News

State reaches testing goal as COVID-19 steadily spreads

Published by editor on Wed, 06/10/2020 - 8:31am

Protests across the state directed attention away from the COVID-19 pandemic last week, however the lack of daily headlines has not slowed the spread of the disease.

While no changes to the statewide emergency proclamation were announced last week, the state government is still implementing measures to monitor the novel coronavirus.

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Dows Corn Days cancelled for 2020

Published by editor on Wed, 06/10/2020 - 8:28am

DOWS CORN DAY 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELED JULY 31 - August 2, 2020

The decision was made for the Safety and Health of our many Dows Volunteers, the Dows Community,the Entertainers and all our faithful Dows Corn Days goers. After speaking with the Wright County Public Health and reviewing the most recent Iowa Governor’s Proclamation with the guidelines for gatherings, which include— NO Food Stands, NO Inflatables, 50% capacity, 6 feet social distancing, Masks, Hygiene, etc.

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Wright County courthouse now open by appointment only

Published by editor on Mon, 06/08/2020 - 8:57am

For the continued safety of the staff and public, the Wright County Courthouse will continue the buildings restricted access with the following changes:

Starting Monday June 8, 2020, the Wright County Courthouse will be open BY APPOINTMENT ONLY during normal business hours. County offices not accessible in person will continue to conduct business through email, mail and by telephone. Contact information for all county offices can be found at www.wrightcounty.org.

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COVID numbers rising in Wright County - result of more testing

Published by admin on Thu, 06/04/2020 - 4:37pm

Wright County has recently been listed as one of the top three COVID-19 “hot spots” in Iowa. Wright County Supervisor and Public Information Officer Karl Helgevold said that while this statement is true, the numbers are “skewed.” If you would compare the number of tests given per capita, county numbers across the state would look a lot different.

“(Wright County is) doing the same thing we’ve been doing...Increasing the testing increases the number of positives found.”

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Unofficial June 2 primary election results for Wright County

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 1:00pm

King and Greenfield take the county, incumbent supervisors win over challengers

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C-G-D commencement planned for June 27

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 11:19am

Over a month after the district had originally planned 2020 commencement, they hope to hold the much wished for ceremony. The plan is to hold commencement Saturday, June 27 at the football field in Clarion at 6 p.m.

Even before commencement had to be cancelled for its planned May 17 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows school officials were already at work planning. Both parents and seniors were eager to hold some version of a traditional graduation ceremony. This would not be a small feat.

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Processors and producers trying to manage through a difficult situation

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 11:00am

The news has been full of stories about how livestock producers are trying their best to cope with the problem of getting animals to the processors, some of which have shut down due to employees testing positive for COVID-19. Unfortunately, it could even lead to the sad point of euthanizing their investment. The plants are doing the best they can to handle the situation, but it continues to be frustrating as the backlog of animals ready for slaughter only gets worse. I decided to visit with people on both ends of the farm to market route to see what they are going through.

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Farmers Market back at in on Main Street in Clarion

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 10:58am

Clarion Farmers Market has been present in the community for years. It’s always brought community farmers and other vendors together. Its sense of community has brought joy and pride to the lively town of Clarion. The late spring and summer activity has allowed vendors to sell their goods and for people to learn about what’s happening locally. But, with the change in regulations due to COVID-19, challenges have presented themselves.

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Supervisors support Eagle Grove tax credit program for housing

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 10:56am

At the Monday meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, Eagle Grove City Administrator Bryce Davis spoke via Zoom asking for support for a Residential Development and Workforce Housing Tax Credits for the City of Eagle Grove. He explained that currently it is not feasible to build rentals in Wright County as it costs around $100,000 per door. He added that the level building rentals becomes prudent is at $45,000-50,000 per door. One way to make this possible is through using a tax credit through the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

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COVID concerns in Wright County

Published by editor on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 10:54am

COVID concerns are on the rise in Wright County, but so too is a proactive approach to testing and contact tracing (meaning in-depth questions about where they have been, who they have been in contact with, for how long, and how close they have been to people), according to Wright County Supervisor Karl Helgevold.