Mid-America Publishing took home a number of awards during the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Award Ceremony last Thursday evening, Feb. 5. The following newspapers and journalists were recognized for their excellent work:
 
Wright County Monitor, Amanda Rink
—First Place, Weekly Column (Class II)
—Second Place, Continuing Coverage (Class II)
 
Ida County Courier-Reminder, Jenny Seuntjens

An Iowa Falls man was arrested on multiple drug charges by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Thursday evening, Feb. 5.
During a traffic stop, John Larson, 53, of Iowa Falls was found in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Saylor Foundation was recently named the Organization of the Year by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.
The foundation — which was started in the late ‘70s by the original owners of First Bank Hampton, Alvin and Helen Saylor — has given away well over one million dollars to local non-profits over the years.
It's currently being led by Nancy Boyington and Dave Heuberger.

Valeria Gonzalez has some exciting news to share with the community: she was recently named the Director of the NIACC Career Center-Franklin County, which is set to open on Aug. 1.
The center in Hampton will be the third satellite campus for NIACC, with the other two being  in Forest City and Charles City.

Franklin County VA Director Adam Akers, who has been serving in his role for the last five years, was recently named the recipient of the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Award.
 
Since joining the VA, he has helped hundreds of local veterans every year with everything from processing important paperwork for their federal benefits to organizing day trips for veterans.
 

If you live in the area, and enjoy attending community events, it’s likely you’ve seen Dyanne Pralle and Sue Followwill around.
These two have poured years of their lives back into the community through their volunteer work as ambassadors with the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce — who recently named them Ambassadors of the Year.

The Democratic Party of Franklin County held their precinct caucus at La Frontera Monday evening, Feb. 2. 
Franklin County Democratic Chair Catherine Crooks told the Chronicle that they saw a record attendance for an off-year caucus, surpassing their attendance numbers from 2018. 

Members of the Republican Party of Franklin County held their caucus at Hampton-Dumont High School on Monday evening, Feb. 2. 
The caucus started off with open registration and a chance for constituents to review and sign petitions from local, state and federal Republican candidates for the 2026 midterm elections, before listening to a number of speeches from these candidates. 

After 18 years in business, Latimer Grocery is closing and will re-open under new ownership.
Manager Regina Blau — who’s been running the grocery store since 2023 — emphasized that the closure is not a reflection of the management or the community support, but rather the result of a change in property ownership. The business has been sold and the new owners are set to take over in the near future.
 
 

Hampton residents Kailey and Josh Einspahr were named the recipients of the January 2026 Image of Pride Award during the Jan. 22 city council meeting for their property at 902 1st Ave SE.
 
They were nominated for the award by City Councilor Kristin Roode, who applauded them for their indoor and outdoor home projects, including their annual Christmas display in front of their house.
 

 The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved a funding request for a new app from Sheriff Aaron Dodd during their Jan. 26 meeting.
 

The Windsor Theatre was recently named “Member of the Year” by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.
 
The Windsor Theatre Development Corporation has been managed by lifelong Hampton resident Jim Davies — who oversees everything from booking movies to building maintenance — since 1999.
 

The folks with the Franklin County Ministerial Association are inviting one and all to their first free community meal scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Hampton United Methodist Church.
The meal, which will be made possible by the FCMA and their church members, is greatly blessed by two $250 Thrivent grants and special discounts from Fareway, said event organizers.

The Franklin County Relay for Life crew held another successful Coaches VS Cancer event, on Saturday, Jan. 24, raising thousands of dollars for their cause.
The Hampton-Dumont-CAL and West Fork varsity teams took to the court starting at 3 p.m., with the girls first, followed by the boys teams.

The Hampton city council discussed their chicken ordinance once again during their Jan. 19 meeting.
 
The group started by reviewing a draft ordinance for chickens within city limits. Changes included adding the definition of a chicken and updating the portion about written consent from the council.