Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Residents in northwest Iowa and across the Midwest might wince when they remember their gas bills from a year ago. Thanks to a polar vortex that froze the middle of the country, natural gas use surged as folks huddled in their homes to stay warm. At the same time, the record-setting cold snap caused gas wells in Texas to freeze up and limit supplies. Natural gas prices subsequently skyrocketed and utilities were left to foot the bill. Demand increased so much in February of 2021 that Hartley...
A Calumet man is behind bars following a domestic violence incident on Sunday that led to an attempted murder charge and brief standoff with authorities. According to the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office, a woman reported that her husband, Paul Long, used the butt of a shotgun to strike her in the side of the head during a domestic altercation. The victim reported that when she broke free and ran out of the house, Long fired the shotgun at her. An O'Brien County Deputy responded immediately and...
A discussion about fencing material garnered the most significant debate on Monday during the Hartley City Council meeting. A resident recently submitted an application to the planning and zoning commission to install a 6-foot fence made of pro-rib steel paneling trimmed with treated wood. The material is not one that is allowed in the city's zoning code, and the application was denied. Due to the high cost of building materials right now, the option was the least expensive for the resident, who...
Alliant Energy's main electrical power lines in Royal will be placed underground during a major project that is expected to be completed by late summer. Local residents were given the opportunity to hear more about the project and visit with representatives of Alliant Energy and the construction company on Feb. 9 at the Royal Community Center. In September of 2018, the city council accepted a letter of intent from Interstate Power and Light Co. (Alliant Energy) which stated the utility's...
• Traffic Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, South Sioux City, Neb., Speeding. Matthew Michael Schoneman, Primghar, Use of Electronic Device. Estella Marie Lopez, Claremont, Minn., Speeding. Jane Elizabeth Maitland, Frazee, Minn., Registration Violation; Permitting Unauthorized Driver. James Edward Jacobson, Fairbury, Neb., No Valid Driver’s License; Speeding. Isaac Norton, Sanborn, No Valid Driver’s License. Corey Trevonne Dean, Primghar, Registration Violation; No Valid Driver’s License; No Proof of Insurance. William Sean Gidden, Millington, Tenn.,...
Next Hartley blood drive is Feb. 23 A donation of blood during the upcoming drive in Hartley on Wednesday, Feb. 23, will help save someone in the community. New donors are especially needed at this time. Blood can be donated at the Hartley Community Center from 12:30-5:30 p.m. Appointments are required in order to give blood. To schedule one, text LIFESERVE to 999-777, call (800) 287-4903 or visit lifeservebloodcenter.org. Turkey dinner at Red’s Catering Red’s Catering in downtown Hartley will be serving a turkey dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 23 fr...
Operation PB&J to benefit local backpack program The H-M-S Kids Backpack Program is holding a peanut butter and jelly fundraiser. Those interested in contributing can do so by leaving a jar of peanut butter or jelly on the table near the check-out registers at Fiesta Foods. Plastic jars only. All donations help a local child in need. O'Brien County Pork Producers receive award Iowa counties with organized and active local pork groups were recognized at the 2022 Iowa Pork Congress for their...
The Everly Public Library recently received a generous grant through The Pilcrow Foundation. Located in Oregon, the foundation was founded in 2013 with the mission of providing new, quality, hardcover children's books to rural public libraries across the United States. With the generous donations from the Pilcrow Foundation and the Friends of the Everly Public Library group, the library was able to select over $800 in new books for the children and middle grade sections of the library. The facil...
Last week the nation celebrated School Counselor Week by recognizing those that deserve accolades in their counseling work and services. Clay Central/Everly made sure to highlight their school counselor, Mrs. Marlana Tewes, and all of the work she does with students and staff at CC/E. Tewes is an excellent example of going the extra mile in connecting with students by making their days a little less heavy and a whole lot of fun. Throughout the years, Tewes has donned many outfits to highlight...
Iowa’s state parks are some of the most popular publically funded assets we have the pleasure of enjoying. After all, more than 16 million people used them in 2020 alone. It’s a wonder, then, why we aren’t adequately funding these refuges of natural beauty. This month the Iowa DNR announced it is evicting park rangers from government-owned houses in 23 state parks because it doesn’t want to pay over $1 million on repairs to bring them up to modern standards. According to a report in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, a lack of resident rangers on park...
I’m confused, and I have a hunch I am not the only one. Are government mandates a bad thing – or are they good? My confusion comes because I hear what leaders in the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds have said for months. It certainly seems as if, to a person, they agree mandates are bad. The governor often talks about how she believes Iowans will “do the right thing” when it comes to COVID vaccines and wearing masks. She talks about the importance of defending people’s rights and liberties. She is confident Iowans will act appropria...
