Stories from Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The Iowa Hall of Pride Challenge has concluded its community service initiative this basketball season with dozens of schools participating in projects all across the state. Community service award winners have been determined and are listed below with each receiving a $500 service award for their student government program. The top service award winner of $1,000 was Mason City...

PHOTO SUBMITTED Kristi Peck (left), representing Dickinson County Farm Bureau and Mike Thoreson (right) representing Farm Bureau Financial Services, presented the Okoboji girls basketball team with signature balls to commemorate their trip to the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament. ...

Brianna Reynolds signed on with the Iowa Lakes Community College women's swim team on Feb. 18, 2016. Iowa Lakes women's swim coach Sam Mashburn explained that Reynolds will be able to contribute right away to the team. "She was one of our first recruits for the school year," Mashburn said. "She brings depth to our backstroke events and some of our freestyle events."...

Gavin Rogers, son of Dr. Charles and Marcelyn Rogers of Omaha and Arnolds Park and grandson of Don and Korlyn Marti of Arnolds Park, recently qualified for and competed at the Nebraska State High School Championship swim meet. Rogers, competing for Burke High School (Omaha), was a medal finalist in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2016 Metropolitan Conference Championships. His medley relay team placed second and he joined two more medal-winning relay teams in the 200 and 400 freestyle...

The Bedell Barracudas recently competed at the Iowa State Swim Meet held Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6 in Marshalltown . The boys competed on Saturday, scoring 34 points, placing the boys team in 23rd place out of 31 teams. Ray Kaiser, 8, swam in the 25-yard backstroke with a final time of 24.72 seconds, placing him 21st in the state...

The Spirit Lake Park girls track team travelled to Cedar Falls on Monday, March 7, to take part in the Dickinson Relays hosted by the University of Northern Iowa. "It was a fun and very long day for us," SLP coach Tim Heinitz said. "We had some good individual performances, but we have a long way to go. I can definitely tell we have only had seven days of practice."...

The Okoboji boys track team kicked off the 2016 season Saturday on the campus of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake at a meet hosted by Algona. The Pioneers, led by 400-meter dash champion Dustin Zimmerman, enjoyed a successful day. Zimmerman was Okoboji's lone champ on the day, winning the 400-meter dash with a final time of 58.58 seconds. ...

After spending an hour deciphering riddles, Kara Packebush decided to bring her own brand of brain-teasers to the Iowa Great Lakes area. Packebush, who is also an interventionist at Okoboji Elementary School, visited an escape room with her family in Coralville last October. She was tasked with figuring out a series of clues to find a key which unlocked a door in under 60 minutes...

Feb. 1, 1926 -- March 3, 2016 Imelda "Imie" G. Goss, 90, died peacefully Thursday, March 3, at Mercy Iowa City. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday, March 9, at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Visitation was at Lensing Oak Hill in Coralville, where a Vigil Service was held. Burial was at Oak Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Camp Courageous or the Crisis Center...

June 29, 1932 -- March 4, 2016 A Celebration of Life Service for John A Anderson, age 83, of rural Milford will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Milford Community Center. John Allen Anderson, the son of Ava Davis and Allen Anderson, was born on June 29, 1932. He was a farmer for most of his life and has lived at the same location since birth...

May 18, 1919 -- March 5, 2016 Lois Maxine (Madsen) Powers, age 96, of Okoboji passed away March 5, 2016, of natural causes at home surrounded by her family. Lois Maxine Madsen was born on May 18, 1919 to Tora (Rouse) Madsen and Harry James Madsen on their farm in northwest Iowa. ...

With an overall combined record of 111-76, a trio of conference champions and a pair of state tournament qualifiers, lakes area basketball teams had a stellar 2015-16 season by anyone's standards. Here is a look at how each performed: Okoboji's senior-dominated group made history this season, becoming the first Okoboji girls basketball team to qualify for the state tournament and the first Okoboji hoops squad to win a state tournament game. ...

Jan. 27, 1928 -- March 11, 2016 A funeral service for Sally Lawrence, age 88, of Lake Park, was held Friday, March 11, 2016, at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park. Burial was at Silver Lake Cemetery. Marcella Jeanne (Lenz) Lawrence, better known to her family and many friends as Sally, was born Jan. 27, 1928, to Herbert and Marjorie (Elliott) Lenz in Lake Park. She graduated from Lake Park High School in 1945 and married the love of her life, C.E. "Skeeter" Lawrence, on Feb. 17, 1946...

