Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Students, teachers and community members gathered in the H-M-S Event Center on Monday to pay tribute to the nation's servicemen and women on Veterans Day. Col. Jade E. Beehler, of Spencer, gave the keynote address and highlighted why it's important to honor America's veterans each year. Though only a select portion of the population has served the nation during its history, every American ever born can thank them for the freedoms they enjoy on a daily basis. "You have kept our communities safe...
Efforts to make a safer crosswalk near the high school in Hartley progressed on Monday thanks to a report from state transportation officials. The city council reviewed a recent Traffic Engineering Assistance Program (TEAP) study conducted by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The report analyzed traffic patterns on Highway 18 near the high school and elementary school, and gave recommendations for improved pedestrian crossings. Recent efforts to bolster pedestrian safety have stalled in...
Two empty lots are now off the city's books in Hartley. Stephane Comtois, owner of Hartley Cold Services, was the winning bidder of both 170 S Central Ave. (formerly Create-A-Craft) and 176 S Central Ave. (formerly Real Reflections salon). The city tore down both buildings recently due to their dilapidated condition. Comtois submitted bids of $1,000 apiece for the lots, which was the minimum amount set by the council. He was the lone bidder for both. The old Create-A-Craft building was acquired...
The Clay Central/Everly school board on Nov. 1 hired a former administrator to join the staff roster. Jeff Scharn, who served as CC/E's assistant superintendent from 2019 until his retirement in June 2024, was hired to fulfill the elementary school's director of student services. He succeeds Michelle Huntress, who will remain at CC/E as the principal. Previously, there was nobody with a principal title in the school, but Huntress essentially fulfilled that role as director of student services. S...
Twelve students were inducted into the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School chapter of the National Honor Society on Nov. 7. Current NHS chapter members conducted the program, with Abby Douma giving the welcome. Explaining the meaning of the four pillars of the National Honor Society were Gracie Knobloch (scholarship), Lainie Raveling (service), Frankie Mohni (leadership) and Kamryn Ebel (character). They also presented certificates to the inductees, who were introduced by Megan Otto. Eliza Tewes...
• Traffic Tucker Cole Avis, Blue Grass, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Nichole Shavonne Nash, Fresno, Calif., Speeding. Elizabeth Irene Van Veldhuizen, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Blanca Sobeyda Blandon Salgado, Worthington, Minn., No Valid Driver’s License. Micah Dylan Partlow, Spencer, Dark Windows; Speeding; No Proof of Insurance. David William Roach, Petersburg, Mich., Open Container. Kamren Lee Koepfler, Sanborn, Speeding; No Valid Driver’s License; Open Container. Francisco Antonio Benitez, Sibley, No Valid Driver’s License. Yordau...
Spencer Hospital’s annual audit report reveals significant improvements over the past year despite persistent challenges with supply chain costs, workforce shortages and patient revenue. The hospital concluded the fiscal year with a negative operating margin of 0.9 percent, as detailed in the annual audit report presented at the October board meeting. However, when factoring in investment gains and other non-operating revenues, including capital contributions, the net income was a positive 4.8 percent. Despite ongoing challenges, the h...
Any notion of a bipartisan election result in Iowa was resoundingly squashed on Tuesday by a wave of Republican victories at the state and federal levels. Despite at least one recent poll predicting a neck-and-neck race, former president Donald Trump cruised to victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, 56 percent to 43 percent. Locally, Trump won O'Brien County 5,995-1,427 and Clay County 6,044-2,366. It was more of the same for Republicans in Iowa's four congressional races. Incumbent Fourth Distric...
A member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard will provide the keynote address Monday, Nov. 11 during a Veterans Day program at the H-M-S Event Center in Hartley. The service kicks off at 9 a.m., and the community is invited to attend. Col. Jade E. Beehler is currently assigned as the J4 - Logistics Officer for the Joint Staff in the Wisconsin Army National Guard (WIARNG) in Madison, Wis. He recently served 2.5 years as commander of the 64th Troop Command Brigade for WIARNG. Beehler began his...
A storefront in downtown Hartley is under transformation, but its next phase of life remains somewhat of a mystery. Deidre Welch purchased the former Classic Closet II location from Jodi Scroggin in September. She's since kept busy with painting, renovating the bathroom and rearranging the interior, but she's not sure what the space will eventually become. "I've thought about using it for retail, rental space, or a place where instructional classes could be held," she said. "I just didn't want...
The Royal Riverton #8 Schoolhouse and Museum recently installed a handicapped-accessible ramp that will provide better access to those visiting the historic society's facility. The aluminum ramp, provided and installed by Wheelchair Dynamics, cost $28,000. It was funded by donations from area businesses and service groups, including $10,000 from the Royal Lions Club; $5,000 from the Iowa Lakes Electric Charitable Foundation, $2,800 from Wheelchair Dynamics, and remaining funds covered by the...
• Traffic Abdelfatah Gamal Hamed, Fridley, Minn., Speeding. Nicole D. Flatowicz, Omaha, Neb., Speeding. Linda Rochelle Atilee, Houston, Texas, Permitting Unauthorized Driver. Luz Alienid Figueroa Castillo, Headland, Ala., Speeding. Jerome Michael Hirschfeld, St. Cloud, Minn., Speeding. Cauy William Garrett, Yarmouth, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Kayden Davis Ludington, Osceola, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Carter Alvin Ploen, Kingsley, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Kyler Lee Mabe, Wichita, Kan., Speeding. Tyler Kohl Halland, Storden, M...
