Spencer, Iowa · Sunday, March 21, 2010
[Spencer Daily Reporter nameplate] Fog/Mist ~ 23°F  

Environmental Measurement Scales

Pollution clouded Iowa early this weekend (02/09/10)
What is fine particulate pollution? According to Todd Russell -- an air monitor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- it is made up of tiny particles as a result of combustion from industrial plants, vehicles and even wood-burning stoves. How tiny?...
Natural resources at risk in State cuts (12/12/09)
Iowa's natural resources have not been spared in the State's 10 percent across-the-board budget clear-cutting, and northwest Iowa environmental leaders wonder how deep the roots of economic damage may run. One of the largest expenditure cuts from the DNR falls in the state parks funding...
Dr. Bill and Kathy Follows named 2009 Citizens of the Year (04/02/09)
At the core of any medical professional's life is a desire to help others. It's what guides them through years of study, long, sleepless nights, and the rigors of the work. For this year's recipients of the Citizen of the Year honor, that desire to help others has shaped their entire lives, both personal and professional. Often, that helping hand they reached out was accompanied by no notice, no fanfare, and certainly no desire to draw attention to their good deeds...
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...
Parkersburg tornado survivors to attend Clay County Fair (09/03/08)
It will be easy to spot the 50 people from Parkersburg who attend this Saturday's opening day of the 2008 Clay County Fair. They'll be wearing this black accessory. Paul Daniels, who has managed the U.S. Cellular stores in Spencer and Storm Lake since October, thinks the busload of tornado survivors Spencer resident Ted Cate is lining up to attend the celebrated annual event are in need of the getaway. ...
ILCC's Estherville campus points to environmental studies (08/21/08)
The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees convened Tuesday on the Estherville campus and learned about the long-time success of the Environmental Studies program. Professor Gary Phillips was introduced to the trustees by Executive Dean Mary Larscheid of the Estherville campus...
City of Spencer safe routes to school program (08/14/08)
The City Council of Spencer is committed to enabling and encouraging children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school. They aspire to make walking and bicycling to school safe and more appealing, and to facilitate the planning and development and implementation of projects that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools...
Spencer site selected for DNR forum (07/31/08)
The Spencer Public Library will be the site for one of six meetings around the state to update area residents about changes to Iowa' water quality policy. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the library, which is located at 21 East Third Street. The forum is intended to inform regulated industries and cities about requirements to protect and maintain existing water quality from unnecessary pollution...
King touts domestic energy solutions (07/22/08)
On a Friday afternoon when travelers were planning their weekend getaways, U.S. Rep. Steve King also was on the road. The congressman included Spencer in a series of stops around the region. "I need to put my ear to the ground constantly to pick up the voice of the people," he said...
DNR officials pleased with Milford turnout (07/18/08)
About 60 area residents attended a wide-ranging public forum hosted by the state's top conservation official Wednesday night. Richard Leopold, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, held the forum at the Gull Point State Park lodge. "I think the tone was pretty positive for the most part," said Tammie Krausman, the public affairs coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "Sometimes those public meetings can be quite contentious."...
Third Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute set for Aug. 3-8 (07/16/08)
The first week of August will be filled with young people - middle-school and college students - learning about entrepreneurship in the Iowa Lakes Corridor region. The third Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute will take place Aug. 3-8 at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on West Lake Okoboji. Thirty-two students from the Regents universities, Buena Vista University and Iowa Lakes Community College will participate in advanced study of entrepreneurship that will include an entrepreneurial simulation,...
Council moves ahead with sewer surcharge (07/09/08)
Calling it, "the fairest way to do this," City Manager Bob Fagen, watched as Spencer's seven city councilman approved the second filing of an amendment which will create a proposed $5 Combined Sewer Initiative Surcharge to the city of Spencer wastewater customers...
'Plants to Cherish' (04/29/08)
May 1 marks the start of the seventh annual Plants to Cherish Sale, which benefits Cherish House, a maternity home for teen mothers located in the Okoboji area. There are more new plants than ever before, including perennials, hostas, and a wide variety of annuals and vegetable plants. ...
CF Industries' minigrants bringing students closer to agriculture and the environment (04/02/08)
Students in Spencer schools will develop an appreciation and awareness for natural resources through water testing, aquatic insect and bird identification, pond dredging and designing, and planting an outdoor classroom thanks to CF Industries' classroom minigrant program...