Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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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...
Anyone hoping to divert their attention from big-ticket races at the federal level on Nov. 5 will find few distractions in O'Brien or Clay counties. Competitive races at the state or local level are few and far between. With the exception of races for president and U.S. House, voters in O'Brien and Clay counties should be able to breeze right through their ballots next week. On O'Brien County's ballot, incumbent Iowa House District 5 Rep. Zach Dieken (R-Granville) is facing no-party challenger...
A hectic growing season culminated in a rather calm harvest for farmers in northwest Iowa this fall. The year started with record-breaking precipitation numbers and finished markedly dry. During harvest over the past month, there was little standing in farmers' way as they blitzed through area fields unfettered. "The main thing this fall is that everything went really quick," said New Century FS agronomist Alic Mohni. "We haven't had any weather breaks." Locally, Mohni reported corn yields...
New real estate listings are coming to downtown Hartley. The city council on Oct. 14 agreed to sell two parcels of land at 170 S Central Ave. and 176 S Central Ave. The now-empty lots previously housed Create-A-Craft and Real Reflections, respectively. The former was removed in 2023 and the latter was torn down in August of this year. The lots will be sold at auction during the November regular council meeting. Anyone interested in purchasing them may place a bid. Another city-owned property dir...
The Everly City Council on Monday moved forward with repairs to flood-damaged fencing at the sewage lagoons east of town. Council members approved a $35,069.21 quote from American Fence Company, of Sioux City, to repair the perimeter fencing at the lagoons. The item was tabled last month pending further investigation of bids. One other quote worth $112,000 was received for the project, and the council wanted to ensure American Fence Company's estimate was complete. According to discussion,...
Spooks, goblins and ghouls of all kinds will be out in full force next Thursday for Halloween. Hartley, Everly and Royal will all hold trick-or-treating hours on Thursday, Oct. 31. Hartley and Everly will hold theirs from 5-7 p.m., while Royal's hours are scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. Additional activities are planned in Hartley prior to the door-to-door treat grab. The Hartley Chamber of Commerce is planning a Halloween Trunk-or-Treat downtown next Thursday from 3:30-5 p.m. Local businesses are...
Fall is typically my favorite season. The weather is great, the football is good, and there’s not much that bugs me this time of year. Afterall, my weeds and grass quit growing a long time ago. Unfortunately, though, this autumn has proved to be an outlier. There have been several things driving me nuts lately, and I’m not sure when my annoyance will cease. My kids’ bad attitudes have been out of this world in October. If one is in a good mood, the other is totally sour. I don’t have time for their arguments and their fits never make me cave...
The Hartley City Council on Monday agreed to investigate an issue that has plagued households across town for years. The council instructed Bolton & Menk engineer Wes Boyer to look into potential causes of brown tap water that sporadically affects homes in Hartley. Despite efforts to regularly flush water mains, the issue has persisted for several years. "I definitely want to look into it, because it's a problem," said Council Member Ron Hengeveld. "The public would definitely like us to find...
Hartley's downtown landscape underwent changes again last week, but it wasn't at the hands of a wrecking ball. A crew from EZ Acquisitions, LLC removed the metal from the front exterior of the old pharmacy building on Friday. Owner Elijah Zevenbergen, of Allendorf, purchased the property from Mari and Rusty Howard this fall, and he plans to renovate the ground level commercial space and create apartments upstairs. "The apartments will have a high-end downtown feel," he said. "It should look...
The anatomy of the former Capitol Theatre was questioned by the Hartley City Council on Monday. Members approved a proposal from Bolton & Menk for professional engineering services to assess the condition of the dilapidated building, specifically its north wall. The city has owned the property for the last four years after it was deemed hazardous due to years of neglect. "We need to know if the north wall is attached [to the abutting building]," said City Administrator Roxann Swanson. "We need...
Nobody has ever confused me with a farmer. My agriculture resume includes picking rock as a teen, riding in the combine with my grandpa as a youngster and sorting chickens once in college. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve driven a tractor, and I wasn’t in FFA nor did I win ribbons at the county fair. Because it’s important to try new things, I got out of my comfort zone last weekend. A friend asked if I’d help him with harvest, and I obliged. I warned him of my thin experience – the last time I piloted a tractor was nearly 20 years a...
The devastation from June's flood has been partially washed away by a tidal wave of support from the Clay County Community Foundation (CCCF). The organization last week announced that it has awarded $303,700 in Disaster Recovery Grants to 22 nonprofit organizations and two public entities since June 28. The contributions came in response to the flood that devastated Spencer, parts of Everly and other areas in Clay County. "We are overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of donors who have helpe...
Open burning in O'Brien and Clay counties is prohibited indefinitely following requests granted Tuesday by the Iowa State Fire Marshal. The ban will be in place until dry and windy conditions dissipate. The respective requests were submitted to state officials by O'Brien County Board of Supervisors Chair Tim Overmire and Webb Fire Chief Tim Sylvester in Clay County, who did so with the support of all fire departments in both counties. O'Brien and Clay counties join more than 50 others in the...
School spirit was sky high last week during Homecoming at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn. Fans of the Maroon and Gold turned out in force Friday for a pep rally and parade in downtown Hartley. Later that night, the Hawks put the cherry on top during a 44-26 beat down of South O'Brien on the grid iron. This year's Homecoming King and Queen were James Gellerman and Kamryn Ebel....
There's new royalty reigning over the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District. James Gellerman and Kamryn Ebel were named king and queen during coronation Tuesday night. The duo was selected from the 10-member Homecoming court by their peers. Ebel, of Hartley, is the daughter of Korey and Jonna Ebel. She is involved in cross country, basketball, track, gymnastics, softball, band, jazz band, FCA and National Honor Society. She plans to go to college to major in child psychology....
The Hartley Fire Department recently received a breath of fresh air – more of it, anyway. The local squad was able to purchase eight new 6,000-psi air cylinders thanks to a $10,000 grant from the O'Brien County Community Foundation (OCCF). The new equipment replaces the department's old 4,500-psi cylinders. "This way we can fill more air packs with greater capacity," said Chief Brad Meendering. The cylinders are filled, put on a truck and used to fill firefighters' individual air packs. M...
Red and Gold highlighted downtown Everly last Thursday during the Clay Central/Everly Homecoming parade. The event was part of a long list of festivities that included dress-up days, pep rally and a student/teacher competition. Homecoming was revived at CC/E two years after a hiatus following the closure of the districts junior/senior high school in 2019....
