Stories from Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Well, first of all, if you haven't noticed, the Harris-Lake Park boys basketball team manned by Jeff Sohn and Bret Greve have had an impressive turnaround from one season to the next. Few people outside of the program would have guessed that the Wolves would go 17-4 this season after finishing 8-12 overall last season and going 6-15 two years ago...

Okoboji's duo of Zach Jones and Tanner Taylor can both be described as cool, calm and collective no matter what the circumstances. Jones and Taylor each proved that once again with workmanlike days against some excellent competition, with Jones delivering a district title at 160 pounds and Taylor punching his third consecutive trip to state with a runner-up performance at 152 pounds Feb. 12 at the Class 1A district wrestling tournament in Sibley...

Graettinger-Terril continued to wrestle at a high level, securing the team title on the strength of one champion and four runner-up performances Feb. 12 at the Class 1A district tournament in Sibley. Senior Nate Howard, who won the 215 pound title, was one of five Knights to qualify for the state tournament. The two-time state qualifier is among a handful of first time representatives heading to Des Moines for G-T...

Lake Park wrestling team entered the Class 2A district tournament with a chip on its shoulder after all but one athlete fell short of state bids last winter, but they quickly erased those lingering memories with solid performances throughout the lineup Feb. 12, in Sheldon...

Okoboji played like it was a new season and they had a 0-0 record for much of the second half, but it proved to be to little too late in a season-ending 64-43 setback to South O'Brien in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A district boys basketball tournament Feb. 14, Paullina...

Dec. 8, 1911 -- Feb. 8, 2011 Funeral services for Alma Osborne were held Saturday, Jan. 12 at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Burial was at Lakeview Cemetery. Alma Otelia Osborne was born Dec. 8, 1911, in Estherville to Norwegian immigrant parents, William and Olga (Nielsen) Vagle. ...

Dec. 30, 1930 -- Feb. 11, 2011 Mass of Christian burial was held Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford for Darrold D. Tatman. Interment is at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer. Military graveside rites were conducted by Graeber-Rowe American Legion of Sioux Rapids...

Sept. 14, 1965 -- Feb. 11, 2011 Jodi Lynn (Burmood) Wolf, Pierre, S.D., passed away Friday Feb. 11, 2011, after a brave battle with cancer. She was 45. Jodi was born on September 14, 1965, in Columbus, Neb. She attended elementary and middle schools in Sioux Falls, S.D., and graduated from high school in Estherville in 1983. Jodi earned associate of arts and science degrees from Iowa Lakes Community College. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from Wartburg College in Waverly...

Jan. 27, 1923 -- Feb. 9, 2011 Services for Marvin Odegaard, 88, of Spirit Lake, were held Monday, Feb. 14, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. Burial was at St. Margarets Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Marvin B. Odegaard was born to Anton Bennet and Rosina (Hesla) Odegaard on Jan. ...

Oct. 14, 1932 -- Feb. 12, 2011 Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Spirit Lake for William B. "Bill" Boyd. Interment is at Ames Municipal Cemetery in Ames. Father Carl Mann is officiating. Bill Boyd was born on October 14, 1932 in Newton. ...

Fanchon "Fran" Ewing is moving to assisted living in Portland, Ore., where she'll be close to her youngest daughter. She misses her friends so much! Her move was quick and she didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Please drop her a line at: Fanchon Ewing...

Paul and Diane Kollasch of Spirit Lake are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Melissa to Sam Anker, son of Gary & Nancy Anker of Winterset. Melissa is a 2006 graduate of Spirit Lake High School and will graduate in May from Iowa State University with a degree in Dietetics. She will be a Dietetic Intern this coming fall...

Take solace if the hot chocolate and blanket with sleeves aren't getting you through the winter. The Okoboji Summer Theatre season is just around the corner and folks at Stephens College have made the annual schedule announcement a University of Okoboji Winter Games tradition...

Friends of the Sami Center is excited to announce the four stars who will be performing in the American Stars Celebrate Motown Concert coming to the Sami Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4. Four of your favorite former American Idol stars come together for a fun-filled, dancing-in-the-street night of Motown's electrifying music! An amazing combination starring Season 8's country singer Michael Sarver, Season 6's soulful rocker Gina Glocksen, Season 7's big-voiced David Hernandez, and Season 6's show-stopping powerhouse Lakisha Jones will take the stage for the most exciting night of solo, duet and ensemble performances ever in one place.. ...

