HARLAN -- The Harlan Community girls basketball team will need to win just two home games to return to Wells Fargo Arena and defend its back-to-back Class 4-A state championships. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union last week released its regional pairings for Class 4-A.

    PORTSMOUTH -- The family of Alice Rau is planning a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday on February 25.

    HARLAN -- Ron and Jennifer French of Irwin announce the engagement of their daughter, Alexandrea to Joel North both of Harlan. Joel is the son of John and Cindy North, Harlan.    The couple will marry on April 9 at First Baptist Church in Harlan. 

    IRWIN -- Vernon and Nora Campbell of Irwin will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on February 19. They plan to celebrate with a family dinner.    The couple’s daughters and their spouses are Debra and Robert McLaughlin, Shelby; Dianne and Jim Buman, Harlan; and Denise and Robert Wiig, Irwin. The Campbells have six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

    KIRKMAN – Volunteer firefighters are needed in Kirkman or the department may be forced to close.    Those words come from Captain Mike Norris, who explains this week that numbers have dwindled in recent years to a total of nine firefighters, with only three of the nine certified for qualified entry of a structure on fire.    That poses a risk for many homeowners in the area should there not be enough volunteers on hand to staff a fire or e

A sun dog, or parhelia, is created by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere.  Not seen very often, it appeared in the eastern sky Tuesday morning, Feb. 9.

    DES MOINES - Harlan Newspapers Sports Editor Mike Oeffner garnered third place in the weekly newspaper class category for best sports pages in the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) annual awards ceremony Feb.

    DEFIANCE – The former city clerk of Defiance was sentenced in Shelby County District Court last month to probation, community service and restitution after pleading guilty to second-degree theft for misappropriation of city funds.    Shelby County District Court Judge Kathleen A.

    HARLAN -- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey was in Harlan Friday, Feb. 12 to meet with Harlan Future Farmers of America (FFA) students as part of his “Day in the District.”  Accompanying Northey in Harlan was Iowa Sen.