Stories from Tuesday, April 17, 2018

July 11, 1941 — April 7, 2018 A funeral service for Audrey Wiersma, 76, of Spirit Lake and formerly of Newkirk, was held Thursday, April 12, 2018, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Newkirk Reformed Church Cemetery in Newkirk...

March 7, 1939 — April 4, 2018 Services were held Friday, April 13, 2018, at St. Joseph Catholic Church for Dorothy Langel Cranston of Milford. Burial was at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer. The Rev. Tim Johnson officiated. Dorothy Cranston, the daughter of John and Matilda (Weiskircher) Langel was born March 7, 1939. She was raised and educated in Milford, graduating in 1957. Dorothy attended and graduated from Mankato College in Minnesota. She went to work at Buchanan Law Office in Algona...

Sept. 5, 1929 — April 9, 2018 A Mass of Christian burial was held Thursday, April 12, 2018, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Graettinger for Flora Brown of Spirit Lake. The Rev. Clem Currans was the celebrant. Burial was at St. Jacob Catholic Cemetery of Graettinger...

Dec. 5, 1920 — March 28, 2018 Hana Mochizuki 97, passed away in Sylmar, California. She was born in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. Hana grew up in Lake View Terrace, California, on the family flower ranch and attended San Fernando High School. During WWII she and her family were interned at Manzanar...

The Dwight and Bev Rutter Scholarship was established in 2015 for one student in each of two targeted programs. Qualifying programs are environmental studies and water quality and sustainable aquatic resources. Dwight and Bev have been involved with environmental issues for many years and would like to help students with the same concerns for the environment and water supply. ...

Any interested individuals are welcome to join the open book discussion group from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, at the Milford Library. This month's book is titled "Stay with Me: A Novel by Ayobami Adebayo," and it can be found in our library by the adult fiction section. You do not need to attend all of the book meetings, and you are welcome to come and go...

Jenna Hardy Pedersen and Jessica Hurley Schable are announcing the opening of JJ School of Music. The school will be located in the historic Antler Building, 1703 Hill Avenue, #4, in Spirit Lake. Students can register for an array of classes beginning April 25 with summer sessions to start the beginning of June. ...

Parks Marina was proud to announce the grand opening of Palm at the Park on Friday, April 13. Palm at the Park will be carrying the latest fashions from the iconic Lilly Pulitzer clothing line, making it the first Lilly Pulitzer specialty store in the state of Iowa...

Q: Why is China targeting U.S. farm goods with double digit tariff proposals?   A: China is responding to proposed tariffs announced by the U.S. to rein in intellectual property violations. Anti-competitive, discriminatory Chinese policies put pressure on American companies to transfer their technology and accept unfair licensing agreements, for example. ...

I would like to continue our discussion about the Bill of Rights that I started last week.  Below you will find the third through the sixth amendments to the constitution.  Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law...

Thank you to those of you who responded to last week's request for tax reform ideas, concepts and opinions. It is always great to hear from folks back home. While the House, Senate and Governor's office still have differing tax plans, one thing many people can agree upon is that Iowa's tax code is outdated, overly complex and boasts some of the highest income tax rates in the entire country...

We often think of growth as the process of keeping knowledge and experience preserved under glass somewhere inside our being. I think we all do it from time to time because we view knowledge and experience as a finite mound to be finished through consumption, when perhaps it's more like trying to drink a waterfall. It just keeps coming and every drop is different than the last...

Dickinson County CARES (Community Advocates Ready to Empower Survivors) is a local volunteer group supporting the Family Crisis Center (FCC) and the Center Against Abuse and Sexual Assault (CAASA) by assisting with public awareness events and financial resources. FCC provides services to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in 17 Iowa counties. CAASA provides services to victims of sexual abuse & assault in all of northwest Iowa, including Dickinson, Clay and Emmet...

After reading Rep. John H. Wills’ ‘Dear Friends’ commentary on our Bill of Rights (and with his promise more would come) I want to give him a little advice: Reread the opening line of the Constitution. Spoiler alert: It says "We the People" not "Me, Myself, and I." Sure, it's our legal framework, but it's also our promise to each other. ...

