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Authorities said a Spirit Lake teenager was taken to Lakes Regional Healthcare with possible minor injuries Monday afternoon, after his moped collided with an SUV on Highway 71. Emergency personnel were seen placing 14-year-old Dillon Ferguson on a stretcher before loading him into an ambulance near Ferguson's Garden Center. ...

Dickinson County remains in position to show growth when census employees do their official count in 2020. The State Data Center in Iowa released its county estimates on April 18. Dickinson County was one of 30 counties to show growth since 2010, with a gain of 486 residents. The Iowa Great Lakes started the decade with an estimated 16,667 residents. It now has 17,153 residents and is the 13th fastest-growing county in the state at 2.9%...

New trial dates — two of them — have been set for an Ackley man accused of confining his son in darkness, terrorizing him about dogs, withholding food and toilet use, injuring him and forcing him to sleep on a cement floor. Alex Craig Shadlow is scheduled to stand trial at 9 a.m. ...

The founder of Templeton Rye hopes another mix of Iowa geography and distilled spirits will be the cocktail for success. Foundry Distilling Co. owner Scott Bush on Thursday launched Okoboji Vodka at a Pearson Lakes Art Center event in Okoboji. He describes his brand of vodka as "100% corn, pot-distilled and gluten free."...

Dozens of area residents applauded after a recent Spirit Lake Council vote, which blocked the potential for a multi-family housing development along 36th Street. Developer Scott Nylen of West Okoboji Harbor Inc., had requested nearly 12 acres of land between Lincoln Avenue and Memphis Avenue be rezoned R-3 — multi-residential. ...

Does $1,320 an inch sound about right? That is what the letter from Stephanie Sohn, the assessor informed me a month ago. Up 20% from last year. Since I was 10 years old, I dreamed of having a home on West Okoboji Lake. I am one of the lucky ones whose dream came true. But that dream is becoming more impossible each year as many owners are being displaced from the market by wealthy buyers who line up at realtors' offices with suitcases full of cash...

It meant a lot of furniture had to be lifted, according to co-owner Amanda Williams, but Midwest Modern is now open for business. Williams and fellow owner Shannon Dunham were joined by the Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce Friday afternoon to officially cut the ribbon outside their location at 3524 Highway 71 in Spirit Lake...

Students at Spirit Lake High School participated in the Red Sand Project on May 10. Over 70 students, staff, local law enforcement and Cathy Hansen from the CARES group joined together to fill a sidewalk crack on Hill Avenue to take action against vulnerabilities that lead to human trafficking and exploitation. ...

Friends and family members were concerned about Kolton Dicus when he disappeared on foot from Milford more than two weeks ago. Their worst fears were realized on Saturday. Milford Police and the family confirmed Kolton was located by a private investigator and York, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois K9 who specializes in missing persons searches. Memorial services for Kolton are still pending in Sioux City...

Friday was a special day, according to Okoboji School Superintendent Todd Abrahamson. He, district administrators, staff and community members crossed the district high school's parking lot to officially break ground on the site of what will be the new Okoboji Middle School...