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...

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...

The public is invited to join Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach family finance specialist Jan Monahan as she offers guidelines and strategies for putting financial houses in order. "Have you ever wondered how long to keep your records, when to toss and when to keep?" Monahan asks. ...

Concerned about gambling? Have the conversation 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...

An Iowa Lakes Community College photography student, Natalie Rosenberg, attended the Professional Photographers of Iowa's Spring Print Competition, accompanied by photography instructor, Dave Petrick, and received three distinguished awards, two in the "Illustrate" category and one in the "Commercial" category...

Editor's note: Although the late ice fishing came to a quick end this past week, here is some information to keep in mind as you head into late ice next year. It's never too late to get some key tips that will make next year's late ice fishing more successful. In this article, Mark Strand shares some key ideas by Dave Genz, known as Mr. Ice Fishing...

Iowa has more than 1.6 million acres of road right-of-ways and when properly managed these roadsides provide important nesting, roosting, and escape habitat for pheasants, partridge, quail, ducks, rabbits and many different songbirds. Unfortunately, ill-timed burning and indiscriminate mowing destroys many nests and young each year...

The popular Iowa Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is taking registrations for its third annual workshop at Honey Creek Resort State Park. The two-and-a-half-day event will be held April 28-May 1, 2016. "We are inviting women to welcome spring with some new-found outdoor skills they can learn at our workshop," says Julie Sparks, coordinator of the Iowa BOW program...

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...

Click. Click, click, click. Click, click. Whoosh. Drip, drip, drip. When you walk into the new indoor bat cave at the Dickinson County Nature Center, you will hear the clicking of a bat call, the whoosh of wind blowing through the cave and the dripping of water falling from stalactites...

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...

It appears that spring is attempting to make an early return this year. All across walleye country, anglers are getting in and on the water in search of 'eye action. The small rivers that are so abundant across the Midwest get a lot of attention at this time of year. Here are some ideas that might help you catch more walleyes in those rivers in the next few weeks...

First off, thanks to all Iowans who buy hunting and fishing licenses and take part in the Chickadee Check-off on their income tax forms! These dollars go directly into the Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund, which is managed by the Iowa DNR and spent exclusively for fish and wildlife-related research, education, management and expansion of natural resource opportunities in Iowa...

The Iowa Navy Commodores presented Nick Stamoulis with a plaque to welcome Motor Inn of Spirit Lake into the Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. Stamoulis is the general manager of Motor Inn car dealership on 2702 17th Street in Spirit Lake.

The Iowa Navy Commodores welcomed new Hy-Vee Store Director J.J. Hansard to the Iowa Great Lakes area Wednesday. Hansard transferred from the Hy-Vee in Sheldon, where he was also as the store director.

Spirit Lake didn't have to look far in its search to replace longtime girls basketball coach Rick Reinking, who stepped down after coaching the Indians to 156 wins and a pair of state tournament trips in nine seasons at the helm. Rachel Gerking, who currently serves in the athletics department and coaches softball at the high school, will take over the girls hoops reins for the 2016-17 season...

Valerie Newhouse, President of Iowa Lakes Community College, has released the fall honors list of full-time students who have demonstrated academic excellence by earning at least a grade point average of 3.25 (based on a 4.00) or higher. Fall semester students who have achieved a 3.25 grade point average or better are recognized by inclusion on the Dean's list. ...

The inaugural Dancing with the Local Stars event March 3-4 provided amazing entertainment for attendees and an estimated $15,000 for the Kossuth County Scholarship Fund. Thanks went out to the dance couples who perfected their individual dances. Professionals for the event were: Karley Kohlhaas, Daryl Kohlhaas, Dave Waldschmidt, Ellie Larsen, Theresa Waechter, Anne Kohlhaas, Justin Tickle and Alexa Kent-Langenwalter...

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...

Iowa Lakes Community College Business Professionals of America (BPA) club members returned home once again this year with honors captured at the annual State Leadership Conference. State competitions were held Feb. 23-24 at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, and the Holiday Inn & Suites in Des Moines. Over 100 students from eight community colleges participated...

