The Franklin County Area Chamber of Commerce has a new Executive Director.
Bill Hittle is taking over the position from retiring director Newton Grotzinger and has spent the last week learning the ins and outs of Franklin County's business community.

A GOP contender for the United States Senate visited Hampton last week for a meeting with local Republicans.
Iowa State Senator Jim Carlin is challenging incumbent Senator Charles Grassley in the upcoming June 7 primary for the Republican nomination. On Thursday, April 7, he stopped by Rustic Brew to introduce himself to area conservatives and seek their support in his primary challenge.

Wee One's Christian Pre-School has some new equipment for kids to play on.
"We are very excited," said pre-school director Mary Mollenbeck.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors continued their work on developing a new wind farm ordinance for the county during their regular board meeting on Monday, April 11.
Last week, the supervisors held a public hearing for one version of the proposed ordinance, but decided to go back to the drawing board following its first reading in order to make adjustments after receiving public feedback.

The City of Hampton is searching for a new mayor. Candidates are being sought to finish out Mayor Russell Wood's term as he will be resigning from office effective April 30.
So what does a mayor in Hampton do?
"The Mayor is the face of the community and provides leadership," said City Administrator Ron Dunt.

The Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and City of Hampton are working together to coordinate a Hampton Yard Clean-Up event this month.
From April 15 through April 23 extra efforts will be made to help Hampton residents with their Spring Cleaning.
"I think this is a bigger effort that has typically been done, historically," said Public Works Director Doug Tarr.

Members of the Tall Corn FFA were recognized at their annual banquet on Monday, March 21.
Gathering at the Franklin County Convention Center, the FFA students and their friends and families came together for a meal before enjoying an evening of awards, speakers, and a cake auction fundraiser.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors has decided to make adjustments to the proposed wind farm ordinance following its first public hearing on Monday, April 4.

Five candidates have filed papers to run for two contested county supervisor seats in the upcoming primary election on June 7.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors went over their draft for the county's new wind farm ordinance during their regular meeting on Monday, March 28.

The Hampton-Dumont Community School Board held their regular meeting at an irregular time, coming together on Wednesday, March 23 to go over a budget presentation for the 2022-23 school year.
"I think this is of particular importance this year because we will be going through some reductions," said Superintendent Todd Lettow.

The Hampton City Council will be seeking applications for a new mayor following their regular meeting on Thursday, March 24.
At the meeting, the council moved to accept the eventual resignation of Mayor Russell Wood, effective April 30, and decided on the process for filling his position for the remainder of his term.

It was a wild morning of grocery shopping in Hampton on Thursday, March 24 as teams selected from businesses around the county participated in the 11th annual Breakfast Battle.
Put on by the Franklin County Farm Bureau during Ag Week to bring awareness to food insecurity, the contest challenged teams to race through the store, shopping to find enough groceries to feed a family of four in the fastest time.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors received feedback from Apex Clean Energy regarding the county's proposed wind farm ordinance during their regular meeting on Monday, March 21.

The Tall Corn FFA Chapter held their annual FFA Banquet on Monday, March 21 at the Franklin County Convention Center. The FFA Chapter enjoyed a meal, announced awards and scholarships, and swore in new officers to office. Look for the full story in next week's issue. Photo by Dave Vallery