The annual cancer awareness event at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School has many facets, all of which are focused on one goal: helping those who are fighting the disease. During the week of Oct. 21, elementary students were encouraged to wear clothing in various colors that represent different types of cancer. Cancer ribbons, posters and banners were displayed throughout the school to raise awareness about the disease. One of the major events of the week is the penny drive. Students were...
There will be no shortage of unique wares this Saturday when the Hartley Country Crafters Annual Craft Show convenes for its 40th rendition. "It's amazing we've come this far," said Mary Rons, who organizes the event. "It's a great way to start off the holiday shopping season with quality workmanship and have a good time meeting everybody." As far as Rons can find, the event was first coordinated by Nancy Long and a group of her friends. The inaugural craft show boasted 11 vendors and was held...
The benefits of video scoreboards for outdoor and indoor athletic facilities at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn were again presented to the school board at its meeting on Oct. 21. Representatives of Daktronics, a Brookings, S.D.-based company that manufactures scoreboards and other message display equipment, had visited with the board in the fall of 2022 about replacing scoreboards at the high school athletic facilities. The board at that time identified replacing the softball and baseball scoreboards...
Anyone hoping to divert their attention from big-ticket races at the federal level on Nov. 5 will find few distractions in O'Brien or Clay counties. Competitive races at the state or local level are few and far between. With the exception of races for president and U.S. House, voters in O'Brien and Clay counties should be able to breeze right through their ballots next week. On O'Brien County's ballot, incumbent Iowa House District 5 Rep. Zach Dieken (R-Granville) is facing no-party challenger...
• Traffic Vegas James Watson, Mount Pleasant, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Christian Bryce Keller Roudybush, Larchwood, Minor in Possession, Alcohol. Sebastian E. Medina, Sioux City, Dark Windows. Blake Andrew Jackson, Seattle, Wash., Speeding. Nichole Ann Van Beek, Sanborn, Dark Windows. Melany Yeimy Leon, Sheldon, Failure to Maintain Control. Mario Lee Rassel, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Brooke Amanda Hibbing, Spencer, Speeding. Dominic Keith Van’t Hof, Granville, Registration Violation. Robert Lynn Yates, Black Hawk, S.D., Safety Reg...
A hectic growing season culminated in a rather calm harvest for farmers in northwest Iowa this fall. The year started with record-breaking precipitation numbers and finished markedly dry. During harvest over the past month, there was little standing in farmers' way as they blitzed through area fields unfettered. "The main thing this fall is that everything went really quick," said New Century FS agronomist Alic Mohni. "We haven't had any weather breaks." Locally, Mohni reported corn yields...
New real estate listings are coming to downtown Hartley. The city council on Oct. 14 agreed to sell two parcels of land at 170 S Central Ave. and 176 S Central Ave. The now-empty lots previously housed Create-A-Craft and Real Reflections, respectively. The former was removed in 2023 and the latter was torn down in August of this year. The lots will be sold at auction during the November regular council meeting. Anyone interested in purchasing them may place a bid. Another city-owned property dir...
The Everly City Council on Monday moved forward with repairs to flood-damaged fencing at the sewage lagoons east of town. Council members approved a $35,069.21 quote from American Fence Company, of Sioux City, to repair the perimeter fencing at the lagoons. The item was tabled last month pending further investigation of bids. One other quote worth $112,000 was received for the project, and the council wanted to ensure American Fence Company's estimate was complete. According to discussion,...
Spooks, goblins and ghouls of all kinds will be out in full force next Thursday for Halloween. Hartley, Everly and Royal will all hold trick-or-treating hours on Thursday, Oct. 31. Hartley and Everly will hold theirs from 5-7 p.m., while Royal's hours are scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. Additional activities are planned in Hartley prior to the door-to-door treat grab. The Hartley Chamber of Commerce is planning a Halloween Trunk-or-Treat downtown next Thursday from 3:30-5 p.m. Local businesses are...
The status of broadband channels controlled by the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School was discussed by the school board on Monday. Educational Broadband Service (EBS) channels are allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for advanced wireless service. Those bands are licensed only to accredited educational institutions and nonprofit entities whose missions are educational. Evertek, Inc., of Everly, asked the district in 1993 to apply to the FCC for a license for four...
• Traffic Dustyn Bergstrom, Sheldon, Trespass. Walker Ryan Stubbe, Sibley, Speeding. Geofrey Muganzi, Concord, Calif., Dark Windows. Octavio Mejia, Sibley, Seatbelt Violation. Luis E. Garza, South Sioux City, Neb., Speeding; Registration Violation. Yarout Keak Rik, Mankato, Minn., Speeding. Ronald Gilyado, Roland, Ark., Safety Regulations Violation. Mohammad Roshaan Saeed, Shakopee, Minn., Speeding. Nyapal T. Ranley, LaVista, Neb., Speeding. Luis Elias Mazariegos Escobar, Houston, Texas, No Valid Driver’s License. Billy Joe Florence, Fre...
Residents in O'Brien, Clay and Osceola counties are advised that open burning bans are in effect until further notice. The bans were ordered last week due to dry, windy conditions. According to the orders, "open burning constitutes a danger to life or property" during periods of extended dryness. The prohibitions may only be rescinded after local officials notify the state fire marshal that conditions have eased. Those who violate the ban will be subjected to a simple misdemeanor charge. The...
The Hartley City Council on Monday agreed to investigate an issue that has plagued households across town for years. The council instructed Bolton & Menk engineer Wes Boyer to look into potential causes of brown tap water that sporadically affects homes in Hartley. Despite efforts to regularly flush water mains, the issue has persisted for several years. "I definitely want to look into it, because it's a problem," said Council Member Ron Hengeveld. "The public would definitely like us to find...
