Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Hartley businesses and residents will have to wait for a revamped highway lane layout through town. The Iowa Department of Transportation recently informed City Hall that a resurfacing project planned for Highway 18 this summer has been pushed to 2022. Once work starts, crews will mill the existing surface and overlay a thin layer back on top. The number of lanes will be reduced from four to three as well, resembling Highway 18's setup through Sanborn. "I don't know if [the DOT] got too busy...
Homecoming at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn was twice as nice last week. Not only did the volleyball team win its first match of the season with a 3-2 victory over Harris-Lake Park on Oct. 4, the football team clinched the Class A District 1 title with a 61-13 drubbing of Hinton on Friday night. It marked the first time since 1997 H-M-S hoisted an outright district crown. Big wins may be the main headlines from Homecoming week, but they weren't the only stories. A pep rally on Friday drew a big crowd...
Eastern O'Brien County is without a supervisor. District 1 Supervisor Sherri Bootsma on Tuesday resigned her position effective Oct. 13. She had served on the board for five years, but an impending move outside of the county forced her resignation. "Living in and serving O'Brien County has been something that I love. Working with our staff and residents has given me invaluable knowledge and I am grateful for the years I was entrusted with serving," she wrote in her letter of resignation. "While...
The ongoing push to get people vaccinated against COVID-19 has entered its third stage. Public health officials, pharmacies and doctors' offices have started administering third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. However, they come with stipulations, and not everyone is eligible. Clay County Public Health Director Colette Rossiter admitted the rules can be somewhat confusing regarding the third shot of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine such as Moderna or Pfizer. "It is recommended for some people...
A recent trip to Des Moines left Hartley officials feeling good about the city's chances at landing a big grant. A contingent comprised of Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff, Council Member Mary Westphalen, pool committee member Jackie Stoltz, Grounded owner Deidre Welch, Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz and City Administrator Erica Haack headed south last week to present information to the Enhance Iowa Board/Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) Grant Committee about the city's pool project....
• Traffic Jonathan Jay Koerselman, Sheldon, Trespass. Scott T. Nasers, Jr., Hartley, Speeding. Collin McKee, Hartley, Failure to Obey Stop Sign; Seatbelt Violation; Failure to Maintain Control; Open Container. Robert Raymond Hepp, Hartford, S.D., Speeding. McCadden M. Ball, Lewistown, Ill., Minor In Possession. Logan Rhett Van Houten, Sibley, Speeding. Suzann M. Wetherell, Cherokee, Speeding. Joe Diaz, Sibley, No Valid Driver’s License. Zac Christian Adams, Elk Point, S.D., Speeding. Dennis Ray Williams, Cherokee, Speeding. Kari Lynn Lade, Sib...
Hartley-area poets to meet Oct. 28 The Hartley Poets Group will meet on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m., at the Hartley Public Library. All local poets are invited to attend. Additionally, the group will host its annual poetry reading on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m., at the library. All local poets are invited to attend and participate. The general theme is fall. Interested poets need to submit up to six pieces to the Hartley Public Library by Oct. 28 so the program can be printed for the following Wednesday. Refreshments will be provided, and...
Voter pre-registration deadline is Oct. 18 The deadline to pre-register to vote in the city/school election is Monday, Oct. 18. If an eligible elector in Clay County is not already registered to vote, he or she may do so in one of the following ways: • Register to vote by mail: Voter registration forms are available on the Clay County website https://claycounty.iowa.gov/. The completed form should be delivered or mailed to the Clay County Auditor's Office, 300 West 4th Street, Ste. 4, S...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn freshman Dawson Niichel was recently selected for the 2021 Opus Honor Choir. Sponsored by the Iowa Choral Directors Association, Opus is a statewide honor choir in grades 5-9 and is considered a prestigious honor for students who are selected. Four choirs of 180 voices each are chosen through an audition process. This year, more 2,100 auditions were submitted, and only 720 chosen. The audition criteria is singing a cappella and recording a scale, America, and a specific...
