Elections

Conlin concerned about health care (03/09/10)
The availability of health care is a top priority for U.S. Senate candidate Roxanne Conlin, largely because she can relate to those without insurance. When she was 14, she got an ear infection. With no money for medication, no insurance and no car to take her to a doctor, she was forced to let the infection run its course, resulting in permanent, partial hearing loss in her left ear...

Conlin to stop in Spencer Saturday (03/05/10)
U.S. Senate candidate Roxanne Conlin will make an extensive weekend swing through Northwest Iowa. Conlin will stop at the Spencer Area Activity Center at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. Conlin, a Democrat, is bringing her "Fight to Fix It" tour to the city for the first time...

Roberts concerned about spending (01/29/10)
"Money doesn't grow on trees... Until I was first elected to the Iowa House, I thought all adults were like that," Rod Roberts told a small, vocal group of about 25 individuals at the Clay County Regional Events Center Thursday night. "(Other elected officials) began making decisions and acting like there's an orchard out back the capitol."

Caucuses kick off election season (01/26/10)
What a difference two years can make. On Jan. 3, 2008, about 900 Democrats met across Clay County and more than 600 Republicans convened to participate in the Iowa Caucuses. While Saturday marked the 2010 Iowa Caucuses, participation numbers were anemic with eight Democrats gathering at Iowa Lakes Community College as about 60 Republicans assembled at the Clay County Regional Events Center...

Rants emphasizes lowering property taxes (01/21/10)
A perfect storm is brewing in Iowa, gubernatorial candidate Chris Rants, R-Sioux City, told a group of about 50 people at the Clay County Regional Events Center Tuesday night. The former Speaker of the House identified a lack of job development, escalating taxes and an outdated, unconstitutional school aid funding formula as the three biggest problems currently facing the state at the Informed Voter Forum sponsored by the Clay County Tea Party Patriots...

' ... We're going to win in November, (01/14/10)
"We're going to win in June, then we're going to win in November, then we're going to lead." Those words at the conclusion of Iowa GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats presentation to a small group of voters Tuesday night drew a round of applause. ...

Local Tea Party members bring GOP candidates to Spencer (01/08/10)
Local Tea Party Patriots are calling for the area citizenry to "get informed and get involved." And they are offering a way to do it. Plans for two voter forum opportunities with a pair of the GOP gubernatorial candidates have been announced by the Tea Party Patriots, organizers of the event...

Whiting second to announce plans for District 6 seat (01/05/10)
Spirit Lake native Zach Whiting announced Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the District 6 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Mike May, who has announced that he will not seek re-election in November...

Area banker seeks May's District 6 seat (12/08/09)
Okoboji banker Jeff Smith on Tuesday announced plans to run for the Iowa House District 6 seat currently held by Mike May. May said he will not be seeking re-election in 2010 and voiced support for Smith -- a fellow Republican -- as part of the statement that officially announced Smith's campaign for the seat...

Ne'er too late: 95 year old votes for first time (11/07/09)
Marion Peters heard the same question asked in disbelief, over and over, earlier this week. "You've never voted?" her daughter-in-law, Betty Peters asked. The same question came from Darlene Enderton, the chairwoman of the city of Webb's voting precinct...

Incumbents fare well in Spencer (11/03/09)

Contested council race headlines Spencer ballot (10/31/09)
A newcomer who believes in term limits and a council member who has served the city for the past 28 years are both seeking the Spencer City Council at-large seat Tuesday as voters go to the polls. Randy Plagman and incumbent David A. Scott both met the filing deadline to appear on the Nov. 3 municipal ballot...

Attendees request full REAP funding (10/08/09)
Residents from the nine-county area gathered in Spencer this week to voice their individual thoughts on how Iowa's REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) program might be made better. The 49 people who gathered at Tuesday night's assembly in the Clay County Regional Events Center unanimously expressed a desire for the program to receive full funding, allowing it to more fully enhance and protect Iowa's natural and cultural resources...

Spencer incumbents file to run again (09/18/09)
The filing deadline to appear on the Nov. 3 municipal election ballot expired at 5 p.m. Thursday and incumbent Reynold Peterson completed the paperwork to seek his third term as Spencer's mayor. He was the only candidate for mayor to meet the deadline. Three city council members and two incumbents on the Spencer Hospital Board of Trustees also have uncontested races, barring write-in campaigns...

