Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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An agreement for scheduled service of HVAC systems in all three Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn buildings was approved by the school board on Jan. 16. Superintendent Patrick Carlin described the one-year service agreement with Trane as "preventive/proactive maintenance." "It's a proactive step. We have a lot of units and a lot of filters to maintain," he noted. The agreement divides Trane's services into three scopes of service. The first calls for spring and fall service inspections of all 23 rooftop...
The status of the old water plant in Royal is being further investigated following discussions with the city's water supplier. Mayor Josh Toft reported at this month's council meeting that Iowa Lakes Regional Water (ILRW) has agreed to provide cost estimates for exposing lines under the former plant. Doing so will help determine what should be relocated or eliminated, and what must remain. The old plant is located adjacent to the city maintenance building and fire station. According to discussio...
• Traffic Gabriela Gonzalez Lemus, Hartley, Speeding. Bo Thomas Struve, Paullina, Speeding. Jose Manuel Duenas Topete, Hawarden, No Valid Driver’s License. Alicia Elizabeth Cortez, Sioux City, Speeding; Registration Violation. Pedro Ralios Pablo, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License; Failure to Maintain Control. Andrew John Purcell, Hartley, Registration Violation. Dawson James Arrick, Sutherland, Minor in Possession, Tobacco. Cesar Constantino, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License. Inmer Abisai Solis Morales, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License....
The sight of 1,500 rainbows dazzled visitors at Scharnberg Pond near Everly Saturday, but their gazes weren't fixed on the sky above. Curious anglers and other onlookers crowded the pond's south shoreline to watch a mobile tank filled with rainbow trout get released into the frosty waters below. The fish, which were trucked in from a Decorah hatchery, needed no coaxing after they were released from the tank via pipeline into a large hole cut into the surface. The stocking was organized by the...
An invasive green beetle has made its way to another northwest Iowa county. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on Jan. 19 confirmed that an infestation of the emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered in Melvin. In addition to Osceola County, state officials also announced Monday the invasive pest was found in Monona and Woodbury counties. Since its original detection in 2010, the invasive, ash tree-killing insect has now been confirmed in all but three of Iowa's 99 counties...
Bids for several improvements at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School are scheduled to be opened next month. The school board approved the scope of the project on Monday. According to John Hight, of Beck Engineering, Inc., bids will be opened and tabulated on Feb. 16. Results will be announced at the Feb. 20 meeting, when the board will conduct a hearing and determine whether to award contracts. BEI will recommend awarding contracts based on bid amounts and whether contractors are able to...
The leader of the World's Greatest County Fair is heading to the big show. Clay County Fair CEO/Manager Jeremy Parsons will officially be named CEO and manager of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Gary Slater, who has held the top position since 2001, announced his retirement in October of 2022. Parsons' appointment will be effective in early March. "We could not be more excited to announce the transition of CEO and Fair Manager to Jeremy Parsons," Iowa State Fair Board President Darwin...
The Everly City Council handled a variety of New Year business during its meeting Monday. Wage increases for city employees garnered the bulk of discussion. The council in previous years had approved wage increases based on a percentage; however, this year they shifted gears and instead OK’d a $1-per-hour hike for each city employee. “I think you’ve gotta pay the people that take care of you,” said Mayor Ron Thompson. A 5 percent wage increase was originally proposed. Council Member Shaun Iske noted that a 5 percent hike was approved for eac...
• Traffic William J. Crosby, Kirtland, Minn., Speeding. Isaias Munoz Yanez, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License; Failure to Use Child Restraint Device. Bryand Danny, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License; Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device; No Proof of Insurance. Jonathan Manuel Flores Duran, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License. Gage Tyler Husted, Kingsley, Speeding. Catherine L. Utecht, St. James, Minn., Speeding. Christine Marie Wilson, Dakota Dunes, S.D., Speeding. Alexis Guzman Camacho, Louisville, Ky., Violation of Safety Regulat...
Although they approved a new solid waste collection contract with Town & Country Disposal, Royal council members on Jan. 11 still questioned the meaning of some of its language. The main sticking point was that the initial proposal received in November called for a 3 percent increase per year for the five-year agreement. Local officials interpreted that to mean the rate charged to the city would increase 3 percent each year. The final contract, however, calls for a 15 percent increase in the fir...
Family members of Iowan Alden Pearl Anders are still waiting for him to come home – 77 years after he and his crewmates were shot down off Indonesia, in the Pacific theater of World War II. Among those waiting are a niece, Sherri Peterson, of Cedar Falls. But the wait is over for her father, Alden's brother, Merwin Anders. Merwin recently passed away at age 96. He had recently resided at Bridges Senior Living in Waterloo, adjacent to the Grout Museum District. Peterson and Anders were f...
Officials at City Hall are remaining tight-lipped about Hartley's never-opened new pool. City Administrator Erica Haack last week declined to comment on any potential progress made towards opening the aquatic center this summer. The ribbon was supposed to be cut at the new facility in June of 2022, but a failed safety inspection has kept it shuttered indefinitely. "I'm not able to go into specifics at this time," said Haack. "Please know we are working diligently to seek a resolution and will...
Ever since he was a little boy, Randy Guggisberg knew he wanted to work with horses. Decades later, he's still riding and reaping the rewards for his hard work. This weekend he'll accept the award for show horse trainer of the year from the South Dakota Quarter Horse Association during a ceremony in Pierre. "It feels very humbling to win this and I have lots of people to thank for it," Guggisberg said. "There have been a lot of hard hours that went into this. Without good clients, good horses an...
