Stories from Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Founder Tim Kinnetz is no longer the sole owner of a growing medial staffing company in Milford. GrapeTree Medial Staffing officials on Monday announced a financial partnership with New MainStream Capital of New York. New MainStream Capital’s origins come from the Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division on the East Coast. It’s investors take particular interest in companies poised for growth in the healthcare industry...

May 22, 1928 — Oct. 21, 2017 A funeral service for Charlene Graham, 89, of Lake Park, was held Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, at United Methodist Church in Lake Park. Interment was at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park. 
Charlene Louise (Tay) Graham was born on May 22, 1928, in Boone, to Florence (Whitney) and M. ...

Feb. 26, 1954 — Oct. 29, 2017 A memorial service for Darlo Boone of Spirit Lake will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake...

July 8, 1939 — Oct. 25, 2017 Elodis Kopsas, 78, of Okoboji passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, at Lakes Regional Health Care in Spirit Lake. A funeral service was held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, at Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. ...

Dec. 12, 1919 — Oct. 26, 2017 A funeral service for Esther Norma Johnson (Langfeldt) of Spirit Lake was held Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, at United Methodist Church of Spirit Lake. Interment was at Lakeview Cemetery. Esther died at Hawkeye Care center on Oct. 26...

Aug. 26, 1941 — Oct. 20, 2017 A memorial service for Janet Turner of Milford, was held Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Janet Laureen Turner, the daughter of Dorothy (Fear) and Ernest Kennett, was born Aug. 26, 1941, in Sioux City. She was a twin and they were the oldest of nine children. She was raised in Council Bluffs and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1959...

March 15, 1964 — Oct. 25, 2017 A funeral service for Jim Jones, 53, of Lake Park, was held Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park.  James Marion Jones, the son of Caroline (Utley) and Larry Jones, was born March 15, 1964, in Spencer. Jim was raised south of Spencer and graduated from Gillett Grove High School in 1982...

Feb. 24, 1950 — Oct. 20, 2017 A Mass of Christian Burial for Jim Roth, age 67, of Milford, was held Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford.  James Francis Roth, the son of Linus and Mardella (Meister) Roth, was born Feb. 24, 1950, in Carroll. He attended Carroll Kuemper Catholic School and several years later, he moved to the Lakes area...

Nov. 15, 1927 — Oct. 28, 2017 Marilla Heidebrink, 89, of Spirit Lake passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, at Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, at Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be in the Lake View Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake...

Dec. 1, 1957 — Oct. 22, 2017 Randy Hurd, 59, of Spirit Lake passed away on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 at his home in Spirit Lake. A memorial service for Randy was held Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Lutheran Lakeside Camp Dining Hall in Spirit Lake. Visitation was one hour prior to the service at the camp. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake was in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

June 4, 1951 — Oct. 19, 2017 There will be a memorial gathering for Terry Cook, age 66, of Spirit Lake, from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Superior Cemetery at a later date. Terry D. Cook was born June 4, 1951, at Spirit Lake to Robert Cook and Ruth (Graesing) Cook. Terry graduated from Spirit Lake High School with the class of 1970...

July 31, 1931 — Oct. 23, 2017 A memorial service for Virgil Marchand, 86, of Milford, was held Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Burial was at Milford Cemetery in Milford. Virg joined the Navy in March 1951 and was honorably discharge in March 1955. ...

An open meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Milford Memorial Library is held the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Agenda will be posted on the website and on the library's front bulletin board at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting...

The Spirit Lake Middle School received $25,000 as one of 19 recipients of a 2017 “STEM Best” award for it’s Makerspace initiative from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council. The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has awarded 18 “STEM Best” programs since 2014 with an opportunity to grow a series of community collaborations involving school-business partnerships...

Parks Marina in Okoboji and Upper Des Moines Opportunity have teamed up for the ninth consecutive year to launch “Boat Loads of Toys” an effort to provide Christmas toys and clothing to youth in need throughout Dickinson County. Parks Marina’s Boat Loads of Toys has donated well over $20,000 in toys and clothing that have been distributed by Upper Des Moines Opportunity, to youth in Dickinson County and surrounding areas...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director Bob Wegand reminds producers that FSA offers specially targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to underserved applicants as well as beginning farmers and ranchers...

Everyone knows about Halloween on Tuesday, Oct. 31 — but it is also a special day for a local church. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church will hold a service of Holy Eucharist at 9 a.m. that morning. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, St. Alban’s will celebrate All Saints' Day with a special Holy Eucharist at noon. All Christians are invited to join us for these services...

