HARLAN – Harlan property owners will see a decrease in their tax levy this year as part of a proposed budget approved by the Harlan City Council Tuesday, March 8.    A public hearing on the proposed $8.32 million budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year was held Tuesday with no comments from the public.  The Harlan City Council approved the measure 5-0.    Harlan’s tax levy will decrease approximately 21 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation, from

    HARLAN -- Harlan Community Schools elementary students had fun this week participating in Read Across America Week, celebrated in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday March 2.  Students had fun dressing up in character and reading during the week.

HARLAN – Twenty Harlan Community High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) students have qualified for the national conference to be held in Boston, MA May 5-8.    The 2016 national leadership conference, This is Our Time, will welcome more than 5,000 conference delegates from across the nation to participate in national level business skills competitions, workshops, general sessions, and the national officer candidate campaigns and

    COUNTY – The poor and needy in Shelby County are helped in numerous ways by local taxpayers under a county relief ordinance last reviewed in 2008.    General assistance is available to families or individuals who are poor and needy, when their own means, relatives or other public or private resources does not support the person.    General relief is a short term emergency assistance program that is understood to be the “payer of last resor

STORM LAKE – Five students from Harlan Community High School brought home two victories after competing at the Buena Vista University Spanish Language Fair in Storm Lake Monday, Feb. 22.    HCS Spanish Instructor Kayla Weis took the students – Addie Kaster, Jenna Leinen, Maggie McGrath, Clare Klein and Haley Koch, to the event, and said she was extremely proud of their efforts. 

    HARLAN -- Carmen Hosack has been selected as the new chief executive officer and general manager for Nishnabotna Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (NVREC).    She will begin her duties in the position on April 1.    Current CEO/GM John Euchner has accepted a position with Southeastern Electric Cooperative in Marion, SD, and will be leaving in April after 19 years with NVREC.

    HARLAN – An investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources into the land application of processed wastewater from the Essentia Protein Solutions plant in Harlan by a subcontractor has uncovered alleged violations of Iowa Code and Iowa Administrative Code.    Kevin Wilken, senior environmental specialist, Field Services and Compliance Bureau, IDNR, said the matter may be referred to the department’s legal services bureau for enfo

    HARLAN - Last spring, an estimated 70 students received local scholarship awards from 48 sponsoring organizations, totaling close to $210,000 in funding.  Additional scholarships and financial assistance comes from other sources, as well as individual institutions that students attend.  All together, this would likely bring the total to well over $500,000.

    DENISON -- Fans and cheerleaders turned out in full force to cheer on the Harlan Community Cyclones’ boys basketball team as it took on Carroll Thursday.  The boys lost in overtime to see their season come to an end.

    COUNTY -- Shelby County Emergency Service Officials, including Fire Chiefs, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management will begin twice weekly updates this week on local fire danger conditions.    Signs placed strategically in each community, primarily at the fire stations will indicate what the fire danger is for any particular day.

    HARLAN – Monogram Prepared Meats has announced expansion plans in Harlan that includes $6 million in new equipment, new transportation efforts, and wage increases designed to attract additional employees needed at the plant.    Monogram Foods is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of company-owned and licensed brands, co-packed and private label value-added processed meats and appetizers.  Monogram Prepared Meats is a division of Mon

    HARLAN – Harlan Community Schools’ students are seeing their class time extend into June this year, due to a combination of the school year beginning later than past years, snow days, and athletic state tournament runs.    HCS Superintendent of Schools Justin Wagner said the district will follow the current calendar, approved by a calendar committee last year, that initially had the final day of the school year for students on May 26.    A

    HARLAN – Contract negotiations have begun between the Harlan Community School District and Harlan Education Association, but not in the traditional sense of how discussions have been held in the past.    District and HEA representatives have met three times recently to discuss issues, yet there have been no initial proposals brought forth at a meeting of the HCS Board of Education.    Consistent practice in the past involved the HEA presen

    HARLAN – Harlan Community High School Athletic Director Mitch Osborn was honored last week by the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association, as Iowa Athletic Director of the Year.    He was presented the award during the state wrestling tournament in Des Moines. 

    HARLAN - Harlan agri-businessman Jeff Schmitz spent seven minutes voicing his concerns about the lack of accountability and leadership at Myrtue Medical Center by its administration and board of trustees during a tax levy public hearing here on Tuesday, Feb.