Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Articles written by Mari Radtke


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  • Rural Sutherland man running for HD5 seat

    Mari Radtke, The Bell-Times-Courier|Feb 8, 2024

    Mike Schnoes, a native of Paullina and now a rural Sutherland resident, has tossed his hat for Iowa House District 5 into the proverbial ring. Schnoes has followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, taking up education as his occupation. He is a teacher at Alta-Aurelia School District and has served in that capacity for five years. He is the sixth generation in O'Brien County. His settler grandparents were both veterinarians, the first in O'Brien County and shocking for a female...

  • History, heritage and the future

    Mari Radtke, Bell-Times-Courier|Jul 15, 2021

    A tiny O'Brien County cemetery means the world to Hartley's LeRoy Steffens. In 1884 Michael Steuck, Steffens' great-grandfather, buried his mother, Anna Steuck, on the family farm in Center Township in O'Brien County. She was the first in the family to be buried in the privately-owned pioneer cemetery. Born in 1819, Anna became a war widow in Germany and later brought her children to the United States to build a life in northwest Iowa. Since then, 36 more family members have opted for burial in...