HARLAN -- The Harlan Community volleyball team began practicing for the 2018 season Monday morning (Aug. 6) as it looks to build on last year’s 23-13 match record. Second-year head coach Willie Baughman expects to start the season with a roster of approximately 35 players in grades 9-12.

 HARLAN -- The annual Harlan Community Cyclone Cross Country Camp for grades 7-12 is being held this week (August 6-10) with 44 total runners in attendance. The five-day camp will conclude with a timed four-kilometer race Friday morning at Prairie Rose State Park.

    ELK HORN -- Bertha Lee Coffia, 84, Elk Horn, died Saturday, Aug. 11 at the Salem Lutheran Home in Elk Horn.    She is survived by her daughters Nancy (Robert Larry Edgar) Gail of California, and Jeana Lee Holley of Harlan; four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, other family members and friends.    Private services will be held at a later date.    Pauley Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

  HARLAN -- Residents all around Harlan have been finding painted rocks scattered around the town. On the back, the rock directs you to a Facebook page, the Harlan Cyclone Rocks.    Harlan Cyclone Rocks was started by Charlaye James.

    HARLAN -- Myrtue Medical Center Board of Trustees approved the recommendation to hire the architecture and engineering firm, Shive-Hattery (West Des Moines), as the architect to conduct a master facility plan at MMC. The master facility plan fees are estimated at $35,000 to $40,000. 

    HARLAN -- The Harlan City Council is moving forward with improvements at J.J.

    DES MOINES -- Lisa Hagemeier, a 6th grade communications and high school Spanish teacher and Speech Coach in the Harlan Community School District, is a 2018 Excellence in Education Award Runner-up.    The award is sponsored by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA).

     IRWIN -- Photography has been a part of Noreen Shannon's life for more than 40 years.    Through getting married to Rodney Shannon, having two kids, Scott and Erica, and battling pancreatic and breast cancer, her hobby for photography has sustained.    Shannon bought her first nice camera, a cannon 35 mm, in the 80s and wanted to learn how operate it and take pleasing pictures. 

    HARLAN -- Ron and Jennifer French of Manilla announce the engagement of their daughter, Alayna Michelle to Nicholas Randal Musich both of Harlan. He is the son of the late Randy and Carol Musich who were Harlan residents.    The couple will wed on September 8 at the First Baptist Church in Harlan.