Krause stumps for Grassley's seat at fair (09/15/09)
U.S. Senate aspirant Bob Krause (D-Fairfield) campaigned Saturday at the Clay County Fair. The 59-year-old, who acknowledges he faces stiff odds in his bid to defeat Iowa's senior senator, readily recited the handful of colorful statements his foe has made over the last few months, recited the incumbent's voting record and then forecast "that the winds they are a changing." ...

Spencer voters elect three new board members (09/10/09)
With 996 ballots cast, just over 11 percent of Spencer's total registered voters elected three new school board members Tuesday night. The men elected to serve four-year terms around the Spencer board table include: Bob Whittenburg, Bill Zinn and Dean Mechler. While Whittenburg earned 746 votes, Zinn garnered 698 and Mechler amassed 600 votes. The three men are expected to be officially seated during a Tuesday, Sept. 22, board meeting...

Spencer voters elect three new board members (09/08/09)
With 996 ballots cast, Spencer voters elected three new school board members Tuesday night. The men elected to serve four-year terms around the Spencer board table include: Bob Whittenburg, Bill Zinn and Dean Mechler. While Whittenburg earned 746 votes, Zinn garnered 698 and Mechler amassed 600 votes...

Public forum on busing set for Saturday (06/05/09)
The Spencer Community School District will conduct a public hearing at 9 a.m. Saturday to seek input from patrons about changes to discretionary busing policies. The proposed new policy calls for a daily, $1 user fee to bus students who are picked up less than two miles from their school building. The cost is $175 for the entire school year. Families with more than two students would be capped at $350 per year...

Spencer breaks top 100 in KISS tour bid (05/29/09)
It's still not clear how many local votes it will take to bring arena rock band KISS to Spencer. But it is clear residents are making progress in the Internet bid to "demand" a band visit to the northwest Iowa city of 11,000. Spencer has a chance to "book" a major concert tour stop because the legendary band has put fans in charge of selecting the tour stops through Internet voting at www.Eventful.com. A link to the Eventful voting process is prominent on the www.kissonline.com Web site, too...

Wheelchairs donated to Events Center (03/26/09)
Scott Hallgren, Clay County Regional Events Center general manager (left) accepts a gift of two wheelchairs from Leon Rodas, president of the Spencer Regional Healthcare Foundation. The Foundation donated two wheelchairs to be used by guests attending community events. Spencer Hospital has loaned wheelchairs when events, such as the primary and general elections, were held at the Events Center. Now the two wheelchairs will be permanently available at the events center for guests' use...

County, former employee settle federal lawsuit (03/05/09)
A former Clay County employee will receive a $105,000 settlement from the county's insurance provider to settle a dispute over her 2007 dismissal. Sally L. Becker, a former employee in the Clay County Treasurer's and Recorder's offices, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the county on Dec. 27, 2007, at the U.S. District Courthouse in Sioux City...

Eggs and Issues No. 2: Labor issues and taxes (02/17/09)
Labor issues and taxes, which are taking center stage this week as the Iowa Legislature enters its sixth week, also were at the center of several heated comments made during Saturday morning's Eggs and Issues session as the political ideologies of Sen. Jack Kibbie (D-Emmetsburg) and Rep. Marcie Frevert (D-Emmetsburg) differed with those of Sen. David Johnson (R-Ocheyedan) and Rep. Mike May (R-Spirit Lake)...

City completes EPA, billboard negotiations (01/20/09)
The city of Spencer cleared a major hurdle in negotiations to separate its storm water from the sewer system as part of Monday's Spencer City Council meeting. The vote to approve an Environmental Protection Agency administrative order to eliminate combined sewer overflows capped negotiations that began in late 2007...

Daily Reporter Exclusive (01/16/09)
Chris Dean (Right) and Justin McCormick (above), a pair of Spencer residents who dedicated a great deal of time to President-elect Barack Obama's campaign efforts - Dean in Indiana and McCormick here in Spencer - are hitting the road together today on the way to Washington DC where they will take part in the historic inauguration festivities before and after the swearing in of Obama as the United State's next President. ...

