Stories from Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Despite playing without two starters including leading scorer Matt Baschke due to injuries, the Okoboji boys' basketball team battled all the way to the final horn in a 56-43 setback to West Lyon in Siouxland Conference action Friday, Dec. 11 in Milford...

The Okoboji girls' basketball team used a tenacious effort on both ends of the court to surge past West Lyon for a 54-40 victory in Siouxland Conference play Friday, Dec. 11 in Milford. The Pioneers forced 33 turnovers and limited the Wildcats to only 14-of-52 shooting for 27 percent. ...

On Nov. 12, students from Spirit Lake Elementary School attempted to get a Guinness World Record for "Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day." The idea was to have students from all over the world stack cups for a certain amount of time during this day. The previous record was 222,560. As of Dec. 1, the record is at 274,202.

"My sister thinks I'm nuts to go through all that trouble," Dick Karzin says, leading the way through his decked out halls. From the moment you enter Karzin's home, it's easy to see he doesn't feel the same way. The 80-year-old Rock Island, Ill. native who now resides in Milford has no qualms about his decorating extravaganza. Karzin begins his Christmas decorating shortly after Halloween, spending up to three weeks dedicating every square inch of his house to the holidays.

(Feb. 3, 1925 - Dec. 4, 2009) Funeral services were held Dec. 8 at the First Presbyterian Church in Round Lake for Joseph "Joe" Raymond Lambert, 84, who passed away Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

(April 26, 1940 - Dec. 10, 2009) Funeral services were held Dec. 14 at the Grandview Baptist Church in Estherville for Dennis Paul Lausen, 69, who passed away Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, at Avera Holy Family Health in Estherville. Pastor Joel Jorgensen officiated. Interment was at Oak Hill Cemetery in Estherville.

(Feb. 7, 1911 - Dec. 9, 2009) Funeral services were held Dec. 12 at the Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home in Fort Dodge for Dr. Arthur Kenneth Ruebel, 98, who passed away at his home on Dec. 9.

(May 7, 1932 -- Dec. 9, 2009) A memorial service will be held in Arnolds Park at a later date for Donnus M. Hansen, 77, who passed away Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, at Cedarview Nursing Home, after battling cancer, with family by her side.

Dale and Marlene Nagel will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary on Dec. 26. Their family, Lynette and Mark Recher and daughters of Hartley, and Brian Nagel of Encinitas, Calif. would like to hold a card shower in honor of their parents' anniversary. Cards may be sent to 17116 255th Avenue, Spirit Lake, IA 52360.

Steve and Mary Abbott of Spirit Lake are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter Melissa Abbott to Nick Jones, son of Alex and Deb Jones of Milford. Meilssa is an RN at the Spencer Hospital, and Nick is employed with Jones Construction of Milford. The couple plans to be married on Oct. 2, 2010.

Do you ever struggle to get just the right gift for your loved ones? Often we end up looking for something easy.

This is in response to Tammy Hamlin's letter to the editor last week.... What I want to comment on and respond to is the long, tireless, hard and thankless job [Dickinson County Supervisor] Mardi Allen and her helpers have done to get this project almost finished.

Last week I was sitting in my briefly clean apartment, winding down for the night. In that moment, I was just enjoying the silence. And my Christmas tree. Having the opportunity to decorate my own place this holiday season has been a rite of passage and a privilege, a fact I intend to remind myself of on Dec. 26 when it's time to pack it all up again.

You've been scraping the remnants of Jack Frost off your windshield for several weeks now, watching geese and snowbirds head south at mach speed. Meteorologists attempt to add humor to their weekly forecasts of "frigid temps," and Mother Nature is depositing winter all over your lawn. While it's easy to see the seasonal change above the ground in mounds of frosty white, there is also an interesting change taking place underneath the surface of the area's lakes.

A home on West Lake has been deemed a complete loss following a fire on Sunday evening. Milford firefighters were called to 1000 West Street in Wahpeton shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 for a report of smoke in the residence and a possible chimney fire.

No stranger to the ongoing economic tumble of 2009, Rosenboom Machine and Tool, Inc., has announced plans to take on 14 additional employees before Feb. 1, 2010 at its Spirit Lake facility. The organization's Spirit Lake facility, RMT, went through a series of employee cuts, beginning with 35 layoffs in January of this year, followed by an additional 75 temporary and 19 permanent layoffs in March.

Just when you think you can't survive the holiday season, the Farndale ladies help top it off with a spoonful of pudding and a great deal of laughs. With pleasure, the Lakes Community Theatre presents its Christmas Show "The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of 'A Christmas Carol.' '"

The Spirit Lake Park wrestling team recorded five pins in each dual to secure a pair of lopsided victories over Western Christian and Estherville Lincoln Central in the Lakes Conference opener for all three schools Thursday, Dec. 10 in Estherville. The Indians won...

Mitch Peschon bailed Spirit Lake out with one of his game-high five three-pointers to put the Indians ahead 54-53 with two minutes to go before SL held off three last second shots by Harris-Lake Park on the way to securing a non-conference win Saturday, Dec. 12 in Lake Park...

Girls Basketball Scores: Storm Lake 53, Spirit Lake 45; Harris-Lake Park 55, Clay Central-Everly 51; Graettinger/Terril 44, Ruthven-Ayrshire 29. Boys Basketball Scores: Storm Lake 62, Spirit Lake 58; Clay Central-Everly 64, Harris-Lake Park; 60 Graettinger/Terril 57, Ruthven-Ayrshire 49.

The Class 2A No. 12 Spirit Lake girls' basketball team used its three-point shooting to equalize the size and strength of Class 3A No. 13 Storm Lake, but they didn't have enough left in the tank after cutting a 16-point deficit down to six in the final quarter of a 53-45 setback Tuesday in Lakes Conference play...