Stories from Tuesday, October 5, 2021

The Biden administration is searching under every couch cushion in America to pay for its reckless multi-trillion dollar spending spree. I’ve got news for the big spenders. Nickle and diming America’s wage earners and retirees won’t pay for the $4.2 trillion package they want to ram down the throats of the taxpaying public and saddle our kids and grandkids with massive debt for generations to come. ...

I hadn't been at my first news desk long when I learned rule No. 1 in this job is "Don't make yourself part of the story" (rule No. 2 was "Don't publish the first installment of a series until you've actually got the last one written" in case you were wondering). Anyway, rule No. 1 can make for a fine balancing act — we want to engage the community on local topics, but that discussion should never become the crux of the story...

Nov. 20, 1940 – Sept. 30, 2021 Patricia “Pat” (Stoermer) Grafton, age 80, of Spirit Lake passed away on Sept. 30, 2021, at her residence in Spirit Lake. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to spiritlakefuneralhome.com...

April 15, 1957 - Sept. 27, 2021 A memorial service for Rita Jacobson, age 64, of Okoboji, was held Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Burial was at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Okoboji. Rita May Jacobson, the daughter of Delores (Riedemann) and Melvin Richter, was born April 15, 1957, in Primghar. ...

Oct. 18, 1947 – Sept. 27, 2021 Paul Iverson Namtvedt II was born Oct. 18, 1947, in Spirit Lake. He passed away on Sept. 27,2021, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Preceding Paul in death were his parents, Paul Iverson Namtvedt and Austinette Pearl Hefte Namtvedt Nerhus and brother Peter Iverson Namtvedt...

Nov. 17, 1950 – Sept. 30, 2021 David Ralph Smith, age 70, of Milford passed away peacefully in his home on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Dave was born Nov. 17, 1950, to Bonnie (Brown) and Francis "Smitty" Smith. In 1970, Dave graduated from Spirit Lake High School and started working for Dickinson County in the Engineers Office. ...

June 7, 1936 – Sept. 26, 2021 A graveside service for Richard Welty, age 85, of Spirit Lake was held Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Memorials may be given to The Arc, thearc.org Richard Alvin Welty, the son of Kenneth B. and Josephine Louise (Tott) Welty, was born June 7, 1936, in Spirit Lake. He graduated from Spirit Lake High School...

Dec. 21, 1931 – Oct. 3, 2021 Jerome “Jerry” John Westcott, age 89, of Arnolds Park, died Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. A mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. ...

Oct. 4, 1928 - Sept. 27, 2021 Vernon Wittrock, age 92, of Primghar passed away on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at the Prairie View Home in Sanborn.  A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, at the United Church of Primghar in Primghar, with Pastor Mike Cooper and Rev. Steve Swenson officiating. Visitation with family present will be after 10 a.m. until service time at the church...

Milford Memorial Library will be closed on Monday, Oct. 11, in observance of Christopher Columbus Day. We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday, Oct. 12. MML’s Adult Craft series will be creating Halloween Ribbon Wreaths from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. ...

Seasons Center for Behavioral Health has received a $2,900 grant from the Dickinson County Community Endowment Fund for Winter Wellness Baskets. The baskets will be distributed to approximately 60 families in Dickinson County. Through the Winter Wellness Baskets, Seasons Center will provide food and household pantry items, winter healthcare items, family-friendly activities and resources to promote positive mental health. ...

Yunus Fayzallo Karimov, age 25, of Spirit Lake was charged with simple assault at approximately 7:07 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23 in the 2000 block of 18th Street in Spirit Lake. A criminal complaint said Karimov grabbed the back of the victim's neck "with intentions of pulling them from the main dining area to a private room" against their will. The complaint noted the victim was not injured...

The YMCA of the Okobojis’ (Bedell Family YMCA and Camp Foster YMCA) staff and volunteers have been working since the early months of 2019 to align the organization with a long-term plan for a fully sustainable Y now and for years to come. A feasibility study was launched in the fall of 2020 to investigate donor and community support for organizational reinvestment. ...

