Category archives for: Local News

Kyle Petty Visits Musco in Oskaloosa, Shares Classic Daytona Story and Straight Talk on NASCAR Today

Kyle Petty during his visit to Musco in December of 2025.

OSKALOOSA — Kyle Petty came to Musco Lighting to help mark a new partnership tied to the 30th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, but his visit also turned into something NASCAR fans appreciate: a mix of racing history, behind-the-scenes insight, and blunt opinions about how the sport works now. Petty was in Oskaloosa […]

Wires, Teamwork and Curiosity Innovators Quest Sparks Career Exploration at Oskaloosa Schools

Several Oskaloosa Middle School students work side by side to build, wire, and run a robotic snake as Musco Lighting engineers circulate among the groups, answering questions and cheering student successes. The room buzzed with energy as teams tested their designs, made quick adjustments, and celebrated progress together during Oskaloosa Schools Innovators Quest.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – In a classroom buzzing with wires, toggles, and problem-solving chatter, eighth-grade students at Oskaloosa Middle School are not just building a robotic snake, they are testing skills that could shape their futures. Through Innovators Quest, a career exploration initiative supported by Musco Lighting, students are getting hands-on exposure to robotics, circuitry, and […]

Musco Lighting Joins Kyle Petty Charity Ride as 2026 Partner

Kyle Petty (left) and Jeff Rogers (right) discusss the upcoming charity ride founded by Petty to honor his late son Adam.

OSKALOOSA — Musco Lighting has been named an official partner of the 30th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, a cross-country motorcycle ride that raises money for Victory Junction, a year-round camp for children living with complex medical and physical conditions. The 2026 Ride is scheduled for May 1-9 and will travel about 3,400 […]

Without pennies, should retailers round up or down? States offer their 2 cents.

Questions on how this penny will be spent continue to swirl in regards to LOST funding projects.

by Kevin Hardy, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 19, 2025 As pennies vanish from the American landscape, many businesses are clamoring for federal guidance on how to handle cash transactions in a penniless world. Should retailers round up or down? Should they round in favor of the customer? Or in favor of the business? So far, […]

Mahaska Health Welcomes Hospitalist Dr. Ruffin Tchakounte to the Inpatient Care Team

Hospitalist Dr. Tchakounte Joins Mahaska Health Inpatient Care Team

Mahaska Health is proud to welcome Ruffin Tchakounte, DO, to the Inpatient care team. Dr. Tchakounte is a Hospitalist specializing in Internal Medicine with experience caring for patients across inpatient, outpatient, and critical care settings. Dr. Tchakounte earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Anatomy from Des Moines University in Des […]

Oskaloosa Awarded State-Backed Grant to Strengthen Small Businesses and Startups

Deann De Groot, executive director of the Mahaska Chamber and Development Group, accepts a $30,000 Rural Business Initiative grant check from Mark Reinig, Iowa Rural Development Council board chair and Madison Burke, chair-elect. The funding, approved with support from the state’s Empower Rural Iowa task force, will support the Ignite Oskaloosa initiative, providing training, technical assistance, and grant opportunities for local small businesses and startups as the community prepares to celebrate 40 years as a Main Street community.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – The Mahaska Chamber and Development Group has been selected as one of three communities to receive funding through the Iowa Rural Development Council’s Rural Business Initiative (RBI) grant program, with support approved this week by the state’s Empower Rural Iowa task force. The funding will support Ignite Oskaloosa, a multi-part small business […]

Warmth That Lasts: Santa’s Helpers Trade the North Pole for Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa High School Peer Helpers sort, prepare, and wrap winter clothing and holiday gifts for elementary students, carefully matching sizes and favorite colors as they turn each package into a thoughtful reminder of care, dignity, and community during the holiday season.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Inside a classroom at Oskaloosa High School, winter coats are folded neatly beside stacks of sweatpants, socks, and snow pants. Students move with purpose, checking sizes, comparing prices, and carefully tracking budgets. For more than 30 years, this scene has played out quietly each December, as Oskaloosa High School Peer Helpers work […]

Oskaloosa Main Street Celebrates a Successful 2025 Lighted Christmas Parade and Holiday Season

The 2025 Lighted Christmas Parade held on Saturday, December 6, was a huge success.

The 2025 Lighted Christmas Parade held on Saturday, December 6, was a huge success. Thank you to all who participated, volunteered, and sponsored the 38th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade. “It was a night to remember,” shared Angella Foster, Oskaloosa Main Street Director. “Seeing the joy on people’s faces, from the little children marveling at the […]

Reynolds orders flags lowered to honor Iowa soldiers killed in Syria

Iowa National Guard Sgts. William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar were killed in an attack in Syria Dec. 13, 2025. (Photo via Iowa National Guard)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 14, 2025 Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday ordered all flags in Iowa lowered in honor of the two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria. The two service members were killed Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, by a lone gunman suspected to be affiliated with ISIS. The two […]

Superintendent Mike Fisher’s administrator license expired Nov. 30; renewal submitted

Oskaloosa School Superintendent Mike Fisher.

***Update*** Superintendent Mike Fisher said Tuesday morning that his Iowa administrator license is now back in “good standing” after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners processed his renewal. Fisher told Oskaloosa News that the license expired because he forgot to pay the renewal fee. He said he paid the fees online over the weekend as […]

             

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