DES MOINES — Four members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department were amongst the six honored for acts of bravery at the 2023 Governor’s Lifesaving Awards and Sullivan Brothers’ Award of Valor ceremony held at the State Capitol Building Monday, December 18. “The greatness of our state  really does lie in our people. Iowans are brave, they’re big-hearted and generous,” Gov. Reynolds said during the ceremony.

 MANNING — Blue Bird Corporation, the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, and IKM-Manning Community School District displayed the school district’s first electric school bus this week during an open house. The school district chose to add an electric bus to its 15-school bus fleet because it wanted a cleaner, emission-free bus.“We’ve heard a lot of great things about the Blue Bird Vision Electric school bus.

AREA — Alayna Hansen is the new Ag in the Clasroom Coordinator for the Loess Hills Area Farm Bureau. “I have a passion for agriculture, and I love to share my knowledge with the students and the teachers”, Hansen said. The main goal of Loess Hills Ag in the Classroom is to help teachers in Carroll, Crawford, Harrison, Shelby, and West Pottawattamie Counties integrate agriculture into science and social studies learning, Hansen said. Through cr

AREA — The holiday season can be a stressful time for many, but for the nearly 100,000 dementia caregivers in Iowa the holidays can be especially challenging.

SHELBY COUNTY —  Chief Judge Stephanie Rose, of the Federal Southern District of Iowa, issued a permanent injunction Monday, December 4 to block zoning ordinances in Shelby and Story Counties. However, Shelby County Board of Supervisor Steve Kenkel said the judge only changed the injunction from temporary to permanent until a ruling on the lawsuit is made. The lawsuit is scheduled for January. “They have not ruled, it’s on pause.

 HARLAN —  The Harlan City Council voted to accept the retirement of City Clerk/Finance Director Jane Smith at its meeting Tuesday, December 5. “It’s been a great team to work with,” Smith said. Smith will officially retire April 1, 2023, and has agreed to continue to work with the city until a replacement is found.

 SHELBY COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors approved Shelby County  Engineer Brandon Burmeister’s resignation at the Board meeting Tuesday, December 5. “This decision was not an easy one,” Burmeister stated. “An opportunity has presented itself, and I feel this change will be beneficial to my long-term career goals and objectives.” Burmeister was appointed Shelby County Engineer in November 2017 after Dan Ahart retired.

 HARLAN —  Ten Harlan Community Middle School and High School girls are making Cyclone history as members of the schools’ first girls wrestling teams. Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union (IGHSAU) first sanctioned girls wrestling for the 2022-23 school year, however, the Cyclones did not have a team.

 HARLAN — Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan is now under new ownership with a new name. Mike Hoy and Scott Nelson recently purchased the funeral home from Seth and Kay Johannsen, and is now operating as Heartland Funeral & Cremation Service.Hoy congratulated the Johannsens on their retirement.“We want to thank Seth and Kay for their years of service to the community,” he said.

 SHELBY COUNTY -  It was originally expected to be in operation July 2025, but with what county officials said was “ a lot of hard work from a lot of people, the Shelby County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system is now up and running. “I am proud of the way everyone has done their part,” Shelby County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Kenkel said at a special Board of Supervisors meeting held Tuesday, November 28.

HARLAN — Monday, November 20 was eventful with not just one, but two Harlan Community School Board meetings. Three board members- Monte Schechinger, Joe Herzberg, and Joni Larsen ended their terms at adjournment of the first meeting, and upon the second,  newly elected members Jennifer Anderson, Jen Arkfeld, and Roger Kenkel were sworn in.

HARLAN — Along with the new building underway at the Harlan Community schools, new resources are also arriving to help educators continue to update and improve every day within the walls. Made possible by the generous donations of the community, the Harlan Education Foundation has raised $65,000 to purchase 25 out of the 50 Clear Touch interactive boards.

 by Renée Brich, Managing Editor HARLAN — Harlan Community  High School student Zeke Christensen was recently selected iJAG State Career Association President Elect. Christensen currently the holds the same title for the HCHS iJAG program.

 SHELBY COUNTY -  After receiving notification from Medivac November 13 asking for an increase in funding, stakeholders for the countywide Emergency Medical Services have decided to expedite the plan, and are now tasked with making the transition by December 1. “We didn’t expect this,” said Shelby County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Kenkel.

*********BREAKING NEWS************The following press release was read at the Tuesday, November 20 Shelby County Board of Supervisor's meeting. Please see the Tuesday, November 28 edition of the Harlan Tribune for more information.