Stories from Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Okoboji hasn't become a great basketball team because the Pioneers play great defense. The Pioneers play great defense because they've become a great team. That's not just semantics. Okoboji's strong defense over the past year is a result of coaching, chemistry, a team-oriented attitude and commitment...

Q&A with Coach Goodlaxson 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "I don't believe there is much of a difference (as we lost just one senior to graduation and return four starters and nine letter winners). The girls have been working extremely hard in the offseason to prepare for the season."...

Q&A with Coach Paulsen 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "This team is very different from last year's. This team is not as big up front, but I think our overall length and athleticism across the board is a little better. I think we'll be able to play a little quicker this year as well."...

Q&A with Coach Dau 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We lost a lot of depth after graduating last year's seniors and will have to rebuild with a good crop of incoming freshman." 2. Where do your strengths lie this year?...

Q&A with Coach Reinking 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "First of all, we have much more depth this year than last. We will have as many as 11 girls this year that are talented enough to see the court. Secondly, we have less experience in the back court, since K.J. (Veldman) and Alissa (Christoffer) played a lot of basketball for us and at a high level. Kendra (Stokke) was also a solid post defender that we'll need to replace."...

Q&A with Coach Smith 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We will have an entirely new offensive and defensive philosophy this year." 2. Where do your strengths lie this year? "We have a number of players with significant playing experience from last season. Our court sense will be very strong."...

Q&A with Coach Lundgren 1. What are the main differences from last year's team to this year's team? "I don't see too many differences from last year to this year. Every year you graduate a group of seniors that have hopefully accomplished a lot in their career. ...

Q&A with Coach Clouse 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We won't have any major differences personnel wise from last year's team. We did lose Mariah Gath who was a great shooter and tough defender, but we return a great group of girls who will be able to fill that roll. ...

Q&A with Coach Sohn 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We are losing 52 points per game out of 65 scored per game last season along with our top three rebounders and assist leaders. Obviously, we lost a lot of experience and a ton of talent. We have quite a few voids to fill and it will be a learning process that will take some time. I think with some patience and hard work we'll be just fine."...

Q&A with Coach Hough 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We have more experience this year than in year's past." 2. Where do your strengths lie this year? "We have lots of experience with seven seniors out. We only lost one senior from last year's team. We are expecting contributions from all of our upperclassman as most of them played quite a bit for us last year."...

Q&A with Coach Hough 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "We will be very young and we have no returning seniors." 2. Where do your strengths lie this year? "Team quickness will definitely be a main strength of ours."...

Q&A with Coach Jensen 1. What are the main differences between this year's team and last year's team? "The difference between this year's team versus last year's team is this we have many kids with little to no experience on the mat, but those kids are willing to work hard and put in the time to be successful and accomplish their team goals."...

The Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, needed to know whether the region has the enthusiasm and manpower needed to host one of the ride's overnight stops. The answer Thursday night was "yes" from well over 80 percent of the estimated 150 people who attended a town hall meeting in Arnolds Park...

In 2011, the Dickinson County Conference Board decided there was enough variation in assessed value throughout the county that a complete reassessment of commercial property values was needed. There are only four employees plus the assessor in the office, so it is not staffed with sufficient manpower to reassess the 27,500 property parcels in the county. Something more like 11 full-time employees would be needed to reassess all parcels on a periodic basis...

The South Dickinson Community Fund board of directors would like to express their thanks to the residents of South Dickinson County who made it possible for the board to distribute $11,750 to the following agencies as designated by the contributors: Red Cross $1,000, Salvation Army $850, Iowa Arthritis Foundation $300, Children's Family Services of Iowa $150, Florence Crittenton Center $150, Multiple Sclerosis Society $150, Voluntary Action Center $500, C.A.A.S.A. ...

I see the blame game has started and one of those playing it appears to be Russ Mitchell, Managing Editor of The Dickinson County News with his recent statement regarding the infestation of zebra mussels in the Iowa Great Lakes. He states, "the mussels aren't native to the Iowa Great Lakes and he states northwest Iowa waters became contaminated when boaters failed to property drain, clean and dry boats as they moved from one lake to another."...

Feb. 8, 1948 -- Nov. 18, 2013 A funeral service for Ernie Langfitt, 65, of Milford was held Friday, Nov. 22, 2013, at Ocheyedan United Methodist Church in Ocheyedan. Burial was at Ocheyedan Township Cemetery in Ocheyedan. Ernest "Ernie" William Langfitt was born on Feb. ...

Sept. 14, 1934 -- Nov. 18, 2013 A memorial service was held Monday, Nov. 25, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake for Wilma Dreeszen, who passed away on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013. Wilma Mae (Bates) Dreeszen was born Sept. 14, 1934, to Lela (McKiernan) and Lester Bates on a farm in Excelsior township west of Milford...

Feb. 26, 1914 -- Nov. 16, 2013 A funeral was held for Virginia "Jenny" Danbom, 99, of Milford, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 at First Lutheran Church in Milford. Burial was at Milford Cemetery. Velma Virginia Louise Danbom was born on a farm in Montgomery, county near Stanton on Feb. 26, 1914, to Norme and Ida Danbom. She was known to many as "Jenny."...

