Students return to repaired Kingsley-Pierson school today
Kingsley-Pierson students will return to the district’s main building in Kingsley for the first time in nearly two months, after damage from a water main break caused the building to be shut down for repairs.
In a letter released on the district’s Facebook page on December 31st, K-12 principal Adam Brand announced that students will be able to attend classes in the newly-repaired building starting today. The district’s winter break was extended by a day to help faculty members move back into the building. Parts of the building, including the auditorium and stage, the north gym, and band and choir rooms, are still being worked on by crews. Along with the repairs, new carpet and tile flooring has been installed throughout the building.
Elementary and high school students have been learning online and in alternate locations since November 10th, when a water main broke and caused significant damage throughout the building. In the aftermath of the break, students attended classes at the St. Michael’s Learning Center and the Kingsley Community Center, while crews worked to clean and restore the building.
In the letter, Brand stated that, while several projects and repairs aren’t finished yet, the district and building is “ready for students.”
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Creighton survey shows manufacturers in Iowa, Midwest are wallowing
A survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states shows Midwestern manufacturers ended 2025 with another downturn, reporting job losses for the ninth straight month. Creighton University Economics Professor Ernie Goss says the region’s main economic indicator sank to its lowest level for the year during December, and much of the decline is being blamed on tariffs enacted by the Trump administration and by other nations in response.
The December employment index on the survey sank to the lowest reading since May of 2024. Supply managers surveyed reported weakness in both imports and exports, while urban areas across the Midwest fared better than most ag-based rural areas, and Goss sees the trend continuing.
Goss says some of the business leaders surveyed say tariffs have increased input costs by a minimum of 10 percent to as much as 48 percent, and in many cases, those higher costs are being passed on to consumers.
The survey uses a zero to one-hundred scale, with 50 being growth neutral. Goss says Iowa’s main economic indicator dropped to 44.6 in December from a reading of 52.1 in November. He says federal data shows Iowa manufacturing exports for the first three quarters of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, fell from $11.5 billion to $10.5 billion — that’s a nine-percent decline.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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First baby of the new year delivered at Floyd Valley Healthcare
Floyd Valley Healthcare has delivered their first baby of 2026. Violet Ann Palmer was born on Sunday at 2:14pm, and is the daughter of Heather and Evan Palmer. Violet weighs 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and is 19.5 inches tall. She is being welcomed by her big brother Dominic. Congratulations to Heather and Evan Palmer!
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