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HTC senior Adalyn Kruse sticks the Holy Trinity Catholic sticker on the semi-final bracket line at the girls IGHSAU State Volleyball tournament after Tuesday's upset win over 4th-seed Wapsie Valley at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
STATE VOLLEYBALL
Crusaders shake off slow start in quarters
Democratic voters gathered at the Railyard in Fort Madison to watch election results come in. Lee County Republicans won all but the governor's race and the District 2 Supervisor's race in Lee County voting.
ELECTION RESULTS
Lee County GOP voter block motivated
LOCAL NEWS
Leadership academy looking for non-profit work
Obituaries

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SPORTS
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
VOLLEYBALL ALL CONFERENCE
Six area girls get 1st team selections
Holy Trinity Catholic senior Adalyn Kruse fires a kill from the left side of the offense in the Crusader's win over BCLUW Wednesday night. Fifth-seeded HTC opens the 1A State Volleyball Tournament Tuesday night in Coralville against 4th-seed Wapsie Valley
STATE PREVIEW
Crusaders are on familiar ground
Holy Trinity Catholic High School's Kate Pieper (24) and Adalyn Kruse (3) look to return the ball during the second 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 25-12.

Crusaders one game from State

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 …
Solon's Sawyer Hancox tries to get outside the chase of Fort Madison's Ren Watson (52) and Liam Prier (54) in the second half of the Hounds' season-ending loss Friday night at Solon.

Hounds find small wins in big loss

SOLON – There were a few wins that the Hounds were able to take away from Friday’s season ending loss to Class 3A’s top team in the state in undefeated Solon. The Hounds lost 55-6 to end the …

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DAVENPORT — Kelly Knustrom tried to fight off the emotion as she talked about her team, but it was a difficult battle at times. Fort Madison’s volleyball season ended with a three-set loss to No. …
Central Lee's Drake Newton looks for some running room on the first lap of the 5K at Kicker's Park in Iowa City Thursday evening. Newton finished 4th overall in the Class 2A boys' state qualifier and advances to the 2A State Meet Friday in Fort Dodge.
IOWA CITY – Aubree Bunnell collapsed into the hands of a family member and was pulled from the finish line under the roping to get her out of the way of other finishers Thursday afternoon in Iowa …
LEE COUNTY NEWS

 
Lee County News

County creating input options on steel project

LEE COUNTY – A meeting planned for Wednesday night to give Lee County residents their first look inside negotiations between county officials and Mesabi Metallics around a $15 billion proposed …

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For the Record

For the Record - Monday, November 2, 2026

Fort Madison Police Report 10/30/26 - 7:15 PM - Fort Madison police responded to a no injury accident in the 5700 block of Avenue O. 10/31/26 - 12:49 AM - Fort Madison police arrested Myrissa Jean …

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Opinion

Swarmhenge now at Empty Nest

Caden Hinkle did it again—he created another yard sculpture out of RR ties.  The first one was a raised-garden bed.  I had him notch the ties so they fit together like Lincoln Logs.  …

The parking lot test -- and the steel mill exception

There is a simple way to assess how much Iowa governments think ordinary citizens deserve to know, and engage in the debate, when officials have an initiative they are eager to undertake. Call …

Keokuk reader endorses democrats on Tuesday

Dear Editor: As a former city council member, I know firsthand how difficult it is to maintain a budget in rural Iowa, especially with a declining population and a state government that continues to …

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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
For the past four months, we’ve been trapped in a zeitgeist that all comes to an end on Wednesday – for a little while, anyway. Our mailboxes have been filled on a daily basis with flyers from …
LAIR
Alyce C. Lair, 87, of Fort Madison, IA, passed away at 10:15 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at her home surrounded by her family. She was born on March 25, 1939 in Nebraska to John “Jack” and …
FORT MADISON - November’s exhibition at Fort Madison Area Arts Association at 825 Avenue G, generously sponsored by Bartlett Instruments, explores the legacy of a mother’s influence on her family …
Congresswoman Marianette Miller-Meeks and USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Glen Smith vote on pumpkins at the entrway of the Lee County Health Department in the Meller Family Health Center Tuesday afternoon. The two toured the facility with Lee County officials and talked about rural health care access.
FORT MADISON – The Meller Family Health Center got a drop -in from Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1) and USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Glen Smith Tuesday afternoon. …
FORT MADISON – A fertilizer leak on Ortho Road Monday required intervention from the Lee County Hazardous Materials team and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. According to a release 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
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 …
Dept. of Energy official to visit Denmark Thursday
DENMARK – Staff from the U.S. Department of Energy will be in southeast Iowa on Thursday to review project sites and talk about the area’s utility and grid resilience projects. The event will …

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