Mayor Al Clark has declined to re-appoint Kirk “Bubba” Reetz as 2019 Fire Chief for Alta Fire Department until receiving requested financial disclosures, igniting disagreement among City Council members, the Fire Department and the Alta Firemen’s Association with no extinguisher in sight...

The Alta PTO fundraising effort is getting into full swing as they prepare to fundraise for the school’s playground replacement, starting with a fundraiser on Saturday, January 19. All proceeds with the 80’s Prom night event will go towards a new playground, replacing the 20-year-old one currently in place. To generate some excitement in the movement, they’re starting with a swing set...

An Alta couple is opening a new restaurant in Aurelia this week. Lalo’s Diner, at the corner of Main St and Highway 7 across (opposite of Mud on Main) opened for business on Thursday, with a grand opening celebration to come on Monday. The tex-mex-esque restaurant is the only one of its kind in either Alta or Aurelia...

You always pass their building front as you drive by on Main Street, but you may not know what exactly they do in there. PeopleWorks, founded 20 years ago by Kathy Peterson, is by no means new to the area. But their renovated office opened at the corner across from City Hall has called Alta home for just under two years...

Alta-Aurelia Community School District scored higher than the state average and neighboring districts with new metrics that measure for improvement. Superintendent Lynn Evans calls the new school accountability measures, part of the Every Child Succeeds Act passed by the Obama Administration to replace No Child Left Behind, an improvement for Alta-Aurelia...

It’s a scene many civilians might not think of. Everyone lines up for mail time each day, waiting. But local seventh and eighth graders together thought about Navy recruits in basic training this Christmas—particularly those who don’t get any letters. Over 100 students sent letters making sure those sacrificing to serve our country knew they were in someone’s thoughts in what can be the loneliest time of year for some...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Section’s Fire Program, in cooperation with US Forest Service, has awarded $234,459 in 50 percent cost-sharing grants to 100 of Iowa’s rural fire departments to aid in their efforts in protecting Iowan’s and their property from wildfires. ...

The Alta-Aurelia Community School District held a “friendly competition” to collect donations for The Lord’s Cupboard, as part of the City of Alta, and the Alta Municipal Utilities No Hungry Neighbors food drive. Overall, the school district donated 2,936 pounds of food. Of the four schools, Alta-Aurelia Middle School donated the most food and won...

Kristi Langschwager’s second grade class in Aurelia has been published, and they’re waiting for the paparazzi to ask for their autographs. “They’re feeling pretty famous,” Langschwager said, after the class showed their enthusiasm for the new book. The project for her 12 students to write their very own take on the “12 Days of Christmas” started in October, with a deadline at the end of November...

Coach Evan Franzmeier is A-A boy’s head basketball coach. Eighteen boys are on this year’s team. The squad  has four freshmen and one returning starter from last year’s team,  Senior Tyler Hanks. In spite of several injured players the squad has a 5-2 record going into Christmas break. Key players include Chandler Damewood, Tyler Hanks, Anthony Krier, Logan McCoy and Zach Issa to name a few. Defense is the main strength of this year’s team. Good luck to both teams in the new year...

The Alta-Aurelia School Board gave the OK to move forward with the idea of taking current fifth through seventh graders on a field trip to Washington, D.C., in July 2020. A representative from World Classrooms, the vendor that would potentially facilitate the trip, clarified some questions from the board. The vendor is currently being used for 45 schools in Iowa, plus more in South Dakota and Minnesota...

Aurelia Kiwanis is planning a summer project to extend a concrete walking trail. The sidewalk, which would be 1,700 feet total, will be five feet wide and about five inches thick. Kiwanis have decided to go with concrete over asphalt for durability and easier maintenance...

Alta-Aurelia School Board voted to raise its spending authority for drop-out prevention and at-risk programs offered to students. The spending authority is not cash, but its line is maxed out regularly for offerings, according to Supt. Lynn Evans. “We were one of the few schools in the state with a 100 percent graduation rate thanks to programs funded by this allowance,” Evans said. ...

The Alta-Aurelia School Board voted to offer early retirement, giving up to four teachers the chance to retire with a bonus one-time offering of 50 percent of their current base salary. The incentive will be paid out over two payments, the first in July 2020. “That way our management fund doesn’t take the hit all in one year,” Supt. Lynn Evans explained...

Tuesday morning’s guest speaker was John Stange, Alta-Aurelia Wrestling Coach. John coaches Pre-K-High School. This year the program began with 20 high school students but has since fallen to 14. In addition, there are 45 little kids, 15 of which are in Junior High. ...

On a horizon of numerous and often contentious school mergers, Alta-Aurelia Community School District is leading the way on how to do it well. The differences after 97 percent of Alta and 77 percent of Aurelia voted to merge districts last fall have been functionally negligible to the users, students and parents, Superintendent Lynn Evans said. But some districts have clashed less gracefully...

Alta City Council tied up some loose ends in its last meeting of the year Monday in what may have been a record length for a short meeting. Here are some of the highlights. Marge Neuleb came back to the board with new plans for the cabinet display planned for the community building, resolving council members’ previous disapprovals. ...

