Stories from Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The first rhythmic and haunting cooing begins as the night sky fades and sunrise begins. The short grass prairie booming grounds prepares for a display found nowhere else in Iowa. This is prairie chicken country and on April 7, it will be the 15th Annual Prairie Chicken Day at the Kellerton Wildlife Management Area, in Ringgold County. Activities originate from the viewing platform on 300th Avenue, southwest of Kellerton...

Thunderous calls from competing Toms trying to out-do one another for the affection from nearby hens will be rattling through Iowa’s timber later this month marking the beginning of the wild turkey breeding season. This spring ritual is witnessed annually by about 50,000 Iowa hunters who attempt to mimic the call of a lonely hen, and then wait for a frustrated Tom to come searching her out...

The big lake near where I live still had a lot of ice on it when I drove by a few days ago, but it was opening up near the shoreline. But the smaller ponds in the area have a lot of open water. In fact, of friend of mine told me that a friend of his had just caught a nice bunch of crappies from the open water in one of those ponds. ...

When the opportunity came to join other members of the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC) on the Missouri River at Chamberlain last week, Bill Borchers from Sheldon and I could hardly wait. All we had to do was get ourselves there, and we would join Missouri River Fishing guide and Hartley resident, Dave Hennings in his boat for three days: Thursday, Friday and Saturday...

July 28, 1934 — March 21, 2018 Mary B. Waters, 83, of Spirit Lake passed away on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake. Per Mary’s wishes, she has donated her body to science to the University of Iowa. No formal services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Online condolences may be sent to spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

Nov. 28, 1936 — March 11, 2018 Jerry J. Smith, age 81, of Spirit Lake, formerly of Correctionville, passed away Sunday, March 11, 2018, at his home of Spirit Lake. A funeral service was Tuesday, March 20, at the Grace United Methodist Church of Correctionville with the Pastor Ron Rice officiating. ...

May 2, 1960 — March 16, 2018 A Mass of Christian Burial for Paul Delaney, 57, of Lake Park, was held Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in Milford. Paul Allan Delaney was born to Terrance Joseph Delaney and Mary Colletta (Schierholt) Delaney on May 2, 1960 in Estherville. He grew up on his family’s farm in Lake Park and he continued to farm until his passing...

June 13, 1939 — March 14, 2018 Mass of Christian Burial for Roger D. Bindner, 78, of Spirit Lake, and formerly of Paullina, was held Saturday, March 24, 2018, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment will be held at a later date at West Prairie View Cemetery in Paullina...

The Sixth Annual Spencer Hy-Noon Kiwanis 5K-10K Walk/Run is scheduled for Saturday, April 7. The event will begin at 9 a.m. in front of the Hy-Noon Kiwanis Stubs/Cookie Bucket Stand on the Clay County Fairgrounds. Entry fee is $10 for youth under 18 and $25 for adults. Proceeds from the run will benefit the Spencer Middle School Mentor Program and other programs for Clay County kids. Awards will be presented to the top finishers...

The Bedell Family YMCA will hold a free morning of fun learning activities for kids and families from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7. Healthy Kids Day is the Y's national initiative focused on motivating and teaching kids and families healthy activities and a healthy lifestyle...

Former Harris-Lake Park and current Minnesota West basketball player Katherin Ihnen was recently named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. It is one of several accolades the sophomore collected this past season...

Iowa Lakes baseball opened the conference season against Ellsworth Community College with a neutral site doubleheader Saturday. The Lakers were able to split the series opening doubleheader with the Panthers by winning game one by a score of 5-2 and falling in game two 14-5...

In honor of the 25th anniversary of six-on-six women’s basketball last being played in Iowa, and in conjunction with Clay County Heritage’s “The Starting Six” exhibit, area residents will once again be able to watch the game. “We are hosting a ‘Granny Basketball League Tournament’ on Saturday, April, 28 at the Spencer High School field house,” said Stephanie Horsley, executive director for Clay County Heritage. ...

Okoboji competed in its final indoor track event of the spring Tuesday, March 20, when the Pioneers headed west to Vermillion, South Dakota. Okoboji competed in the B section of the Dan Lennon High School Track and Field Meet at the Dakota Dome on the campus of the University of South Dakota, and the Pioneers came away with several top 10 finishes...

Blue Stone Therapy Solutions has been selected by Good Samaritan Society Home Care to provide additional rehabilitation services for home health care patients. The partnership allows Good Samaritan to offer expanded physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology programs for patients in their care at home...

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the state’s football schedules for the 2018 and 2019 seasons last week. The release happened two months after the IHSAA announced it would make changes to the playoff qualification systems. Dickinson County teams will face several familiar opponents in the next two seasons, but the reclassification also provides a few new and interesting matchups...

