Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Duane Jalas knows a thing or two about sacrificing for his country. The Vietnam War veteran, retired pastor and Sutherland native spent 14 months recovering from a bomb explosion that occurred 53 years ago during the Tet Offensive. His hands were mangled and the road to recovery was long, but he considers himself lucky. More than 1.35 million Americans fighting in conflicts ranging from the Revolutionary War to the War in Afghanistan never made it home alive. "Countless men and women have put th...
Hartley's new pool officially has a price tag. The city council on May 27 approved a bid from Eriksen Construction, of Blair, Neb., for $2,722,200 to build the new aquatic center. With engineering fees and other expenses included, the total price tag will run approximately $3,063,525. The overall tally is what the council was expecting. Eriksen's bid was accepted pending legal review of the contract as well as two other alternates. If the city cannot find better bids for the shallow water slide...
• Sentenced to 136 months in federal prison An Everly man who was accused of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on May 26 in federal court in Sioux City. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jimmy Crouch, 48, of Everly, pled guilty on Dec. 7, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within a protected location, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine within a protected location. At the plea and sentencing hearings, evi...
Kim Morran isn't shy about giving credit where it is due. The O'Brien County Public Health administrator, along with the department's two other staff members, showed their gratitude to volunteers who helped with the county's vaccine rollout during an open house at the courthouse in Primghar on May 25. Special certificates of recognition were distributed during the event and nary a mask was in sight thanks to the inoculation efforts of those involved. "It was very tough," Morran said of the...
There will be no shortage of memories for Cathy Jochims when she officially retires from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on June 18. Whether it was getting "slimed" in the gym, kissing a pig or camping out on the roof to raise money for cancer research, the outgoing elementary principal always tried to make things interesting at H-M-S. "It's been fun," said Jochims. "You really feel like you get to know the students and families so well. I always said though, if I ever had to tell a child that I taught...
Mark Dorhout is stepping out from behind the principal's desk and moving back in front of the classroom. The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School principal is leaving the school district when his contract expires June 30. Dorhout has led the junior high since 2004, which is a long time for someone in that role. "To be in one district as middle school principal for 17 years is not typical," he said. "I feel like it's my calling to be with middle schoolers. Yes, they're going through a ton of diff...
As kids, we played a game called Simon Says. Standing in lines, we faced our leader, "Simon," and listened intently for commands. If Simon said, "Simon says, 'Hop'," we all hopped. If Simon said, "Take two steps'," we all froze because the command did not begin with, "Simon says...." After a rapid series of orders, players became confused, moved at wrong times, and soon were unable to follow any directions. Hilarity ensued and a different leader stepped up front. Today, we play a more dangerous...
I’m on the record in this space for falling out of touch with Major League Baseball. After my Chicago Cubs won it all in 2016, I felt my professional sports Mt. Everest had been summited. Consequently, I took a break – they finally did it, so who cares? All I paid attention to was the playoffs. The MLB’s season is a marathon and with kids, a mile-long to-do list and other obligations, I paid little attention during the regular season. That changed last year, though. The pandemic brought with it a wave of cancellations, including the first...
Royal's annual Memorial Day Service was held at the city's Triangle Park on Monday. Members of American Legion Goodwin Post #248 raised the American flag at the park then headed with Auxiliary members to Trimello and Willow Creek cemeteries to decorate the graves of deceased veterans. More than 100 flags waved in glory throughout the festive park grounds. The silhouette of a kneeling soldier sat somberly underneath a solitary tree, allowing a moment of recollection in all that has been...
The Clay Raiders 4-H group gathered together last week to offer a hand in cleaning up Clay Central/Everly's Outdoor Learning Center. The club helped lay new mulch, weeded the gardens and picked up debris and litter. The work will spruce up the area for the summer months ahead. Raiders enjoyed beautiful weather and a reward of strawberry shortcake for their cleanup efforts....
Daycare fundraiser set for June 26 The Hartley Community Daycare Center will hold its annual fundraising event on Saturday, June 26 at the Hartley Community Center. Featured entertainment includes dueling pianos, and a silent auction will also be held. See the ad on Page 8 for more details. Solsma’s Fireworks plans June 18 display Solsma’s Fireworks, located on Highway 18 between Sanborn and Hartley, will hold its annual fireworks demo on Friday, June 18 at 9 p.m. Food trucks will be available beginning at 5 p.m. The demo is free to all gue...
