Stories from Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Officials throughout Dickinson County have focused on efforts to stop zebra mussels from entering the Iowa Great Lakes. Now, a new threat has spawned and water protection groups are trying to prevent the invasion of another aquatic invasive species -- Asian silver carp, or "jumping fish."...

Developers behind a $2 million Boulder Inn & Suites project say weather is keeping the construction time line ahead of schedule. Heavy equipment has made steady progress behind the billboards near the Iowa Highway 86 junction in north Milford. The completed project will feature 36 guest rooms and four suites, according to Tim Stuart, an owner-developer behind the Boulders Inn project...

Eric DeKeyzer, Rich Hart, Donn Martens and Cole Martens have a fresh take on an old adage: If you want something done right, brew it yourself. The four men are about to use the busiest winter weekend in the Iowa Great Lakes to launch a line of beers created by their regional brewery...

Even though Harris-Lake Park was short-handed with one starter out, they definitely weren't short on heart. The Wolves played with enough fire and tenacity to keep pace with West Bend-Mallard for 35 minutes, 50 seconds, but a questionable charge call with 2.9 seconds left allowed the Wolverines to steal a road 49-48 win from them when Courtney Bargman to knock down the game-winning free throw Tuesday in a key Cornbelt Conference girls basketball clash. ...

Spirit Lake seemed to be a step quicker to every loose ball and maintained a commanding edge on the glass on the way to a 50-37 victory over rival Okoboji Saturday, Jan. 14 in the annual Dickinson County rivalry showdown. "That's what we emphasize and what we try to do daily," said Spirit Lake coach Nate Loenser. ...

After a fast-paced back and forth affair for a quarter, Spirit Lake lit up the nets with a 47-19 run over the middle two quarters en route to a 76-46 win over Okoboji in the annual Dickinson County girls basketball showcase Saturday, Jan. 14 at Spirit Lake High School. It was the fifth straight win for the 11-3 Indians...

Spirit Lake got an offensive spark from Alex Dau, who scored six points in the final 80 seconds, allowing the Indians to hold on for a 50-44 victory over rival Spencer Friday, Jan. 13 in Lakes Conference boys basketball play. The reeling Tigers have now lost six games in a row, while the Indians improve to 9-3 overall and 5-2 in conference action after securing their fourth straight win...

* a pressure packed night in front of a loud and raucous crowd, junior K.J. Veldman had to wait over 27 minutes to join an elite trio of Spirit Lake players with the 1,000th point of her career. "It's crazy that I finally reached one of my goals," said Veldman. ...

Kids want to go faster and higher. Parents just want a safe place for them to land. The soft landing spot was becoming a question at the Okoboji Elementary playground. The mulch underneath playground equipment had reached a point where it had completely worn down and decomposed. School officials felt the surface was no longer safe for children to play on...

State Republican party leaders acknowledge that some typos have been discovered and vote totals will change once results of the Iowa caucuses are certified by the end of the week. The Des Moines Register says Monday that counties have until the close of business on Wednesday to get official paperwork to the Iowa Republican Party headquarters in Des Moines...

Is not that what everyone is concerned about? The President continues telling us, it is what he is all about; creating jobs! The TransCanada Corp. of Calgary is seeking to build a 36 inch pipeline to carry oil from Alberta to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. ...

Over the past three weeks we have used our creativity and clothing construction skills to create outfits that represent our unique sense of styles and be comparable in cost to similar outfits in local clothing stores. We had a four step process in creating our looks and the fashion show...

I've heard a lot about it, the buzz is unavoidable -- the University of Okoboji Winter Games is a must attend. "You thought the Fourth of July was crazy, wait until the Winter Games," is a statement I have heard quite frequently in the past few months. ...

It's perfectly understandable why so many folks care how farmers care for the land; it doesn't just need to be protected because it feeds us, but because our fertile soils and watersheds always have and always will be Iowa's most valuable asset. But there's a growing concern that some well-intentioned folks have taken efforts to be sustainable to a whole new level, calling for the sacrifice of property rights, food production and jobs for the sake of "speciesism" -- choosing plants or animals over people. ...

Hopefully this past Christmas, you heard the familiar Bible stories filled with shepherds, angels, wise men and a stable. You heard here once again those prophesies from the Old Testament which looked forward to that event in Bethlehem. As you go over those Biblical passages, one thing becomes abundantly clear -- there are plenty of names for the One who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. ...

July 31, 1924 -- Jan. 8, 2012 Richard G. Harmon, age 87, of Okoboji, passed away Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. He was born on July 31, 1924, in Estherville, to Claire "Bill" and Vivien (Shade) Harmon. Dick graduated from Spirit Lake High School in 1942. He served his country in the United States Army from 1942 until 1947. Dick was united in marriage to Estella McManness on June 27, 1946, in Nashua, Iowa, at the Little Brown Church...

July 6, 1925 -- Jan. 10, 2012 A funeral service for Richard Alexander, 86, of Milford was held Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Burial was at Okoboji Cemetery in Arnolds Park. Richard Eugene Alexander was born July 6, 1925, in Okoboji, the son of Jasper and Vera (Wilson) Alexander. He graduated from Arnolds Park High. Dick served as a Gunner's Mate upon the USS Maryland in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946...

July 10, 1929 -- Jan. 11, 2012 Helen M. Stroud, age 82, of Spencer, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, at Longhouse Nursing Home in Spencer. She was born on July 10, 1929, in Farmington, Minn., to Lee and Mae (Kingston) Hammond. Helen graduated from Cresco High School in 1947. After working one year in Minneapolis, she attended and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa, with a BA Degree in English, Speech and Spanish...

May 2, 1942 -- Jan. 11, 2012 Jerald O. Roe, age 69, of Milford, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, at the Spencer Hospital. He was born on May 2, 1942, in Watertown, S.D., to Leonard and Violet (Opdahl) Roe. Jerry graduated from Hayti High School in 1960, where he participated in football, basketball, baseball and track. ...

Feb. 26, 1927 -- Jan. 10, 2012 Eugene Hager, 84, of Spirit Lake, formerly of Fort Dodge, died on Tuesday Jan. 10, 2012, at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The funeral service was held at 1:30 p.m. Monday Jan. 16, at the Gunderson Funeral Chapel in Fort Dodge...

Neal and Laura Vellema of Harris, are the parents of a son, Henry Finn, born Jan. 10 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. He weighed 6 lbs, 11 oz. First time grandparents are Paul and Phyllis Vellema, Donna MacMillan, and William MacMillan. Great-Grandparents include Margaret Vander Veen of Sibley...