I’ll never understand why people get so mad at social media platforms. You have to voluntarily sign up for them, and doing so puts you under their terms and conditions. It also subjects you to the idiocy, lies and unrestrained vitriol that have become the bread and butter of these platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their ilk can even censor you for reposting the aforementioned garbage, which leads to more hate and bitterness strewn throughout each person’s feed – a snake eating its own tail if I’ve ever seen one. If you’re the kind of...
The University of Iowa turned heads last month when it announced it would become the first Power Five conference school to add women's wrestling as a scholarship sport. The move is a landmark win for the sport, and it creates added momentum for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) to sanction wrestling at the high school level. Though the UI may be the first "big" school to bring on women's wrestling, it's hardly the first post-secondary institution to do so. More than 125 schools...
As Cheri and I are closing in on our 50th anniversary, I have been reflecting on what has kept us together all these years. Here are some tips I have learned over the past five decades. 1. Your wife is always right (even if she isn’t). 2. The most important words in your vocabulary need to be, “Yes, Dear.” 3. No matter how difficult it may be, try to never go to bed angry at each other. 4. The dog belongs to both of you, so you need to take your responsibility. For me, that’s four walks per day...
A former Clay Central/Everly High School student was named Spencer High School's Homecoming queen last week. Odalys Garcia, daughter of Manuel and Trina Garcia, was crowned during coronation Oct. 6 in Spencer. Originally from Mexico, Garcia immigrated to the Royal area with her family in 2012. Her sister, Aylin, graduated from CC/E at the top of her class in 2017. Odalys was involved in several activities at CC/E before it closed in 2019. She moved over to SHS, where she's involved in dance...
A graveside service for Dr. Ernest “Willie” Wilson Hallford was held Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in the Trimello Cemetery at Royal. Warner Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. Professor Emeritus Willie Hallford passed away on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at the age of 75. He was born in Alabama to Homer and Mona (Shelley) Hallford and lived his childhood there. He graduated from the University of Alabama and Ohio State University. He taught in elementary schools in Louisiana and then taught Psychology at Moorhead State University, Minn., unt...
• Oct. 17, 1946 Mayor P.A. Leese warned boys with firearms, who were shooting the bulbs of street lamps in ever-increasing numbers, that anyone apprehended would find himself minus a gun and both he and his parents would be taken before the sheriff of O’Brien County. The Hartley Rainbow Assembly for Girls received their charter at an impressive ceremony in the Masonic Hall. The Hartley Rainbow Assembly was organized May 4, 1946, and had been under “Letters Temporary” since that time. The O’Brien County American Legion Auxiliary fall meeting w...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn cross country runners competed in the George-Little Rock/Central Lyon Invitational on Oct. 7. The meet held at the Otter Valley course was a final tune-up before the upcoming War Eagle Conference and state qualifying meets. Madison Otto paced the H-M-S girls with a 15th place finish, running a time of 23:14. Kamryn Ebel placed 44th (25:49), Gracie Knobloch finished 47th (27:27) and Ashleigh Vermeer (28:41) and Juliana Pasillas (29:01) were 49th and 50th, respectively. Siou...
Their records may not have been stellar, but Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Harris-Lake Park battled as though the War Eagle Conference volleyball title was on the line. A two-set lead by H-M-S was matched by two straight wins by the Wolves to force a fifth set. The Hawks trailed for much of the final set but rallied to claim the win. Set scores were 25-21, 25-15, 11-25, 22-25, 15-13. "Overall it was a great team effort," Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese said. "These girls have worked really hard all...
The aftereffects of a tough loss to the No. 1 team in Class A the previous game coupled with a week of Homecoming activities affected Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn early in its football game against Hinton. But the Hawks responded with 49 unanswered points to secure a 61-13 win Oct. 8 at Peterson Field. The victory, coupled with South O'Brien's loss to Akron-Westfield, secured the District 1 title. It is the first outright championship for H-M-S since back-to-back crowns in 1996 and 1997. Hawk coach...
