Stories from Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Winter's grip on the landscape will end sometime soon. Ice caps on local area lakes are starting to recede and open water is not far off. Iowans are experiencing an early spring this year and thinking about a nice green lawn may not hasten winter's demise, but it certainly won't hurt. It might help to carry you through those overcast, snowy days...

Archery hunting for whitetail deer is how my love for birds got started. Sitting in a tree stand from sun up 'til sun down waiting on a deer to come by could and does at times become boring. The first bird that started my love for birds was the Black-capped Chickadee. It landed on my arrow less than 18 inches in front of my face. I had no idea what it was and as soon as I got home I looked it up in an old bird book...

Test results conclusively identified two large canines shot this winter in Osceola County and Van Buren County as wolves, likely originating from the Great Lakes population in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The samples were tested at the University of California-Davis...

Recently we talked about selecting the appropriate jig when you want to catch walleyes. Crankbaits are another tool that will catch a wide variety of fish under lots of different conditions. However, there's more to it than just tying on a crankbait and casting or trolling it. Here are some things to keep in mind when you go to the tackle shop to stock a box with crankbaits...

This is one of those times of the year that I really get antsy. Ice is still holding on (barely). Waterfowl are pushing the snowline. Open water walleye is only a day trip away. And we're at the end of the outdoor shows! The colder temperatures the first week of March actually firmed up the shorelines and gave us at least another week of ice fishing. This past weekend, anglers were all over the lakes -- West Okoboji, East Okoboji and Big Spirit -- kind of like a last fling!...

Since winning a county fair free throw contest in the third grade -- for which he was presented $5 at a softball game -- basketball has been at the core of Rick Reinking's life. That will all change next winter, as the longtime girls hoops coach recently called it quits after 22 seasons and 375 career wins at Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla and, most recently, Spirit Lake High School...

March 25, 1925 -- March 3, 2016 Clara Louise "Clare" Hagedon Kimmel was born March 25, 1925, in Rock Rapids, daughter of Albert and Anna (Johnson) Hagedon. She grew up and attended school in Rock Rapids, graduating from Rock Rapids High School in 1943. Clare was employed as a dental assistant in the office of Dr. G.M. Fish for five years...

April 21, 1933 -- Feb. 27, 2016 Kenneth W. Doll, age 82, of Storm Lake, Iowa died Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 at North Lake Manor in Storm Lake. Memorial services were held Saturday, March 5, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Storm Lake. Burial will be at a later date at the Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Nov. 28, 1926 -- Feb. 27, 2016 Norma Lev was born on Nov. 28, 1926 in Lake Park to Emil and Emma (Lage) Wunder. Norma graduated from Lake Park High School. On Dec. 19, 1947, Norma was married to Cecil Lev and to this union four children were born: Ron, Sharlene, John, and Karen. Cecil and Norma farmed in the Lake Park area for many years and moved to town in 1975...

Sept. 23, 1935 -- March 1, 2016 A funeral service for Stan Heikens of Lake Park was held Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the United Methodist Church in Lake Park. Interment will be at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park. "Stan" Heikens, 80, of Lake Park passed away peacefully on March 1, 2016, at the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota...

Feb. 23, 1923 -- March 4, 2016 A funeral service for WillaJean Leu will be held on Wednesday, March 9, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sibley. A visitation will take place from noon until 2 p.m. at the church on March 9, 2016. WillaJean Leu was born Feb. 23, 1923 in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, to Lowell L. and Zeo Ramona (Bowles) Williams...

In support of Public Service Recognition Week, May 1-7, the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is once again seeking nominations for the Public Champion of Economic Development Award. Corridor investors, the public and local governments are invited to nominate elected city or county officials from Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet Counties for this award, which recognizes the critical role government leaders play in economic development. ...

Entries for the fall 2015 photography contest poured into the Dickinson County Nature Center e-mail last August. Then it was the job of the staff to vote on their favorites, and it was harder than organizers thought it would be. Eva Brown's photo of a grassland fence drew us in with its vivid blue sky and crisp grasses that almost seemed like they were moving. Robert Harding's morning glory looked like it was lit up within as the photo captured the morning light...

During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross invites individuals to become everyday heroes by giving blood. March has been recognized as Red Cross Month by every U.S. president since 1943. Red Cross Month is a celebration of supporters who are the face of the Red Cross in their communities, helping to prepare for and bringing help and hope after emergencies...

U.S. Cellular will continue its Community Connections program for the second consecutive year to support local youth organizations. Last year, the company sponsored more than 700 school groups and youth sports teams through a partnership with Pear, an online platform that connects local brands with local community needs. Academic and athletic groups in grades K-12 can sign up at www.pearup.com/uscellular to receive sponsorship from the company to go toward group needs...

