Did you know that El Valle will be celebrating 24 years of business this May?

Local law enforcement saw an increase in calls for help as a result of the heavy snowfall last Thursday evening and Friday morning.
The Hampton Police Department responded to a total of 28 calls, most of which were from drivers who were stuck in the snow. The police department also issued 24 parking tickets to those who were parked on city streets during the city snow ordinance.

The local Knights of Columbus held their first of three fish fries for the Lent season on Friday, Feb. 20, at St. Patrick Catholic Church.

Candle-Stick Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 10 at the G.A.R. Memorial Hall in Hampton to honor the Class of 2026 DAR Good Citizens from this area. The DAR Good Citizen Scholarship program seeks to find and honor High School graduating students for their dedication to the qualities of good character who have demonstrated the traits of -- Dependability, Service, Leadership, and Patriotism.

Jerry and Galen Brinkman were one of several couples who celebrated Valentine’s Day at FGH Assisted Living this year.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors held a special session on Feb. 6 to review and discuss their employee benefits renewal for 2027.
 
The renewal is set for July 1 of this year though June 30 of 2027.
 

Mid-America Publishing took home a number of awards during the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Award Ceremony last Thursday evening, Feb. 5. The following newspapers and journalists were recognized for their excellent work:
 
Wright County Monitor, Amanda Rink
—First Place, Weekly Column (Class II)
—Second Place, Continuing Coverage (Class II)
 
Ida County Courier-Reminder, Jenny Seuntjens

An Iowa Falls man was arrested on multiple drug charges by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Thursday evening, Feb. 5.
During a traffic stop, John Larson, 53, of Iowa Falls was found in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Saylor Foundation was recently named the Organization of the Year by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.
The foundation — which was started in the late ‘70s by the original owners of First Bank Hampton, Alvin and Helen Saylor — has given away well over one million dollars to local non-profits over the years.
It's currently being led by Nancy Boyington and Dave Heuberger.

Valeria Gonzalez has some exciting news to share with the community: she was recently named the Director of the NIACC Career Center-Franklin County, which is set to open on Aug. 1.
The center in Hampton will be the third satellite campus for NIACC, with the other two being  in Forest City and Charles City.

Franklin County VA Director Adam Akers, who has been serving in his role for the last five years, was recently named the recipient of the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Award.
 
Since joining the VA, he has helped hundreds of local veterans every year with everything from processing important paperwork for their federal benefits to organizing day trips for veterans.
 

If you live in the area, and enjoy attending community events, it’s likely you’ve seen Dyanne Pralle and Sue Followwill around.
These two have poured years of their lives back into the community through their volunteer work as ambassadors with the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce — who recently named them Ambassadors of the Year.

The Democratic Party of Franklin County held their precinct caucus at La Frontera Monday evening, Feb. 2. 
Franklin County Democratic Chair Catherine Crooks told the Chronicle that they saw a record attendance for an off-year caucus, surpassing their attendance numbers from 2018. 

Members of the Republican Party of Franklin County held their caucus at Hampton-Dumont High School on Monday evening, Feb. 2. 
The caucus started off with open registration and a chance for constituents to review and sign petitions from local, state and federal Republican candidates for the 2026 midterm elections, before listening to a number of speeches from these candidates. 

After 18 years in business, Latimer Grocery is closing and will re-open under new ownership.
Manager Regina Blau — who’s been running the grocery store since 2023 — emphasized that the closure is not a reflection of the management or the community support, but rather the result of a change in property ownership. The business has been sold and the new owners are set to take over in the near future.