Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Just like their fishing lures, Dave and Cindy Hennings aren't letting the big one get away. The Hartley couple has grown their small tackle business into quite the catch over the past decade. Dave started dabbling in creating his own lures roughly 15 years ago, and eventually spun his hobby into Hennings Tackle. "The business is kind of growing itself, and we're just going to ride with it and do what we can," he said. "It's still very much a mom and pop deal." Dave has been an avid outdoorsman...
Nobody can say Tara Patrick doesn't believe in herself. The owner of Backroads Biker Leather Shoppe in Everly was told by a small business expert in 2006 that her store would never make it in a town with a population of 600. Fourteen years later, she's still laughing. "He said I was stupid to do it in Everly and it wouldn't last six months," Patrick recalled. "He said, 'Don't you understand that location is everything for retail?' I laughed at him and said that he didn't understand bikers. If bi...
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic came closer to reality in Hartley this week. Community Memorial Health Center received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine on Monday. According to administrator Dr. Janette Simon, CMHC was the first nursing home in O'Brien County to receive doses of the vaccine. One-third of the staff and all consenting residents received their first shots Monday afternoon. The second dose will be administered 28 days later. "It is difficult to express to you how relieved...
Responding to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has on Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School students' ability to complete community service hours, revisions to the citizenship credit requirement were approved by the board on Dec. 21. According to board policy, students must accumulate a minimum of 40 "citizenship points" in order to graduate. Each point is the equivalent of one clock hour a student expends in performing uncompensated "service for others." Additionally, criteria for admission...
• Traffic Harmony Jene Cooley, Archer, Registration Violation. Jenny Lynn Baier, Royal, Failure to Maintain Control. Joshua David Sybesma, Archer, Speeding. Joshua James McPeek, Sheldon, No Proof of Insurance. Kimberly Jo Howell, Ashton, No Proof of Insurance. Ashley Nicole Van Briesen, Sioux Center, Speeding. Katie Jean Rohlfsen, Paullina, Registration Violation. Amanda Jo Dessel, Paullina, Failure to Use Child Restraint. Scott L. Steinbeck, League City, Texas, Speeding. Elissa Alverda Elaine Frederes, Cleghorn, Speeding. Melanie Neufeld Funk...
Above-normal temperatures have permitted several maintenance projects by the City of Royal to either be completed or still done this winter. With no snow to plow, city employees Sherman Nielsen and Lance Kruse have tackled tree trimming and removal at the site of a proposed street near the Great Hall of Royal. With trees removed there as well as at Memorial Park, stumps remain and Nielsen suggested they be taken out while the ground is dry and frozen. “Stumps from those we cut last winter weren’t done in the summer,” Nielsen explained. “One...
Christmas came early Monday for 18 families in the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District. Organizers of the H-M-S Giving Tree doled out 147 gifts to 49 school-age children. The project is in its second year and supported entirely from community contributions. "We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the response that our second-annual project has received. People were really thoughtful with their gifts," said Jenna Hemiller, wife of H-M-S High School Principal Nate Hemiller. "Overall,...
The best Christmas present of 2020 is on its way to O'Brien and Clay counties. The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are headed to northwest Iowa, according to a statement Monday from Sanford Health. The shipment is expected late this week at some of Sanford's rural locations, with first vaccinations prioritized for frontline health care workers and long-term care residents as determined by the CDC. Community Memorial Health Center Administrator Dr. Janette Simon said...
More than a week after Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley reported its first COVID-19 infection among its residents, nothing has changed. Administrator Dr. Janette Simon reported Tuesday that no new cases had been found after the latest round of testing on Monday. The same was true for the nursing home's staff members, all of whom received negative results Tuesday. "Usually when COVID gets inside a long-term care facility it spreads like wild fire," said Simon. "We were able to contain...
Though many folks are looking forward to flipping the calendar to 2021, the New Year won't be welcomed with a bang – at least not in Hartley. The city council on Monday agreed to keep the current ordinance as-is following a request from a resident to allow fireworks Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Hartley has one of the more strict fireworks ordinances in the area, as residents are only allowed to fire away July 3-4 from 10 a.m-11 p.m. "I'm really not in favor of it," Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff said of c...
The boards of directors of First Cooperative Association, of Cherokee, and Alceco, of Albert City, have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to conduct a unification study between the two cooperatives. According to a joint news release, the boards of directors of both cooperatives believe now is the right time to conduct the study due to marketplace dynamics that are “changing dramatically.” The release stated each cooperative is “financially strong” and can approach the opportunity from “a position of strength while ensuring local ownership...
• Traffic Scott Lee Smith, Orange City, Contempt. Timothy Houston Moore, Centerville, Speeding. Austin Traver, Paullina, Seatbelt Violation. David Alberto Vazquez Ruiz, Hartley, Speeding. Radu Popovici, Schaumberg, Ill., Speeding. Kayla Koster, Paullina, Registration Violation; No Proof of Insurance. Enrique Chavez Salazar, Sheldon, Speeding. Brittany Nicole Sumner, Cherokee, Speeding. Diana Lyn Jorgensen, Tulsa, Okla., Registration Violation. Shawn Rooney, Sheldon, Failure to Respond to Steady Red Light. Brent Allen Noteboom, Paullina, S...
