Stories from Tuesday, November 14, 2017

If “Life of Brian” taught me anything, it's to always look on the bright side of life. The final scene of Montey Python's classic films ends with several men being crucified while singing (and whistling) a tune literally titled "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Speaking of sacrilegious moments: Did you hear the one about the Alabama State Auditor who compared an alleged case of sexual abuse involving a Senate candidate to the relationship between the Messiah's parents? I never would have thought someone who started something called the Foundation for Moral Law would need so much defending — inept as it may be.. ...

If “Life of Brian” taught me anything, it's to always look on the bright side of life. The final scene of Montey Python's classic films ends with several men being crucified while singing (and whistling) a tune literally titled "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. ...

Milford officials on Tuesday released additional details about a storage unit fire that broke out the night of Nov. 7 on the north side of the city. Milford Police Chief Bob Clark said 53-year-old Francis Petska of Milford is the adult male who was found inside the storage unit where the fire is believed to have started...

Lake Park Elementary's gymnasium served as hallowed ground during this year's Veterans Day program. Students rose as volunteers from American Legion Post #371 presented the colors. Post Commander James Kessler's voice wavered briefly as he thanked the students for their show of respect. But Kessler surrendered his microphone to the featured speaker of the day — Lady Liberty...

Emergency crews remained at the scene for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon after a head-on collision shut down traffic along Iowa Highway 9. Officers and ambulance personnel were paged at 1:05 p.m. to the 3100 block of the main east-and-west running highway in Dickinson County. ...

IN THE IOWA JUVENILE COURT FOR DICKINSON COUNTY TO: Andrew Simmons Father of a Child Born on the 23rd day of June, 2011. You are hereby notified that there is now on file in the office of the clerk of the above Court a Termination of Parental Rights Petition concerning the above-named child pursuant Iowa Code Chapter 232. ...

The Lakes area community's efforts to support Arnolds Park Amusement Park have not gone unnoticed. The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced last Wednesday the park has been awarded $935,000 for the $10,777,587 project. The amusement park initially sought municipal and county support for its Restore the Park campaign. ...

The Performing Arts Series continues at the Pearson Lakes Art Center with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Coriolanus at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. A full-throttle war play that revels in the sweat of the battlefield, Coriolanus transports us back to the emergence of the republic of Rome...

'The Arts at St. Joseph will present “A Briar Cliff Christmas” featuring the Briar Cliff University Singers conducted by Dr. Sean Burton and accompanied by Dr. Jeremy Owens. They will be joined by the Festival Brass Ensemble and selected members of the Siouxland Choral Artists...

Drawing from more than 100 hours of never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives for more than 50 years, award-winning director Brett Morgen tells the story of “JANE,” a woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time and revolutionized our understanding of the natural world...

Enjoy some good food at an open house or enjoy the sounds of the season at a series of events in the Iowa Great Lakes Area. The Northwest Iowa Concert Band, directed by Rich Nicklay, and the Northwest Iowa Jazz Band, directed by Scott Benjamin, will present its annual fall/holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. ...

Since well before we became a country to the present day, America has attracted people who are willing to leave behind everything and everyone they know and settle in a strange land just to have the opportunity to work hard and provide for their families...

Spirit Lake softball star Kelsey Kannenberg commits to University of Iowa women's rowing team

Research for this article led me to an interesting find. Our readers who have ventured into the world of Twitter will appreciate this tidbit. But those who aren’t familiar with the world of social media will find value, nonetheless. On several occasions I have tweeted the hashtag ‘grateful’ describing experiences or gifts that I have appreciated. ...

I live on the Iowa River in the midst of the “Greenbelt.” Over the years, I have witnessed multiple changes in the water color, odor and the amount of hog waste flowing in it. Furthermore, since the inception of hog factory farming, there is a disappearance of wildlife such as frogs, crawdads and their food source...

The Iowa Lakes men's basketball team picked up a trio of wins to improve to 3-1 overall on the season. The Lakers defeated Dordt JV, Northeast Community College and Central Community College - Columbus. Iowa Lakes moved to 1-1 on the season with a 122-60 win over Dordt on Monday, Nov. 6...

The Iowa Lakes women's basketball team won its season opener against Dordt JV, but fell in two straight to Northeast Community College and North Platte to fall to 1-2 overall on the season. The Lakers topped Dordt JV on Monday, Nov. 6 to win their first game of the season 68-59...

Kris Walker (center) owner of Walker Insurance Agency in Arnolds Park, is shown donating 10 turkeys to Mark Johnson (left) and Dale Hanna who are both members of the St. Joseph Knights of Columbus organization. The turkeys will be used in the Knights of Columbus food basket program. A total of 30 baskets of groceries will be delivered to less-fortunate families in December...

