Stories from Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Sept. 17, 1970 — Sept. 22, 2018 A funeral service for Brian Peck, age 48, of Milford, was held Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, at Harbor of Joy Lutheran Church in Milford. Burial was at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer. Brian Dean Peck, son of Richard and Janet (Schuknecht) Peck, was born on Sept. 17, 1970. Brian grew up in rural Cherokee.  Brian was baptized in September 1970 at Peace Lutheran Church and confirmed in April 1985 at Trinity Lutheran Church...

June 16, 1959 — Sept. 8, 2018 Diana Kaye Omundson, the daughter of John and Myrtle (Simonsen) Omundson, was born June 16, 1959, in Estherville. She passed away Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at the Banner Thunderbird Hospital in Glendale, Arizona, at the age of 59...

June 14, 1933 — Sept. 20, 2018 Frederick Dwayne Blau, age 85, of Reading, Minnesota, passed away Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, at the Slayton Healthcare Center. This funeral was Wednesday, Sept. 26 with visitation at Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Reading. Interment was at Zoar Presbyterian Cemetery in rural George...

May 31, 1935 — Sept. 24, 2018 Richard A. "Dick" Schneider, age 83, of Sheldon who passed away on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, at Sanford Sheldon Senior Care. His funeral service was held Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at the Sheldon United Methodist Church with Rev. Marvin Lindley officiating...

Dec. 27, 1955 — Sept. 25, 2018 Robert William Eddy, 62, of Vian, Oklahoma, formerly of Spirit Lake passed away on Sept. 25, 2018, at his home in Vian, Oklahoma. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at the St. Margaret's Cemetery in Spirit Lake. A reception will be held at the VFW in Spirit Lake after the service. Arrangements are under the direction of the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Online condolences may be sent to spiritlakefuneralhomes.com...

The Milford Memorial Library has so many fun events throughout October. We changed some days and times around for certain programs in order to accommodate families and their busy schedules. Please check out our monthly calendar, website and social media...

When receiving health care services, transparency is important. That's why Lakes Regional Healthcare encourages patients to use AveraChart, a free, secure, easy way to access health care information, communicate with the local care team and become a more active partner in one's own health care...

Forty leaders from across Iowa have been selected as members of the 2018-19 class of Leadership Iowa, the premier issues-awareness program of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Foundation. The list includes Sara Frerichs of Spirit Lake, who works at Northwest Bank in Spencer. The eight-month program is designed to foster a passion for civic and statewide engagement in current and emerging leaders...

In a recent Letter to the Editor titled "The Risk Dr. Ford Is Taking" the writer asks if the victim of sexual assault should let someone know. We all know Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is already in the middle of the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination process. She had sent a July 30 confidential letter to her California Congresswoman with a sexual assault allegation against the nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The letter was passed along to California Senator Diane Feinstein...

Good Samaritan Society — Home Health Care will be celebrating National Home Care Month by giving back to the community. This will be the second year of giving back to the community. "We are putting our time and efforts into organizing a food drive to support Upper Des Moines Opportunity for Dickinson, Clay and Emmet counties. We want to show with actions how much we appreciate and support the communities we serve," community liaison Marcia Hunt said...

Emergency personnel had to mechanically remove a woman from a vehicle at approximately 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Spirit Lake Police said 22-year-old Beth Ann Van Oort of Lake Park was driving her Gray 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS east in the 3000 block of Highway 9. ...

October is here and leaves have begun to drop to the ground. Meanwhile, light blue flyers have been dropping through mail slots. The Good Neighbor Fund is making its annual call for community support. The fund donates thousands of dollars to various nonprofit organizations in the Lakes Area every year. This year, they hope to raise $85,000 for 18 nonprofits...

A top official with the Iowa Finance Authority was fired earlier this year after Gov. Kim Reynolds received reports from staff detailing sexual harassment — including an incident which occurred in the Iowa Lakes Area. IFA Executive Director David Jamison was accused of inappropriately touching a female employee in December of 2016 at a hotel bar in Arnolds Park. ...

Nicholas Thompson agreed to serve four years of incarceration as part of a plea agreement for his role in a stabbing incident in Spirit Lake. The 31-year-old was taken into custody on charges of attempted murder and willful injury June 22, 2017, after he attacked a man with a knife and threatened a woman in the 900 block of 22nd Street in Spirit Lake...

An Arnolds Park High School alumnus was inspired to use her quilting talents to benefit the now-consolidated school's alumni association scholarship. Pat Hawn-Dodds said she first thought to create the quilt after recipients of the association's scholarships were recognized at her 50th class reunion in 2017. The quilt was put up for auction in July during this year's all-school reunion...

There will be opportunities to have pets blessed in honor of Saint Francis on Oct. 6-7. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, The Way Station will hold its first Blessing of the Animals in East Leach Park shelter in Spencer. The Rev. Beth Preston and Brother John Syvertsen (a Franciscan) will lead the celebration...

Pictured is Kirt Carstens of Carstens Financial Group with a check for $ 15,448 to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project. The money was raised from the 4th Annual Carstens Financial Group Charity Pro-Am that was held at Emerald Hills on Tuesday, Aug. 7...

Northwest Bank has received a 2018 Top Workplaces honor from a statewide publication. The Top Workplaces are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Energage, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Several aspects of workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few...

Tanner Perrigo, Jill Krebs, Curt Petersen, Scott Reynolds, Leah Johnson, Jill Longest and Brad Sanderson were present as the staff of Exit Realty donated a check to the Spirit Lake Indians Athletic Booster Club. The realty team hosted a tailgate fundraiser Sept. 21, with all proceeds benefiting the boosters. (Photo submitted)...

