Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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A brief glance at the calendar this week had my eyes popping. We’re nearly halfway through September and the calendar shows no signs of slowing down. Snow will be flying before we know it. The arrival of fall was welcomed in my house. While I know it’s still technically summer, school has started, which means it’s fall. My kids were more than ready for classes to begin and so were we – summer break had certainly run its course. The school year started out rough for kindergartener Cece, but it had nothing to do with the classroom. She fell of...
Area residents will be able to take a much-needed breather over the next week thanks to The World's Greatest County Fair. The Clay County Fair begins Saturday and runs through Sept. 15. In the wake of this year's devastating floods that slammed Spencer and the surrounding area, Fair Manager Jerome Hertel believed everything is a little more important in 2024. "This year, the Clay County Fair is more than just an event; it's a celebration of the resilience and community spirit that define...
A long list of open enrollment requests created debate for the Clay Central/Everly school board on Aug. 28. Twenty applications were submitted for approval prior to the meeting. Of that list, four students had attended CC/E last year. The rest either recently moved into the district from another, were older than sixth grade, or lived in the district but did not attend CC/E in the past. "It's a big number," Superintendent Kevin Wood said of the list. "We knew we'd be having that discussion here....
Christmas came early last week for Everly residents affected by recent flooding. Members of the library board handed out gift cards across town to people who experienced water damage in June. The gifts were made possible by disaster recovery grants from the Clay County Community Foundation (CCCF), which has been doling out funds to local non-profit organizations in the wake of the flood. Everly Public Library Director Christie Seivert applied for money to buy gift cards for Everly residents....
James Vogt was busy Tuesday afternoon demolishing the former Real Reflections building in downtown Hartley. Also demolished that afternoon was the front of the former Create-A-Craft building directly to the north. A majority of the structure was removed last fall, which uncovered irreparable issues with the hair salon's adjoining wall. Also on Vogt's slate was the garage behind the former Capitol Theatre. The rest of the condemned building is hoped to be removed next year. Each property is...
School only started last Friday, but big changes have already taken place at Clay Central/Everly Elementary this year. The 2024-25 school year marks the first at CC/E with combined grade levels. This fall, the fifth and sixth grade classrooms are combined, as are the third and fourth grades. Though the year is young, CC/E Director of Student Services Michelle Huntress has been pleased. "Our two multi-grade classrooms are going super well," she said. "We are a team at CC/E. We help each other so...
Several new teachers greeted students at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn last Friday when they entered their classrooms for the 2024-25 school year. Seven instructors joined the H-M-S staff roster this year. Though some have a few years of teaching under their belts, others in the group are logging their first semester this fall. Haley Bonin is the new fourth grade teacher. She recently graduated from Buena Vista University with an Elementary Education License and Special Education Endorsment. Bonin was...
The Everly City Council on Aug. 19 discussed additional grant opportunities to purchase flood mitigation equipment and emergency supplies. City Clerk Kristi Fliss was instructed to investigate grants through the Clay County Community Foundation's (CCCF) emergency funds. According to discussion, the city needs an extra trash pump and supplies at the Hap Ketelsen Community Center for displaced residents. "I think you go for all of it," said Mayor Ron Thompson. Everly was slammed by flooding in...
Local residents peppered Sen. Chuck Grassley with a variety of questions during a town hall meeting Monday afternoon in Ocheyedan. The 90-year-old Republican from New Hartford greeted a dozen guests during the event, which was held at the Senior Activity Center. Many of the questions centered on agriculture issues like the Farm Bill. The quinquennial piece of federal legislation was last passed in 2018 and is due for an update. Grassley expected another extension this year as the new bill...
Dr. Zachary Ney had a pretty good idea where he wanted to end up when he graduated from optometry school. Right back where it started. "I wouldn't necessarily say I always knew I would work with Jill, but deep down I probably did," he said. "Ultimately I wanted to come back home and serve the community that I have a lot of respect for." Ney joined Dr. Jill Kunzman at Sibley Eye Care and Northwest Iowa Vision Therapy late last month. The son of Beth and Kelly Ney and a 2016 graduate of...
With classes about to resume and the sun setting earlier each evening, Everly is gearing up for one last summer party this weekend. Everly Community Days will be held Aug. 16-18. Like years past, the annual event once again features a variety of attractions to entertain the masses. "We've got a lot going on and lots of stuff for all ages," said City Clerk Kristi Fliss, who is one of the event's organizers. "We invite everyone to come see what we've got going on around town." New this year is a...
Officials at Clay Central/Everly and Sioux Central are slamming the brakes on a new sharing agreement between the two school districts. CC/E Superintendent Kevin Wood, who also serves the same role at Sioux Central, said a sharing agreement would not be in place for the 2024-25 school year. The CC/E school board in April signed off on a whole-grade sharing plan with Sioux Central while keeping its existing whole-grade sharing agreement in place with Spencer. “The holdup was drawing a line or b...
Three more structures will hit the dust in downtown Hartley later this year. The city council on Monday approved a bid of $7,500 from James Vogt to remove the front of the former Create-A-Craft building and tear down the former Real Reflections salon next to it. Additionally, the bid includes removal of the garage behind the old Capitol Theatre. "It's a great price for all three," said Council Member Nick Galm. Vogt's bid for the beauty salon included backfill dirt for the basement. It also incl...
