The blizzard over the weekend brought low visibility, strong winds, snow and icy roads, leaving many stranded and looking for help in Franklin County and throughout the region.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Hampton Police Department and the Franklin County Emergency Management team, along with many other first responders and community members, came to the rescue once again.

Franklin REC is pleased to announce the winners of its 2025 Light Up the Night lighted float contest. First place went to St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Latimer, and second place to First Bank Hampton.
 

The side lot between Hardee's and Kwik Star, along the 10 block of 3rd St Sw, will no longer be available for public parking.

The Hansell Fire Department has announced that they'll be holding their second soup supper of the season next Thursday, Dec. 18.
 
The supper, which is being sponsored by Butch Gruelke Auto Body, will be held at Hansell Community Center from 5 to 7 p.m. On the menu for night: chili, chicken noodle, tomato soup and cheeseburger soup.

Hampton residents Dave and Pat Sackville were named the recipients of the December 2025 Image of Pride Award for their property at 21 Shar Denn Drive during the Dec. 11 city council meeting.
 
City Councilor Jerre Gefe selected them for the award, saying their home has always stood out for its neatness and order.
 
They've been in their home for the last 23 years. 

A group of Franklin County veterans (and their family and friends) visited the Camp Algona POW Museum last Tuesday, Dec. 9.
 
The day trip was coordinated by Franklin County VA Director Adam Akers, who said they had a great time. He recently told the Chronicle that these trips are a great way for veterans to socialize with one another.
 
Lunch was provided for the veterans last Tuesday, as always.
 

The Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls basketball team picked up their first victory of the season when they defeated the Nevada Cubs 42-24 on Tuesday, Dec. 2. It was a steady offense that led the Bulldogs to the win, as they scored 10 or 11 points in each quarter. Each of the five Bulldogs starters put points on the board, with three players scoring nine points or more.

The Hampton Fire Department held their annual freewill lunch on Saturday, Dec. 6.
A representative with the fire department said they were thankful for all the support that they had received from the community and that they were able to raise nearly $600, which will go towards much-needed equipment and future events.

Dereck Lewis, the CEO of Thelma's Treats, paid a special visit to his old stomping grounds at Hampton-Dumont High School on Tuesday, Dec. 2 to hand out free ice cream sandwiches during the basketball games.
The 2004 H-D grad told the Chronicle that he wanted to give back to the community, which is why he said yes when invited to attend by his former teacher and coach Keith Walton.

Rebekah Ault has been serving as the Chief Nursing Officer at Franklin General Hospital for the last three years — and she’s doing it with flying colors, according to her employees. In fact, one such employee recently nominated her for the 2025 Empowering CNO/DON Summit Award, which she won and was presented with at this year’s HealthCare Service Excellence Conference in Galveston, Texas.
 

The West Fork Dance Team wowed the judges once again at the annual Iowa State Dance Team Association competition in Des Moines on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The team took first in Class III Pom, Class II Hip Hop, Class II Jazz and Class I Mix.
The dancers are no strangers to winning, as they have competed at state for more than a decade now, winning a total of 21 state championships.

 The Hampton Public Library recently received some exciting news: they, along with every other Carnegie library in the country, will be receiving a $10,000 donation from the Carnegie Corporation of New York at the start of next year.
 

Don’t miss these upcoming events at the Hampton Public Library:

Dec. 11 — Hampton Public Library's open house is being held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be appetizers and light refreshments served throughout the day.

Neighbors will clash and garland will be flung as The Tradition Collision takes the stage at the Windsor Theatre this coming weekend. Presented by the Franklin County Arts Council, performances will be held on December 12 and 13 at 7 p.m.

A Latina holiday pop-up market will be held at La Luz Centro Cultural on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.