Stories from Tuesday, May 19, 2015

For anyone that knows me, sports have always played a huge role in my life. From the moment I could walk and talk I was enthralled with sports. I was never a fan of cartoons, heck, I had no desire to watch them when I woke up -- I thrived on Saturday morning football. ...

Josephine Cole, 19, Armstrong, was charged with fifth degree theft - $184 in merchandise from Wal-Mart from Wal-Mart on April 10. Cole was arrested at 2:48 p.m. Thursday, May 7. Miranda Purcell, 20, Estherville, was charged with fifth degree theft - $184 in merchandise from Wal-Mart on April 10. Purcell was arrested at 2:48 p.m. Thursday, May 7...

Monday's release of the DNR impaired waterbodies list for 2014 isn't much cause for alarm, local officials say. Big Spirit Lake, West Lake Okoboji, Marble Lake, Milford Creek and the Little Sioux River all making the dubious list, but DNR Fisheries Biologist Mike Hawkins said it wasn't unexpected...

Iowa DNR officers will still be checking for up-to-date registrations and fully-charged fire extinguishers even if waters in the Iowa Great Lakes aren't as congested as usual for the holiday weekend. Highs will be close to 70 degrees Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service...

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst has scheduled a series of town meetings and a local company announced temporary layoffs in light of the avian flu outbreak in the Upper Midwest. Spirit Lake-based Rembrandt Foods confirmed chickens at egg facilities in Renville, Minnesota, and Rembrandt have tested positive for the bird flu. ...

A portion of the Dickinson County Recreational Trail was scheduled for a major facelift this week, but Mother Nature has caused a slight delay in plans. According to Trails Association Executive Director Jean Martin, the work will commence within the week...

Volunteers of the Upper Great Lakes Muskie Club (Chapter 29) recently chaperoned more than 70 seventh-grade students from Okoboji Middle School on a fishing trip to the Grade at the north end of Big Spirit Lake. Several students caught bullheads, bass and perch. Marlayna Bennett caught the most fish with three huge bullheads, while John Alexander was second with two bullheads. Gavin Belkin caught a keeper-sized perch...

The Lakes Conference has named Spirit Lake-Okoboji senior Hanna Schoning and Le Mars senior Emily Ahlers as its girls tennis Players of the Year. The two girls were 9-1 in league play splitting their matches against each other, giving both of them a total of 180 points. ...

History repeated itself Monday night, as the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji girls soccer team lost in double overtime to Western Christian at home. In an earlier meeting in Hull this season, the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie through the first overtime before the Wolfpack won on penalty kicks. On Monday, the teams were tied at 3-3 at the end of regulation and went through the first overtime without a score before the Wolfpack again won on penalty kicks to take the 4-3 win...

Coming off of a pair of wins over Sioux Center and West Sioux, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys soccer team looked to keep the good times rolling in a road contest with Western Christian. Unfortunately, a lack of focus and preparation resulted in a 3-1 loss to the Wolfpack, according to coach Royce Van Roekel...

With a pair of victories Saturday, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji girls tennis team is now one win away from a state tournament berth. Squaring off with the area's best at the Class 1A regional tournament in Spencer, SL-O picked up a win over Fort Dodge St. Edmond in the opening round before besting Spencer in round two...

Memorial Day began in 1868 as a day to honor those who died in the Civil War. The holiday was not recognized in the south until after World War I. Originally known as "Decoration Day" for well over a century, people have honored not only fallen soldiers but all loved ones by decorating graves and holding commemoration ceremonies...

Spirit Lake boys golfers couldn't conquer wind and cold conditions at Spencer on Monday, as the Indians' season came to a close with an eighth-place finish at the Class 3A sectional tournament. Jack Bauermeister nearly advanced individually for the Indians, but came up just two strokes shy with his round of 84...

As the only golfer to break 90 in the some of the worst conditions imaginable, Alex Mankle started her postseason run off right, carding a meet-low round of 87 in the opening round of the Class 2A girls regional golf tournament on Monday. Mankle battled extreme cold and wind at the Pioneers' home course of Woodlyn Hills in Milford, but the three-time state qualifier did enough to advance to the final, which will be played in Pocahontas...

Battling extreme wind and cold, the Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire and Harris-Lake Park girls golf teams played well considering the conditions at the first round of the Class 1A regional tournament held in Graettinger on Monday. While the Titans edged the Wolves by 24 strokes to earn a runner-up finish on their home course and punch their ticket to the regional final, H-LP's Christina Galvin earned a spot as an individual with her fifth-place finish...

Military veterans are honored at their funerals by fellow veterans. Denny Perry of the Spirit Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion says the ritual is called "Military Funeral Honors." Rites include a flag presentation and gun salute. The process begins when a funeral home director calls the appropriate veterans' organization. ...

The Dickinson County Conservation Board is committed to protecting monarch butterflies and other pollinators through the planting of milkweed and other native prairie species throughout the community. Students from the four Dickinson County school districts assisted in this mission during a planting project Tuesday, May 12, on six acres adjacent to Pure Fishing's facility in Spirit Lake. ...

Iowa Lakes' Talisa McLachlan had an up-and-down showing at the 2015 NJCAA Women's National Golf Tournament, but the freshman closed out the tournament well, moving up nine spots on the leaderboard to place 21st in the 107-player field. After struggling to her worst round of the season on day three of the four-day tournament held at Longbow Golf Course in Mesa, Arizona, McLachlan stormed back with a final round of 77 on ...