Great Iowa Treasure Hunt reaches $300 million returned A record-shattering $300 million in unclaimed property has been returned to past and present Iowans through the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt. According to State Treasurer Fitzgerald, $1,038,563.12 has been returned in Clay County since the program was created in 1983, with $1,066,032.63 still waiting to be claimed. In O'Brien County, $667,828.11 has been returned over the past 38 years and $748,167.48 is still waiting to be claimed. Unclaimed pr...
The last days of school at the former Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary were a flutter of activity as students rushed to complete end-of-the-year tasks and a few untraditional chores. Serving as the junior high this year while the 5-8 grade building in Sanborn underwent renovations, the former elementary school in Hartley said goodbye to students for the final time on Monday, May 24. Before that, however, students helped move classroom furniture, band instruments and other items from the top...
Memorial services for Lois “Loiy” F. Ihnen were held Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at the First Lutheran Church in Milford. Pastor Brian Jack officiated. Interment was at Lone Tree Cemetery near Everly. Warner Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. Lois ‘Loiy’ Faye Ihnen was born Nov. 23, 1939 in Sibley, to Vernon and Erma Ihnen. She attended 12 years of school in Everly, graduating in 1957. After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Westmar College, she taught elementary school in the Sioux Valley, Ocheyedan and Spirit Lake schools, retirin...
A funeral service for William C. “Bill” Vierhout was held Saturday, May 29, 2021, at First Reformed Church in Melvin. Pastor Al Honken officiated. Pallbearers were Robert Vierhout, Thomas Vierhout, Anna Vierhout, Ryan TeKrony, David TeKrony and Marcus TeKrony. Interment was in Baker Township Cemetery at Melvin, with military graveside rites conducted by Melvin American Legion, Reed Guthrie Post #470. Sanborn Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. William Cornie “Bill” Vierhout, son of Arie and Ida (Kleene) Vierhout, was born on Aug. 20...
A memorial service for David E. Williamson was held Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hartley. Pastor Chris Nitzel officiated. Burial was in Lakefield Cemetery at Lakefield, Minn. Hartley Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. David Eugene “Dave” Williamson, the second son of William “Bill” and Irene (Stanley) Williamson, was born Sept 26, 1950 at Primghar. As an infant, he was baptized at the Methodist church in Sanborn. Dave and his brother, Gordon, grew up on their parents’ farm in the Sanborn-Har...
Graveside memorial services will be held for Glenn Stoterau on his 99th birthday, Saturday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m., at Pleasant View Cemetery in Hartley. Friends are invited to attend. Stoterau, 98, of Hartley, died on April 7, 2021....
The public is invited to help honor David Schroeder’s memory on Saturday, June 26 at 2 p.m., at the American Legion social hall in Hartley. Lunch will be served. Schroeder, 73, of Hartley, died on March 11, 2021....
• May 30, 1946 The annual Memorial Day program in Hartley was viewed by a large crowd. The parade passed through lines of cars on Central Avenue and proceeded to the cemetery where the main part of the program was held. Charles Pendelton, of Storm Lake, gave the address. Unidentified lawbreakers shot a doe bearing a fawn on the Struve farm, east of Moneta. Those sighting the deer drove onto the farm and shot it but were unable to retrieve the carcass due to stampeding cattle. Deer were a rarity in this part of Iowa and there was no open s...
The 2021 baseball season got off to an exciting start on May 25, as Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn rallied in the seventh inning to defeat Sheldon, 2-1, in Hartley. Each team was able to keep the other off the scoreboard through six innings. Hawk catcher Jacob Cates threw out two Orabs attempting to steal in the first inning while Sheldon escaped a Hawk scoring threat in the second. Sheldon scored its run in the top of the seventh on a two-out single by Max Hamill. In the bottom of the inning, Ben...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn scored in every inning against Harris-Lake Park, capping the War Eagle Conference softball game with six runs in the seventh to wrap up a 15-1 win on May 28 at Lake Park. H-M-S jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to an RBI double by Taya Mason, a run-scoring single by Gracie Knobloch and a wild pitch, the first of many that plagued the Wolves throughout the game. The Hawks scored twice in the second inning on an error and a wild pitch. H-M-S scored single runs in each of the...
Any changes to Clay Central/Everly's school board election process will have to wait until after the November 2021 election. According to discussion during the board's meeting May 26, CC/E will have to wait until the results of the 2020 U.S. Census are finalized before making any changes to the way its board of directors is elected. Legal counsel said the district could change the current rules by holding a special election, but advised that members hold off until after the upcoming vote this...