Stories from Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Memorial Day events are being scaled back or called off in Dickinson County to keep the potential spread of COVID-19 to a minimum. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is still recommending gatherings be limited to no more than 10 people, and American Legions from the local level on up to national level have amended plans in response to the global pandemic. ...

A Spirit Lake man was scheduled to face a jury of his peers in February next year after striking a pedestrian with his car in December, but a settlement has put an end to the trial before it began. The lawsuit against 77-year-old James Lee Stevens were dismissed by the victim, 46-year-old Joseph Vanveldhuizen of Orleans, on May 11...

The Good Neighbor Fund has provided an opportunity for our whole community to give generously to a wide variety of causes. The Lakes Area Hockey Association is so grateful for this year's Good Neighbor support as we further enhance our facility with much needed coin-operated locker facilities for those who utilize our facility...

At the invitation of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, I went to Worthington, Minnesota, to participate in a press conference to focus attention on the current crisis in the pork industry that has been caused by the temporary closure of processing plants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

There are a lot of updates this week, so let's just get right to it:  At the Monday May 11 press conference, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that she would be following a "modified quarantine" after a member of Vice President Pence's staff tested for COVID-19. The Governor traveled to Washington DC to meet with President Trump and participated in some events with Vice President Pence in Iowa...

The governor signed a new proclamation to allow salons, barbershops and massage and tattoo establishments to partially reopen throughout the whole state starting on Friday, May 15. Restaurants, fitness centers, libraries, campgrounds and race tracks can also open in those counties that had previously been closed. ...

Let’s not lose focus now. Over the last few months, we were told by officials that we needed to flatten the curve so as to not overwhelm the hospitals and to ensure there would be enough PPE, ventilators and other resources available because when the hospitals are overwhelmed, that is when massive death could happen. ...

You don't see cigarette burns on the floors of newsrooms anymore. Supposedly, the people who work in them will live longer. But whether the papers they toil over will live is in much more doubt. "You can pay me now," said the man on the 1970 television commercial for Fram oil filters, "or you can pay him later," pointing to the mechanic rebuilding an engine...

Jan. 16, 1938 — May 13, 2020 Larry LeRoy Bush, the son of LeRoy and Sylvia (Schroeder) Bush, was born in Spirit Lake on Jan. 16, 1938. After graduating from Spirit Lake High School in 1955, Larry enlisted in the United States Navy. He was honorably discharged in 1959 and returned to Dickinson County, where he started farming southeast of Lake Park, which was his true passion...

June 18, 1933 — May 5, 2020 Roxie Stephens, age 86, passed away May 5, 2020, at a Mason City hospital. She was born June 18, 1933, to Harry and May Webb. Roxie is survived by three children, Sue Tatman, Mathew Bourgoyne and Judy Laue; grandchildren Mike Tatman, Bret Tatman, Michelle Laue, Jeff (Amanda) Laue, Tommy (Nicole) Booth, Angie (Joe) Coleman and Melissa (Dan) Abbot; great-grandchildren Ethan, Chloe, Tristen, Marie, Lucian, Kashus, Kruz, Destiny, Blake and Lacey as well a special nephew, Ralph Webb who visited as much as he could.. ...

Iowa Lakes Community College and the Reggie Schive Jazz Camp have postponed the scheduled 2020 jazz camp to reconvene during the summer of 2021. The postponement of this year's event is due to the recent circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. ...

A driver from Ames is facing several charges after colliding with a tree and a pair of garages east of Arnolds Park. The Dickinson County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a single-vehicle accident at around 9:33 p.m. Monday, May 18 along 182nd Street in the Moore Lake area. ...

USDA will soon begin taking applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. As part of applying for the program, participants will need to contact the Farm Service Agency county office at your local USDA Service Center to schedule an appointment. Find your office at farmers.gov/cfap...

Calling all 2020 summer reading kiddos! Milford Memorial Library has made some important adjustments in order to keep everyone safe while enjoying our library. Miss Becca will be offering a variety of social distance programming through library pick-ups and sidewalk fun, Zoom story times, and online experiences...

Iowa's top academic students have been chosen for the 2020 Governor's Scholar Program. The governor's office, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and its title sponsor, the Iowa Farm Bureau, are presenting this recognition, which began in 2003. Local students McKenzie Heikens of Harris-Lake Park High School, Martha Stein of Okoboji High School and Cail Donkersloot of Spirit Lake High School have been selected this year...

  Iowa State University Extension and Outreach welcomes Madeleine Bretey as Dickinson County's new youth and agriculture program coordinator beginning May 13. Bretey replaces Hannah Dibble who has transitioned to a new role within the county as a K-12 specialist...

The Okoboji Foundation staff and board of directors were looking forward to celebrating the Okoboji Foundation at its annual event this summer, but said the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be a risk. "It is with a heavy heart the Okoboji Foundation has decided to cancel our Celebrating our Founders and our Future event scheduled for June 27," the organization said in a May 12 statement. ...

Mediacom Communications announced the selection of Tyler Adams, an Okoboji High School senior, as a recipient of the company’s world class scholarship program. The award recognizes the Arnolds Park resident for outstanding leadership and academic accomplishments. Mediacom annually selects 60 graduating seniors who each receive $1,000 scholarships to support their post-secondary education...

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced Thursday, May 14, the award of approximately $68,000 in literacy grants to Iowa nonprofit organizations. Camp Foster YMCA on East Lake Okoboji was among the recipients, earning $2,000. The camp also received funds from the foundation in 2019...

Iowa Department of Public Health officials on Monday identified a seventh positive case of COVID-19 in Dickinson County. The positive test came from a female, age 60-80. Local health officials were also informed of another positive case in the area around 7 a.m. Wednesday, May 20. The county's eighth case is a female between the ages of 45-60. Both of the new cases are recovering at home, but health officials said they do not know where...

M. Reed has searched newspapers and countless family photo albums to create "Lost Resorts of the Iowa Great Lakes," a visual account of the resorts, the people and the good times of resort vacationing at Okoboji. Since the first rustic vacation retreat for hunters and fishermen was built in 1871, Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes have been a drawing card for families, generation after generation. ...