Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Though Iowa's bitter winter months are upon us, a group of former Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn educators are doing their best to spread some warmth. Juanita Anliker, who served 21 years as a special education teacher at H-M-S, founded the "Stitches of Love" sewing group in 2023. Comprised of ex-teachers and aides, the group thus far has made 30 quilts for local children in need. Anliker wanted to carry on the legacy left by her late mother, Reona Schelhaas, who used to make quilts for needy women and...
In an effort to save money and time, the Hartley City Council will appoint a new member to fill the vacancy left by Nick Galm. First elected in 2021, Galm resigned his seat last month to become Hartley's superintendent of public works. His term expires at the end of 2025. The council on Monday had the option to appoint a new member or call for a special election, which would be held in March. Since the election will cost around $3,000 and take longer, the council opted to appoint Galm's replacem...
Local emergency personnel on Monday updated the Hartley City Council about their 2024 activities and shared goals for the future. The Hartley Emergency Ambulance Rescue Team (HEART) responded to 280 calls in 2024, down slightly from 289 in 2023. The team is comprised of 16 volunteer members who tallied 21,507 on-call hours last year, according to HEART Secretary/Treasurer Darla Meyer. "It's a good amount of people, thank goodness," she said. HEART was able to purchase a new $47,000...
You wouldn't know by looking at it now, but Moneta used to be a bustling enclave of commerce, development and hope. The tiny town on O'Brien County's far east border once boasted a population nearing 500 people. Residents there enjoyed all the amenities folks in larger cities took for granted – a movie theater, two car dealerships, grocery stores, gas station, school, bank, pool hall and more. For Vicky Treimer, Moneta's rise and fall has been a point of curiosity her whole life. "I was always f...
Hartley's new public works superintendent is eager to bring some stability to an office that's sat vacant for four months. Nick Galm started duties at his new gig on Dec. 31. A former Hartley council member, he felt it was important for the city to fill the position with someone who plans on being there a while. "I've thought about it for a long time," Galm said. "I felt like we needed to get somebody here that was going to stick around and hopefully do the right thing for the city and...
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds last week extended a disaster proclamation for O'Brien County and four others due to the ongoing threat of bird flu. Other counties included in the extension were Palo Alto, Sac, Sioux and Worth. Bird flu was confirmed in a commercial laying flock in O'Brien County on Dec. 14, which was the eighth detection of the virus in Iowa of 2024. Two days later it was confirmed in flocks in Sioux, Worth and Monona counties. Flocks with confirmed infections are destroyed to hamper...
A familiar face has been hired to fill Hartley's long-vacant superintendent of public works position. Nick Galm, who has served on the city council since 2022, was hired for the job on Monday during a special meeting. The position has been open since August. Galm's annual salary was set at $95,000. He resigned from the council prior to being hired on a 3-1 vote. Council Member Matt Dolphin was the lone dissention. According to City Administrator Roxann Swanson, Galm was the only applicant for...
And just like that, another year is already in the rearview mirror. 2025 arrived and 2024 left. Though the pages of the Sentinel-News were filled with hundreds of stories over the past 365 days, some stood head and shoulders above the rest. They commanded multiple headlines throughout the year and impacted the community in unique ways. With the page now flipped to 2025, it's time to fill the 2024 scrapbook. What follows is a rundown of the biggest stories to grace the pages of the Sentinel-News...
With strong majorities in both the House and Senate, Iowa Republicans are once again hoping to keep Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk piled high with bills to sign during the 2025 legislative session. The 91st Iowa General Assembly kicks off Jan. 13 with a target end date of May 2. GOP lawmakers plan to focus on preschool education, access to rural healthcare and other priorities in Des Moines. Local officials include: Rep. Zach Dieken, House District 5; Sen. Lynn Evans, Senate District 3; Rep. Megan...
Though down from the previous year, farmland values in O'Brien County once again earned the label of priciest in the state in 2024. The annual Iowa State University Land Value Survey found the average price per acre of O'Brien County farmland dipped from $16,313 in 2023 to $15,921 this year. The average was the most expensive in Iowa in 2024 and marked the second time in the last three years that O'Brien County topped the list. Last year, Sioux County took home first while O'Brien was tops in...
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...
