Looking back at the year that was

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 during past year.

Iowa Caucus-goers pick Trump

Any debate about whom Iowa Republicans wanted in the White House in 2025 was put to rest Jan 15.

Former president Donald Trump breezed to victory during the Iowa GOP Caucus with 51 percent of the vote statewide. Trump was the clear-cut winner in O'Brien County, landing 329 votes. Second place went to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 91 votes, and third went to former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley with 46 votes. Vivek Ramaswamy earned fourth place with 37 votes and Ryan Binkley was fifth with 19.

It was the same story in Clay County. Trump was first with 390 votes, DeSantis was second with 120, Haley was third with 89 and Ramaswamy was fourth with 53. Binkley landed six votes and Hutchinson got one, with another voter casting an "Other" ballot. Trump won all 12 precincts in Clay County.

Sanborn bank robbed

A Sanborn bank was robbed in odd fashion on Jan. 22.

According to the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office, a 911 call was received at 1:02 p.m. reporting a robbery at the bank. Bank officials reported a black male entered the bank and handed a bank teller a note that stated this was a robbery and demanded cash.

No weapons were displayed or referenced during the robbery. An undetermined amount of cash was taken from the bank at that time and the subject left the scene on foot. Del Martinez Evans, Jr., was later taken into custody without incident.

As a precaution, schools, banks, daycares and additional businesses in Sanborn were advised to go into lock down status until areas were cleared by law enforcement. Evans later pleaded guilty to the charge of Robbery by Force or Violence and is awaiting sentencing.

Tough road for proposed Hartley trail

The future of a new recreation trail in Hartley became bleak last year.

The Hartley City Council in March learned that construction of a new leg of trail extending from Neebel Park would be nearly impossible. Engineer Wes Boyer, of Bolten & Menk,

reported the owner of the property that abuts the proposed route will not grant a future construction easement, in turn severely jeopardizing the project's viability.

"That's not really on the table as an option," Boyer said of the easement. "That obviously makes the proposed trail route difficult or impossible."

Members of the Hartley Recreation Trail Committee had been developing plans to construct a new trail extending westward from Neebel Park to Vine Avenue in the city's right-of-way along the south side of Third Street Southwest. Its construction would have required an easement from the owner of the field that abuts the route – the Berry Family Trust.

The trail committee in February was charged with approaching the property owner in hopes of obtaining an agreement; however, they rejected any future easement proposals outright.

"The farm manager said [the owners] don't want to consider that possibility at all," said trail committee member Dave Vander Broek on Tuesday. "We're kind of in a standstill now."

H-M-S student killed in car accident

The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn community mourned the death of one of its students following a single-vehicle accident March 20.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, Joshua Cruz, 16, of Hartley, was driving a 2000 Honda Accord eastbound on 300th Street when it left the roadway and struck an embankment on Waterman Creek. The accident report noted Cruz was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered a fatal injury during the crash.

The accident occurred approximately three miles northwest of Hartley at around 8:30 a.m. Cruz was sophomore at H-M-S High School. He was involved in several activities, including football, basketball, baseball and track.

"He was so smart, funny, caring, and so, so kind towards others," stated a GoFundMe page set up by his family. "[There was] not one bad thing about him. He's the type of person you can meet once and never forget his soul and energy. Words can't describe what a big loss this is."

Everly gets amateur football team

The retired field at the former Clay Central/Everly High School saw renewed gridiron action this spring.

The Northwest Iowa Lightning, a new amateur 9-man football team, called the old field in Everly its home this season, with the inaugural kickoff held on May 11.

"I don't think a lot of people realize how much it means to us to be able to continue to play tackle football as adults," said team co-owner Dylan Brands. "Once they see the passion and energy guys in this league play with, it'll absolutely be a hit."

The Lightning rose from the ashes of another semi-pro football team, the Tri-State Buffaloes out of Sioux Falls, which folded after last season. Brands, of Hospers, and fellow teammate Riley Vis, of Boyden, decided they needed to either find a new team or create there own. They chose the latter.

Brands said fate played a role in picking Everly as its home base. After scouring the area looking for a quality field with adequate amenities, the grassy expanses at the old CC/E field crossed his radar.