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. ...

Minds in Motion, a program designed to allow students' inquisitive minds and creative energies to shine, will be held on March 31 in the Spirit Lake Elementary School. This non-juried event allows grade 3-4 students to present science experiments, inventions and innovations to the student body, during school hours, and to the public from 6-7 p.m. This event is attended by participants and viewers alike...

The student of the month program allows faculty members to recognize students for outstanding performance in one or more of the following: Academic excellence; special effort in the classroom activities; concern for learning, positive citizenship, hard work and/or other personal behavior which enhances the general school and classroom atmosphere...

Meet the new children's librarian Hello, allow me to introduce myself, Krista Elmquist, the new Children's Librarian at the Spirit Lake Library. This is a new position for me although, I have been at the library part-time since the fall of 2014 after moving to the Lakes area with my husband Toni and son Mitchell from Mapleton...

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...

March 4-19 is our coloring contest for preschool through fourth grade. All coloring pages will be put on the library windows. Each winner will receive an Easter basket. Coloring pages can be picked up at the front desk of the library. Milford Memorial Library has put a new spin on the spring egg hunt. ...

Our system of government was designed to be of the people, by the people and for the people. To protect the God-given natural rights of each citizen and preserve our liberty, the U.S. Constitution was specifically designed to limit governmental power. ...

HF 2406 changes the date of regular school elections for local school districts, merged areas, and area education agency boards to the same date as municipal elections. The purpose of this is to increase voter turn out and to save some money. In 2015, Spencer Community Schools had a 1.4 percent voter turnout for the Sept. ...

This week, House Republicans and Senate Democrats moved a step closer to adjournment by reaching agreement on several major issues before the Legislature. TAX COUPLING Part of the agreement between House Republicans and Senate Democrats includes House Republican's tax coupling bill which provides $95 million in tax relief to Iowans...

Great melting snow banks, Batman! The weather was so mild these past few days that practically all of the snowbanks are melted and many of you were enjoying the sunshine in your yards. Do not be fooled my fellow lovers of the spring. This is a false spring and there will absolutely be a snow event before we turn the page to April showers...

Every day, LifeServe Blood Center saves lives by providing access to a safe, quality blood supply. However, blood products are only available because generous volunteers selflessly give of themselves to help others in need. We understand that a blood donor's commitment is significant; you entrust us with your time and most importantly with a precious resource -- your blood and we thank you! To find out how to join #LifeServers, donors can call LifeServe Blood Center at 1-800-287-4903 or visit www.lifeservebloodcenter.org to find a blood drive near you.. ...

Iowans will see a lot of discussion in the news media and among First Amendment advocates during the March 13-19 Sunshine Week about the vital importance of open government in a free and democratic society. Sunshine Week is, in fact, an opportunity for everyone to be reminded about why open government is important to their own lives and to their communities...

Spirit Lake Noon Kiwanis is once again sponsoring the Dickinson County Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19 at the Bedell Family YMCA. Three eggs per age division will contain a prize. The age divisions are: 2 and under, 3-5 years old, 6-8 years old, and 9-12 years old. Each age division will have a designated area to search for Easter eggs...

Tickets are now on sale for Iowa Lakes Community College's spring musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This is an irresistible family musical about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel's favorite son. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be presented at 7 p.m. April 7-9...

Kenue Park continues to add features The Dickinson County Conservation Board has done it again. They have taken a major recreation step in the Iowa Great Lakes, not unlike the creation a number of years ago of a winter recreation park called Horseshoe Bend, southwest of Milford...

Charley Whittenburg, CEO at Arnolds Park Amusement Park on March 4 announced the Live at the Lake Concert Series. The lineup features 15 FREE nights of entertainment over a 13 week period. All shows will begin at 7:30 at Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Lake Okoboji...

As waterfowl migrate through the area, many are finding the wetland in Kenue Park an enticing place to stop. You can watch the ducks, geese and swans as they go about their daily routines thanks to the Dickinson County Nature Center's live web camera...

Musician, author and filmmaker Les Stroud of "Survivorman" will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at Wild Rose Casino and Resort. Best known as the Canadian Screen Award winning producer, creator and star of the hit TV series "Survivorman," Stroud is the only producer in the history of television to produce an international broadcast series entirely written, videotaped and hosted alone. ...

