The plan for a new medical clinic in Latimer is nearly complete.
Franklin General Hospital CEO Kim Price said the new clinic is necessary to accommodate the current patients and welcome new ones, especially after the recent closing of the Dows clinic. He said while Latimer currently has a clinic, it is too small for staff to conduct their duties and the layout does not allow expansion or adequate renovations.

The celebrations of Hampton’s past, present and future have been announced.
The Hampton Historic Preservation Society and the Hampton 150th Committee last week announced events for Hampton’s Sesquicentennial celebration this summer. The slate of activities includes a few Hampton favorites as well as some specifically special to the 150th anniversary.

Afterschool snacks are a great reward for a hard day’s work, so a local program is showing students that treats can be nutritious and delicious.
Iowa State Extension Franklin County last week hosted its Pick a Better Snack program at CAL and Hampton-Dumont schools last week. Targeted at third graders, the monthly event allows students the opportunity to try new fruits and vegetables in hopes of encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Following the most successful year in school history, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL ProStart teams are getting cooking once again as contest season approaches.

A new name for a Hampton-based outreach organization reflects its mission to celebrate those who walk through its doors.

Formerly La Luz Hispana, La Luz Centro Cultural changed its name to encompass all the programs and services it offers.

A delicious dive into Franklin County’s cultural makeup returns later this month.
La Luz Centro Cultural on Tuesday, Feb. 25 will bring back Cultural Cooking Classes.
Each month, La Luz will invite an area resident to instruct “students” on how to make a dish from her respective country. The first class will be enchiladas, instructed by La Luz staffers Maria Guadiana and Lily Velasco.

Members of Mid-America Publishing got the chance to honor longtime publisher Jack Zimmerman of the Sheffield Press during a reception last Wednesday at the Hampton Chronicle.
Zimmerman was the recipient of a special plaque presented recently by the Iowa Newspaper Association in recognition of his 64 years in the profession.
History
How did it all begin for him in journalism?

“ I bug my teacher!” Is the theme for nearly 200 middle school students, as part of the 10th annual Kiwanis “BUGs” program. Fifth graders earned certificates and bugs buttons a recent assembly at hampton-dumont middle school.

Parents attending the Hampton-Dumont-CAL basketball game Friday learned that there’s more than meets the eye.
H-D-CAL and Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare on Friday, during the basketball games, hosted “Hidden in Plain Sight.” The program was a simulated teenage bedroom complete with items that resemble one thing, but may have uses harmful or illegal towards children.

Hundreds of newspaper workers and related industry professionals descended on Des Moines last week for the annual Iowa Newspaper Association convention, but few traveled as far as Piotr Marek.
Marek is the CEO of CMS4Media, a developing web company specializing in helping news organizations improve their online presence.

Area students pursuing a career in a technical field will receive a unique recognition later this month.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) will host a National Career and Technical Education Letter of Intent Signing Day at the Muse Norris Conference Center in Mason City beginning at 10 a.m.

The Hampton Chronicle claimed more than a dozen awards at the 2020 Iowa Newspaper Association Awards Banquet last Friday.
Each year, the INA hosts the Iowa Better Newspaper Contests ceremony to celebrate journalistic accomplishments from the previous year in connection with the annual Convention and Trade Show.

Lunchtime at CAL feels less like school and more like a restaurant thanks to some new furniture.

Russell Wood recently received an opportunity to further his involvement with people in the area who live with disabilities.
Wood, the Hampton mayor, was named the CEO of Central Iowa Community Services, an 11 county mental health and disabilities service region. Wood currently serves as planning officer with CICS and has been with the regional organization since its inception in 2013.

For two Hampton business owners, last Friday was a dream achieved.
Molly Bird, owner of the Memories by Molly photography studio and Brandi Freie, owner of Divine Impression, a massage therapy service, celebrated a ribbon cutting and grand opening of their businesses, which are both located in the former Long Term Medical Supply building.