Fires

Prairie Fire Children's Theatre, LCT present "The Wizard of Oz" (09/25/08)
Join our Dickinson county children in a wonderful journey through the Magical Land of Oz, as they take the stage this weekend along with two professional actor/directors, Ben Ratkowski and ErinRose Sincevich, in Prairie Fire Children's Theatre's original musical production of "The Wizard of Oz"...

Fire chars insulation at RR Donnelley (09/18/08)
Employees had to be evacuated and firefighters were at the scene for more than an hour after a fire broke out at the RR Donnelley printing facility in Spencer. The Spencer Fire Department was called out just after 5 p.m. Wednesday to the plant near East Seventh Street and Third Avenue East in Spencer...

Faulty light fixture causes smoky scene (09/17/08)
Staff members at a regional housing agency arrived to find a smoky start to the day in south Spencer. But the damage should be minimal and clean up was already under way Tuesday at the Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Authority offices. Firefighters were called at 7:53 a.m. ...

Sparks may have caused fire (09/13/08)
The Clay County Sheriffs Office and the Iowa State Fire Marshals Office have concluded a fire investigation and listed the official cause of a structure fire north of Spencer as undetermined. Dickens and Fostoria firefighters were called out at about 1 a.m. Thursday to a fully-engulfed building at the Bill and Lisa Elliott farm, located at 3115 240th Avenue in rural Spencer...

Spencer council to discuss use of city's railroad spur (09/13/08)
By Randy M. Cauthron Managing Editor When the Spencer City Council comes together for its first meeting of September, at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 15 at city hall, a full agenda will greet it. The city staff has been working with an existing company to explore the possibility of utilizing the city's railroad spur that would allow it to expand its services. One of the challenges to accommodate it request allowing them to utilize the spur could potentially reclassify the spur as a short line...

Fire claims rural Spencer farm buildings (09/12/08)
Fingers of fire still emerged from piles of charred hay and debris more than 12 hours after a fire was called in at a farm north of Spencer. The hay will continue to smolder for a day or two, according to Fostoria Fire Chief Tim Kelsch. Letting fire under piles of hay burn itself out is easier than trying to spread the material out to extinguish the buried heat sources...

Spike in fire deaths alarms state officials (08/22/08)
State Fire Marshal Jim Kenkel is concerned.

Ambassadors tour new Audio/Video Connection (08/06/08)
The Spencer Ambassadors visited the new location of Audio Video Connection, and met with owner Randy Swanson. Swanson, who ran the business for 11 years at his South Grand Avenue location, moved to the downtown district, operating now out of the former Northwest Aging building, directly south of the Spencer Fire Department. ...

Briefs 8-06-08 (08/06/08)
Losing a loved one is indescribable to someone who has not felt the loss of death. Hospice of Northwest Iowa's professional team understands the tragedy of losing a loved one and they identify with the difficult decisions and emotions that the person left behind faces. To help people cope with the death of a loved one, Hospice of Northwest Iowa is offering an 8-week Understanding Grief Support Group. The group will meet each Wednesday evening through Sept. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m...

Clay Mutual supports Royal fire truck purchase (07/29/08)
Jeff VanWesten with Clay Mutual Insurance Association presented Jarod Olson, fire fighter for the Royal Fire Department, a check towards the purchase of a new fire truck.

Briefs 7-19-08 (07/21/08)
Young people and their families are invited to "Bee" at the library on Tuesday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. for the "Pockets Full of Fun" program. Join Lisa Laird of Orange City, and her friends from "Pockets Full of Fun" as they learn about some interesting creatures in the insect world. ...

Fire claims Spencer couple's home (07/19/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff The Iowa Great Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross has been contacted to help a Spencer couple who lost their home in a trailer fire Friday afternoon. An officer with the Spencer Police Department spotted smoke and called for assistance at 2:41 p.m. Friday. The officer saw flames as he approached the trailer on lot 4 of the trailer park at 317 West 18th Street...

