The New Year rang in with a spike of COVID-19 activity in the county as long term while area long-term care facilities worked to inoculate their staff and residents against the disease.
On December 29, the Dumont Wellness Center and Maple Manor Village in Aplington became the first of ABCM's 31 Iowa locations to receive the vaccine from CVS Pharmacy.
Alliant Energy and Iowa State University’s Digital Manufacturing Lab are partnering with two Iowa companies to provide 9,000 free face shields to schools and daycare facilities across the state.
Face shields, unlike face masks, let instructors see a child’s mouth when speaking, allowing for improved communication. These shields are specifically made for youth and fit on the bill of a hat. They can easily be trimmed to fit any size of head.
With a cautious eye to the weeks following the holidays, Hampton-Dumont and CAL schools will return from the winter break remaining in the onsite model.
Last week, the districts’ COVID-19 advisory committee, which analyzes case rates at the school and within the communities to make a decision on which learning model to use, announced that the districts would be onsite when school resumes on January 4.
Students at Hampton-Dumont and CAL Schools will now attend school onsite five days a week.
The CAL and Hampton-Dumont Boards of Education in December voted for Kindergarten through sixth-grade students at the beginning of the second semester to begin attending regular classes on Wednesdays. Junior high and high school students will continue to use the current schedule.
This year, Wednesday has been used as a day for distance learners and other students who need additional help to receive assistance in person at their respective schools.
In two days, calendars will turn to 2021, marking the end of the year many won’t soon forget. While the world experienced a global pandemic, Franklin County welcomed new businesses, mourned the loss of the leaders and navigated its own way through the uncharted waters presented by 2020.
Shoppers at Hampton’s Fareway will notice new, expanded features that come with a comforting sense of familiarity.
Staff at the Hampton Fareway location recently celebrated the completion of a total renovation of the building, which includes larger produce, meat, dry grocery and dairy sections as well as new coolers and freezers, flooring and lights.
The overhaul began on June 6, with a deconstruction of the interior and the addition of new shelving.
Grants through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship allowed students to eat fresh while supporting area producers.
Hampton-Dumont and CAL schools recently received CARES Act Local Produce and Protein Program grants, funded by a $750,000 CARES Act allocation from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
In a year where many faced unexpected financial burdens, the Franklin County community ensured nearly 100 families were still able to give their children gifts under the tree.
The Hampton Rotary Club last Thursday distributed gifts collected during its annual Operation Santa toy drive. Gift and cash donations collected over the course of a month were able to provide presents to 250 children across 88 families.
Kim Price, Rotary president, said the club wasn’t sure what kind of response the program would receive this year, but the end result far exceeded expectations.
The First Citizens Bank branch in Latimer will soon be closing.
Jeff Gribben, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at First Citizens Bank said the branch will close on Feb. 26, 2021. Gribben said that staffing issues and security coverage led to the decision.
“Our concerns for staffing and customer and employee safety were big reasons for us to make this decision,” he said. “Given some of the unfortunate recent incidents at banks across the country and concerns about that branch in case an incident would happen caused us to make the decisions we did.”
