Stories from Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The desire to make a visit to the Arnolds Park Amusement Park a more enjoyable experience has brought about a renovation plan. The HAPI Board (Historic Arnolds Park, Inc.) developed a plan of improvements to be worked on during a 4-5 year time span...

The Lauridsen Performing Arts Theatre at the Pearson Lakes Art Center will be the site for many musical and cinematic offerings from now through the end of May. Area residents should mark their calendar for the the third Thursday of each month – that's when PLAC's performing arts series showcases a live recording of a stage production. The wide screen projection gives attendees the feeling of being at the actual live performance...

Over 160 people braved frigid temperatures to drive to the Iowa Great Lakes Chamber office to vote for the 2017 U of O Winter Games cheerleaders Jan. 4-5. Anyone living in Dickinson County was eligible to cast their paper ballot for eight deserving candidates. Biographical information for the 21 nominees was available to each voter...

Generosity is often the difference between a waiting list and a memorable flight for an important group of northwest Iowans. Area residents are a bowl of chili and a bingo card away from helping 10 Dickinson County residents board an Honor Flight. The meal begins at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the John W. Kidd V.F.W. Post #4514 on Lake Street in Spirit Lake. The bingo begins at 6 p.m...

Rich Leopold didn't have trouble finding his way from Storm Lake to Milford Tuesday as part of His "Let's Go Outside" listening and press tour. The biologist and former Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director plans to run for governor in 2018...

World-renowned autism expert, lecturer, author and professor of animal science Temple Grandin will speak about autism and her life as one of the world’s most accomplished adults with autism at the 13th Annual Lakes Health Conference this year. The conference will focus on many subjects, including autism, drugs, sports injuries, diversity, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, teams and team-building...

Michael John Brandt, 54, of Spirit Lake was charged with driving while license under suspension and operation without a registration card on Dec. 13 at the corner of Highway 9 and Lake Street in Spirit Lake. Darlene Fowler, 58, of Spirit Lake was charged with driving under the influence, open container and improper rear lamp on Dec. 19 at the corner of 22nd Street and Zenith Avenue in Spirit Lake...

Kim Scorza, President/CEO for Seasons Center for Behavioral Health, has been appointed to Iowa’s Child Abuse Prevention Program Advisory Committee (CAPPAC) by the Iowa Council on Human Services. The term of office will begin Jan. 1 and will run through Dec. 31, 2019...

The Okoboji Foundation’s annual grant application for vital capital projects in the Lakes Community is available online at www.okobojifoundation.org Application deadline is March 1. Community needs grants – Requests of $500 to $24,999; reviewed by Youth in Philanthropyand adult grant committee...

State Auditor Mary Mosiman will be among the distinguished speakers as Milford celebrates 125 years on Thursday. Social hour begins at 5 p.m. in the Okoboji High School Commons and Auditorium. Organizers will have coffee, water and 500 cupcakes at the event. Milford residents and supporters will have the chance to purchase 125 birthday souvenirs as well...

Ally Whiting, Ciera Cerny and Lauren Laven, seniors at Spirit Lake High School were finalists in The Iowa State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution” Project. One hundred finalists were selected from the more than 1,000 students across Iowa who participated in the “Know Your Constitution” Project. The finalists were honored at...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Alumni & Friends Association is seeking nominations for the 24th annual Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award. This award is presented annually at spring commencement to prior graduates of Iowa Lakes who exemplify outstanding support for community, business, school, service clubs, etc...

Calling all bridge players! There is still time to register for the Annual U of O Winter Games Bridge Tournament will be held Friday, Jan. 27 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Doors will open at 11 a.m. A soup and sandwich luncheon will be catered by The Pizza Ranch and served promptly at 11:30 a.m. with party bridge to begin by noon or so. Afternoon refreshments will be served. Door prizes will be awarded. Cost will be $12 per person...

An after school craft party will be held Thursday, Jan. 12 for preschool through fourth grade children at Milford Memorial Library. Bring friends for a community service project. All craft supplies and snacks will be available at no charge. A chili and BINGO event is planned on Saturday, Jan. ...

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. ...

Heritage Landing Senior Living Apartments will be hosting a free event featuring the musical ministry of Jeff Buege called “God is a Good Guy!” This event is set for Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Heritage Landing Senior Living Apartments, 1305 Jeppeson Rd. in West Okoboji. A free evening meal will be served at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Musical Ministry. Apartment tours will also be available...

