The Leader Year in Review - Part 1

As another year comes to an end, it's time to look back on the year's highlights. Here is the first half of the 2025 yearly recap, featuring the stories and people that defined Hancock County.

            JANUARY

            The Hancock County board of supervisors bade farewell to supervisor Jerry Tlach, who retired at the start of the year and received a plaque honoring his 24 years of working for the county. He was then succeeded by Bud Jermeland, who is currently serving in his place.

            Garner residents Bernie and Lorrie Formanek were recognized by Garner-Hayfield-Ventura high school for attending 50 seasons of varsity basketball. They had attended 2,127 games by January 2025.

            Stellar Industries donated over $40k for United Way of North Central Iowa, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Iowans in need. Half of the total came from employee contributions, while the other half came from Stellar's company contributions.

            The Garner library hired a new Youth and Programming Services Director in Bethany Peat.

            FEBRUARY

            All 23 members of West Hancock's high school speech team made it to the state speech event. While they didn't get the top score at the event, coach Kelly Winter congratulated them for making it there together.

            The Garner Chamber of Commerce held their annual meeting on February 8, where their official website, www.garneriowachamber.com, was launched. Many awards were given out, including Kris Hanson receiving the Pillar of the Community award.

            Students from GHV and West Hancock had wrestling athletes make top 3 at the state competition. Creighton Kelly from West Hancock got 2nd place at 175 pounds, while Lucas Kral from GHV took third place at 157 pounds.

            The West Hancock school board officially appointed Jason McLaughlin to be the new school superintendent, filling in for Wayne Kronemann starting later in July. 

The newest member of the Britt City Council, Layne Mosher, took the oath of office at the council’s regularly scheduled meeting on February 4. 

            MARCH

            Hancock County Health System (HCHS) announced that it has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

            A late-for-the-season blizzard hit the county on March 5, dropping over 6 inches of snow and producing wind speeds of around 60 miles per hour.

            The Hancock County Foundation (HCF) celebrated their 20th anniversary with their first annual HCF awards on March 6. $126,995.69 in awards were presented to 22 different projects.

State Senator Dennis Guth and Representative Mark Thompson hosted town meetings in Garner and in Britt to discuss, among many topics, eminent domain and property taxes. 

The Broken Arrow Archery Club represented Hancock County at the state archery tournament.

A Garner man, William Frederick Hood III, faced charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse assault following an incident on Sunday, March 16.

The Iowa River FFA held their 87th annual FFA Awards Ceremony on March 26. The West Hancock FFA, meanwhile, chapter held their awards night on March 24.

            APRIL

            The North Central Iowa Research Association (NCIRA) held their annual meeting at the new research farm in Kanawha, which had about finished construction by the time of the meeting. Members of the association gave presentations on the Kanawha farm's progress, new technologies in agriculture, and the annual election of board members.

            GHV hosted their annual career fair for high school juniors and seniors in the Hancock County area. Students from GHV, West Hancock, Belmond-Klemme, and Forest City attended the fair.

            West Hancock was able to reform the high school girls golf team after being absent since 2023 thanks to high enough participation.

            Howard Harms, James Nelson, David Michel, and Doandl Krull received their certificates for 50 years of continuous service to the American Legion Post 031.

            Easter festivities were celebrated across Hancock County, with egg hunts set up in almost every town in the county.

A decade of growth and accomplishments were highlighted at the Hancock County Economic Development Corps. Annual meeting on April 4.

GHV's prom night was themed "A Night in the Moonlight," and was held at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, while West Hancock's prom night was themed "A Night in Hollywood," and was held in the high school gymnasium. Both prom nights were celebrated on April 26.

Claire Johnson and Gage Konz, students at West Hancock and GHV high schools respectively, were recognized by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer for outstanding academic achievement at the 23rd Annual Governor’s Scholar Recognition Ceremony on April 27.

            MAY

            Boys and Girls from GHV and WH's track teams represented the schools at State Track on May 15-17. 

            Stellar Industries participated in the second Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Celebration of Construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C on May 14-16.

            The North Iowa Rattlers, Garner and Britt’s youth traveling baseball program, took home the championship title in two different tournaments under their two teams, the 12-and-under and 13-and-under teams.

            The GHV and West Hancock classes of 2025 received their high school diplomas and graduated on May 18.

            Memorial Day services were held across Hancock County on May 26.

            Britt Race Day celebrations were held on May 30 to kick off another season of racing at Hancock County Speedway.

            JUNE

            Iowa Republicans met at the fairgrounds for the "Red, White, and You" event, where they could meet with and speak with republicans from the House and Senate while also participating in a silent auction, enjoying ice cream, and socializing with peers.

            Jean Perkins, a long-time member of the Dean Welsh VFW Auxiliary Post 4370, was interviewed about her volunteer work supporting veterans and the military. She's been making flag-shaped key rings made of beads as well as care packages for active-duty marines since 2012 and had herself and the Britt VFW commemorated by Senator Charles Grassley in 2023.

            A ceremony at the GHV elementary school on June 11 celebrated the start of the school's TK-3rd grade classroom renovation project.

            A new Farmers Trust and Savings Bank location opened up in Britt along highway 18 on June 18, replacing the old Main Street location after several years of planning and construction.

            Duncan's annual Duncan Days celebration commemorated the town's 125th anniversary on June 28-29.