An election that could have a major impact on your daily life is rapidly approaching. City elections take place throughout Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Although these elections do not receive very much attention, they are every bit as important as the general elections held in Iowa every two years...

Q: What is Chapter 12 of the federal bankruptcy code?    A: This section of federal bankruptcy law applies specifically to the nation’s food producers – farmers, fisherman and ranchers – whose occupation and prosperity is dependent on the whims of Mother Nature...

Dear Editor, I have retired to a small acreage and i worry that my property could become unlivable or lose much of its value if an unregulated CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) is built too close to my home. Livestock farming is vital to Iowa's economy. ...

Good Samaritan Society Home Care, located in Spirit Lake, has received recognition in the 2017 HomeCare Elite program. Over 12,000 home care agencies were measured on quality of care, quality improvement, patient satisfaction, process measure implementation and financial management...

Historian Dennis Wilson grew up with no knowledge of orphans beyond what he read in Charles Dickens stories. The retired Canadian Pacific Railroad conductor became fascinated with the story of the orphan trains, which carried more than 10,000 unwanted New York City waifs west to states like Iowa in hopes of finding them new homes...

Now celebrating its 15th year of broadcasting, friends of KJIA will join the radio staff and board of directors as they present their annual Share-a-thon fundraiser Nov. 14-16. Heard in the Spirit Lake area at 88.9 FM, Share-a-thon will feature interviews with area listeners, special activities and music. The event will also provide listeners with the opportunity to share a tax deductible donation with the listener-supported ministry of KJIA...

The Clay County Heritage Center is currently searching for historical pieces for a planned 2018 exhibit highlighting six-on-six girls basketball, a competitive staple in the area lasting much of the 20th century. “One of the big reasons we wanted to celebrate six-on-six, in 2018 here we are celebrating the 25th anniversary since the last six-on-six basketball games were played here in Iowa, and it’s also been 50 years since ‘The Game’ — (the championship game) between Everly and Union-Whitten that went into overtime,” Ryan Odor, Clay County Heritage Center Director, said. ...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) provides $1.98 million in community benefits to Dickinson County, according to a recently completed assessment of those programs and services. That amount, based on 2016 figures, includes $1,980,000 in uncompensated care and $12,000 in free or discounted community benefits that LRH specifically implemented to help Dickinson County residents...

Accura HealthCare, an Iowa-based healthcare provider operating nursing and rehabilitation facilities and assisted living centers, is pleased to announce the acquisition of six skilled nursing centers, two assisted living centers, and on independent living center throughout Iowa on Nov. 1...

A man who was in the United States illegally, was sentenced Oct. 26 to more than one year in federal prison. Alfredo Gonzalez-Segundo, 46, from Temascalcingo, Mexico, received the prison term after a July 18 guilty plea to reentry of a removed alien following a conviction of a non-aggravated felony...

The Iowa Great Lakes Association (IGLA) recently voted on a resolution reaffirming its original 2008 agreement opposing any concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), specifically hog confinements, inside a four-mile protection barrier of the Iowa Great Lakes. This 2008 agreement between IGLA and the large pork producers has since protected some of Iowa’s most valuable natural resources.

The Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa presented 27 awards recognizing excellence in the tourism industry at a ceremony last night in Sioux City during the 2017 Iowa Tourism Conference. The “people's choice” award was given to the Okoboji Store...

Officials at Lakes Regional Healthcare have been notified by community members regarding suspicious calls about medical equipment that seemed to be coming from the hospital's phone numbers. These calls were not made by Lakes Regional Healthcare staff. Lakes Regional Healthcare does not sell medical equipment. One of the more recent scams that has been occurring recently is called spoofing. Scammers now have the ability to "spoof" actual local numbers...

Joi Eryn Gordon, age 45, of Spirit Lake was charged with drunkenness at 1:54 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 near the intersection of 18th Street and Hill Avenue in Spirit Lake. Gordon was booked into the Dickinson County Jail at 2:09 p.m. on charges of public intoxication/consumption. No bond was set.

Plans for summer shade might depend on a little cold-weather maintenance, according to Iowa Department of Natural Resources forestry experts. Tivon Feeley DNR Forest Health program leader said oak trees can now be pruned with low risk of spreading a tree-killing disease...

Eight high school choirs will unite to create music together at the upcoming Heartland Honor Choir at Iowa Lakes Community College. More than 150 singers will participate in the mass choir, including students from Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, Estherville Lincoln Central, Clay Central-Everly, West Bend-Mallard, West Lyon, Newell-Fonda, South O’Brien and Pocahontas Area schools...