Mexico and South Korea are racing for American beef and pork. In 2017 alone, the U.S. shattered records with beef exports hitting $7.27 billion and pork exports reaching $6.49 billion according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. For my home state of Iowa, one of the largest producers in the United States of both, this trend is keeping Iowans employed and the rural economy strong...

On Wednesday, March 21, we passed a bill targeted at decreasing health insurance costs.  An amendment to SF 2349 allows certain organizations to collaborate with insurance providers to provide "health benefit plans" that are not subject to insurance regulations. ...

This has been a week of important bills and a lot of floor debate. In addition, I was pleased to host the Spirit Lake High School seniors to the Capitol. It is always one of my favorite days of the legislative year because they are our future and are so engaged. ...

Where we live, wide spaces separate our towns, our farms and naturally our hospitals. But with innovation, good planning and talented teams of professionals, health care systems like ours can help ensure everyone gets the care they need, when they need it...

Hyper-individualism plagues us. One of its most destructive expressions is in our political process where positions often become so extreme that meaningful conversation can no longer take place. We just attack one another instead. We need to recall the wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt — that with freedom comes responsibility — to extract ourselves from this wasteland...

Have you seen the "pizza ad" which describes the monetary impact of the Okoboji Community School district bond issue? The cost of this bond is less than the cost of a large pizza to the average homeowner, per month. An old classmate jokingly said to me "no pizza for you this month, kid!" after seeing the flyer. This prompted my reply:...

Character Matters is a program presented to students to show them the importance of monitoring their judgment and behavior to meet accepted social standards. March For Our Lives is a movement by our youth to show their concern for their security. It encourages actions, not words in the behavior of our legislators in response to the many school shootings. Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough...

Over the past year, Congress and President Trump have taken a hard line on repealing burdensome regulations across all sectors in order to give long-overdue relief to hard-working Americans and put the economy back on track after nearly a decade of malaise...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to conduct prescribed burns within the selected wildlife complexes in Dickinson County between April 1 and May 20 to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species and restore and maintain native plant communities. ...

The late arrival of ice last fall could mean another problem with curlyleaf pondweed, according to DNR Fisheries Biologist Mike Hawkins. "The extended winter season and thick ice is now working in our favor, but we won't really know what we're dealing with until open water," he said, in an update to area residents. "I'm assuming it will be another tough year, based on how much pondweed was growing under the early ice."...

Thanks to many businesses, organizations and individuals that contributed to Lakes Regional Healthcare Foundation, Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) will soon offer a newer type of mammogram known as breast tomosynthesis or 3D mammography. With 3D mammography, a series of low-dose X-rays are taken over the compressed breast. ...

The Okoboji High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Ryan Middleton, will be participating in class 2A at the 43rd Annual Iowa Jazz Championships Thursday, April 5 in Ames. Musco Lighting from Oskaloosa sponsors the event in cooperation with Iowa Jazz Championships, Inc., Jazz Educators of Iowa and the Iowa Music Educators Association...

It has taken Spirit Lake resident David Kruse more than 30 years of collecting "all things Winchester," but he is finally to the point where he can say, "I really do not have a hole in this collection." "I guess this is about as close as I can come to a time machine," Kruse said. ...

Charley Whittenburg, CEO at Arnolds Park Amusement Park, on Friday announced the 2018 Live at the Lake Concert Series. The lineup features 16 free nights of entertainment over a 14-week period, along with one ticketed event. All shows will be on Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Lake Okoboji...

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...

The Pearson Lakes Art Center on Friday, March 23, announced the start of a new film series. The history of the Prisoner of War Camp and POW Museum at Algona is featured in the opening film, "Camp Algona," 6:30 p.m. April 5, during the Pearson Lakes Art Center's "Iowa Films Night" in the Lauridsen Theater. ...

Honks and quacks are filling the air as waterfowl begin to migrate through the Iowa Great Lakes area. Hooded mergansers, white-fronted geese, trumpeter swans — see how many species you can check off your list during the next Birdwatchers Anonymous birding trek 9 a.m. Saturday, March 31...

Come to the Milford Memorial Library at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 5, to hear Tom Milligan present "The Art of Conservation: A Visit with Ding Darling." This program is sponsored by Humanities Iowa and the Friends of the Milford Memorial Library. In this 45-minute presentation, Jay N. ...

Reps. Megan Jones (R-Sioux Rapids) and John Wills (R-Spirit Lake) recently welcomed students from Spirit Lake High School to the Iowa House of Representatives. The senior government class was visiting the Capitol to talk with legislators and tour the historic Iowa State Capitol. (Photo submitted)...

Members of the Milford Commercial Club recently welcomed 712 Design and Transition Homes to the Milford Community. The business was established in the Fall of 2012 and is a full-service architecture and design firm. With over 10 years of experience in her field, owner and architect Angela McCaulley specializes in residential design, with experience in new construction and renovation, as well as small-scale commercial construction. ...

