Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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BY NICK PEDLEY Just like last year, education reform proved to be the main dish during the first Eggs & Issues legislative forum held last Saturday in Spencer. Reps. Megan Jones and John Wills, along with Sens. Lynn Evans and Dave Rowley, answered a smorgasbord of questions regarding the governor's plan to reform the state's nine Area Education Agencies (AEAs). The proposal has been the headlining piece of legislation thus far in the 2024 session. Evans, a Republican from Aurelia, served more th...
The Clay Central/Everly school board on Jan. 24 approved the resignations of three elementary teachers effective at the end of the current year. Tierny Rutt, Joan Kimball and Melissa Loving submitted their resignations to the board. Rutt teaches first grade, Kimball teaches fifth grade and Loving teaches fourth grade. Rutt applied for early retirement, which was approved by the board. She was the only CC/E teacher who applied for the board's package this year. Kimball and Loving are also retirin...
Iowa House District 5's freshman representative announced his bid for another term earlier this month. Rep. Zach Dieken will run for another two-year term representing the district, which includes all of O'Brien and Osceola counties as well as parts of Cherokee and Buena Vista counties. The Republican from Granville was first elected in 2022 after defeating Dennis Bush and Tom Kuiper in the GOP primary election. "I am thankful for the honor and opportunity to represent [District 5] in Des...
The state of the former elementary school in Hartley remains unchanged more than two years after it switched ownership. Michael Reese, whose firm Hestia Investments in 2021 purchased the school from the H-M-S Community School District, this week offered few details about progress and current state of the facility. Reese in December 2022 unveiled elaborate plans for the building, which closed in May of 2021 following the construction of the new elementary school and junior high. Reese issued a...
A Sanborn man is behind bars after allegedly robbing Sanborn Savings Bank on Monday. According to the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office, a 911 call was received at 1:02 p.m. reporting a robbery at the bank. Bank officials reported a black male entered the building and handed a teller a note. The note said that this was a robbery and demanded cash. No weapons were displayed or referenced during the robbery. An undetermined amount of cash was taken from the bank at that time and the subject left...
A Hartley family is picking up the pieces after a fire significantly damaged their home early Sunday morning. Hartley Fire Chief Brad Meedering said the department was called to Mike and Christina Larson’s residence on Highway 18 at around 2:20 a.m. Upon arrival, responders could see flames around the chimney and east area of the residence. Firefighters engaged in an exterior attack and then moved inside. Several walls were damaged in the fight, and the home sustained significant water and smoke damage. Meendering suspected the fire started in...
Any debate about whom Iowa Republicans want in the White House next year was put to rest Monday night. Former president Donald Trump breezed to victory during the Iowa GOP Caucus with 51 percent of the vote statewide. Participants braved frigid temperatures to cast their ballots during the event, which officially kicked off the 2024 presidential nominating process. "It's been a long road getting here, but we're finally here," O'Brien County GOP Central Committee Chair Denny Werkmeister told the...
A new director is leading services at the Hartley Public Library. Casey Mason, of Hartley, took the reigns at the local facility in late November. She started at the library as an assistant in September before taking over following the resignation of her predecessor, Angie Heikens. "I've liked that it's in town, and I've enjoyed getting to know and serve the kids and other patrons," Mason said. In addition to her duties as director, Mason also serves as the children's programming director. She...
The City of Everly's real estate portfolio shrunk once again Monday night. The council accepted two bids of $1,000 apiece from Stephanie and Derrick Nestvold for a pair of lots located by the railroad tracks. Barring any hiccups, the Nestvolds will take ownership in March once the required notice is published and a public hearing is held. The lots sit at the intersection of East Fourth Street and Rumsey Street. The Nestvolds were the only bidders on the properties. The minimum bid for each lot s...
The national spotlight will blind the Hawkeye State Jan. 15 when Republicans select their top choice for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination during the Iowa Caucuses. The highly-anticipated event will cap more than a year of campaigning. O'Brien County GOP Central Committee Chair Denny Werkmeister is looking forward to the big event and anticipated great attendance. "I'm predicting a big crowd," he said. "If things turn out the way they usually do every four years, there should be a lot of...
The moment northwest Iowa residents have been dreading finally arrived Monday. A winter storm delivered the area's first significant snow accumulation of the season. The weather cancelled classes and other events Monday and Tuesday, which marked the first snow-related shutterings of the current school year. Pictured above and below, Hartley residents dig out Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls reported totals ranging between 4-8" in O'Brien and Clay c...
A familiar slate of business greeted the Hartley City Council on Monday during its first meeting of 2024. Annual reports and appointments topped the short agenda. Up first were library board members Carolyn Rubsam and Kathy Wacker, who reported 8,761 books and 1,569 movies were checked out last year. The duo also noted the director and adult programming director positions have been filled. Next up was ambulance team member Darla Meyer, who reported the team responded to 289 calls in 2023. That...
