Stories from Tuesday, May 2, 2017

We’ve progressed beyond the cross roads. I feel as if we’re emulating the future H.G. Wells described in “The Time Machine.” Humanity seems to be dividing itself into two distinct groups, bound for ever-diverging paths. I’m having some trouble fully articulating just what is fueling this divide. We’ve certainly done a great deal of describing what it has resulted in over the last several months. Yet, my instincts tell me there is something seemingly small and simple at the heart of it all...

Jan. 10, 1925 – April 28, 2017 Betty Jane Ericksen, 92, of Spirit Lake passed away on Friday, April 28, at the Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake. Private graveside services will be held at a future date in the Scandinavian Cemetery in Alta. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

July 25, 1912 – April 21, 2017 A Mass of Christian Burial for Agnes Paskert, 104 years old, was held Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in Milford. Agnes Sophia Paskert, the daughter of Frank and Sophia (Detterman) Krogman, was born July 25, 1912, in Clinton. Agnes attended the country school and was baptized, took first communion and was confirmed at St. Irenaeus Church in Clinton, Iowa...

Sept. 30, 1941 – April 27, 2017 A funeral service for Douglas DeGroot, age 75, of Arnolds Park, was held Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Burial was at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake.   Douglas Dale DeGroot was born Sept. 30, 1941, in Austin, Minnesota to Clarence B. and Lauretta (Malmgren) DeGroot. He graduated from Worthington Minnesota High School in 1959...

Feb. 5, 1943 – April 27, 2017 A funeral service for JoAnn Killmer, age 74, of Spencer, was held Monday, May 1, 2017, at First Baptist Church in Spencer. Burial was at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer.  JoAnn H. Killmer, the daughter of Orese (Allard) and Urban Noethe, was born Feb. 5, 1943 in Granville. She attended school in Iona, Minnesota, and Sheldon, Iowa, before graduating from Everly High School...

July 20, 1969 – April 24, 2017 Joshua Dylan Hinders was born July 20, 1969 in Sioux City to Carole and Roger Hinders. His birth coincided exactly with man’s first steps on the moon. He never missed that question on a test. Josh was a graduate of Milford High School, Iowa Lakes Community College and the University of Iowa. ...

The Spirit Lake and Okoboji sixth-grade band and chorus will celebrate 35 years of performing their spring concert songs for each other at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 4, at the Okoboji Middle School gym. Public is welcome to attend. The Spirit Lake sixth-grade band is directed by Rich Nicklay and the sixth-grade music by Lindsay Carlson. The Okoboji sixth-grade band is directed by Jody Ingwersen and the sixth-grade music by Zane Knudtson...

Join Jeff Cookinham at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, for a presentation on computer scamming. He will be talking about different scams and how to avoid them. Computer scams have become more widespread recently and scammers are always looking for new ways to get your information. Cookinham will be happy to answer any questions you may have about different computer scams...

The public is invited to join educator and Iowa Holocaust Council member Brad Wilkening as he talks about Lessons of the Holocaust at the Milford Memorial Library from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, May 8. Wilkening will address how people can apply lessons of the Holocaust in today’s world where immoral acts are still happening. He started teaching in 1975 and has done extensive studies of the Holocaust since 2009...

MaxYield Cooperative announced that Alison Bueltel is a recipient of the cooperative’s $1,000 ag scholarship. She is the daughter of Jeff and Sandi Bueltel of Estherville. She will be a graduate of Spirit Lake High School and is planning to attend Iowa State University in Ames, majoring in animal science and ag business. ...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach reminds northwest Iowa youth to register for the upcoming “PLUNGE! into 4-H” camp to be held April 28-29 at Camp Foster near Spirit Lake. ‘PLUNGE! into 4-H’ is open to all students grades 6-8 who are 4-H members and/or youth interested in joining 4-H. The two-day event begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28 and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 29...

The public is invited to the Iowa Lakes Community College spring recital, which begins at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in room 60 at the college’s Estherville campus. The free performance will include selections from students who are taking lessons in piano, voice, clarinet and trumpet...

A shiny topcoat just isn’t enough for the students and teachers in the auto collision repair and paint Technology Program at Iowa Lakes Community College — they know that what’s below the sparkle counts too. That’s why those in the program are grateful for the recent donation of automotive paint toners from Arnold Motor Supply, Spencer and PPG Automotive Refinish...

