HARLAN -- Janis E. Sorensen, 74, Harlan, died Wednesday, March 28 in Harlan.    A family-directed memorial service will be held Friday, March 30 at 3 p.m.

    HARLAN -- Lawrence “Larry” Joseph Bissen, 68, Harlan, died March 24 at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital.    Services will be held Saturday, March 31 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance with burial at a later date.  Family will greet friends Friday, March 30 from 4-7:30 p.m. at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan and Saturday from 10-11 a.m.

    ATLANTIC -- Don M. Nielsen, 84, Atlantic, died Monday, March 26 in Atlantic.    Services will be held Saturday, March 31 at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Harlan with burial of ashes in the Jacksonville Cemetery.  Family will greet friends Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the church.    Nielsen is survived by sons Pastor Phillip (DeAnn) Nielsen of Kirkman and Mark (Amy) Nielsen of St.

    HARLAN -- Hundreds of people turned out Thursday night, March 22 for the third-annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Extravaganza held at the Harlan Community Schools.    The Southwest Iowa Regional STEM Hub hosted the event in the primary and intermediate gyms in the Harlan Community Schools.  The extravaganza was a celebration of all things STEM, with many booths of student and community businesses representing various

Community Schools will see its levy decrease slightly next year but will also see a tax asking increase as approved by the HCS Board of Education this week.    The board has approved a tax asking increase of $128,135 next year, mostly due to an increase in valuations, as the district lowers its overall levy to $11.69 per $1,000 taxable valuation from the current year’s $11.70.  Total taxes levied on property for the 2018-19 fiscal year will be

    HARLAN – Unpleasant odor allegedly emanating from a plant east of Harlan in recent weeks has community members on edge, asking for an explanation that hasn’t yet come.    City officials via Shelby County Environmental Health have been in contact with representatives of the Essentia plant on the east edge of town, sharing the complaints and concerns they have had from the public.  To date there has been no official word from the company on

    MANNING – It was back in 2011 that the IKM-Manning Jazz Band last qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships, so to say that the director and students are excited for their opportunity this year is an understatement.    Don Struve was the director back then, and the band had consistently through the previous years qualified and placed among the top eight of 15 bands in their class at IJC.  Ryan Runyan is in his first year this year as IKM-M

    HARLAN -- Frances L. Justice, 90, Harlan, died March 23 at Elm Crest Retirement Community.    Services will be held Tuesday, March 27 at 2 p.m. at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan with burial in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Irwin.  Visitation is Tuesday from 1-2 p.m.

    HARLAN -- Patricia Ann Kloewer, 84, Harlan, died March 23 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan.    Services will be held Wednesday, March 28 at 11 a.m. at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan with burial at a later date in the St. Boniface Cemetery in Westphalia.  Visitation is Tuesday, March 27 from 5-8 p.m.