Stories from Tuesday, January 27, 2015

In their earlier matchup with Lakes Conference foe Western Christian, the Indians were walloped 78-41 in front of a packed crowd in Hull. Tuesday, top-ranked (3A) Spirit Lake looked to even the score, as the they hosted the No. 4 (2A) Wolfpack in Spirit Lake...

Coming off a disappointing 66-44 loss to previously ranked Cherokee on Friday, the Class 3A No. 5-ranked Spirit Lake girls basketball team was looking to dig itself out of a hole. With Class 2A No. 2-ranked Western Christian on deck, however, that hole looked to be the size of the Grand Canyon...

The Iowa Lakes men's basketball team pushed its overall record above .500 with a 72-56 win over Briar Cliff's junior varsity on Monday. Iowa Lakes trailed 15-14 early, but a layup by Jamare Griffin, three straight jumpers by Trey Burkhall and back-to-back buckets by Blake Wilder put the Lakers on top 26-16 near the end of the first half...

The Iowa Lakes women's basketball team snapped an 11-game losing streak Monday with a 72-69 home win over Little Priest Tribal College. After jumping out to a 15-point halftime lead, the Lakers watched their advantage dwindle to one with 25 seconds remaining, but a pair of free throws by Za'Keea Sa'Eed-El sealed the Lakers' first win since Nov. 22...

The Class 2A No. 14-ranked Okoboji girls rallied back from an eight-point deficit to earn a 52-44 win over visiting Rock Valley on Tuesday. The Pioneers got off to a quick start, leading 8-2, but the Rockets answered to knot it at 10-10 after one quarter of play...

Despite a rough offensive outing Tuesday night, the Okoboji boys were able to close an eight-point gap to one with four minutes left to play against Rock Valley. Unfortunately, the Pioneers couldn't come all the way back, as they eventually fell 62-52 at home...

The Okoboji School Board on Monday approved a two-phase plan for middle school construction near the high school building in Milford. Voters will use a pair of elections to decide if the plans become a reality. The first election, on April 7, would finance $14.7 million for the academic portion of new middle school construction near the high school through the physical plant and equipment levy, or PPEL...

On behalf of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce and Okoboji Tourism, I would like to thank so many for making our 35th Annual University of Okoboji Winter Games yet another success for our business community. We appreciate the leadership of this year's chair Alison Schmitz and co-chair Nick Stauss...

To Tim Hoheisel, history is art. As the new Pearson Lakes Art Center executive director, Hoheisel hopes to bring his passion for history to an organization that already boasts an extensive history of its own. He takes over for long-time art center director Tom Tourville, who stepped down in 2014...

The Dickinson County News is pleased to welcome Okoboji High School senior Anna Vos as she joins the staff for a journalism internship during the second semester. Vos said she is excited to join the DCN as she develops her writing skills and explores the field of journalism...

The Dickinson County Expo Building was still fairly quiet at 3 p.m. Friday as participants put the finishing touches on their booths and chili recipes. The annual chili cook-off is one of the most popular events of the University of Okoboji Winter Games. ...

By June, Bank Midwest hopes to start making an impact in the Sioux Falls banking community. The bank, which has three locations in Dickinson County, recently finalized the purchase of a building in the downtown Sioux Falls. They hope to open the doors by this summer...

A friendly stand-off has erupted in Lake Park. Many residents believe it's time to put the town Christmas decorations back into summer hibernation, while others view the giant 'Frosty' as a winter-long decoration. City administrator Wade Wagoner isn't being completely serious when he describes the kerfuffle as a "major crisis."...

The second annual Triton Jazz Festival was held on the Iowa Central Community College campus Jan. 15-16. Twenty-one jazz bands from Class 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A high schools performed for a panel of judges, who provided clinical critiques. A gallery of images from all of the performing schools can be found on Iowa Central's Facebook page - www.facebook.com/iowacentral...

Jeremiah Mowery, 24, Westby, Wisconsin, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 at Wal-Mart. Elena Neuhaus, 18, Spirit Lake, was charged with .02 violation, speeding, possession of alcohol and supply of alcohol at 10:53 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 along 245th Avenue...

Central Lyon finished just ahead of Harris-Lake Park in Class 1A and Storm Lake edged Spirit Lake in Class 3A during the Iowa Lakes Community College Jazz Band Contest on Wednesday. "Congratulations to these and all the musicians and band directors who participated and made this year's 1A and 3A Jazz Band Contest a huge success," said Carol Ayres, Instrumental Music Professor at Iowa Lakes. ...

Fishermen's Community Hospital of Marathon, Florida was recently the focus of a group of visiting Iowa high school students. Ten Spirit Lake High School seniors interviewed CEO Hal Leftwich about the hospital's operation, comparing it to Lakes Regional Hospital in Iowa...

Earth without art is just eh. Dickinson County Conservation environmental education coordinator Karess Knudtson certainly thinks so. An artist herself, Knudtson sees the profound impact when people realize the connection between art and nature. The conservation board is hoping to educate people on this connection through a new series called Art & Nature being implemented at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji...

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union recently released the regional tournament pairings for the 2014-15 postseason. The Class 1A tournament begins Feb. 12, while 2A and 3A begin on Feb. 14. The 3A final is schedule for Feb. 21, while 1A and 2A will be played Feb. 23. Here is how each bracket stacks up for Dickinson County teams:...

With a win over Cherokee and back-to-back losses by previously unbeaten Waverly-Shell Rock, the Spirit Lake boys basketball team (12-1) leaped to the top of the Class 3A rankings in the latest poll released by the Associated Press. Lakes Conference foe Le Mars (11-2) also jumped in the rankings to No. 2, as the Bulldogs completed a season sweep of now No. 4 (2A) Western Christian (12-2) on Friday...

Iowa Lakes baseball coach Jason Nell recently announced the signing of 11 student-athletes from four different states and Canada. This is the biggest class ever for the early signing date in Iowa Lakes history. The coaching staff feels that this class is one that can get Iowa Lakes closer toward the goal of winning the ICCAC and competing on the national level...

From the luscious, roaming greens of the Old Course to the breathtaking scenery of Pebble Beach, golf purists can travel the golf world without leaving northwest Iowa. Using Full Swing Golf Simulators, virtual vacations are booked to world-famous courses each winter at Kapco Indoor Golf in Spirit Lake...

Harris-Lake Park boys overcome third-quarter slump to defeat Unity Christian at home

In a matchup with top-ranked Unity Christian on Friday, the Harris-Lake Park girls basketball team simply didn't have the firepower to keep up with the Knights, as they fell 67-22 at home. Despite the scoring disparity, the Wolves played well considering their opposition, according to H-LP coach Eric Clouse...

Dickinson County wrestlers took to the mats this weekend at the annual Herb Irgens Invitational hosted by OA-BCIG on Saturday, and several placed highly among the gigantic field. Freshman Jayden Gilge was the Indians' top performer at the Herb Irgens Invite, placing fifth at 106 pounds and leading Spirit Lake Park to a 20th-place finish...