Sept. 22, 1940 -- Nov. 19, 2013 Tom K. Hickerson, 73, passed away peacefully on Nov. 19, 2013, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. Tom was born in Des Moines on Sept. 22, 1940, to Wilson and Roberta Reynolds Hickerson. Tom graduated in 1958 from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. He was a high school All-American swimmer in the individual 200 freestyle event and the freestyle relay that placed first in the nation...

April 2, 1950 -- Nov. 21, 2013 Robert L. "Bobcat" Anderson, age 63, of Terril passed away Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. He was born on April 2, 1950, in Minneapolis to Lewis and Verna (Kerkhoff) Anderson. He grew up in Morgan, Minn., and graduated from Morgan High School in 1968...

March 10, 1936 -- Nov. 20, 2013 Mary Lou John, age 77, of Spirit Lake, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. She was born on March 10, 1936, in Buffalo Center, to Harvey and Bertha (Hanssen) Gilbert. Mary Lou worked for 22 years as a Wal-Mart greeter in Spirit Lake. ...

Mar. 2, 1951 -- Nov. 14, 2013 Kenneth J. Mathews, age 62, died Thursday, Nov. 14, at his home in Yucaipa, Calif. Ken was born in Storm Lake, the son of Clara (Knudtson) and Homan Mathews. Ken graduated Washington High School, Cherokee in 1970. Throughout his childhood and into his mid-twenties he lived in Cherokee, where he later worked for Wilson Certified Meat Packing Plant as a "Hog Flipper" and began an electrical apprenticeship...

Nov. 15, 1930 -- Nov. 14, 2013 Jean J. (Brons) Giffin was born Nov. 15, 1930, on her grandparents' farm southeast of Melvin. She was the daughter of Harry Chris Ingwer and Norene Geneva (Brummer) Jacobs. She lived her youth on a farm three miles west of Hartley, then moved to a farm southeast of May City and finally to a farm southeast of Ocheyedan. She attended country school and graduated from Ocheyedan High School...

Feb. 26, 1958 -- Nov. 21, 2013 Gary Wittrock was born Feb. 26, 1958, in Estherville, to Francis and Helen (Stinogel) Wittrock. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Milford, and graduated from Arnolds Park High School in 1976. Photography, tree care and dock building were Gary's labors of love. ...

Feb. 19, 1922 -- Nov. 5, 2013 Erma Caroline Voight, born Erma Hendrych, passed away at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake Nov. 5, 2013, at the age of 91. Erma was born Feb. 19, 1922, in Bettendorf to Caroline Trochta Hendrych and Oldrich Hendrych. Erma was educated in Davenport. She married Dr. Virgil Voigt on June 3, 1948. They lived in Spirit Lake and moved to Lake Park in 1952...

July 31, 1946 -- Nov. 14, 2013 A funeral service for Dee Kelsey, age 67, was held Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Burial was at Milford Cemetery. Deanna (Dee) Catherine (Schumacher) Kelsey was born on July 31, 1946, to Albert Henry and LaRue Schumacher in Woodbine. She had one older sister, Janet, an older brother, Harlan, a twin brother, Duane and two younger sisters, Darlene and April...

What was once known as the "Old Goat Trail" is now perhaps one of the premier stretches of highway in Dickinson County. The northern five mile stretch of road from Highway 9 west of Spirit Lake to the Minnesota border reopened Thursday, Nov. 21, after several months of construction...

Plans are well underway for the 34th annual University of Okoboji Winter Games. Now, it's time for Mother Nature to cooperate. People who attended the first planning meeting for the annual event Monday night in Arnolds Park hoped for thick ice and a healthy blanket of snow by the end of January. The 2014 version of Winter Games is Jan. 23-26...

Spirit Lake was rewarded for its fourth straight trip to the playoffs and third consecutive district championship by placing three players on the Iowa Newspaper Association's Class 2A All-State football teams. Two-way linemen Tanner Kroon and Ben Spaeth were each honored as first team selections, while Austin Folsom was selected to the second team as a wide receiver...

What was a hotly contested showdown in the early stages, turned into an impressive victory for Spirit Lake after the Indians used a big second-quarter scoring surge to pull out a 68-54 home win over 14th-ranked (Class 1A) Harris-Lake Park to open up the 2013-14 hoops season...

Spirit Lake landed a league-best 10 players on the Class 2A District 2 first-team and had 16 total picks after finishing as the outright champions. "We talk as a team all the time that the more team success you have the more honors you get," said Spirit Lake coach Josh Bolluyt. "We won our district outright and that's a credit to the players and all of that is deserved because of the effort put in and work ethic they had and they did it all as a group."...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire was rewarded for its march to the playoffs with five players being named to the 2013 8-man District 2 All-District football teams. The Titans, who ended the season with an upset over 10th-ranked River Valley in the opening round of the playoffs, finished the year with a 7-4 overall record and 5-2 mark in district play...