Stories from Wednesday, January 4, 2017

This is part of a series looking back at 2016. Dickinson County may have been a harbinger of things to come. Party leaders at the GOP's local Iowa Caucus location counted 1,202 ballots and Donald Trump emerged from a field of 11 candidates with 342 votes. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida followed with 286 votes. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz finished third, with 260 votes on Feb. 2...

This is part of a series looking back at 2016. Iowa Code mandated Judge David Lester's 50-year sentence for Lee Christensen on Dec. 21. The former Estherville Lincoln Central athlete was convicted of second-degree murder on July 1. A jury found the 19-year-old guilty of using a .45 pistol to intentionally end the life of Thomas Bortvit of Estherville on June 6, 2015. ...

This is part of a series looking back at 2016. Power lines were snapped, roadways were flooded and trees were pushed into buildings as part of a particularly nasty storm system on June 14. Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Ehret measured winds of up to 70 mph. Conditions warranted both a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado warning for the area Tuesday afternoon...

This is part of a series looking back at 2016. Iowa Great Lakes residents had the difficult task of filling two elected offices after one of the area's most dedicated leaders passed away Aug. 15.  A three-member selection committee interviewed a pair of applicants to succeed David Gottsche on the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors. Iowa Code required the county auditor, county recorder and county treasurer to appoint someone to fill the vacant position until the Nov. 8 vote...

This is part of a series looking back at 2016. Strong support from Emmet County voters helped a $16 million Iowa Lakes Community College bond referendum pass Feb. 9. The measure received 1,984 "yes" votes for 62.4 percent support. The bond referendum received 1,192 "no" votes for 37.5 percent opposition...

The East Okoboji Lake Improvement Corporation was one of the non-profit groups trying control the curly leaf pondweed in the Iowa Great Lakes. Organization members approached the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors about use of the herbicide endothall on the travel lanes of the northern part of the lake. Plans stalled when utility officials became concerned about the use of chemicals in water to control plant growth...

Part of a series looking back at 2016 They gave selflessly to make life a little better for those around them. Continuing an annual tradition, The Dickinson County News recalls six of the many notable figures who left us in the past year. Their legacy lasts well beyond the confines of a calendar and generations will remember them for their commitment to communities, families and friends...

The chance of being born at exactly midnight on New Year’s Day is one in 526,600, but that’s just what Lakes Regional Healthcare’s (LRH) New Year’s Baby did. Noelia Beatriz Gomez Ramirez made her entrance into the world at the stroke of midnight Sunday morning. The coincidence didn’t stop there, however. Baby Noelia’s father was also born at midnight on New Year’s Day in 1984...

The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association (IRRMA) is pleased to announce the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees. Bands – Jeff Brandt & Galaxy (Central Region), Lavender Lace Band (Central Region), High Heel & the Sneakers (Southwest Region), The Night People (Southeast Region), Hampton Road (Northeast Region), Prince & the Paupers (Northwest Region), IRRMA All Stars Band (Northwest Region)...

The Dickinson County Water Quality Commission awarded $277,537 toward clean water projects to be completed in Dickinson County. These funds will be matched against state and federal grants to provide water monitoring, education, coordination, best management practices, and watershed protection in three watersheds of Dickinson County, Silver Lake, Iowa Great Lakes and Little Swan Lake...

January is National Mentoring Month and this year YMCA Kinship is celebrating 15 years of the mentoring movement and expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults. Mentoring has gained so much momentum, in large part due to National Mentoring Month. ...

The turbulent U.S. election, featuring Donald Trump's unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, was the overwhelming pick for the top news story of 2016, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors...

Humans don't hibernate, so it's time to get out of the house. Bring your toddler, ages 2-5, to the next Nature Tots Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji and go for a Wintertime Walk. "We will focus on snow and how animals survive through the winter," said naturalist Charles Vigdal...

The 14th annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) is looking for artists for the coming year. The deadline for applications is Friday, Jan. 16 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...

