Hamilton County, IA

Don Bottorff, 78, a long-time Webster City husband, father, grandfather, attorney, brother, workaholic and one of the wittiest humans that ever lived, said his last “See ya later” on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at Paula J. Baber Hospice Home after a long and heroic battle. A Coffee for Don will be held Friday, June 18, 2021 at Briggs Woods Convention Center from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with a time of sharing at 10:30 a.m. Foster Funeral & Cremation Center is assisting the family.

The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors gave a COVID-19 update during its meeting on Tuesday morning. Board chairman Dan Campidilli noted that last Wednesday, the county hosted a kids COVID-19 vaccine clinic and 75 kids were vaccinated. He said the county public health department has also been doing some home visits to distribute vaccines to those who are homebound.

The next Hamilton County Board of Supervisors meeting will be Tuesday morning,June 8 at 9:00 in the downstairs conference room of the courthouse. There will be a COVID-19 update. The board will review a library contract,approve a Solutions computer support agreement, approve a statement of understanding with Central Iowa Community Services and make an appointment to the Stratford Library Board. There will be board and committee reports and other county information. Tuesday’s meeting will be audio streamed at www.hamiltoncountyia.org.

Entries are now being accepted for the 2021 Hamilton County Fair Queen Contest. Girls who reside in Hamilton County or who reside in a county adjoining Hamilton but the majority of her activities are in Hamilton County are eligible. Contestants must be at least 16 years of age and not more than 21 years of age on the first day of the Iowa State Fair.

Governor Kim Reynolds was in Hamilton County on Wednesday night. The Governor spoke at a banquet held by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association in Webster City. Reynolds addressed issues and difficulties cattle producers have been facing for the last year and a half. She touted her support for Iowa’s livestock industry, including the $16 million dollars in Cares Act funding allocated to producers statewide.

AMES – More than 10,500 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the spring semester 2021 Dean’s List. Students named to the Dean’s List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded coursework.

Surrounded by hundreds of billowing American flags, American Legion Post No. 191 presented a Memorial Day observance Monday morning at Graceland Cemetery in Webster City. The observance followed a morning of tributes at two other locations around the community. The first was at the Marshall Crippen Bridge on North Des Moines Street where the Legion Auxiliary presented a service honoring those who were lost at sea. The Legion also conducted services at Cass Center Cemetery, northeast of Webster City.

After an absence of one year, there will be a new Hamilton County Fair Queen come next month. Entries are now being accepted for the 2021 Hamilton County Fair Queen Contest. Girls who reside in Hamilton County or who reside in a county adjoining Hamilton but the majority of her activities are in Hamilton County are eligible. Contestants must be at least 16 years of age and not more than 21 years of age on the first day of the Iowa State Fair. Judging will take place on July 17, 2021 and Coronation of the 2021 Fair Queen will be the evening of July 22, 2021. The contest is limited to the first sixteen entries. Complete rules and entry forms are available in the 2021 Hamilton County Fair Book or by contacting Fair Queen Committee members: Kim Schaa 515-290-5815, Kathleen Hay 515-832-5291, Carla Johnson 515-832-3675, or Nikki Ehn 515-729-6402. The current fair queen is Katelyn Sogard of Stanhope. Sogard was crowned fair queen in July, 2019. There was no queen crowned last year due to the pandemic.

Junquefest was back for a two-day run in Webster City over the Memorial Day weekend. The event featured vendors offering a variety of antique, salvage and home decor items. Shoppers didn’t seem to mind the cooler temperatures and intermittent rain on Friday as they browsed both the inside and outside booths on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. Sunshine returned on Saturday just in time for the Kids Zone to open up, providing many activities for young people. The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event also attracted several food trucks and vendors who offered many different options for hungry shoppers.

Kermit Klaas Klaver, 90, of Story City, Iowa was called to his heavenly home on Sunday, May 30, 2021. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the Community Church of Kamrar, on Sunday, June 6, 2021. Celebration of Life Service will be 10:30 AM on Monday, June 7, 2021, at the Community Church of Kamrar. The family has chosen Boman Funeral Home (www.bomanfh.com) to care for their needs.

There has been a drop in Hamilton County’s unemployment rate for April. The Iowa Workforce Development office this week reported the rate for last month was at 3.8 percent. There were 6,420 people employed across the county last month with 250 people unemployed. In March, Hamilton County’s unemployment rate was at 4.4 percent. In April,2020, the rate soared to 9 percent due to the start of the COVID pandemic. The unemployment rates for surrounding counties for April include Boone County at 3.1 percent, Franklin County at 3.4 percent, Hardin County at 3.6 percent, Story County at 2.5 percent, Webster County was 4.1 percent and Wright County at 3.4 percent. Iowa’s unemployment for April was 3.8 percent which was up slightly from the March rate at 3.7 percent.

The Kendall Young Library is gearing up to roll out its summer reading programs for children, teens and adults, beginning June 1, according to library officials. Library Director Ketta Lubberstedt-Arjes said the programs allow participants to spend time reading and maybe, earn some prizes. “It runs through July 31 and...

Iowa State Alumni Club of Hamilton County Awards ScholarshipsThe Iowa State University Alumni Club of Hamilton County annually offers scholarship awards to individuals who live in or attend school in Hamilton County, and who are planning to or currently attend school at Iowa State University. Recipients are selected based on...

Upgrades to Iowa’s emergency notification system, Alert Iowa, are making it easier for residents of Hamilton County to sign up and receive alerts about severe weather and other emergencies. Alert Iowa is a statewide emergency notification system the county uses to send alerts to residents. Improvements to the system will...

The celebration billed as the “best in all things rusty, dusty and salvaged” — JunqueFest — is back this weekend in Webster City. “We’re going full-speed ahead,” said Jen Peterman, executive director of the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce, the group organizing the event. The event, which was last...

The Webster City Community Theatre has announced the 2021 scholarship awardees. Students graduating or who have graduated from a Hamilton County high school or a student outside the county but active in WCCT were eligible. Awards of $500 went to Alyssa Delaney, Jake Lahr, Kyle Chieng, all of the class...

Memorial Day is a day of honoring our military veterans. The American Legion Auxiliary reads the names of the Hamilton County Veterans that have passed away in the last year during the Memorial Day ceremony at Graceland Cemetery. The names are collected through the Veterans Affairs office from registrations passed...

Two Webster City residents were arrested on drug-related charges Saturday following the execution of a search warrant. The Webster City Police Department executed a search warrant on the residence located at 944 Third Street, Unit 1 in Webster City. The search warrant was the result of a months-long investigation into the sales and distribution of narcotics, according to Chief Shiloh Mork. Officers seized a substantial amount of Methamphetamine and Marijuana from the residence as well as currency, prescription medications and drug paraphernalia.