GRAND ISLAND, NE -- John Richard Eilts, 82, Grand Island, NE, died Sunday, April 16 at CHI Skilled Care.    A graveside service was held Thursday, April 20 at 2:30 p.m.

HARLAN -- Harlan Community High School students spent Thursday, April 13 helping clean up communities in the school district as part of the annual Community Service Day.The event has become a huge success over the years as students fan out across the communities and give back to those who have supported the school district so well through the years.  (Photos by Kim Wegener)

HARLAN – The Harlan Community School District has approved its 2017-18 fiscal year budget, highlighted by a total tax asking increase of $253,270 fueled by an overall increase in property valuations in Shelby County.    The HCS Board of Education approved the budget last month.  Overall taxable valuations increased approximately $18.1 million, from $510,002,298 to $528,198,600, bringing in $210,600 in additional property tax revenue (included

    COUNTY – The City of Harlan and Shelby County are partnering on a project that would effectively bring for sale an approximately 11-acre tract of land that currently is being used as conservation grassland.    It’s the old dump ground east of town on Nishna Ave., and the city owns about two acres of the land with the county owning the rest.  The city’s portion is land-locked with no access to the property.    The city and county began talk

DENISON -- Lauren Borkowski and Nate Botine announce their engagement.    Lauren is the daughter of Dave and Pam Borkowski, Irwin. Nate is the son of Brad Botine, Storm Lake; and Desiree Valentine.    The couple will marry on October 7 at the First United Methodist Church in Denison.

AVOCA -- Former Elk Horn resident Mabel Madsen will be honored at an open house for her 90th birthday on Saturday, April 29 from 1-3:30 p.m. at Avoca Lodge, Avoca. Family and friends are invited to attend.    She has two daughters, Ellen and Tim Eifert, Fremont, NE; and Renee Madsen, Omaha. Mabel’s husband is the late Robert Madsen.

 HARLAN -- Whether or not the Harlan Community boys track team wins a single meet title in 2017 is inconsequential to head coach Sam Brummer. As long as the Cyclones are showing improvement against tough competition throughout the season, Brummer is optimistic about his team’s chances for success come mid-to-late May. HCHS continued that trend at Merrill Field on Tuesday with a fourth-place finish in the Ken Carstens Cyclone Invitational, scor

 EARLHAM -- Allison Bruck’s meet record time in the 100-meter hurdles marked one of five Harlan Community gold medals on Tuesday night as the Cyclone girls placed second to Panorama at the Earlham Cardinal Co-Ed Relays. Bruck, who ranks among the state’s top eight in her feature event with a time of 15.36 seconds, clocked 15.72 to break Earlham’s meet and stadium records.

 HARLAN -- Battling wind chills below 30 degrees and a physical Hawkeye Ten opponent, the Harlan Community boys soccer team scored all three of its goals in a tight 10-minute window Monday night to beat Kuemper Catholic 3-0 in its conference opener at Merrill Field. HCHS improved to 3-0 overall while the Knights slipped to 0-2. The match remained scoreless until the 26:30 mark of the second half, when Cyclone junior Alex Wingert followed up hi