Northwest Iowa Autism Network is hosting its first event, the "In It Together Autism Walk" from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 5 at the Clay County Fairgrounds. Serving northwest Iowa since 2017, the Northwest Iowa Autism Network was formed by compassionate individuals working in the human services field who saw a need for additional resources for families receiving autism services. ...

The State Fire Marshal Division opened its online licensing portal for consumer fireworks March 1, and is currently accepting applications for licenses for the retail sales of consumer fireworks.  Retailers are encouraged to submit their applications early so that the application can be processed and the license issued prior to the first day for sales of consumer fireworks. A total of 664 consumer fireworks sales licenses were issued in 2017...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will host an informational "Identity Theft: What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself and Your Family" session from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Lake Park Community Center. Jan Monahan, program presenter and human sciences specialist in family finance with ISU Extension and Outreach said identity theft is the fastest-growing type of financial fraud. ...

The Clay County Sheriff's Office responded to a call from a Milford Police officer at approximately 7:10 p.m. Thursday, April 5. The officer had taken 33-year-old Stephanie Nicholson of Milford into custody near the Cenex Gas Station in Fostoria. She is expected to appear before a judge for a second violation of probation and was booked into the Dickinson County Jail to serve a mandatory seven-day sentence. ...

The Clay County Fair announces that The Oak Ridge Boys with special guest Jimmy Fortune will perform as part of the SRG Concert Series in the Sleep Number Grandstand at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10. One of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry, the four-part harmonies and upbeat songs of The Oak Ridge Boys have spawned dozens of country hits, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. ...

The public is invited to celebrate Earth Day with a 'earth'er egg and eagle hike from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 21 at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Once nearly extinct, today the eagles have made a comeback. A pair has been nesting at Lakeside Lab since 2011...

Founded in 1965, the Pearson Lakes Art Center has focused on broadening horizons through the arts for more than 50 years. That focus continues with a couple of upcoming exhibits. "Haiti Portrat Project" will be on exhibit starting April 26. Jeff Baldus ceramics will be on display beginning May 3...

"I think a lot of people will be surprised to hear honeybees are not native to North or South America; we brought them here for honey production and to pollinate some of our plant species," Dickinson County Conservation Board environmental education coordinator Bryanna Kuhlman said...

Five area artists will take their artwork to the Iowa Artists State Show and Competition in Des  Moines on May 12. Arts on Grand in Spencer hosted the Iowa Artists Regional Art Show on April 7. This regional competition includes artists from 14 counties. ...

Gov. Kim Reynolds' signature on Iowa House File 2407 earlier this month was seen as a solid step in deterring the private use of chemicals in Iowa lakes — a local concern, given rumors of property owners pouring pesticides off their docks to kill invasive curlyleaf pondweed in the Iowa Great Lakes. ...

The Harris-Lake Park fourth- and fifth-grade was recently awarded $750 in a Project Jack Grant from the Iowa Association of Realtors. The purpose of this grant was to have students actively involved in a service project to "pay it forward" to the local community. ...

America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, gives farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite community nonprofit organization. Jim Eldridge of Terril was the 2018 Clay County winner and designated his winnings to the Spencer Regional Healthcare Foundation...

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett recently announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is giving funding priority in two key grant programs to address opioid misuse in rural communities. "The opioid epidemic is dramatically impacting prosperity in many small towns and rural places across the country," Hazlett said. ...

Eckard Chiropractic and Sports Injury Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of Cecilia M. Eckard, D.C. to their practice. Dr. Eckard is a 2009 graduate of Okoboji Community Schools and a 2013 graduate of Ave Maria University, where she received her bachelors degree in biology while playing varsity volleyball. She received her doctorate in March of 2018 from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, Florida. She is the daughter of Kurt and Theresa Eckard...