The Iowa Lakes Community College trustees wrapped up one year and began another at their monthly meeting held Oct. 17 at the Administrative Offices in Estherville. Their first step was to accept the election results from September. That board (2016-17) was then adjourned by Board of Trustees Vice President Pat Kibbie who was serving in place of President Janice Lund. The 2017-18 board was called to order by board secretary Tony Condon...

Members of the Spirit Lake Builder's Club and Key Club, along with their advisors, and Kiwanis representatives met Saturday, Oct. 28, to Trick or Treat for UNICEF. They went door to door in several neighborhoods in Spirit Lake asking for monetary donations to raise awareness of the Eliminate Project, which helps eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. ...

Star Students of the Month is a Spirit Lake High School staff-directed initiative to identify students who have demonstrated positive behavior either inside or outside of the classroom and have left a positive impact on others and/or the climate/culture of the building. Pictured (from left) are: Hannah Poolman, Casidy Sheda, Stephanie Krebs, Anne Hibma, Patrick Folan, Ryan Schmidt, Mason Weeks and Tyler Kriener. Not pictured: Vito Boyok. ...

Kelsey Kannenberg is the first recipient of the Kiwanis and Spirit Lake Key Club Student of Service Award. Kannenberg is a senior at Spirit Lake High School. She is devoted to helping her community through her involvement in Key Club and her position on its leadership team...

Members of the Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce gathered Thursday, Oct. 26, to welcome Sheeler Insurance and Investments to the local business community. Terry Sheeler was joined by his wife Lori and son Greg for the ribbon cutting. Sheeler's business was formerly located on Main Street in Lake Park, but the family relocated the business to Spirit Lake approximately one year ago. ...

This month, several locations in the area will serve as drop-off sites for the Samaritan's Purse project, Operation Christmas Child — joining nearly 5,000 U.S. locations collecting gift-filled shoeboxes for children in need around the world. Good News Community Church is a local drop-off point. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon on the following days:...

National Teen Driver Safety Week came to a close Oct. 21, but Iowa’s public safety officials still encourage parents to have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel. These rules address the greatest dangers for teen drivers: alcohol, inconsistent or no seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding and number of passengers...

The Clay County Fair and Events Center is pleased to announce the George Maurer Big Band Holiday Show presented by The Farmers Bank on Thursday, Dec. 14. The show, which will be held in the Clay County Regional Events Center, will begin at 7:30 p.m.   ...

The Clay County Fair’s 2017 annual banquet was attended by more than 350 people Tuesday night, celebrating the recent success of the Clay County Fair Centennial and looking to the future. Clay County Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons made the biggest announcement, a new logo which will serve in the future as universal branding...

The Pearson Lakes Art Center is proud to announce the Wanda J. Skogerboe Juried Exhibition, Nov. 16 through Jan. 27. Founded in 1993, this biannual, juried exhibition is designed to further the art center’s mission by supporting and exhibiting contemporary art from the greater Midwest...

The Dickinson County Endowment Fund has announced grants totaling $87,961 were distributed in support of 18 non-profit organization projects benefitting Dickinson County. Awards were made during the Annual Grant Celebration held at the Iowa Lakeside Lab Dining Hall on West Okoboji Lake...

Polling will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Arnolds Park City Hall, 156 North Highway 71 in Arnolds Park. Mayor — Incumbent Jim Hussong filed to run. City Council (2) — Incumbents Matt Richter and Mitchell Watters met the filing deadline...

Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 and all election precincts will be combined in the Dickinson County Community Building, 1602 15th St. in Spirit Lake. Dennis Marshall is a retired resident of Spirit Lake who also owns the Hill Avenue Emporium. The 67-year-old has two children, a daughter Amy, who works as an art director for Google and son Patrick who is employed as a parts representative for Honda Motors...

Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 in the Milford Community Building, 806 N Avenue in Milford. Doug Frederick lives in Milford with his wife Tamera. The 70-year-old co-owns the Daily Addiction coffee shop in Arnolds Park. He and Tamera have four adult children, Lisa, Lori, Sarah and Hannah...

Polling will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 7 in the Lake Park Community Building, 903 S. Market St. in Lake Park. John Engel resides in Lake Park with his wife Sharlene. Engel serves as the current mayor of Lake Park and the 84-year-old also manages rental properties...

