Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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To address the use of technology and information within the educational environment, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn School Board approved policies governing the use of personal electronic devices and artificial intelligence (AI). Language for both policies was developed through the Iowa Association of School Boards' Policy Reference Manual. The board reviewed the recommended language last month before taking action on Monday. The policy acknowledges the value of electronic devices to learning, but...
The City of Everly was recently reimbursed for damages associated with flooding last June. City Clerk Kristi Fliss on Monday reported that FEMA issued checks to Everly for $47,558.51 for lagoon fence repairs and $14,447.55 for emergency protective measures. Fliss is still waiting on one more FEMA check to be reimbursed for local cleanup efforts following the flood. "That's awesome," said City Council Member Tara Patrick. "Thanks for staying on that." Fliss explained that "emergency protective...
A 2016 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn graduate has planted the seeds of her law career at the local level. Claire Solsma last year began her role as a law clerk in Iowa's Third Judicial District. Headquartered in Spencer, she primarily serves as a "lawyer for the judges" in Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Clay and O'Brien counties. "Clerking is a great opportunity to see behind the curtain of the judicial process," she said. "Specifically at the district court level, I have a front...
• Traffic Cheyenne Megan Chindlund, Sheldon, Registration Violation; Driving While Suspended. David William Steuck, Sanborn, Speeding. Douglas Alan Portz, Sheldon, No Proof of Insurance. Jessica Nicole Mahler, Sutherland, Speeding. Sonya Ludwig Wilt, Madison, S.D., Speeding. Joshua L. Harrington, Independence, Mo., Seatbelt Violation. Victor Reyez Mauricion Lopez, Sheldon, No Valid Driver's License. Trace Patrick Schroeder, Mapleton, Seatbelt Violation. Octavio Morales Ramos, Sioux City, Dark W...
Though Iowa's bitter winter months are upon us, a group of former Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn educators are doing their best to spread some warmth. Juanita Anliker, who served 21 years as a special education teacher at H-M-S, founded the "Stitches of Love" sewing group in 2023. Comprised of ex-teachers and aides, the group thus far has made 30 quilts for local children in need. Anliker wanted to carry on the legacy left by her late mother, Reona Schelhaas, who used to make quilts for needy women and...
In an effort to save money and time, the Hartley City Council will appoint a new member to fill the vacancy left by Nick Galm. First elected in 2021, Galm resigned his seat last month to become Hartley's superintendent of public works. His term expires at the end of 2025. The council on Monday had the option to appoint a new member or call for a special election, which would be held in March. Since the election will cost around $3,000 and take longer, the council opted to appoint Galm's replacem...
Local emergency personnel on Monday updated the Hartley City Council about their 2024 activities and shared goals for the future. The Hartley Emergency Ambulance Rescue Team (HEART) responded to 280 calls in 2024, down slightly from 289 in 2023. The team is comprised of 16 volunteer members who tallied 21,507 on-call hours last year, according to HEART Secretary/Treasurer Darla Meyer. "It's a good amount of people, thank goodness," she said. HEART was able to purchase a new $47,000...
• Traffic Caleb Michael Callenius, Hospers, Failure to Maintain Control. Koby Lee Peelen, Sanborn, Defective Braking Equipment. Doyle Edward Logan, Primghar, Speeding. Adrianne Aulenbach, Paullina, Failure to Obey Stop Sign. Camron A. Alcantar, Bellevue, Neb., Speeding. Eric David Aguirre, Melvin, Speeding. Jackson Dean Albert, Hartley, Registration Violation. Madison L. Cain, Homer, Neb., Dark Windows. David Alan Crow, Rochester, Minn., Speeding. Javier Gonzalez Gutierrez, Sutherland, No V...
The low bidders for reroofing buildings owned by the City of Royal will be awarded the projects, but timing of the work depends upon when an insurance settlement is received. Council members reaffirmed an earlier decision to accept bids from Four B Construction to reroof the community building, and Austin Brown and FoamWorx Insulation to reroof and insulate the maintenance shop. As of Jan. 8, the city has not received the insurance settlement for damage that resulted from a hail and wind storm last May. Mayor Josh Toft said the contractors...
You wouldn't know by looking at it now, but Moneta used to be a bustling enclave of commerce, development and hope. The tiny town on O'Brien County's far east border once boasted a population nearing 500 people. Residents there enjoyed all the amenities folks in larger cities took for granted – a movie theater, two car dealerships, grocery stores, gas station, school, bank, pool hall and more. For Vicky Treimer, Moneta's rise and fall has been a point of curiosity her whole life. "I was always f...
Hartley's new public works superintendent is eager to bring some stability to an office that's sat vacant for four months. Nick Galm started duties at his new gig on Dec. 31. A former Hartley council member, he felt it was important for the city to fill the position with someone who plans on being there a while. "I've thought about it for a long time," Galm said. "I felt like we needed to get somebody here that was going to stick around and hopefully do the right thing for the city and...
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds last week extended a disaster proclamation for O'Brien County and four others due to the ongoing threat of bird flu. Other counties included in the extension were Palo Alto, Sac, Sioux and Worth. Bird flu was confirmed in a commercial laying flock in O'Brien County on Dec. 14, which was the eighth detection of the virus in Iowa of 2024. Two days later it was confirmed in flocks in Sioux, Worth and Monona counties. Flocks with confirmed infections are destroyed to hamper...
