GREENBELT, MD -- Sanda Lee Kopta, 71, Greenbelt, MD, formerly of Harlan, died July 4 at her home.    Services were held Saturday, July 9  at St.

    HARLAN – Allen John Goeser, 54, Harlan, died July 11 at his home.    Graveside services will be held Saturday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. at St.

    HARLAN – Allen John Goeser, 54, Harlan, died July 11 at his home.    Graveside services will be held Saturday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. at St.

    GRETNA, NE – Claude Franklin Havick, Jr., 71, Gretna, NE, formerly of Harlan, died July 20.    Services will be held Friday, July 29 at 1 p.m.

    COUNTY -- A new predator is preying on Ash trees and was recently found in Omaha and in Missouri Valley. The Emerald Ash Borer is moving through Iowa and has the potential to appear in Shelby County.    “Now that we know it’s farther west, we know that it’s on the move,” said Tivon Feeley, forest health program leader for the DNR.    Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic insect from Asia that only affect Ash trees.

    KIRKMAN -- Mike Norris responded to a call on behalf of the Kirkman Fire Department approximately 18 years ago and didn’t expect to have a spiritual experience.    When he arrived at the car accident on a back road, he was notified that one of the individuals in the car was deceased and the other had to be removed from the car after using the Jaws of Life.    Not long after they got to the scene, a little boy and an elderly couple approach

    HARLAN -- Local authorities are alerting the public of a scam involving Facebook, YouTube and video chatting/photo taking that occurred in Harlan recently.    Harlan Police reports indicate a Harlan male recently was contacted via Facebook by an individual who wanted to video chat.  The female was naked during the chat and conned the individual into also getting naked during the encounter.    Following the chat, the female attempted to ext

    COUNTY-- Local school administrators are waiting to take further action on a new federal transgender directive until they receive additional instructions from the state level, and discuss the matter openly among themselves and with the Iowa Association of School Boards.    The directive, handed down in May, is geared toward inclusivity of transgender students in public schools.    The Harlan Community School District currently is the only

    HARLAN -- Marvin Bissen of Harlan will celebrate his 90th birthday on Sunday, August 7 from 1-4 p.m. at an open house at the Therkildsen Activity Center in Harlan.