EARLING – Shelby County will honor one of the county’s earliest settlers in a ceremony Sunday, June 26 at the Holcomb Cemetery northwest of Earling.    The day has been declared John McIntosh Day, proclaimed by the Shelby County Board of Supervisors, and highlights of the event will include the placing of a new tombstone for McIntosh in the cemetery, as well as four more tombstones for his children and wife.    The ceremony begins at 1 p.m

HARLAN -- Tennis balls, a yellow race car, a disc golf frisbee and an unfertilized goose egg were all found while Steven Olson was clearing the island in the pond at Pioneer Park.    As a part of the Parks and Recreations board and a member of the community, Olson was concerned about the wellness of the park.

    HARLAN -- Check out this story complete with a happy ending for a red-tailed hawk that survived being hit by a vehicle, and then traveled inside the grill of the truck across western Iowa.    Shown  is Kevin “Hoss” Krohn, Harlan Parks and Recreation Director, pulling a hawk from the front grill of a truck parked on 7th Street on Thursday, June 16. Driver Gene Hansen, Walnut, hit the bird with his vehicle near Bayard.

    EARLING -- Favorable weather has allowed construction crews to make headway on county projects this month.    Here, a bridge on Fir Road west of Highway 191 recently was deemed structurally deficient, so the project was put in the plan for repairs.  Cost of the bridge replacement is $690,000, with 80 percent paid with bridge replacement funds and 20 percent from farm to market funds. 

    HARLAN – A former Harlan physician who was convicted last year of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child, is being sued by his victim in Shelby County District Court.    The victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe #1, has filed civil suit seeking damages against Wing Tai Fung, M.D.  On March 27, 2015, Fung was convicted in district court after entering a written guilty plea to the two aggrava

    HARLAN -- As Jaxon Rold chomped down on a cooked green bean fresh out of the garden, his parents anxiously awaited his response.    “I want more of this,” Jaxon responded. “But, it could use some salt.”    Despite the lack of spice, Jaxon’s parents, Trent Rold and Devin Mahoney, were relieved.

    COUNTY – Temperatures nearing 100 degrees for an extended period of time last week and weekend claimed its first victim in the form of a buckled county road in northern Shelby County.    County engineer Dan Ahart said the hot temperatures caused a portion of Linden Road north of County Road F24 to buckle.  It’s not an uncommon site when the heat gets excessive for a longer period of time.    “We weren’t surprised at all,” Ahart said after

    HARLAN – Harlan has been awarded a 2016 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Iowa Economic Development for downtown building façade improvements.    The state’s grant amounts to $299,750 (50 percent) toward the total project cost of $514,500.  The city will provide a portion of the total project percent cost, $117,375, while building owners doing projects will be responsible for $97,375 of the cost.  City officials said word t

    HARLAN –  As Randy Pash grips the steering wheel hundreds of feet above ground, he observes the land reaching for the horizon in front of him.    “I just love being up in the air and having control of the airplane,” Pash said. “[I love] looking at the earth from a different perspective. It is really a great experience.”    Growing up around planes, it was fate when Pash fell in love with flying in high school.

    HARLAN -- In the late 1940s, Chuck Smith could be found playing “farm” with his brothers in the grove at the age of 10. With walnuts as pigs and acorns as horses, he would dig fields in the dirt.    Now, 65 years later, he’s still playing farm, but with decades of toys.

HARLAN -- “Are you Ralph?” Clarence Coenen asks a new Golden Kiwanis member. “Would you like some more coffee?”    As men and women gather at the American Legion building in Harlan every Wednesday for the Golden Kiwanis meeting, they can’t help but show up early.    One of the earliest tends to be Dallas Havick. Entering with a mission, he heads straight to the table to start coffee.

HARLAN -- Two individuals were injured in an accident involving two semis on Highway 59 north of Harlan Friday, June 10.  Shelby County Sheriff’s officials report that the accident occurred about 3:07 a.m. near 1200th St., and both drivers were transported to Myrtue Medical Center for treatment.  The drivers were Barry Shumate, Dow City, and Harold Hilliard, Coushatta, TX.

    HARLAN -- Roberta Golden points out where the motor is on the display tractor to Shawn Shouse at the Kids Farm Safety Day Camp in Harlan Friday, June 10.    The annual Myrtue Medical Center/Progressive Agricultural Safety Day for kids 8-13 years old stresses ag safety.

    SHELBY-- Economic development efforts continue in Shelby this summer, as crews broke ground on the East Street streetscape project May 16.    The construction will be between Station Street and Center Street and will last 120 days from the day it began.

HARLAN -- Shelby County Relay for Life had a successful event Friday, June 3 in downtown Harlan, raising more than $103,000 for Cancer research.  Shown above, a number of walkers at the event carry the banner during a survivor’s walk.  See inside today’s Harlan News-Advertiser for a full photo page from Relay for Life.  (Photo by Sarah Muller)