Alta and Storm Lake aren’t having all the fun this year. Aurelia’s Enchanted Christmas is sure to get you into the holiday spirit, alongside Storm Lake’s Miracle on Lake Ave and Alta’s Hometown Christmas. The event on Saturday, December 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is sure to please. Most activities will be in Aurelia Public Library, Aurelia Community Center and the Heritage Center. All activities listed are from 9-1, unless otherwise stated...

Alta’s Hometown Christmas, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 2, was postponed due to last weekend’s storm. It will now be held Sunday, December 9. See the schedule below to find a variety of fun activities to get your family into the Christmas spirit! The Christmas light decorating contest categories this year are “elegant” and “creative.” Winners will be announced at 4:15. Anyone in Alta who decorated their house was automatically entered...

In a Veteran’s Day story titled “Students learn the impact of military service,” which appeared in our Alta pages on November 16, we regret a misquote. “I know I’m not a veteran, but I’m the wife of a veteran,” a quote from Sherry DeRoos at Alta-Aurelia High School’s Veterans Day assembly, was inadvertently changed to “I know I’m not a veteran, but I’m like a veteran.” Unfortunately that error gravely changed the meaning of her quote, implications of which we sincerely apologize for. ...

Guest speaker Jimena Mendoza, Alta-Aurelia H.S., spoke to us about her experiences at HOBY camp last year. HOBY stands for Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Camp. Last June then sophomore Jimena attended camp which was held at Drake University. The camp is meant to train sophomore students how to become better leaders and learn to communicate and interact better with people. ...

It’s that time of year! The magic of your hometown’s holiday season will be brought to you all in a day’s presentation at Hometown Christmas on Saturday, December 2. The Christmas light decorating contest categories this year are “elegant” and “creative.” Judging will be complete by Nov. 30...

The Alta-Aurelia Community School District is considering a trip to Washington, D.C., for students in the summer of 2020. The trip, in the preliminary stages of inquiry, was initially expected to cost $1,700 per student for four packed, all-inclusive days. It was proposed that students in 5th, 6th and 7th grade this year go (when they will be going into 7th, 8th and 9th grades.) One volunteer chaperone for every 15 students would be able to go for free...

Alta Municipal Utilities and the City of Alta are sponsoring their 12th annual food drive to serve the needy people in our community. The winter season is fast approaching and it brings additional hardships with it. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of the needy. We can make sure that NO ONE in our community goes hungry during this upcoming holiday season...

Come dressed in your best 1980’s attire for this unique benefit being put on by the Alta Parent Teacher Association - the ‘80s Prom! All the fun will be Saturday, January 19 at the Aurelia Community Center. Prizes will be given for best dressed and best hair, to name a few! Doors open at 6:30 pm, cocktail hour and prom pictures from 7 pm to 8 pm, dance to your favorite 80’s hits by Scotty and Brent Mack from 8 p.m. to midnight...

The Alta-Aurelia School Board moved to purchase a new photocopier, building signage and snow blower, get rid of unused equipment and raise its spending authority at Monday’s meeting. The board moved to purchase a Ricoh photocopier machine for $9,682. ...

Employees of the City of Alta will see their health insurance rates go up January 1. Health insurance plan costs for city and utility employees went up about 8 percent. Since the plan previously used by employees is no longer available, some changes will go into effect on top of that raise...

Tuesday morning, Sheriff Kory Elston, Buena Vista County Sheriff spoke at Kiwanis. Kory was accompanied by Deputy Sergeant Joey Speers. Joey is a detective assigned to investigate drug related crimes. Three major drugs used in our area are marijuana, meth, and opiates. ...

Crafts and coffee for adults: Come visit the Alta Community Library every Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and enjoy a relaxing creative time. Bring any crafts with you (knitting, crochet, cross stitch, scrapbook, etc.). Trade patterns and tips with each other as you craft or color. Listen/watch an author talk with free coffee and coloring supplies provided. newly added: Come work on our community puzzle...

A central display at the Buena Vista County Historical Society museum in Storm Lake for the past 12 years has been removed. The Walter Becker cabinet of wooden scale-model equipment that has occupied the central display area of the main room is being moved, with the blessings of the Becker family, to the Becker building in Alta, which houses the community center...

Alta-Aurelia High School student Carly Drenth will be the first in Alta and Alta-Aurelia history to bear the honor of making it to All State Band four times. The senior clarinetist is excited to be auditioning and attending a music festival in Ames this weekend...

Spirited discussion ensued at Alta-Aurelia School Board’s discussion Monday of whether to offer early retirement incentives, and what to offer in the case that they do. Superintendent Lynn Evans came to the board with a proposal offering staff a cash payment of 60 percent of their current base salary if they choose to retire at the end of this school year. He said that he believed cash would be the best incentive to garner early retirements...

Join the Womens Self-Defense initiative for a free self-defense class sponsored by Jill Anderson, thanks to a generous grant from Thrivent Financial! We will be at the old high school gym, 101 W 5th Street in Alta. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, and we’re going to have a lot of fun!...

