Stories from Tuesday, January 29, 2019

On behalf of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce, and Okoboji Tourism, we would like to thank so many for making our 39th Annual University of Okoboji Winter Games another success for our business community...

Sometimes people in positions of political power lose perspective in relation to the common man and woman. Take the example of recent comments from U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross displaying his bemusement at the necessity for furloughed federal workers to feed themselves and their families...

July 14, 1995 — Jan. 23, 2019 A celebration of life service was held for Cole Allen Millard at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Spencer. Pastor Jen Henry officiated. Interment was at Milford Cemetery. Cole Allen Millard, the son of John Millard and Dena Wintz was born July 14, 1995, in Spencer. ...

Aug. 18, 1953 — Jan. 25, 2018 Funeral services were held Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, for Kathryn Nygaard of Spirit Lake and formerly of Esthrville and Terril. The Rev. Clint Lovall officiated. Kathryn Elida Nygaard, the daughter of Maurice and Perl (Weir) Larson, was born Aug. 18, 1953, in Estherville. Kathy passed away Jan. 25, 2018, at the age of  65 years, 5 months and 7 days after a courageous battle with cancer...

Dec. 24, 1927 — Jan. 20, 2019 Marietta Elizabeth (Lenox) Kint, the daughter of David Taylor and Mary Louise (Bowles) Lenox, was born Dec. 24, 1927, in Lake Spring, Missouri. She died on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, at Accura Care Center in Spirit Lake at the age of 91...

Jan. 1, 1937 — Jan. 15, 2019 A memorial service for Merlin Tritle, age 82, of Spirit Lake, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, at United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake...

The three Spirit Lake Chapters of P.E.O. (MO, BE and PA) are pleased to announce the availability of three scholarships to local high school seniors. P.E.O. is an organization encouraging women to seek their potential through higher education. A $500 scholarship will be awarded at Okoboji, Spirit Lake and Harris Lake Park High Schools. ...

Read, Set, Draw! Compete with others by drawing … in pudding. Be prepared to get messy. Artistic ability is not required. Pudding Pictionary will be held 3:30-4;30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30. This program will follow the basic rules of Pictionary, but instead of drawing with paper and pencil, kids will use paper and pudding. This activity is for grades 4-8. All materials will be provided by the library. No pre-registration required. This is a free program...

The 16th annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) is looking for artists for the coming year. The deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 15. All disciplines and mediums are accepted – painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, fabric, wood, photography, pottery and more...

  PRO Cooperative on Thursday, Jan. 10 presented a check to the Iowa 4-H Foundation for $10,000 to go to 4-H Programs in six Iowa counties. The donation will be divided among the counties PRO Cooperative serves — Calhoun, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Palo Alto and Pocahontas. A $5,000 gift from PRO Cooperative was matched by the Land O’Lakes Foundation to give local 4-H Programs the resources they need to continue to provide high quality youth development opportunities...

The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association jumped in feet first this month to engage with a younger demographic. Students from Okoboji and Spirit Lake High Schools learned from Iowa Rock 'n' Roll staff, and the staff learned from the students while working together on a couple projects during J-Term 2019...

Spirit Lake elementary and middle school boys and girls were honored as Council Champions of the 2019 Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee. The Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043 sponsored the competition Jan. 15 in the Spirit Lake Middle School music room...

Clover Kids enjoyed story time learning about friction and the adventures of Mr. Putter and Tabby in the winter themed ‘Super Sled’ program last week. Youth created their own sleds with riders and tested them down slopes adding weight to make them slide super-fast. Many thanks to Hannah Brockshus of ISU Extension and Outreach for collaborating with the library and to Rides for providing transportation for Clover Kids. ...

Youth in Philanthropy reminds area nonprofits to apply for grants by March 1 using the online application at okobojifoundation.org under the "Grants" tab. Each student will read and score grant requests of less than $25,000. They learn much more about the work of area nonprofits and bring their individual observations for discussion to reach group consensus on funding...

  This week, Rep. John Wills (R-Spirit Lake) and Sen. Zach Whiting (R-Spirit Lake) welcomed Michelle Timmer, of Lyon County, and Vance Hjelm, of Dickinson County, to the Iowa House of Representatives. Timmer and Hjelm were visiting the Capitol to talk with legislators about money for soil conservation and water quality. From left are Wills, Timmer, Hjelm and Whiting...

John and Kathi Hinn of DOWDEN-HINN, REALTORS announced that Rob Hinn is the 2018 DHR Top Producer. Rob has been in real estate for 23 years and wishes to thank all of the loyal clients who helped make this possible.

