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Fort Madison-SIRRC donated $101,000 to the Old Fort Preservation, Inc. group Thursday at OFMP's new offices in downtown Fort Madison. Work on the rehabilitation of the museum on Fort Madison's riverfront is set to begin in the spring.
OLD FORT MADISON
FM-SIRRC gets behind Old Fort rehab
OUTDOOR RECREATION
State outdoor rec task force releases final report
FMCSD BOARD NEWS
FMHS may have turf field by August
Obituaries

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SPORTS
SPORTS
Seven area athletes named 1st-team All-District
Elizabeth Griffin celebrates an ace with Adalyn Kruse Wednesday night at the IGHSAU Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament in Coralville's Xtream Arena.
STATE VOLLEYBALL
Crusaders swept out of Class 1A semis
Freshman Brynn Dennings catches a dig as Adalyn Kruse (3) looks on Tuesday night at Xtream Arena. The Lady Crusaders won in five sets and will face top-seeded and top-ranked Ankeny Christian in the semifinals Wednesday.
CRUSADER PREVIEW
Crusaders get top-ranked Ankeny Christian in semis
The Bloodhounds' Hunter Wiegand finishes through the chute at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge as fans record the final moments of runners at Saturday's 3A/4A events.

Wiegand has fun in last run

FORT DODGE – Fort Madison senior Hunter Wiegand was a mile into Saturday’s Class 3A boy' state cross country run, when he realized he was out there to have a good time. That proved to be true as …
Central Lee's Drake Newton (451) hangs around in the top 30 after about a mile and a half of the 5K Class 2A State Cross-Country meet in Fort Dodge Friday afternoon. Newton finished in the top 25 with a personal best 16:58.8.

Newton gets top 25 at state

FORT DODGE – A slightly cooler afternoon helped the 2A state cross country runners throw up some quick times at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge Friday afternoon. Central Lee junior Aubree …

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The Holy Trinity Crusaders celebrate after the final winning point Wednesday in the Class 1A Region 5 finals. The Crusaders will open state tournament play Tuesday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
WILLIAMSBURG — This one wasn’t going to get away. Not after the pain of the missed opportunity from last year that the returning members of Holy Trinity’s volleyball team remembered. …
Holy Trinity Catholic High School's Kate Piper (24) puts the ball over the net during the first set of their Class 1A Region 5 semi-final game against Wayne High School, Monday, October 26, 2026 at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Fort Madison. HTC won 25-13.
FORT MADISON - Holy Trinity’s goodbye to Shottenkirk Gym for the volleyball season was quick, but there was some emotion with the farewell. It took the Crusaders less than an hour to defeat Wayne …
LEE COUNTY NEWS

 
Lee County News

Officials at odds over dispatch upgrades

LEE COUNTY – COVID may have screwed Lee County again. LeeComm director Tony Keefe met with supervisors Tuesday afternoon to go over a proposal from Motorola to upgrade the county’s dispatch …

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For the Record

For the Record - Thursday, November 12, 2026

Fort Madison Police Report 11/10/26 - 8:25 AM - Fort Madison police responded to a report of larceny and theft in the 4500 block of Avenue O. 11/10/26 - 12:53 PM - Fort Madison police responded to a …

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Opinion

40 days of silence is troubling

Beyond the sadness and loss of life, there is something troubling about a car-pedestrian accident last September 25 in Urbandale that took the life of Jasmira Kadic, 60, and seriously injured her …

Clean and Sober 38 Years!

November 3, 1988 – November 3, 2026.  The anniversary date of my sobriety fell on election day this year!  There has to be some significance to that.  What?  I'm not sure.  …

Apologies for a knee-jerk reaction

With the election behind us and a strong shift in dynamics at the Congressional level, I thought it might be a chance to take a breath. It really was a fascinating, albeit exhausting, mid-term …

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Education News
CENTRAL LEE SCHOOL
MADSEN

Madsen named Regional Teacher of the Year

LEE COUNTY - The Iowa Department of Education today announced nine teachers from across the state have been selected as the 2027 Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year, following the inaugural 2025 …