The Hartley City Council on Monday approved a bid for $51,812 for a new sewer department truck. Ron Drenkow Motors, of Sheldon, was the winning bidder, with the only other submission coming from Asher Motor Company, of Spencer, for $52,995. The 2023 Dodge Ram 2500 regular cab 4x4 will be delivered when it's available. According to Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz, neither Ford nor Chevy is taking truck orders at the moment, which left Dodge as the city's only option. He didn't want to...
• Traffic Joshua E. Moore, Oelwein, Failure to Obey Stop Sign; Trespass. Alexandru Golan, Kirkland, Wash., Hours of Service Violation; No Commercial Driver’s License. Duanenisha Labrenda Jackson, Spencer, Failure to Obey Stop Sign. Arryn Elizabeth McClaren, Primghar, Speeding. Celena Cervantes, Sioux Falls, S.D., Speeding. Koku Lewi, George, Seatbelt Violation. Dominic James Konz, Rock Valley, No Proof of Insurance; Registration Violation. Kevin Lee Mebane, Chattanooga, Okla., Speeding. Douglas J. Blumeyer, George, Seatbelt Violation. Dyl...
With strong majorities in both the House and Senate, Iowa Republicans are hoping to keep Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk piled high with bills to sign during the 2023 legislative session. The 90th Iowa General Assembly kicks off Jan. 9 with a target end date of April 28. GOP lawmakers are expected to push through key agenda items that include changes to the tax code and K-12 education funding; however, a host of other topics will no doubt bring forth a vast array of proposals this year in Des Moines. Du...
The Clay Central/Everly school board on Dec. 28 had to rescind a measure that had been rescinded once already. A resolution regarding board member elections was yanked from the books after being unanimously approved in November. According to Board Secretary Diane White, last month's resolution included a small paragraph stating "that the board secretary of CC/E CSD shall cause this resolution to be on the ballot in November 2023." "It was brought to our attention that we do not want that...
• Arrested in Lyon County The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office reported that McKinsey Scroggin, of Hartley, was arrested during a traffic stop on Dec. 31, near the intersection of 210th St. and Highway 182. Scroggin was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Speeding. • Driving without proper licenses A Clay County deputy initiated a traffic stop at 217 West 3rd Street in Peterson, at 1 a.m. on Dec. 26. It was found that Tommy Hartfield, 50, of Peterson, had a barred driver’s license. He was charged with Driving...
And just like that, the sun has set on 2022 and we're on to the New Year. 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 about to flip to 2023, it's time to fill the 2022 scrapbook. What follows is a rundown of the biggest stories to grace the pages of the Sentinel-News during past year....
It wasn't so much the snow as it was the wind. An intense winter storm blew through the upper Midwest last week just in time to wreck travel plans and cancel Christmas events throughout the region. Bitter wind chills repeatedly hit -40 degrees in northwest Iowa and visibility on roads dropped to zero as the storm raged last Thursday and Friday. Highways closed and travel was not advised during the blizzard, which stranded motorists who dared tempt Mother Nature's wrath. According to the...
The average value of an acre of O'Brien County farmland is now the highest in Iowa. The annual Iowa State Land Value Survey released this month reported a 20.6 percent increase in O'Brien County farmland prices in 2022 and a 20.3 percent increase in Clay County. O'Brien County's average now sits at $16,531 per acre of farmland, which was high enough to knock Scott County from the No. 1 slot and end its nine-year reign at the top of the survey. The nominal value of an acre of farmland is again...
• Arrested on active warrant Jacob Jepson, 39, (no address given) was taken into custody by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 11:04 a.m. on Dec. 19, on an active warrant for Violation of Probation (two charges). Bond was set at $4,000 cash only, and Jepson was held in the county jail for another agency. • Injured in Minnesota accident A Sanborn woman was injured in an accident near Fairmont, Minn., at 12:56 p.m. on Dec. 21. The Minnesota State Patrol reported that a 2021 Peterbilt driven by Joshua Roger Dunn, 30, of Alta Vista, was eastbound...
A significant stretch of a northwest Iowa river has run dry several times in the past seven years as a rural water utility has pumped more water from the ground – at least a quarter of which is sold out-of-state – with the approval of state regulators. A two-mile segment of the Ocheyedan River dried up this year in September amid drought conditions and increased pumping by Osceola County and the Osceola County Rural Water System, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. That led... 
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Farmers and landowners gathered at the Hartley American Legion on Saturday to share concerns and information about two controversial pipelines that would affect O'Brien and Clay counties. Citing safety concerns and a lack of need, those in attendance were overwhelmingly against the pipelines, which would carry compressed carbon dioxide from Midwest ethanol plants to sequestration sites in North Dakota and Illinois. The goal of the projects is to lessen ethanol's carbon footprint on the...
Everly's famed bull truck is down, but she's not out. The city council on Monday signed off on a $1,305 quote for repair expense on the 1941 International truck. It started on fire last weekend prior to a trip to Royal, but a timely response saved it from being completely overcome. "I love the truck and I don't want to see it go away," said Council Member Shaun Iske. "It's a staple of the community." Al Grigg was slated to take the bull truck to Royal last weekend for a special holiday-related...
