News

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday January 21, Humboldt County Democrats plan a food drive to support the Humboldt County Ministerial Association Food Pantry.
Food drive collection will be 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the Fareway Meat and Grocery Store, Highway 3 West, Humboldt.
Shoppers will be invited to donate non-perishable items for the local food pantry, operated by Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. (UDMO). Cash donations will also be welcomed, with 100 percent of donations will go to the food pantry to feed the hungry in our community.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday January 21, Humboldt County Democrats plan a food drive to support the Humboldt County Ministerial Association Food Pantry.
Food drive collection will be 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the Fareway Meat and Grocery Store, Highway 3 West, Humboldt.
Shoppers will be invited to donate non-perishable items for the local food pantry, operated by Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. (UDMO). Cash donations will also be welcomed, with 100 percent of donations will go to the food pantry to feed the hungry in our community.

By KENT THOMPSON
About a dozen concerned citizens met at Humboldt City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 10, with a goal of building an animal shelter in Humboldt County.
The group has organized a 501c(3) non-profit to administer and advise Humboldt County Animal Control Officer Merri Hansen on the operation of the shelter.
A bank account for the Humboldt County Animal Shelter has been established at Bank Iowa in Humboldt for the purpose of accepting tax-deductible donations toward the construction of a building.

By KENT THOMPSON
Small town boy meets big city girl, starts a medical practice in Humboldt, raises a family, and 37 years later will be putting away his stethoscope for the last time on Friday, Jan. 18.
That would be a very simple summation of the life Dr. Laine Dvorak and his wife Marj have enjoyed in this north central Iowa community. But the real story is more complicated, but also more fun.
Dvorak began his medical practice in Humboldt in August 1981, but he worked in the community for a short time during his residency in 1980. He has practiced in the same building throughout his career, a building that will be coming down later this year, when the UnityPoint Clinic becomes part of the new Humboldt County Memorial Hospital addition.
Dvorak has seen many changes during his 37-year medical career. When he first came to Humboldt there was no blood storage capabilities. When a transfusion was needed, doctors had to look for a local donor match.

By KENT THOMPSON
Iowa Cage-Free LLP, started production in 2009 with construction of the first hen barns beginning in 2008.
Growth has been slow and steady. “We slow walked our way into it because it is a different way of producing eggs,” Craig Rowles said.
“We started with one barn in 2009 and slowly grew until 2012. We’ve spent years understanding the production aspects and the genetics, because there are differences among breeds in adapting to the cage-free environment,” Rowles said.
Now, the company is gearing up for further expansion, which could triple the number of eggs laid per year.
There are currently 1.1 million birds at the Wright County site. Considering that each chicken eats approximately one bushel of corn per year, the birds currently on site will consume 1,100,000 bushels of corn per year.

50 years later, 38 members of the class of 1968 and their spouses returned to Humboldt this past summer to attend their 50th high school class reunion and take a tour of their old school.
The Humboldt High School class of 1968 was small in number, 111 students, compared to considerably larger classes before and after. It was the second class to graduate from what some older people to this day call the new high school on Wildcat Road. Twelve members of the graduating class are deceased.
The high school at that time was just three grades, as the ninth graders attended classes at the middle school.
The class of 1968 was the first in Humboldt School history to hoist a state championship trophy, as the 1968 Humboldt Wildcat wrestling team captured the Class A team title. Student Council President Dan Sanders was one of the top milers in the state and signed a national letter with Drake University to run track.

By KENT THOMPSON
It’s official. Humboldt County Deputy Sheriff Brian Ricklefs is resigning, effective Jan. 17.
Action was taken at Wednesday’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisor’s meeting. The Board accepted Ricklefs’ resignation with regret and wished him well in the future.
The decision will cap a 31-year career in local law enforcement, including the past 21 years with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve the citizens of Humboldt County for the past 21 years. I hate to go,” Ricklefs said.
Read more about Ricklefs in this week's Humboldt Independent. Subscribe by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

By KENT THOMPSON
For 50 years Community and Family Resources have been helping those suffering from addiction and looking for help.
The non-profit comprehensive substance abuse provider and advocate for mental health and gambling addiction services is proactively assisting individuals, families and communities in achieve healthy behavior and lifestyles through advocacy, prevention and treatment.
“We were founded in 1968 as a substance abuse treatment provider. Our services in that vein have expanded, with an emphasis on prevention as well as treatment,” Community and Family Resources (CFR) Executive Director Michelle De La Riva said.
Lori Lawman is the counselor for the Humboldt and Pocahontas outpatient programs.

By KENT THOMPSON
The Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) 40,000 square foot addition and 5,000+ square foot remodeling project remains on or ahead of schedule and within budget.
That was the good news from last Thursday’s (Dec. 20) HCMH Board of Trustees meeting.
Victor Bycroft, chief nursing executive and the facilities plan manager for the hospital, reported that brick work has been completed on the south side of the building and is in progress on the east side and should be done before Christmas. He said window frames and glasswork continue to go up and drywall is 98 percent hung on the second floor with 70 percent completed. He said drywall construction is started on the first floor.
To read more about the project and other hospital news, see this week's Humboldt Independent newspaper. Subscribe by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

By KENT THOMPSON
With a Board of Directors in place, a certified non-profit designation on the way and contact made with a broker to line up first-run and recently released features to show, the volunteers comprising the Humota Movie Group are ready to take over the Humota Movie Theatre, perhaps as early as some time next month.
The Humota Movie Group is the official name given to a group of local volunteers who want to see the theatre remain operating and a viable and profitable entertainment venue for many years to come.