AVOCA (June 30) -- Senior Madison Thornton pitched a complete game eight-hitter and Ally Meyers led the offense with three hits as the AHSTW softball team posted an impressive 9-3 win over 14th-ranked (2A) Underwood here Tuesday night. The Lady Vikes took a 3-0 lead in the second inning and added six runs in the fourth. Ally Meyers went 3-for-5 with a double on offense while Kailey Jones and Natalie Hagadon both added a pair of singles.

    COUNTY -- With the current surge of COVID-19 cases that Shelby County is experiencing, local health officials are saying it’s important that everyone in the county continues or begins to practice mitigation standards and follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).    Local public health offices follow direction provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health i

    ATLANTIC -- Hazel Christine Miller, 92, Atlantic, died July 7 at Heritage House in Atlantic.    Services will be held Saturday, July 11 at 1 p.m. at Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic with private burial in the Hancock Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

    ELK HORN -- Mark James Melanson, 62, Elk Horn, died Monday, July 6 in Elk Horn.    No public visitation or services are planned.    Melanson is survived by daughter Emily Melanson of Elk Horn; sons Jason (Kristen) Melanson of Elk Horn and Christopher (Kelsie) Melanson of Griswold; sister Lauren Sparks; brothers Gary Melanson, Bruce Melanson and Bryan Melanson; six grandchildren; other relatives and friends.    Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral

    HARLAN -- Robert “Steve” Slagle, 66, Harlan, died Tuesday, Dec.

    MANILLA -- Francis Nicholas Kenkel, 99, Manilla, formerly of Defiance, died July 7 at Manilla Manor.    Services will be held Friday, July 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance.  Public visitation was held Thursday, July 9 from 5-8 p.m.

    HARLAN -- Chloe Hays joined exclusive company on Thursday, June 18, when the 2020 Harlan Community graduate was named this year’s Special Olympics Iowa Girl Athlete of the Year during the fifth annual Des Moines Register Sports Awards program.    Hays is just the second student-athlete from Harlan Community selected as a category winner for this event, joining Taylor Frederick, who was named the All-Iowa Volleyball Player of the Year in 20

    REGIONAL – Construction work on Highway 59 between Avoca and Harlan will get under way later this month and likely continue through September, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.    Local residents have been anticipating the overlay project since patching and repairs were completed this spring, and word from engineers on the project is that the roadwork will get started in mid/late July.    “The patching on the project is c

    HARLAN – After 46 years of owning her own business and reaching the age of 73, Marty Burchett decided it was time to retire.    “I have had two cardiac events in the past 18 months,” she said.  “I have recovered, but I did not want my husband or sons to deal with liquidating the store if I could not.”    The Fourth Generation has been a staple in downtown Harlan, offering women’s fashions and accessories for decades.  In a letter to her cu