Stories from Tuesday, March 20, 2018

May 16, 1922 — March 10, 2018 A funeral service for Harvey Svenby, age 95, of Milford formerly of Estherville, was held Wednesday, March 14, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Burial was at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Harvey passed away March 10 at Accura Healthcare in Milford...

April 19, 1937 — March 10, 2018 William E. Junge, 80, of Arnolds Park, formerly of Sioux City, passed away, Saturday, March 10. Funeral services were Thursday, March 15, at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel. Visitation was one hour prior to the service time at the funeral home. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Online condolences may be directed to meyerbroschapels.com...

Freshmen Andrew Dunn, a 2017 graduate of Okoboji High School, teamed with Casey Spring from Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado to win the Phi Kappa Delta Varsity Public Forum Debate National Championship. The tournament was held March 14-17 at Tennessee State University in Nashville. The Simpson duo was part of an incredible weekend for the Simpson College debate...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach invites family caregivers to participate in the five-session "Finances of Caregiving" course beginning April 3. The course focuses on helping caregivers make decisions and plan ahead. Caregivers are often adult children caring for their parents, grandparents or another relative, but they may also be parents caring for their young or adult child with special health or behavior needs. ...

Establishing an educational scholarship fund can be a meaningful way to give back to your local community and to honor a loved one. Dwight and Bev Rutter, of rural Spencer are known for thinking outside the box to honor their first son, Jason, who passed away in January 2002 at the age of 28...

SPI Research, the leading independent technology services research firm, named Beck Engineering among the 2018 Best-of-theBest professional services organizations (PSO). SPI's annual survey revealed top performers grew both revenues and new jobs at more than twice the rate of average firms...

Mark Brown, senior vice president of private banking at Central Bank, has been selected as one of two Iowans to represent the Iowa Bankers Association at the American Bankers Association’s 2018 Emerging Leaders Forum at the ABA’s Government Relations Summit in Washington, D.C...

Season's Center is working with a group of organizations to promote crime victims’ rights awareness during the 2018 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The area organization received funding to support "Ripples of Healing," an evening of family-friendly activities. ...

All area women are invited to attend a one-day Women’s Retreat Saturday, April 7, to be held at Lakeshore Center at Okoboji, hosted by the First Congregational Church of Spencer. The theme is "From, Within, Beyond: Wombs to Tombs," based on Psalm 139:5-6, "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ...

Reps. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake and Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, welcomed (from left) Rick Olesen of Estherville and Neal Heldt of Mallard from Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative, to the Iowa House of Representatives. Olesen and Heldt were visiting the Capitol to talk with legislators about issues before the Legislature. (Photo submitted)...

Integrity Real Estate is pleased to introduce its newest realtor, Candace McGuire. McGuire was born and raised in Spencer. After graduating from Spencer High School in 1999, she attended Iowa Lakes Community College, where she obtained an AA and an AS in travel and tourism. At the same time, she was also working for Iowa Great Lakes Aviation...

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City announced the selection of Jim Franke as its new general manager. Mr. Franke has 25 years of experience in the gaming industry and ties to the Sioux City community from his time working with the Belle of Sioux City in the late 1990s...

The Rev. John Syvertson, chaplain of the St. Luke Homes and Services campus in Spencer, has earned a credential which stands to benefit the residents, tenants, homeowners, families and staff he serves as well as the region’s faith community at large. Syvertson was recently named a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains...

In a recent "Letter to the Editor," Robert Sneitzer appeared to be consumed worrying about old Trump news from the 2016 presidential election. All of the negative news cited has been factored into the November 2016 election decision with the voters electing Donald J. Trump as our president. If you spend your time mired in the past, you will find it difficult to recognize what is happening today and how today’s events might reflect on your future...

As a lifetime resident of the community of Milford, I feel obligated to express my concerns about the problems that exist due to the past expansion and construction projects of the Okoboji Community School District. It appears to me that the decisions made by those responsible for doing so at that time had the best intentions of providing for the school district's students and meeting the wants of the school district's employees...

What a week it was, with our second funnel week being here and nearly gone. This week we concentrated mostly on getting bills out of committee so they remain eligible for floor debate in the House. Two bills, of note, that I am proud of for different reasons are the traffic camera bill and Future Ready Iowa. ...

I often hear concerns about our workforce from employers. Iowa's current unemployment rate of 2.9 percent is at its lowest point in 17 years and continues to remain well below the national average. Even with nearly-full employment, Iowa employers still have 50,000 job openings...

Every story has two sides. And sometimes three, four or more sides. Here’s my side: Unknowingly, I walked into a trap when I joined two state representative at a Feb. 17 town hall meeting in Okoboji. Fools rush in, don’t you know. I took the bait. I was not altogether surprised when the hook was set again March 10. But this time the subterfuge lurked in the shadows of a town hall in Spencer. I wasn’t going to rush in this time...

