Stories from Monday, September 12, 2016

Stop us if you've heard this before: "West Okoboji is one of only three blue water lakes in the world, the others being Lake Geneva in Switzerland and Lake Louise in Canada." Dr. John Downing isn't going to debunk the magic of Santa or tell you how coins end up where that missing baby tooth used to be. But, the Iowa State and Minnesota-Duluth researcher is an expert in his field. He can tell you the "blue" West Lake Okoboji claim just doesn't hold water...

Sixth-grade students from around Dickinson County were taught in a different kind of classroom last week. They traded in textbooks and walls for hands-on activities, trees, grass and blue sky. The Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District hosted its 38th annual sixth-grade Outdoor Classroom Thursday, Sept. 8, at Kettleson-Hogsback in Spirit Lake. Students from Spirit Lake, Harris-Lake Park and Okoboji attended to gain a better understanding of the surrounding environment...

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school football polls of the 2016 season with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right: Others receiving votes: Bettendorf 18. Ames 12. Waterloo West 8. Newton 6. Urbandale 3...