Gov. Terry Branstad will sign a proclamation Friday, March 4, marking March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. While gambling is harmless entertainment for most Iowans, gambling can lead to personal and financial problems for others. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), 294,000 adult Iowans experienced a problem related to their gambling in the past year...

As part of its standard procedures, the Iowa Lottery is officially ending sales in one of its instant-scratch games and has established the deadline by which players must claim prizes in it. The lottery has announced the end date for the "5X" scratch game. Players have until the close of business on May 26 to claim prizes in that game...

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey on Feb. 23 announced the State Soil Conservation Committee Research and Demonstration Fund has assistance available for research, education or demonstration projects focused on reducing non-point pollution. Funds are available to collaborative teams of scientists, farmers, institutions, soil and water conservation districts and educators...

MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy are teaming up to fight back against scams. Phone billing scams targeting utility customers continue to be a daily battle for the utilities, resulting in money lost for several customers. Since the beginning of the year, customers have reported more than 400 fraudulent calls to the two utilities. The scammers are targeting all customer bases; however, small businesses and Spanish-speaking customers seem to be the most frequent targets...

Students from Algona to Urbandale arrived in Spirit Lake Friday and Saturday for a different kind of decathlon. The javelins and running shoes could stay at home, but knowledge of Mahatma Gandhi would come in handy for this state competition. Students filled out ovals on a multiple choice test forms at the Sami Center Friday evening as images of the Taj Mahal and other works of art from India were projected onto a screen within the auditorium...

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said summer internships for college-age Iowans are available, and applications are due March 18. Internships are available in Grassley's Washington, D.C., office as well as his offices in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux City and Waterloo. During the summer there are two, six-week sessions. The first session will run from May 23 to July 1 and the second session will run from July 5 to Aug. 12...

Area golfers are invited to attend the Iowa Lakes Community College Foundation's Palo Alto County Scholarship Golf Outing on Friday, June 24, at the Five Island Golf Course in Emmetsburg. The event features a nine-hole, four-person best shot tournament format. ...

Teen Tech Week is March 7-11 and it is a time for libraries to showcase all the great digital resources and services they offer. Torrey Proctor and John Hass from TechKnow in Spencer will be at the library on Thursday, March 10. At 2 p.m. adults are invited to come hear Hass talk about Bitcoin, making circuits, coding, and Minecraft. ...

The Lake Park Library has lots of new books and movies and they are still arriving! Something for everybody! We also have developed a collection of Julia Cook's children's books. Julia states, "In order to teach a child, you must enter their view of the world."...

NCACDA Honor Choir Participants have very successful honor choir experiences. These Spirit Lake High School Vocal Music Students auditioned for a six-state honor choir in October by a recorded audio audition and were accepted into one of three honor choirs of approximately 100 singers in each...

Shawn Harmon and Alecia Olson, students at Northwestern College in Orange City, will tour with the college's a cappella Choir during its spring break tour of Taiwan on March 5--14. The 44-member ensemble will perform at a variety of venues, including public concerts, private events, church worship services, middle schools, high schools, universities and hospitals...

Fifteen schools arrived at Okoboji High School on Feb. 27 to participate in the IHSSA District Individual Speech Contests. Twenty-four Okoboji High School students participated including: Tristan Brown, Laura Clark, Jeremiah Clay, Bradden Droegmiller, Andrew Dunn, Jackson Fisher, Grace Goehring, Glenn Hackbarth, Bin Huang, Dallas Johnson, Dalton Johnson, Blake Lineweaver, Zoe McGhan, Kaitlyn Meylor, Carson Miller, Laura Nielsen, Liz Olsen, Hope Pearson, Kiaya Pernick, Catherine Rohret, Megan Stephenson, Nicole Welle, Taneka Williamson and Sammie Wuebker.. ...

Congratulations went out to the Spirit Lake vocal jazz ensemble (jazz choir) for three very fine performances Monday, Feb 22, in Sioux City. They earned a Gold Award at the Morningside vocal jazz festival in the morning and then earned the first place trophy in Spirit Lake's class at the Lewis and Clark jazz festival at WIT in Sioux City in the afternoon...

Congratulations to the Spirit Lake High School Jazz Band on placing second in Class 3A at Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City on Monday, Feb. 22. First place in Class 3A went to Glenwood High School, and third and fourth were Creston High School and Sergeant Bluff-Luton respectively. ...

"Spirit Rising," the Spirit Lake Middle School Show Choir, traveled March 5 to Emmetsburg High School for the Emmetsburg Extravaganza Show Choir & Vocal Jazz Invitational. The group participated in the middle school show choir division with four other schools...

