Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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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...
January's above-normal snowfall has improved drought conditions across the state, according to the latest water summary update by the Iowa DNR. January saw 1.97 inches of precipitation, more than twice the normal amount for the month. The state has received above-average precipitation in three of the last four months. Since October 2023 statewide precipitation has been 7.24 inches, or 106 percent of normal. At the end of January, Iowa's Drought Plan is showing improvement and stabilization of...
Hartley Legion fish fry schedule The Hartley American Legion Family has announced its schedule for Friday night fish fries: Feb. 23, March 8 and March 22. Proceeds from the meals benefit the projects of the Legion Family. See the ad on Page 6 for more details. Daycare fundraiser is March 9 The Hartley Community Daycare Center will hold its annual fundraiser on Saturday, March 9. This year’s entertainment is The Mitch Gordon Band. See the ad on Page 8 for more information. Hartley Community Center fundraiser The Hartley Community Center will h...
• Traffic Michele Lynn Tapper, Granville, Speeding. Hilario Najera Aguilar, Sioux Falls, S.D., No Valid Driver’s License. Cameron Kenneth Korhonen, Foley, Minn., Speeding. Cecelia Katherine Hanson, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Alfredo Jimenez Villafuerte, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License. Karl Dean Fehr, Whittemore, Towing Unsafe Vehicle. Jason Ray List, Remsen, Hunting/Fishing License Violation. Benjamin Michael Carlson, Braham, Minn., Speeding. Samantha Kristine Lange, Waconia, Minn., Speeding. Peggy Ann Johannes, Cedar Rapids, Speed...
Kirkwood announces Dean's List honors Kirkwood Community College has released its Dean's List for the fall 2023 semester. Students on the list achieved a 3.3 grade point average or higher after completing 12 or more credit hours at the college. Hartley: Kaley Pearson. NWI fishing report Area ice conditions are highly variable. Most areas were still completely ice covered with 6-10 inches as of last Thursday. Ice conditions deteriorated extensively with consistent above freezing temperatures...
The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News picked up seven awards Feb. 8 during the Iowa Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contests. The newspaper won first place in five categories: Best Ad Featuring Miscellaneous, Best Advertising Idea for a Community Promotion or Event, Best Feature Page, Best Newspaper Website and Best Continuing Coverage. News editor Nick Pedley took second place honors for Excellence in Editorial Writing and third place in the Master Columnist category. The...
It has been said that grand parenting is the reward for putting up with your children all those years. Some have said they wished they could have gone to grand parenting right away, and skipped raising their own children. I believe those statements both have merit. Thinking back, I have a lot of memories of my grandparents. Part of the reason is that they lived nearby, and we saw them quite often. Our farm was located less than five miles away from my Hembd grandparents, and about 12 miles away...
One of the fallacies of politics these days is the notion of simple solutions. Regardless of whether the problem is immigration, the homeless, gun ownership or transgender people, too many leaders or would-be leaders want us believe government can take simple actions to make a complex problem go away. Rarely do those simple solutions address the underlying problem. Often, those solutions are not simple, nor are they really solving anything. Often, these simple solutions are little more than guss...
Every day is National Iowa Day in my book. There’s no shortage of things to celebrate in our great state. Iowa farmers feed our nation and countries around the globe. Iowa manufacturing is responsible for nearly one-fifth of the state’s economic output. For decades, the state has harnessed natural resources, built critical infrastructure and put renewable energy on the map in America’s heartland. My work in Congress aims to give voice to Iowans’ priorities and empower their work. One such exampl...
Last Thursday marked the end of Week 5 in the Iowa Senate, and this week was the first major legislative deadline of the year. The upcoming deadline means we spent much of our week in subcommittees as we prepare legislation to go through committee. Just because a bill survives a subcommittee does not mean that it will make it to the floor for further action. For bills to remain alive, they need to pass through subcommittees and through committee to be eligible to advance to the floor for...
This fall, the House and Senate held a joint interim committee to discuss the continued fight against human trafficking. The committee consisted of Representatives, Senators, law enforcement, county attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, the judicial branch, and others working to stop this abhorrent crime. Senate File 562 directed the committee to review initiatives, laws, policies, and other matters relating to human trafficking, including appropriate human trafficking-related training for law...
• Feb. 17, 1949 Emmet Hirt, who farmed near Hartley, was featured in the “Checkerboard News,” a publication of Purina Mills with a nationwide distribution. The article, complete with pictures, demonstrated the advantages of large pigs at birth and of big litters. Of the four litters described in the article, Hirt saved an average of 10.5 pigs per litter. Workmen started the remodeling program at the Huntting Elevator, which included new elevator machinery, enlarged loading platform, enlarged cupola and new exterior finish of sheet alumi...