Alliant Energy residential customers can purchase landscaping trees for their homes at a deep discount this spring. Customers may reserve up to two trees and pick them up at Operation ReLeaf events in the counties of Allamakee, Benton, Clarke, Dickinson, Dubuque, Greene, Linn, Muscatine and Wayne this April and May...

The Dickinson County Republican Women invite all residents of Dickinson County to attend the 2018 membership meeting, which takes place from 5-7 p.m. April 10 at the Pub 19 Grill located at the Okoboji View Golf Course, 1667 Highway 86, Spirit Lake. ...

A $100,000 grant from the National Council on Aging will allow Elderbridge Agency on Aging, in conjunction with Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging and County Social Services, to develop the Benefits Enrollment Center. The center is focused on helping the elderly and those with mental disabilities access the benefits already available to them...

The Iowa State Patrol has taken a pledge to keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products out of the hands of youth. Known as I-PLEDGE, the program is a partnership with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) to educate local retailers and to enforce Iowa’s tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor product laws. ...

Todd Burpo and Colton Burpo, author and subject of the book, and subsequent movie, "Heaven is for Real" will be two of many featured speakers at the 14th Annual Lakes Health Conference in June. The conference will focus on several interesting and “in-the-news” subjects, including human trafficking, the opioid epidemic, medical cannabis, Parkinson’s and parasomnias, concierge medicine, healthcare in rural Iowa, colorectal cancer screenings and much more...

National Agriculture Week, March 18-24, is a time to celebrate agriculture and recognize the many contributions farmers make to the overall Iowa economy. Did you know there are more than 85,000 farms in Iowa and 98 percent of them are family owned? That puts Iowa at the top of national agriculture rankings once again. This past year, Iowa farmers ranked first in corn, hogs and egg production...

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's State Climatology Office and the National Weather Service are recruiting volunteer precipitation observers across Iowa to participate in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, known as "CoCoRaHS."...

Three weeks remain until Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault hosts its 14th Women’s Night Out event at 5 p.m. April 5 at the Clay County Fair and Events Center. CAASA officials said the fundraiser is important in assisting its mission to assist survivors of abuse and sexual assault...

An executive with Omaha ties will become the next president of the Okoboji Foundation. The organization's board of directors selected Rob Waterhouse to lead non-profit efforts in the Iowa Great Lakes. His leadership experience includes time with the American Red Cross...

Four Okoboji High School students were selected to the prestigious 1A/2A Iowa All-State Jazz Band. Chae Schweers on tenor saxophone, Luke Thompson on trumpet, Samuel Heikens on vibraphone, and Carley Wells on drum set were selected as part of the 20 member ensemble made up of students from across Iowa...

Dr. Rick D. Wilkerson is the recipient of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2018 Humanitarian Award. Wilkerson was honored at the Academy’s 2018 annual meeting for his nearly three decades of work serving underserved populations around the globe...

Dickinson County residents will have plenty of choices as they consider party nominations on the June 5 primary election ballot. The deadline to file for state and federal offices was 5 p.m. Friday. The U.S. Senate seats held by Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst aren't on the ballot in the 2018 election cycle...

"The 1940's Radio Hour" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. March 22-24 in the Estherville campus gym. The play, which chronicles the final broadcast of a radio show on Dec. 21, 1942, as World War II rages overseas, includes drama, humor and many of the musical hits of the era. It also includes more than 40 actors and actresses, including college students, adults and high school students from northwest Iowa and Minnesota...

The Okoboji Yacht Club is proud to host for the first time a USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival. The regatta is June 22-24 and will be held on West Lake Okoboji at the Okoboji Sailing Center and is part of a nationwide series for youth ages 8-20 years of age. More than 30 events are held across the continental United States and Hawaii, with close to 5,000 sailors expected to compete...

Arnolds Park Amusement Park has been dutifully working to renovate the Majestic Pavilion and Museum Complex assuring businesses have time to move back in before the busy summer starts. With the Park expecting to hand over the keys to the new Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Museum end of March, the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association's Board of Directors decided on a phased plan that would allow the association to actually operate out of the new space this summer while still working on the capital campaign.. ...

The Harris-Lake Park High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble has been invited to compete in the 2018 Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships. This year’s championships will be held at the Staplin Performing Arts Center in West Des Moines on Tuesday, March 27. Harris-Lake Park will perform at 9:40 a.m...

When we think about pollinators, we typically think of the 1,200 species of butterflies in Iowa, the 2,500 species of moths or the 200 species of bees. However, we then overlook important pollinators such as hummingbirds, ants, flower beetles, hover flies, midges and even mosquitoes...

