STORM LAKE – Three students from Harlan Community High School brought home two gold medal victories after competing at the Buena Vista University Spanish Language Fair in Storm Lake on Monday, Feb. 27.    HCS Spanish Instructor Kayla Weis took the students – Laura Kaufmann, Abby Pearson, and Annabel Schechinger, to the event, and said she was very proud of their efforts. 

    HARLAN -- Harlan FFA members competed at Southwest Iowa Northwest Sub-district FFA Contests on February 22 and Southwest Iowa District FFA Convention on Saturday, March 4. Forty-two Harlan FFA members now look to participate in various State FFA Leadership Events in Ames, April 9-11.Iowa FFA Degree Candidates    The Harlan FFA Chapter is excited that 11 members have cleared the first hurdle in an effort to earn their Iowa FFA Degree.

    HARLAN – Recent legislative changes to Iowa Code regarding collective bargaining are on center stage as the Harlan Community Schools Board of Education and Harlan Education Association begin contract negotiations this week.    Both provided their initial proposals Wednesday, March 8, highlighted by a package proposal by the school board that strips and deletes provisions of many excluded subjects of bargaining from the employee collective

    COUNTY -- Shelby County released 2016 wage totals for employees including the following top 10 payroll totals.    The list does not include elected officials whose wages are published yearly following compensation board hearings.    The top 10: Daniel Ahart, $118,102; David Gau, $73,281; Ylonda Maguire, $72,187; Michael Kienast, $71,640;    Brandon Burmeister, $70,971; Jason Wickizer, $67,362; Robert Seivert, $63,367;    Neil Gross, $57,75

    OMAHA, NE -- Richard Melvin Schomer, 62, Omaha, NE, died February 6 at his home.    Services will be held Saturday, April 8 at 2 p.m. at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.    Schomer is survived by sons Jason Schomer of Apache Junction, AZ and Jeffrey Schomer of Gilbert, AZ; brothers Duane Schomer of Omaha and Jerry Schomer of Omaha; and sister Kathy Anderson of Avoca.

    ATLANTIC -- Funeral services for Ralph Victor Riggs of Atlantic will be Saturday, March 18 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Atlantic.      Visitation with the family will be held from 9-11 a.m. prior to service in the sanctuary of the church.

    OMAHA, NE – On-site learning for high school students can be just as rewarding as classroom bookwork, and some Harlan Community High School students had the chance recently to take a field trip to Omaha and learn about the development of the Buffett Cancer Center.    HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) traveled to Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center Research labs, and toured the Buffett Cancer Center.  

    HARLAN – Harlan property owners will see a steady tax levy this year as part of a proposed budget approved by the Harlan City Council Tuesday, March 7.    A public hearing on the proposed $8.84 million budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year was held Tuesday with no comments from the public.  The Harlan City Council approved the measure 6-0.    Harlan’s tax levy will remain at $17.13047 per $1,000 taxable valuation, nearly identical to the curr

    HARLAN – Shelby County’s tax asking will decrease an estimated $62,395 under a budget proposed to be adopted by the Shelby County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, March 14.    A hearing on the 2017-18 county budget will be held at 9 a.m.