News

By KENT THOMPSON
Following a 20-minute closed session with a Des Moines attorney, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously agreed to terms of settlement in a civil lawsuit involving 911 Database Manager Cherese Sexe and Humboldt County.
The meeting was held in closed session under Iowa Code 21.5 (1) of the open meetings law, “to discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the county in such litigation.”
Meeting with the five-member board was Hugh J. Cain, attorney with the Des Moines law firm of Hopkins & Huebner.
District 3 Supervisor Rick Pedersen moved to approve the settlement as discussed in closed session with District 4 Supervisor Erik Underberg seconding. Supervisors Sandy Loney, Dave Lee and Chairman Bruce Reimers also voted in favor.

By Phil Monson
A major change in the Humboldt school lunch program will take place this fall after action by the board of education in their monthly meeting Monday night, May 16.
The board approved a contract with Opaa Food Management, Inc, to lead the district’s food service program for the 2022-23 school year.
“We’ve been working the whole year on this. It’s a big project,” Humboldt School Superintendent Jim Murray said.
“After we pay for their services after the year, they project us coming in $103,451 to the good,” Murray said. “One of the rules is the food service director, the nutrition director, can’t be employed by the school.”
“It’s not going to cure our staff issue (shortage). This company services several school districts in Iowa, the nearest St. Edmond in Fort Dodge. But they have the expertise to help us get that food out,” Murray said.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found in Dickinson and Humboldt counties for the first time. The invasive, ash tree-killing insect from Asia has now been confirmed in all but eight of Iowa’s 99 counties since its original detection in 2010.
EAB larvae were collected by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship staff just outside the eastern city limits of Arnolds Park (Dickinson County) and rural Dakota City (Humboldt County). Federal identification confirmed the samples positive for EAB.
Indicators of an infestation may include canopy thinning, leafy sprouts shooting from the trunk or main branches, serpentine (“S”-shaped) galleries under the bark, bark splitting, woodpecker damage, and 1/8-inch D-shaped exit holes.

By KENT THOMPSON
The Humboldt County Zoning Board of Adjustment has made a decision, but a final determination on whether or not Mitch Fridolfson of Humboldt can build a campground north of Gotch Park, appears to be far from over.
Following two public hearings and meeting with Fridolfson and adjoining neighbors, the Zoning Board of Adjustment spent over one hour deliberating Monday, May 2, before reaching unanimous decision not to allow Fridolfson’s request. Fridolfson has appealed the board's action. Read about the details in this week's Humboldt Independent. Subscribe to receive the print or digital editions of the full newspaper each week by clicking on the Subscribe link at the top of this page and order online.

Mel Dettmann, fifth grade teacher at St. Mary School in Humboldt, will receive the Excellence in Education Award from the Sioux City Diocese. The award ceremony will take place during the Bishop’s Dinner in Sioux City on Sept. 17.
St. Mary School surprised Dettmann with the announcement of the award at the all-school Mass on April 29. The Mass was attended by Superintendent of Catholic Schools Patty Lansink along with Dettmann’s parents and her family. She was nominated for the award by her father, Mike Riedell.
“I feel very blessed to work in a very rewarding job and to be around great people and students that I love and enjoy,” Dettmann said.
Read more about the local educator in this week's Humboldt Independent, your trusted source for local news and sports.

On May 4, Humboldt High School held their Awards Night with more than 90 awards/scholarships presented. There were 74 students honored and more than 50 members of the community presented more than $185,000, plus military compensation to the students. See all the honorees in a special section in this week's Humboldt Independent. Purchase a photo at www.humboldtnews.com and click on the Buy A Photo link.

By KENT THOMPSON
The saga of what will happen to the Reasoner Dam in Humboldt took another bend in the river Monday when the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors denied approval of matching funds to support the dam project as part of a Destination Iowa outdoor recreation grant.
Humboldt County Conservation Director Todd Lee told the Supervisors that the new state grant program, which has $100 million available, including $40 million for outdoor recreation, is looking for big ticket projects which show cooperation with other entities. Lee presented the Board with options that could get the county a reasonable chance of getting some funding, but the Board wanted to be cautious about committing county monies.

By KENT THOMPSON
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about succession planning when it comes to Iowa agriculture and small business.
The average age of an Iowa farmer is 57 years old. Did you know that there are more than four times as many Iowa farmers over the age of 65 than there are under the age of 35? That should give all of us pause. Who is going to farm and put food on the table in the future?
Well there is a story about a Humboldt Township farmer and a young cattle producer who are making the whole ag succession discussion work in practice. Read about how Tyler McCullough got into the cattle business in the Salute to Area Beef Producers, a full section of news articles, photos and advertisements about beef and animal agriculture, exclusively in this week's Humboldt Independent. Subscribe today by clicking on the link at the top of this page and read what you are missing.

By KENT THOMPSON
Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) Chief Executive Officer Michelle Sleiter said while no new COVID cases have been reported in Humboldt County during the past 10 days, HCMH will continue to require masks for all public spaces in the hospital.
“While many hospitals and clinics are loosening their masking requirements, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital will continue to mandate masks and screening for all staff, patients and visitors within the public/common spaces of our hospital. As of today (Monday, May 2) the guidance from our regulatory bodies, Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), continue to require masking for all individuals within the public spaces of the hospital. Having a nursing home within the hospital does create additional regulations that a hospital or clinic without a nursing home may not have,” Sleiter said.