HARLAN -- The operating and capital budgets for the 2020-2021 fiscal year have been approved by the Myrtue Medical Center Board of Trustees in July.    MMC CEO Barry Jacobsen said, “This is a very conservative budget and we believe is the right course during these very uncertain times. We are very pleased that we have been able to keep all staff on the payroll with only temporary furloughs and staffing adjustments.

    COUNCIL BLUFFS -- United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced July 13 that Ryan Nicholas Schwery, 43, of Shelby County, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M.

 DENISON (July 10) -- Connor Bruck outdueled Evan Turin with a one-hitter Friday afternoon as Harlan Community blanked Denison-Schleswig 1-0 in non-conference baseball action. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday night but was postponed due to wet grounds. HCHS, which beat the Monarchs 2-0 in last month’s Hawkeye Ten matchup, has allowed just one hit and zero runs in two games against D-S this season.

 DENISON (July 9) -- The Harlan Community softball team endured another rough start on Thursday night, but this time recovered nicely to post an 11-3 win at Denison-Schleswig. Madison Schumacher’s three-run homer blew the game open during a five-run fourth inning and the pitching combo of Tianna Kasperbauer and Emily Brouse piled up 12 strikeouts as the 15th-ranked (4A) Cyclones bounced back from losses of 11-8 at Creston and 11-0 at Dallas Ce

 DALLAS CENTER (July 7) -- Fifth-ranked (4A) Dallas Center-Grimes erupted for 10 runs on 10 hits in the third inning last Tuesday night to hand the Harlan Community softball team an 11-0, five-inning loss. The Fillies (14-7 overall) capped their 10-run outburst with two-run homers by Elle Nelsen and eighth-grader Aubrey Johansen and also had four doubles among their 12 hits off Cyclone starter Emily Brouse (7-3).

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (July 11) -- The wins have been hard to come by this summer for an Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball team with just one senior, so Saturday’s postseason victory over Fremont-Mills was plenty satisfying for the young Spartans. Junior ace Tyler Petersen struck out 12 in a complete game six-hitter and Exira-EHK used nine walks and nine stolen bases to chip away offensively for a 7-4 Class 1A district quarterfinal win over the Kni

 CLARINDA (July 11) -- AHSTW’s baseball season ended in disappointing fashion Saturday afternoon with a 15-0, four-inning loss to Treynor in the first round of Class 2A district tournament play. The Cardinals led 3-0 after two innings, then turned the game into a rout by scoring five runs in the third and seven more (six unearned) in the fourth as the Vikings committed four errors. The Vikings (5-5) managed just two singles in four innings off

 AUDUBON (July 11) -- Down to its last out, Boyer Valley plated five runs in the top of the seventh inning to stun the IKM-Manning baseball team 8-7 in Saturday’s Class 1A district quarterfinal game played at Audubon. The Wolves took a 7-3 lead by scoring six times in the fourth inning and seemed in good shape when Conner Richards struck out the first two Bulldog hitters in the seventh. Hunter Soma’s solo home run gave Boyer Valley some moment

 IRWIN (July 8) -- The ninth-ranked Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton softball team will enter the postseason as the only unbeaten team remaining in Class 1A. The Spartans improved to 13-0 last Wednesday, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh to cap an 11-3 non-conference win at IKM-Manning (3-10). Following a first round bye on Monday, Exira-EHK will host either CAM or Griswold in a Region 2 quarterfinal game Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.