Calling all fishermen and women: get ready to kick off the 2018 walleye season in the Iowa Great Lakes during the 36th Annual Walleye Weekend on May 5-6. The fun weekend forming memories with friends and families is reason alone to get excited, but there is another small benefit — the $36,000 grand prize. Josh B. from Ames was last year’s grand prize winner— who will be next?...

Solutions in the state's class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers may have begun to coalesce. A mediation group of several attorneys was scheduled to meet earlier this month and potentially discuss a settlement structure. Dickinson County has yet to sign on in support of the lawsuit — though the Iowa State Association of Counties is seeking support from all of Iowa's 99 counties...

The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium has set a goal of acres devoted to monarch butterfly habitat in the state by 2038. “The consortium has worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan to expand habitat on our agricultural land, urban areas, roadsides, and other public land. We appreciate the many partners that have been involved and are encouraged by the work already underway,” said Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture...

Channel catfish move close to shore and are eager to bite in many lakes and the large reservoirs across Iowa. After eating light during the winter, channel catfish go on a feeding frenzy in early spring cleaning up small fish that died over the winter...

I used to be petrified of snakes. It got to the point back in high school, when I was working as a page at our local library, that I couldn’t even shelve the books about snakes. If I had to, I held the book by the spine and avoided even touching the photos on the front and back covers...

We’re kind of in that in-between season in the northern reaches of the Midwest. Many lakes are still covered with ice, although the quality of the ice is inconsistent. Everywhere else, anglers are fishing open water. The common theme is, anglers are anxious to go fishing, and most of us appreciate and relish every opportunity we get to do so. ...

Ever wonder when it comes to the weather, “What is normal?” It seems that right now we are going through a lot of abnormals instead of normals. Take a look at our ice outs. The past few years we have had a lot of early ice outs on the Iowa Great Lakes...

Iowa Lakes softball players Desiree Lopez and Kenlee Frank have signed to continue their athletic and academic careers at NAIA Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. Lopez is the daughter of Melany and Jose Lopez. She is from Redlands, California, where she graduated from Citrus Valley High School. A 4-foot-9 slapper, Lopez batted .309 in her career as a Blackhawk. She had a 95 percent fielding percentage, with 106 assists, 10 put outs, and turned seven double plays. ...

Five Iowa Lakes Community College women's basketball athletes were named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Division II Women's Basketball All-Region teams. Mia Wassink was named to First Team All-Region, Lemia Ntor-Ue earned Second Team All-Region honors, and Marissa Ruiz, Marisela Perez and Calynn Jackson earned Third Team All-Region honors. ...

Four members of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) women’s basketball team have been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Division II Women’s All-Region Basketball Team. Former Okoboji athlete Molly Michell, a sophomore, was named to the first team, sophomores Joniqua Clark of Cedar Rapids and Beth Atwood of Packwood earned second-team honors and sophomore Regan Shockley of Hartley was named to the third team...

Iowa Lakes men placed 10th and women placed sixth at the NJCAA Swimming & Diving Championships held recently at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. The Laker women missed out on third place by just 10 points. The national meet is a four-day long meet with two sessions each day and ran from March 7-10...

A trio of Dickinson County senior basketball players recently competed at the Defender Golf Club/American State Bank High School All-Star Basketball Games at the De Witt Gym on Dordt College's campus in Sioux Center. Spirit Lake's Alex Van Dyke and Emily Alger, and Okoboji's Grace Wintz were among the 43 athletes selected to compete in the event held Saturday, March 17...

The Okoboji City Administrator called it "highly procedural," but the first step has been taken to redeveloping The Inn at Okoboji and its nearby property. The Okoboji City Council voted on Tuesday, March 13, to seek a recommendation from the city planning and zoning commission regarding a swap proposed by the property's new owners. ...

The shuttering engine noise of a Jake brake became too much for some in Milford — and the issue made it all the way to the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors. There may not be much the county can do to remedy the situation, however. At least one resident in Supervisor Tim Fairchild's district informed Fairchild about a nuisance regularly occurring along County Road A-34 near Woodlyn Hills Golf Course. ...

"If you dream big and work hard, absolutely anything is possible," Gov. Kim Reynolds told the Spirit Lake audience on hand Saturday for the launch of her 2018 gubernatorial campaign. "I had the opportunity to … serve 19 years in the county treasurer's office," she said. ...

Three area school districts want to top one another during their spring-semester blood drives. In the first part of the series, Spirit Lake students get first crack at "bleedin' for a reason." Students at Harris-Lake Park will try to top Spirit Lake's numbers in next week's part two of the series and Okoboji will attempt to come out on top with a May blood drive in part three of the series, which will print in the May 15 edition of the Dickinson County News...

Six players from the 2017-18 Iowa Lakes Men's Basketball team were honored by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) as being all region performers. Iowa Lakes finished the year at 23-9 overall, 9-3 to place second in the ICCAC while being ranked 19th in the National Junior College Athletic Conference (NJCAA) final basketball poll...