Stories from Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A 40-year-old former Estherville restaurant owner will face Minnesota charges after his Clay County murder and kidnapping convictions were thrown out on appeal in the fall of 2009. On Friday, Jackson County, Sheriff Roger Hawkinson said he and the Jackson County Attorney's Office would file Minnesota charges of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault and second-degree assault against Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez...

Graettinger/Terril's duo of Michael Jensen and Nate Howard wrestled like they didn't want the season to come to an end, advancing all the way to the medal round of their respective weight classes before dropping their final matches this past week at the Iowa State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena...

Okoboji took an exciting journey to the Iowa State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines this past week, Thursday, Feb. 18 through Saturday, Feb. 20, bringing home two place winners. The Schwaller twins have both set records this season for the Pioneers during their senior year and both wrestlers placed at state. ...

Spirit Lake Park's Doug Miner accomplished an impressive feat by advancing all the way to the medal stand in his first season at the varsity level, placing seventh in Class 2A in his freshman campaign after posting a 3-2 record this past week at the 2010 Iowa State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines...

Talk about playing your best basketball in the postseason. After finishing fifth in the Lakes Conference and splitting both regular season meetings with Spirit Lake, Western Christian upped its win streak to seven with an impressive 49-34 victory Friday, Feb. 19 in the semifinals of the Class 2A regional tournament in Rock Rapids...

A Class 1A regional semifinal had all the makings of an upset in the first three quarters, but North Sentral Kossuth lived up to its No. 5 ranking in the final eight minutes, outscoring Harris-Lake Park by 11 points en route to a 66-47 win Friday, Feb. 19 in Estherville...

At times like this it is hard to put into words how someone has touched your life. I have only known Joey Elbert for the past three years since I took my current job at the Dickinson County News, but the impact he has left with me has been an impressionable one. Joey lived his life the exact same way he announced games, with a ton of passion, excitement and a true love for what he did. He was the most genuine person I've ever met and being around him made me want to be a better person...

A Le Mars-based agency appears ready take over operations at Oak Haven, the Okoboji residential care facility that was on the brink of closure due to health concerns at the facility.

Joe Ulman, Chairman of the Spirit Lake Protective Association's Mini-Wakan Committee has been busy trying to get the shelter house restored at the Mini-Wakan State Park on the north shore of Big Spirit Lake.

I would like to commend the Dickinson County Sno-Hawks Snowmobile Club for a job well done! The snowmobile trails were extremely well-maintained for Winter Games. With three borrowed groomers, they did a magnificent job of welcoming visiting snowmobilers and insuring safe trail riding for all. All the businesses in the area and surrounding towns benefit from the influx of these enthusiasts

On Friday, Feb. 19 Spirit Lake Police initiated a traffic stop on a Black GMC Sonoma. The vehicle was driven by 37-year-old, Timothy Mowery of Spirit Lake. Upon further investigation, it was determined that Mowery was intoxicated and subsequently placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. ...

Curves Relay for Life team will be hosting the murder mystery dinner "Death by Cabernet" on April 1 at the Little Swan Lake Winery near Superior. The clues will start at 6 p.m. with appetizers and wine tasting and continue through salads, dinner and dessert. How clever are you? Prizes will reward the slyest detectives. Tickets are $25 and are available from Carol at Shaw's of Okoboji (330-4140) Paula Norblad (332-5104) and at Curves in Spirit Lake (336-8932). All proceeds will go to Relay for Life to help find the cure for cancer.

Louis Dean Frank passed away Feb. 14, 2010, at the Lake Park Care Center in Lake Park at 79 years of age. He was born on Feb. 9, 1931, in Emmetsburg, the son of Joe and Pearl (Van Note) Frank. He served in the United States Navy during the Korea War and was honorably discharged in 1954.

A gathering to celebrate the life of Gwendolyn Hilliard was held Saturday, Feb. 20, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton, Ill., with a graveside service at Hillcrest Memory Gardens in Morton. The Rev. Mark DeSutter officiated.

The families of Dawn Bernholtz, daughters of Ken and Carmen Bernholtz of Spirit Lake and Jeff Harken, son of Jim and Keely Harken of Grundy Center, announced the couple's marriage on Aug. 8, 2009, at Gull Point State Park Lodge. The couple resides in Norwalk, Conn.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and as a response for the need of healthy lifestyle choices to maintain heart health, Congress has declared February National Heart Month.

Leadership can be a tricky concept for middle school students who generally feel pressure to fit in and follow trends.