HTC gets state support of early child program

FORT MADISON - The Iowa Department of Education recently approved 10 community-based providers to deliver services to young learners and their families through the Statewide Voluntary Preschool …

Solar panel work complete at high school

FORT MADISON – At the Fort Madison School District board meeting Wednesday last night, Director of Maintenance Nic Chiri said in his presentation several summer projects for the district have been …

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LATEST NEWS
Lee County officials signed a terms sheet with Mesabi Metallics at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. The move allows Mesabi to move forward with plans to build a $15 billion steel production facility in the county
LEE COUNTY – The Lee County Board of Supervisors put their stamp on an incentive package that was discussed last week to spur construction on a $15 billion steel plant in Lee County. The board …
Pictured above from left to right are:  Becky Vogel, United Way Board Member & Secretary; Laura Liegois, United Way Board Member & Treasurer; Kori Goble, DuPont Quality Assurance Engineer; Brittany Workman, DuPont Manufacturing Technology Engineer; Mike O’Bleness, United Way Board Member & Vice President; Tammy Workman, DuPont Administrative Assistant & Campaign Coordinator; Brett Workman, DuPont Specialty Process Engineer; Mike Greenslaugh, United Way Executive Director; Matt Linnenbrink, DuPont Environmental Health & Safety Manager; John Hellige, DuPont Plant Manager and Chase Hennigar, DuPont Senior Supervisor.
FORT MADISON - DuPont held its annual campaign for the United Way.  Every year DuPont kicks off their United Way Campaign with a Silent Auction and Campaign meetings in addition to company and …
Cheryl A. Cronan, 69, of Wever, IA, passed away at her home on Friday, November 6, 2026.  King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family.
GROTH
Patricia Ann “Pat” Groth, 87 years, Fort Madison, Iowa died Sunday, November 8, 2026 at The Kensington, Fort Madison, Iowa.  She was born January 4, 1939, a daughter of Cyril and Dolores …
TAYLOR
FORT MADISON – A criminal complaint filed with the Lee County Attorney’s office provided a few more details into the stabbing that took place Sunday in Fort Madison. According to rthe elease from …

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Health News
Lee County Health Department Administrator Michele Ross talks with visitors of the department's Kids' Health & Safety Fair at the Meller Family Health Center Thursday evening.
Kids' Health Fair more than health fare
FORT MADISON – The Lee County Health Department showed off just a little bit Thursday afternoon at the Meller Family Health Center. LCHD staff and volunteers held the third-ever Kids’ Health …
Great River Health gets CMS notice
WEST BURLINGTON - Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Centers released information Wednesday about a broken link that led to a formal notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requiring …
Kaitlin Krueger, of Counseling Associates, signs a declaration of participation at Wednesday morning's Thrive Iowa launch at Quality Inn & Suites in Fort Madison.
Restore Hope helps kick off Thrive Iowa
LEE COUNTY – The Thrive Iowa effort is officially underway. After rolling out the basics of the program in February, a new grant-funded initiative to help those struggling to gain a foothold on …

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Business News
 County sets public meeting on Mesabi project
LEE COUNTY – Lee County officials have announced a meeting Wednesday to inform the public about the ongoing negotiations with Mesabi Metallics, the company wanting to build a $15 billion steel …
U.S. Dept. of Energy's Office of Electricity Chief of Staff David Denton speaks with officials from Danville and Access Energy Coop Thursday morning at a Denmark substation. Denton said he was in town to get a closer look at utility resiliency projects.
Dept. of Energy officials visit utility projects
DENMARK – The Chief of Staff of the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Office of Electricity got a snapshot of what federal grant funds are doing to reinforce the area's electrical grid Thursday. The DOE’s …
The former KL Megla building, current home to Lee County Economic Development Group and several tenants will be put up for sale following a meeting today of the Southeast Iowa Regional and Economic Port Authority board. LCEDG will be moving into the former Dollar General store across the highway.
LCEDG and SIREPA agree to sell Montrose center
MONTROSE – The building that currently houses the Lee County Economic Development Group will be for sale in the near future. And LCEDG operations are likely to move across Hwy. 61 into the former …

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