HARLAN - The 39 local scholarships available thru the HCHS guidance office and another 26 scholarships you will find on Harlanonline.com that are available directly from organizations provide a great planning document for students as they determine which scholarships they may want to apply for whether they are seniors or they are juniors planning ahead for next year.    Jenni Svendsen, HCHS guidance counselor said, “Harlan Community High S

    HARLAN – Long-time Kountry Kids Childcare Director Pam Klinkefus has announced her retirement, and her replacement, Samantha Nerem, began duties on March 1.    Kountry Kids is a licensed childcare center serving up to 133 children in Harlan.    Nerem grew up in Renwick and has her bachelor’s degree in early childhood administration from Purdue University Global.  She and her fiancé, Stephen McAtee, a combine mechanic in Avoca, live in Harl

    HARLAN – Prairie Rose Lake will play host to an exciting angling event in May when the Student Angler Federation (SAF) will hold the Iowa State Fishing Championships for junior and senior high school students at the state park.    Approximately 30 youth anglers and their families will head to Harlan and participate in the event, set for Saturday, May 22.    The SAF is one of the fastest growing, youth-related movements across the country d

HARLAN -- U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) met with students at Harlan Community High School Tuesday, March 30, in an open dialogue and question and answer forum.  Among the topics were border policies, defunding the police, second amendment rights, political divisions, former President Donald J. Trump, and the election.  Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone (FMCTC) taped the full discussion.  Watch for airing dates.

    EARLING -- Troy’s Bar and Grill, Earling, has been named as one of the top 10 in Iowa having the best burger.    Iowans submitted nominations between February 15 – March 15 to kick off the quest to find the best burger in Iowa. Nominations were accepted online by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.    The number of votes each restaurant received determined the 2021 Top 10 restaurants.

    HARLAN – Ken Weber is the first to admit he has a home in Avoca.    But he also has one in Harlan.    Weber’s actual residency has come into question in recent weeks as Harlan residents come to grips with higher than normal utility bills due to February’s unprecedented extreme cold via a polar vortex that swept through the entire Midwest.    Residents are questioning that if Weber, the chief executive officer of the Harlan Municipal Utilit

    STATE -- While the Harlan Municipal Utilities isn’t planning to utilize it, many municipal utilities in Iowa are being offered a natural gas loan program through the Iowa Economic Development Authority to help with costs associated with last month’s unprecedented cold and the bills associated for energy purchases.    HMU CEO Ken Weber said the polar vortex was a big enough event impacting all Iowa municipalities, that the state has set up

    On Friday and Saturday, April 9th and 10th, Myrtue Medical Center’s Public Health, in partnership with Rex Pharmacy from Atlantic, will host a mass COVID-19, Pfizer vaccination clinic with 1,170 doses available. “With all Iowans being eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 5, the timing of this mass vaccination clinic couldn’t be better,” said Lori Hoch, Myrtue’s Public Health Director.

    REGIONAL -- Bringing farmers and kids together is one of the ways that Loess Hills Agriculture in the Classroom (LHAITC) has been celebrating the month of March, a month dedicated to reading across Iowa.    Agriculture literacy programs are gaining more recognition as LHAITC serves five counties and over 21 school districts.

    REGIONAL -- According to a message on its website about the assistance effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has $2 billion earmarked to reimburse the families of COVID-19 victims for actual funeral expenses.    The funds are for individuals and households with coronavirus-related funeral expenses incurred between Jan. 20, 2020 and Dec.

    ELK HORN – Peggy and Rollie Hansen hadn’t been able to hold hands or hug for nearly seven months before they finally got the chance recently due to newly-updated guidance on care facility visitations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).    Rollie is a resident of the Salem Lutheran Homes in Elk Horn, with Peggy living in town.  Married for 66 years, the pair has had to communicate from afar due to safety concerns with

    HARLAN -- Multi-colored animal skulls hung on the wall of Kimberly Piro’s art studio while she explained her love for creating what she describes as ‘weird art.’ The remnants of a pale winter sun shone through the dimly lit studio, producing a natural light pleasant to any eye, even through a Zoom call.    The former graphic designer-turned multi-disciplinary artist and teacher teaches grades K-2 and 6-12 at Riverside Community Schools in

    HARLAN – The Harlan Community Schools has approved a 2021-22 budget that calls for a steady levy but an increase in tax asking for expenses associated with its management fund and from property valuation increases.    The HCS Board of Education Tuesday, March 23 unanimously approved the proposed budget, with a tax asking increase of $205,889.    While the overall school levy will remain the same at $12.30 per $1,000 taxable valuation, the

HARLAN -- The annual HCS Jazz Dance will be held Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium.  The HCMS Jazz Band will kick things off at 7 p.m. followed by the HCHS Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m.

    HARLAN -- Six Harlan Community High School music students have been selected for the prestigious Class 3A All-State Jazz Band, and will perform with the band in a concert slated for Saturday, June 12 in Pella.    Congratulations to L to R -- Hannah Bissen, Jack Klitgaard, Griffin Schleimer, Eric Torneton, Keyton Francis and Emma Herzberg (alternate).    The students were selected through submitted audition materials this spring.