As spring break nears, many Iowans are making travel preparations. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds vacationers to make protecting their health part of their plans. Whether traveling to a sunny beach or ski resort, take time to learn about the health concerns that may await you...

Congratulations went out to the Spirit Lake High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble for earning the second-place trophy in combined classes 3A/4A at the Emmetsburg Invitational on Saturday, March 5. Lauren Wickham was named the outstanding female soloist of the day in vocal jazz...

MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy are teaming up to fight back against scams. Phone billing scams targeting utility customers continue to be a daily battle for the utilities, resulting in money lost for several customers. Since the beginning of the year, customers have reported more than 400 fraudulent calls to the two utilities. The scammers are targeting all customer bases; however, small businesses and Spanish-speaking customers seem to be the most frequent targets...

It's no surprise that working on wind turbines comes with many risks. In order to reduce or prevent those risks, it's important to gain knowledge on the proper use of all safety equipment needed in the industry, including the proper use of tools. Wind energy is a growing field and it is projected to show faster growth from now until 2024. The bureau of labor statistics shows the growth in jobs is much faster than average at 108 percent and ranks among the top fields for projected growth...

More than 3,500 students have been recognized for their academic achievements at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) during the fall 2015 semester with inclusion on the chancellor's and/or dean's list. Andrew Broocks of Spirit Lake was named to the chancellor's list. ...

The Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Iowa Navy Commodores were on hand as Tom Erichsen and William Kallsen cut the ribbon of the new Erichsen, Kallsen and Associates CPA, LLP to commemorate the business at 605 Lake Street in Spirit Lake. Erichsen moved into the building back in November. Kallsen and his wife Cindy Kallsen joined the firm in January...

"The Arts at St. Joseph" presents the Alexander Piano Trio featuring David Ray Alexander, piano; John Douglas Alexander, violin and William Emerson Alexander, cello. Their performance will be at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. The trio will play selections from Antonio Lucio, C.M. Von Weber, Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven...

Arrowwood/Minerva's General Manager, Dan Toman, accepts the first place trophy as Minerva's won the best overall chocolate during the University of Okoboji Winter Games Chocolate Classic sponsored by Mary Lynn & Jon Ingvall of DOWDEN HINN REALTORS. Chef Brendan Waltz served a fudge-covered chocolate chip cookie dough truffle to take home the top prize...

From locations in Australia to Israel, ladies got their "brew on" Saturday as part of Big Boots Brew Day coordinated internationally by the Pink Boots Society. Locally, West O Beer's brewery, in Okoboji, hosted an invitation-only event for women got their hands dirty crafting a Belgian Wit beer. Established brewer Ann Fahy, mother of Conor Fahy, head brewer at West O Beer, was on site to teach and lead the special activity...

The school hot lunch line can be an uncomfortable place for the youngest members of a family struggling to get by. An upcoming concert is planned to give those families a helping hand. Local churches partnered with Lunch 4 Kids to bring CTI 14:21 in for free benefit concert on Friday. Proceeds will benefit Spirit Lake and the surrounding area...

Most dogs love car rides -- but wait until they see what's at the other end of the trip. The Lakes Area Dog Park Board has secured a location for a new park in Dickinson County. The six-acre park will be constructed on the south campus of United Methodist Camp in Spirit Lake. Funds are now being raised for the project, which will be built in phases...

Giving blood can help save lives and people in Dickinson County have a pair options on where they donate. The American Red Cross and LifeServe Blood Center are nonprofit organizations that draw blood donations in the Iowa Great Lakes Area. However, there is one main difference between the two. While the American Red Cross is nationwide, LifeServe only serves hospitals in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota...

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirm that a canine shot in Osceola County was indeed a wolf. The agency confirmed the positive test on Friday. DNR officials say a canine shot in the southeast corner of the state was also a wolf...

Milford businessman and volunteer Emil Richter has used a blend of plywood, paint and power tools to recognize Okoboji students for two decades of accomplishments at the state level. Now, the guy behind the congratulations signs along Highway 71 is receiving an honor of his own...

The Spirit Lake Indians waited 74 years to make a return trip to the state tournament, and in the blink of an eye, the dream is over. Cedar Rapids Xavier, behind Mitchell Burger's game-high 25 points, ended Spirit Lake's first trip to the state tournament since 1942 Tuesday with a 58-47 loss in the opening round...

Mental health assistance available by phone Northwest Iowa Care Connections, a Mental Health and Disability Services Region covering, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola and Palo Alto counties, contracts with Foundation 2 in Cedar Rapids for 24/7 confidential phone crisis assistance at 1-844-345-4569...