Residential Fires

Blaze destroys Crescent Electric building (03/09/10)
Spencer volunteer firefighters were on the scene of a fire Saturday for 10 hours, but were unable to save the Crescent Electric building at 419 E. First St. The building and its contents are considered a total loss, with damages that could exceed $2 million...

Gas line rupture cause of General Traffic Control fire Saturday (02/18/10)
A joint investigation between the Spencer Fire-Rescue Department and the Iowa State Fire Marshals office has ruled the Saturday fire at General Traffic Control in south Spencer as accidental. No intentional sources for the fire were determined, instead the investigators discovered the fire was located in a furnace room in the south office area of the the building. ...

Firefighters battle blaze in midst of winter storm (02/16/10)
Snow began falling early and really picked up in the evening Saturday as firefighters from the Spencer and Royal volunteer fire departments battled a commercial fire at General Traffic Controls, south of Spencer along Highway 71 -- spending approximately six hours on site and using 15,000 gallons of water to get the blaze under control...

Little Lola wouldn't wait (02/05/10)
Most American babies have a hospital or clinic listed as their birthplace. Not Lola Snow Johnson. She was simply too impatient to wait for her dad Ira to navigate through rush-hour traffic and a construction zone from their home in Conifer, Colo., to a midwife clinic in Denver, where her mom, Robyn, was planning to have her delivered...

Heilstedt pleads guilty to 2008 arson charge (01/21/10)
On Tuesday, during a scheduled hearing, Brenda Lee Heilstedt of Spencer, withdrew her not guilty plea with regards to arson charges stemming from a fire that broke out at a home she owned on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008; and pled guilty to arson in the second degree, a Class C felony...

Snow, cold can wreak havoc on roofs (01/16/10)
Mother's Nature's gift of nearly 50 inches of snow over the past month has left piles everywhere - on streets, sidewalks, parking lots and on roofs. The thick blankets of snow covering business and residential buildings can cause problems big and small...

Grand opening at remodeled SMS (01/15/10)
The "familiar partners" who chose to collaborate in "unfamiliar territory" on Spencer's newest $5 million rehabilitation project officially celebrated their endeavor being completed "on time and on budget" Thursday in downtown Spencer. Those partners -- the Spencer school district, the Friends of the Auditorium group, Community Housing Initiatives (CHI) and the Spencer Area Activity Center (SAAC) -- gathered with other key participants and members of the general public to mark the grand opening of the Spencer School Apartments and the town's senior center in the former Spencer High School and Spencer Middle School building located at 104 E. Fourth St. ...

Old classroom becomes new home (01/12/10)
Lois Beck is excited about her new home in a Spencer historical landmark. Eager to move Friday afternoon into her brand new apartment in the former Spencer Middle School building, she's already splurged on a new television set to accentuate the space's open floor plan. She's also purchased a Christmas tree, which she plans to proudly display in her dwelling's large set of windows next holiday season. Beck will formally claim the space as her own when her Candlewick and Copenhagen Christmas plates, and the cup and saucer collection started years ago by her mother-in-law are placed in her daughter's former classroom. Cheryl Hurst, Beck's daughter, taught English in the same room that has now been remodeled into her mother's apartment. ...

Canine improving lives through service (12/31/09)
More often than not, Katie is a welcome addition whenever she visits. In fact, the 3-year-old Golden Retriever owned by Jim and Judy Taylor, of Spencer, generally elicits welcoming cheers, smiles and extended hands wherever she goes. Over the last couple months, the therapy dog and her certified handlers have become regular visitors to the hospital, a local elementary school, the library and care centers throughout Spencer. ...

SMU, fire departments suggest digging out (12/31/09)
Due to large amounts of snow received in the Spencer area over the holiday weekend, Spencer Municipal Utilities would like to remind customers to dig out their electric and water meters. Likewise, Dave Schipper with the state fire marshal's and the Spencer Fire Department reminded residents who have fire hydrants near their property to try and make them accessible as well -- a measure that will save crucial time in case of a fire on the block...

Save the dates! (12/19/09)
A public open house commemorating a newly-renovated Spencer landmark is set for the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010. Beginning next month, the former Spencer Middle School building located at 104 E. Fourth St. will host apartments owned by Community Housing Initiatives on the second and third floors. ...

Busy construction site (12/17/09)
Like the distinguished Hollywood starlet who wants to prolong her career, the Spencer Community Theatre building has gone in for a nip here and a tuck there. The region's theater fans can expect to see better performances from the ol' girl as a result...

