ATLANTIC -- Six HCHS students earned Hawkeye 10 recognition at the conference’s annual All-Academic Team and Character Awards banquet held in Atlantic Wednesday, April 3.    The academic honors and character awards are given by the Hawkeye 10 Board of Control.  Established in 2001 with the help of former HCHS principal Kent Klinkefus, HCHS has had a total of 74 students earn All-Academic recognition and 19 earn character awards.    All-Aca

HARLAN – Officials with the Essentia plant in east Harlan said this week it’s their top priority to eliminate the unpleasant odor that on occasion emanates from the company’s lagoons and wafting into the town.    John Abell, a representative of the plant, said officials believe the odor that was apparent a year ago at this time, and has resurfaced in recent weeks, is the result of the lagoons turning over, and the odor is a common result that

HARLAN – A Harlan man has been charged in Shelby County District Court with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse.    Donald Eugene Johnston, 67, 1208 7th St., faces up to 40 years in jail with additional fines totaling $40,000 if convicted of the class C felony charges against him. 

    HARLAN -- Former Harlan Administrator Terry Cox has pleaded guilty in Shelby County District Court to an amended charge of second-degree theft, a class D felony, as well as tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor.    On Monday, April 15, Cox appeared in court with his attorney, Matt Hudson, before district court judge Michael Hooper.  Appearing for the State of Iowa was Iowa Assistant Attorney General Tyler Buller.    Cox pleaded

    HARLAN -- The Girl Scout Easter Egg Hunt featured a football field full of colorful eggs and prizes on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Harlan. Area businesses donated numerous prizes for the event as well as $1,000 worth of candy. Girl Scout volunteers planned and conducted three egg hunts for different age levels. Children were also able to visit with the Easter Bunny. 

    ELK HORN -- The Danish Mill Corporation has announced that it has received a $44,000 donation from the Mike and Lou Howard Foundation.

    HARLAN -- Harlan Community Schools mock trial teams competed well at the state mock trial competition held April 4-6 in Des Moines.    Two HCHS teams qualified for state by finishing first and second at a regional event.  The Harlan Red Team placed 10th overall at state and the Harlan Black Team finished 22nd out of 34 total teams.  Red team finished 2-1 and Black Team 1-2 in competition. 

    COUNTY – An embargo placed on the county’s gravel roads has been lifted effective Monday, April 15, the Shelby County Engineer’s Office reported this week.    County engineer Brandon Burmeister said conditions have improved enough to lift the embargo, which had placed load limits of 10 tons on all granular surfaced roadways in Shelby County.    This is the second time an embargo has been lifted.  An initial embargo was placed on the roads

    HARLAN -- Harlan Municipal Utilities officials suspect a lightning strike overnight Wednesday-Thursday, April 10-11 may have caused a small fire in a utility secondary pedestal in southwest Harlan Thursday.    The investigation is ongoing, but the Harlan Fire Department and HMU were called to the area behind the City of Harlan sign along Highway 59 near Concerned, Inc. about 11:15 a.m.

    HARLAN -- Harlan Community High School announced this week that senior Jayden Swanson, son of Chad and Lisa Swanson, has been named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.    Swanson, the son of Chad and Lisa Swanson,  is among the more than 1.6 million students in 22,000 schools throughout the nation entered in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tes

    HARLAN -- The annual STEM Extravaganza is a huge hit each year and this year was no exception.  Held Thursday evening, April 4, participants were able to show off their many STEM related projects and participate in STEM activities.

    COUNTY – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance that, if approved, would prohibit vaping in public places in Shelby County.    The ordinance proposal comes upon recommendation from the Shelby County Board of Health.  A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held on Tues., May 7, at 9 a.m.    Lori Hoch, Director of Public Health at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan, said by passing the ordinance the count

    HARLAN -- Andrew Schechinger, a senior at Harlan Community High School, was recently presented the school’s highest agricultural honor, the DEKALB Agricultural Accomplishment Award, sponsored by Bayer Crop Science.    Schechinger, the son of Jake and Amy Schechinger of Harlan, received the award for excellence in academics, leadership and agricultural work experience. 

    COUNTY -- Shelby County Sheriff’s Office K9 Corty will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.    K9 Corty’s vest is sponsored by a fund-raiser hosted by Denalyn Allen of San Antonio, TX and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Chucky.” Delivery is expected within 8-10 weeks. 

    HARLAN -- The Harlan Community High School Drama Department will present the play Getting Sara Married this weekend in the HCHS auditorium.    The play will be performed on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m.  Doors will open an hour before each performance.    Sara Hastings is an unmarried lawyer in her mid-30s, much too busy to get involved in romance.