Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Hartley firefighters are taking a breath of fresh air thanks to a recent purchase. The local squad bought 10 new air packs to replace 13 outdated ones. The equipment comes with upgraded features and increased air capacity, which made Fire Chief Brad Meendering happy. "It was time," he said. "Our old ones were outdated and they needed to be serviced. Instead of wasting money doing that, we decided to go ahead and order these." The new air packs, which firefighters use to breathe during...
Everly's water tower will be looking a little fresher later this year. The city council on Monday approved a five-year maintenance agreement with Maguire Iron, Inc., of Sioux Falls, S.D., worth $129,750. The water tower's exterior and interior will receive new coats of paint this year, with future checkups and maintenance scheduled through 2026. According to Maguire Iron rep Jake Dugger, the water tower's paint is starting to chip and a new coat is needed before things deteriorate further....
Initial planning for additional upgrades to the high school building was approved by the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn school board on Monday. CMBA Architects, of Spencer, and Engineering Design Associates (EDA), of Sioux Center, submitted a proposal for architectural and engineering services to define the scope and timeline for updates and renovations to the high school. They will work with Boyd Jones Construction, the project manager for the elementary and middle school facilities projects and recent...
• More charges filed against Sutherland man A Sutherland man faces additional charges following an investigation into several vehicle thefts and burglaries that occurred in October of 2020. According to the Sutherland Police Department, Bradley Tyler Kots, 24, was arrested on Jan. 13 and charged with four counts of Burglary-3rd Degree, a class D felony; two counts of Theft-2nd Degree, also a class D felony; Operating a Motor Vehicle without the Owner’s Consent, an aggravated misdemeanor; Trespassing, a serious misdemeanor; and Theft-5th Deg...
A local event center has asked the Hartley City Council to help with pandemic-related revenue shortages. According to discussion at the council’s meeting Jan. 11, the Hartley Community Center Board of Directors recently approached the city with a request for assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it nearly impossible to host large events, which is the bread and butter of the facility’s revenue stream. The council expressed a willingness to pay for the community center’s insurance costs on a short-term basis. Members also believed the facil...
It may be a short read, but Vicky Treimer is hoping her new book can be a big help. The Hartley native recently published My Ultimate Hope. A victim of bullying growing up, she hopes the 42-page read will have an impact on children going through a similar situation. "I just want them to know they don't they have to live with the unforgiveness that I did," she said. "I carried that for 38 years. That's most of my life." The daughter of Eldon and Viola Treimer, Treimer grew up on farm south of...
Local residents can listen to state lawmakers discuss issues affecting northwest Iowa during the first Eggs & Issues forum on Saturday, Jan. 23. Unlike the traditional in-person format held in council chambers at Spencer City Hall, Saturday's event will have no audience due to COVID-19 protocols. Participants are being asked to email questions to programs@spenceriowachamber or drop them by the Chamber Office on or before Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Each question will be asked to the legislators and...
Moon Adventure Game at PHC The O’Brien County Conservation Board invites families or groups of up to six players to experience the Moon Adventure Game on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 1-5 p.m. at the Prairie Heritage Center. The Moon Adventure Game, presented by the NISE Network, is a fictional story grounded in actual NASA science and research about what people in the future may need to work and live on the moon. Players will assume the role of astronauts that are living and doing research on an outpost base on the moon. Together, players will w...
Herrig named to BSC President’s Honor Roll Tyler Herrig, of Greenville, has been named to the President’s Honor Roll with a 4.0 grade point average for the fall 2020 semester at Bismarck State College, N.D. Students must maintain at least a 3.50 grade point on a 4.0 scale while enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of classes in order to qualify. Audit report released on solid waste agency Williams & Company, P.C., of Spencer, released the June 30, 2020 audit report on the Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency. According to the report, the...
Whether you're a Democrat, Republican or something in between, nobody is envious of President Joe Biden right now. On Wednesday he inherited a nation deeply divided along partisan lines, with millions of Americans still believing his election victory was illegitimate. Nonetheless, he still has to govern. Now more than ever, it's imperative the new chief executive finds a common cause the entire country can rally around during the first 100 days of his presidency. Biden has that opportunity in st...
There comes a time in a man’s life when he has to take stock of certain things and ask himself, “Why?” I found myself doing just that recently at the culmination of the NFL’s regular season. I’ve been a Detroit Lions fan since age 7 or 8. You might find this peculiar, as I live nowhere near Michigan. However, I was drawn to the franchise because of a deep appreciation for Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. His electric style of play and upstanding character made him my No. 1 role model growing up, and I stuck with the Motor City Kitt...
Do not ask God to Bless America again. We, who are already overly blessed, A nation with more food than it needs- More toys than our children can play with- More football games and concerts than we can count. More swimming pools and three car garages than we can fill. We who see mourning as a chance to print a t-shirt Made in secret sweatshops in California. We who hand our little flags to fly in strangers’ faces. We who say “with liberty and justice for all”, if you look like me. We who look on Lady Liberty with pride and forget she is about...
