News

Tall Corn FFA Banquet

Published by editor on Wed, 04/06/2022 - 10:35am

Members of the Tall Corn FFA were recognized at their annual banquet on Monday, March 21.

Gathering at the Franklin County Convention Center, the FFA students and their friends and families came together for a meal before enjoying an evening of awards, speakers, and a cake auction fundraiser.

Former FFA member Alexis Barkema was the guest speaker of the evening. She spoke about her time with FFA and how being in a leadership position helped her prepare for life after graduation.

"I'm still using the same skills, just using them in a different manner," said Barkema.

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Wind Farm ordinance has first public hearing

Published by editor on Wed, 04/06/2022 - 9:05am

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors has decided to make adjustments to the proposed wind farm ordinance following its first public hearing on Monday, April 4.

After weeks of working out the specifics of a new ordinance that would regulate the development of wind farms in the county, the ordinance was finally made available for public review. Area residents flocked to the Franklin County Law Enforcement Center on Monday to present their feedback on the ordinance for its first scheduled public hearing.

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Candidates file for open supervisor seats

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:14am

Five candidates have filed papers to run for two contested county supervisor seats in the upcoming primary election on June 7.

Seeking to represent Supervisor District 1 are two incumbent supervisors as Gary McVicker, who currently holds the District 2 seat, has been moved into current District 1 Supervisor Michael Nolte's district since the recent redistricting. Nolte and McVicker are both running as Republicans in the primary and the winner will face Landon Plagge of Latimer, who is running as an independent.

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Franklin County prepares wind farm ordinance for first public hearing

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:11am

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors went over their draft for the county's new wind farm ordinance during their regular meeting on Monday, March 28.

The supervisors have been hashing out details of the ordinance, seeking a balance in regulations that will protect rural residents from nuisances without overly restricting the ability for wind farm development. Having gotten their draft back from the state, the supervisors went over various provisions for final adjustments before submitting it to public review.

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H-D approves budget reductions

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:08am

The Hampton-Dumont Community School Board held their regular meeting at an irregular time, coming together on Wednesday, March 23 to go over a budget presentation for the 2022-23 school year.

"I think this is of particular importance this year because we will be going through some reductions," said Superintendent Todd Lettow.

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City accepting Mayoral applications

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:06am

The Hampton City Council will be seeking applications for a new mayor following their regular meeting on Thursday, March 24.

At the meeting, the council moved to accept the eventual resignation of Mayor Russell Wood, effective April 30, and decided on the process for filling his position for the remainder of his term.

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Farm Bureau hosts 11th Annual Breakfast Battle

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:05am

It was a wild morning of grocery shopping in Hampton on Thursday, March 24 as teams selected from businesses around the county participated in the 11th annual Breakfast Battle.

Put on by the Franklin County Farm Bureau during Ag Week to bring awareness to food insecurity, the contest challenged teams to race through the store, shopping to find enough groceries to feed a family of four in the fastest time.

"It's chaos, and that's how it normally goes," said Anna Dunnwald of Franklin County Farm Bureau. "It was fantastically chaotic."

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Apex provides feedback on wind farm ordinance draft

Published by editor on Wed, 03/23/2022 - 10:00am

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors received feedback from Apex Clean Energy regarding the county's proposed wind farm ordinance during their regular meeting on Monday, March 21.

For several weeks now, the supervisors have been hashing out the details of a new ordinance that would regulate the construction and development of wind turbines in the county, largely in response to a potential wind farm project Apex Clean Energy is planning in northern Franklin County.

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Tall Corn FFA Banquet

Published by editor on Wed, 03/23/2022 - 9:52am

The Tall Corn FFA Chapter held their annual FFA Banquet on Monday, March 21 at the Franklin County Convention Center. The FFA Chapter enjoyed a meal, announced awards and scholarships, and swore in new officers to office. Look for the full story in next week's issue. Photo by Dave Vallery

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Mayor Wood announces resignation

Published by editor on Wed, 03/23/2022 - 9:49am

The City of Hampton will soon be in need of a new Mayor.

Mayor Russell Wood announced his impending resignation, effective April 30, during a special council meeting on Monday, March 14.

Wood has been the Mayor of Hampton since 2019 when he was appointed by the council to complete the term of his predecessor, Brook Boehmler. He was properly elected later that year for a full term and recently won re-election in 2021, putting him just a few months into his second term.