Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Big news from Des Moines has shifted eyes to local officials as they determine whether or not to hold county fairs this summer. The Iowa State Fair was canceled last week for the first time since World War II. The COVID-19 pandemic was the cause this time around, as state fair board members voted 11-2 to wait until next year. "It was a hard decision. You work all year to plan a fair," said Darwin Gaudian, of Primghar, who represents the Northwest District on the Iowa State Fair Board. "Too many...
Neebel Park in Hartley will be a surreal scene July 31-Aug. 2. There will be no inflatables, no volleyball games, no horseshoe contests and no beer tent, among other things. Put simply, there will be no fun. Summer Celebration was canceled Monday by the Hartley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic uncertain, board members were left with little choice. "It was just hard to know what was going to happen in August as far as the restrictions we'd have to...
Demolition of portions of the current Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School is just about ready to begin. Mark Pfister, of Boyd Jones Construction, said during Monday's school board meeting that over-excavation at the Sanborn building is finished and backfilling of material to grade should conclude this week. That will set the stage for demolition to begin on portions of the building. Construction of new classrooms should start next month. Flooring installation at the elementary building is...
One hundred twenty-six years of history went down in a cloud of dust last week in Hartley. The old horse barn at the historic Patch-Eeten House on First Street Southeast was torn down June 11. An excavator operated by Dave Hobson took around an hour to demolish the structure, which had deteriorated beyond repair thanks to a weakening foundation and other issues. "It was in really bad shape. You could walk in there and stick your hand right through the wall," said Howard Borchard, a local...
Fees for textbooks, activity tickets and meals will be increasing at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn. The 2020-21 fee structure was approved by the school board on Monday. It is only the second time since 2013-14 that H-M-S has increased student fees two consecutive years. According to Superintendent Patrick Carlin, previous board discussion indicated a desire to increase fees yearly rather than to do so every three or four years. Textbook fees will range from $50 for PK-K to $90 for grades 9-12. The...
I was recently forced to confront a question that caused me great pause. It was insidiously simple in its nature. While cashing a few beers on the patio with my cousin Tyler from Texas, conversation shifted to the recent tribulations of a close relative and concerns about his young children. Tyler, who was basically raised by his mother, nonchalantly asked, “Was your dad your hero growing up?” I froze and stared forward with a blank expression. It wasn’t a question I had ever thought about before, simply because I never had to. I grew up in a...
To the editor: Did anyone bite you at work today? On average, nearly 15 mail carriers per day will say, “Yes.” U.S. Postal Service officials report that in 2019, 5,803 letter carriers experienced dog bites or dog attacks. With deliveries every day, including Sundays and holidays, carriers continue to experience dog bites in urban, suburban and rural settings. Dog attacks and bites are 100 percent preventable when dog owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs. To ensure mail carriers’ safety, dog owners must securely lock their...
The decision last week to cancel the Iowa State Fair was a reminder of the seriousness of coronavirus and the consequences of many people's anxiety about returning to activities that normally are an important part of Iowa life. But the State Fair's decision also illuminated an embarrassing disconnect from the norms of government transparency and accountability in our state. I have attended government meetings for 50 years - from small-town city councils and school boards, to state boards and...
How is everyone holding up out there? I pray you are staying positive, safe and as courageous as possible during these crazy times. It truly is unbelievable. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I now get to plan my daughter's seventh birthday without many of her closest friends by her side. She loves having every one of her classmates at each of her birthday parties. We like to have big backyard celebrations with water play, outdoor games, scavenger hunts, crafts, pinatas and of course cake, making...
BY NICK PEDLEY Despite noticeable progress this spring, it's unlikely improvements at Everly's sewage treatment lagoons will be completed this year. Engineer Brian Schmidt said Monday during an update to the city council that most dirt work for Phase 1 of the project has been completed. However, crews from King Construction will be moving to a new job soon, making it unlikely all of the upgrades are finished before snow flies. "I'm not as optimistic as I was a couple weeks ago after talking...