"After countless calls, emails and meetings, we were still unhappy with our options," he said. "Riley ended up reaching out and just so happened to hear that the owners of the old high school in Everly were actually looking for a semi-pro team to come play there. After meeting with them and coming to a lease agreement, they allowed us to modify the field as we saw fit to make it the home of the Lightning."

The team went 4-3 in its inaugural season and 3-0 at home.

Hartley's last WWII veteran dies

The last World War II veteran in Hartley died on May 9 at the age of 101.

Harlan Goetsch served in the U.S. Merchant Marines from 1944-1946. According to an interview with the Sentinel-News on his 100th birthday in 2023, Goetsch's travels during World War II took him all over the globe; however, Alaska remained his favorite place.

"I'm just an ordinary man who has tried to live an ordinary life," he said. "I'm nothing special."

Goetsch was a well-known staple in Hartley and remained in his home even after hitting triple digits, only moving to Community Memorial Assisted Living and later Senior Care in Sheldon prior to his death. He was an avid golfer and was often seen cruising around town in his Chevy S10 pickup.

Prior to his World War II service, Goetsch graduated from Paullina High School in 1940 and enrolled in radio school at Omaha, Neb. From there, he went on to the Boeing School of Aeronautics, Navigation and Meteorology in California.

Goetsch then joined the Air Transport Command at Seattle, Wash. His initial flights took him across the country to New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, but eventually he was on crews that flew to Australia and Alaska.

After the Air Transport Command disbanded, Goetsch was contacted by the U.S. Merchant Marines to be a radio operator. He didn't dawdle, and was aboard a ship the following day as an ensign.

Goetsch and his late wife, Lorna, had two daughters.

Hailstorm hits Royal

Residents in Royal received a barrage from the sky May 20 that left significant of damage in its wake.

A thunderstorm rolled through the area that dropped hail ranging in size from a quarter to larger than a golf ball. Damage reports were significant, as windows on homes and vehicles were shattered throughout the community. Dented siding, roofs and broken tree limbs were also seen throughout the community.

The onslaught lasted between 20-30 minutes. Residents in Webb also received extensive damage as the storm moved southwest. Significant hail fog occurred once the balls of ice were on the ground and started melting in the warm temperatures.

Pool opens in Hartley

The weather was chilly, but the mood was warm May 25 during the grand opening of Hartley's new pool.

Local officials cut the ribbon at the new facility, which welcomed swimmers for the first time after two years of delays. Current Council Member and former Hartley Pool Taskforce Committee Member Mary Westphalen was happy the community could finally celebrate.

"I love seeing all the smiles," she said. "Having this come together for the community, it's all been worth it."

The pool was supposed to open in 2022, but errors made during the construction process led to a failed safety inspection. Opening day was pushed back indefinitely until state officials finally approved a remediation plan last summer.

Hartley has been without a pool since the swimming season closed in 2020. The new one was built thanks to a $1.7 million bond issue passed by 84 percent of city voters in 2021.

Hartley's previous pool was constructed in 1958.

Incumbents unseated in primary election

It was bad to be an incumbent in O'Brien County during the June 4 GOP primary election.

Only one of three county supervisor incumbents – District 3's Nancy McDowell – won their respective GOP primary race on Tuesday. District 1 incumbent Supervisor Tim Overmire fell to Jim Thomas, while District 2 incumbent John Steensma was defeated by current county Auditor Barb Rohwer. McDowell, Thomas and Rohwer went on to win in uncontested race in the November general election.

Elsewhere on the O'Brien County Republican ballot, Rhea Schmalen won the auditor's nomination to succeed Rohwer once her term is up at the end of the year. Additionally, incumbent Sheriff Bruce Devereaux earned the GOP's nod. Both candidates were uncontested.

Eastward, incumbents stole the show in the Clay County GOP primary. The two at-large supervisors seats went to Art Hamrick (691) and Randy Swanson (568), who bested newcomer Sharon Johannsen (475). Incumbent Auditor Ann Baschke won the party's nomination uncontested, as did incumbent Sheriff Chris Raveling.

No Democrats filed to run for any local office in O'Brien or Clay counties.

Floods ravage NWI

To say Mother Nature had the upper hand in June would be an understatement.

