Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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The Iowa Utilities Board gave its approval Tuesday for the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline and for the company to use eminent domain to acquire landowners' property. The company hopes to begin construction next year with the goal of making the pipeline operational in 2026. The pipeline, which would be the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, would carry liquified carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in Iowa and surrounding states to a site in North Dakota, where the company...
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...
Doug Hoaglund's quarter century of service on the Hartley Fire Department was worthy of a parade – so local firemen held one. Fire engines from five departments made their way around Hartley last Friday to honor the late chief, who died June 3 at the age of 70. Hoaglund logged 25 years at the Hartley Fire Department and served 15 as its leader. According to current Hartley Fire Chief Brad Meendering, it was the first such honor for a former firefighter in the City With a Heart. "Doug was a g...
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...
Months of discussion regarding improving the street in downtown Royal may soon come to fruition, as the city council agreed on June 12 to finalize plans and financing for the project next month. Mayor Josh Toft and Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen met with two paving contractors to discuss options for upgrading Main Street. Each contractor had a different approach to addressing the scope of the project. Fuller & Sons Blacktop Paving recommended milling 8-10 feet from each side to the...
The O'Brien County Community Foundation (OBCCF), an affiliate of the Siouxland Community Foundation, awarded grants totaling over $119,000 to nonprofit organizations and units of local government in support of projects throughout O'Brien County. Grants were presented on June 13 in Primghar. Since 2006 the OBCCF has granted over $1.7 million back into the community for projects and programs that benefit O'Brien County residents. "Each year the O'Brien County Community Foundation grants enhance...
• Traffic Braden Hindt, Sheldon, Speeding. Lundah Rennae Long, Spencer, Speeding. Parker Wayne Salton, Hartley, Minor in Possession, Tobacco, 2nd offense. Karley M. Urban, Hartley, No Proof of Insurance. Todd Lynn Stykel, Cherokee, Registration Violation. Jose Luis Vasquez, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License. Nathaniel Douglas Culler, Paullina, Speeding. Moe Tye Haas, Paullina, Speeding. Dylan Mitchell Boyle, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Juan Luis Hurtado Hernandez, South Sioux City, Neb., No Valid Driver’s License. Richard Ramon Casti...
Nearly $30 million would be required in Hartley to improve infrastructure and mitigate flooding problems during heavy rain events, according to an engineer's report. The city council on Monday reviewed the final signed engineering report detailing flood mitigation infrastructure needs in town. Compiled by Bolton & Menk, it was the first part of a $100,000 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Project Scoping grant that will cover engineering expenses related to the...
O'Brien County landed an unwanted first-place designation last week. The county on June 5 was the first in Iowa to have a confirmed bird flu outbreak in a dairy herd. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, a second detection was confirmed in a Sioux County herd on June 7. To date, there have been more than 80 confirmed bird flu cases on dairy farms spanning 10 states, including South Dakota. "Given the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within dairy...
The Hap Ketelsen Community Center will be a happening place Saturday night when the Everly Heritage Museum hosts its annual fundraiser. This year's event, "Cruisin' On Main," will transport guests back to yesteryear. "Since it's a summer show this time, we wanted to choose a theme that would suggest happy, summery rock and roll music," explained Connie Goeken, one of the event's organizers. "Also, a lot of the songs are from the 60's and 70's, a time when 'cruisin' was a common teenage pastime."...
Big things are happening for preschoolers at Clay Central/Everly Elementary. The school board last month approved the purchase of new playground equipment to be installed in the Nature Learning Center, which is where preschool students play at recess. The new equipment will be delivered and installed by Boland Recreation, of Marshalltown, at a price tag of $58,950. According to Director of Student Services Michelle Huntress, the unit will be installed in September. "We look forward to having...
The Hartley City Council on Monday again debated better practices to deal with nuisance properties around town. The council first broached the topic in April. The city currently utilizes the services of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission (NIPDC), which was hired several years ago to assess problematic residences, send abatement notices and attempt to mitigate violations. According to discussion, city officials have been disappointed in NIPDC's efforts, noting an alleged lack of...
• Traffic Yoselin R. Garcia Avelar, Storm Lake, Speeding; No Valid Driver’s License. Lyka Phillip, Ashton, Minor in Possession, Tobacco. Brenda Kathrine Nettleton, Sloan, Speeding. Jason Albert Butch Engelkes, Melvin, No Proof of Insurance; Registration Violation. Juan Ignacio Mackrey, Sheldon, Speeding. Matthew Melvin Simons, Marcus, Seatbelt Violation. Justin James Paulsen, Cleghorn, Seatbelt Violation. Colin Knowlton Smith, Sheldon, No Valid Commercial Driver’s License. Getachew Firisa Kitila, Sioux City, Speeding. Charles Cornelius Breed...
