Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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From carbon paper to computers, Barb Fletcher has seen many changes during her 40-year career as Royal's city clerk. Now she is ready to focus on other things in her life, so she is retiring on July 31. "It's just time," Fletcher acknowledged. Her husband, Randy, retired a few years ago, so both can devote more time to family, which includes three children and four grandchildren. "My husband and I do a lot with our grandchildren," she said. "Our family is all around here so I feel I can keep...
• July 28, 1949 The Hartley Future Farmers chapter was selected by the Northwest District to prepare an educational booth for the Iowa State Fair. The booth featured activities and accomplishments of the FFA members. The Melvin Fire Department was called to the John Graves farm when the barn caught on fire from a burning straw pile. The barn burned to the ground in a short time. A large group of folks gathered to see the fire and assist in trying to put it out. One of the seven national youth caravans of the Evangelical and Reformed Church w...
Four softball players from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn are all-War Eagle Conference selections, including two who were again named to the first team. For the third straight season, junior Gracie Knobloch has been named to the all-conference first team. Joining her is junior Eliza Tewes, who is on the first team for the second straight year. A pair of seniors were also recognized. Delaney Murphy was named to the all-conference second team and Kinsey Schirmer received honorable mention. Schirmer was a...
Two players from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn were named to the 2024 All-War Eagle Conference baseball teams. Freshman Grant Kunzman was named to the second team. He is a first-time selection. Senior Jacob Cates was named honorable mention for 2024. He was previously named to the first team as a sophomore and a junior, and was honorable mention as a freshman. The following is the complete list of 2024 all-War Eagle Conference baseball selections. First Team: Akron-Westfield – Ashton McCully, Nathan G...
After more than doubling the softball program's win total during the previous two seasons, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn fell back to 7-12 overall in 2024. The Hawks had just one win through the first 10 games but did finish with six wins in the final eight regular season contests. "As a coach, it is hard knowing the potential you have as a team and not reaching that potential," said Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad. "The girls will need to work hard in the offseason so we can come back stronger next...
To say the 2024 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn baseball team was young would be an understatement. Nearly half of the 16 athletes who played at the varsity level were either freshmen or eighth graders. Under first-year head coach Dawson Schiphoff, H-M-S finished the season with an overall record of 3-18. The victories came against GT/RA (4-3), George-Little Rock (3-2) and Trinity Christian (9-6). Two seniors complete their high school careers. Jacob Cates, who has signed to play baseball at Grandview Un...
Just as one street improvement project was nearing completion, Royal city officials looked forward to developing a new street on the east side of town. Blacktop Services, Inc. was finishing the Main Street paving project as the city council met on July 10. Mayor Josh Toft and council members were pleased with the initial results. "The new street looks good. I'm happy with Blacktop Services," Toft said. The bid for the paving project was $215,816. Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen said...
Revisiting the matter of whether to charge fees for use of district facilities, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn School Board on Monday voted to assess a charge to for-profit school entities. Superintendent Patrick Carlin suggested requiring groups that are covered by H-M-S's liability insurance to pay an annual fee. They include booster clubs, Parents In Education, gymnastics and dance. "There's not really a clean way to pick or choose groups," Carlin acknowledged. "In my mind it's fair to charge gro...
• July 21, 1949 Two fireplaces were added in the park just south of the athletic field, and picnic tables donated by the Friday Club and fire department were ready for public use. A sandbox was also erected and the park board planned to place swings and other equipment in the area. H.C. Britzmann, superintendent of the Hartley schools in 1933 and 1934, retired from schoolwork and was the owner and operator of The Smart Shop at Hawarden. He had been in the Hawarden schools for 15 years after leaving Hartley. Thirteen members of the local Boy S...
Emmetsburg outhit and outscored Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in the opening round of the Class 2A regional softball tournament. The E-Hawks won the game, 9-3, on July 8 at Emmetsburg. Four hits and three runs by Emmetsburg in the first inning set the tone. They continued to build their advantage, scoring two runs in the second inning, single runs in the third and fourth innings, and two more runs in the fifth. The E-Hawks finished with 12 hits, double the total for H-M-S. The Hawks had two runners on...
Momentum for Hartley's new daycare reached a fever pitch on Tuesday thanks to a huge donation. The Heerde family, of Spirit Lake, officially contributed $500,000 to the Hartley Community Daycare Center's fundraising efforts. The donation was orchestrated by the United Way, which was one of 10 area non-profits to receive funds generated by the sale of the Heerde family's farmland. "It was phenomenal," said daycare Director Kaity Pedley. "We couldn't even think of building without these types of f...
• July 14, 1949 Dr. C.E. Radcliffe, who had been associated with Dr. J.C. Peterson in the Hand Hospital for three years, was leaving for Iowa City where he planned to take a postgraduate course in dermatology. Dr. L.F. Grams joined Dr. Peterson on the hospital staff. Don Burns was elected commander of the Arthur W. Kirchhoff post of the American Legion. Other officers were Franklin Newel, first vice commander; Donald Hebbel, second vice commander; Earl Burns, adjutant; R.C. Hoper, historian; and Hobart Putnam, chaplain. An amended state t...