“Today, it is our privilege to say thank you to all our veterans,” opened Alta-Aurelia High student Maria Kueny at the school’s Tuesday assembly in honor of Veterans Day. In the midst of patriotic staples like the national anthem, the color guard placing and retrieving flags and the band playing “Proud to be an American,” students were reminded of the impact on veterans’ families each and every day, before, during and after deployment...

The Alta-Aurelia School Board moved Monday to adopt the Iowa Seal of Biliteracy program for its high school students, which will allow the district to give an award recognizing students who have attained proficiency in two or more languages, one of which is English, by graduation...

Tuesday’s speaker was Corbett Butler, Alta-Aurelia H.S. Band Director. Between 115-125 students are involved in band and chorus this year. Mr. Butler talked about the upcoming band trip to Chicago in March. three days and three nights will be filled with sight-seeing, a performance by their jazz band at the Museum of Science and Technology, attending a performance of Mama Mia, and the Blue Man Group...

The Wizard of Oz wrapped up dress rehearsals earlier this week. Top-notch costumes for the cast, vibrant backgrounds and repurposed pieces with new high-tech elements give the classic new life for audiences. The musical will play at Roxy Theater on Main Street Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. / Photo by Elijah Decious...

City Council looked into what it could do about complaints on everything from aluminum around trees to dust from the grain elevators this month. A tree in question on Main Street has received attention for its reflective material wrapped around and nailed to the base of a tree on the city right-of-way...

The mayor of Alta has proclaimed that the winter snow ordinance “parking ban” will be in effect from November 1, to April 1, 2019. Mayor Al Clark has advised the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department to issue warnings to cars illegally parked until the first snow fall, which could be as early as this week...

As Buena Vista County’s recycling center moves towards making all recycling collections bagless next July, cities that still use bags learning why. With over 80 percent of communities in Iowa using a recycling program of some sort, and 58 percent offering curbside, recycling centers like Rowley look to improve efficiency in an effort to make recycling sustainable...

On Friday, October 26 the Alta Community Library held its Annual Costume Party. The children picked up a treat bag and did a Halloween Activity Tracker which included: Reading a Halloween themed book with a grown up, Creating a jack-o-lantern using a dice to determine which mouth, eyes and nose they would draw and each child having their picture taken in their costume...

The Alta-Aurelia School Board met Tuesday to update policies, one of which was the board’s policy on collective bargaining. The board’s policy was changed to reflect Iowa’s changes, made in the 2017 state legislative session, for public unions. Unions in Alta-Aurelia had to recertify this month—part of new rules under the 2017 law that make public unions recertify (affirm that employees wish to remain in a union) every year. ...

Toddle Time was held on Friday mornings during the month of October at 10:30 a.m. for children ages 5 and under. The toddlers met at the Alta Community Library to hear stories, sing songs and rhymes. Themes for this month were: animals and their sounds which incorporated Old MacDonald and Leaves in which they listened to a story and action rhymes. / Photos Submitted...

The Alta Community Library hosted a movie night on Monday, October 15th. They watched the movie “Hotel Transylvania 3”. They were kept in suspense as they followed the Drac monster group vacationing aboard a luxury monster cruise ship. After enjoying all the fun activities on board, they discovered the ship was being commandeered by Van Helsing family who hated monsters...

With an exceptionally wet October, farmers are pushing their combines to finish the harvest quickly. “It’s been a challenge with the wet weather,” said Wayne Pingel, grain department manager at First Cooperative Association, “but things have squared around.” He said there has much quite a bit of progress in the last two weeks...

Aimee Barritt from BV County Management spoke to us on Tuesday morning. Aimee works with responders, schools, and the public whenever a natural disaster occurs. Disasters range from tornados, fires, floods etc. This year’s heavy rains caused major flooding in the state and county. Record flooding at Little Sioux Dam resulted in structural damage to the Dam. Aimee said she makes requests for funds to pay for repairs after an assessment is made of damages...

Alta’s preschool is adjusting well to its new location in Alta Elementary School, says Superintendent Lynn Evans. The new location, in what was the school’s tornado safe room, is proving to be adequate for the school’s needs with added benefits. Traffic and flow is working well, and staff at the school are now all in one place, keeping the school physically and socially connected. “Teachers appreciate being with other faculty,” Evans said...

After some tough negotiations, teen boy band Rock Bottom agreed to make a comeback tour stop in Alta for Kim Walsh’s 60th birthday party at Scooter’s over the weekend—remaking the memories they made for her 50th birthday in 2008. Drummer and vocalist Gabe Walsh said he still finds the name fitting, as they screamed into the mic enough times. ...

Two recent high profile murders of women in Iowa, including Mollie Tibbets in a town about the size of Alta, have women in small towns across Iowa rethinking how safe they are every day. Despite the heightened awareness, self-defense instructor Jessica Peterson Tierney from Mason City says that the majority of women are more likely to be targeted by someone they know in an attack...

Trinity Lutheran, First Presbyterian and Alta United Methodist Churches will host a pancake fundraiser breakfast and silent auction this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Alta Elementary School’s cafeteria to benefit community leader Randy Ericksen. Ericksen suffered from a stroke August 26. You may know Randy from his work for the Park Board, speaking to Alta City Council, or directing shows with Touch of Broadway...