COVID-19 positivity rates decreased in O'Brien and Clay counties over the past week. As of Tuesday evening, O'Brien County's 14-day positivity rate was 10.9 percent, down from 12.7 percent a week ago. Clay County's was down to 11.2 percent from 12.3 percent over the same time period. The statewide positivity rate was down from 14 percent to 12 percent. Coronavirus-related deaths were unchanged in O'Brien County at 54 and up one to 20 in Clay County. Statewide, there have been 4,332 COVID-19...
A lengthy review of the City of Royal’s 2021-22 budget was the major item of business during the Jan. 13 council meeting. Council members and City Clerk Barb Fletcher looked at projected revenues and each expenditure line item of the budget that goes into effect on July 1. Revenues are expected to increase due to higher property valuations and will total approximately $470,500. The majority of expenditure increases reflect higher wage and insurance costs. Council members also decided to budget additional expenditures from the local option s...
Dave Hoye has stepped outside his comfort zone with the release of his first novel, Special Days of Summer. Hoye, of Everly, traditionally writes poetry. Special Days of Summer is his sixth book, and he penned the novel after some encouragement from his granddaughter. The book tells the story of four eighth graders who are beginning their high school athletic careers playing softball. It includes both tragedy and drama as it follows the high school softball season and beyond. Hoye has plenty of...
Despite 2020 being one of the most unusual years to date, one thing remained certain: New life and new beginnings continued to provide hope for the future. In 2020, 229 babies were born at Spencer Hospital, with 118 of those girls and 111 boys. "This has been quite a unique year in our birth center trying to navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, yet our team continues to enjoy the opportunity to help families welcome little ones into the world as well as educating and pampering new...
Tom and Sally Polak, of Sioux Falls, S.D., are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Holly, to Ryan Flynn, son of Ken and Connie Flynn, of Hartley. The couple met in college at South Dakota State University while attending pharmacy school together. Ryan and Holly both graduated with their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees in May 2020. Holly is currently completing a pharmacy residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Ryan is completing a pharmacy residency at...
After a busy December in Spencer Hospital's Birth Center, January started very quietly – so quiet that the first baby of the New Year didn't arrive until Jan. 6. As long as the wait seemed for the birth center staff, it really felt long for new mom Patty Schulz and her husband, Dave. Patty's labor started Tuesday morning, yet baby Reba Jayne didn't make her appearance until early Wednesday evening after 36 long hours of labor for her mom. "We were really excited to arrive at the hospital to have...
• Jan. 24, 1946 Ed’s D-X service station was purchased from Ed Brown by Virgil Lage, who had been honorably discharged from the United States Army. Ott Liedtke was suspending his garage business temporarily since he had to vacate the premises in which he was located. Mr. Liedtke planned to build new quarters as soon as the weather permitted. The very icy condition of Hartley’s streets caused many mishaps to both pedestrians and car drivers. Little could be done until a thaw melted the ice layers except practice the greatest of caution. The H...
Iowa PBS will present exclusive statewide coverage of the 2021 Iowa State Dance Team Championships on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. The two-hour program showcases highlights of all the winning routines and features interviews with coaches and dancers. The competition will be rebroadcast Sunday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. Held in November, the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Association allowed teams to compete in person or virtually. Nearly 5,000 of Iowa's top young dancers participated, with 200 teams...
Okoboji/H-M-S wrestlers split a pair of non-conference duals at Estherville on Jan. 12. The Pioneers defeated Estherville-Lincoln Central (52-21) and lost to Algona (57-21). Nick Bronstad pinned both of his opponents while Chayton Faulkner won one match by fall. Bryce Dodge lost both of his matches by major decision. The split gave the Pioneers an overall dual record of 6-18. Okoboji/H-M-S will compete in a Siouxland Conference double dual on Jan. 21 at Rock Valley and in a tournament at Sioux...
Okoboji/H-M-S crowned two individual champions and finished second as a team at the Nighthawk Invitational at Rock Valley on Saturday, Jan. 16. Dylan Jones placed first at 120 pounds and Caden Larue won the 145-pound title. Earning runner-up finishes were Bryce Sehman (113), Ryan Pyle (132) and Noah Strantz (152). A pair of wrestlers from H-M-S finished third while another placed fifth. Bryce Dodge won his initial match in the 160-pound bracket by fall over Isaac Van Beek, BH/RV, 3:23; lost by fall to Rylan DeGroot, Western Christian, 3:41;...
Defense was the sparkplug that helped get the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn girls' basketball team rolling on offense against Trinity Christian. The Hawks' pressure created scoring opportunities that helped fuel a 56-33 win on Jan. 12 at Hull. H-M-S only led 13-9 after one quarter but a strong second period increased the margin to 14 points. "Our press created some turnovers and some easy baskets with our defense. It gave us a lead and we kept it going," said Hawk coach Lester Tessum. The Hawks...
When the basketball goes through the hoop, good things usually happen. That was true for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in a 59-42 win over Trinity Christian, on Jan. 12 at Hull. H-M-S connected on 22-of-46 attempts from the field against Trinity Christian's zone defense while the Tigers were 10-of-40 against the Hawks, who played more man-to-man defense than they did in the first game. "They tried to mix things up on us with their zone defense. Our guards got to the open spots and got some shots,"...