John and Kathi Hinn of DOWDEN-HINN REALTORS have recently released the names of seven agents that were "Multi-Million Dollar" producers in 2018. Rob Hinn, Angela Bousquet Hinn, Angela Hinn Schaub, Jessica Johnson, Tia Hofmeyer, Deb Goetzinger and Keith Diekevers were honored for this achievement. ...

Mick Wiederin was inducted into Iowa Great Lakes Rotary on Dec. 5. Wiederin is a native of Bedford and attended Central College in Pella. He has a degree in accounting and works as a staff accountant at Rembrandt Enterprises. Wiederin resides in the Iowa Great Lakes with his wife, Sara, who is a physical therapist. His interests include anything outdoors including ice fishing and baseball. He also enjoys the YMCA where he swims and plays basketball. Wiederin was sponsored by Rotarian Amy Marlow...

Singing barbershop harmonies isn't the only thing the Cornbelt Chorus accomplishes come curtain call. The chorus, under direction of Luke Miller, raised $2,684 through a "pass the hat" freewill donation that contributed to the Brushy Creek Honor Flight during their holiday concert at the Ed and Betty Wilcox Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Sunday, Dec. 16, in Algona...

Spirit Lake native Zach Whiting was sworn in Jan. 14 as state senator for Iowa’s District 1, which encompasses a wide stretch of communities including Emmetsburg, Spencer, Spirit Lake, Milford and Rock Rapids. The 31-year-old Republican said his interest in government began during his childhood and continued through college at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida...

Local officials responded to a pair of emergency calls over the weekend after recreational vehicles fell through the ice, according to Mark Petersen, a dive captain with Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire & Rescue. The Dickinson County Communications Center received its first call for assistance at 8:37 p.m. Friday.

Various Lakes Area officials, business people and community figures are setting some concrete goals for fostering better health among the local population. It's been approximately three months since Lakes Regional Healthcare gathered each of the three committees involved in the Health Hometown initiative for a joint meeting. ...

The Clay County Sheriff's Office executed a warrant for 40-year-old Justin Rutter of Spencer at approximately 6:44 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in the 3100 block of West Fourth Street in Spencer. Rutter was wanted in Dickinson County for failure to appear. ...

This week was a shortened week due to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Dr. King was a brave civil rights leader who was the modern day Thomas Aquinas on issues of justice. Let us remember his example and legacy each day and not just once a year on MLK Day...

Not too long ago, I was worried there would be no snow on the lakes for Winter Games. Then we got snow on snow on snow, as the song goes, and not a small amount was in everyone's driveway. I even saw some fill a mailbox that was left open when the plow came by one morning. So I, like many of us, shrugged on my warmest clothing and cleared the way before breakfast — or after dinner depending on which of this season's snowfalls we're discussing...

The Okoboji boys basketball team hung with MOC-Floyd Valley for one quarter, but a second-quarter scoring slump dug too big of a hole for the Pioneers to climb. Okoboji fell 92-60 to the Dutch in Orange City. "A lot of credit needs to be given to (MOC-Floyd Valley post player) Alex Van Kalsbeek in this game," Okoboji coach Ryan Stumbo said. ...

Rarely have two points meant so much. With the game knotted at 47 with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, a short jumper by Okoboji's star junior Kallyn Stumbo gave the Pioneers a 49-47 road win over MOC-Floyd Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The victory avenged an earlier loss to the Dutch — one of just two Pioneer losses on the year...

When the ice comes out at the arena in March, you’ll continue to see lots of activity around the place. The Lakes Area Hockey Association (LAHA) is kicking off a three-year, $1 million project to complete a third phase of amenities, making the arena even better than it already is...

Harris-Lake Park basketball teams lost both games of a War Eagle Conference varsity road doubleheader on Friday. The girls fell 66-51 and the boys fell 57-47 to Hinton. The Harris-Lake Park girls fell behind early in their 15-point loss. The Wolves trailed 16-7 after one quarter and fell behind 28-18 at the half...

On Friday, the Spirit Lake boys basketball team suffered its fifth loss in seven games since the start of the new year. The Indians fell 70-51 at home to Lakes Conference rival Spencer. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the hosts 20-9 in the opening stanza. Things went from bad to worse in the second quarter, as Spencer poured it on, outscoring the Indians 22-9 to lead 42-18 at the break...

Defense was key in the Indians' 33-18 home win over Lakes Conference rival Spencer Friday evening. Spirit Lake led early and pulled away late in the 15-point home victory. The Indians took an 8-3 lead after one quarter of play before both squads played to a 5-5 tie in the second. Spirit Lake led 13-8 at the half...