• Traffic Westley Allen Wooten, Maryville, Mo., Speeding. Brian Myers, Hartley, Speeding. Brandon Tripp, Hartley, Speeding. Ryan J. Greenfield, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Maryrose Ebele Nwosah, Des Moines, Speeding. Sergio Carbajal, Hull, Minor in Possession. Gavin Dean Dykstra, Hull, Minor in Possession. Wendy Dean Ruiz, Sioux Center, Minor in Possession. Jose Luis Avila, Jr., Sutherland, Animal at Large. Jeremy James Jalas, Spirit Lake, Speeding. Brady Garret Noll, Sioux Rapids, Seatbelt Violation. Kaden Tyler Hewlett, Paullina, S...
Tourism tours continue in O’Brien County During the past two months, O’Brien County Tourism has promoted four different tours that families can enjoy locally while maintaining a safe social distance from others. If you missed information about the tours, you can find it at www.obriencounty.com. The O’Brien County trivia treasure hunt will take you on a search through the county, looking for answers to the questions you can find in a downloadable format on the website. Look for Tour O’Brien County on the homepage slider. We’ll See You Outside b...
The O'Brien County Community Foundation (OBCCF), an affiliate of the Siouxland Community Foundation, awarded grants totaling over $106,000 to nonprofit organizations and local government groups in support of projects throughout O'Brien County. Due to social distancing restrictions a grant presentation was not held this year. Local advisory board members presented grant checks to the individual organizations. Since the first grants were made in 2006, over $1.3 million has been awarded. "These gra...
Private memorial services for George Skyler Elsworth-Cole were planned to be held at the Warner Funeral Home in Spencer, with Bud Watts officiating. Honorary bearers were Yovan Tasich, Ryley Tasich, Austin Tasich, Drew Cole, Dalton Cole and Christine Siminsen. Interment is in Riverside Cemetery at Spencer. Warner Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. George Skyler-Elsworth Cole, the son of Jay Cole and Elaine Tasich, was born on Feb. 3, 1996, in Denison. He received his early education at Dunlap and then moved to Spencer where he...
Raymond is being planned for a later date. Interment will be in Roseland Cemetery at Sanborn. Sanborn Funeral Home is assisting with the arrangements. Donna Jean (Pry) Raymond was born July 21, 1934 in Sioux City, the daughter of Glen E. Pry and Lottie L. (Roberts) Pry. She was raised in the Bronson and Sioux City areas. Donna graduated from Central High School in Sioux City in 1952. She was united in marriage to Dean Russell Raymond on March 1, 1957, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. To this union two daughters were born: Deborah Jean, on...
• June 21, 1945 The supply of Coca-Cola in Hartley and community would definitely be affected by further curtailment of the supply of sugar, because the manufacturer of the popular drink would not compromise with the use of substitutes. However, an equitable system of rationing would be maintained. The Hartley Public School tentatively set up three bus routes to be operated during 1945-46, to service chiefly non-resident high school students. In the event a rural school was unable to secure teachers or was closed, those grade students could b...
Filling open defensive positions is a top priority for the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn softball team in 2020. H-M-S lost five players to graduation following last season's 4-21 campaign, including four who were everyday contributors. "We have a lot of spots to fill," acknowledged Hawk coach Carissa Post, who is in her third year with the program. Post said this year's two seniors, Trey Haag and Hannah Jochims, will be major contributors. "Our seniors are going to lead us," she commented. Jochims was...
Beyond the fact that the 2020 baseball season could be held despite the COVID-19 pandemic is encouraging news that Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's numbers are growing. H-M-S had just 13 players out for baseball in 2019, barely enough to field a varsity team and too few to play a JV schedule. That's not the case in 2020. The preseason roster numbers 20, which includes a combined 16 sophomores, freshmen and eighth graders. As a result, H-M-S will play JV games along with varsity contests this year....
Practice time is limited and game schedules are compressed, but Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's high school baseball and softball coaches prefer that to seeing their sports cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic "I'm glad we at least have a season," said softball coach Carissa Post. "The girls really enjoy seeing each other and doing something together." Hawk baseball coach Jeremy Gloden said he was "50-50" on whether the season would happen. But after hearing that Gov. Kim Reynolds gave the...
Opportunity knocked and Jeremy Gloden was ready to answer. The opportunity was a physical education and health teaching position at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School. For Gloden, who was on the staff at South O'Brien, it was a chance he couldn't pass up. "P.E. is my passion. I jumped at it right away," he said. The possibility that H-M-S's head baseball coaching position might become available heightened his interest even more. "That made it lucrative for me. Varsity baseball is my passion,"...