A packed schedule loaded the plate for Hartley Summer Celebration attendees last weekend. "It might have been a million degrees out, but it did not rain," said Summer Celebration Committee member Rachel Wilson. "At least we were able to hold everything on the schedule." Though the temperatures soared, that didn't stop folks from showing up. "I think it was a pretty good turnout," Wilson said. "People had plenty to eat and plenty of things to participate in." Things kicked off Thursday night...
Sweeping changes will limit health care access in O'Brien County by October. MercyOne announced on July 26 that it plans to shutter its Primghar Medical Center by the end of September. Additionally, MercyOne clinics in Paullina and Sutherland will be closed and consolidated into its existing clinic in Primghar – Primghar Family Medicine – which is located directly south of the existing hospital. "We will focus our resources on clinic care to continue MercyOne's mission to provide hig...
Hartley's highly-anticipated new pool experienced no large issues during its first summer of service. Hartley Water Superintendent Terry Hilbert said the 2024 swimming season was a successful one. The pool was slated to open in 2022, but errors made by the contractor during its construction pushed back the ribbon cutting to May of this year. "You know how it is with something new. Issues come up here and there, but there hasn't been anything major," Hilbert said. "It's been kind of a learning...
We packed up the SUV and headed to the Black Hills late last month. While it was nice to get away, I was more tired coming home than I was leaving. We visited some of the usual sites out there – Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and other spots. It was beautiful, if not boiling hot. The car thermometer hit 110 degrees on the way out. Luckily the ol' A/C held up and didn't suffer the same fate as our unit at home. I hadn't been to Mount Rushmore in 24 years. I'm happy to report it is still t...
Organizers of Hartley's Summer Celebration are hoping attendees squeal with delight this weekend. On tap is a full schedule loaded with events for the whole family. Highlighting the list is a performance by the Pork Tornadoes on Saturday evening, which has folks buzzing with anticipation. "They're a pretty popular cover band and have a large following," said Summer Celebration committee member Rachel Wilson. "We're planning on a really big crowd." The band's swine-centric name gave this year's...
A lifetime of community involvement has earned Mort and Karen Rosenboom one of Hartley's biggest honors. The Rosenbooms were named grand marshals of the Hartley Summer Celebration parade set for Saturday morning. While both Mort and Karen said they didn't prefer the limelight, they were humbled by the selection. "It's an honor," said Karen. Both Mort and Karen grew up in the Hartley area. Mort started farming north of town in 1965, while Karen was a schoolteacher at Albert City-Truesdale, and la...
With loud bangs, revving engines and plenty of moos, the O'Brien County Fair celebrated a century in style last week. "We had a great fair," said O'Brien County Fair Board President Darwin Gaudian. "We had people there that wouldn't have been there before. A lot people came from a long ways to be there." From concerts and fireworks to car races and livestock shows, the fair schedule was chock-full of events for the whole family during its run July 19-25. "We had good numbers," Gaudian said....
The 100th edition of the O'Brien County Fair ushered in a new regime of royalty on Monday. Caden Wittrock, of Paullina, and Makenna Hofmeyer, of Granville, were named king and queen during the coronation ceremony. Wittrock will a be a senior at South O'Brien High School this fall while Hofmeyer is a recent graduate of MOC/FV High School in Orange City. Wittrock is involved in both FFA and 4-H, and is involved in showing cattle, swine and woodworking projects. Hofmeyer is also involved in 4-H...
A multi-million dollar resurfacing project reached Hartley city limits this month. Workers from Croell, Inc. milled the surface of M12 (Vine Avenue and South 8th Avenue West in Hartley) and repoured new concrete over the past week. The overall scope of the project spans the length of M12 from Hartley to Sutherland, and is hoped for completion by the end of August. Concrete pouring reached Highway 18 early this week. O'Brien County Engineer Dennis Clark said surface milling started in early June....
I wouldn't consider myself overtly athletic at age 33. Lately, I've been putting that assertion to the test. The parks and rec board this month started a kickball league here in Hartley. Being the spouse of a board member, I was put on a team without my knowledge. I was perfectly fine with it, however, as it's been four years since I've stepped foot on a ball diamond in any competitive fashion. I used to play slow pitch softball in Ashton every Wednesday night during the summer. Unfortunately,...
The O'Brien County Fair is gearing up for a celebration 100 years in the making this week. The local fair turns 100 in 2024, and organizers are thrilled to mark the occasion in style July 19-25. Fair board President Darwin Gaudian said he is proud of the O'Brien County staple and looked forward to the week ahead. "There have been just a lot of years of work to stay together this long and keep everything going," he said. "I've been a part of it for about 40 years, and seeing how it is today,...
It's not a matter of if; it's when. That's what Everly City Council members learned on Monday regarding the timeline for federal reimbursement for flood-related damages and other expenses. City Clerk Kristi Fliss reported Everly will be able to file claims through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Public Assistance Program, but she was not sure when the check will be sent. "It could be a while," she said after the meeting. Fliss sat in on a FEMA meeting last week regarding the...
