One of the last surviving World War II veterans in Kossuth County is grateful he never had to face the enemy.
"Hell, I was only 19 years old," Bob Riedel said. "At least I didn't have to walk all over the world."
Read the complete story in the Nov. 7 Kossuth County Advance.

It started as a nomal training exercise for Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif. It almost ended in tragedy for 14 Marines but for the quick actions of Algona native Lt. Col. Tyler Freeburg.
For his actions on Sept. 13, 2017, Freeburg, then a major, recived a Navy and Marine medal for heroism while serving as an executive officer, 1st Batallion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division during the unit's Marine Corps combat readiness exercise.

City elections totals
 
Here are the unofficial results of Tuesday’s city elections:
Algona Mayor: Rick Murphy 1,210, Stacy Besch 505, Bill Weig 129.
Algona Ward 4 Council: Harley Kohlhaas 189, Becky Zittritsch 172.
Algona Ward 2 Council: Donald C. Johnson 545.
Algona Council at Large: Brooke M. Sudol 1,605.
Bancroft Mayor: William F. Droessler 116, Thomas Johnson 86.

ALGONA — Jeffrey Lynn Winters, 60, of Livermore, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Randy Page, 54. Page was found lying in a puddle of blood on his garage floor in Lu Verne on Aug. 27, 2018.
After a week-long trial, the 12-person jury on Wednesday, Oct. 30, returned the guilty verdict after six hours of deliberation in Kossuth County District Court.

Algona's fall ritual of all things handcrafted was a rousing success, and crafters and shoppers are looking forward to next year.
The Algona Area Chamber of Commerce's 27th annual Autumnfest was Saturday, Oct. 26, at Bishop Garrigan High School, Algona High School and the Columbia Events Center. Organizers and crafters experienced success, and customers scored home-crafted items.
Read more about it in the Oct. 31 Kossuth County Advance.

The Algona School Board unanimously approved a new early retirement program during a special board meeting Monday.
The plan is designed to preempt possible shortfalls in future school board budgets.
Read the complete story in the Oct. 31 Advance.

Over the past 20 years, Scott and Sara Curtis have made invaluable contributions to the Kossuth Regional Health Center Foundation and Auxiliary. On Saturday, Nov. 2, the couple will be honored during the 16th annual Legacy Ball at the Algona Columbia Events Center.
The black-tie-optional event begins with cocktails and appetizers at 6 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., there is a gourmet meal prepared by Lacey Hassings of Lacey's Catering in Wells, Minn.

The Morwens and Noon Kiwanis clubs in Algona have annual project to distribute over 200 age-appropriate dictionaries to third-graders in six different schools.
One of the ways to get the kids to explore this book is to play a game I call, Stump the Adults. Each child is invited to seek out a word and then challenge the adults in the classroom to see if any of us can define it. Most often, we get it right.
Read the complete column in the Oct. 31 Kossuth County Advance.

Early and absentee voting totals in the Algona Community School Distrct and the city of Algona for next Tuesday's elections have already surpassed the total turnout in similar elections two years ago.
According to information from the Kossuth County Auditor's Office, 373 people have already voted in the city's mayoral and city council elections as of 9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29, one week from Election Day.
Read more in the Oct. 31 Kossuth County Advance.

The Kossuth County EMS board (KCEMS) met last Wednesday at the Kossuth County Law Enforcement Center to discuss how to approach the 10 towns that have independent EMS services about consolidating into a single, countywide EMS service.
After a series of meetings that began in August with the hope of finding ways to better fund ambulance services in the county, the KCEMS board turned toward a countywide EMS service rather than a system.

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a letter to County Social Services (CSS) Tuesday, notifying the CSS board of the county's intent to withdraw from the 28E agreement.
The move comes afer the two parties reached a settlement, which came after multiple closed sessions at the board of supervisors to discuss legal strategy and an arbitration hearing between the parties.
Read the complete story in the Oct. 31 Kossuth County Advance.

The Algona High School Scarlet Regiment Marching Band performed at the Iowa High School Music Association State Marching Band Festival and was awarded a Division I rating for its performance at Dodger Stadium in Fort Dodge on Oct. 12.
This was the 41st time the band has had its performance awarded a Division I since it began attending the festival in 1977. This year marks the 34th consecutive Division I rating.
Read more about it in the Oct. 31 Advance.

A congested school board candidate field limited the number of questions posed during a recent campaign forum sponsored by the American Association of University Women at the Iowa Lakes Community College.
There are eight school board candidates running for postions on the Algona Community School District Board of Directors.
Read the complete story in the Oct. 31 Advance.

Krista Kramer had a drop-in visitor at the Feed Mill in downtown Algona last week – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Kramer is employed at the Feed Mill through Exceptional Opportunities' supported employment program.
Read more in the Oct. 31 Advance.

ALGONA – Opening remarks were heard on Wednesday afternoon in the murder trial of Jeffrey Lynn Winters of Livermore.
Winters is charged with first-degree murder, which could carry life in prison.