Earnest Harden, 26, of Spirit Lake, was charged with drug paraphalia and on warrants at 2:01 a.m. Feb. 6. Vance Grave, 37, of Spirit Lake, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia at 10:48 a.m. Feb. 7. Shawna Rios, 28, of Jackson, Minn., was charged with theft and child endangerment at 2:32 p.m. Feb. 10...

The Iowa House has completed another busy week. The main bill that was debated this week was HF 185 which sets the allowable growth rate for school district funding. The bill passed Tuesday and set the rate at 0 percent for the next two years. Even at 0 percent, this will send $216 million in new funding for state schools next year. ...

An almost magical thing happened at the Humane Society BINGO event this year ... the University of Okoboji Cheer Leaders came to our event at the Pavillion, took the stage, and let loose with a resounding cheer -- the crowd of over 200 really got into it -- answering each called letter with enthusiasm! What a great start to a fun event for a great cause! We captured some of it on video which anyone can see by going to our website: www.humanesocietyofnwia.com. ...

To the editor: I thank the Dickinson County Trails Board, the Friends of the Trails, the volunteers and the many, many people who supported the work of the Dickinson County Trails Board during my tenure. I assure the next executive director that when I depart on April 1, he or she will have the privilege of working with a dedicated board and communities who recognize the significant benefits of recreational trails to our quality of life and to the economy of the Iowa Great Lakes...

The Iowa House has completed another busy week. The main bill that was debated this week was HF 185 which sets the allowable growth rate for school district funding. The bill passed Tuesday and set the rate at 0 percent for the next two years. Even at 0 percent, this will send $216 million in new funding for state schools next year. ...

A funny thing happened at Horseshoe Bend this weekend. It was my first trip of the season, and, as long as I'm confessing, my first jaunt down the hill since I was a high schooler. But the skies had opened up to a vibrant blue and spilled out some sunshine, making it prime tubing weather, if not a bit muddy...

Folks tuning in to AM 1640 for the latest Lady Gaga song or commentary from Glenn Beck will be disappointed. But water quality groups hope travelers will give a local station a five-minute listen just the same. Since April, the AM station has been offering automated weather updates from the National Weather Service along with information about the Eurasian watermilfoil. ...

Iowa Lakes softball clinic to be held Feb. 19 The Iowa Lakes Community College softball staff will hold a softball clinic on Saturday, Feb. 19 in Estherville. The clinic will be divided into three units. The first will be a Youth Clinic serving those ages 5-12 where participants will go over the mechanics of throwing and catching, fielding, base running and hitting. That session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 19 and costs $40...

Lakes Conference, Siouxland Conference, Northwest/Twin Lakes Conference

Lakes Conference, Siouxland Conference, Cornbelt Conference

ILCC wrestlers crown three champs at North Central Regional The Iowa Lakes wrestling team crowned three champions and captured runner-up team honors at North Central Regional Feb. 13 in Grand Rapids, Minn. The day ended with the Lakers in second place with a 116.5 point total to Iowa Central's 130. The Lakers and Tritons squared off four times in the finals, splitting those matches...

Sometimes it just isn't your night. North Sentral Kossuth had the shooter's touch and got several homecourt bounces, converting 10-of-18 3-pointers to send Harris-Lake Park home packing with a 65-47 loss in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A regional girls basketball tournament Feb. 15, in Fenton...

One county has glacier-carved lakes and a surge of activity in the summer. The other has the largest city in the region and the "World's Greatest County Fair." So, which one holds more residents? Bragging rights will have to wait another decade. Census takers in Clay and Dickinson Counties came up with the same head count -- population 16,667 -- on both sides of the border...

Okoboji's duo of Tanner Taylor and Zach Jones went a perfect 2-0 in the first round of the Class 1A portion of the 2011 Iowa State Wrestling Championships this afternoon. Taylor built a 4-1 lead over Hudson's Luke Huber, but then fell into a one-point hole. the 152-pounder responded with a reversal and escape to jump back ahead 7-6. The Pioneers junior scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in the second period to move ahead 9-7 in an eventual 9-8 victory...

Andrew Brackins Freshman 125 Pounds Waterford, Michigan Season Record: 18-9 2nd Place North Central Region Favorite Athlete: Rashard Mendenhall Favorite Food: Pasta Hobbies: Hunting & Fishing Cody Singletary Freshman 133 Pounds Naples, Florida Season Record: 13-17...