Hampton City Council appointed Kristin Roode to fill the upcoming Ward 1 vacancy during their Thursday night meeting.
Roode currently works as a dispatcher for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, where she's been for the last seven years.
Roode will officially begin on July 1.

Russ Gibson, owner of Christensen Jewelry in Hampton, has been named the Grand Marshal for the 166th Franklin County Fair, which kicks off this July. A dedicated small business owner and proud community supporter, Gibson has operated his downtown jewelry store for the past 37 years — and has spent much of that time giving back to the place he calls home.

Oz Guerrero, 5, was recently named the honorary cancer survivor for the 2025 Franklin County Relay for Life event, which is set for this coming September in Hampton.

One of four people charged with stealing both historical site markers and grave markers has entered a plea of guilty.
Brandon Smith, 43, of Hampton, was charged back in January with theft - first degree and criminal mischief - first degree, both Class “C” felonies.
Now, Smith has entered a written plea of guilty with a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 23 at 9 a.m.

The 2025 Miss Dumont contest will take place on Saturday, June 14, at the Dumont Library in the Brown Building. Meet the two candidates below. 
 
Name: Mikenzi Davis
Parents: Luke and Amanda Davis 
Hometown: Dumont 
Grade (Fall 2025): Senior in high school 
School: North Butler 

Thursday morning, a group of H-D-CAL football players put their muscles to use at Hampton Community Christian Daycare, where they helped distribute sand around the playgrounds.

Hampton City Council interviewed four candidates for the Ward 1 opening during their Monday night workshop.
The following people were interviewed Monday night, after submitting applications for the opening: Aviana Rodriguez Nolte, Marlene Tapp, Kristin Roode and Elizabeth Welker.
Candidates were asked about their leadership qualities, volunteer experience, how they handle criticism and more.

The Friends of Beeds Lake held an open house for new Beeds Lake State Park Manager Alivia Fergus on Sunday, June 1. 
The open house ran from 2 to 4 p.m. in the stone shelter near the main lodge. 
FOBL President Robyn Hill-Kofoot thanked everyone who stopped by, saying they had a great time.
"We are so excited to have Alivia here and it was great she was able to meet so many people this afternoon," Kofoot said.

The team at the Franklin County ISU Extension and Outreach Office is looking for people to help water and weed the community garden behind St. Patrick Catholic Church this summer. 
The community garden was started three summers ago, with funds from the Growing Together Iowa grant, and it’s been a labor of love, said Extension employee Lili Velasco. 

Outgoing Hampton-Dumont Community School District Superintendent Aaron Becker thanked teachers, staff and the community for a wonderful three years in a heartfelt speech during their annual school district breakfast on Monday, June 2. 
Becker will begin his new job as the superintendent of Prairie City Monroe Community School District on July 1. He made the decision to be closer to family.

The ninth annual Gran Festival of North Iowa is almost here. 
The free event will take place at Band Shell Park on Saturday, June 7, from noon to 10 p.m. 
Spectators will hear music from DJ Fanatico, Comando Norteño, Kumbia Klan and Mariachi Nuevo Guachinango, while perusing the many items from the different vendors who’ve signed up. Vendors will sell everything from perfume to Tupperware.

The group behind the revitalization of Dumont Elementary School announced Thursday afternoon that the school had once again been vandalized.

Alivia Fergus is ready to make a difference as the new park manager for Beeds Lake State Park.
Fergus, who graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in biology (and a focus in ecology and conservation) in 2023, started the position two weeks ago. And she’s been loving every minute of it. 

The members of the Hampton Tree Board and Beeds Lake State Park Manager Alivia Fergus teamed up to plant four new trees at the park Thursday afternoon, May 22. 
 
They planted a swamp white oak, a chinkapin oak, a scarlett oak and a lyndin oak.
 

Every year, Franklin General Hospital’s EMS team responds to more than one thousand calls.
It’s a big job, said EMS Manager Nancy Retz, but it’s one that they all enjoy doing.
Retz, who stepped into the manager role six years ago, oversees the department of twenty people — a mix of full-time and part-time paramedics, EMTs and drivers. Some are called in as needed.