H-D-CAL’s Hope Squad held a fundraiser last Wednesday, May 27, to cover the cost of events during the next school year.  

Hampton resident Trista Cruz-Shatzer recently released her first children’s book, called “Mr. Casey took Care of Everything.”
 
The book was inspired by a custodian who worked at Park Elementary School in Hampton, which she attended as a child.
After going through the long process of preparing the book, and finally publishing it, she visited Leon Casey (Mr. Casey) with her completed children’s book last week. 

 
The Hampton-Dumont Community School Board voted in favor of using a collection agency to collect money from parents who owe more than 100 dollars in lunch fees during their meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
The school board approved an agreement with Kinum Collections for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
The request was made by HD Director of Business & Finance Lisa Lewis.

The streets of Downtown Hampton are once again adorned with hanging flower baskets, an annual summer tradition.
This will be the fourth year the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce has overseen the project. And as always, the promotions committee — made up of Jerre Grefe and Holly Narber — pulled it all together.

The Friends of the Hampton Cemetery held their eighth annual cemetery walk on Sunday afternoon, May 24.
As always, community members walked around and were driven on trolleys to different stations, where members of the Franklin County Arts Council presented stories from past Hampton residents.

The Hampton Public Library recently announced they will be reducing their hours on Saturday due to loss of funding.  
The library will now be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, instead of from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office recently welcomed Gilberto Luna Jr. to their team, as their newest deputy. But Gilberto is no stranger to the area. 
 
For the last three years, he served as an officer for the Hampton Police Department, often seen patrolling the streets late at night when everyone else was at home. 
 

The Hampton American Legion Post 183 held their annual Memorial Day program on Monday, May 25.

Forty-two West Fork seniors gathered at the high school for their annual awards night, with each student walking away with at least one scholarship.
According to school counselor Abbie Emhoff, the West Fork Scholarship Fund gave away more than $73,000 to seniors this year. Students also received various scholarships from community members, clubs, businesses, colleges and other organizations in the area.

Sariah Whalen-Flores is taking center stage in the Chronicle this week for her many achievements in the fine arts, especially band. 
Sariah, who will be a senior at H-D-CAL High School next year, is involved in a number of bands — the school’s concert band and jazz band, as well as Hampton Municipal band. She plays both the French horn and trumpet. 

H-D-CAL held its biggest concert of the year, known as the Cavalcade of Bands, in the high school’s new gymnasium Tuesday evening, showcasing music from fifth graders to seniors.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are currently investigating the death of one person after an incident took place on I-35 Saturday morning, according to Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd.

Todd Dolan was introduced as the newest officer of the Hampton Police Department during the May 14 city council meeting.
Police Chief Mark Morrison made the introduction during the meeting, saying Officer Dolan understands the importance of public trust in law enforcement and that he is committed to serving the citizens of Hampton with professionalism, fairness and integrity. 

The class of 2026 graduated from H-D-CAL High School on Sunday afternoon, May 17. 
 
Their graduation ceremony began with a speech by Class President Emma Dietz, who reflected on their closeness as a class and their ability to persevere through challenging times.

The man who drove through the front entrance of Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School in December was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all but four days suspended.