March 2026

Humboldt High School students led by instructor Joel Hanus, scored high at the SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference in Des Moines March 5-6 inside the Varied Industries Building on the state fairgrounds.

SkillsUSA is a national workforce development organization for students. It prepares students to become skills professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members.

“SkillsUSA emphasizes workplace skills, personal skills and technical skills and their framework. From our Humboldt chapter, we had students compete in masonry, cabinet-making, extemporaneous speaking, sheet metal and we had a team participate in a quiz bowl,” Hanus said.

“We don’t bring projects to the event. Students have to go there and make their project in a given amount of time. Their projects are judged by people from the industry. The masonry competition is hosted by the Masonry Union,” Hanus said.

Brenda Milligan, 63 of Algona, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Council Bluffs. Funeral services were held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the West Bend United Methodist Church in West Bend. Interment took place at West Bend Cemetery in West Bend. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend. Online condolences may be left at www.lentzfuneralhome.com.
Brenda K (Ludwig) Milligan passed away, fittingly, on her birthday, surrounded by the love of her family, a final celebration in true Brenda fashion. She always did like to have fun. She leaves behind a legacy of warmth, strength and unmistakable style.

Seymour Ray Hoopingarner, age 89, of Humboldt, formerly of Rolfe, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in the comfort of his home.
Funeral Service was Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rolfe, Iowa. Pastor Don Bell officiated. Burial took place in Clinton-Garfield Cemetery near Rolfe with Military Rites by American Legion Post 25 of Rolfe. Powers Funeral Home of Rolfe, handled the arrangements.
Ray was born Jan. 4, 1937 to Isaac and Esther (Jensen) Hoopingarner in Roscoe, MO. At the age of 11, he moved with his family to the farm north of Rolfe. He graduated from the D.M.T. School with the class of 1954. He then began his farming career on the family farm.