HARLAN -- The Board of Trustees at Harlan Municipal Utilities approved the temporary $3/hr.

    EARLING -- Multiple fire departments, law enforcement and rescue personnel were called to Earling about 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 27 after an explosion at the Earling gas station.  As of press time there were few details, but there were injuries and significant damages to the building. Medical personnel met LifeNet helicopter in Harlan, which transferred an injured individual to the city for treatment.

HARLAN -- A blaze destroyed a building at the Iowa Agriculture Bio-Fibers business, 1918 900th St.,  east of Harlan Tuesday evening, April 21.  Firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 9:19 p.m., and upon arrival found this building to be fully engulfed with flames.  Departments from Harlan, Elk Horn, Kimballton, Irwin, Kirkman, Walnut and Avoca, along with Medivac, helped at the scene.  Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen said the ca

    COUNTY -- Shelby County Auditor Mark Maxwell joins Secretary of State Paul Pate and auditors across Iowa in encouraging voters to cast absentee ballots by mail in the upcoming June 2 primary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, voting by mail is the safest option.    Pate is sending absentee ballot request forms to every active registered voter in the state.

    COUNTY -- Myrtue Medical Center’s efforts to inform Shelby County area residents of the dangers of COVID-19 and its impact locally has been admirable for a small, rural hospital in Iowa.    Of course residents here wouldn’t expect anything less from a health system that is the only Iowa hospital to be named for nine years in a row one of the highest-ranked Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S.    Explanation videos from local health care p

ARLAN -- People missing going to the movie theatre and enjoying traditional movie treats can now create their own movie nights at home complete with concessions from the downtown Harlan Theatre. Last weekend was the first weekend theatre owners Kevin and Sharon Lucke offered the curbside concessions and they were very pleased with the results.    “The first weekend was a tremendous success.

    STATE -- On Tuesday, April 21, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds launched the Test Iowa Initiative to expand testing capacity to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa.

    HARLAN -- Students from Harlan Community High School qualified for the Business Professionals of America (BPA) 2020 National Leadership Conference, in North Harbor, MD May 6-10.    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has been canceled.    This year’s conference was set to bring together more than 6,000 conference delegates from across the nation to compete in national level business skills competitions and attend leadership develo

HARLAN – Two mock trial teams from Harlan Community High School qualified in early March for the State Mock Trial event that was to be held this month, but has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    The mock trial regional for southwest Iowa was held at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs on March 2.  There were a total of eight teams participating in the event with the top three placers qualifying for the State Mock Trial

    DES MOINES -- Nearly 150 students interested in health care careers participated in the HOSA State Leadership Conference March 15-17 in a virtual online competition.      Students virtually attended general sessions, educational symposiums, and competed in more than 40 different competitive events.

    HARLAN -- Congratulations to eight Harlan Community High School musicians who were recognized as accepted or alternates to the 2020 Class 3A Iowa All State-Jazz Band.    The group would have performed at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Convention in early May, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

    STATE -- Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education have announced all school districts and non-public schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year, and will continue to offer continuous learning to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

    STATE -- A new coronavirus website launched Wednesday, April 15 provides daily updated numbers on everything from the number of COVID-19 cases statewide to the number of ICU beds or ventilators available in the state or by region.    Visit coronavirus.iowa.gov for the latest information.    The state’s updated dashboard will be updated daily to include comprehensive tracking of COVID-19 in Iowa.  The new dashboard includes cases, deaths, a

    STATE -- An Iowa State University study predicts the hog industry will be among the hardest hit Iowa industries in the aftermath of COVID-19.    An Iowa State University center in a new report estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic will cost Iowa’s largest agricultural industries at least $6.3 billion per year.    Here’s a breakdown of the projected annual losses by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development:    •  Ethanol: $2.5 billi

    SHELBY -- A Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy died unexpectedly Thursday, April 16.    A statement from the sheriff’s office Thursday reads, “The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office regrets to announce the unexpected passing of Sergeant Donavon Dontje on 4-16-20. Sergeant Dontje started his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 2006 and was a vital member of the office.    “He touched many lives throughout his career and will be sorely missed.