Feb. 18 is the last day of “Funnel Week.” This is the week the Legislature cuts off debate for bills that have not made enough progress to get out of committee. This process helps narrow down the scope of bills eligible for debate and moves the legislative session forward. The next funnel week will cut off bills that have not made progress on the floor of either the House or Senate. All tax and appropriations bills are exempt from funnel deadlines. But this is the time of the year where you sta...
I usually have a lot on my mind but not much to say. Such is the case this week. • Reverse jinx? My beloved Iowa Hawkeyes are on a 3-0 run (as of this writing on Tuesday) since my “fire Fran” column a couple weeks ago. Almost every talking head has them in the Dance barring a meltdown, which is fantastic. I’ll eat crow if it means my beloved Black and Gold get a shot in March. • Farewell, Fluff Florence “Fluff” Ihry died last week at the age of 93. The longtime mayor of Royal, Fluff was somewhat of a local celebrity for her political car...
The Clay County Fair last week announced all nine nights of Grandstand events – including the six shows that are part of SRG Concert Series – for the 2022 Clay County Fair powered by SMU, Sept. 10-18. "We thought we would change things up a bit this year and announce the entire line-up at once," fair manager Jeremy Parsons said in a news release. "This gives our enthusiastic fairgoers more time to plan their entire fair visit, plus it gives us all something to look forward while we still 'enjoy'...
ngbluth will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Royal, with Pastor John Battern officiating. The Greenville-Rossie Class of 1963 will serve as honorary casket bearers. Interment will be in North Lawn Memorial Park at Spencer. Warner Funeral Home in Spencer is assisting with the arrangements. David Norman “Dave” Yungbluth was born July 5, 1945, in Spencer, to Harold, Sr. and Helen (Greene) Yungbluth. He was raised on a farm three miles west of Rossie and graduated from Greenville-Rossie High School in 19...
ry were held Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Royal. Father Tim Hogan officiated. Casket bearers were Alex Kwikkel, Kyle Boeve, Jacob Noonan, Jake Mazanec, Jack Ihry, Max Ihry and Connor Ihry. Honorary bearers were Chris Keegan, Jared Ihry, Mike Bandstra and Mike Van Veldhuizen. Interment was in Willow Creek Cemetery at Royal. Warner Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. Florence Julia “Fluff” Ihry, the daughter of Francis and Angeline (Donovan) Sweeney, was born Feb. 14, 1928 in Sutherland. Her childhood yea...
• Feb. 6, 1947 Billy, the 4-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Duane Linder, received some painful burns when a water heater in the yard exploded. Duane had just lighted the heater and Billy was standing near when it exploded. The left side of his face was burned and his hair and brows were singed, but the eye was not injured. He quickly recovered from the injuries. Former Hartley resident, Mrs. William Lemke, was featured in the daily Sioux City papers for her work with the Sunshine League in that city. She was a founder and president of the organiz...
n Jan. 18, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn boys' basketball lost five straight games, including two to highly-rated opponents. But as the calendar turned from January to February, the Hawks ramped up the defensive intensity, leading to wins in their final five regular season games. Defense again ruled in the second half of the Hawks' 49-34 defeat of South O'Brien on Feb. 8 in Hartley. The victory improved their final regular season record to 10-11. "I'm really happy with how we competed and how we fi...
Generally speaking, a basketball game ends when the final horn sounds. But the girls' 2A first round regional tournament game Feb. 12 in Hartley between Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Alta-Aurelia proved that is not always true. After the eighth lead change of the final quarter, H-M-S went ahead by one on Lydia Harders' rebound put-back with 50 seconds to play. Jasmine Lux added a free throw with 14 seconds on the clock to make the score 49-47. Alta-Aurelia brought the ball up the court and...
Down to their final chance to win a War Eagle Conference game, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn girls' basketball team responded by defeating South O'Brien, 49-33, on Feb. 8 in Hartley. The Hawks finished the regular season at 6-15 overall and 1-9 in the conference. H-M-S had defeated Harris-Lake Park and Trinity Christian, as well as South O'Brien in the teams' first meeting, but those wins did not count toward the WEC standings. "We had a couple of other ones that slipped out of our hands," Hawk coa...
For the second straight year, Nick Bronstad will represent the Okoboji/HMS wrestling team at the state meet in Des Moines. The senior from H-M-S earned his ticket to state with a runner-up finish at 285 pounds during the Class 2A District 7 meet at Webster City on Feb. 12. Bronstad pinned Mac Muller of Osage in the semifinal round (2:37), advancing to the finals where he faced Daniel Chavez of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. Bronstad had pinned Chavez in the title match during the sectional meet at...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half to defeat Trinity Christian, 63-55, in the quarterfinal round of the boys' Class 1A district basketball tournament. The Hawks trailed by 11 points before rallying in the fourth quarter to take a four-point lead. Trinity Christian (6-16) then tied the score at 50-50 and had a chance to win the game with 1.7 seconds left in regulation, but missed both free throws. The score was deadlocked at 55-55 at the end of the...
