With two council members absent, the Hampton City Council managed a quorum for their workshop on Monday, August 23 with members Steve Birdsall, Patrick Palmer, and Bill Hodge present while Dick Lukensmeyer and Mayor Russell Wood participated virtually.

Hampton was a little bit more musical on Monday, August 16 as the River City Chorus gathered in town for an evening of song.
"We're getting out and finally starting to get moving again," said Stan Zinnell, one of the group's members.

A new attraction in downtown Latimer is keeping the past alive.
The Latimer Development Committee has turned an unused patch of land on Main Street into a small park where people can enjoy a look at the community's history.
From the vintage point of the newly installed bench, visitors can enjoy a small gallery of historic photos presented on the exterior wall of the Farm Bureau Office building.

The Latimer City Council met on Wednesday, August 11 for their regular meeting at the Latimer Community Center.
At the meeting, it was noted that election papers will soon need to be filed for the upcoming election. Mayor Mark Johansen and council members Catherine Crooks and Eric Bruns will be up for re-election this year.

The Hampton-Dumont community school board discussed mask policy, alternative school locations, weight room use, and open enrollment transportation during their regular meeting on Monday, August 16.
With the school year approaching, the board held a brief discussion about mask policy on school busses as COVID-19 continues to be a concern.

The Hampton City Council awarded Ryan and Kelsey Card with the August 2021 Image of Pride award during their regular meeting on Thursday, August 12.
The Cards are the owners of God Fuel, a new café located at 703 Central Ave. W. Starting up the new shop involved repurposing an old auto service station into a café.

As the Olympic games come to a close in Tokyo, Franklin County has their own champion among them.
Charlee Morton returned home victorious last week after competing in the United States Track and Field Junior Olympics in Jacksonville, Florida, winning the 13-14 year-old girls shot put contest.
"I was pretty excited," said Morton.

The Hampton City Council continued their ongoing discussion about potential dog park locations during their workshop meeting on Monday, August 9.
Beginning with public comments, Carolee Philpott returned to the council to again state that she opposes utilizing Memorial Park as a dog park and asked that the council forever remove the park from consideration as a potential site for a dog park.

Cover crops were the topic of the day out at Plagge Farms in Latimer on Friday, August 6.
The Plagge Family, working in conjunction with Practical Farmers of Iowa, hosted a party of area farmers and agricultural enthusiasts for a group tour of their farm to explain the methods and tools they use to implement their cover crop system.

The Hampton City Council moved forward with more licensing updates and continued discussion on dog parks during their regular meeting on Thursday, July 22.
At the meeting, the council recognized Compro Casas and Belen Krabbe as July's Image of Pride Award winner, specifically acknowledging her property at 402 3rd Ave SW as a standout rental in the community.

The Franklin County Fair was back in full swing this year.
After the COVID-19 pandemic cut down the summertime event last year, the 2021 fair returned with a score of new activities and attractions.
"Everything on the grounds went really smooth," said Franklin County Fair Board President Jon Baltes. "Everybody is in really good spirits.

The CAL Community School Board approved the new calendar for the 2021-22 school year during their regular meeting on Monday, July 19.

Hampton has a new place to pick-up lunch.
God Fuel, owned and operated by Kelsey and Ryan Card, has opened up to offer a unique menu of health conscious items for the community to enjoy. The new restaurant, located on the west side of Central Avenue, opened their doors on July 1 and since then has seen a steady stream of people coming in to try out their options.

The Hampton Municipal Band concluded their 100th season of performing with a special anniversary concert on Sunday, July 11.
Following five consecutive weeks of playing for Hampton's Tuesday on the Town events in June along with an Independence Day concert, last weekend's concert marks the seventh and final performance of the year for the community band, which has enjoyed a successful overall season of shows.

The Hampton-Dumont Community School Board held a public hearing to discuss the adjusted school calendar for the 2021-22 school year during their regular meeting on Monday, July 12.