Stories from Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Died on Sept. 7, 2017 Barbara (Butler) Heick, age 84, passed away Sept. 7, 2017 in Las Vegas. She was the oldest daughter of Kenneth and Bernice Butler of Spirit Lake. She was born in Superior and graduated from Spirit Lake in 1951. She is survived by her husband, Charles Heick, three daughters, Marcie Heick, Teri Heick and Kenda Yonker (Mike), two grandsons, Charles John and Zebadiah, two granddaughters, Cassandra  and Heather and one great-grandson, Wesley...

May 26, 1923 — Sept. 12, 2017 A funeral service for Edward Donovan, age 94, of Spirit Lake was held Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Memorials may be given to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Edward's name...

Jan. 4, 1943 - Sept. 6, 2017 A visitation for Gary Beatty, 74 of Ruthven and formerly of Hartley was held Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Gary Lester Beatty was born Jan. 4, 1943, the son of Lester Harold and Emma Naomi (Harker) Beatty in Spirit Lake. He was raised and educated in Spirit Lake, graduating from Spirit Lake High School...

Oct, 10, 1961 — Sept. 13, 2017 Services were held Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, at Warner Chapel in Spencer for Melinda Petersen, age 55, of Bloomington, Minnesota and formerly of Spencer. Rev. Tonna Parsons officiated. Peterson passed away Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at her home. Burial was at Riverside Cemetery at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19. Warner Funeral Home of Spencer was in charge of the arrangements...

Oct. 24 1962 — Sept. 12, 2017 A celebration of life was held for 54-year-old Stuart Kruse of Royal at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in the Warner Chapel in Spencer. Greg Jorgensen officiated the service. Kruse passed away Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, at Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake. Burial was at North Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Spencer. Warner Funeral Home of Spencer was in charge of the arrangements...

Mediacom Communications is offering $55,000 in scholarship support for high school seniors who plan to obtain further education. The scholarship program is in its 17th consecutive year and Mediacom’s investment will award $1,000 “World Class” scholarships to 55 high school seniors. ...

Area libraries are sponsoring Paint Night at the Library in September. Join area libraries from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Arnolds Park Library for a fun night of painting, community, and snacks! There are only are only 30 spots available for this painting class. ...

The Iowa Department of Public Health is alerting Iowans to marketing phone calls offering prescriptions for pain relief creams or braces/devices. According to Iowa Board of Pharmacy Director Andrew Funk, third-party marketing firms are calling Iowans and asking if they are experiencing any pain; for instance, joint or back pain. In some cases, the call is initiated based on an online survey completed by the consumer...

Snoring is pretty common. In fact, nearly half of us snore. Even though it’s often annoying to the non-snoring members of our households, since it’s so common, we may not think it’s a big deal. However, there are some snoring facts you may want to know...

MaxYield Cooperative has been awarded a 2017 Top Workplaces honor by The Des Moines Register. The Top Workplaces lists are based on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by the workplace research firm WorkplaceDyanmics. Several aspects of workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution and connection...

Each year on the first day of fall, national organizations from the Falls Free Coalition and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) join together for National Falls Prevention Awareness Day, a day of action to help raise awareness and prevention of falls in the Lakes Area...

Parks Marina and The Barefoot Bar in Okoboji is proud to announce the donation of $520 to the Abben Cancer Center in Spencer. Proceeds were a result of sales of a limited addition Pink “Barefoot for Boobies” T-shirts sold at Parks Marina. The Abben Cancer Center of Spencer Hospital houses two distinct treatment services. ...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) and several other local hospitals have had a partnership for several years called Sports Medicine Northwest. (The program is under the medical direction of an orthopedic surgeon from Northwest Iowa Bone, Joint & Sports Surgeons.) Through this partnership, area high school student-athletes receive game/event coverage, care during training sessions and more...

When asked to "Come Home" to celebrate the Clay County Fair's Centennial, fairgoers responded in record numbers. Total estimated attendance for "The World's Greatest County Fair," held Sept. 9-17, was 335,670. (The previous all-time attendance record was set in 2013 with 334,575 guests.)...