A relentless onslaught of rain dumped more water on the region than it could handle, leading to widespread flooding that affected people across northwest Iowa. Locally, homes flooded and some people were displaced due to basement collapses and emergency evacuations; however, immediate damage paled in comparison to the devastation seen in places like Spencer and Rock Valley.

Maps from the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls show parts of Clay and O'Brien counties received more than eight inches of rain between June 20-22. The deluge came to a head on Friday night, as heavy rainfall overwhelmed local infrastructure and led to backups in basements.

In Hartley, five basement foundations collapsed because of flooding. The ambulance team and fire department had to evacuate residents in the hardest-hit areas Friday night, displacing around 25 people. Some went to stay with family members while others took shelter at Grace Fellowship.

Cleanup began in earnest as residents removed flood-damaged items and fixtures from their basements. A temporary dumpsite was set up near the city shed, which was quickly filled.

Everly also experienced severe flooding issues during the deluge. A large amount of water rushed into town when a part of the railroad over the Ocheyedan River broke west of town, in turn affecting several homes on the south side of the city.

An army of volunteers made light work of more than 34 tons of flood-damaged items following the disaster. Working as a team, the group made its way around town removing furniture and other household items from curbs. The damage was done during a flood late last month which filled basements on the south side of town and elsewhere.

Everly Fire Chief Brian Kahl, who also serves as the city's street superintendent, helped organize the cleanup.

"I was driving around seeing all the damage, and I thought, 'This isn't Everly,' " he said. "Once it was all gone I think peoples' moods changed and they started feeling a little better."

At least one basement collapsed during the flood. With a majority of local emergency resources dedicated to assisting Spencer's flood efforts, Everly was left to fend for itself during the flood.

"We were on our own," said Kahl. "If anyone knows anything about this community, we take care of ourselves."

Both Clay and O'Brien counties were declared FEMA disaster areas.

O'Brien County Fair celebrates 100 years

With loud bangs, revving engines and plenty of moos, the O'Brien County Fair celebrated a century in late July.

"We had a great fair," said O'Brien County Fair Board President Darwin Gaudian. "We had people there that wouldn't have been there before. A lot people came from a long ways to be there."

From concerts and fireworks to car races and livestock shows, the fair schedule was chock-full of events for the whole family during its run July 19-25.

"We had good numbers," Gaudian said. "Especially on Monday and Tuesday, there were more people there than we normally have."

Classrooms merge at CC/E Elementary

Big changes took place at Clay Central/Everly Elementary when classes commenced in August.

The 2024-25 school year marked the first at CC/E with combined grade levels. This fall, the fifth and sixth grade classrooms were combined, as were the third and fourth grades.

CC/E Elementary Principal Michelle Huntress was pleased at how things went early on.

"Our two multi-grade classrooms are going super well," she said. "We are a team at CC/E. We help each other so every child succeeds."

The decision to combine certain grade levels was made by the school board last year. Back then, there were three grade levels at CC/E Elementary with only five students. Overall K-6 enrollment was 51 with the largest class having 11 students. According to previous board discussion, combining classrooms had the opportunity enrich students' learning experiences and social relationships with more peer-to-peer interactions.

School administrators began prepping for the change last winter. Huntress said the new setup would be tweaked as needed.

New daycare site secured

Ground hasn't been broken yet, but the Hartley Community Daycare Center has a new future home.

Franklin Mett, owner of the Mett Family Trust, 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 help them with the daycare, then I wanted to do that."

Mett donated the land earlier this fall. After all procedural steps were cleared, the city council rezoned the plot from A-1 Agricultural District to R-2 Multiple Family Residential District. The land extends to Hartley's north corporate limits between North 2nd Avenue W and N 3rd Avenue West.

"We will be forever thankful for Franklin Mett and his family," said daycare Director Kaity Pedley. "While it was a topic of heavy discussion, Franklin knew how important this center was to the community and chose to continue to support us."

Plans for a new daycare in Hartley have been in the works for more than a year, as costly repairs to the current facility have become increasingly common. The new $1.7 million facility will create more space to address a demand for care – capacity will increase from 67 now to 110 – and allow for more programming opportunities for children while expanding after-school offerings.

Groundbreaking for the new facility is penciled in for late winter or early spring.