Stories from Tuesday, January 15, 2019

  For over 15 years, Spirit Lake and surrounding communities have been supporting the local blood bank, LifeServe Blood Center, at the community blood drives coordinated by John Guthrie. The blood drive was held this past Tuesday, Jan. 8, to help the blood center in a very high need time around the holidays. Several donors stepped up by saving lives. LifeServe Blood Center was able to collect 26 units of blood saving up to 78 local lives...

To assert the issue of executive privilege, newly arrived White House Counsel Pat Cipollone hired 17 lawyers to defend this issue. By law the cost of lawyers hired for issues dealing with campaigns, the presidency, conspiracy and obstruction will be covered by U.S. taxpayers. If they are asked to do anything illegal they must refuse. A number of lawyers have already left the administration for undisclosed reasons...

Letter to the Editor: I am writing in response to the recent letter from Paul Johnson in the recent Dickinson County News. In his letter Mr. Johnson laments the present state of politics and government in the USA. We need to consider what has brought us to this point...

June 8, 1933 — Jan. 12, 2019 Barbara Hesby, age 85, of Spirit Lake, passed away peacefully Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake and is now with the love of her life and her heavenly family. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Burial will take place at the Sunset Cemetery in Jackson, Minnesota. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home...

July 29, 1920 — Jan. 7, 2019 A memorial service for Gladys McVicker, age 98, of Milford, was held Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Gladys Olson McVicker, 98, passed peacefully Jan. 7 at Accura Healthcare in Milford...

Dec. 16, 1946 — Jan. 9, 2019 Jim Osborne, age 72, of Spirit Lake, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.  A memorial service was held on Sunday, Jan. 13 at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery at a later date.  ...

April 8, 1947 — Jan. 8, 2019 A funeral service for Judy Arens, age 71, of Arnolds Park, was held Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Burial was at St. Mary's Cemetery in Remsen. Judith Evelyn Arens, the daughter of Joe and Evelyn (Schroder) Agena, was born April 8, 1947, in Sibley. She attended Melvin high school and later in life was a financial planner and also received her cosmetology license...

Sept. 10, 1950 — Jan. 10, 2019 A private family service for Larry D. Wohlert, age 68 of Bristow, Nebraska, formerly of Sutherland will be held at a later date. Larry passed away at his home on Jan. 10, 2019. Memorials can be made to the family for future designation.  Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill are in charge of arrangements...

Sept. 29, 1937 — Jan. 8, 2019 A memorial service for Lavona (Thackrey) Hagedorn, age 81, was held Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Lavona Lea (Thackrey) Hagedorn, the daughter of Edward and Bernice (Myrick) Lloyd Sr., was born Sept. 29, 1937 in Milford. She graduated from Spirit Lake High School...

May 3, 1923 — Jan. 6, 2019   A memorial service for LeRoy "Butch" Lockwood, age 95, of Spirit Lake, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service at the church...

Joda Louise Torbick, age 58, of Milford was charged with theft from a building at 6:48 pm. Monday, Jan. 7, at the Spirit Lake Walmart. Alicia Marie Abrahamson, age 31, of Terril was charged with no valid drivers license, no insurance, operating without a registration card, fraud use of registration, failure to carry a registration card and windshield/window requirements at 12:37 a.m. ...

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley had hoped to hear several things from President Trump during last week's primetime address. Some hopes were met. Others went unfulfilled. First and foremost, Grassley had hoped to hear the president put forth an upfront offer to negotiate an end to the ongoing government shutdown. ...

Less than a week ahead of Iowa's 88th General Assembly, Iowa's State Senate Assistant Majority Leader and Ways and Means Chairman Randy Feenstra opened a federal campaign committee, taking the first steps in his campaign for the Republican nomination in Iowa's 4th Congressional District in 2020...

Valerie Newhouse, President of Iowa Lakes Community College, has released the fall honors list of full-time students who have demonstrated academic excellence by earning at least a grade point average of 3.25 (based on a 4.00) or higher. Fall semester students who have achieved a 3.25 grade point average or better are recognized by inclusion on the dean's list. ...

  The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association is pleased to recognize Iowa artists with induction into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The 2019 Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be held Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in the Iowa Great Lakes. Tickets will be available for the general public in March...

The Okoboji Foundation’s annual grant application for vital capital projects in the Lakes Community is available online at okobojifoundation.org. The application deadline is March 1. Applications can be submitted for two Okoboji Foundation grant divisions:...

Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) has been preparing for the anticipated construction of a new medical office building for Avera Medical Group-Lakes Family Practice and Avera Medical Group-Spirit Lake Medical Center physician clinics. Bids for the construction project will be reviewed by the board of trustees soon, and the project will result in demolition of the current Avera Medical Group-Spirit Lake Medical Center clinic. ...

A Milford police officer has resigned after being accused of providing alcohol to a person under the legal drinking age of 21. Milford Police Chief Bob Clark confirmed Tuesday morning officer Richard Zalabowski III had resigned from his position on the force. ...

District Court Judge James C. Ellefson ordered a new trial date for a high-profile kidnapping and abuse case that has been moved to Spirit Lake. Alex C. Shadlow's trial was scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 7, in Dickinson County, but attorneys are still working with the court to finalize the list of witnesses to be interviewed. A pre-trial conference will take place June 21 in Eldora. The trial is now scheduled to take place June 24 in Spirit Lake...

Hundreds of young hands beat against the Okoboji Elementary School gymnasium floor Monday morning. The drumroll swelled as STEM teacher JoAnne Sackett was announced as the region's 2019 recipient of the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award. The annual award recognizes educators who foster students in science, technology, engineering and math — collectively STEM. ...

A Dickinson County man accused of sexually abusing two Milford teenagers in Estherville has entered a "not guilty" plea at the Emmet County Courthouse. District Court Judge Don Courtney on Wednesday (Jan. 9) set a Feb. 5 jury trial for David Michael Clinton of Superior...

Dec. 14, 1961 — Jan. 12, 2019 Rev. Duane David Larson, 57, of Spirit Lake passed away unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, of a heart attack. Services for Pastor Duane will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Spirit Lake United Methodist Church. A visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Friday at the church. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sioux Falls Health Care System invites veterans, their families, and area residents to a town hall Wednesday, Jan. 16. The town hall will take place at 5 p.m. at the Dickinson County Courthouse (1802 Hill Ave.) in Spirit Lake...

From Jan. 7-17, students at Okoboji High School are learning in a very different way. The school is in its second year of a J Term focused on project-based learning. Project based learning, or PBL, teaches through doing in a hands-on, immersive environment focused on a driving question and connecting students with the world outside the classroom. Over the course of these two weeks, each student has chosen one course on which to focus all of their time and energy. Courses focus on a wide range of topics including wilderness survival, sculpture, physics, fitness and marketing, philanthropy and more.. ...

You can make a string art for only $5. Join us from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Milford Library. Registration for this event is required and the cost to participate is $5. Contact the Milford Library for more information at 712-338-4643 or info@milford.lib.ia.us...

Everyone has an Iowa food story, and Lake City author Darcy Dougherty Maulsby will bring these stories to life at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Spirit Lake Public Library. "From Iowa originals like Maid-Rites to kolaches to homemade cinnamon rolls — served with chili, of course — there are many remarkable stories behind Iowa’s tastiest traditions,” Maulsby said...

One in three bites of food that you take is due to pollinators. You may be picturing monarch butterflies and honeybees, but the pollinator world goes much beyond that. You can learn more about some of the forgotten pollinators during the first program in the Pollinator Spring Lecture Series 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji...

Transit Authority will be returning to the Pearson Lakes Art Center on Friday, Jan. 25, as part of the 39th Annual Winter Games weekend. Transit Authority has become known throughout the U.S. as the premier tribute band to the iconic group Chicago. Based out of St. ...

Snow falling in winter, waterfowl migrating in spring, flowers blooming in summer, leaves changing colors in the fall. Dickinson County Conservation’s Hike the Wild series will move from monthly to seasonal hikes in 2019, starting with a snowshoe hike Jan. 22...

On a day with no school, get the kids off the couch and send them to the Dickinson County Nature Center for our all new No School Day Camp. Camps will be held 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 1 — a day off for Okoboji Elementary School — and March 18 — a day off for Spirit Lake Elementary School. Elementary-aged students from outside of these districts are also welcome to attend...

Big orange snowplows should be easy to see, but in the midst of a winter snowstorm, it can become difficult. The Iowa Department of Transportation continues to make accident prevention while plowing a priority. Snowplow trucks typically travel around 35 miles per hour or less. When they hit drifts, they can throw large snow clouds around them. This can disrupt the vision of drivers in vehicles traveling around the plows and potentially create increased risks for crashes...

It's now official. This particular government funding gap has caused the longest continuous shutdown on record. However, this isn't the time to gloat. Not in my opinion anyway. I'm of the opinion this should be getting fixed as soon as possible. In fact, I believe most Americans are with me on that, it's just a question of how...