Board strategizes on district budget with IASB financial guru (01/10/09)
As they prepare to embark upon another year of cutting the district's budget, Spencer school board members found a friend in Larry Sigel, the school finance director for the Iowa Association of School Boards, Thursday afternoon. Superintendent Greg Ebeling began the cordial "virtual presence" discussion with Sigel, conducted via a Polycam, by saying, "We know that we're dealing with a constant battle of school finance, like a lot of districts are."...

Bhutan woman tells of transition from monarchy to democracy (12/17/08)
She may miss the mountains and her national dress of Bhutan, but Tashi Ongmo, a 20-year-old visitor at the Dr. Rick and Barb Wilkerson home in rural Spencer, is still a relatively happy person. But Ongmo should be happy. Like the approximately 700,000 other residents of Bhutan, she believes in the pursuit of Gross National Happiness, the country's overarching political philosophy which seeks to balance material progress with spiritual well-being...

Johnson seeks GOP's No. 2 post Tuesday Democrats retain Kibbie as senate president (11/18/08)
Senate Democrats, their numbers at the highest level ever, on Sunday rewarded top leaders with another two years in office and vowed to tackle a state budget that's struggling because of the economic slowdown. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, and Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, won new two-year terms without opposition...

Supervisors make election votes official (11/13/08)
The results from an interesting Election Day became official Wednesday morning when members of the Clay County Board of Supervisors canvassed the numbers and confirmed the Nov. 4 outcomes. Once again, township positions were a loose end that had to be addressed on Wednesday. Names were drawn out of a container to break a tie among write-ins for three township positions...

Analysis: Western Iowa still solid ground for King (11/06/08)
Election night turned out to be another routine night for U.S. Rep. Steve King. And that may be a surprise to some, who were waiting for the Republican congressman's sometimes headline-grabbing statements to catch up to him. One of King's more recent and well-known controversies came on March 7 in Spencer when he talked about the message an Obama presidency would send to the rest of the world...

Local Red Cross chapter seeking support: Sale planned to help generate dollars toward $30,000 goal (11/06/08)
While the rest of the nation watched polls, listened to talk radio and tracked television coverage of Tuesday's general election, local Iowa Great Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross Director could be found pushing a rack of clothing and other miscellaneous items down the corridor at the Gateway North Mall Tuesday afternoon...

May, Chambers look ahead to 2009 session (11/05/08)
A pair of incumbent legislators emerged from uncontested races for another two-year term in the Iowa House of Representatives. Republicans Mike May, of Spirit Lake, and Royd Chambers, of Sheldon, both said they were keeping an eye on other Iowa House races around the state on election night...

Clay County sees strong turnout countywide (11/05/08)
Over seventy percent of Clay County's eligible voters took part in Tuesday's general election, posting 8,414 votes in a series of contested races on the national and county level - as well as a few not so heavily contested battles. New this year was the opportunity for voters to register at the polls. ...

Time to pick a president (11/04/08)
Polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, in Clay County for the 2008 General Election. Voting will take place at 13 voting precincts as follows: - Lake/Freeman -- at Dickens Community Center, 302 Main St., Dickens - Meadow/Sioux -- at VFW Club, 15 East 21st St., Spencer...

Democratic leaders bring tour to Spencer (11/01/08)
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, 5th District Congressional candidate Rob Hubler and former Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson are making a stop Sunday in Spencer to energize local Democrats before Tuesday's general election. The state leaders are expected to arrive at about 11:45 a.m. ...

Bailout passes Senate, House foes soften (10/02/08)
WASHINGTON -- After one spectacular failure, the $700 billion financial industry bailout found a second life Wednesday, winning lopsided passage in the Senate and gaining ground in the House, where Republicans opposition softened. Senators loaded the economic rescue bill with tax breaks and other sweeteners before passing it by a wide margin, 74-25, a month before the presidential and congressional elections...

Obama, McCain argue over taxes, federal spending (09/27/08)
OXFORD, Miss. -- Barack Obama accused presidential rival John McCain of supporting Bush administration policies that produced the current economic crisis Friday night in their first debate of the campaign for the White House. Both men readily agreed Congress must act soon to prevent millions of Americans from losing their jobs and homes...

Bailout deal stalls as GOP lawmakers revolt (09/26/08)
WASHINGTON -- A Repub-lican revolt stalled urgent efforts to lash together a national economic rescue plan Thursday, a chaotic turnaround on a day that had seemed headed for a success that President Bush, both political parties and their presidential candidates could celebrate at an extraordinary White House meeting...

