Natural Resource Management

Briefs 9-11-08 (09/11/08)
The Clay County Farm Service Agency will host USDA informational meeting at 1 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 11, at Frederick's of Royal, located at 303 Main St. in Royal. The meeting will provide information on SURE (Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program), which was enacted as part of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), to provide supplemental disaster assistance...

Iowa Lakes Corridor announces success attracting new residents (09/11/08)
One late night back in May, Aaron Schulz, former resident of Lakeville, Minn., sent an e-mail to Shaun Arneson, vice president with Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation inquiring about jobs here in the region. The next morning, his resume was sent to more than 70 employers. By the end of the day, Aaron had two job interviews scheduled...

Briefs 9-10-08 (09/10/08)
The Clay County Farm Service Agency will host USDA informational meeting at 1 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 11 at Frederick's of Royal, located at 303 Main St. in Royal. The meeting will provide information on SURE (Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program), which was enacted as part of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), to provide supplemental disaster assistance...

Tailgate raises funds for Tailtwisters (09/05/08)
Clark Cunningham, with Community State Bank of Spencer shakes hands with Dana Anderson, president of the Spencer Tailtwisters organization following a very successful tailgate party Friday night prior to the Spencer High School football team's home opener. The feed grossed approximately $1,250 for the club. Community State Bank picked up all the costs associated with the event, allowing all of the profit to be collected by the club...

Local group addresses housing needs (09/04/08)
A group of local residents and community leaders are banding together to help meet the need for affordable housing throughout Clay County. The Clay County Local Housing Trust Fund, Inc., was created to assist low income individuals, families and the elderly through grants and low- or no-interest loans to rehabilitate the county's aging housing stock...

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. ...

Chicago theater unites four Spencer grads (08/12/08)
In what seem to have been several "fated" coincidences, four Spencer High School graduates, all of whom were bitten locally by the theater bug, have connected in Chicago. Known for its intimate "storefront" theaters that seat between 30 and 100 people, Josh Odor, Ben Fuchsen, Aaron DeYoung and Eric Van Tassell can all testify to the inner workings of the "The Windy City's" theaters...

Harkin 'dismayed' by McCain's Paris Hilton ad (08/08/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Large infrastructure projects and energy cost concerns were part of the discussion as U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin held a "Moving Iowa Forward" café stop Thursday morning at the Family Table Restaurant in Spencer. Along with local concerns, he also talked about national politics as the national nominating conventions approach for the major parties...

Anglers Bay dedication celebrates conservation success (07/31/08)
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources invite the public to join in the dedication of the state's new Anglers Bay Wildlife Management Area on Saturday morning, Aug. 2. The dedication will be held at the project site on the northeast side of Big Spirit Lake, nestled between Hales Slough to the south and Sandbar Slough to the north...

Public land grazing could be allowed (07/25/08)
Gov. Chet Culver on Thursday announced steps that the Iowa Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation are taking to assist farmers affected by this year's flooding and severe weather. The governor said he will encourage the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to consider the value of haying and grazing as an alternative to burning and for control of brush invasion into grassland areas...

Experience Boji Fest Aug. 22-24 (07/24/08)
Partake in nature, water activities, rock walls and conservation with your family at Boji-Fest, Aug. 22-24 in the Great Lakes region of northwest Iowa. Fun-filled and age-appropriate activities are planned for the whole family. On Friday, youth can participate in mini-golf, Frisbee golf, volleyball, mine-digging, gold sifting and more, courtesy of Ranch Okoboji Amusement Park...

Aquila service rates could go up 10.3 percent (07/18/08)
The Iowa Utilities Board has made a Spencer location available to Aquila customers who would like to address the company's plan to increase its natural gas service rates in Iowa. Comment hearings will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, throughout the state using the Iowa Communications Network...

Thrivent calls on county groups to help with tornado relief effort (07/16/08)
The Clay County Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Chapter is challenging the communities and the congregations of Clay County to help those with lost homes and property near the tornado-ravaged vicinity of Parkersburg. Thrivent will leverage any community donations with supplemental funding. All funds raised will stay in Iowa to be used by Lutheran Disaster Relief to help the families who are still trying to piece their lives back together after the storm...

Scam e-mails seek donations to help Chinese earthquake victims (07/15/08)
Scam E-Mails Seek Donations to Help Chinese Earthquake Victims The FBI is asking people to beware of e-mails claiming to be raising money to help victims of the recent earthquake in China. Tragic incidents such as 9/11, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Minnesota Bridge collapse, the Virginia Tech shootings and the victims of the horrific tornados have all prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions for a charitable organization and/or a good cause. ...

Briefs 7-10-08 (07/10/08)
Arts on Grand will present Music in the Gallery at 7 p.m. tonight. This week's featured musicians will be Tim and Amanda, and possibly a few special guests. They will perform music for guitar and voice with a country flavor, including covers of songs made famous by such groups as Creedence Clearwater Revival. A $5 donation is requested, with proceeds going to the artists...

