HARLAN – The Shelby County Historical Society and Beauty N the Beast were award winners at the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual awards banquet held last Friday in Harlan.    The Historical Society was honored as non-profit of the year, while Beauty N the Beast was honored as business of the year and new business of the year.    The two joined Stan Jens, who was named citizen of the year, as award recipients at the event,

ARLAN – Kandy Hester always had show choirs in the schools where she taught.      That makes 26 years of teaching the music and dance choreography that so many high school musicians have found attractive.    So it was without question that when Hester arrived in Harlan back in 2013 that she’d give it a try, see if there’s interest.  Harlan Community had not had a show choir since the 1990s.  Would it work here?    It certainly has. 

    HARLAN – Elk Horn’s Stan Jens was honored as the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s citizen of the year Friday night, Feb.

    ELK HORN -- Trevor Miller has been named the new superintendent at the Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton School District effective July 1.  He replaces Dean Schnoes, who announced his retirement earlier this school year.    Miller currently is the elementary principal in the Perry Community School District.  He was offered a contract following a series of meetings and interviews involving groups of community members, teachers and administration.

    HARLAN -- Harlan Municipal Utilities will use an outside firm for financial services until a decision on a staff employee is made.    At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, a contract with CFO Systems, LLC of Omaha was authorized, and the company will begin immediately to complete duties once handled by their fulltime Chief of Financial Services.

    HARLAN -- The Harlan FFA Chapter will celebrate National FFA Week, Feb. 20-27. This year’s theme is Amplify! and it embraces more than 85 years of FFA traditions, courtesy Jacobs Photographic.

HARLAN – Harlan residents are among the happiest in the state, according to a new study published this year, and based on the community’s economy, crime factors and even weather.    HomeSnacks.net is a website that combines recent data, videos and thoughts about local culture.  It gathers data to determine an array of factors about where people live, and a community’s safety, desirability, and culture.    According to a Harris Poll taken in Oc

    HARLAN --  The City of Harlan has signed off on an agreement that will provide forgivable loan dollars to the developer of a memory care unit to serve the community.    The council Tuesday approved a resolution that provides the loan and land to Hansen House, LLC in exchange for the creation of 14.5 new full-time-equivalent jobs to be in place by June 1, 2019.    The jobs will have to be maintained through June 1, 2022.    Harlan will prov

    HARLAN – Harlan Library Director Michael Burris has submitted his resignation effective April 1.    Burris announced February 8 that he has accepted the executive director position at the Lincoln County Library System in Kamrar, WY.  He has been the director of the Harlan Library for eight years, and said the move is a good professional opportunity for him.

    KIRKMAN – Volunteer firefighters are needed in Kirkman or the department may be forced to close.    Those words come from Captain Mike Norris, who explains this week that numbers have dwindled in recent years to a total of nine firefighters, with only three of the nine certified for qualified entry of a structure on fire.    That poses a risk for many homeowners in the area should there not be enough volunteers on hand to staff a fire or e

A sun dog, or parhelia, is created by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere.  Not seen very often, it appeared in the eastern sky Tuesday morning, Feb. 9.

    DES MOINES - Harlan Newspapers Sports Editor Mike Oeffner garnered third place in the weekly newspaper class category for best sports pages in the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) annual awards ceremony Feb.

    DEFIANCE – The former city clerk of Defiance was sentenced in Shelby County District Court last month to probation, community service and restitution after pleading guilty to second-degree theft for misappropriation of city funds.    Shelby County District Court Judge Kathleen A.

    HARLAN -- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey was in Harlan Friday, Feb. 12 to meet with Harlan Future Farmers of America (FFA) students as part of his “Day in the District.”  Accompanying Northey in Harlan was Iowa Sen.

    HARLAN -- The Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host its 2016 awards banquet Friday, Feb. 19 at the C.G. Therkildsen Activity Center in Harlan.    Awards to be presented include citizen/volunteer of the year, non-profit of the year, new business of the year, and business of the year.    The evening begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m.