Hints of fall have begun to pop up around the area’s natural sites.
Trees throughout the community are starting to show changing colors, signaling the beginning of fall color viewing season.
“There are a few species of trees that will start turning colors in the next week or two,” said Franklin County Conservation Director Ned Parker. “The peak will be the end of the month (September) through mid-October.”

An afterschool program for students is expanding to a neighboring school district.
Youth For Christ Central Iowa recently announced that its Campus Life programs, which provide activities and ministry to middle school and high school students, will soon be available to the West Fork communities.

A face behind the series that has connected the Hampton community with up-and-coming country music artists for nearly a decade has elected to take his final bow.
Mike Betten, a radio DJ for KLMJ & KQCR Radio on the Go, celebrated the last day of his career in radio – 32 years of which were spent in Hampton – today, Sept. 30.

Election Day is officially Tuesday, Nov. 3, however one could argue that the 2020 General Election truly begins in just a couple weeks.
On Monday, Oct. 5, county auditors across the state will start to allow in-person voting at their offices and begin the process of mailing out general election ballots to voters who have requested to vote absentee.

Hampton-Dumont and CAL Community School District students this week went back to attending class in-person, full time.

A local business ensured that students and coaches have an added layer of safety as activities return amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
First Bank Hampton recently donated 150 protective face masks to players and coaches in all Hampton-Dumont-CAL athletic programs in grades seven through 12.

An abundance of rain earlier in the month and most cornfields nearing top maturity in the area has led to a waiting game for farmers.

An individual suspected of crashing into the Franklin County Law Enforcement Center has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses related to the collision.

A new class at Hampton-Dumont High School aims to show students the range of careers dedicated to protecting the area’s natural resources.
This year, high school students had the option of taking Conservation Science, which is meant to connect students in the class with conservation professionals.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is looking for answers after a vehicle drove into the Franklin County Law Enforcement Center’s doors last week.
Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd said the suspect drove his or her vehicle through the northeast doors of the building that lead to a hallway outside of the conference room last Wednesday evening around 10:30 p.m.
No one inside the office was injured in the collision.

Activity bags handed out at the La Luz Centro Cultural food shelf distributions are designed to show area children the wonderful world of STEM.
Last Wednesday, La Luz, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council and Iowa State Extension and Outreach Franklin County teamed up to offer STEM bags for students.

An early harvest thanks to a drought and storm damage in some areas mean motorists may soon notice an increase in agricultural implements on the roads.
Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd said several factors exist when navigating roads during late summer and the harvest season. The most prominent, he said, is the presence of combines and other farm machinery on roadways.

Rain and mud didn’t stop more than 100 vendors from the rare chance to sell their products in person this year.
As a light drizzle, expected to grow heavier throughout the day, fell over the Geneva Market Friday morning, Janis Miller, owner of J&J Candles of Manson, Iowa, readied her stock for guests to peruse. For Miller, and many other ven-dors, it was the first show she’s attended since March due to the COVID-19 pan-demic.

Dumont Telephone will soon use grant money allocated through COVID-19 relief to expand its fiber internet service to areas of rural Franklin County.
In July, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the State of Iowa would make $50 million available for broadband expansion across the state through federal CARES Act funding.

Throughout the morning on Labor Day, guests ventured to the Hampton Municipal Airport for this year’s Compassion Flights Fly-In Breakfast.
For $8 for adults and $4 for kids, guests were treated to a pancake and sausage break-fast and afterwards, were en-couraged to view the various aircraft on display outside the hangar.
All proceeds from the break-fast are put towards Compas-sion Flights’ efforts.