Hospice of Pella to Hold Light up a Life Memorial Service

The Spirit of Pella has announced its first downtown mural. The non-profit organization is partnering with The Brew Coffeehouse and an artist, according to Christi Vande Voort. She says the goal is to not only enhance the holiday season, but work on other decorative projects to enhance the Central Business District and beyond. Hear more about the Spirit of Pella on part two of a conversation on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.

Indianola Parks and Rec is hosting the next installment of their Tunes and Treats Concert Series today, featuring Gladys Lite. Kathy Kester with Indianola Parks and Rec tells KNIA News Gladys Lite is the acoustic sub-unit of the popular local classic rock band, The Sons of Gladys Kravitz. Gladys Lite will play acoustic classic rock songs primarily from the 60s and 70s, along with contemporary Irish music. The Tunes and Treats concert will be today at 2pm at the Indianola Activity Center.

The City of Indianola is hosting the first What Do You Love About Indianola? photo contest beginning this month, and continuing throughout the year. Indianola residents are asked to take a high-resolution photo of something they love in Indianola, submit it to the city by the end of the month, and a winner will be selected and awarded a $50 gift certificate to an Indianola business. For more information about the contest, click below.

The students of Pella High School’s Orchestra are excited to share their work with the community this week. Students Loic O’Neil, Aidan Smith, Rachael Stratton, and Clayton Flattery invite the public to “An Evening of Music at Tamory Hall” on Thursday, February 9th at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Pella. The students say they’ve been challenged this year to perform a different type of music, and they will feature a unique variety at the upcoming performance. Hear more about Pella High School’s orchestra on the Let’s Talk Pella podcast.

The Indianola Chamber of Commerce annual dinner and awards ceremony is tomorrow, the chamber’s first in-person annual dinner since 2019. Chamber President and CEO Amanda Zwanziger tells KNIA News the speaker this year will be author Eric Recker with the theme of Win The Now, and is all about taking advantage of the unique opportunities afforded in Indianola, and using the momentum that has been building for years to help Indianola reach its potential.

A local non-profit dedicated to enhancing experiences in the City of Pella is excited to see growth in the number of visits during the holiday season. Jason Bandstra with the Spirit of Pella Committee says the organization helped enhance Christmas lights and decorations throughout the Central Business District in 2022, which featured a new lighted tunnel in Central Park immediately north of the Tulip Toren. He says overall, based on data collected from the Pella Area Community and Economic Alliance, the number of total visits to downtown businesses increased by approximately 16% from the 2021 season.

The Indianola City Council met in a special session Tuesday evening, the annual council retreat for strategic planning. City Manager Ben Reeves tells KNIA News the council set five priorities for the city, including improving public facilities, road paving/capital improvement, gateway improvement into the city, staffing, and public health/animal control among many others. The council also discussed the FY24 budget. Hear more on today’s Let’s Talk Indianola.

Funeral services for Roger L. Casner, 70, of Indianola, will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Overton Funeral Home with burial following in the IOOF Cemetery. Visitation will be held 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the funeral home prior to service where family will be present to greet friends. Memorial contributions may be made to the family in his name. Overton Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. To sign an online condolence, visit www.overtonfunerals.com.

PCM – 1 total. Knoxville joined the other five schools in having participants at state — and those not mentioned above earned a Division II “excellent,” mark.

Today’s Peoples Bank Let’s Talk Indianola features Indianola City Manager Ben Reeves about the most recent Indianola City Council meeting. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | Subscribe to Let's Talk Indianola.

Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz reports of all the eagles around Lake Red Rock. Some of the opportunities that nature gives way points us in the direction that spring is soon to come. With the amount of eagles being observed, it appears that there is a huge population living in Marion County according to Mertz.

The Indianola YMCA has begun their annual fundraising campaign, raising money throughout the spring to assist the Y in completing their mission. Executive Director Heather Hulen tells KNIA News the YMCA is a charity organization, and all monetary funds help make up the gap in their budget to allow all in the area to take advantage of Y services.

Funeral services for Shirley Ellen Farver, age 87 of Winterset, will be held Monday, February 13th at 11:00 am at the Monroe United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Silent City Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 10:00 – 11:00 am on at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Monroe United Methodist Church or the Silent City Cemetery Association. Condolences may be left for the family at www.coburnfuneralhomes.com.

Services for Thomas “Tom” Swanson age 80, of Chariton will be held on Saturday, February 11th at 11:30am. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 10:00. Memorials may be made to Pin Oak Marsh.

Marion County Recorder Naomi Ellis tells KNIA/KRLS News the Recorder’s Office has become a one stop shop for your passport needs by now offering services for passport photos along with the current Passport Acceptance Office. This new photo service is available by appointment only. To schedule photo appointments, call...

For the first time in program history, the Indianola boys basketball team is outright Little Hawkeye Conference champions after knocking off Pella 79-68 last night as part of a doubleheader heard live on 94.3 KNIA, KRLS2 and Pella Dutch Live. In the opener, the 8th-ranked Dutch girls held on for a 53-50 victory over #13 Indianola.

Indianola pays a visit to Pella as the last week of Little Hawkeye Conference basketball action tips off tonight. The Indian boys have clinched a share of the league title, and will win it outright with a win in either of their last two games or one loss each by Norwalk and Newton. Indianola beat the Dutch 60-53 four weeks ago, and Pella coach Derek Schulte knows his team will have its hands full tonight.

Senior Alexa Klaasen shattered the Pella Christian girls bowling team’s two-game series record set by Amanda Harrill in 2018 (348), bowling a 428 against Oskaloosa on January 21st. She joined Tyler Crabb on this week’s Radio Sports Page to talk about etching her name into the Eagles’ record books.

Jason Bandstra and Christi Vande Voort with the Spirit of Pella committee discuss the projects done to enhance holiday lighting downtown and other work for the organization heading into the busy spring of 2023 and beyond. This is part one of a two part conversation. Podcast: Play in new window...

Central College’s music program welcomes the public to three concerts in February. Festival Choir, A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers will perform at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in Douwstra Auditorium on Hoekstra Family Stage. The performance will conclude 10-12th Grade Singfest, an all-day workshop hosted by Central’s music program. Mark Babcock, a 1991 Central graduate, M. Joan Kuyper Farver Endowed Chair in Music and professor of music, will direct the performance. Joining Babcock will be a guest director, Liza Calisesi Maidens, a 2010 Central alumna and director of choral activities at the University of Illinois-Chicago.