Briefs 7-18-08 (07/18/08)
The Fifth Annual Cruise In will be held from 6-9 p.m. tonight in the McDonald's parking lot at the Southpark Mall in Spencer. Plaques for the first 75 cars. Registration from 6-7:30 p.m., with awards given at 8:30 p.m. Trophies for the top three "peoples choice." Prizes also. Rain day has been set for Friday, July 25...

Arson fire injures Primghar man (07/18/08)
Authorities say a resident of a group home for adults near Primghar was burned in an arson fire. The Primghar Fire Department was called out at 12:23 a.m. Wednesday to the Pride Group Home, which is at 6059 390th Street and east of Primghar. The fire began in the center part of a storage building. It is believed a liquid accelerant was used to start the fire...

Trustees learn about fire facility (07/16/08)
The Board of Trustees of Iowa Lakes Community College held their monthly meeting Tuesday in Emmetsburg and learned about the recently completed Regional Emergency Response Training Center. Steve Dobbins, Fire, EMS and Health programmer, thanked the advisory committee on this project by offering their insight into the needs of area emergency services personnel...

Fire destroys Tweeter's Bar and Grill (06/24/08)
An early morning fire gutted a popular Lakes area restaurant yesterday. Tweeter's Bar and Grill, located just north of the Highway 9 bridge in Okoboji, was declared a total loss. "It looks like it was an electrical malfunction in the dining area of the bar, probably from an electrical circuit that fed three TVs in a trophy case," said Deputy State Fire Marshal David Schipper of the Iowa State Fire Marshals Office. "It's probably going to be a total loss."...

Fire creates smoky scene near Fostoria (06/20/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff The Heikens family is due for a little luck -- the good kind. First came the tornado outbreak of June 2004, which took out a barn on the farm. Another storm, two years later, took down half of their garage. And there's the December burglars who broke into the house a couple of years ago...

City Info 6-5-08 (06/05/08)
The City of Spencer has numerous boards and commissions that serve the citizens of Spencer. The mayor would like to keep on file a list of persons who would be interested in serving on a city board or commission. From time to time positions become vacant and are filled by appointment of the mayor, with council approval...

City Info 5-17-08 (05/19/08)
The city has gone to regular pick up on tagged bags of grass and brush on the following days: Thursday -- west side of Spencer, and Friday -- east side of Spencer. --- Open burning within the corporate limits of Spencer is not allowed by ordinance. To dispose of leaves, grass clippings, other lawn waste or any household waste by burning is illegal. You may be subject to a fine...

City Info 5-8-08 (05/08/08)
The city has gone to regular pick up on tagged bags of grass and brush on the following days: Thursday -- west side of Spencer, and Friday -- east side of Spencer. Open burning within the corporate limits of Spencer is not allowed by ordinance. To dispose of leaves, grass clippings, other lawn waste or any household waste by burning is illegal. You may be subject to a fine...

Divers help in weapons search (04/22/08)
Members of the Clay County Sheriff's Office received some specialized help with a year-old rural residential burglary investigation. The Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department Dive Team was called at about 8:45 a.m. Sunday to Stolley's Gravel Pit in west Spencer. Lt. Jason Kirschbaum of the dive team said the exercise doubled as a training opportunity for the volunteers who form the unit...

Attic fire displaces family (04/02/08)
The Mark Lykke family has been displaced following a fire Monday at their home in the 800 block of Fourth Street Southwest in Spencer. Members of the Spencer Fire Department were called at 3:36 p.m. to 824 Fourth Street Southwest. Heavy smoke was coming from the roof as firefighters arrived...

Another mailbox incident draws attention (04/01/08)
Members of the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office are looking for the people responsible for a mailbox explosion Friday night. At about 7:34 p.m. Saturday, deputies were called to 25924 Walleye Drive -- near East Okoboji Beach -- regarding a mailbox that had been destroyed by a explosive device...