Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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More city-owned property in Everly will soon be available to the highest bidder. The city council on Monday agreed to move forward with the sale of two lots on North Adams Street. An auction will be held at the next regular council meeting on March 18, where interested parties can attend to place bids. The sale of the lots was placed on the backburner due to delays in the surveying process. According to Mayor Ron Thompson, Mohning Land Survey, LLC, of Milford, took a long time to get legal descriptions of the lots back to the city. Officials...
Despite hurdles over the past year, the new owner of Hartley's old packing plant has his eyes set on a spring ribbon cutting. Stephane Comtois, owner of Hartley Cold Services, said the business is planning to be operational by May. He had hoped to be open by now, but various issues pushed the schedule back in 2023. Comtois, whose business background is in the import/export business, was eager to open the doors in 2024. "We made a few mistakes early on in the process and now we're correcting...
The search for Hartley's next superintendent of public works is over. The city council on Monday hired Tony Weatherman, of Spirit Lake. He succeeds Curtis Conaway, who served the position for a short time last year following the resignation of Jaron Benz. Weatherman's salary was set at $80,000, with a 3 percent increase after completion of a six-month probationary period and positive review. His first day on the job is today, Feb. 15. The city interviewed one other applicant for the position....
The Royal City Council on Tuesday crunched numbers to sketch out the town's budget for the coming fiscal year. Once the tally was totaled, FY25's budget was estimated at $449,200. That was $59,000 less than the current year, which is $508,200. Most of the savings stem from water utility expenses. Since the city relinquished its water utility to Iowa Lakes Regional Water last year, it seemingly won't need too much money – if any – from that account. The council budgeted $90,000 for the water uti...
With a little luck, downtown Hartley will have one less building later this year. City Administrator Roxann Swanson on Monday updated the council on demolition plans for the former Capitol Theatre. She recently applied for a Derelict Building Grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which would ease the cost of removal expenses once the dust settles. Swanson applied for $75,000, which is the maximum amount under the grant. Demolition been estimated at $100,000-$130,000. "We could...
There's a new face at the helm of the Hartley Community Center. Jessika Storm took over as manager of the local facility on Jan. 1. She previously served on its board of directors for three years and decided to apply when the position opened up in December after former director Brittany Dolphin stepped down. "I really like doing this sort of thing, and being here for the last three years, I've thought of a lot opportunities for it to grow," Storm said. Storm plans to utilize her vast experience...
A new food pantry at Clay Central/Everly has seen steady use in its first year of operation. Elementary secretary Val Johnson started the service after realizing a need in the community. While a food pantry at Hope Lutheran Church in Everly serves the north half of the district, there was nothing in Royal. "Somebody brought it to my attention and I thought, why not do it here?" Johnson said. "I thought it was something we could open up to families with kids at school." Johnson and CC/E...
This winter hasn’t been much of one. I think I can speak for all of you when I say that’s perfectly fine. Still, it’s winter in Iowa, and with that reality comes a degree of boredom. I don’t ice fish, ski or have a snowmobile, so my options at killing time are limited to the indoors this time of year. I can kill a whole evening watching basketball, but that wears thin after one or two nights. My better half has been doing puzzles and reading books. Since my attention span often seems like that of a gnat, I don’t find much interest in those hob...
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...