A brief early lead by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in the first round of the Class 1A district baseball tournament offered a glimmer of hope, but MMCRU had other ideas. The Royals took the lead back and methodically pulled away to defeat H-M-S, 9-3, on July 6 at Marcus. MMCRU got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning. Jacob Cates walked to open the second inning, advanced to second base on an error and scored H-M-S's first run on a double by Blake Meendering. After walks to Hunter...
A doubleheader sweep of George-Little Rock on July 1 capped the regular season for the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn softball team. The Hawks' 4-2 and 10-3 wins at George improved their record to 7-11 overall and 4-6 in War Eagle Conference play. "The girls played well," Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad said. "We could have hit the ball better in both games but we came out with two wins, which is what counts." • 1 hit is all it took The Hawks had just one hit in the opener, but it proved to be the g...
Royal residents could have something extra to celebrate when Fun Days are held this month, as Main Street is expected to have a new surface by the end of next week. Blacktop Service Co. was awarded the contract during a special city council meeting on June 25. Their proposal calls for milling four inches of existing surface from Main Street and repaving it with asphalt. Their bid was $215,816. Fuller & Sons Paving proposed milling the entire street width down four inches and repaving with two...
• July 7, 1949 Certificates for superior service were awarded to 219 supervisors of the Milwaukee Road. Each had completed a 19-year period without a personal injury occurring to an employee under their jurisdiction. Frank Meyers, section foreman at Hartley, was an award recipient. Botsford Lumber Company in Hartley planned to build a new building on the site of the old one. The existing wooden structure was being torn down and a modern type building of tile construction would replace it. The company hoped it would be completed by fall. A l...
Completion of improvements to the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School baseball and softball facilities and the contributions of those who made the upgrades possible were recognized in brief ceremonies on June 28. The upgrades, which were begun in 2023, included new dugouts, new scoreboards, construction of new batting cages, construction of baseball bleachers and press box, new fencing around the baseball field, construction of home and visitor bullpen areas, new audio equipment for both fields,...
A wet home diamond on June 24 meant Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn’s softball game with South O’Brien had to be played at Paullina. The Wolverines were not hospitable hosts, handing H-M-S a 16-6 loss. South O’Brien set the tone with three runs in the first inning. After scoring four runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth, the Wolverines doubled their scoring output with eight runs in the sixth. H-M-S scored twice in the first inning on a double by Eliza Tewes and added a run in the fifth on a groundout by Natalie Daggett. With the bases loade...
Trinity Christian took a quick lead, but Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn scored multiple runs in four of the first five innings to earn a 9-6 win. The Hawks' first victory in War Eagle Conference play came on June 26 in Hartley. The Tigers led 4-0 after the first inning and scored another run in the second. H-M-S answered with two runs in the first inning and three in the second to tie the score, and scored twice in the third to take the lead for good. The Hawks extended their advantage to four runs in...
Trinity Christian had a better record, but Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn played a better game when their softball teams met on June 26 in Hartley. H-M-S took an early lead and went on to earn the 8-2 win. Frankie Mohni contributed three hits, including a two-run single in the second inning that put H-M-S on the scoreboard. Eliza Tewes' two-run single was the big hit in the fourth inning, when the Hawks increased the advantage to 6-0. Kinsey Schirmer drove in a run with a single and Gracie Knobloch...
Discussion regarding whether any changes should be made to district policy governing community use of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn school facilities was held during the June 17 board meeting. Superintendent Patrick Carlin requested the discussion in response to increasing use of district facilities by various groups. "Our building usage has gone through the roof," he said. Carlin noted it was not the district's intent to discourage use of school facilities, but he has concerns about building...
• June 23, 1949 Hiram Tellinghuisen, of Sioux Falls, S.D., miraculously escaped injury when the Dugan gas transport he was driving left the pavement west of Hartley. The cab of the transport was badly damaged as it plowed into the side of the ditch. Very little gasoline was lost in the accident. A meeting of World War II veterans who were living on farms and interested in attending an instructional on-the-farm training program was planned at the Hartley High School. It was believed a veterans’ instructor could be employed if enough interest was...
Weather-related issues washed out two games early last week and a tournament on Saturday, leaving Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn with one chance to play softball. The Hawks took full advantage of the opportunity, breaking an early deadlock to hand MMCRU an 11-3 loss on June 21 at Remsen. "The girls played a great game," Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad said. "They came out strong with the bats and played some good defense." H-M-S scored twice in the first inning on double by Gracie Knobloch and a single...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn remained winless in War Eagle Conference baseball play after losing to MMCRU, 11-1, on June 21 at Marcus. It was the only game of the week for H-M-S, as two other contests were washed out. The Royals broke out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a two-run home run and a two-run double. They added to their lead with an infield RBI single and scored three more times as a result of Hawk errors. In the third inning, Brody Meendering and Jack Mastbergen walked. Lawton Schiphoff hit a...
Families of students in the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School will see few changes in fees for the coming year. The only increase noted is for instrument rental. That fee will increase $5 to help cover costs to maintain school-owned instruments. "We're paying quite a bit for instrument repairs," Superintendent Patrick Carlin said. The other change is a 10-cent reduction in adult lunch prices. Bread and dairy products for the nutrition program will continue to be provided by the same...