Royal's skyline is going through some big changes. Demolition of Ag Partners' main grain elevator complex started Friday at the company's location in the north part of town. The structure suffered a massive explosion in August caused by "a grain dust incident," according to Ag Partners, and has been sitting empty awaiting demolition ever since. The site is expected to be cleared by the end of the month. A single excavator with a multi-processor equipped with demolition jaws methodically has...
The holiday season hit the heart of Hartley last Saturday during the Chamber of Commerce's first-ever light parade. Decorated fire trucks, an ambulance, cars and a few other vehicles snaked their way through town during the event. Santa and Mrs. Claus even made an appearance, waving to adoring onlookers from the back of the fire department's vintage truck. The parade was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of traditional events like lap visits with Santa and the holi...
The CDC has announced new quarantine guidelines for individuals who've come into contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The guidance of a 14-day quarantine period is still considered the safest way to prevent the virus' spread; however, two additional time periods have been suggested. Now, an individual can end their quarantine 10 days after contact if no symptoms have occurred during daily monitoring. Additionally, if you get a negative test on day 7 and if no symptoms occur during daily...
After remaining coronavirus-free for the first nine months of the pandemic, Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley on Monday reported the first infection among its residents. Administrator Dr. Janette Simon said the individual is exhibiting no symptoms and is completely isolated from other residents in the facility's containment area. No other residents had tested positive as of Tuesday, and the latest round of staff testing on Tuesday revealed no positive infections. Simon said the staff's...
• Hartley woman arrested on drug charges The Clay County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation at the intersection of Highway 18 and 160th Avenue on Dec. 3 at 10:07 p.m. During the investigation it was determined that the driver, Shelly Ohrt, of Hartley, was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and was placed under arrest. She was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance-3rd Offense Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was held in the Clay County jail to appear before the magistrate. • Dr...
Patrons of the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District are being called on to spread a little Christmas cheer. The H-M-S Giving Tree project has returned for a second year and is in need of donors. Those who'd like to contribute can do so by snagging an ornament off a tree at designated locations in Hartley, Melvin or Sanborn, then purchasing gifts and returning them for those in need. The project is once again being led by H-M-S High School counselor Kim Spier and Jenna Hemiller, wife...
Whether it's with a homemade sign or a loud holler, local children will have to get creative to share their wish lists with Santa Claus this year. Lap visits with the jolly ol' elf have been canceled in Hartley due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Good boys and girls need not fret, however, as Santa and Mrs. Claus will be traversing the City With a Heart Saturday during the Hartley Chamber of Commerce's first-ever light parade. "Since kids can't visit him, this was kind of a last-minute way to bring...
Clay County residents are now required to wear a face mask in public settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 following a split vote Tuesday by the board of supervisors. The order applies only if individuals cannot maintain six feet of distance between one another, both indoors and outdoors. Legal counsel noted townships and municipalities in Clay County can opt out of participation by passing their own ordinances. There is no penalty for those who violate the regulation. Supervisors Burlin...
It's official – last month's general election was a record breaker. The Iowa State Canvassing Board on Monday officially certified the results of the Nov. 3 election. Turnout was the highest in state history, with more than 1.7 million voters casting ballots. Iowa's turnout percentage of 76 percent was one of the highest in the nation. "I'm proud of all the work our election officials and poll workers put in and of the way Iowans showed up in record numbers to make their voices heard," Iowa S...
Correction: In recent weeks, Mark Donkersloot was listed as having a felony. That was an error. Donkersloot was the victim of a felony. We apologize for the error. • Traffic Miguel Angel Lucas Ajeatas, Worthington, Minn., No Valid Driver’s License; Speeding. Daniel Cuellar, Storm Lake, No Valid Driver’s License. Jeremy Joseph Kenkel, Spencer, Speeding. David Chavez Olivas, Ocheyedan, Dark Windows. Dominic Keith Vant Hof, Granville, Seatbelt Violation. Kimberly Ann Grzeslo, Washta, Speeding. Heather Salzkorn, Sanborn, Speeding. Eliseo Marti...
As dropping northwest Iowa temperatures make drive-through COVID-19 testing more challenging, Spencer Hospital and Avera Medical Group Spencer have jointly developed a covered drive-through testing site available to patients whose care providers have placed an order for them to receive a COVID-19 test. "It's important to emphasize that this testing site is only for people who have an order placed by a local healthcare provider for that individual to be tested," explained Jordan Reed, Spencer...
It's safe to say Kelly Jo McDonnell is the only Royal native with four Emmy Awards under her belt. The 1988 Clay Central alumnus snagged a coveted gold statue for producing Minnesota Bound's "Boundary Waters At Risk" program. Minnesota Bound has aired on KARE-11 NBC in Minneapolis for 24 years and is a "magazine-style show," according to McDonnell, that focuses on stories of the great outdoors in and around the Land of 10,000 Lakes. "Boundary Waters At Risk" was a three-part breakdown of the...
The coronavirus pandemic has affected Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn students in a variety of ways since it began. One impact on high school students is the fewer opportunities they have to complete their community service requirements. During the board meeting on Nov. 16, Principal Nathan Hemiller said that fewer opportunities are open to students trying to complete the required number of service hours. The board voted last spring to waive the requirement for the Class of 2020. Despite efforts by...