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 2024 legislative session. The 90th Iowa General Assembly kicks off Jan. 8 with a target end date of April 16. GOP lawmakers are eyeing changes to the tax code as well as other top priorities when the gavel sounds in Des Moines. Local lawmakers include: Rep. Zach Dieken, House District 5; Sen. Lynn Evans, Senate District 3; Rep....
The composition of some classrooms at Clay Central/Everly Elementary will look different in August. The school board on Dec. 27 voted unanimously to shift to multi-grade level classrooms next fall. According to discussion, the change will only affect certain grades and not all K-6 levels. "Moving forward, CC/E is going to be here," said Superintendent Kevin Wood. "It's just going to look a little different." The board and administration had been discussing the move since August due to low...
And just like that, the sun has set on 2023 and we're on to the New Year. 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 about to flip to 2024, it's time to fill the 2023 scrapbook. What follows is a rundown of the biggest stories to grace the pages of the Sentinel-News during past year....
The average value of an acre of O'Brien County farmland took the silver medal in this year's Iowa State Land Value Survey. Sioux County reigned supreme, averaging a price of $16,521 per acre. O'Brien County tallied $16,313 per acre, down 1.3 percent from $16,531. Values in Clay County were down 0.4 percent from $13,943 to $13,887, while Osceola County's average was down 1.3 percent from $14,360 to $14,170. Slight dips in northwest Iowa were buoyed by increases elsewhere. The survey reported a...
Winter's bite has been made a lot less bitter thanks to the efforts of a special program at Clay Central/Everly Elementary. Staff members last year spearheaded the creation of Maverick Missions, which raises money to purchase various items for local families in need. According to Director of Student Services Michelle Huntress, staff noticed children had needs that were hard for some families to meet when the weather turned cold. They wanted to do something about it, and thus Maverick Missions...
A rural Hartley woman is using her four-legged friends to help local children gain trust, confidence and friendship. Darcy Morphew founded T Time Equine Assisted Coaching this fall and has been working through the certification process. Once she gets the stamp of approval, local youth will be able to visit her farm and enjoy a variety of horse-related activities with multiple social benefits. "Horses are special in the way they are calming and nonjudgmental," Morphew explained. "My focus is...
The demolition of one downtown Hartley building has revealed significant issues with another. Real Reflections owner Tricia Elgersma last month was forced to move operations of her business across the street to Salon West. The abrupt change of space came following the demolition of the former Create-A-Craft building in November, which sat directly north of Real Reflections. According to Elgersma, previously unseen water issues were revealed when the neighboring building was torn down. Moisture...
A local telecommunications company is about to change hands. Royal Telephone Company (RTC) was sold to Premier Communications, of Sioux Center, in late October. According to RTC officials, the business will officially change hands in early January of 2024. RTC General Manager John Noah said the company was approached by Premier with a purchase offer earlier this year. "Premier is uniquely positioned to continue Royal's legacy of providing exceptional service to customers in and around Royal,"...
Jerry Olson will now have a little more free time on the second Monday night of each month. The longtime Hartley City Council member logged his final meeting Monday. Olson served 16 cumulative years on the council and did not seek re-election this year. "It's been fun and enjoyable," Olson said during prepared remarks at the conclusion of the meeting. "Is it emotional? Yes it is." Olson was first elected to the council in 2005 and served two terms. He was elected again after a two-year break in...
Ongoing discussion about combining certain grade levels into one classroom topped discussion Nov. 30 at the Clay Central/Everly school board meeting. School officials have been studying operations at Stratford Elementary, which faces small enrollment numbers like CC/E. According to discussion, Stratford routinely combines certain grade levels into one classroom to give students more opportunities to collaborate and build relationships. CC/E, which currently has 51 students in grades K-6, has...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Dance Attack last week added to its growing trophy chest. The team won fourth place finishes in Class 1 Hoopla and Class 1 Novelty, and also third place in the Lights category at the 48th annual Iowa High School and College State Dance Team Championships in Des Moines. Coach Brittany Dolphin was ecstatic about the Hawks' performances. "They did some of the best routines they've ever done," she said. "I'm a very proud coach. They worked extremely hard." More than 650 routin...
With the harvest season now a memory, area farmers are wrapping up groundwork and eyeing the 2024 growing season. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, the corn harvest concluded statewide late last month, with only a few stragglers in the southern part of the state still running combines around Thanksgiving. Things concluded much earlier in northwest Iowa, though, and New Century FS agronomist Alic Mohni said farmers were happy this year. "In our area things finished out pretty...
‘Tis the season to be busy. It feels like I’m constantly doing something, yet accomplishing nothing – more so than usual. I still haven’t put Christmas lights up outside. I’m in a bit of a cold war about it with my wife, who has asked me to scale a ladder and get them hung several times. I’ve said no at each instance, which has forced her to threaten to do it herself. I tell her no way, and then we grumble back and forth before returning to whatever we were doing before the squabble. I’m hoping she’ll just give up since Christmas is a...
