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Ripe harvest and rich history

Amy Lyon | Staff Writer When Dave and Mary Fields moved to their current residence 21 years ago, they never had intentions of starting an apple orchard. Fast-forward to present day, however, and they have 100 apple trees and counting in what they named Arlington Orchard.This name had no special meaning for the Fields but […]

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Small town sips

FOR THE LOVE OF TEA Jessica Loeschen, left, and Carlie Doeden stand in front of to-go teas in their new business LyCo Nutrition. Out of love for the product of loaded teas and protein shakes, they began Osco Nutrition in Sibley in March 2024 and officially opened LyCo Nutrition in Rock Rapids Sept. 4. Hours […]

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Uncovering the community’s unique stories

Reporter, Herald welcome new staff writer Dominique Kooiker | Editor New Century Press is welcoming Amy Lyon, a new staff writer to the Lyon County Reporter and West Lyon Herald. Lyon’s first day was Sept. 3.Lyon was born and raised in Rock Rapids and graduated from Central Lyon. She previously taught high school Spanish at […]

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Preserving a piece of family heritage

FIFTH-GENERATION FARMERS The Martens family has farmed their land southeast of George for five generations. Pictured is the Martens family in front of their 1896 barn. Front, left to right, Matt and Sherry’s children: Kirra, Mason, Sydney and Kade. Back, Matt and Sherry Mitchell; Linda, Bob and Steve Martens. (Photo/Submitted) A PIECE OF FAMILY HERITAGE […]

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Listening with ears and heart

LOOKING BACK AT 52 YEARS OF SERVICE Brenda Vis holds a picture of herself during her first year as a registered nurse. Vis served the Rock Rapids community as an RN from 1974-91 and PA from 1993-2024. She plans on retiring after 52 years of service, and her last day in the Sanford Clinic will […]

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Traveling to Thailand

Traveling to ThailandCentral Lyon student visits AsiaMadalynn Van Der Weerd |Staff InternMany people travel during the summer months, but only one Central Lyon high school student can say she traveled to southeast Asia over this summer. Berlyn De Wit of Rock Rapids traveled to Thailand with Global Leadership Adventures July 3-21. De Wit is a […]

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Uncovering the rest of the story

Dominique Kooiker | Editor Many people wonder about their family’s stories, wondering what happened in the lives of those who came before. Richard Reitsma of Rock Rapids is one of those people, and his quest to discover his family’s stories led him to write a book titled “Forgetfulness: The Holocaust Orphan Jay’s Lost Dutch-Jewish Family […]

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Showcasing her passion for racing

2024 KNOXVILLE NATIONALS QUEENS COURT Emma Baker of Rock Rapids, left, was named second runner-up in the 2024 Knoxville Nationals Queen Contest Aug. 6. Being on the Knoxville Nationals Queens Court allows the young women named Queen, Miss Congeniality and the two runners-up a chance to be VIPs for the week of the Knoxville Nationals […]

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Running through Iowa

Local Wonders Tyler Sullivan poses at the Lyon County Nature Center before a run around Lake Pahoja. As a part of his project, he is visiting each of Iowa’s 99 counties and is running through them. (Photo/Submitted) Tristan Taylor | Writer Lyon County recently had a visitor running through its cities on his journey throughout […]

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Central Lyon students head back to school

Dominique Kooiker | Editor Friday, Aug. 21 marked the first day of the 2024-2025 school year at Central Lyon. It might have been a little cloudy as students entered the building, but they were greeted with sunny smiles from teachers, staff and friends to start off the first day of the new school year.Once inside […]

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