William Sheldon Hutchinson was born July 2, 1935 to Donald S. and Faye L. (Stolley) Hutchinson in Spencer. He grew up in Algona and graduated from Algona High School in 1953. Bill spent four years in the U.S. Air Force and then received his B.A. degree from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, his Master's degree in School Administration and his superintendent's license from the University of Northern Iowa, followed up by postgraduate courses from Iowa State University. His 36-year career as an...
ose” Scholten was held Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at the Sanborn Funeral Home in Sanborn. Pastor Mark Ellens officiated. Pallbearers were Rebecca Manson, Ray Scholten, Richard Scholten, Alec Davis, Haley Davis, Shelby Kruse, Cooper Scholten and Matthew Scholten. Interment was in Roseland Cemetery at Sanborn. Sanborn Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. Rosalie Phyllis “Rose” Scholten, daughter of Vernon H. and Verna N. (Van Roekel) DeKock, was born in Sioux Center on June 15, 1936. She spent her youth in the Sioux Center-Maurice area, atten...
Clay Central/Everly Elementary students celebrated their 100th day of school in style last Thursday, with a dress up day and a few glow-stick dance parties sprinkled throughout the day Mavericks of all ages came to school dressed in hilarious elderly clothing, drawn-on wrinkles and assisted-walking gear. The students and staff started their day in the gym, where they were given glow sticks. The lights were then turned off and the music was turned up for some blood-pumping dancing fun. The glow...
After winning just six War Eagle Conference girls' basketball games during the previous three seasons, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn finished 2023-24 with a 6-4 record. The final win came on Feb. 6 in Hartley, as H-M-S defeated South O'Brien, 56-39. The Hawks led 13-9 after the first quarter and by seven early in the second. After the Wolverines narrowed the margin to four, Moriah Otto made a basket and Kylee Schiphoff hit a three-pointer to make the halftime score 22-13. "I am very proud of how the gi...
3 H-M-S bowlers advance to state individual tourney Three Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn bowlers have qualified to compete in the 2024 Iowa High School Bowling Championships. Jack Mastbergen, Eli Mastbergen and Caleb Aaron finished first, second and third in the individual tournament held on Tuesday at Locomotion Lanes in Sanborn. The Top 4 individuals from the eight district sites advance to state. The trio from H-M-S will compete in the Class 1A state individual tournament at 9 a.m. on Wednesday,...
A pair of meets last week gave Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's bowlers the opportunity to wrap up the regular season on a winning note. H-M-S swept a meet with OABCIG on Feb. 6 at Locomotion Lanes. Total pin scores were 2722-2632 for the boys and 2026-1884 for the girls. Individual series scores were Eli Mastbergen 268-181, 449; Caleb Aaron 192-192, 384; Graham Lux 201-161, 362; Dawson Niichel 159-144, 303; Jack Mastbergen 136-164, 300; and Riley Russell 123-170, 293. "The boys from OABCIG started out...
Opponents' fast starts kept Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on the losing side of the scoreboard during the final week of the boys' regular season. Sioux Central's 14-0 run set the tone during the Hawks' 67-46 loss on Feb. 5 in Hartley. The Rebels led 22-6 at the end of the first quarter and 38-16 at halftime. H-M-S outscored the Rebels by a 14-10 margin in the third quarter, but they answered with a 12-2 run and put the game out of reach. "We dug ourselves a pretty big hole that first quarter. We strugg...
Early success by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in a boys' Class 1A preliminary round game proved to be unsustainable for the long haul. As the Hawks began relying too much on outside shooting, Sibley-Ocheyedan gained momentum that carried them to a 55-39 win on Feb. 9 at Sibley. H-M-S jumped out to a 9-4 lead, lost it and then regrouped to go ahead 15-13 at the end of the first quarter. S-O went in front with an 11-0 run to begin the second quarter. The Hawks were limited to four points in the quarter...
Only one wrestler from Okoboji/HMS emerged from Class 2A District 2 with a ticket to compete at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Competing at Estherville on Feb. 10, the Pioneers' Tyce Hanson lost the first-place match at 126 pounds by fall to Elijah Wilhite of Algona. But he was able to wrestle for second place and took advantage of the opportunity, pinning Noah Potter of Clear Lake (4:30) to earn a trip to state. The junior (24-4) was scheduled to wrestle Kooper Waugh of West Delaware on Feb....