The Boji Mammoths (12-3-1) traveled to Buffalo, Minnesota on Friday Jan. 18 over the weekend for a tournament. Friday night’s game was against Hill Murray, a finesse team with speed. Boji scored first and took a one-goal lead into the second period. Hill Murray capitalized twice in the second, scoring goals two minutes apart before Boji countered with the equalizer near the end of the period tying the game at 2-2. ...

It’s 10 o’clock on a summer night along a gravel road anywhere in Iowa. In the farm pond next to the road a raucous chorus of male frogs are making themselves heard as they vie for mates. A volunteer stands clipboard in hand, ear cocked, mentally sorting out each of the calling species which are using this seemingly ordinary pond...

Last year, more than 7,500 Iowa taxpayers helped boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state income tax form, a decline of about 400 from 2016. Donators represent about 0.4 percent of total tax payers in Iowa...

Northern pike have a rap sheet with ice anglers. These top end carnivores have always held a special place in ice fishing lore simply for their attitude. Some of my earliest ice fishing memories involved staring down a hole in a shallow weedy lake. The weeds seemed vibrant like a neon green carpet. We would stare down the hole for hours watching pike and perch swim underneath...

I had to keep it quiet, but I must share something with you. I haven’t had to shovel any snow or bundle up to avoid the freezing temperatures. That’s what a trip to Panama City Beach and the Florida Panhandle can do for you. Oh, and I’m blessed with good neighbors that keep the driveway clean. However, I am sure there will be a price to be paid for that. LOL!...

Harris-Lake Park dropped both games of a War Eagle Conference road doubleheader with Unity Christian on Thursday. The girls fell 69-29 and the boys fell 75-48 in Orange City. The Harris-Lake Park girls fell behind 16-8 after one quarter of play and faced a 31-12 deficit at the half. The Knights continued to pour it on the visitors in the second half, outscoring the Wolves 26-12 in the third and 12-5 in the fourth to make it a 40-point differential...

The Spirit Lake girls and boys basketball teams picked up a pair of wins in a Lakes Conference home doubleheader with Estherville Lincoln Central on Thursday. The girls defeated the Midgets 41-25 and the Spirit Lake boys won 68-54 in the nightcap. The Spirit Lake girls were relentless on defense throughout their victory and jumped out to an 8-1 lead after one quarter of play. The Indians outscored the Midgets 11-6 in the second quarter to take a 19-7 lead into the locker room at the half...

The Okoboji boys basketball team dropped a Siouxland Conference road trip to Rock Valley on Thursday. The Pioneers fell 73-62 to the Rockets. It was their sixth straight loss. "With the exception of a stretch in the third quarter, we were pleased with the action and movement of our offense tonight," Okoboji coach Ryan Stumbo said. ...

Okoboji's star junior Kallyn Stumbo continued her momentous week by becoming the school's all-time assists leader Thursday in an 11-point road win over Rock Valley. Stumbo, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career Tuesday in a road win over MOC-Floyd Valley, was two points away from a triple-double against the Rockets. She finished with 13 assists, 10 rebounds, eight points, three steals and a block in the 70-54 win. Her first assist of the contest was the 400th of her career...

The Okoboji boys basketball team picked up its first win of 2019 and snapped a six-game losing streak Friday with a 73-60 home win over Sibley-Ocheyedan. "Simply put, we are just extremely proud of our boys' choices and effort tonight," Okoboji coach Ryan Stumbo said. ...

The 12th-ranked (3A) Okoboji girls basketball team put the exclamation point on a stellar week of wins Friday, as the Pioneers dominated Sibley-Ocheydan for a 48-point win in Milford. Okoboji defeated MOC-Floyd Valley 48-47 on Tuesday and Rock Valley 70-56 on Thursday before topping the 60-12 win over the Generals...

The Okoboji wrestling team had three runner-up finishes and placed fifth as a team at the Siouxland Conference wrestling tournament held Friday in Sioux Center. Cain Hanson, Blake Abrahamson and Hunter Abrahamson each placed second for the Pioneers...

Spirit Lake Park received contributions from up and down the lineup Friday night, as the Indians four-peated as Lakes Conference tournament champions in Spencer. The Indians pushed eight wrestlers through to the finals and came away with six conference champions...

It's been three years since an annual mission trip to Haiti crossed paths with the Spirit Lake School District's special January curriculum. The effort has traditionally been organized through CrossWinds Church, and has continued to grow in numbers each year. As part of the school's J-Term, area students traveled more than 2,000 miles to the Caribbean nation where they and their adult chaperones provided some basic needs and spiritual lessons to Haitian villagers...