Winning a Pulitzer Prize and a clutch of Tony Awards in a single year would be enough for anyone. Not Lin-Manuel Miranda. Not in 2016. The "Hamilton" writer-composer picked up those honors and also earned a Golden Globe nomination, won the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, wrote music for a top movie, and inspired a best-selling book, a best-selling album of "Hamilton" covers and a popular PBS documentary...

The Box Tops, a ground breaking 1960s group from Memphis will perform on Saturday, March 25, at Wild Rose Casino and Resort. The Box Tops first charted in 1967 with a song called “The Letter,” which like most of their other songs from the 1960s was recorded at Chips Moman’s “American” recording studio and was produced by Dan Penn. ...

As part of this position as state representative, which you allow me to hold, I feel it is my duty to be a cheerleader of a sort for House District 1. As such, a great new program has come to my attention and I would like to share it with you. The program is started by the Iowa Lakes Corridor of Opportunity and is called Five by Five...

Q:  Why are you working to ensure certain types of hearing aids are available over the counter? A:  Throughout my public service, I make it a number one priority to listen to the people of Iowa. Representative government is a two-way street and it’s my job to make sure government works for “we the people” not the other way around...

At first, it may sound like a pretty good deal. You get a supposedly free trip to a beautiful destination, a valuable gift card or restaurant voucher, and all you have to do is sit through a sales presentation about a timeshare. At the presentation, you learn the true definition of a high-pressure sales pitch that could involve an uncomfortably long presentation with aggressive sales people, property-to-property tour and possibly extra costs and blackout dates...

I have been hearing comments about Michelle Obama’s statement “We are feeling what not having hope feels like,” saying that it is “sour grapes” about losing the Trump election. Let me help people understand this comment by putting it in context. It was in response to Opera Winfrey’s interview question: Has President Obama achieved the “hope and change” he promised while campaigning in 2008. To achieve hope and change, the president needed cooperation of the Congress...

Spencer Hospital has added three-dimensional mammography technology to its array of diagnostic imaging services for enhanced patient care. Three-dimensional (3D) mammography combines traditional mammography with advanced breast tomosynthesis technology. ...

Brian Sohn, of Erpelding, Voigt & Co., LLP CPAs is pleased to announce the addition of Elissa Olson to the tax and financial planning team in the firm’s Okoboji office. Elissa joined the EV & Co. team in November of 2016 as a member of the professional staff in the Okoboji office. Elissa prepares individual, corporate, trust, and partnership tax returns, along with payroll tax returns...

When dealing with life’s daily demands, people need a place to go where they can feel supported and receive help in trying times. A place where adults can find life balance; children can reach their full potential; seniors can be active and find camaraderie and families can connect and strengthen relationships...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a free workshop to help residents understand how to make smart choices for purchasing health care coverage. The workshop will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Spirit Lake Pubic Library; 702 16th Street in Spirit Lake...

Iowa Lakes Community College hosted 13 teams at the Estherville campus in December as part of the FIRST LEGO League regional qualifying competition. Three teams have been invited to advance to the championship event at Iowa State University in January. In addition, the champion’s award-winning team and the Global Innovation award nominee will participate in the state event...

IGL TeleConnect is offering monthly tech classes led by Tech Support Consultant Mak Kloewer. The classes titled “Tech Tuesday’s with Mak” will cover a variety of topics related to computers and the Internet. These classes are geared toward those who do not feel they are tech-savvy. January’s topic will include “How to connect to Wi-Fi” and is perfect for those who have wanted to connect their phone or mobile device to a Wi-Fi network at home or their favorite coffee shop but aren’t sure how...

The Arnolds Park Library Foundation met on Monday, Dec. 5, for its annual meeting. First and foremost, the committee members along with the library would like to thank everyone for their wonderful donations given throughout the year. The generosity of so many allows the foundation to provide our local library with updates and improvements that otherwise wouldn’t be possible...