Iowa Rock ’n’ Roll Music Association is pleased to be working with the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce to help produce a fun-filled Oktoberfest celebration on Sept 30. Along with the 24-mile bike ride, food and drink specials around town, and a craft show, visitors can rock out to Bad Authority at the Roof Garden starting at 8 p.m. that night...

The next “Hike the Wild” programs with the Dickinson County Conservation Board take people to sites outside of the county. “It’s just good to explore new places,” said environmental education coordinator Bryanna Kuhlman. Experience Fort Defiance State Park in the fall during the next hike on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji and then caravan to the Spring Creek trailhead at Fort Defiance in Estherville...

Filmgoers in Okoboji will join more 100,000 film-lovers around the world during the week of Sept. 28 - Oct. 8 when the 20th Annual “Manhattan Short” Film Festival screens at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. The short films will be screened and judged at 6:30 p.m. ...

Cinema at the Lakes and the Pearson Lakes Art Center present the screening of “Saving Brinton” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, with special guests film subject Mike Zahs and film directors Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne available for a Q & A and reception...

The Performing Arts Series returns to the Pearson Lakes Art Center with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Titus Andronicus at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. When a society is oppressed, it becomes violent. How do we govern ourselves? In the chaos and disorder of 2017, Titus Andronicus is a commentary on the way this world could be going...

Spencer Community Theatre welcomes audiences to the first show of its 58th Anniversary season: “Of Mice and Men.” Of Mice and Men opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, followed by an opening night reception. Performances run Sept. 29- Oct. 1 and Oct. 6-8 with Friday-Saturday evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m...

A Milford man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty on Friday, Sept. 15, in federal court in Sioux City. The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Monday said 49-year-old Justin Stephen Ries,of Milford was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine...

Strong nonprofit organizations must have an effective and engaged staff and board of directors. That is why the Okoboji Foundation is pleased to offer two free professional development opportunities as a community service. A program focused on board basics will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at Waterfront Conference Center at Bridges Bay Resort. The program can accommodate 50 participants...

The Dickinson County Sheriff’s office executed a search warrant in the 1800 block of 260th Street on Monday, Aug. 28. Deputies arrested 36-year-old Bo Schnetter and 32-year-old Brianna Gray, both of Milford, and charged the pair with unlawful possession of prescription drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Milford Police Department and the Spirit Lake Police Department. Authorities expect additional arrests in the future...

Members of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will address harvests and herbicides as area municipalities try to get the invasive curlyleaf pondweed under control. The public will have a chance hear about mitigation options at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. The hearing will take place at the Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts on the Spirit Lake High School campus...

Lineworkers from at least seven Iowa communities were recently deployed to help restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The major hurricane struck Florida on Sept. 10 and left more than 6.5 million electric customers — nearly two-thirds of the state — without power. As part of a national mutual aid response, electric crews from Iowa municipal utilities headed to Florida on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to help restore power to the communities impacted...

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation designating September 2017 as Iowa YMCA Appreciation Month, in recognition of more than 100 years of helping build a healthy Iowa. As a result, the Iowa YMCAs initiated a statewide effort to engage community leaders with their local Ys to share the organization’s three focus areas: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility...

When you see something say something, Do everything you can to right a wrong.
We are here today to do just that … The lyrics from a well known musical play over and over in our heads: “Folks we got trouble, we got trouble right here in Dickinson County.”...

Owners of Okoboji lakeshore property should be aware of another huge new development being proposed on land owned by Butch Parks near the Barefoot Bar. A small, local builder of homes and farm buildings and Subway franchise owner are proposing 520 units of rental housing on 65 acres northwest of the Barefoot Bar. ...

Because we all value and respect the natural beauty of the Iowa Great Lakes, the following information will be of grave concern to you. A variance to rezone 65 acres of natural grasslands, mature trees and cropland adjacent to East Lake Okoboji, and near Parks Marina, is sailing through the Dickinson County rezoning process. This proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) will allow up to 520 small vacation-type homes and allow less than 30-day rentals of the homes...