The public is invited to attend Iowa Lakes Community College’s annual Jazz Band Contest for area high school bands Tuesday, Jan. 17. Twenty-three schools will travel to Estherville to perform and compete for first, second and third-place trophies in class 1A, 2A and 3A. Each band that performs will be given constructive feedback from experienced judges...

Get a group of friends and/or family together, bundle up and try ice fishing this winter. Ice fishing is a fun, social winter activity best enjoyed as a group. Anglers should note that the quality of ice over parts of central and southeast Iowa has been reduced by the unseasonably mild weather and Christmas Day thunderstorm. The impact was minimal on lakes and ponds in southwest and across north Iowa...

The Clay County Fair is excited to announce country breakout band Old Dominion will perform in the U.S. Cellular Grandstand at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. "The opportunity to bring one of country music's rising stars to the Clay County Fair is so exciting," Fair Manager Jeremy Parsons said. "This concert will be one of the highlights that people will want to 'come home' for during the fair."...

A flock of small gray birds appears in your yard, hopping around in the snow eating some seed that has spilled from your backyard bird feeders. Another red-headed bird sits on the feeder, pecking at the sunflower seeds inside. Do you know the names of the species that you see?...

Jan. 17, 1919 – Jan. 1, 2017 A celebration of life was held for Dr. William Myerly on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Private family interment was at Lakeview Gardens, Cemetery. Bill Myerly was born to Mildred and Fred Myerly on a farm near Rodman, Iowa. ...

Sept. 6, 1943 - Dec. 20, 2016 Richard Wiltgen, 73, of Spirit Lake died Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, after an 11-month battle with cancer. A memorial service was held Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017 at Calvary United Methodist Church in Arnolds Park. Richard was born on Sept. ...

May 4, 1940 - Dec. 30, 2016 A funeral service for Penny Lock, age 76, of Spirit Lake, was held Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at Spirit Life Fellowship in Spirit Lake. Penelope “Penny” Sue Lock, the daughter of Imogene Ruth Baker and Hilmer “Marty” Theodore Martini, was born May 4, 1940, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After graduating from Norwalk High School, she received her training as a Home Healthcare Aide...

April 4, 1920 - Jan. 1, 2017 Laura “Viola” (Winslow) VanBebber, 96, died peacefully on Jan. 1, 2017 at the Nell J. Redfield Nursing Home in Malad City, Idaho. Vi was born on April 4, 1920, in Milford to C. “Ross” and Elsie Edith (Dodge) Winslow. She was the second of six children and spent her childhood growing up on the family homestead in Milford...

Sept. 28, 1926 – Dec. 30, 2016 A funeral service for Betty Morgan, age 90, of Spencer and formerly of Milford, was held Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Burial was at Spirit Lake Memory Gardens. Betty Jean Morgan, the daughter of Bertha (Rudin) and John Senn, was born Sept. 28, 1926 in May City. In 1954, Betty was married to Gerrit Roelofsen and in 1963 was united in marriage to Alvin "Shorty" Morgan in Spirit Lake...

April 8, 1924-Dec. 16, 2016 Adelbert Henry “Fritz” Rehborg was born on April 8, 1924 in Ocheyedan. He was the son of Fred and Helen (Burley) Rehborg. He lived his youth in rural Ocheyedan, attended Zion Lutheran Parochial School and graduated from Ocheyedan High School. Fritz enlisted in the United States Army, served during World War II and was honorably discharged. He was a member of the American Legion for 72 years...

Spencer Hospital is currently accepting applications for the Bennie B. and Ernestine F. Shine Scholarship, Adam J. Anderson Scholarship, as well as the Cornwall Loan Program. All programs are designed to help area students pursue healthcare careers...

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. January honorees include:...

The Milford Memorial Library Adult Craft Series is back! Join MML director Beth Sorenson FROM 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, for "Bath Bombs" at the library. Registration for this event is required and the cost to participate is $2. Contact the library for more information...

A gift of $500,000 from a generous couple has provided valuable resources and equipment to better prepare Buena Vista University (BVU) education students to teach in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. As part of the endowment's launch, students were able to experience the University's first-ever STEM classroom beginning this past fall semester. ...

