Stories from Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors requests for assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the potential risks of flooding this spring, were approved by Governor Culver earlier today.

My favorite time of the year is a little over a day away. The time of the year when Cinderella's get their time in the limelight, the time when the impossible becomes reality and when the entire nation gets a chance to see David slay Goliath. So if you haven't noticed a trend yet, I'm a big fan of the underdog just like many of you are. I'll be rooting hard for Northern Iowa, Cornell and Butler when the NCAA Tournament kicks off on Thursday morning. Let the madness begin!...

The American Stock Exchange has accepted a Cycle Country Accessories Corp. plan to comply with standards needed for the company to maintain a listing on the stock exchange.

After pursuing dreams of politics on Capitol Hill, Milford's recently-hired city administrator is happy to use his Washington experience in the place he finds most exciting; right here in the heartland.

Daylight savings time only effected half of my clocks. Now, I'd like to say this is because I am a planner, thinking ahead with all necessary precautions for seasonal shifts, including the most recent event of springing ahead.

March is an exciting month for many reasons. First of all we can be thankful for another winter in the books. We hope anyway, as I knock on the nearest wood fixture I can find. The official start to spring is March 20, but with the incredible amount of snow still on the ground, we may be lucky to see warmer temperatures for some time.

Tim Burton has written and/or directed some very inventive and entertaining feature films, including "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), "Beetle Juice" (1989), "Edward Scissorhands" (1990),"Ed Wood" (1994), "Sleepy Hollow" (1999), "Big Fish" (2003), "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007).

Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 16, at the Turner Jenness Family Funeral Home for Jordan C. Knudson, 88, of Spirit Lake. Burial was at Memorial Gardens in Spirit Lake.

Dec. 11, 1924 -- March 11, 2010 A private family graveside service will be held at a later date for Harold "Butch" Boers, who passed away on March 11, 2010 at the age of 85. He was born to John and Ethel (Calkins) Boers on December 11, 1924 in Milford...

A funeral service was held Monday, March 15, at the United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake for William May, 85, of Spirit Lake. William May, age 85, of Spirit Lake, passed away March 10, 2010, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. Burial was at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake.

Services were held Friday, March 12, at Concordia Lutheran Church in Lake Park for Ruth Elaine Cook of Lake Park and formerly of Terril. Ruth passed away March 7, 2010 at the Lake Park Care Center in Lake Park at 92 years of age.

Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park for Dennis Leroy Meyerdirk. Turner Jenness Family Funeral Homes of Lake Park is in charge of the arrangements.

A celebration of life was held Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake for Melvin E. Cook, age 72, of Arnolds Park. A memorial visitation was held Monday, March 15, at the Schuchert Funeral Home

Services were held Wednesday, March 10, for Clifford Glen Weaver, who passed away March 6, 2010, at the Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. at 89 years of age.

Services were held Thursday, March 11, at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park for William Raymond Boyer, who passed away March 7 at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake at 94 years of age.

Kate Sherer and Ben Eichner of Des Moines are pleased to announce their upcoming wedding

Doug and Char Cooklin of Spirit Lake and Ron and Valarie Hessel of Bettendorf are pleased to announce the engagement of their children Rene Cooklin and Dave Hessel.

Coordinators for the Dickinson County Relay for Life say plans are coming together for the 2010 American Cancer Society fundraiser.

Doane College freshman Jessica Brown is celebrating life -- not the night life -- this week.

The smile on the face of Spirit Lake product Amber Kirschbaum could have stretched the length of the Lakes area. It was one that has seemingly been stuck on her face the past few days. That smile grew even wider when she recalled the joy of helping lead Spirit Lake to the state tournament for the first time in 20 years as a freshman...