With several returners from last year’s team, including All-Americans Isaiah Cox (184) and Anthony Maia (149), the expectations are high for this year’s Iowa Lakes wrestling squad. There will be a lot of new faces competing for line up spots for the Lakers wrestling program as well, which should make the room a lot of fun this season...

The Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa recently selected The Okoboji Store to receive the “People’s Choice Award.” The Okoboji Store originally opened as a General Store circa 1884 and served the Iowa Great Lakes region with supplies and necessities for nearly 90 years. It was also considered a great place for locals and visitors alike to meet and catch up on the latest gossip...

Linda Linn of Fostoria was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Iowa School Counselor’s Association on Monday. Linn recently retired from Prairie Lakes AEA where she aided school counselors in the classroom for 18 years. Prior to her time with the AEA, Linn was a school counselor for Spencer Schools and Northeast Hamilton Schools. ...

This last week was a really fun one for me. First, there was the annual fall DNR night sponsored by the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC). It was held Thursday, Nov. 9 at Godfather’s Pizza in Spencer. Over 100 people, including several families, were in attendance...

There was a skim of ice on the pond this morning which served as a good reminder that ice-fishing is getting closer all the time. While we’re probably still a couple of weeks away from getting on the ice, now is a good time to think about some of the things we can do this year to have a successful ice-fishing season. Here are some of those things we should think about...

Movies, TV shows and popular books have so often revolved around zombies in recent years. The fantasy of the living dead is terrifying, intriguing and mystifying all at the same time. But we know that the living dead aren’t a real thing. Yet, some animals truly become like the living dead in the wintertime, and frogs are a perfect example...

The Spirit Lake Elementary K-Kids and the Spirit Lake Noon Kiwanis worked together Nov. 2 to clean up the leaves at the Discovery House. The K-Kids is a Kiwanis organization to help elementary students get involved in volunteering, serving their community and school, and learn leadership skills...

Tree stands are common practice for deer hunters, especially archers. Through the early part of the deer season, the DNR has already investigated three tree stand falls. Deer hunters are reminded the importance of tree stand safety. In light of tree stand accidents, a campaign is underway by tree stand manufacturers, retailers, media, natural resource agencies and deer hunters to reduce and eliminate tree stand accidents by raising awareness of this issue and providing education about safe tree stand hunting best practices.. ...

While the documentation of 17 Barn Owl nests and 33 total records in 2016 was an all-time record high for Iowa, that record was more than doubled this year. Currently, 38 Barn Owl nests are documented in 26 counties, and 71 young Barn Owls have fledged from 26 nests. Twenty-nine of the 38 nests are in the bottom three tiers of Iowa counties. Northernmost nest counties are Sioux, Clay (first documented nest in the better part of a century), Franklin, Butler, and Chickasaw. ...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Fish Iowa! angler education program has partnered with the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation’s (RBFF) Vamos A Pescar program to provide $1,000 grants to local 501(c)(3) organizations to support local efforts to educate and engage families in high-density Hispanic communities through programs, classes and fishing activities...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Administrator Steve Peterson recently announced that physical loss loans are available for Nobles County in Minnesota. Farm operators who have suffered major physical losses caused by hail and a tornado that occurred from Aug. 13 through Aug. 18 may be eligible for emergency loans...

The Trump Administration recently appointed Amanda De Jong as the new State Executive Director for the USDA Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA). De Jong joined the Iowa FSA team on Monday, Nov 13. De Jong most recently held the position of Senior Policy Advisor at the Iowa Corn Growers Association, a position she assumed in 2011. She also served in prior roles with U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley and the USDA...

The average American gains 2-4 pounds every holiday season and does not lose it through the year. Even though that number may not seem like a lot of weight, adding this gain up over the years can lead to a large array of health problems. There are some relatively simple things you can do to prevent this weight gain...

During the week of Nov. 12-18, Iowa community foundations will join more than 780 community foundations across America celebrating Community Foundation Week. For more than 25 years, the effort has raised awareness about the increasingly important role of these philanthropic organizations in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address persistent civic and economic challenges. Again, this year, Iowa's community foundations have much to celebrate...

Heritage Landing on Nov. 6 announced that Mary Prentice has accepted the position as its new housing director. The community is invited to attend a “meet and greet” coffee reception from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. The public is invited to join the Heritage Landing staff and residents for refreshments as they welcome Prentice and wish her well on her new position...

