PANAMA -- Rod and Lois Riessen of rural Harlan announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth to Heath Stein, son of Larry and Carol Stein, rural Portsmouth.    The couple will exchange marriage vows in a June wedding at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Panama.

    MADEIRA BEACH, FL -- Joni Stork and Andy Ahrenholtz exchanged marriage vows on March 31, 2018 during a sunset ceremony on Madeira Beach in Florida. The groom’s brother-in-law, Eric Fobes of Elkhorn, NE, performed the double ring ceremony.    Parents of the couple are former Manilla residents Jon and Deb Vennink, Sun Valley Lake, Ellston, IA; and Jerry “Gilburt” and Connie Ahrenholtz, Defiance.  

    HARLAN -- Rita Finken of Harlan will mark her 80th birthday on May 22. Her family is requesting a card shower in her honor. Cards will reach her if sent to 612 Hill Street, Harlan, IA 51537.    Rita’s children include Janet Koester, David Finken, Mary Jo Hopper, Diane Hansen and Bill Finken. She has 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

    HARLAN -- Dale Junior Murray, 88, Harlan, died May 5 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan.    Graveside services were held Wednesday, May 9 at 11 a.m.

    REGIONAL – The Rev.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- The Harlan FFA Soil Judging team recently competed well in the National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, OK, on May 3.    The team, comprised of Miguel Mena, McKenna Boardman, Allyssa Obrecht and Andrew Schechinger, qualified for the national competition after receiving 4th place at the Iowa State FFA Soils Contest held in October, 2017.    At the national competition, the Harlan team placed 12th out of a t

    HARLAN – The City of Harlan has approved financing for $1.5 million in general obligation capital loan notes with United Bank of Iowa at a true interest rate of 2.477 percent and total interest costs over 10 years amounting to $180,579.78.    United Bank of Iowa was the lowest of three local bidders, the others being Midstates Bank and Shelby County State Bank.  Midstates Bank had a true interest cost bid of 2.611 percent and total interes

    COUNTY -- The Shelby County Community Foundation awarded $117,594 in grants to county non-profit agencies on Thursday, April 19.    Twenty agencies shared in the grants after submitting applications by the February 1 deadline.

    HARLAN -- Caitlin Yamada, Harlan, recently joined the Harlan Newspapers as its summer intern.    Yamada is a sophomore at Iowa State University in Ames majoring in journalism and mass communication with a dual minor in sociology and women’s and gender studies.    “When I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Yamada said.    Yamada bounced around and considered majors like education and sociology.