Stories from Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the eight Dickinson County residents who have been elected Winter Games Cheerleaders for the 36th Annual University of Okoboji Winter Games. On Tuesday and Wednesday Jan. 5-6 the general public was encouraged to visit the chamber office and vote for eight of the 26 very-worthy candidates nominated. By the end of the voting period, 155 ballots had been cast over the course of the two days...

GOP candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas used a Wednesday stop in Spirit Lake to fortify poll numbers and spell out plans for the first day of a potential presidency. Donald Trump maintained a slim lead in Monday's Quinnipiac University poll of likely Iowa Caucus participants. ...

A Wednesday night event helped Iowa Lakes Community College officials celebrate 50 years of accomplishments. Now, school officials are asking area residents to position Iowa Lakes students for the next 50 years of learning. The college has a $16 million bond referendum vote scheduled Tuesday, Feb. 2. If approved, upgrades would take place at the campus sites in Algona, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer and Spirit Lake...

The Clay County Fair is excited to announce that platinum selling recording artist Andy Grammer with special guest Rachel Platten will perform in the U.S. Cellular Grandstand at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. "You can hardly turn on the radio or television right now without hearing Andy Grammer or Rachel Platten," said CCF Manager Jeremy Parsons. "It's a pleasure to bring them both to the Clay County Fair for what is sure to be an unforgettable night."...

The 13th Annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) is looking for artists for the coming year. The deadline for applications is Friday, Jan. 15, so interested artists still have a few more days to get their application and membership fee sent in. All disciplines and mediums are accepted -- painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, fabric, wood, photography, pottery, and more...

The Carpenters, Ritchie Valens, the comedy of Second City and everything in between will be enjoyed by Lakes Area residents and visitors of all ages in 2016. A wide variety of acts and outstanding musicians comprise the tentative schedule of live performance shows at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji...

One of the most popular events on campus during the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games weekend is the Chocolate Classic & Galleria. Scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 29 in the Dickinson County Expo Building, Mary Lynn and Jon Ingvall of Dowden-Hinn Realtors will again sponsor a delicious and decadent experience to help cure those winter blues from 1-3 p.m...

Congratulations to Marissa Eades and Nate Oulman of Estherville. They are the proud parents of Braxton Eugene, Dickinson County's New Year's Baby. Braxton was born at Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) at 12:27 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, weighing five pounds, 15 ounces and 19 inches in length...

Dickinson County Attorney Jon Martin is the new President-Elect of the Iowa County Attorneys Association (ICAA). He was elected to the one-year term by his peers at the association's fall conference Nov. 8-11 in Cedar Rapids. Martin was appointed in September 2012 to finish Jason Carlstrom's unfinished term. He was unopposed in the 2014 election cycle...

At its annual employee rally on Nov. 10, Bank Midwest Chairman and CEO Steve Goodenow named Mary Kay Bates president of the $700 million bank effective Jan. 1, 2016. Bates was previously executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer, leading the company's administrative and operational functions with an emphasis on strategic and organizational development...

Okoboji native Brooke Barnes has been inducted into the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame. Barnes, assistant vice president of restaurant development, was named as the 2015 Department Director of the Year at the company's annual stockholders' meeting last month. Barnes was nominated by her peers, who noted her positive attitude during the opening of many Hy-Vee Market Grille and Market Café openings...

Free educational entertainment for toddlers is almost non-existent in today's era, at least outside of the television set. However, that's exactly what the Dickinson County Nature Center offers with its monthly Nature Playtime for Tots program. Fun and learning come together as the 2016 season begins 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, with a "Sleepy Times" theme, focusing on hibernating animals...

The Class 1A sixth-ranked Okoboji girls hoops squad improved to 12-0 on the season with Tuesday night's 20-point home win over Emmetsburg, but the win was really a tale of two halves. Early on, the Pioneers looked out of sync and coach John Adams reacted quickly, pulling his starters after back-to-back buckets by junior post Kayla Joyce put the E-Hawks up 4-2 to start the contest...

The Okoboji boys basketball is finally back on the right track, as the Pioneers earned their second straight victory Tuesday night after suffering seven straight losses -- a streak that spanned more than a month -- with a 68-59 non-conference win over visiting Emmetsburg...