Seven students from Spirit Lake High School who were selected for and performed Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Northwest Iowa Bandmasters Association Honor Band in Sioux City. Students selected were (from left): Nate Walsh (euphonium), Noel Roberts (clarinet), Halleigh Hawkins (clarinet), Lauren Laven (alto sax), Paige Pearson (trumpet), Noelle Yost (flute) and Lauren Sandison (horn)...

Susan G. Komen Iowa, Komen Quad Cities and Komen Siouxland are proud to announce a merger into a new united affiliate, which will be known as Komen Greater Iowa. The newly merged Affiliate will have its main administrative office in Des Moines and will also have offices and staff in the Quad Cities and Siouxland. ...

For public record, the accounting firm of Seim Johnson, LLP released an audit report on Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH), Spirit Lake on Nov. 22, 2016. LRH’s unrestricted operating revenue totaled $37,354,253 for the year ended June 30, 2016, a 2.1 percent increase from the prior year. ...

Lakes Area girls and boys ages 10-13 participated in the 2017 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship last weekend and six earned the right to compete at the district level. Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043 in Spirit Lake sponsored the local competition at Spirit Lake High School, which drew kids from Spirit Lake, Orange City, Okoboji and Milford...

Dan Kitzinger, Lakes Area Market President of Northwest Bank is pleased to announce Brad Jungers as a commercial/ag banker at Northwest Bank in Arnolds Park. Jungers' responsibilities include developing and servicing commercial and agriculture businesses to help meet their banking needs...

Representatives from both the Hawkeye Care Center of Spirit Lake and the Iowa Great Lakes Association delivered breakfast, goodie bags and T-shirts as small tokens of appreciation to the men and women in uniform serving our community. Hawkeye Care Center representatives Sheila Weier (Administrator), April Howe (Activities Director) and Jonna Garrett (Community Relations Represenative) invited the Iowa Great Lakes Association’s Jen Johnson-Ross (Community Development Manager) to celebrate local law enforcement.. ...

Individuals seeking a Class A CDL, which is required to drive commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) are encouraged to attend the Iowa Lakes Class A CDL training course. The course includes online coursework, practice range and road time to prepare students on: performing vehicle inspection, basic control of the vehicle, backing up, defensive driving, and hazard awareness...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire edged Dickinson County rival Okoboji Saturday to win its home wrestling tournament on Saturday in Graettinger. The Titans totaled 195 points to the Pioneers' 182.5, and junior Kolton Roth picked up career win No. 100 to put the cherry on top of a memorable day...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire and Sioux Central combined for 136 points in a Twin Lakes Conference barn-burner in Ruthven, as the Titans pulled off a 71-65 win over the Rebels. "I thought our girls played pretty well," GT/RA coach Todd Hough said. ...

Okoboji overcame a second quarter slump Saturday afternoon to earn a 59-56 win over MOC-Floyd Valley in Milford. A bucket by sophomore Kip Hurd late in the final stanza put the Pioneers up for good, sending Okoboji on to its second Siouxland Conference win of the season...

A late run by George-Little Rock made things interesting down the stretch on Thursday night, but the Harris-Lake Park girls basketball team held on for a third straight victory, topping the Mustangs 44-41 in Lake Park. "It was a great win," Harris-Lake Park coach Ashley Schoo said. "George-Little Rock is an aggressive team and we know that from the get-go. ...

The Spirit Lake Park wrestling team hosted its annual Jerry Henges Memorial Dual Tournament on Friday, as the Indians went 3-1 against West Lyon, Sioux City North, Sibley-Ocheyedan and MOC-Floyd Valley. Spirit Lake Park defeated West Lyon 59-24, Sioux City North 66-15 and MOC-Floyd Valley 50-30, but lost to the third-ranked (1A) Generals 36-33 in a tightly contested battle...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire fell behind early and never got over the hump Monday in a 66-57 loss to Sioux Central in Ruthven. The Rebels started the game with a three-pointer by Mac Prior and stretched that lead to five with an old-fashioned three-point play by Jake Hanson...

