Stories from Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Owen Ronald Syverson was born June 11, 2018, at Lakes Regional Healthcare to Shawn and Jenna Syverson. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 20 inches. Grandparents are Kim and the late Ron Radig of Estherville and Steve and Sharyl Syverson of Kerkhoven, Minnesota. Great-grandparents are Rose and the late Kenneth Hunter of Estherville and Roger and Judy Radig of Lone Rock. Owen was welcomed home by brothers Carter, Tanner, Dylan and Myles...

The parents of Lucas Clifford of Lake Park and Karie Sebens of Spencer are pleased to announce their engagement.  The groom-to-be is the son of Mark Clifford and Mary Schmidt of Spirit Lake and Gail Carter of Huron, South Dakota. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Rick and Lori Sebens of Monticello, Illinois...

The Legislative Services Agency has released their memo on state revenue collections for the month of June and the end of Fiscal Year 2018. For the month, state revenue came in 9.6 percent higher than June 2017 — an increase of $60.9 million. For the year, total net receipts came in at $7.2523 billion. ...

On June 30, 2018, hundreds of thousands of people from Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. to the Highway 71 bridge in Arnolds Park joined protesters in all 50 states to show their objection to the "zero tolerance" policy implemented by the Trump administration. ...

Our government should be smart, efficient, fiscally sound, non-intrusive when possible and regulatory where appropriate. It should be seen as a boon, not a burden, to "we the people" who comprise it. America's economic system is built on individual free enterprise. Much of our economic and social strength is based in healthy, fair competition. On the other hand, an overdriven model of privatization can take our greatest strength too far and make it a weakness...

There's something important about a byline. It's not about credit, and it's not about notoriaty, but it's important. It's about accountability. It's about credibility. I think it was probably put best during a recent newsroom discussion. We don't deal in information. ...

Oct. 2, 1930 — July 8, 2018 Services were held Saturday, July 14, at Warner Chapel in Spencer for Audrey Rose Fairchild of Spencer. The Rev. Paul Frederiksen officiated. Burial was at Fairview Cemetery in Terril. Audrey Rose Fairchild, the daughter of Herbert and Mildred (Stemple) Fransen was born Oct. ...

Jan. 27, 1958 — July 13, 2018 A memorial gathering was held Tuesday at Henry Olson Funeral Chapel for Rocklyn Eugene Baker. Interment was at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Dell Rapids, South Dakota. Rocklyn Eugene Baker was born in 1958 to Carroll and Maude, Rocklyn lived within 30 miles of his Estherville/Terril roots for most of his days.  He passed away on July 13, 2018, at his home...

June 7, 1933 — June 30, 2018 A service celebrating the life of Mrs. Shirley Gould, 85, of Milford was held Friday, July 6, 2018 at the Faith Community Church in Milford. Shirley Ann Gould was born June 7, 1933, the daughter of Arthur and Hazel (Alexander) Clark. She was raised and educated in Milford, attending Milford Community School...

June 21, 1953 — July 8, 2018 Terry Collins, 65, of Spirit Lake passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Spirit Lake. A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be an hour before the service. Burial will be in the Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Arrangements are under the direction of the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Online condolences may be sent to spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

The Milford Memorial Library will have the Children’s SRP: Larry Dunbar & Company and his free program called World of Magic! at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 17. Kids are encouraged to continue with their music notes prize sheets in order to receive different incentives...

"Macaroni Soup!," a musical family entertainment event sponsored by Alliant Energy is coming to the library at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 19. The program with Miss Carole and Clarence is a sneakily educational active music program that gets brains and bodies firing on all pistons. ...

Parks Marina's annual Crownline Rendezvous was held June 22-24 at Parks Marina on East Lake Okoboji. Hundreds of Crownline owners converged on the Iowa Great Lakes to participate in this year's events, which included an on-water Poker Run around the Lakes Region. Parks Marina was proud to donate $1,140 from the Poker Run to The Humane Society of Northwest Iowa...

A $25,000 grant from Alliant Energy will assist with the construction of a new rain garden between the historic Arnolds Park Amusement Park and West Lake Okoboji. Rain gardens absorb storm water and help prevent runoff from flooding a nearby lake or pond. They also create a natural filtration system that reduces the impact of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals. Once constructed, the rain garden will improve local water quality while beautifying the area...

It seems to be raining kittens at the Humane Society of Northwest Iowa so the staff thought we would have a shower! July 19-21, the local Humane Society will be asking all who want to enter the kitten room and play with the kittens to bring a donation...

More than 1 million Americans are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and there are nearly 60,000 new diagnoses each year. Seeing the need locally for a Parkinson’s disease management program, the Bedell Family YMCA began offering the OhioHealth "Delay the Disease" program for those struggling with the affliction in 2016...

Environmental education coordinator Bryanna Kuhlman loves being active outside — hiking, watching wildlife, biking. And she is excited to help youth find how they enjoy recreating outdoors during the Active Adventurers camp 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 14-15 at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji...

Four students from Iowa Lakes Community College will participate in this summer’s Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute (OEI). "I thought by signing up for the institute, it would be a great opportunity and experience to gain information, meet new people and take a step out of my comfort zone," Hailey Derrickson of Ruthven, one of the students chosen, said. ...

