COUNTY – Shelby County property owners should have received in the mail last week notification of property assessment changes, Shelby County Assessor Tony Buman said.    On average, the county as a whole is seeing a five percent assessment increase, with much of Harlan receiving around a 10 percent increase on residential properties.    “Based on sales, the county median for residential properties indicates the county as a whole is a littl

    HARLAN – A Kansas City firm proposing a housing development in north Harlan has been awarded housing tax credits from the Iowa Finance Authority for the project, it was announced this week.    Prairie Fire Development Group LLC will receive $710,833 in housing tax credits for a total of 36 new construction affordable units for the Christiansen Meadows subdivision project.    The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors last Wednesday awar

    STATE -- The Allegation Review Committee for the Diocese of Des Moines investigated an allegation received last fall against Father Leonard Kenkel of decades-old sexual abuse of a minor and found the allegation to be substantiated, meaning there is sufficient evidence to believe that the abuse occurred.    Upon receiving the complaint Sept.

    PORTSMOUTH -- The Portsmouth and Panama Fire Departments held a training and controlled burn in Portsmouth on Saturday morning, March 30.  The home that was utilized for the training and burn was at 201 3rd Ave. in Portsmouth. 

    HARLAN – The Harlan Community Schools is proposing a tax asking increase for the 2019-20 fiscal year under a proposed budget that was approved by the HCS Board of Education Monday, March 25.    The tax asking increase is proposed to be $112,956 spread out between the management fund ($33,500), cash reserve levy ($27,500) and valuation increases ($51,956).  The district proposes to keep the overall levy the same at $11.70 per $1,000 taxable

    HARLAN -- Harlan Municipal Utilities internet rates and speed are going up this spring with billings effective on July 1.    Most using HMU internet will see a $5 or $8 increase, but will also see speeds going from a base of 6Mb increased to 50Mb after fiber is connected to Harlan homes and the new equipment is turned on at general headquarters.    The exception might be those who spend $10 per month to upgrade from the old base of 6Mb and

    HARLAN -- School-based therapy got the attention of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg when they visited Harlan Community Schools earlier this year. Governor Reynolds was interested in the success of Myrtue Medical Center’s unique permanency model within the school verses mobility of care that others tend to offer across the state.

HARLAN – Harlan Community High School’s two mock trial teams took top honors at the regional event last month and have qualified for state competition this week in Des Moines.    State Mock Trial will be held Thursday-Saturday, April 4-6.  The HCHS Red Team comprised of Lauren Andersen, Hannah Bissen, Liv Freund, Brooke Goshorn, Abby Lefeber, Camden Leinen, Julia Renkly, Ben Rihner, Josh Rihner, Eden Shaeffer and Tim Mumm finished in first pla

    HARLAN -- Andy Burchett and Haley Kloewer are ready for the grand march at the Harlan Community High School prom on Saturday, March 30.  Students braved the colder than normal and windy weather to have some fun at the annual event.  Please see Page 1B in today’s Harlan Tribune for more prom photos.

    HARLAN -- Harlan Community High School students will once again be hosting a community service day, scheduled for the morning of Thursday, April 18.    Students will contribute a number of hours of volunteer work in the many communities served by HCHS.  This is a no-school day, and high school teachers will each be supervising a group of students.

    HARLAN -- The Harlan FFA Chapter recently held its 78th Anniversary Awards Banquet at Harlan Community High School.

MANNING – The IKM-Manning Jazz Band has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships and will be performing at 9:30 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, April 2 in Ames on the campus of Iowa State University.    IJC is one of the largest co-ed high school events in Iowa, showcasing 60 of the best jazz ensembles in the state.  It’s held each year in Ames on the campus of Iowa State University and features 15 bands across four classifications.

The Harlan Jazz Experience has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships (IJC) Tuesday, April 2 and will take the stage at 1:15 p.m.

HARLAN – An alleged incident involving a teacher utilizing students to dole out physical punishment against another student made its way to the school board table Monday, March 25 as a school patron advocated for student safety and suggested ineptitude or a possible cover-up by administration.    Meanwhile the husband of the teacher at the center of the alleged incident defended her calling it a “rumor” that was already investigated by adminis

HARLAN -- A small group of students turned out to hear a presentation Saturday, March 23 from Ryan Nesbit about suicide prevention and survivor assistance at Harlan Community High School.    The program was part of the first-ever Teen Health and Resiliency Fair, which also included presentations on teen resiliency and online safety.