Wahpeton home a total loss after weekend fire (12/15/09)
A home on West Lake has been deemed a complete loss following a fire on Sunday evening. Milford firefighters were called to 1000 West Street in Wahpeton shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 for a report of smoke in the residence and a possible chimney fire...

A home for the holidays (11/28/09)
Amber Quail has two families to be thankful for this holiday season. One includes her daughter, Aubrey, who playfully scooted along the floor of her new home on a Sunday afternoon. It also includes Amber's father, Steve. He brings tears of gratitude to his daughter's eyes whenever she thinks of all the work that went into the house at 12 Hillside Boulevard...

Crash near Dickens injures four (11/24/09)
Four young adults have been treated and released after a single-car crash early Tuesday morning in northeast Clay County. At about 1:30 a.m., the Clay County Sheriff's Office received a report of a single vehicle accident involving injuries in the 3400 mile of 315th Avenue in eastern Clay County, which is about three miles east as a mile north of Dickens...

THRIVENT BUILDS (11/24/09)

Plea agreement reached in Spencer arson case (11/06/09)
Judge Patrick Carr has scheduled a Jan. 19 hearing to consider a guilty plea from a Spencer woman accused of arson 11 months ago. Brenda Lee Heilstedt is expected to plead guilty to a charge of second-degree arson, a Class C felony, as part of the agreement struck by attorneys...

Habitat house dedicated (10/31/09)
The cheerful yellow house across the road from Dairy Queen in Milford is now home to Kassi Cherry and her three daughters Amanda, Haley and Brandie Bushee. The Northwest Iowa Corridor of Habitat for Humanity dedicated the home on Sunday, Oct. 25. Ground was broken March 29...

J&G shows green not just for John Deere (10/01/09)

Back Porch Vintage offering whimsical occasional sales (09/15/09)
Sisters Renae Rosenberg and Kay Rose purchased the quaint, yellow house with a porch entry last winter. "We knew it had a lot of potential with a great location close to downtown Grand Avenue in Spencer," Rosenberg said of their newly-opened business located at 9 E. Second St...

Planning a rally? Better check the fire codes (09/11/09)
The commotion of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and the heat generated by the summer's health care town forums has raised some concerns with Spencer Fire Chief Doug Duncan. He brought up the issue of assembly capacities in public buildings at a recent city staff meeting, saying: "We're going to calculate what the occupancy load factor is, which is the number of people, and that's the way it is going to be."...

Head-on collision injures three (09/05/09)
All three occupants were flown from Spencer by emergency helicopter following a head-on collision Friday morning along U.S. Highway 71. Emergency crews were called out at about 11:15 a.m. to the location. Upon arrival, deputies determined a 2003 Jeep, driven by 32-year-old Jacqueline Larson of Milford, was southbound and crossed the center line...

Less E. coli in Little Sioux: Grant, loan to help treat Sioux Rapids wastewater (07/24/09)
Sioux Rapids is among 15 Iowa communities to receive more than $24 million in federal recovery funds under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The city received a $225,000 Community Development Block Grant and a $227,422 low-interest loan to improve the quality of treated wastewater going from Sioux Rapids into the Little Sioux River...

Terril home project taking shape (07/18/09)
A home repair and rebuilding ministry aimed at assisting lower-income Clay and Dickinson County families has officially taken off. The work currently being accomplished on a Terril home -- the first project house in need of major repairs approved by local Fuller Center for Housing (FCH) partner board members -- began occurring in May...

Spencer grad touts skills learned in debate (06/09/09)
Mark Woolsey credits a Spencer High School teacher and his 1976 start in debate with opening several of the most important doors in his life. Several of those doors have extended onto the international level. The 49-year-old son of Joanne Woolsey, who formerly served as the director of nursing at Longhouse Nursing Home, and the late James Woolsey, who served as a podiatrist in Spencer, has worked the past seven years as a speech and debate instructor at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz. The 1979 SHS graduate also debated in college on scholarship. Woolsey met his wife, Denise, while both were members of the collegiate debate team. On his way to rebuild flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids this past weekend with Sara Krogshede, the foreign exchange student from Denmark the Woolseys have hosted this past school year, the two stopped at Mel and Jan Myers' place in Spencer. There, he fondly recalled the interaction he'd had with other high school students as a debater, deeming it a "great cultural learning experience" for him. ...