Briefs 7-09-08 (07/09/08)
The Spencer Area Farmer's Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale. --- Weekend Program at Lost Island Prairie Wetland Nature Center will feature "Terrific Trees" at 10 a.m. on July 12...

Environmental protection commission to meet July 8 (07/08/08)
DNR will update the Environmental Protection Commission on the status of flooding events in Iowa and summarize its response efforts to the flood at the monthly EPC meeting July 8. They will also discuss how land use practices can contribute to flooding...

Soybeans decline as warm weather boosts planting (06/24/08)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Soybean prices declined Monday as dry Midwest weather allowed farmers to resume planting after massive flooding that engulfed fields and drove agriculture futures to record highs. Other commodities traded mixed, with crude oil gaining and gold, silver and copper prices falling...

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...

Iowa Lakes soccer coming to Spencer (06/07/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff "When" is only half the story for local soccer fans: Starting in the fall of 2009, Iowa Lakes Community College will field mens and womens soccer programs. "Where" is a first for the college. The Lakers will play their games at the Spencer Soccer Plex, which is along 10th Avenue East near the site of the current Spencer Middle School...

Spencer JCPenney honored with national award (06/04/08)
A local store and its manager have been recognized as being one of the national company's "best-performing teams." Al Phillips, store manager of JCPenney at Southpark Mall in Spencer, was recently presented with the Chairman's Award, the company's highest honor for performance excellence, by Myron "Mike" Ullman III, JCPenney chairman and CEO...

Briefs 05-31 (05/31/08)
Final opportunity to register for fall football Two final opportunities to register for the MYFL Spencer Youth Football League will take place from 1-3 p.m. today at League Director Randy Cauthron's home, 207 35th Ave. W. These will be the last two opportunities to get equipment sized and register before jerseys are ordered and the league fee increases by $50. ...

Supervisors race features six candidates (05/31/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Republicans have a choice on the ballot as the party tries to find two nominees for a pair of available seats on the Clay County Board of Supervisors. Incumbent Del Brockshus of Spencer is near the end of his fourth term. He has filed to run again...

The Parkersburg tornado:Former Royal woman's family starts again (05/30/08)
Home can't be home again until a structural engineer says it's OK to go back in. The family's show cattle are a source of pride -- and more than half of them are lost Dirt and water have likely ruined the furniture. The garage is gone. The in-laws, a mile away, lost their home completely...

Briefs 5-30-08 (05/30/08)
register for fall football Two final opportunities to register for the MYFL Spencer Youth Football League will take place tonight from 7-9 p.m. and Saturday from 1-3 p.m. at League Director Randy Cauthron's home, 207 35th Ave. W. These will be the last two opportunities to get equipment sized and register before jerseys are ordered and the league fee increases by $50. ...

Chamber tops in beef eating (05/22/08)
The Spencer Chamber of Commerce team, made up of Chamber president Craig Wampler and Dan Heissel took top honors in the Clay County Cattlemen's Beef Eating Contest, held Tuesday at the Clay County Regional Events Center, in conjunction with the Business After Hours event hosted by the Cattlemen and Cabernet Catering. ...

Building an eco-savy generation (05/15/08)
Over 200 sixth graders from Spencer, Clay Central-Everly and South Clay schools took part in Wednesday's "Outdoor Classroom" -- a program that has been presented to the Clay County students for over two decades, coordinated by the Clay County Soil & Water Conservation District. ...

Iowa Lakes Regional Water receives $2.2 million loan (05/02/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff A Spencer-based regional water system received a significant loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to an announcement Thursday from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Iowa Lakes Regional Water in Spencer will receive a $2,236,000 loan to construct and improve service in the Iowa Lakes Regional Water area. The funding will allow the rural water system to add approximately 150 new customers...

Willow Creek Watershed awarded grant (04/30/08)
Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Commissioner Jerry Crew announced late last week that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded a grant to the district designed to aid in the development of water quality strategies in the Willow Creek Watershed...

2007 Citizen of the Year Nomination Letters (04/03/08)
NOMINATION: TOM & WENDY VAN TASSEL This may be somewhat overdue, and I know it will not come close to including all they are involved in and what they have done for Spencer, but I will give it a try anyway. This nomination is actually for two of Spencer's finest and most deserving couple. ...

Kick-off meeting scheduled for Willow Creek project (04/03/08)
Last spring, an informational meeting was held at Rossie to discuss the possibility of developing a water testing program to determine the water quality of the Willow Creek. Due to impressive interest of the residents living in the watershed who attended the meeting, the Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District, in conjunction with the Clay County Iowa State University Extension Service, was able to secure a grant to complete a watershed assessment...

TRIFECTA! (03/20/08)
-Local KFC namedthe 'Best of the Best' for third straight year- The KFC® Restaurant at 913 S. Grand Ave. in Spencer has been named "Best of the Best" in KFC operations and customer service. The award-winning restaurant is managed by Bryan Sebastian and Amy Beck...