Editor’s note: From the Iowa Caucuses, a debate over the future of emergency medical services in the county, and the arrival and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, the first six months of 2020 were unlike the start of many years. Get the first of two parts of 2020 in review in the Dec. 31 Kossuth County Advance.
 
 

At least one Algona City councilmember voiced concerns that EMS should be considered an essential service, and everyone should pay their fair share to provide for the service in Kossuth County communities.

Spirits were high as COVID-19 vaccine clinics began for Kossuth County health care workers and emergency medical personnel Monday, Dec. 28. 
The Kossuth County Public Health team is charged with distributing the vaccine locally according to phases determined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Communication is a key attribute to a successful life. Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency (AEA) speech/language pathologists assist students in Kossuth County schools to help those ages 3-21 fulfill their dreams.  

ALGONA – Algona High School celebrates 50 years of graduates at its location on Sample street this year. 
Plans to build the high school building began taking shape in 1968. Classes started in the fall of 1969 although the building wasn’t entirely completed. The first graduates walked through the doors in the spring of 1970. 
 
Get a history of the Algona High School building and see some old photos of the site before it was built in the Dec. 24 Kossuth County Advance.

ALGONA—The COVID-19 pandemic may have closed the Algona Nativity Scene in 2020 but people can still share the stories and view the nativity scene virtually.

ALGONA—On a 4-2 vote, city council members approved a remodeling project for the facilities housing Algona-based on-duty emergency medical services (EMS) personnel at Kossuth County Regional Health Center.
The action came Monday evening at the regular Algona City Council meeting, and it was one of several project matters on the agenda.
 

ALGONA—Kossuth County Compensation Board members voted to recommend 2 percent and 3 percent raises for the county’s elected officials.
The action came during the compensation board’s annual meeting Dec. 14, and after an evaluation of the county’s changing property valuations, changes to the cost of living and salary comparisons to other counties.
 
Get more information on this recommendation to the county supervisors in the Dec. 24 Kossuth County Advance. 

ALGONA—Consistency, a switch and a move to be closer to the family will change the leadership at Kossuth Regional Health Center in 2021.
Dar Elbert will continue as the chief executive officer under an agreement with MercyOne. 
However, Ryan Warnke, the current chief financial officer, was recognized for his contributions during the November KRHC Board of Directors meeting because he and his family are moving to the Sioux Falls area to be closer to family. 
 

SWEA CITY—As an angel watches over baby Jesus and family, the shepherds gather in amazement and go away praising and glorifying God for all they have seen. 
The nativity scene in this picture has been part of Swea City Christmas for more than 45 years, and this year it has been moved inside to preserve the scene from further damage.
 
Get more on this story in the Dec. 24 Kossuth County Advance.

ALGONA—Russians, doubles, rockets, stags – these dance moves all contributed to the Algona High School Dance Team’s second place trophy at the Iowa State Dance Team Championships which were held in Des Moines Nov. 17-19. 
 
Get all of the details about Algona's accomplishments in the Iowa State Dance Team Championships in the Dec. 24 Kossuth County Advance.

The Bishop Garrigan Dance Team earned a first place title for both its Class II Pom and Class I Jazz routines, and Cora Ricke won a state solo title at the Iowa State Dance Team Championships.
 
Get a full story on this accomplishment in the Dec. 24 Kossuth County Advance.

Favorable interest rates, a strong demand for land and substantial government payments helped stabilize Iowa’s farmland market in a year in which Iowa’s farmers faced the destructive onslaught of a derecho, significant uncertainties in U.S. agricultural trade and a pandemic that significantly altered market demand.

The Dec. 17 Kossuth County Advance carries a couple of special features this week. 
One is about the TLC Quilters teaming with the Chips Off the Old Block to distribute wooden toy trucks that are locally constructed.
One is the annual feature of drawings by fourth graders - 6 pages of them! - answering the question: What the holiday means to me. You will also meet the winners of the contest, whose work is in color on the front page.

ALGONA—The Algona Public Library renovation is on schedule to be complete by the end of May.
“The renovation is on schedule,” said Lori Walton, director of the Algona Public Library. “They’re working on demolition and electrical work.”
 
See the full story in the Dec. 17 Kossuth County Advance.