Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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After the abrupt closing of its bar and convenience store this summer, the Everly community was not only down two businesses, but its heart was broken. "The community was feeling lost," said Hap Ketelsen Community Center Manager Christie Seivert. "Both entities were places that people gathered and not only enjoyed good food, but also good company." Quik Spot and The Ranch both closed immediately in July following the untimely death of owner Shaun Iske. Gas station gossip and steak nights were...
A lot can change in four decades – just ask Barb Rohwer. The longtime local official will wrap up 42 years of service to the O'Brien County Auditor's Office when the calendar flips to January. From election rule changes to counting gopher feet, the job has thrown several curveballs at Rohwer over the years. "It just seemed like it was the right time for me to retire," she said. "I'm ready to slow down a little from the daily work." After obtaining her associate's degree in accounting, Rohwer w...
The plight of the Hartley Community Daycare Center became a philanthropic opportunity of a lifetime for one local family. Franklin Mett, owner of the Mett Family Trust, recently donated 1.16 acres of his farmland for a new daycare building in Hartley. With two great-grandchildren in the current facility, he felt it was an issue worth contributing to. "The dilapidation of the current building and premises called for a new course of action," Mett said. "I felt that if we could do something to...
My muted contempt for the Christmas season has not lightened as the holiday approaches. This time of year is hectic for everyone, and it just seems like it gets worse and worse. Maybe it’s just my attitude, which has admittedly aged like milk. Nonetheless, I did get my lights hung outside a couple weeks ago. Since I had already been up on the roof cleaning gutters the Sunday prior, I put in a subpar effort on the lights. That’s not my grade of the job, though – it’s my wife’s. There was supposed to be two sets of bush lights that drape ove...
The City With a Heart celebrated the holidays in style Sunday during Hartley's Hometown Christmas. The event featured open houses, a vendor fair, festival of trees, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and other fun events. Festivities conlcuded with a lighted parade parade through town with vehicles adorned with Christmas lights. Volunteers from the Hartley Chamber of Commerce and other groups organized the day's events....
H-M-S Dance Attack added more hardware to its trophy case last week. The team competed in the 49th annual Iowa High School and College State Dance Team Championships in Des Moines, earning three new trophies in the process. Coach Brittany Dolphin said that despite injuries and other hurdles, her dancers exceeded expectations. "None of us felt that we had been able to put in the time needed for each routine," she said. "After performing for Hoopla and the girls dancing the best they ever had, I...
The Hartley City Council on Monday rezoned a parcel of land north of Highway 18 to accommodate a new daycare facility. "Whatever the decision that the council makes tonight, there's going to be hard feelings from one group of people to the other group of people," said Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff. "Hopefully we can manage to agree to disagree. It's just one of those things." Council chambers were packed for the public hearing, as multiple residents had previously expressed concerns over increased...
Okoboji/HMS swept both girls' wrestling duals at Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire on Dec. 5. The Pioneers topped GTRA, 52-24, and needed a pin in the final match to edge Spencer, 42-39. Two girls from H-M-S competed. Natalie Nagel had no opponents at 190 pounds and won both matches by forfeit. Miley Appeldorn won by fall over Bonita Jordan of GTRA (3:10) and lost by fall to Summer Fliss of Spencer (2:44). Brooke Stockdale, Brilee Fauth and Jenessa Gates were all 2-0. Having a full lineup help...
While students' report cards may be a priority for parents, Iowa K-12 schools also get graded for performance on annual basis. Both Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Clay Central/Everly received passing grades in the latest Iowa School Performance Profiles released by the Iowa Department of Education. The annual assessment reviews schools' growth and proficiency rates in math, language arts and other facets like chronic absenteeism. "I am pleased with the collective effort of the district," said H-M-S...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hartley, Everly and Royal. Several holiday events are planned in all three communities this weekend and next weekend. From Santa visits to lighted parades, even the grinchiest of grinches will be able to get in the Christmas spirit. HARTLEY The City With a Heart's big day is this Sunday. Things kick off with the Hartley Chamber of Commerce's annual holiday vendor fair at the community center from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Visitors should come with empty...
The Hartley Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday recommended rezoning a portion of land in the north part of town to accommodate a new daycare. The rezoning request came from the Hartley Community Daycare Center, which is planning to construct a new facility between North 2nd Avenue W and N 3rd Avenue W, extending from the north boundary of the Terpstra Addition to the north corporate limits. The request was tabled from a previous meeting on Nov. 14. Daycare officials requested that the...
Ongoing enrollment concerns highlighted Superintendent Kevin Wood's mid-year report Monday night during Clay Central/Everly's school board meeting. Wood shared K-6 enrollment figures from the past four years, which showed an 18-student decline from 61 in 2021-22 to 43 this year. The district recently combined grades 3-4 and 5-6 due to small class sizes in an effort to give those students better peer-to-peer interactions and bank General Fund savings on staff salaries. Wood called the move to...
Members of H-M-S Dance Attack are hoping to add to their trophy case next week. The team will perform at the 49th annual Iowa High School and College State Dance Team Championships in Des Moines Dec. 4-6. More than 600 routines will be performed at the event, which is held in Wells Fargo Arena and Hy-Vee Hall. H-M-S Dance Attack will perform in four categories: Hoopla Class I, Lights, The M.I.X. and Hip Hop Class III. Coach Brittany Dolphin was excited for the opportunity to compete among the...