Congratulations were extended to EXIT Realty Midwest agents who recently completed a two-day course on negotiations. These agents achieved the RENE – Real Estate Negotiation Expert Certification. The Real Estate Negotiation Expert certification is for real estate professionals who want to sharpen their negotiation skills. ...

Effective Jan. 1, 2022, Blain Andera will become the President and CEO of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce — Andera is currently the IGLA Chamber's CEO. For the past four years, Andera has been overseeing both the Spirit Lake Chamber and the IGLA Chamber of Commerce...

The Iowa Great Lakes Knights of Columbus Council 5043 is again holding its Coats for Kids campaign this month. They distributed new hats, coats, gloves and snow pants to children at Spirit Lake Elementary School in the past and are focusing this year on Graettinger/Terril and Harris/Lake Park school districts...

Members of Iowa Questers Okoboji Queen Chapter celebrated their 10th anniversary with a special tea featuring a program entitled “The Life Times of Sue Fontaine”, the chapter’s 97-year-old co-founder. The Questers, wearing hats appropriate for the special occasion, listened as Co-founder Sue Fontaine began her story at the home of Immediate Past President Donna Mau. ...

A Lakes Area man authorities said likely harbored anti-government sentiments has entered a guilty plea in a federal weapons case which stemmed from a fatal rollover in January of 2020. Darrel H. Sorey, most recently listed as living in Arnolds Park, entered his Sept. ...

No notable photograph exists of President Abraham Lincoln giving his famous Gettysburg Address — it's said the speech was so brief that the photographer hadn't finished setting up his camera before its conclusion. But a number of folks lined up to have their photos taken with "Mr. Lincoln" following his recital of the well-known speech Monday afternoon at the Milford Community Center...

The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors chose to go local in choosing an engineering firm to inspect work related to the proposed Midwest Carbon Express pipeline. The board unanimously approved Beck Engineering of Spirit Lake for the job. The local firm won't be inspecting the actual pressurized pipeline, but it will be responsible for inspecting construction work — trenching, topsoil removal, etc. ...

Republican lawmakers have voted down Iowa’s first redistricting proposal, sending the process back to a nonpartisan state agency to start from scratch. The first set of proposed maps failed in the Senate on Tuesday by a party line vote of 18-32. Republicans said several of the proposed legislative districts could be more compact and the population could be more evenly balanced. ...

The Iowa DNR advises hunters to look for a change in HIP registration next year. Beginning Dec. 15, 2021, when the 2022 hunting licenses go on sale, all hunters who pursue migratory game birds will be required to register for HIP either through the Go Outdoors Iowa app on their smartphone, through a link at www.iowadnr.gov/waterfowl or at www.gooutdoorsiowa.com. Migratory game birds mean more than ducks and geese; in Iowa it includes ducks, geese, coots, doves, woodcock, rails, and snipe...

Each week, the Iowa DNR releases an update of what the fall colors are by region across the state. You can go to the DNR website and click on “Weekly Fall Colors Report.” Here is the report from the end of September. Certain trees are showing shades of yellow, and a rusty red color has shown up. The sumac, chokecherry, virginia creeper and dogwood are showing deep purple, red and yellow. Estimated peak viewing will be Oct. 5-10...

When I looked at the thermometer outside this morning, the air temperature was 39 degrees. That’s the coldest that I’ve seen this fall, but I know that it’s going to get colder. It’s generally not bitterly cold this time of year, and in all truth, I enjoy the weather that mid-autumn offers. In additional truth, as much as I enjoy the weather, I enjoy the fishing opportunities even more...

August is always a much-anticipated month for upland game bird hunters in the Hawkeye state. It is during that month that DNR personnel do their annual roadside count. Since 1962, this roadside count held Aug. 1-15 has been a basis for providing an upland bird count forecast for that year. The statewide survey includes DNR personnel driving 218, 30-mile routes on gravel roads (the same routes each year) on mornings with heavy dew...

