ALGONA – The annual Friends of the Library Book Sale in Algona last week was more than an ordinary book sale to weed out library books. It was an opportunity for the Friends of the Library to assist in the library renovation project.
“We wanted to sell as many books as possible,” said Faye Weydert, president of the Friends of the Library. “Whatever we take in will help with renovations. We want to raise as much as we can to add to the renovation.”

ALGONA—The annual citywide Ridiculous Days in Algona will have a bit of a change on Saturday, July 25.
“You will see more businesses set up outside to create more safe distancing opportunities,” said Vicki Mallory, Algona Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “The majority of the businesses are open and they’re still having people come to the door. They may have restrictions on how many can go in at a time. That will be up to the individual stores to manage that.”

    ALGONA—Five points of emphasis were discussed before passage of a Return-to-Learn plan in the Algona Community School District during Monday’s board of directors meeting.
“We want what’s best for kids. We want to put students first in the decisions that we make,” said Superintendent Joe Carter. “What’s best for kids right now, both emotionally as well as academically, is to return to school in a face-to-face format. That’s our priority.”

ALGONA—Dr. Bill Strohman has no regrets going overboard when it comes to the protection of staff at Strohman Dental and patients who come in for appointments during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 
“Coming in here and getting COVID is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “We’re first and foremost health care.”

KOSSUTH COUNTY—The show portion of 4-H and FFA exhibits will be the main attraction at this year’s Kossuth County Fair. The fair is going with a show-and-go format for livestock shows.

Burt celebrated its fun day Saturday, July 11.Lydia Resner, Kellen Baker, Holden Baker and Christopher Resner are ready for the candy in this photo. See more photos in the July 16 Kossuth County Advance.

KOSSUTH COUNTY—All entrances to the Kossuth County Courthouse will have signage stating masks are “strongly encouraged” when entering the building. The county board took the step after receiving a letter from a local attorney who is concerned about COVID-19 and the impact it has on employees and those who enter the courthouse.

ALGONA—Teachers in the Algona Community School District are learning more about trauma sensitivity involving the students in their classrooms.
Trauma informed or trauma sensitivity means teachers and the staff are aware that children are going to school with some sort of trauma experience. “We have to be sensitive or aware of that,” said Kristi Roberts, elementary school counselor. “The learning part is learning how to listen to the kids before reacting.”

These are the long hot days of summer. The days that make the corn grow and the weeds thrive. Time enters a strange phase at this point of July. Somehow it seems to take forever for the sweet corn to ripen but only moments for the zucchini to grow into the size of a small canoe. However time works for you, don’t forget to spend a little of your time at the Kossuth County Farmers Market on Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

Lu Verne held its annual community celebration Saturday. Amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, things were toned down a little from past years, but the parade was still a big hit. See the photos in the July 16 Kossuth County Advance.

A Minnetonka, Minn., woman died when the motorcycle on which he was a passenger blew a tire and crashed on U.S. Highway 169 north of Lakota at 3:50 p.m. Monday, July 13.

Algona and eastern Kossuth County were under parts of two different thunderstorm warnings Thursday morning, July 9. Pea-sized hail was reported in the Lu Verne area. Officially, 0.92 inches of rain fell in just less than two hours in Algona, and radar indicated the Bode area received more than 2 inches in the same amount of time. As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Algona officially had 1.04 inches of rain for the day.

ALGONA—The Algona Public Library (APL) has three new additions to its team this summer: Myra Meyer of Burt and Mackenzie Teeter and Faith Haase of Algona have all taken the opportunity to dedicate a chunk of their summer to volunteering at the library. Meet them in the July 9 edition of the Kossuth County Advance.
 
 

ALGONA—Restrictions on family home separation distances and references to elder homes were removed from the city of Algona’s ordinances after the Algona City Council adopted the ordinance at its Monday, June 6, meeting. Additionally, the council acted on an appeal of a ruling regarding trees on a property and a council member resigned. See all of the details in the July 9 edition of the Kossuth County Advance.
 
 

ALGONA—Kossuth County may have found a fit for its mental health and disability services needs with Northwest Iowa Care Connections.
“We come from the same area. We’re a farming background area,” said Barry Anderson, board chair for Northwest Iowa Care Connections. He is also a Clay County Supervisor. “We have the same feelings as far as treatment for mental needs. We want to treat them as close to home as possible.”