April 8, 1928 – Dec. 23, 2016   A memorial service was held Tuesday, Dec. 27, at Sanborn Funeral Home Chapel of Sanborn for Bonnie Lou Raymond. The Rev. Clint Loveall officiated. Inurnment will be at Roseland Cemetery in Sanborn at a later date. Bonnie Lou (Gibbs) Raymond, the daughter of Milton and Louise (Stanfield) Gibbs was born Easter Sunday on April 8, 1928. ...

Aug. 1, 1962 – Dec. 24, 2016 A funeral service for Terry Matthiesen, 54, of Spirit Lake and formerly of Hartley, was held at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016. Burial was at Pleasant View Cemetery in Hartley. Terry Alan Matthiesen was born on Aug. 1, 1962 in Hartley, the son of Lois (Rommel) and Delbert Matthiesen. Terry graduated from Hartley High School in 1981...

April 1, 1929 – Dec. 23, 2016 Ralph Kahl, age 87 of Rock Rapids, died Friday, Dec. 23, 2016, at Premier Estates in Rock Rapids. Funeral services were Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the Christian Church (Disciples) with Rev. Carolyn Salberg, officiating. Burial followed with military honors at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids. ...

Seven turnovers and a stout ground attack doomed the Wolves' title hopes in a 48-21 loss to Don Bosco at the UNI-Dome in mid-November. It was both the first and last loss for a Harris-Lake Park squad that rewrote the schools' record books this season...

The Okoboji girls basketball team lived by a cluster of words throughout the 2015-16 season. Faith, Growth, Believe, Confidence, Trust, Inspire -- Journey. It was a long and winding road for the fifth-ranked Pioneers and their 11 seniors, but they finally reached their destination. With a 40-34 win over Grundy Center in Clarion in late February, the Pioneers secured their first-ever trip to the IGHSAU State Basketball Championships in Des Moines...

The last time Spirit Lake sent a boys basketball team to the state tournament, a gallon of gas cost 15 cents, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in "Casablanca," and America was still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor in December. The Indians -- one of eight teams to qualify after rationing during World War II cut the field in half -- opened the tournament with a 41-22 win over Atlantic before losing a 25-20 game to Ottumwa in the semifinals and a 31-30 game to Nevada in the consolation to place fourth.. ...

A pair of Dickinson County wrestlers earned top-five finishes at the 2016 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships in late February. Spirit Lake Park's Kyler Rieck placed fourth at 138 pounds in Class 2A and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire sophomore Kolton Roth placed fifth at 132 pounds in Class 1A...

Okoboji freshman golfer Hannah Butler soared into the 2016 postseason, carding a 90 to earn a runner-up finish in the first round of the Class 2A regional tournament in Lake Mills before shaving five strokes off her regional final scorecard in Milford to earn yet another runner-up finish and qualify for her first state tournament...

Spirit Lake boys track athletes brought home three medals from the 2016 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships held Thursday-Saturday, May 19-21, concluding a solid season at Drake University's famed Blue Oval. Spirit Lake's Zach Renken highlighted the team's achievements in Des Moines, earning a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles and anchoring the 4x400-meter relay team to a third-place finish...

Last week I discussed how much fun sight fishing can be on West Okoboji. Well sadly enough, I got to do this two times, and now the water is stained enough that you simply cannot see down unless you are really in shallow water. I don’t know if it has to do with the strong winds before ice up, or if it will get better as the winter progresses, but I am definitely thankful that I have my FL-28 flasher!...

It’s fun to catch fish through the ice, and it’s also really fun to eat some of those fish. When some anglers get a desire for a fresh fish meal in the winter months, they go after panfish. Here’s why and how. Why go after panfish when you want a fish supper? In most areas of the Midwest, panfish are pretty abundant: You can usually catch enough for supper. However, it’s important that we don’t take too many...

The author, Jason Mitchell hosts the popular outdoor program Jason Mitchell Outdoors, which airs on Fox Sports North (9:00 am Sunday) and Fox Sports Midwest (8:30 am Saturday). More information can be found online at www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will release trout in seven locations this winter in areas that would not support them during warmer months. The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. ...