DES MOINES (July 24) -- Perhaps sophomore Brett Sears said it best following Harlan Community’s 10-2 substate win over Denison-Schleswig last Wednesday. “We can kind of relax now, have a little fun and try to go do what we do at state,” said Sears, a third-year starter who has yet to end a varsity baseball season in anything but the 3-A state championship game. HCHS returns to the State Baseball Tournament in Des Moines this week for the seve

 PORTSMOUTH -- A 70th anniversary reunion of Iowa Western Baseball League Old-Timers will take place during the St. Mary’s Portsmouth Picnic on Sunday, July 30, in conjunction with the IWL Tournament championship game. The Old Timers include players who have participated in the league between 1947 and 2017. Old-Timer registration will start at 12:30 p.m.

 STATE -- Harlan Community junior Keaton Jones and AHSTW senior Preslyn Grobe both received honorable mention All-State recognition in June from the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association following outstanding 2017 seasons for the Cyclones and Vikings, respectively. Jones, a junior goalie, was named to the Class 2-A honorable mention list after helping the Cyclones finish 15-3 overall this past season (a school record for wins) and finish

 STATE -- Four members of the 2017 Harlan Community boys soccer team were named to the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association’s 2017 Academic All-State teams in June. The list includes two first-team selections and two second-team selections in Class 2-A. Junior midfielder Drew Voge and senior defender Alan Holloway were both named to the first team while senior defender Wren Koch and senior forward Jacob Henry earned second-team honors.

Learn more thanks to our friends at the Sioux City Journal....

DES MOINES – Bishop Heelan’s trip to the Iowa Class 3A semifinals Friday can be summed up by two words: elation and frustration.

    HARLAN – Three Harlan residents have asked the Harlan City Council to review its fireworks policy, requesting that the time for shooting off displays be more limited when the July 4 holiday rolls around next year.    Jeff Branstetter, Deb Jauron and Gordon von Ahsen each had their own stories to tell the council last Tuesday, July 18, all with the same theme that residents were shooting off fireworks past the allotted hours, and that they

COUNTY -- Brandon Burmeister has been hired as the new Shelby County Engineer effective November 16, taking over for long-time engineer Dan Ahart, who last week announced his retirement effective in November.    Burmeister currently is assistant county engineer, a position he has held for four years.    The Shelby County Board of Supervisors approved the hiring Tuesday, July 18.  They interviewed Burmeister on Friday, July 14 and extended the

    REGIONAL -- Hands off.    As of July 1, that’s the new rule regarding phone usage while driving. With the law now a primary offense, officers can stop citizens simply for being on their mobile devices. The law is clear that phones can, however, be used for GPS. If you are caught in violation, the ticket is $30.

    REGIONAL -- Some came to stand and gawk at them like living fossils. Others were moved in nostalgia. Many were  simply amazed that they still exist.    Antique motorcycles had their own night when Roar Into Harlan hosted its classic bike night on July 20 in the Historic Downtown Square of Harlan.    The night, packed with games such as slow bike rides and Indians vs.