State Rep. John Wills was selected to participate in the 2018 Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. The program is held every year on the campus of the University of Virginia for a select group of state legislators who have been nominated by the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate or Minority Leader from their state. ...

A man arrested in Spirit Lake was sentenced July 12 to time served after entering the United States illegally from Mexico. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the 25-year-old Jesus Gonzalez-Olivas received the prison term after a May 10 guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry...

Hope Haven Inc. of Rock Valley is preparing to sell the Echo Plus building on Jackson Avenue in Spirit Lake. While Hope Haven continues to expand in the Lakes Area, increasing priority has been placed on services that allow people to live, work and recreate in their community — and less so on those that fit inside the walls of Hope Haven buildings. ...

The Dickinson County Sheriff's Department executed a pair of warrants for 21-year-old Joseph Robert Bendixen. He was booked into the Dickinson County Jail at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 10. Bond was set at $4,000. Tonisha Christina O'Meara, age 30, of Spirit Lake was charged with simple assault 4:52 p.m. Tuesday, July 10 in the 2700 block of Sunner Avenue in Spirit Lake. She was booked into the Dickinson County Jail at 10:36 p.m. that night...

Every summer, Boys Town youth and families are given the opportunity to enjoy their summer vacations on the sandy shores of the Boys Town Okoboji Camp on the waters of West Okoboji. This summer, Jeff and Misty Sweezy, their two biological sons, Lynux, 14, and Zander, 12 — and their six Boys Town sons, had the opportunity to enjoy the camp. For five of the six boys in the Boys Town program, it was the first time at the lakeside recreation center...

The area's best and brightest have worked hard over the past year. Now it's time for them to take a bow. Iowa Great Lakes residents and guests are invited July 21-26, to the Dickinson County Fairgrounds in Spirit Lake where horses will trot, roosters will crow and great photography will be on display. Dickinson County ISU Extension Youth Coordinator Hannah Brockshus has plenty of hands-on activities to make the trip worthwhile...

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he pretty much called it in May when he said China seemed to be preparing retaliatory tariffs before U.S. tariffs on China were even imposed by President Trump. "It kind of worked out the way I said," Grassley said Monday. "They put on a tariff, we put on a tariff, etc. etc. Where does that end?"...

The municipal proceedings surrounding a development on the former site of The Inn at Okoboji are finished, but the public park tied to the deal has stalled. The Okoboji City Council heard an initial plan from developers Whitecap LLC, through local representative Mike Jensen, in February. ...

You’re out kayaking when you encounter an emergency situation. Someone has flipped his kayak and is in distress. How do you help him? Learning how to do an open water rescue will be part of the advanced Kickstart Your Kayak course 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7...

Iowa’s substantial wetland loss over the last century has impacted duck habitat and water quality for drinking and recreation. In northern Iowa’s Great Lakes region, for example, the lakes are economic drivers, attracting more than one million vacationers annually. A lack of wetlands to filter rainwater runoff, however, means the Dickinson County lakes are threatened by nutrient-driven algae blooms from surrounding agriculture fields...

An estimated 55,000 hunters harvested more than 221,000 roosters in Iowa last fall; a slight decline from 245,000 harvested in 2016. Hunters reported good success across the entire northwest quarter of Iowa. An early look at the 2018 pheasant forecast begins with nesting success which is likely a mixed bag...

The dead of summer is when some anglers have trouble catching walleyes. If you would like to increase your odds for putting some walleyes in the boat in the next few weeks, trolling, either forward or backward, will help you do so. Following are some ideas for trolling to catch more walleyes in the summer...

In less than four weeks, the greatly anticipated third annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival will take center stage at Preservation Plaza in Arnolds Park on Saturday, Aug. 11. The entire day revolves around the theme of clean water. The festival takes on even greater meaning this year after a summer of intense rains and flooding...

The Spirit Lake baseball team wrapped its regular season Tuesday, July 10, with a 12-5 road win over MOC-Floyd Valley. The Indians capitalized early, plating four runs in each of the first two innings to take an 8-3 lead. Spirit Lake tacked on one run in the third, two runs in the fifth and one more run in the seventh. The Dutch plated one run in both the sixth and seventh innings...

Torrential rain forced a 24-hour delay, but it wasn't enough to buoy the Indians to a victory on Saturday. A flood of early runs by Sergeant Bluff-Luton allowed the Warriors to steam past Spirit Lake in the opening round of the Class 3A district baseball tournament...

Seventh-seed Spirit Lake entered the state softball tournament with high hopes. However, the Indians ran into a buzzsaw in returning runner-up Albia in the first round Tuesday, and the Lady Dees showed plenty of 'O'. Albia plated 10 runs in five innings, sending Spirit Lake into the consolation bracket with a 10-0 loss...

The Okoboji School Board's next regular meeting was scheduled for Aug. 13, but the district will be meeting early Thursday morning to discuss — and potentially approve — a purchase agreement for the Okoboji Middle School property in Arnolds Park. The district plans to sell the property and use the sale to offset the cost of a $25 million bond approved by the public in April that will fund several district improvements, including the construction of a new middle school in Milford...

Officials at the University of Okoboji have only called off homecoming festivities once since the celebration began in 1978. Heavy rains in 1993 led to high water and the U of O held off events while the community worked hard to keep flood damage to a minimum...