Arson cases: One delayed, one resolved (05/07/09)
A Pocahontas man who started a fire in the mental heath wing of Spencer Hospital avoided prison time as part of a plea agreement finalized Tuesday at the Clay County Courthouse in Spencer. Jared Lee Reinholdt entered a plea of guilty to third-degree arson and Judge Nancy Whittenburg suspended a two-year sentence as part of an agreement reached with prosecutors...

Hog confinements damaged in Monday afternoon fire (05/06/09)
Insurance adjusters were on the scene Tuesday evening, still trying to assess the loss after an extensive hog confinement fire 24 hours earlier. Five fire departments responded Monday afternoon when a set of occupied hog confinements caught fire south of the junction of A34 and M27, about 10 miles west of Milford. An insurance company agent will have to review the producer's inventory for an official count, but more than 1,000 sows and piglets were lost...

Extreme Makeover crowns Galm 'big winner' (04/28/09)
For Kay Galm entering the Extreme Home Makeover's "American Home Edition" contest was a no brainer. "I habitually enter contests, so I entered this one," Galm said. Winning however was an entirely new experience. "I entered it, but then I kind of forgot about it. I never win," she continued. "Finally, I get a call from ABC, saying I'm a finalist. I just screamed . I was so excited...

Ver Steeg turns over construction reins (04/25/09)
Ed Ver Steeg recently placed ownership of his construction company's assets in the apt hands of Mark and Cindi Hinton. Circumstances are what prompted the 36-year-old Spencer man, who'd spent the last nine years running his namesake, to let his friends assume responsibility of the charge he loved. Circumstances such as family, job loss, legal issues and perceived growth. Another determining factor was trust. All parties involved in the business transaction are confident their friends, as well as the area at large, will benefit from Ver Steeg Construction becoming Crown Inc.

Fire causes $25,000 in damage to Mige's in Milford (04/24/09)
Fire has struck another Lake area business as flames continue to break out in area structures and grasslands. On Wednesday evening, Milford firefighters battled a blaze at Mige's Restaurant, formerly Dan'z Restaurant, in south Milford. Damage is estimated at over $25,000...

Spencer Main Street earns two awards (04/22/09)
The Spencer Main Street program secured awards for "Best Education/Preservation Design Committee Project" and for "Outstanding Volunteer" during the 22nd Annual Main Street Awards Ceremony, held April 17 in Des Moines. The education/preservation award recognized Spencer Main Street's efforts to catalog 39 historic buildings in its downtown historic commercial district. A plaque explaining the historic significance of each building is displayed at of the properties...

Where there's smoke... (04/18/09)
A controlled blaze over many field acres in northern Spencer, on property west of the Kardell Leasing Company and Pixler Electric buildings, provided a great deal of smoke along the city's horizon, visible from all over town.

Fire caution urged Wednesday (04/15/09)

Easter morning fire engulfs farmhouse (04/14/09)
Fire crews from three area departments were called out to an Easter morning fire just south of Langdon. They arrived too late to spare Ray Allen's farmhouse -- the 35 firefighters from Fostoria, Dickens and Spencer contained the blaze and avoided additional damage to buildings and machines on the property. The Allen farm is near the graveled "T" intersection of 255th Avenue and 310th Street in Clay County...

Habitat for Humanity, Lowe's challenge women builders (04/10/09)
In the days leading up to Mother's Day, construction crews of women volunteers, including recording artist Trisha Yearwood, will be pounding nails and raising walls at Habitat for Humanity construction sites across the country in recognition of National Women Build Week, May 2-10. Lowe's and the Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity are looking for local women volunteers to work one day on the Milford Habitat construction site May 2...

Board commits $1.5 million for capital projects (04/07/09)
Spencer school board members committed $1.5 million in physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL), city and state sales tax revenues for 31 capital projects over fiscal year 2009, which ends June 30, and fiscal year 2010 Monday night. As Superintendent Greg Ebeling noted Spencer is one of a few districts in the state to have city sales tax revenues to draw funding from, he also indicated the district took out an approximately $2.4 million loan against this specific source of funding to pay for the Energy Service Group facility improvements it has undertaken districtwide over the last few years. ...

Arson suspect uses water to cause new damage (04/07/09)
The Pocahontas man accused of intentionally starting a fire at Spencer Hospital faces new charges after deputies say he caused damage at the Clay County Jail. Jared Lee Reinholdt, 31, was placed in solitary confinement following an incident at about 6:20 a.m. Monday. Jailers believe he plugged the shower and stools and turned on faucets to intentionally cause flooding between jail checks...

