REGIONAL – Four of the seven seats on the Harlan Community Schools Board of Education are opening as the terms end for board members Al Hazelton, Amy Rueschenberg, Lonnie Muxfeldt and Angie Monson.    The seats are for four-year terms by director district that will expire in 2021.

    HARLAN -- Thursday was a busy night with the crowning of the fair queen and announcement of Hall of Fame honors at the Shelby County Fair.

EARLING -- In a way, August 4 will be just another day.    In another sense, the day represents the end of a long recovery – as well as a new beginning – for Don Wageman and his family.    It is a year after the last of his eight surgeries.

    REGIONAL -- Anyone who has encountered mosquitoes and ticks knows that they bite.    Depending on the summer season, however, there may be more or less to worry about. Weather, temperature and rainfall all affect these insects.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS -- The Harlan Community baseball team wrapped up a highly-successful regular season Wednesday night with a 15-3, five-inning win at Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson. Now the real season begins as the top-ranked Cyclones get set to defend their Class 3-A state championship. Winners of 10 straight and 31 of 33 overall, HCHS will open 3-A district play Friday night (July 14) when it hosts Carroll (1-25) at Jim Goeser Field.

 HARLAN -- Ryan Doran went 3-for-3 at the plate and Kyle Schmitz pitched five scoreless innings of relief for his eighth win Tuesday night as Harlan Community downed Des Moines Roosevelt 6-1 in non-conference baseball action. Putting together quality at-bats during the late innings, HCHS scored one run in the fifth and three in the sixth to pull away from the Class 4-A Roughriders (18-20). Connor Bruck opened the three-run sixth with a double

 AUDUBON -- With a potential gauntlet of tough games looming, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton’s district baseball opener vs.

 NEOLA -- Tri-Center broke open a close game with four runs in the fifth inning and added two in the sixth here Tuesday night, ending IKM-Manning’s season, 8-0, in a Class 2-A, District 15 semifinal baseball game. The Trojans’ fourth win of the year over the Wolves improved their record to 20-4 and set up a district final vs. West Central Valley (15-9) at the T-C diamond Saturday night.

 HARLAN -- Harlan Community swept Le Mars in a baseball doubleheader last Friday (July 7), winning game one 9-0 and holding off the Bulldogs 4-3 in the night cap. HCHS committed just one error in the two games, outhit Le Mars 19-9 overall and got solid starting pitching from Brett Sears (6-0) and Nick Foss (3-1). Game one was all Cyclones as they scored two runs each in the first four innings and totaled 12 hits.