Country singer Gene Watson will perform on Saturday, April 16, at Wild Rose Casino and Resort. The country stylist from Houston, Texas has been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years. His very first radio single, the self-penned "If it's That Easy" was released in 1962 so the entertainer is celebrating 50-plus years in the music business, and 4 years ago celebrated his "Golden Anniversary" in 2012...

An estimated 10,000 Iowa boat owners who were notified that their crafts were assigned a hull identification number by the manufacturer that is not in compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard have yet to verify their HIN with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources before their current registration expires on April 30...

The Office of U.S. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on March 11 announced upcoming traveling office hours across Iowa for the month of April. The schedule includes a Dickinson County stop, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, at Arnolds Park City Hall. Representatives from Senator Ernst's office will be available in counties throughout the state to assist Iowans with problems or questions about eligibility involving issues like Social Security, veterans benefits, or military affairs, passports, immigration issues, and other federal programs.. ...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) generates 420 jobs that add $18.4 million to Dickinson County's economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association. In addition, LRH employees by themselves spend $6.3 million on retail sales and contribute nearly $380,000 in state sales tax revenue...

State Representative Megan Jones (R-Sioux Rapids) filed nomination petitions to seek re-election to the Iowa House. Jones, a Republican, currently represents Iowa House District 2, which includes all of Clay and Palo Alto Counties as well as southern Dickinson County...

Earlier this month Dave Petrick, photography instructor and owner of Dave Petrick Photography, accompanied two students to the Professional Photographers of Iowa Competition in Des Moines, where he was recognized for his print work. "I have been entering competition for quite a few years and have won various ribbons," Petrick said. ...

Marlyn Kirk Anderson, 55, of Spirit Lake was charged with second-offense public intoxication at 7:31 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at 2201 Highway 71 South. Chelsey Lynn Mattsen, 26, of Spirit Lake was charged with open container, driving while under the influence, and failure to provide proof of financial liability at 1:37 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Wal-Mart corner of 18th Street and Highway 71...

One of the decorative basketball figurines at the base of Spirit Lake's 1942 boys state tournament trophy broke off at some point. The words "Consolation Runner Up" are beginning to fade. But check with 92-year-old Jack Bedell and 91-year-old John Walston. ...

Boji Bay, located at Milford and Okoboji, has announced the name of its all new outdoor concert grounds and facility. The new concert complex will be named Boji Bay Legacy Park. The new concert facility will have one of the largest outdoor, state-of-the-art music stages in the Upper Midwest...

The Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is pleased to congratulate Blain Andera, Executive Director, for 15 years of service with the Chamber. As the lead staff person for the Spirit Lake Chamber, Andera oversees the priorities as set by the Board of Directors. Always striving to offer programs and events that fit under the mission statement, "Strengthening Business, Enhancing Community," the Chamber is proud of its successes over the past 15 years and beyond...

Talk about a makeover. A trip to visit her sister in New York City last summer transformed 16-year-old Spirit Lake High School student Emma Wolff's life. Modeling was something she thought about as a career. She had spoken to some agencies and was drawing a little interest. But it was a meeting with an Americana Modeling representative, who discovered Wolff on Instagram, that allowed her to follow her dream...

The Upper Great Plains Chapter of Muskie Inc is helping the Iowa Great Lakes Area prepare for the busy boat season one dock at a time. The organization selected and repaired three public docks that were in disarray as part of its annual community effort. Larry Perry, president of the Muskie Inc local chapter, said the project is critical because public resources aren't always available to make the repairs...

The stranded red car on frozen West Lake Okoboji has been catching the attention of travelers along the Highway 71 bridge between Okoboji and Arnolds Park for months. Now, there's nothing to see. The fundraising contest centerpiece fell through the ice at 12:58 p.m. on Thursday -- perfect timing for Jan McDonald of Spirit Lake. She won $1,000 for correctly buying the winning moment when ice would no longer support the vehicle's weight among 720 minutes in a clock day...

The Clay County Sheriff's Office has released additional details about an armed robbery at Barb's Corner Restaurant and Lounge on Friday afternoon. Authorities on Tuesday confirmed that they pulled 40-year-old Joshua Emerson Mandelkow over at about 2:45 p.m. along a gravel road about 6 miles west of Milford...