Patient charged with setting hospital fire (03/31/09)
The Pocahontas man accused of starting a fire at Spencer Hospital March 19 will face a charge of first-degree arson. Jared Lee Reinholdt has been given an April 3 preliminary hearing date in Clay County District Court, but a trial information document typically cancels the need for an appearance...

TNA, Shayla Bee to be highlighted during Saturday night 'showdown' (03/27/09)
Team 3D, tag team challengers competing in the TNA Wrestling company, put a competitor through a burning table during a televised match. Saturday night, with or without the fire, the brothers will look to do the same thing to Beer Money Inc., the current TNA tag team champions. ...

Milford Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking scheduled for Sunday (03/26/09)
The local alliance between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans continues to build hope for low-income families as the mortgage crisis unfolds nationwide. Since 2005, this alliance has given thousands of families across the nation an opportunity to achieve the American dream of homeownership...

Briefs 3-14-09 (03/14/09)
A bird house workshop will be held at 1 p.m. today at Lost Island Nature Center, north of Ruthven. To build a wren house, just bring a hammer. Call (712) 837-4866 for more information. --- A bake sale will be held today at the Southpark Mall. The groups will be: "People to People Ambassador Program" for Devan McCord Fund Raiser and DreamTeam...

Property valuations can lead to questions (03/13/09)
While national statistics show otherwise, properties in Clay County and indeed throughout the state of Iowa have seen increases in value over the past two years. That contradiction could cause some extra headaches over this year for county officials charged with valuing your home or businesses for tax purposes. The public perception and the market realities can be very different...

Briefs 3-13-09 (03/13/09)
A soup and pie fundraiser will be held from 5-8 p.m. tonight at DaySpring Assembly of God Church, 1410 W. 18th St., Spencer. Chef Dr. Darrel Forslund will be serving home-style chicken noodle soup, "27 Spice" chili, and an international selection: Mongolian hot pot soup. Many...

Briefs 3-12-09 (03/12/09)
Spencer City Councilman George Kruger will host a Ward 1 meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at the Spencer Public Library. Bob Fagen, Spencer's city manager, will be the featured guest speaker. --- Spencer Hospital will be holding classes for individuals considered to have "pre-diabetes" -- those with blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be considered a diabetic. ...

Heavy fog leads to accident (03/06/09)
A morning accident sent a 34-year-old Spencer man and a four-year-old child to the Spencer Hospital and then onto a larger regional hospital with undisclosed injuries. At approximately 7:30 a.m. Thursday emergency responders from Everly Fire and Rescue, the Clay County Sheriff's Office and Spencer Hospital were called to the scene of a single car accident at the T-intersection of 150th Avenue and 350th Street (County Road B-24)...

Royal annexation, drainage issues raise concerns (02/25/09)
Royal Mayor Pam Virelli joined the Clay County Supervisors Tuesday morning as the governing board was asked to moved forward with a process that may eventually annex multiple properties in Royal to deal with drainage district issues. Frank Rouse, the county's drainage engineer, explained to Virelli and the board that the discovery of some properties currently utilizing Drainage District 108 are not being charged for the service and are not currently being charged with any associated drainage ditch. ...

Cherish Center volunteers making a difference (02/24/09)
Volunteers are key to the success of any community program, and that includes the building of Cherish Center in north Milford. Pictured above are just some of the people from Dickinson, Clay, Emmet, and Osceola counties who have been volunteering to do the sheetrocking of the 7,500 square feet building which will house the offices of Cherish Center and Thee Garage Sale. ...

Cutty's maintenance building destroyed by electrical fire (01/22/09)
A Monday afternoon fire has destroyed another structure in Dickinson County. Spirit Lake Fire Chief Dave Kollasch said Spirit Lake firefighters got the call at about 1 p.m. Jan. 19 to respond to a fire at the maintenance building at Cutty's. The building is located on the northwest end of the property...

Northwest Iowa Home Show begins today (01/16/09)
The 6th Annual Northwest Iowa Home Show returns to the Clay County Regional Events Center tonight and will continue through the weekend. The free event offers a variety of exhibits and seminars showcasing the latest in home landscaping, building and remodeling products and services...

SCT reprises hit show 'Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story' (01/10/09)
Spencer Community Theatre has been invited to reprise the hit musical "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," as part of the Winter Dance Party festivities celebrating the life and music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" premiered at SCT in February 2008 to sold-out houses and an extended run. ...

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