Pheasant seasons are opening all across the country, and as hunters make the choice on where to travel for their pheasant hunting trips, Pheasants Forever has released its 2017 Pheasant Hunting Forecast, the most comprehensive upland hunting planner in the nation...

Hunters recently heading to the field for the opening weekend of pheasant season, the Iowa DNR encourages hunters to review safe hunting practices each time before they head out. Megan Wisecup, hunter education administrator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said hunters should get reacquainted with the techniques used to hunt pheasants – be sure to walk in a straight line and know where members of the hunting party are at all times, especially in low visibility areas like terraces, tall switch grass and standing corn.. ...

When some anglers are putting their fishing equipment away for the season, a few in-the-know folks are getting ready for what can be some of the fastest walleye fishing of the year. The rivers that criss-cross the Midwest can provide some outstanding walleye fishing right through the fall and winter months. Here’s how you can take advantage of that action...

Ice fishing season is just around the corner, and to help ice anglers get ready for the season, Thane and Tanya Johnson, owners of Kabele’s Trading Post in Spirit Lake, are preparing for their sixth annual Shop with the Pros Day. Scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the entire day revolves around one thing — ice fishing...

The Iowa Lakes Community College athletic department is sponsoring its annual Just Say No to Drugs Youth Basketball Clinic preceding the Iowa Lakes men's basketball alumni game Saturday, Oct. 28. The youth clinic will be held at 2 p.m. (doors will be open at 1:30) with the expected tip off to be at 3 p.m...

The Iowa Lakes men’s basketball team debuted at No. 18 in the 2017-18 Preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men’s Basketball Rankings. The Lakers are one of three Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) teams ranked joining No. 1 Southwestern and No. 14 Kirkwood...

The Iowa Lakes men and women’s cross country team traveled to Fort Dodge on Sunday to run in the regional race. The women ran a 5k course that was flat throughout the race. Sophomore Jadin Bezdicek led the way for the women once again, finishing in a time of 25 minutes, 30 seconds. Sophomore Chelsea Cave was right behind Jadin finishing in a time of 26:48...

The Tiger girls swim team took to the shiny new Trail Point Aquatics and Wellness Center on the Des Moines Area Community College campus Saturday with state berths on the line. Spencer handled the competition well, qualifying all three relays and two individual events for the state meet to be held Saturday, Nov. 4, in Marshalltown...

Harris-Lake Park picked up a 3-0 sweep over Kingsley-Pierson Thursday night in George to advance to the Class 1A Region 1 volleyball tournament championship. The Wolves opened up with back-to-back 25-18 wins over the Panthers before capping the night with a 25-21 win in the third set...

Optimal running conditions led to a fast field Saturday in Fort Dodge as runners from Okoboji and Spirit Lake competed at the state cross country meet. Led by Magan Christopherson's 12th-place finish, the Pioneers girls earned the highest team finish for Dickinson County with their eighth-place finish in Class 2A. The Okoboji boys, led by Ethan Albright's 8th-place individual finish, placed 14th overall as a team...

As trick-or-treaters walked the streets of George, Harris-Lake Park was in the high school gym giving third-ranked Gehlen Catholic quite a scare. The Wolves pushed the Jays through the first three games of the Class 1A Region 1 volleyball tournament championship. But no amount of ghouls or goblins in the stands could resurrect Harris-Lake Park's state tournament dreams, as the Jays closed the 3-1 win off with a 25-13 win in the fourth and final set...

Brian Byrnes resides in Spirit Lake. He is 40 years old and is employed as a utility locator by United States Infrastructure Corporation. John Chappas has been a resident of Spirit Lake for 32 years. The 68-year-old has been married to his wife Donna for 45 years. Chappas has served approximately nine years on the Spirit Lake City Council...

Officials from Discovery House — a transitional housing facility located in Spirit Lake — have met with area leaders to promote a new development in Spirit Lake. An adjacent property, located next to Discovery House, has been purchased by the Discovery House board. The new house, named Daniel House, is scheduled to open on Nov. 1, and offers a transitioning process for the residents of Discovery House...

Temperatures have dropped. Winds have picked up. The harvest is well underway. Statewide, there were barely more than five days suitable for fieldwork within the past week, according to the USDA's weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report. Iowa farmers have mainly focused on corn and soybean harvesting, spreading manure, applying fertilizer, hauling grain and starting fall tillage...

Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 in the Milford Community Building, 806 N Avenue in Milford. Steve Anderson resides in Milford and works for the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District. The 41-year-old and his wife have three boys...