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey on Friday highlighted Soil and Water Conservation Week, which continues until May 7. The week is an opportunity to recognize the important conservation practices placed on Iowa’s landscape and bring attention to the ongoing work by farmers, landowners and urban residents to protect the state’s soil and water resources...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) has earned an “A” patient safety grade from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety and transparency in the United States health care system. LRH was among 823 hospitals that received an “A” for their commitment to reducing errors, infections and accidents that can harm patients...

The Ladies of the Lake Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will begin its program year with a meeting Tuesday, May 9, at the Spirit Lake United Methodist Church. The history of the Spirit Lake church and its windows will be the program topic to be presented by the Honorary Regent Colleen Lemkuil...

The Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber and Okoboji Tourism Committee know how essential quality customer service is in our area. One bad encounter could turn a customer away indefinitely. Superior service produces customers that not only return themselves but pass along recommendations to others...

On April 1, 2017, Seasons Center began offering an anger management program and is currently accepting referrals into the program. Sometimes people struggle to control their anger, which can negatively affect the people they are closest to, including friends and family members. ...

The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club was presented with a certificate of appreciation for the club’s financial support of the “End Polio Now” campaign. This is an ongoing campaign by Rotary International to end polio internationally. In 2013, there were 416 reported cases of Polio worldwide. This number was reduced to 37 cases in 2016...

Team WAVE will again be sponsoring a tree sale for Arnolds Park residents. The tree sale will be held in the city hall parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 13. The organization’s members will be selling four varieties of trees again this year including: autumn blaze maple, sunburst honey locust, spring snow crab, and Black Hills spruce. ...

The public is invited to attend a climate advocacy training run by the non-partisan Citizens Climate Lobby on Sunday, May 7 at Mahan Hall at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Steve Shivvers, co-founder of the Des Moines CCL Chapter will lead the group-start training for the newly forming Iowa Great Lakes chapter...

The theme for the June 3 “Celebrate the Arts” benefit for Pearson Lakes Art Center is “The White Party.” This means everything at the party will be the color white, from decor, to some of the foods. PLAC encourages guests to wear Okoboji casual summer whites to take part in the festivities...

The Bedell Family YMCA and the Spencer Family YMCA have announced a partnership to help pool common resources and provide seamless programming to the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. The two YMCAs have been in discussions since last fall on how to more effectively and economically collaborate to provide quality classes, programming and member services to the local communities...

Two male scarlet tanagers, ablaze in fiery red feathers, flitted about in front of a group of birders during a Warbler Walk for Wings & Wetlands Weekend. “The gasps and oohs and aahs were just unbelievable,” said Ed Thelen, who helps lead the Warbler Walk for Dickinson County Conservation each year...

The Okoboji High School Jazz Band will be performing at the Pearson Lakes Art Center on Saturday, May 6th. This event will begin at 7 p.m. and will feature a lot of music, including the band’s contest set, which took them to a third-place finish in the state at the 2017 Iowa Jazz Championships in April...

Iowa Lakes Community College handbell choir will present a free concert for area residents at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7. The public is invited to attend the performance at the First Presbyterian Church, 3501 Hill Avenue, in Spirit Lake. The First Presbyterian handbell choir will also perform two selections with the college handbells. ...

Rain, snow and below normal temperatures prevented planting across most of Iowa late in the week ending April 30, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were only three days suitable for fieldwork. Temperatures dropped into the 20s in parts of Iowa. Many producers are waiting for warmer weather before planting corn and soybeans. For corn already planted, some concerns about crop emergence were reported...

Okoboji Community Schools is launching a new campaign to reinforce their commitment to every student’s learning and success. This campaign will also serve as the schools’ new brand tagline: “Pioneering Pathways For Every Student.” “We want our tagline to become our motto around here,” Okoboji Superintendent Todd Abrahamson said. “Our goal is to help students find their pathway and then to become successful in it, after they leave our buildings.”...

Toni Jo Wulf, age 39, of Milford was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under suspension at 4:39 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the 1900 block of 18th Street in Spirit Lake. Alex John Jinkinson, age 25, of Okoboji, was charged with theft in the fifth degree at 8:46 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at 2200 17th Street in Spirit Lake...