Editor's Note: This is the seventh installment of a weekly series previewing prep football in Dickinson County. The rankings are according to the Associated Press. --- 7 p.m., Spirit Lake High School (Spirit Lake) After a rain-soaked Friday night in Estherville, previously top-ranked and unbeaten Spirit Lake is now staring at a 4-2 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the toughest district in all of Iowa high school football after suffering back-to-back losses to No. ...

Harris-Lake Park pushed Trinity Christian to the brink in all three sets but, ultimately, dropped a War Eagle Conference volleyball match 3-0 to the Tigers on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The Wolves fell 25-17, 27-25 and 25-17 to the Tigers in Lake Park. “We continue to learn, drill and improve,” Harris-Lake Park coach Matt Mentink said. “We are not our best yet, but will be soon.”...

Okoboji dropped a Siouxland Conference road trip to Sheldon on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The Orabs topped the Pioneers 25-18, 25-6 and 25-17 in Sheldon. “We played right with them for most of sets one and three, but made too many errors in set two,” Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. ...

Spirit Lake picked up a Lakes Conference win in a four-set volleyball battle with Cherokee on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The Indians bested the Braves 3-1 in Spirit Lake. The hosts took the first two sets 25-21 and 25-19. Cherokee battled back to earn a 25-19 win in the third set, but Spirit Lake closed out the contest with a decisive 25-15 win in the fourth and final set...

Spirit Lake senior Brooke Smith recently signed her letter of intent to play basketball for Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. Smith, a 5-10 guard, averaged 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game for the Indians during her junior season and was named a Second Team All-Lakes Conference selection. ...

Okoboji took Siouxland Conference foe Central Lyon to four sets but fell 3-1 to the Lions on Thursday, Sept. 30. The Pioneers took the opening set 25-23 but fell 25-17, 25-15 and 25-13 to the Lions in the final three sets in Rock Rapids. “I was super proud of the girls, as we rallied back from being down eight in the first set to win,” Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. ...

The Harris-Lake Park volleyball team dropped six matches at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 2. The Wolves fell 2-0 to ELC, Okoboji, Spirit Lake, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, Cherokee and Emmetsburg. “Not a great weekend for the Wolves squad,” Harris-Lake Park coach Matt Mentink said. “We play really well at times for small periods of a set or match, but not consistent or long enough to win. ...

Okoboji split six matches Saturday at a volleyball tournament in Estherville. The Pioneers earned 2-0 wins over Harris-Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, and a 2-1 win over. Emmetsburg. They fell to 2-0 to Spirit Lake, Estherville Lincoln Central and Cherokee...

Spirit Lake went 5-1 at a volleyball tournament hosted by Lakes Conference rival Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 2. The Indians earned 2-0 wins over Okoboji, Harris-Lake Park, Emmetsburg, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire and Estherville Lincoln Central, but fell 2-0 to Cherokee...

The Harris-Lake Park volleyball took Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn to five sets Monday night, but the Wolves were unable to pick up their first win of the season, as the Hawks topped the Wolves 3-2 in Hartley. HMS took the first two sets 25-21 and 25-15. The Wolves battled back to win 25-11 in set three and 25-22 in set four. The Hawks closed out the contest with a 15-13 in the fifth and final set...

Okoboji’s offense was able to continue to put up rushing numbers, but the Pioneers were unable to stop fifth-ranked West Lyon from racking up points in a 50-14 road loss to the Wildcats Friday, Oct. 1 in Larchwood. “An extremely tough and extremely big West Lyon team and very well-coached,” Okoboji coach Nick Plueger said. ...

Spirit Lake and Estherville Lincoln Central slipped and slid but never slowed in a mud-covered mess of a football game Friday night. After a scoreless first half, ELC connected on a pair of long touchdowns — one by air and one by land — as the second-ranked Midgets topped their third-ranked rival Indians 14-6 in Estherville...

As thunderclouds surrounded a rain-soaked football field in Ruthven, Harris-Lake Park’s football team showed flashes of brilliance in a 29-0 victory over previously unbeaten and ninth-ranked Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire Thursday, Sept. 30. “I thought it was the most ready and physical that we've been all season,” Harris-Lake Park coach Lane Gunderson said. ...