The Science Fair will be a special night at the Algona Middle School Thursday, Feb. 13. Not only will middle school students showcase their science projects, this year's event is the 50th anniversary, and a new award will be presented to a student in honor of longtime science advocate, the Rev. Walt Reemtsma.

It excited Hannah Haverkamp to participate in her first Iowa Caucus Monday at Iowa Lakes Community College.
"I've voted a couple of times before, but being able to be part of the caucus and to see the ins and outs of the caucus is exciting," Haverkamp said.
Read the complete story in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

It was the first time ice fishing for 3-year-old Malori Larsen at the ice Frostbite Olympics ice fishing derby on Saturday.
Attendees could participate in more than a dozen Frostbite Olympics events during the three-day celebration around Algona last weekend.
Read about all the fun and see lots of photos in the Feb. 6 Advance.

The first step into solar energy for Algona Municipal Utilities (AMU) is underway. Construction could begin in 2020 if the project is approved.
"It will be the first solar owned project purchased by North Iowa Municipal Electric Cooperative for AMU," said John Bilsten, AMU general manager. "We have been working on potential projects for some time."
Read more about it in the Feb. 6 Advance.

Sam Plathe, a Bishop Garrigan eighth-grade student, concentrated on a thank you card he was making for the priests in the Five Saints parishes on Wednesday during Catholic Schools Week.

Glenn Jones, who will be 95 nest month, moved to Algona with his parents in 1941 when he was 16 years old. World War II was raging in Europe while the United States watched and waited until Dec. 7,1941, when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, thrusting the U.S. into war.

Kossuth/Palo Algo County Economic Development Corporation (K/PACEDC) recenty received a major honro from a statewide organization.
Business Expansion and Strategic Trends (BEST) of Iowa is a collaboration of local economic development groups working with Iowa's utilities and the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The mission is to meet with Iowa companies to identify local economic trends, business needs and opportunities.

In 39 years of law enforcement, Algona Police Chief Kendall Pals said he had never seen anything like the accident Jan. 31 that separate a truck into numerous pieces. Yet, upon the chief's arrival, he found the driver standing near the vehicle.
"Major damage accident occur in rural areas, but nothing like this," said Pals, who along with other law enforcement and emergency officials handled the accident at the corner of Highway 169 and Oak Street in Algona.

Chyan Koppen learned from her experience with the Fenton Forwards 4-H Club. Now, she has returned to Kossuth County to help expand the county's 4-H clubs.
Koppen was hired in May as the Kossuth County Extension county youth coordinator.
Read more about Koppen in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

Parking lot improvements and a request for an at-risk dropout modification supplemental amount were discussed at the January West Bend-Mallard School Board meeting.
School board members discussed whether to pave the school parking lot or keep it rock and gravel like it is now. "We're just getting quotes," said Amanda Schmidt, West Bend-Mallard school superintendent.
Read more about the meeting in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

The purchase and installation of generators at the water and sewer plants in Whittemore will be included in the 2020-21 budget. The generators will cost $20,000 each.
A $100,000 water main project may be pushed back to the 2021-22 budget to allow the city to apply for grant funding to help with the project.
Get more details in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

Sara Hanson Pearson of Wesley is the new full-time conservation assistant for Kossuth County. She is employed by the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality.
She began working in the Kossuth Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) office housed with the NRCS office in Algona.
Find out more in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

I lost it all. Before you could say, "Hold it a minute," it was gone for good. It was $20, and for a young college student at that time, that was a great deal of money. (Yes, there was a time when making $5 an hour seemed like good money.)
I was playing a game at a carnival. (Did I mention that I was there with my girlfriend? It matters.)
Read the rest of the pastor's column in the Feb. 6 Kossuth County Advance.

Fundraising for the Algona Community School District's (ASCD) field turf project is well underway and received a big boost this week.
Iowa State Bank announced a $100,000 gift to the $1.2 million project that will create a synthetic turf field for the Algona Community.
Read more about it in the Feb. 6 Advance.

Find features on area artists Jeff and Aubree Cook, Russ Lachney, Michelle Hjelle, Chris Heyer, Evelyn Ruhnke and Anita Schultz in the Celebrating the Arts special section in the Jan. 30 Kossuth County Advance. Their work ranges runs the gamut – metal sculpture, music, painting, photography and even pressed flower petals.