Second-grade students at St. Joseph Catholic Church of Milford celebrated their First Communion on Sunday, April 8. Pictured (front from left) are Layne Jacobsma, Lincoln Wolf, Natalie Jorgensen, Piper Marx, (second row) Hudson Berning, Kaela Weston, Adam Berglund, Nadia Matthews, Blake Knudtson (third row) Trentyn Berg, Eliana Creswell, Fr. Tim Johnson, Ree Heikens and Elijah Nelson. Kolton Kollasch was absent from the photo. (Photo courtesy Susan Reiser)...

The University of Okoboji Corvette Club continues with the 21st year of their annual gift to the Okoboji Foundation from "Vettes in the Park" summer event. This $3,000 gift is dedicated to the memory of Corvette Club members who have passed on in 2017...

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and this year, local law enforcement raised $625 for Camp Autumn in the "Cops for Camp" campaign. Camp Autumn is a therapeutic day camp for children ages 4-21 located in O’Brien County. Services began at Camp Autumn on June 5 with nearly 150 children participating in the first nine weeks of summer day camp sessions and over 300 children served in 2017 through day camps and various events throughout the year...

From the children’s corner of the library: Toddlers, preschoolers and caregivers – you are invited to come play, socialize and make new friends at our block party program from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Spirit Lake Public Library. The dates are Thursday mornings April 26, May 3 and May 17 in the community room. This is a come-and-go time period as suits your schedule and child(ren)...

The Spirit Lake Noon Kiwanis Club will be sponsoring the 2018 Live Healthy Iowa Kids Track Championships on Tuesday, May 22. Check-in starts at 3:30 p.m. and events start at 3:45 p.m. The meet is held at the Spirit Lake High School track. There is no cost to participate. The rain date is May 24...

Dickinson County Republicans said they are rolling up their sleeves and will work hard to elect Gov. Kim Reynolds and Dickinson County Democrats heard a message of "progress over politics" at their respective county conventions. The Dickinson County GOP County Convention on March 10 elected delegates to attend the 4th District Convention in Ames on Saturday, April 28, at the Ames City Auditorium and the State Convention in Des Moines on June 16 on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Jacobsen Center...

It may feel like it now but, odds are, the Iowa Great Lakes Walleye Weekend won't be an ice fishing competition. DNR fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins said Big Spirit Lake and West Lake Okoboji had an ice-out date of April 28 back in 1951 — and the area could be "knocking at the door" of a record in 2018. The chilly conditions could impact the upcoming walleye spawn as well...

A Lakes businessman who is accused of sexual misconduct with a teenaged employee will get his day in court. District Court Judge Carl Petersen on Tuesday set a 9:30 a.m. trial Tuesday, June 5, for 53-year-old Kevin Vugteveen of Spirit Lake. Defense attorney John L. ...

The weather certainly hasn't been the same as last April, but it's National Sexual Abuse Awareness Month nonetheless. So, for the second year, the Dickinson County Community Advocates Ready to Empower Survivors — or CARES — has organized a fundraising carnival to benefit the Family Crisis Center and the Center Against Abuse and Sexual Assault. ...

District Court Judge David Lester on Wednesday set a June 26 trial date for a Milford woman accused of vehicular homicide. Authorities think 49-year-old Ann Marie Vanderpool was eastbound June 10 on Highway 9 in Osceola County when she crossed the centerline and struck a westbound 2011 Toyota Camry driven by 48-year-old Travis Mier of Spirit Lake. ...

When is the title character not the title character? When she's being impersonated by Mr. Fancourt Babberly. Okoboji freshman Caleb Miller will be taking on the role of Babberly during Okoboji High School's spring production of the 1890s classic British farce "Charley's Aunt."...

Mother Nature isn't the ally Lakes residents are hoping for in their ongoing battles with the curlyleaf pond weed. DNR fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins said the amount of growth for 2018 was set last fall — when the curlyleaf pondweed germinated. A delayed arrival of ice in the Iowa Great Lakes — and the low amount of snow cover at the start of the season — also helped the weed establish itself for the upcoming spring and summer...

Two northwest Iowa men accused of an armed, forced entry at a Spirit Lake residence face a total of 10 formal charges, including eight felonies. Dickinson County Attorney Jon Martin reviewed criminal complaints and filed trial information about the case on Wednesday, April 11...