The Harris-Lake Park girls and boys basketball teams split a pair of games with Sibley-Ocheyedan on Monday, as the girls defeated the Generals 75-57 to secure their fifth straight win, and the boys fell 84-75 in Sibley. In the girls contest, Harris-Lake Park jumped out to a 23-8 lead after one and led 41-30 at the break. The Wolves continued to push the pace in the second half, outscoring the Generals 21-13 in the third before hanging on for the 18-point win in the final stanza...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire junior Kolton Roth reached the 100-win mark for his career at the Titans' home wrestling tournament on Saturday. Roth, a two-time state qualifier for GT/RA, placed fifth at last year's Class 1A state wrestling tournament. Roth is currently ranked second at 132 pounds behind Martensdale-St. Mary's sophomore Joshua Tibbits...

The Okoboji girls basketball team came up just short in a back-and-forth contest with MOC-Floyd Valley over the weekend, as the Pioneers snapped a three-game win streak with a 53-41 loss to the Dutch Saturday in Milford. "We competed well," Okoboji coach John Adams said. ...

The Spirit Lake girls basketball team let a fourth-quarter lead slip away at the CNOS Classic in Sioux Falls over the weekend, as the Indians lost their second straight contest with a 58-54 loss to Dakota Valley on Saturday. The Indians trailed 13-12 after one quarter of play and 28-26 at the break, but battled back in the third quarter, outscoring Dakota Valley 15-10 to hold a 41-38 through three...

Another year has flown by. That seems to happen more and more the older I get! As we head into this New Year, I wish all of you best wishes for a great New Year! I hope that we Iowans can continue the push for more “best practices,” when it comes to conservation and water quality...

There are so many outstanding ice-fishing opportunities across the Midwest, but one location that has become a favored destination of mine and of many others is Big Stone Lake in west-central Minnesota. Actually, the east shore of the lake is in Minnesota, the west shore is in South Dakota...

Editor’s note: The following is a letter to all Iowa legislators from the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC). IGLFC is an organization that is active in protecting our natural resources. The IGLFC board of directors sent this letter to all of Iowa’s legislators asking to support raising fishing and hunting license fees and supporting the funding of the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, which Iowans voted to create in 2010...

Let’s face it folks, we’ve been pretty luck this year when it comes to cold weather and having to deal with ice. But, in true Mother Nature fashion, we’ll end up having to deal with more than our fair share here in the coming weeks. What’s that ole saying…in like a lamb out like a lion. Winter is far from over and deicing our cars, sidewalks and streets will be a part of our winter chores...

Iowa has received an additional 115,000 acres that can be enrolled in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for critical wildlife and water quality efforts. For landowners who have general CRP contracts expiring in 2017, this may be their only opportunity to re-enroll existing CRP back into the program.  It is not clear whether there will be a general CRP signup in 2017...

In 2016, Pheasants Forever, Inc., including its quail division, Quail Forever, improved habitat for pheasants, quail and other wildlife on more than 1.7 million acres. These accomplishments are attributed to working with more than 31,000 individual landowners, and chapter affiliates completing more than 15,200 wildlife habitat projects across the United States and Canada...

Spencer’s swimmers welcomed Storm Lake and Sioux City Metro to the Spencer Family YMCA Monday night for the Tiger boys senior night me-et. The purple and gold piled up 50 points against Storm Lake to beat the Tornadoes 50-39 but fell against Metro by a score of 79-15...

The Iowa Lakes women’s basketball team was back in action after the holiday break for two games this weekend at the DMACC Classic in Boone. Iowa Lakes faced off against Briar Cliff JV on Friday, Jan. 6. The Lakers fell to Briar Cliff JV 55-63. The Lakers were led by Mia Wassink who finished with a double-double scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Lauryn Smith scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists. ...

The Iowa Lakes men's basketball team fell to 8-4 on the season with a 94-79 loss to Indian Hills on Wednesday, Jan. 4. The Lakers were led by Cody Cox with 17 points. Mitchell Keller had 15. Dennis Joiner had 13. Jaylon Tapplar had 12, and Kyle Beisch had 11. Joiner led the team with seven rebounds...

The Spirit Lake girls team suffered its first loss of 2017 and the sixth-ranked boys squad lost its first contest of the basketball season Friday night in a Lakes Conference road trip to Le Mars, as the girls fell 43-27 and the boys lost 56-53 to the Bulldogs...