The second annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival is a little over four months away. The date is set for Saturday, Aug. 12, at Preservation Plaza and promises to be even bigger than last year. “Thousands of people participated in last year’s inaugural event,” organizer Greg Drees said, “and response to the day’s activities was incredibly positive.” 
The Okoboji Blue Water Festival is a family-friendly celebration with an emphasis on the importance of clean water. ...

The deadline for receiving a discount on the registration for the 13th Annual Lakes Health Conference, “Team Spirit Above and Beyond,” is just around the corner. Those signing up by June 1 may take advantage of the early bird rate of $189. After that date, the registration fee increases to $229...

The public is invited to meet and welcome Dr. Mary Skopec, who was recently named Executive Director of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Regent Resource Center. The reception will be held in the Andrea’s Atrium in the Waitt Lab from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9...

For years, we’ve given you this advice: The caller claiming to collect on an IRS debt is not legitimate, so hang up the phone. There’s a new twist: Now it’s possible an IRS debt call is legitimate after all — but only with certain types of debts and only under limited circumstances and utilizing strict procedures. ...

Thursday, May 4, is the 66th National Day of Prayer. It will be celebrated around the nation. In 1952, under President Harry Truman, the Congress officially passed a joint resolution designating an annual National Day of Prayer. The first Thursday was made official under President Reagan. Since the beginning, all presidents have signed proclamations for a National Day of Prayer...

The news is out. Most Republicans who voted for Donald Trump think he is doing a great job. However, though Hillary Clinton got 48.2 percent, a 2.9 million advantage over Trump’s 46.1 percent in the popular vote, a number of Republicans must feel that Trump is not pleasing them, as his approval rating is at an all-time low of 40 percent...

On April 22, we concluded the 2017 legislative session. Typically, this session was to have 110 days. We cut it down to 100 days in the de-appropriation bill, but went into overtime by about four days. We accomplished a lot this session. We were not elected to sit idle. We worked hard and got the people’s work done...

A mix of veterans who served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam will be next in a long line of patriots to take part in a Brushy Creek Honor Flight. Of the 150 veterans, 11 call Dickinson County home. The flight is scheduled to take off May 6. The veterans will go to Washington D.C., to visit various memorials and sites in the nation’s capitol...

The deadline to register for the annual Walleye Weekend is quickly approaching. Anglers from all over the region come to the Iowa Great Lakes in hopes of pulling a specially tagged fish from the water and claiming the grand prize of $35,000. Contestants must register with the Iowa Great Lakes Chamber and pay their entry fees before 12:01 a.m. Saturday, when the contest officially begins. This year marks the 35th year for the fishing contest and is expected to draw a crowd...

Calvary United Methodist Church in Arnolds Park began welcoming seniors in need of respite care each Thursday. The church partnering with a local organization called Respite Angels in September. Kelly Schultz, director of Respite Angels, said activities that interest seniors are arranged during respite care. Britney Rosborg, with the Emmet County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, discussed the topic of downsizing with the group Thursday...

The court process has once again been delayed for a care provider accused of misconduct with a waiver home resident in Spirit Lake. District Court Judge Carl J. Petersen on April 25, set a Tuesday, June 6, conference date for 41-year-old Danielle Shadle of Harris. She was charged with sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist on Friday, Oct. 25. Officers took her into custody at 1808 Jackson Avenue, which is the location of Echo Plus Inc. in Spirit Lake...

THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT DICKINSON COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF ESTATE OF RODNEY C. WALDHELM, Deceased. PROBATE No. ESPRO14319 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Rodney C. Waldhelm, Deceased, who died on or about the June 7th, 2016:...

Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Ehret said a story from the Algona area helped inspire a trendy purchase closer to home. His board of directors approved the purchase of a drone earlier this year. The drone has been on-hand since February. Kossuth County authorities used a similar drone to locate an individual in need of medical assistance along a river...

An artistic testament to the days of the iron curtain is nestled within the galleries of the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji. The center’s exhibit, “Discovered Treasures: Russian and Soviet Impressionism,” is filled with approximately 40 pieces of Russian art from the early to mid 1900s. The collection was donated to the PLAC in 2007 by Gerald “Bud” Pearson and his wife, Beverly...