Foell serves northwest Iowa as Magnify territory manager Emmetsburg, Iowa -- Kim Foell has joined Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) as the northwest Iowa territory manager for Magnify, a new farm management solution. Foell will help producers use Magnify to better understand their profit and loss by season, as well as their overall financial position in real time...

The Spirit Lake Key Club kick off to Key Club Week was the Dance Marathon event on Nov. 5, which raised $668 for Children's Miracle Network. SLHS Key Club Week focused on kindness, service, and leadership. Each homeroom had a bucket to collect coins for Children's Miracle Network, and a food drive for Upper Des Moines continues until Nov. ...

You can make a Holiday Cards for only $2! Join us FROM 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Milford library. Registration for this event is required and the cost to participate is $2. Contact the Milford library for more information at 712-338-4643 or info@milford.lib.ia.us...

Students in the powersports and power equipment technology program at Iowa Lakes Community College will benefit from the success of one of their fellow students.  Ernie’s Harley-Davidson officially presented students at Iowa Lakes with a Harley-Davidson 2016 FXSE CVO Pro Street, which had been accepted by the Iowa Lakes Trustees earlier this year...

The Iowa Lakes Alumni Foundation and TRIO-SSS hosted the annual Career Etiquette Dinner Nov. 8 at the Iowa Lakes SERT Center. The evening began at 5 p.m. with a welcome from the TRIO-SSS director and a workshop for the students. The workshop included a presentation about the TRIO-SSS program and the benefits of joining, such as advising, tutoring, workshops, scholarships/grant aid, campus visits and cultural enrichment opportunities. ...

Emma Niswander was recently selected for participation in the 32nd annual Opus Honor Choir Festival. Close to 3,000 students were nominated by their directors for a position in one of the four Opus Honor Choirs. Selections were made by means of a recorded audition. Emma will perform as a member of the 7th & 8th Grade Treble Clef Honor Choir under the direction of Melody Easter-Clutter, Indianola Community Schools...

Eleven Harris-Lake Park eighth-grade students were chosen to attend the Northwest Iowa Choral Directors Association (NWICDA) Junior High Treble and Bass Clef Honor Choirs, held Nov. 7 in Le Mars.  Middle School students from approximately 40 schools across Northwest Iowa rehearsed throughout the afternoon and presented an evening concert at the Le Mars High School Gymnasium, under the direction of conductors David Fog of Emmetsburg and Jill Anderson of Iowa City. ...

Thank you to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring the inaugural “Light up the Night” Halloween decorating contest. Cash prizes were given for the top three winners. Take a look at our Facebook page for pictures:   First place — Julie Baumgarn: “We liked that there were SO many individual scenes to look at! The witches cooking the cauldron of bones and the skeleton scaling the deck were some of our favorites. You really had a LOT going on out there!”...

A recent study is illustrating the importance of an Iowa College Aid program called “GEAR UP.” The acronym stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs” and is a federal program administered by Iowa College Aid to improve college access, success and completion rates for low-income students...

A state-commissioned group of educators and Iowa leaders looked into computer science education and have recommended computer science become a required course in school districts throughout Iowa. “I really think there has been a shift in the economy,” said Erin Rollenhagen, work group member and CEO of Entrepreneurial Technologies of Des Moines. ...

Patrick Woizeschke is helping Iowa State University students succeed by serving as a peer mentor for the kinesiology freshmen learning community. Woizeschke of Spirit Lake is studying kinesiology and health in the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State. ...

May 25, 1945 — Nov. 7, 2017 Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 11, for Sue Ann Wee of Milford and formerly of Spencer. Rev. Shannon Workman officiated. Interment will take place privately at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer at a later date. Sue Ann Wee, the daughter of Henry and Elise (Mueller) Tewald, was born May 25, 1945, in MeKenyes, Hungary. ...

April 28, 1929 — Nov. 9, 2017 A memorial gathering for Fritz Chaplin, age 88, of Arnolds Park, was held Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Fredric “Fritz” Dean Chaplin, the son of Bonnie and Delia (Thies) Chaplin, was born April 28, 1929, in Estherville.  He graduated from Arnolds Park High School and attended Buena Vista College and Iowa Lakes College...

Sept. 7, 1954 — Nov. 10, 2017 Claudia Petra (Hallwas) Conyers, 63, of Garner, passed away on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 at Good Shepherd Health Center in Mason City. A celebration of Life Service for Claudia Conyers will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The service will be held at Clear Lake Church of Christ, 2010 14th Ave. North in Clear Lake...

Jan. 13, 1923 — Nov. 9, 2017 A funeral service for Bonnie Jensen, age 94, of Milford, was held Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Burial was at Milford Cemetery. Mrs. Jensen passed away Nov.9 at the Lake Park Care Center in Lake Park...