It was an Extreme Makeover type experience as the Pre-kindergarten through 2nd graders at the Harlan Community School District along with parents, grandparents and administration unveiled an all new play house to the Primary Building. Mrs. Spangenberg’s 2nd grade class started the  project in November of collecting cans to help raise the funding needed for the new playhouse. With the help of Mr. Klaassen’s high school engineering class, every student designed a miniature playhouse to show
the designer’s what the kids wanted to see in the actual playhouse.

One of the 2nd graders, Teya Frolich said the class gave Leinen Construction some pointers on how the playhouse could be more efficient. The crew designed the playhouse with a skylight on the roof for the children. Mrs. Spangenberg said the class’s project tied into everything the students were learning in math and science. She says in addition to the cans, a bake sale was held. “We did a bake sale at Hy-Vee. Adam was great and allowed us, three moms, to do a bake sale on a Saturday morning. So some money came from that and some came from generous donations.”

One donation in particular was very heart warming. “We got a letter in the mail from Nan and it
was in honor of her husband. Her husband was known as the ‘Avoca Can Man.’ He would collect cans in Avoca, bring them to Harlan. He would cash them in, get the money and give it to youth organizations. And he passed away so that was in honor of him. That was really special and a
neat lesson for the kids to learn.”

Now that the project is over, the kids were asked how soon they would design a real house. They said it would be a “Couple of years.” The students were able to play in the playhouse at second recess this (Tuesday) afternoon.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

DEXTER, Iowa (AP) — A man who was helping to string a new power line near Dexter has died in a fall. KCCI-TV reports the man fell about 50 feet Tuesday morning while working as part of a crew a couple miles north of Dexter. The workers were hanging power lines on the west side of Dexfield Road when the fall occurred from a boom truck.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office says the man died from injuries he received in the fall. The man’s identity and other details weren’t available. Dexter is about 30 miles west of Des Moines.

The Cass and Adair County Boards of Supervisors will hold their regular, separate meetings Wednesday morning. In Atlantic, the Cass County Board will act on a suspension of taxes for a parcel of land in Section 28 owned by the City of Anita. Their meeting begins at 8:30-a.m.

In Greenfield, the Adair County Board will hold a Public Hearing on a Fiscal year 2014 Budget Amendment at 9:30-a.m., followed by approval of a Resolution amending the budget and an Appropriations Resolution.

At 9:45, the Adair Supervisors are scheduled to discuss and vote on a request by three Orient area farmers, all brothers in third generation business, to expand their hog operation. The Geidel brothers want to increase their hog confinement facilities from 2,500 head each, to 5,000 head each. The owners of a nearby, privately run tourist attraction, Hatfield Lakes, is protesting.

The Supervisors will discuss and act on a DNR Notice of Complaint; Master Matrix Scoring; A review of correspondence, and then make a recommendation to the DNR with regard to the request. The meeting at the Adair County Courthouse begins at 9-a.m.