The critics of “Obama Care” should look back in this century at bills that are truly “people care” bills. • Roosevelt Care — Social Security • Johnson Care — Medicare; Medicaid • Kennedy-Johnson Care — Civil Rights; Head Start, etc. • Harkin Care — Americans with Disabilities...

I am writing this letter to share my opinion on a pending Planned Unit Development (PUD) next to East Okoboji. The Board of Adjustment has a scheduled hearing on this request scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 25. I live at Chalstrom Beach Condos and retired last year. ...

Here is a big shout out and thanks to the persons listed below who helped complete the 19th consecutive sampling season of Dickinson County lakes as volunteers for the Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Program (CLAMP). CLAMP is coordinated by the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in partnership with the State Hygienic Lab at Lakeside, with funding support from the Friends of Lakeside Lab, Inc. ...

The Okoboji High School auditorium erupted with applause, and cheers — as well as a singular reference to the film "Mean Girls" — as this year's homecoming court was announced. (From left to right) Grace Wintz, Izic Brouwer, Ali Goehring, Austin Heuck, Lindsay Kujanson, Elle Olthoff, Logan Abrahamson, Kaia Johnson, Ethan Tanner and Laura Nielsen took the stage in front of their peers Friday morning. ...

The Spirit Lake High School student body doled out whoops, cheers, chants and high-fives as the members of the homecoming court were announced Wednesday. (From left to right) Ryer Donkersloot, Greta Goodlaxson, Jack Waters, Tessa Reed, Jayden Gilge, Pressley Cochran-Bray, Kyler Olsen, Ashlee Boelter, Nick Christensen and Ally Morreim were named to the court...

Homecoming week begins with students decorating hallways on Monday, Sept. 25 at Harris-Lake Park. It’s also “Pajama” dress-up day in the school district. On Tuesday, high school girls will play “Ultimate Football” and the boys will play volleyball for “class of the year” points. ...

GrapeTree Medical Staffing in Milford announced its anticipated expansion a month ago and the city of Milford has since showed its support of the local business's plans. The Milford City Council voted to convey a portion of the property west of GrapeTree's current building to CEO Tim Kinnetz's LLC. ...

A new book about the history of Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes attempts to pinpoint the things that make the area so special to so many. “Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes” is a brief history and collection of photos from the area published by Arcadia Publishing as part of its “Images of America” series...

To some, vinyl records are a thing of the past. However, sales of the analog format of music have been picking up consistently throughout the past few years and local record stores have been seeing an increase in appreciation for the music format many thought died with the eight-track tape...

The phrase “come to the meeting” has been uttered by county officials and people on both sides of a potential development near Chalstrom Beach Plantation in Center Grove Township. The Dickinson County Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a request, during its Aug. 21 meeting, from contract purchasers Nicholas Poolman, Jeff Hultgren and Jeremy Jalas, as well as property deed holder Leo “Butch” Parks Jr., to rezone the nearly 66-acre property as an R-3 multifamily residential district...

The courtroom set aside for Tuesday’s attempted murder trial in Dickinson County went unused — and attorneys are talking about the possibility of cancelling the need for a jury to hear the Scott Sidles case. The 55-year-old Spirit Lake man was charged with attempted murder after authorities were called to the area of 1205 Fargo Avenue near East Lake Okoboji on Oct. 2, 2016...

SALE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY FROM SELF STORAGE UNIT Landlord, Smith StoneWorks, LLC, will be selling/disposing personal property including goods, merchandise, household, and other items currently stored and located at 17th St. & N- Ave and 10th St. and Q- Ave, Milford, Dickinson County, Iowa...

What began as a traffic stop resulted in the death of an undisclosed driver early Tuesday morning. A Spirit Lake Police officer attempted to pull the driver of a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup over at approximately 12:30 a.m. The driver attempted to elude the officer and a pursuit ensued...