The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

25 minutes ago  Over 80 students received their diplomas today as their family, friends and loved ones cheered them on.

34 minutes ago  People in the community donated hundreds to thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, magazines and board games for others to come out and buy.

45 minutes ago  As many high school students graduate and go off to college, Phillip Miller takes a road less traveled. He is just one of only two seniors at Ottumwa Christian School.

Today at 6:04 PM  Graduation ceremonies continued across the Heartland on this Sunday.

Today at 5:22 PM  In the United States, every 68 seconds one person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Yesterday at 10:56 PM  People brought their shovels and paint-brushes to the Fairfield Loop Trail to help clean-up and revamp the area, which attracts a lot of tourists and residents this time of year.

Yesterday at 10:45 PM  156 Participants got out to enjoy a variety of activities such as tracking animals in the woods and learning what their footprints look like, archery lessons, shooting riffles at a toy pigeon, and learning how to handle different snakes and insects

Yesterday at 10:29 PM  A handful of organizations and developers around Ottumwa have been working hard to renovate and revamp the city’s downtown. They got to show off all their hard work and progress to the community at the 5th annual Upstairs Downtown event.

Yesterday at 8:39 PM  Kirksville Baseball and Softball Association teams gathered at North Park in Kirksville for Opening Day 2013.

Yesterday at 8:14 PM  Adults and kids come out to fish at the 30th annual Buddy Bass Fishing Classic.

Yesterday at 7:07 PM  The graduating class consisted of 108 men, 68 women, students from 30 states and 7 countries represented.

Yesterday at 6:51 PM  The Samaritan Hospital and Shoes from the Heart hosted The Color Run, a unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, individuality, and giving back to the community.

Yesterday at 9:00 AM  A national animal welfare group has donated $50,000 to a University of Missouri training academy to help rural law enforcement investigators attend anti-cruelty workshops.

Yesterday at 8:00 AM  An effort to maintain a tax break for ethanol blended fuel has won state Senate approval.

Friday, May 17, 2013  Local golf tournament is a great networking tool.