The Harris-Lake Park girls and boys basketball teams split a War Eagle Conference doubleheader with Gehlen Catholic on Friday, as the girls won their fourth straight with a 55-35 win over the Jays, and the boys fell 64-57 in Le Mars. In the girls contest, the Wolves led 8-2 after one quarter of play and stretched their lead to 25-10 at the break. Harris-Lake Park continued to add to its lead in the second half, outscoring the Jays 15-12 in the third and 15-13 in the fourth to salt away the win...

The Okoboji girls and boys basketball teams spit a Siouxland Conference road doubleheader with Central Lyon on Friday, as the girls earned a 65-54 win and the boys lost 89-87 in double overtime. In the girls half of the doubleheader, a back-and-forth first quarter ended with the Lions up 10-8. Central Lyon extended its lead to eight in the second quarter before Okoboji ended the half on a 10-6 run to make it a 26-22 Central Lyon lead at the break...

The Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire girls and boys basketball teams split a varsity doubleheader with Manson-Northwest Webster on Friday night, as the girls lost 45-40 in double overtime and the boys won 52-40. In the girls contest, the Titans led 10-7 after one quarter of play, but the Cougars storm back to lead 21-19 at the break. ...

The Harris-Lake Park boys basketball team earned back-to-back wins to bookend the holiday break, but suffered a setback Thursday night in a 66-57 loss to George-Little Rock at home. The Wolves held an early lead, but the Mustangs pulled ahead in the second quarter and hung on for the nine-point win in Lake Park...

The Spirit Lake Park wrestling team went 2-0 at a Lakes Conference double dual hosted by Storm Lake on Thursday night, as the Indians topped the Tornadoes 50-27 and Emmetsburg 56-19. Against Emmetsburg, the Indians picked up wins from Dakoda Powell, Cail Donkersloot, Kyler Dunn, Isaac Dixon, Kyler Rieck, John Tuttle and Koltyn Bradley...

The Okoboji wrestling team picked up a pair of dual meet victories on Thursday at a quadrangular in Milford. The Pioneers defeated Manson Northwest Webster 51-30 and East Sac County 48-35, but fell to Pocahontas Area 39-36. Senior Riley Anderson led the way, going 2-0 on the night...

The Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire girls and boys basketball teams earned a sweep over Clay Central-Everly on Thursday, as the girls defeated the Mavericks 55-17 and the boys picked up a 63-58 road win in overtime. In the girls contest, GT/RA jumped out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter of play and held a 21-12 lead at the break. In the third quarter, the Titans pulled away with a 13-2 score before salting away the victory by outscoring the Mavericks 21-3 in the final stanza...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire hosted Spirit Lake Park and Sioux Center in a non-conference double-dual on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The Titans went 1-1 on the night, defeating Sioux Center 47-34 and falling to the Dickinson County rival Indians 39-30. Spirit Lake Park went 2-0, topping Sioux Center 60-21...

The Spirit Lake girls and boys basketball teams earned a Lakes Conference road sweep of Spencer on Tuesday, Jan. 3, as the girls topped the Tigers 64-47 and the boys won 69-38. In the girls contest, Spirit Lake jumped out to a 22-4 lead after one quarter of play and outscored the Tigers 16-9 to lead 38-12 at the break. ...

The Okoboji wrestling team went 1-2 at a triangular hosted by Woodbury Central on Tuesday, Jan. 3 in Moville. The Pioneers defeated Alta-Aurelia 57-24, but fell to South Central Calhoun 48-36 and Woodbury Central 45-27. "We had to make some lineup changes at the start of the night to help fill the weights that we were not planning on and it cost us," Okoboji coach Nate Dau said. ...

The Harris-Lake Park girls and boys basketball games picked up a pair of wins in a road doubleheader with Clay Central-Everly on Tuesday, Jan. 3, as the girls defeated the Mavericks 50-40 and the boys won 70-62. The H-LP girls got out to a 19-16 lead after one quarter and stretched the lead to five with an 8-6 score in the second. The Wolves made it a double-digit lead with a 12-7 score in the third quarter before the two squads played to an 11-11 tie in the fourth...

The Okoboji girls and boys basketball teams split a Siouxland Conference road doubleheader with George-Little Rock on Tuesday, Jan. 3, as topped the Mustangs 39-33 and the boys fell 73-47. In the girls contest, both squads showed signs of rust in their first game back from the holiday break, as the Pioneers held an 8-6 lead after one quarter of play. They continued to struggle into the second quarter, as Okoboji held a 16-11 lead at the break...