Okoboji Motors on March 15 presented a check of $1,500 to Spirit Lake Noon Kiwanis that was collected from their employees for the "Friday jeans day." The money will be used for the club's new and continuing projects, which benefit the kids of Dickinson County...

Congratulations were extended to the winners of Milford Memorial Library’s 2018 Coloring Contest. The winners this year were Petra and Diana (2-3 years), Camila and Jadelyn (4-5 years), Finn and Declan (6-8 years) and Ryanna (9-10 years). Each winner received an Easter Basket full of goodies. The public is invited to stop by the library to see all of the wonderful coloring pages hanging up on the windows...

The Junk Drawer Artisans Craft Club will meet from 3-4 p.m. Saturday, March 31 at the community room at the Spirit Lake Public Library. This month’s craft will be a wall hanging (see picture). You may bring your own supplies or use materials provided by the library at a cost of $5. The supplies you will need include:...

The three local libraries will be offering a night of painting, fellowship, and snacks. Paint Night will be from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 27 at the Arnolds Park Public Library. Any skill level is invited to recreate a painting following step-by-step instructions. ...

The Board of Trustees of Iowa Lakes Community College had the opportunity to hear about ways the Campus Stores work to benefit students during the board's March 20 meeting. Delaine Hiney, the Executive Director of Facilities Management introduced Doug Sutton, campus stores coordinator, who presented the information to the Trustees...

The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) announced Okoboji High School student Logan Abrahamson from Arnolds Park, has been selected to become a member of the esteemed organization. The society recognizes top scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship and community commitment. The announcement was made by NSHSS Founder and Chairman Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes...

From micro-organisms to things that go bump in the night, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory's summer camps cover a variety of natural science topics and age levels from pre-K to a high school college prep course. "Our motto is 'wildly curious and naturally learning,'" Lakeside’s Outreach Coordinator Jane Shuttleworth said...

The Clay County Fair announces that Blood, Sweat & Tears, with former Journey lead vocalist Steve Augeri as a special guest, will perform as part of the SRG Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, in the Sleep Number Grandstand at the 2018 Clay County Fair...

Madisyn Alyssa Hansen, age 21, of Milford was charged with third-degree harassment at 7:39 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, in the 100 block of 27th Street in Spirit Lake. Robert Rodriguez, age 45, of Spirit Lake was charged with third-degree harassment at 5:03 p.m. Sunday, March 18 in the 2300 block of Chicago Avenue in Spirit Lake...

Voters in the Graettinger-Terril School District will be deciding the fate of a proposed $9.7 million bond referendum on April 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in two locations — the Graettinger Public Library and the Terril Community Center. The proposed bond would increase property taxes $2.70 per $1,000 of assessed value and, like the Okoboji bond, would require a 60 percent majority to pass...

The Okoboji School District will soon take its third run at funding the construction of a new middle school in Milford. Polls will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the Milford Community Center and close at 8 p.m. that evening. The district has proposed a $25 million bond referendum for a number of facility improvements. The bond would raise property taxes $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed taxable value. The bond measure will require 60 percent support in order to pass...

Two people were taken to the hospital with possible non-incapacitating injuries Monday morning after an accident Milford Police Chief Bob Clark said could have been prevented with the proper use of an ice scraper. "It very well could have been avoided," Clark said. "Just clean your windows."...

Three area school districts aim to save lives during their spring-semester blood drives. In the first part of this three-part series, Spirit Lake students got first crack at "bleedin' for a reason." In this second installment of the series, students at Harris-Lake Park attempt to meet their goal of donating 35 units of blood to the American Red Cross. ...

A former adult living service employee from Spirit Lake will have her Class D felony sexual exploitation charge reviewed by a judge to determine whether an inappropriate relationship violated Iowa law. Police charged 41-year-old Danielle Shadle of Harris with sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist on Oct. 25, 2016. Officers took her in to custody at 1808 Jackson Avenue, which is the location of Echo Plus Inc. in Spirit Lake...

District Court Judge Carl Petersen on March 20 reviewed a series of corrections reports, then ordered an Okoboji burglary and kidnapping suspect back to the Dickinson County Jail. Probation officers do not think 24-year-old Jordaen Duhn — who most recently listed an Okoboji address — met all of the requirements to stay out of jail while awaiting her day in court...

The weather certainly has not been favorable for getting out on the trails so fair this spring. Eventually the season will turn in our favor and make us all want to explore the trails and enjoy warmer temperatures again. Caution is emphasized as you hit the trails early in the year; with snow comes sand, gravel and tree debris that gets deposited on the trails. ...

It feels like I should be whittling something out of an old hickory switch and flicking a thinly structured rocking chair back and forth on my heels when I say it but … (throat clearing noises) In my day, Facebook was used for one thing and one thing only — communication. There were no games on Facebook. You could only post text and you got one picture to let people know what you actually looked like...