The Spirit Lake Park and Graettinger-Terri/Ruthven-Ayrshire wrestling teams traveled to Sioux Center on Tuesday night to take on the Warriors in a non-conference double-dual. The Indians went 2-0 on the night, while the Warriors went 1-1 and the Titans went 0-2...

Pat and Kim Janicek of Spirit Lake announce the engagement of their daughter, Brooke Janicek, to Michael Dalen, son of Ivan and Denise Dalen of Graettinger. Brooke is a 2012 graduate of Spirit Lake High School. She is currently in her last semester at Iowa State University where she is pursuing a degree in early childhood education...

May 24, 1934 -- Jan. 7, 2016 Willmar "Bill" Arneson, 81, of Spirit Lake, passed away on Jan. 7 at Keelson Harbor Assisted Living in Spirit Lake. He was born on May 24, 1934, in Algona to Wilmar and Viola (Fry) Arneson. Bill served his country in the United States Army from 1951 until 1953. He was united in marriage to Shirley Anderson on Aug. 14, 1958, in Ceylon, Minnesota. Bill worked for Coca-Cola in Spirit Lake for over 40 years...

Oct. 2, 1922 - Jan. 5, 2016 Roy Wittrock, 93, of Omaha and formerly of Milford passed away Tuesday Jan. 5 at his home in Omaha. He was born on Oct. 2 1922 in Milford to Emma (Richter) and Joseph Wittrock. He was baptized at St Joseph Catholic Church and graduated from Milford High School...

March 24, 1938 -- Jan. 5, 2016 The gentle veterinarian, Ronald Arlis Batz, 77, died on Jan. 5 in the loving arms of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A memorial service was held Saturday, Jan. 9 at Miller Funeral Home in Sioux Falls...

March 1932 -- Jan. 3, 2016 Peter A. Greiner, 83 of Wahpeton, formerly of Lisbon, died Sunday, Jan. 3, at Lakes Regional Health Care in Spirit Lake. Funeral Mass was Friday, Jan. 8, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mechanicsville. Burial followed at Lisbon Cemetery. Full military rites were conducted at the cemetery...

Jan. 10, 1936 - Jan. 6, 2016 A funeral service for Marcia Andersen was held Saturday, Jan. 9 at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Memory Gardens in Spirit Lake. Marcia Lee Andersen, the daughter of Nedra Elizabeth (Coon) Purdy and George Emory Goddard, was born Jan. ...

Sept. 1, 1960 - Jan. 5, 2016 A funeral service for Julie Lynn Puck, 55, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota was held Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sioux Valley, Minnesota. Interment was at Sioux Valley Cemetery in Sioux Valley. Julie Lynn Puck, the daughter of Lois (Luther) and Arlo Puck was born Sept. 1, 1960, in Lakefield, Minnesota. She was baptized at the Presbyterian Church in Lake Park and was confirmed at the Sioux Valley Trinity Lutheran Church...

Dec. 31, 1955 - Dec. 31, 2015 A funeral service for Fred Moriston, 60, of Spirit Lake, was held Wednesday, Jan. 6 at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Frederick Forrest Moriston, the son of Forrest and Dorothy (Watkins) Moriston, was born Dec. 31, 1955 in Sioux City. He had lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Spirit Lake and the surrounding area his entire life...

Nov. 19, 1933 - Jan. 6, 2016 Diane Dowden, 82, of Spirit Lake, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake. She was born on Nov. 19, 1933, in Exira to Adrian and Annette (Lohner) Corl. Diane's parents divorced soon after Diane's birth and she was raised by her mother and grandmother, Sena Lohner, for the first few years of her life. Her mother married Floyd Johnson several years later and they moved to Atlantic...

The Spirit Lake Park wrestling team competed in five duals, and even more duels, in two days, going 4-1 while hosting Storm Lake and Emmetsburg on Thursday and the Jerry Hentges Dual Tournament the following Friday in Spirit Lake. The Indians started their streak with four straight wins over the Tornadoes (44-21) and E-Hawks (64-12), Sioux Central (75-3) and Sioux City North (54-21), but fell to Class 1A third-ranked Sibley-Ocheyedan (41-34) in Friday's final...

Coming off of back-to-back losses for the first time this season, the Class 3A fifth-ranked Spirit Lake girls basketball team needed overtime to top Sioux Central 62-59 at home on Monday. The Indians trailed 14-12 after one, but outscored the Rebels 14-12 in the second to knot the score at 26-26 at the half...