HARLAN -- Kelli Klaassen of Harlan was appointed as a new member of the Myrtue Medical Center Board of Trustees at the August board meeting.    Klaassen was appointed and voted in to fill the position on the board which was open following Larry Miller’s resignation.

REGIONAL -- The Red Cross Disaster Assistance Team serves residents in emergencies ranging from house fires to hazardous weather.    For Tom Schulte, the leader for the team here in Shelby County, it used to be kind of scary. It isn’t anymore. 

COUNTY -- As I sit here at my desk in Harlan on my last day, I know that when I leave it won’t be the same.    As soon as I walk out the door of this office on this Friday evening - that’s it - at least for the foreseeable future.  There will be no groggy Monday morning greetings, no snicker bars shared with my co-workers and no joking around with the men back in the press room.    To say it has been a blast would be an understatement.  To say

REGIONAL – Rain and cooler weather have improved conditions across most of west central Iowa, although there are some areas of the state still experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions.    Until the past two weeks, Shelby County was in a moderate drought, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, but finally the rains came bringing upwards of more than four inches of rain in a two-week span.    According to the DNR, only

    HARLAN -- Gordon Nielsen, 66, formerly of rural Harlan, died August 24 at the Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center in Atlantic.    Services are pending at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.

    HARLAN -- Richard Ferry, 80, formerly of rural Harlan, died August 24 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE.        Services are pending at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Harlan. 

    WALNUT -- Berneice Peters, 98, Walnut, died August 22 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan.    Services will be held Monday, Aug. 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Avoca with burial in the Layton Township Cemetery in Walnut.  Visitation will be Monday at 9 a.m.

   ATLANTIC -- Arnold K. Petersen, 98, Atlantic, formerly of Elk Horn, died August 22 at Heritage House in Atlantic.    Services will be held Saturday, Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. at Elk Horn Lutheran Church with burial with military honors by the Elk Horn American Legion Post #322 in the Elk Horn Lutheran Cemetery.    Open visitation will be held Friday, Aug. 25 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

    AVOCA -- Patricia Lou Rock, 84, Avoca, died August 21 at the Avoca Nursing and Rehab Center.    Services will be held Friday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Avoca with burial in the Graceland Cemetery at Avoca.  Visitation was held Thursday, Aug. 24 from 1-8 p.m. with family greeting friends from 5-8 p.m. at Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Avoca.    Rock is survived by her husband, Herbert C. Rock, of Avoca; daughters Dr.