It appears that most houses I drive by already have Christmas decorations up. These festive visuals don’t help my holiday vertigo, as they only work to confuse me further. We haven’t even had Thanksgiving...right? Another glance at the calendar confirms my hunch for the 80th time. I can’t keep anything straight this year – 2024 is flying by and will soon be gone. It doesn’t help that some stores have had Christmas decorations up since before Halloween. I am easily confused. We had an early Thanksgiving last weekend, which was my favorite...
Fall’s march towards winter progressed in earnest over the past week. The wind is biting hard and it feels like it’s dark by 4 p.m. most days. You’d think we’d be used to this sort of thing – after all, it happens every year. Still, it always comes as an abrupt change of pace. I’ve got plenty to do outside that I’m sure won’t get done prior to snowfall. Above all, I need to get our pumpkins to the dump and my gutters cleared out before it freezes. It’s hard to believe Halloween was already three weeks ago, but our jack o’lanterns sure a...
The Everly City Council on Monday moved forward with plans to update its code of ordinances. City Clerk Kristi Fliss said the last time the codebook had been updated was around 2010. That’s long overdue, she noted, as a thorough review is typically advised once every five years. The council approved a proposal from Simmering-Cory, Inc., of Storm Lake, worth $4,900 for a basic city code update plus $600 to add the basic zoning code option for a total of $5,500. Fliss said most updates would pertain to things like utilities rates and other c...
Students, teachers and community members gathered in the H-M-S Event Center on Monday to pay tribute to the nation's servicemen and women on Veterans Day. Col. Jade E. Beehler, of Spencer, gave the keynote address and highlighted why it's important to honor America's veterans each year. Though only a select portion of the population has served the nation during its history, every American ever born can thank them for the freedoms they enjoy on a daily basis. "You have kept our communities safe...
Efforts to make a safer crosswalk near the high school in Hartley progressed on Monday thanks to a report from state transportation officials. The city council reviewed a recent Traffic Engineering Assistance Program (TEAP) study conducted by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The report analyzed traffic patterns on Highway 18 near the high school and elementary school, and gave recommendations for improved pedestrian crossings. Recent efforts to bolster pedestrian safety have stalled in...
Two empty lots are now off the city's books in Hartley. Stephane Comtois, owner of Hartley Cold Services, was the winning bidder of both 170 S Central Ave. (formerly Create-A-Craft) and 176 S Central Ave. (formerly Real Reflections salon). The city tore down both buildings recently due to their dilapidated condition. Comtois submitted bids of $1,000 apiece for the lots, which was the minimum amount set by the council. He was the lone bidder for both. The old Create-A-Craft building was acquired...
The Clay Central/Everly school board on Nov. 1 hired a former administrator to join the staff roster. Jeff Scharn, who served as CC/E's assistant superintendent from 2019 until his retirement in June 2024, was hired to fulfill the elementary school's director of student services. He succeeds Michelle Huntress, who will remain at CC/E as the principal. Previously, there was nobody with a principal title in the school, but Huntress essentially fulfilled that role as director of student services. S...
Any notion of a bipartisan election result in Iowa was resoundingly squashed on Tuesday by a wave of Republican victories at the state and federal levels. Despite at least one recent poll predicting a neck-and-neck race, former president Donald Trump cruised to victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, 56 percent to 43 percent. Locally, Trump won O'Brien County 5,995-1,427 and Clay County 6,044-2,366. It was more of the same for Republicans in Iowa's four congressional races. Incumbent Fourth Distric...
A member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard will provide the keynote address Monday, Nov. 11 during a Veterans Day program at the H-M-S Event Center in Hartley. The service kicks off at 9 a.m., and the community is invited to attend. Col. Jade E. Beehler is currently assigned as the J4 - Logistics Officer for the Joint Staff in the Wisconsin Army National Guard (WIARNG) in Madison, Wis. He recently served 2.5 years as commander of the 64th Troop Command Brigade for WIARNG. Beehler began his...
A storefront in downtown Hartley is under transformation, but its next phase of life remains somewhat of a mystery. Deidre Welch purchased the former Classic Closet II location from Jodi Scroggin in September. She's since kept busy with painting, renovating the bathroom and rearranging the interior, but she's not sure what the space will eventually become. "I've thought about using it for retail, rental space, or a place where instructional classes could be held," she said. "I just didn't want...
From raccoons to astronauts and sloths to ghouls, downtown Hartley was loaded with great costumes last Thursday during the Chamber of Commerce's Trunk-or-Treat event. Downtown businesses rolled out the carpet and handed out candy to participants, who made their way around the business district before heading to St. Paul's Lutheran Church for food and other fun. While the entire month of October saw beautiful weather and temps, snow and cold weather arrived just in time for Halloween. However,...
There will be no shortage of unique wares this Saturday when the Hartley Country Crafters Annual Craft Show convenes for its 40th rendition. "It's amazing we've come this far," said Mary Rons, who organizes the event. "It's a great way to start off the holiday shopping season with quality workmanship and have a good time meeting everybody." As far as Rons can find, the event was first coordinated by Nancy Long and a group of her friends. The inaugural craft show boasted 11 vendors and was held...