Voters can weigh in today (09/25/08)
From the township trustees to the President of the United States, voters in Iowa can start making their choices. Beginning Thursday, voters can pick up absentee ballots at county auditor offices around the state. Election officials are predicting a voter turnout that could reach 80 percent...

ILCC students aid in data collection (09/11/08)
Fairgoers will be able to offer their opinions on just how good the Clay County Fair is when they complete a survey at the fair this year. Iowa Lakes Community College, the Clay County Fair and the Clay County Auditor's office will be cooperating for the 11th year in a row to survey fairgoers about their opinions...

Voters mandate change on Spencer school board (09/10/08)
Spencer School Board Unofficial 2008 Election Results --- When the write-ins were officially counted by hand and reported by 8:50 p.m. Tuesday night, Spencer voters had made their intentions known: Todd Korbitz and write-in candidate Marti Bomgaars had both soundly defeated one-term incumbent board members Dean Mechler and Les Zobrist...

Vote Tuesday! (09/06/08)
Tuesday is school board election day. You don't have to serve on the board or run for school board, but you might think a bit harder about at least casting a ballot for your candidate or candidates of choice. Of the five surrounding school board elections, Spencer is hosting the only contested race. ...

Sept. 9 election marks return of paper (08/30/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff When Clay County voters walk into their respective polling sites on election day, they'll register to vote the same way they have in the past. But the Sept. 9 school board election and the Nov. 4 general election will differ from recent years past in that voters will then be handed a paper ballot to vote on. ...

Obama sketches promise of America (08/29/08)
DENVER -- Barack Obama cast his presidential nomination as proof that no dreams are too high, savoring a historic moment for himself and the nation Thursday before setting out on a difficult struggle to break another barrier for a black American. Obama's success in obtaining the Democratic nomination was indeed a remarkable achievement, reached despite the misgivings of some Americans uncomfortable with electing the son of an African immigrant -- not "the typical pedigree," as he put it...

Dean's future comes one election at a time (08/28/08)
W. Chris Dean didn't expect an Indiana roadmap to come with the Cornell College degree he received in May. But a presidential candidate's campaign of "change" has thrown a few curve balls Dean's way this summer. The 2004 Spencer graduate was recently hired as a paid field organizer in northeast Indiana for the Barack Obama campaign. His three-county region includes the hometown of former Vice President Dan Quayle. Needless to say, the Democratic message isn't a automatically an easy sell...

Dems choose Obama in thunderous acclamation (08/28/08)
DENVER -- Barack Obama swept to the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday night, a transforming triumph that made him the first black American to lead a major party into the fall campaign for the White House. Thousands of national convention delegates stood and cheered as they made history...

Biden no stranger to Spencer Democrats (08/26/08)
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware hoped for the top spot on the ticket less than a year ago when he stopped at the Clay County Fair. Friday he was selected as presumptive nominee Barack Obama's running mate. Democrats hope Biden's expertise in foreign policy and his blue-collar appeal will be a draw for voters in the Nov. 4 general election...

Democrats rally local troops on eve of national convention (08/26/08)
Clay County Democrats gathered at the Oneota Park shelter house Sunday evening for their annual fundraising steak fry. The meeting, coming just a day after Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate via a much hyped text message to supporters, had County chairman Bob Whittenburg's stressing organization to his fellow Democrats...

Official: Obama picks Biden for veep (08/23/08)

McCain has invite to Clay County Fair (08/14/08)
State Rep. Mike May, a Spirit Lake Republican, said he has been in contact with the John McCain campaign and hopes the likely Republican nominee will include Spencer's biggest event in a post-convention victory tour. The 2008 Republican National Convention will take place Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis. The 2008 edition of the Clay County Fair is Sept. 6-14. Along with timing, crowd numbers can't hurt the odds of a Spencer visit -- the fair drew more than 319,000 visitors in 2007...

Obama reopens Spencer office tonight (08/12/08)
Likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama will once again have a presence in Clay County. The campaign has announced a Spencer Obama Office-opening Kick-off at 6 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Aug. 12) at 301 Grand Avenue. The event is open to everyone. Food and refreshments will be provided...

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