commerce, says there are some new events for this year’s celebration.

Museum tours will be held each day. Pederson says Friday begins at 9:30 am with the weekly Chamber Coffee with the Kossuth County Historical Society at the Wells Fargo Building on Dodge Street, celebrating Kossuth’s 175th Birthday and America’s 250th Birthday.

Pederson says Saturday begins with Yoga on the Lawn at The Mansion beginning at 8:30 am.

The day will end with an Absolute Pro Wrestling Live Show on State Street beginning at 8 pm. Pederson says the celebration will wrap-up on Sunday.

A complete schedule of events can be found online at algona.org or on the Algona Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

(Algona)--Funeral arrangements have been set for long-time Algona Mayor Lynn Kueck, who passed away this past weekend at the age of 81.

Kueck was born and raised in Algona and returned to his hometown after college to begin a teaching career that spanned 35 years. He was first elected Mayor in 1997 and served until 2008. He was elected again in 2010 and served through 2019.

Kueck also spent 33 years on the Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees. The Algona Campus of Iowa Lakes bears his name. The industrial park east of Algona is also named in his honor, as is the Lynn and Sherry Kueck Algona Betterment Fund, which was established in 2017 through the Kossuth County Community Foundation.

Lynn Kueck’s funeral will be held Saturday at 10:30 am at First Presbyterian Church in Algona. Visitation will be held on Friday from 4 to 6 pm at the First Presbyterian Church.

(Arnolds Park)--Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire and Rescue had a busy 4th of July holiday weekend.  AP-O Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth says the department responded to 15 medical calls and came in contact with 22 patients and had four Fire Boat responses for water medical emergencies. Youngbuth says they were also on stand-by for four events including three concerts at Arnolds Park and an EMS crew on a Personal Water Craft for the Lake Affect concert.

In addition, Yungbluth says AP-O Fire and Rescue responded to two residential fire alarms, two fireworks debris fire calls, and three dumpster fires for improper disposal of fireworks debris. Yungbluth says one of those calls is suspicious. They also responded to the plane crash Saturday near the Dickinson County Nature Center. 

Yungbluth says he would like to thank those volunteers who responded to calls, stood by at events, or hung out at the station to ensure a rapid response to emergencies over the holiday weekend.

(Spirit Lake)--A growing number of algae blooms are being reported in the Iowa Great Lakes. Andrew Carlson, Fisheries Biologist with the DNR Office in Spirit Lake, says the algae blooms are common this time of year.

Carlson offers some advice for those planning to swim in the lakes.

In addition to warm weather, Carlson says wind can also have an impact on algae blooms.

Carlson says algae blooms will be an off and on concern for the remainder of the summer.

(Des Moines)--Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Osceola County in response to severe weather that occurred on June 29th and continuing.

Reynolds’ proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of these storms and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Advocacy Program. The proclamation is effective immediately and will remain in effect for 30 days unless terminated or extended.

(Lakota)--The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office has released details on a motorcycle accident that seriously injured a Lakota man.

The Sheriff’s Office says at around 3:30 pm on June 24^th, 59-year-old Joseph Schutter of Lakota was driving a 2010 Harely Davidson motorcycle northbound on 183^rd Avenue, north of Lakota,  when he left the roadway while negotiating a curve and entered the west ditch. Schutter was ejected from the motorcycle.

Schutter was found by his wife almost an hour after the accident. He was transported by Kossuth EMS to the Titonka area, where a landing zone was secured for Mercy Air Med to transfer him to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City.

Kossuth County and Titonka EMS assisted at the scene.

(Estherville)--The Estherville City Council Monday evening approved a pair of engineering agreements with Bolton and Menk for the design of a new grass parallel taxiway at the Estherville Airport. City Administrator Penny Clayton says the two agreements are for different segments of the project.

The FAA portion of the project is $116,600 with 95-percent of the cost covered by federal funds. The DOT portion of the project is $105,200 with the state covering 70-percent of the cost. Clayton says the project is needed to reduce congestion at the airport.

In other business, the council accepted the low bid of $178,210 from Boland Recreation of Marshalltown to replace the surface at the city’s Ninja Park which was damaged by flooding. After tabling action on the project at their last meeting to explore other options, the council decided to go ahead with the original bid.

Clayton says most of the project will be covered by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The city’s share of the project will come from park department revenue and general fund reserve. The council also approved the 2^nd reading of an ordinance to make South 17^th St One-Way from 1^st Avenue South to 3^rd Avenue South. The third and final reading will be considered at their next meeting on July 20^th.

(Spirit Lake)--A Spirit Lake man is facing felony drug charges after he was caught trying to flush drugs down a toilet at his residence.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Spirit Lake Police, 53-year-old Nathan Egdorf barricaded himself inside a bathroom in his house this past Thursday. When police made forcible entry, they found Egdorf flushing drugs down the toilet. Police say some methamphetamine was recovered from the toilet and some had already dissolved in some baggies. About five grams of a crystal substance was recovered from the residence along with drug paraphernalia and a large amount of cash. Egdorf is accused of possessing what’s believed to be meth and cocaine with intent to deliver.

An officer sustained an ankle injury while another received a laceration on his arm as they were trying to break down a door.

Egdorf is charged with two felony counts of a controlled substance violation, possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense, a class D felony, interference with official acts causing bodily injury; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Egdorf was booked into the Dickinson County Jail where he was being held on a $75,300 bond.

A preliminary hearing is set for July 13^th in Dickinson County District Court. A bond review hearing is set for July 20^th.