HARLAN -- The Harlan Community High School STEM program competed in the Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa Carpentry Competition on November 30 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines and finished third in the state competition.

HARLAN -- Iowa Rep. Steve Holt (R-Denison), left, and Sen. Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) spoke with about 15 people at the first legislative coffee Saturday, Dec. 15 in Harlan.  The two spoke about what they see could be discussion items in the upcoming legislative session and answered questions from those in attendance.  Additional legislative sessions are planned in January-April and the public is invited to all of them.

    COUNTY – The Shelby County Compensation Board has recommended a 4.5 percent across-the-board salary increase for elected officials and their deputies for the 2019-20 fiscal year, following a meeting of the board November 15.    The county’s board of supervisors, who have the ultimate decision on pay raises for elected officials, will make a decision on the recommendation during its budgeting process for the next fiscal year.  The board can

    HARLAN -- Gene L. Dixon, 90, Harlan, died Tuesday, Dec. 18 in Harlan.    Services will be held Friday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. at Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan with burial in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Hancock.  There will be no visitation.    Dixon is survived by son Charvin (Jennifer) Dixon of Brandon, SD; daughter Pamela Dixon of Harlan; grandson Ryan (Eva) Krueger of Glenwood; two great-grandsons, other relatives and friends.

    HARLAN – Harlan Community High School students will have the opportunity beginning this year to have a special Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas should they test proficient and meet the qualifications in both English and another language.    It’s the first year the recognition is available for students, and HCHS is one of 98 school districts in the state to offer the Seal of Biliteracy.  The recognition was discussed at the Monday, Dec.

    HARLAN -- He’s back, but this time, Leo Goeser is the one in the barber chair.    Just four weeks after a medical event that nearly took his life, Goeser is back where he’s spent the majority of his years partaking in story-telling and jokes, all while servicing generation after generation of clientele and friends.      Fellow barber and longtime friend, Al Woodraska, chauffeured Goeser to Leo’s Barber Shop for a pre-holiday trim.

    COUNTY – The Shelby County Jail has been named one of the Best of the Best in Iowa by the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC).    Officials from Shelby County were invited to attend the annual Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies’ Association (ISSDA) annual banquet December 1, where the Department of Corrections recognized six counties as having an outstanding jail and meeting and exceeding jail standards in Iowa.    The determination for th

    HARLAN -- A Harlan man has been charged in Shelby County District Court with second-degree sexual abuse, a class B felony.    Galen M.

    HARLAN -- The City of Harlan, with the help of Southwest Iowa Planning Council, is preparing to apply to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) for a Community Development Block Grant for housing rehabilitation, and is asking for help from residents.    Applications must meet certain criteria including need, impact and feasibility of the project within the city.  To determine these things, SWIPCO will be doing a telephone income su