Stories from Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Call it the original synchronized swimming - fish, moving smoothly and swiftly, all in coordination with hundreds of other fish - that’s how fish do school. Sure, it’s a pretty show, but what’s with the whole production? Gathering together and moving in a school helps smaller fish protect themselves from predators, eat better and swim more efficiently...

With recent warm temperatures, restless paddlers are ready to put canoes and kayaks in the water. Early spring paddling can provide solitude, exercise and an opportunity to see amazing wildlife, but extra precautions are needed to stay safe. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends that paddlers wait for warmer weather to allow the water temperatures to rise slowly. ...

What a crazy weekend that was. Mild weather in the low 60s and no wind on Saturday, and then — wham — blizzard-like conditions on Easter Sunday. Really, we shouldn’t be shocked. After all, we weren’t even to mid-April yet, and this is Iowa. This is the time of year when it can be warm and sunny, cold and rainy or windy and a blizzard. Yup, that is northwest Iowa at its best. Spring weather around here is never dull...

Fishing has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been thinking of past trips and future trips. Many past days of fishing were learning experiences. What I learned on those fishing trips of the past will be applied to trips of the future. Following are some ideas that might help you catch more fish the next time you go fishing...

In last week’s column, we covered the northern pike gill netting and the plan for the walleye gill netting. With the threat of COVID-19, Kim Hawkins, Spirit Lake Hatchery Manager, could only rely on her fish management and research teams. This meant only one boat would be sent out on East Okoboji and one on Big Spirit Lake each night. ...

Iowa Lakes softball player, Tianna Soto, recently signed to continue her athletic and academic careers at NAIA William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Soto will study athletic training in the hopes of becoming an athletic trainer in the future. "It was awesome getting to watch the growth Tianna has made from the time she walked onto campus until the moment she walked off the field for the last time," Iowa Lakes softball coach Katie Larson said. ...

Iowa Lakes Community College recently announced the signing of Hailey Miranda of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Miranda earned first team all-conference honors at Ronald Regan High School. She became the first player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. During her senior year she averaged 14 points per game and shot 82% from the free throw line...

Iowa Lakes freshman wrestler Matt Jordan has been named Second Team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.  During the season, Jordan won the Auggie Open, placed second at the RCTC Open, placed third at the Dave Edmunds Open, placed fourth at the Grandview Open, and placed third at the regional meet...

Iowa Lakes basketball player Justin Brookens has been named First Team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Brookens also earned Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year and was Player of the Week for the conference three times this season. ...

After securing the school's first-ever state championship last spring, members of the Harris-Lake Park boys golf team returned to the links the very next day. They won every competition they entered last season — from the conference opener to the Class 1A state tournament in Newton — but they remained focused on improving their games throughout the summer months. With every golfer returning in 2020, the team hoped to put a second piece of first-place hardware in the school's trophy case...

One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether a stay-at-home or a shelter-in-place order should be implemented. Many point out that Iowa is one of a few states that hasn’t issued a similar order to combat the spread of COVID-19. The reality is, Iowa is already doing a number of those things, and in some instances implementing more closures than states with a shelter-in-place order...

I have heard so many negative comments in the last few weeks it makes my head spin. The comments range from how bad the president is, the governor is, and even the state and local elected officials are. Almost no one is exempt from the criticism. While I have broad shoulders and can most assuredly handle my fair share of negative, I must say that it all might be displaced. I have also heard good comments, to be fair but I would like to address the negative and hopefully turn them to a positive...

As we continue on through this uncertain time with COVID-19, I receive a lot of questions. I am always happy to help sort through those issues on a case-by-case basis, but thought it might be helpful to include an update with the most frequently asked questions...

I am homebound and have lots of leisure time these days. I just read a book that a friend gave me: "Answer the Call," written by Dr. Steve Meyer from Sioux City. He was the orthopedic surgeon who answered the call when a bus crashed in Tanzania, Africa, in 2017...

Nov. 12, 1916 — April 6, 2020 Gertrude Marie Turner was born on Nov. 12, 1916, at Wessington Springs, South Dakota. She was the daughter of Albert and Hilda (Jensen) Nelson. She lived her youth in Wessington Springs, attended school in Madison, South Dakota, and then worked in a restaurant as a cook...

April 2, 1932 — April 2, 2020 Henry "Jack" Holzhauer, 88, died Thursday April 2, 2020, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. Born on April 2, 1932, in Newark, New Jersey, he was the son of Henry John Holzhauer and Ethel Rae (Jarman) Holzhauer. He attended the University of Vermont and completed his business degree at Rider University in Trenton, New Jersey...

Oct. 17, 1974 — April 6, 2020 A private burial will be held for Jason Lake, age 45, with a celebration of life service to be held at a later date. Jason Alan Lake was born Oct. 17, 1974, to Lenis and Colleen (Faas) Lake in Primghar. He was the youngest of four children. ...

Jan. 14, 1921 — April 5, 2020 Jean Bryant Schissel, a resident of West Okoboji passed quietly on April 5, 2020, of old age. She was born on Jan. 14, 1921, in Cherokee to her father William Wesley and mother Ocie Cole Bryant. She was raised with her older sister Marjorie on their large cattle feeding farm in northwest Iowa. ...

May 2, 1967 — April 6, 2020 A memorial service will be held at a later date for Pam Cerny, age 55, of Hastings on Hudson, New York, and formerly of Spirit Lake. Pamela Sue Cerny, the daughter of Frances Jean and Brian Marvin Cerny, was born on  May 2, 1967, in Honolulu. She graduated from Spirit Lake High School and continued her education at Briar Cliff University...

Joseph Daniel Moreno, age 26, of Spirit Lake was charged with serious assault at 9:18 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 in the 10 block of 27th Street in Spirit Lake. He was booked into the Dickinson County Jail at 1:04 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, on charges of child endangerment causing bodily injury. ...

  For over 100 years, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach has been active in all 99 counties in Iowa. However, many people don’t realize all that ISU Extension and Outreach offers to our local communities. ISU Extension and Outreach brings ISU's research and resources to all corners of the state. ...

Douglas Todey enjoys getting to work in conservation because he loves being able to see productive change on the landscape week to week and year to year. He has plenty of goals to make productive changes as he takes over the integrated roadside vegetation management program with Dickinson County Conservation...

A recent recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is prompting people across the country to craft cloth face coverings for themselves and others. The CDC recommends the public wear masks when it's not possible to keep a healthy distance and avoid spreading the novel coronavirus — most commonly during visits to grocery stores and pharmacies. ...