The Dickinson County Endowment Fund has announced grants totaling $87,655 are being distributed in support of 25 non-profit organization projects benefitting Dickinson County. Awards were made during the Annual Grant Celebration held at the Milford Fire Station on Sept. 20...

The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary is pleased to welcome Erin Reed as one of its newest members. From Trimont, Minnesota, Reed received her civil engineering and land surveying degree from Dunwoody Institute in the Twin Cities. Erin was with the Jackson County Higthway Department for 14 years, as an Engineer and in 2001 Erin and her family moved to the Lakes. Erin became a board member of the Trails Association in 2006 and became the director in 2016, which is her current position...

Her name is Justice. She cannot see. She carries a sword … and a balance. She, and no partisan interest, is the arbiter of the law. My advice in running for the Iowa House has been to avoid discussing national issues. Some issues are both national and local though, and I make my own decisions...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees met Sept. 18 as a part of its regularly scheduled meeting. Estherville Campus Executive Dean Lisa Stich introduced Kevin Grems, Assistant Professor of the Web and Game Design programs. Kevin is an alumni of Iowa Lakes Community College and has been a faculty member since 2011...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) is preparing for the anticipated construction of a new medical office building (MOB) for Avera Medical Group-Lakes Family Practice and Avera Medical Group-Spirit Lake Medical Center physician clinics. The construction project, tentatively scheduled to be reviewed by the Board of Trustees in late October, will result in demolition of the current Avera Medical Group-Spirit Lake Medical Center clinic and a remodel in the area previously used by the surgery department within the hospital. ...

Explore Iowa history and Iowa stories with one of our state's most prolific researchers and writers. Linda McCann has traveled and spoken to hundreds of individuals and groups about the history and narrative of Iowa — what is still here to photograph and research, as well as what has been lost to time. Join her in the journey, enjoy the stories and learn about pieces of Iowa history you never knew existed...

Congratulations went out to The Force Marching Band from Spirit Lake High School for earning second place in Class 3A at Starfest in Sioux City. The band's preliminary score of 69.7 was high enough to earn them a performance in the finals, where they placed fifth overall. ...

Danielle Clouse Gast's art gives just a twist to the Iowa Great Lakes landscapes we all know and love. She describes her landscape oil paintings as "a modern, fresh approach to the landscape we are familiar with." See what that means in her art exhibit running October-December at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji, and hear the inspiration behind her art at the exhibit opening 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4...

Spend an afternoon with songwriter/performers J Jeffrey Messerole, Chad Elliott, Andy Fleming and Kevin Gordon from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, as they share their inspirations and techniques in developing their personal songwriting craft. Their appearance is part of the Pearson Lakes Art Center Iowa Songwriters Workshop, which is free and open to the public. ...

Efforts to establish a trail between Spencer and the Iowa Great Lakes are making gradual progress at the local government level. During Monday night's meeting, members of the Spencer City Council discussed the second phase of the Iowa Great Lakes Trail project. The project, which stretches one mile into the county from 18th Street to 300th Avenue, will precede the final phase of the trail, which will connect to the Dickinson County trail system at Fostoria...

The Iowa Lakes Corridor’s Business Recognition Luncheon is just around the corner. Wednesday, Nov. 14, will mark the Corridor's ninth annual ceremony with the purpose to thank existing business and industries for their commitment to the Corridor region. Because of their presence, the economy is further stimulated, creating jobs and fostering the quality of life in the area...

  Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association, Support Siouxland Soldiers and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are working together to give back this Veterans Day by producing Rock 4 Vets from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Anthem. All military and veterans are invited to attend the live music event featuring The Brits, Vibe Rations and Richard Arndt free of charge. Freewill donation for everyone else. Attendees must be 21 or older to attend events at Anthem...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Music Department is proud to announce the Eighteenth Annual Elizabethan Madrigal Feaste. This year's festivities will be held at 6 p.m. at the Estherville VFW on Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1. The Elizabeth Madrigal Feaste pays tribute to the Christmas Feaste that was an annual custom, in early England. This custom originated from the celebration of the New Year and was an extravagant display of rejoicing and toasting of the 12 days of Christmas...

Nine days of warm sunny weather made the "The World's Greatest County Fair" a perfect September get-away for thousands of fairgoers, Sept. 8-16. "Although crowds appeared to be affected the last weekend when temperatures hit the 90 degree mark, we were fortunate to get nine consecutive dry days," Fair Manager Jeremy Parsons said. "Great weather, great programming, and great improvements to the fairgrounds all made for a successful 2018 Fair." ...

Despite the chilly weather, more than 150 people donned purple and put one foot in front of the other in an effort to end Alzheimer's disease. The 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer's was conducted Sunday afternoon at East Leach Park in Spencer, raising over $5,000 for the cause. "Our ultimate vision is a world without Alzheimer's," said Jill Madsen, development and community specialist at the Alzheimer's Association...

A local scout troop is attempting to meet a community need, while also achieving the highest award attainable for their age group. Girl Scout Troop 10157 pulled down the sheet draped over its Little Pet Food Pantry Sunday afternoon at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds. ...

Though the verdict in two lawsuits against county officials may have been declared, the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors is weighing its options. The board went into closed session Tuesday morning to discuss legal strategy in response to a recent district court decision. ...

The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation is all anyone seems to be talking about. We're all in a bustle about his potential appointment to the highest court in the land. I mean, hardly anyone was watching the video the seal who threw an octopus at a kayaker last week. All right, one of those happenings might be more important than the other...

A lot has been said about Water Quality!  Here are some facts:   Iowa and other states in the Mississippi River basin have been the focus of national attention lately due to soil nutrients that drain to the Gulf of Mexico...