• Traffic Alfredo Guzman Lopez, Alden, Dark Windows. Jose Luis Bahena, South Sioux City, Neb., Registration Violation; Dark Windows. Angel Marie Kent, Spencer, Speeding. Davenport Hill, Jr., Shuqualak, Miss., Speeding. Jesse Draven Christopherson, Primghar, Permitting Unauthorized Driver. Reyna Isabel Tamayo Gonzalez, Hartley, Speeding; Violation of Instruction Permit. Parker Dennis Rolling, Bancroft, Seatbelt Violation. Jonathan D. Vander Ploeg, Paullina, Registration Violation. Conner James M...
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week was sworn in as president pro tempore of the Senate. The president pro tempore is a constitutional office customarily bestowed on the longest serving member of the Senate majority party. As president pro tempore, Grassley is now the second highest-ranking official in the Senate – behind the vice president, who serves as president of the Senate – and follows the vice president and speaker of the house in the line of presidential succession. "It's once aga...
A familiar face has been hired to fill Hartley's long-vacant superintendent of public works position. Nick Galm, who has served on the city council since 2022, was hired for the job on Monday during a special meeting. The position has been open since August. Galm's annual salary was set at $95,000. He resigned from the council prior to being hired on a 3-1 vote. Council Member Matt Dolphin was the lone dissention. According to City Administrator Roxann Swanson, Galm was the only applicant for...
And just like that, another year is already in the rearview mirror. 2025 arrived and 2024 left. Though the pages of the Sentinel-News were filled with hundreds of stories over the past 365 days, some stood head and shoulders above the rest. They commanded multiple headlines throughout the year and impacted the community in unique ways. With the page now flipped to 2025, it's time to fill the 2024 scrapbook. What follows is a rundown of the biggest stories to grace the pages of the Sentinel-News...
With strong majorities in both the House and Senate, Iowa Republicans are once again hoping to keep Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk piled high with bills to sign during the 2025 legislative session. The 91st Iowa General Assembly kicks off Jan. 13 with a target end date of May 2. GOP lawmakers plan to focus on preschool education, access to rural healthcare and other priorities in Des Moines. Local officials include: Rep. Zach Dieken, House District 5; Sen. Lynn Evans, Senate District 3; Rep. Megan...
• Traffic Korriane Maureen James, Sanborn, Speeding; Registration Violation; Registration Violation. Brenon Jaylen Burroughs, Madison, Ala., Registration Violation; No Proof of Insurance; Speeding. Mason Kristopher Parks, Hospers, Failure to Obey Stop Sign. Hector Martin Lopez, Worthington, Minn., No Valid Driver's License; Dark Windows. Bayley Wayne Schuman, Marshall, Minn., Speeding. Micah Edward Muller, Nekoosa, Wis., Speeding. Jenessa K. Bleeker, Dark Windows. Victor Reyes Mauricion L...
Though down from the previous year, farmland values in O'Brien County once again earned the label of priciest in the state in 2024. The annual Iowa State University Land Value Survey found the average price per acre of O'Brien County farmland dipped from $16,313 in 2023 to $15,921 this year. The average was the most expensive in Iowa in 2024 and marked the second time in the last three years that O'Brien County topped the list. Last year, Sioux County took home first while O'Brien was tops in...
A Paullina youth was killed in an accident that occurred at 12:11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, southwest of Paullina. The O'Brien County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from OnStar reporting a possible collision near 5454 500th Street. Their system showed that airbags had been deployed and there was one occupant in the driver's seat. It also indicated the vehicle had possibly rolled over. Emergency services were immediately dispatched and upon arrival, located a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu. The...
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday the state's first human case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza. According to a press release from the department, the individual is a commercial poultry worker who was exposed by a flock in northwest Iowa. Earlier this week, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the 11th detection of the virus in poultry flocks this year, following a string of detections that began in early December. The press...
• Traffic Treasonous Shawnee Fetlock, Primghar, Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device; Speeding, No Proof of Insurance. Seth T. Johnson, Omaha, Neb., Speeding. Denise Michelle Hill, Sikeston, Mo., Speeding. Michelle Ann Essing, Royal, Speeding. Lucas Delvin Jurek, Kimball, Minn., Dark Windows. Benito Camacho, Jr., Brownsville, Texas, Open Container. Peyton Avery Klein, Sheldon, Speeding; Permitting Minor Consumption. Cheryl Lynne Ginsburg, Omaha, Neb., Speeding. Johanna Lizbeth Martinez Ramirez, Sheldon, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. A...
After the abrupt closing of its bar and convenience store this summer, the Everly community was not only down two businesses, but its heart was broken. "The community was feeling lost," said Hap Ketelsen Community Center Manager Christie Seivert. "Both entities were places that people gathered and not only enjoyed good food, but also good company." Quik Spot and The Ranch both closed immediately in July following the untimely death of owner Shaun Iske. Gas station gossip and steak nights were...
A lot can change in four decades – just ask Barb Rohwer. The longtime local official will wrap up 42 years of service to the O'Brien County Auditor's Office when the calendar flips to January. From election rule changes to counting gopher feet, the job has thrown several curveballs at Rohwer over the years. "It just seemed like it was the right time for me to retire," she said. "I'm ready to slow down a little from the daily work." After obtaining her associate's degree in accounting, Rohwer w...
The plight of the Hartley Community Daycare Center became a philanthropic opportunity of a lifetime for one local family. Franklin Mett, owner of the Mett Family Trust, recently donated 1.16 acres of his farmland for a new daycare building in Hartley. With two great-grandchildren in the current facility, he felt it was an issue worth contributing to. "The dilapidation of the current building and premises called for a new course of action," Mett said. "I felt that if we could do something to...