Two weeks ago, Congressman Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, touted polling that showed him with a commanding 54 percentage point lead against his relatively unknown challenger in this week's primary, Kevin Virgil. "Our 54 percent lead is proof that Iowans want a Congressman who delivers," Feenstra said in a May 23 press release. There was reason to have confidence in that figure: Virgil joined the race about five months ago in January, lacked name recognition and ran a low-dollar campaign. Feenstra is a... 
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There will be a shakeup at the O'Brien County Courthouse in January. 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. Unofficial results are included below. • District 1: Thomas, of Hartley, defeated Overmire, also of Hartley, with 59.2 percent of the vote,...
People in southeast Sheldon were hit with a big surprise Friday afternoon. A small tornado tore through the area near Crossroads Pavilion Event Center, leaving damaged buildings and vehicles in its wake. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls estimated the twister as an EF0 with wind speeds peaking at 85 mph. "Thankfully no one was injured from this storm system," said Jared Johnson, O'Brien County Emergency Management director. "There were multiple agencies and contractors working on site...
Connie Olhausen recalls the moment she decided to adopt a new way to quilt. "I had just finished a queen-sized one with 1,020 pieces that took 125 hours," she said. "That's when I decided this is kind of stupid. If we're going to do this, we're not going to make these kinds of quilts." An online search yielded more speedy methods of construction, and Olhausen never looked back. She made 75 quilts this year alone as part of a local charitable group at St. Paul's Lutheran Church that sends them...
You don't need to be a meteorologist to guess the main theme of this year's planting season in northwest Iowa. Area fields have been inundated with water this spring – so much so that many locations are already approaching precipitation totals from all of 2023. The deluge has slowed the 2024 planting season significantly, with some farmers still waiting to get soybeans in the ground. "Most of the corn is wrapped up, but the farther east you go, there are quite a bit of beans that have to go i...
• Traffic Cherrine Nicole Anderson, St. Louis, Mo., Seatbelt Violation. Pedro Ruiz Morales, Spencer, Dark Windows. Elijah Roy Ernst, Cambridge, Minn., Speeding. Mia Faith Janke, Kingsley, Registration Violation. David Ramirez Lopez, Sheldon, No Valid Driver’s License. Randy D. Fahlenkamp, Hartley, Registration Violation. Nestor Gomez Lopez, Paullina, No Valid Driver’s License; Speeding. Haley R. Bottjen, Primghar, No Valid Driver’s License. Shana Kristine Martens, Algona, Registration Violation; No Valid Driver’s License; No Proof of Insurance...
The weather was chilly, but the mood was warm last Saturday 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...
Retired Master Sgt. Lorenzia (Lo) Henderson reminded visitors at Pleasant View Cemetery on Monday that Memorial Day was more than a long weekend reserved for barbeques, beers and backyard gatherings. "It's a day that all Americans are encouraged to pause to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our way of life," he said. "To truly honor their lives, we must share their stories with others and ensure their memories live on." Henderson, of rural Hartley, served more than...
• Traffic Taylor Rae Ostrihonsky, Sioux City, Seatbelt Violation. Chance Michael Allan Angerman, Sioux City, Speeding. Victor Purcarean, Des Plaines, Ill., Speeding. Jorge Antonio Rangel Gonzalez, South Sioux City, Neb., Failure to Use Child Restraint Device; No Valid Driver’s License; Speeding. Sara Kay Dolphin, Sanborn, Registration Violation. Ryan P. McGowan, Bennington, Neb., Registration Violation. Rex Michael Ross, Sheldon, Seatbelt Violation. Blaine DeJong, Alton, Seatbelt Violation. Yolanda Casas, Edgerton, Minn., No Valid Dri...
Republicans voting in the June 4 GOP primary election will have to sift through contested county supervisors' races in both Clay and O'Brien counties. In O'Brien County, incumbent District 1 Supervisor Tim Overmire, of Hartley, is being contested by Jim Thomas, also of Hartley. In District 2, incumbent John Steensma, of Sanborn, will face Barb Rohwer, of Primghar. In District 3, incumbent Nancy McDowell, of Sheldon, faces Shanelle Matus, also of Sheldon. Also on the Republican Party ballot in O'...
Following the severe weather events on May 21, the Clay County Community Foundation (CCCF) has activated the Disaster Recovery Fund (DRF) on behalf of Clay County. Established in 2020 to support vulnerable populations, the DRF provides an opportunity for the public to give charitably, with the reassurance that donations will be quickly moved to resources where they are needed most to adapt to evolving priorities in Clay County. The flexible nature of the fund ensures that the county can quickly...
Family, friends and community members bid farewell to 54 seniors at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School on Sunday afternoon. The group was sent off with their tassels turned and diplomas in hand following the annual commencement ceremony inside the H-M-S Event Center. Principal Blake Wendt said he was proud of the Class of 2024 and encouraged them to blaze a path of success in whatever they do after high school. "While many see today as an ending to these students' educational journeys, it is in...
