Sports Books

RIVERS ON THE RISE - Little Sioux projected to reach 14.6 feet by Friday (03/16/10)
The Little Sioux River is exhibiting the effects (above and below) of a combination of rain and snow melt in recent days as it floods the bike trails and West Leach Park near the Grand Avenue bridge in downtown Spencer. A flood warning was issued shortly after noon on Sunday. ...

Regional Basketball postponed (02/23/10)
The Spencer High School Girls' Regional basketball game against Storm Lake at Cherokee, scheduled for Tuesday night, has been postponed to Wednesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. at Cherokee.

State snowfall inches into record books (02/23/10)
Blizzard by blizzard, inch by inch, this Iowa winter is going down in history. As of the most recent numbers, released by State Climatologist Harry Hillaker on Thursday, the statewide snowfall average is 43.1 inches. Though not official, the local numbers are much higher than the state average...

Burnette, Suter fight to headline Spencer Sprawl (02/16/10)
Tri-State Cage Fighting will be making its debut with Spring Sprawl at the Clay County Regional Events Center, Saturday, Feb. 20. Eric Burnette from Hartley, is scheduled to fight Trevor Suter of Estherville in the 155-pound main event of the evening. The two area fighters were scheduled to meet in late 2009, but Suter was unable to compete. Several other fights will be on the card including other area competitors...

Girls hoops pairing released: three local teams land home games (01/23/10)
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released its 2009-10 postseason pairings on Friday. Check out where your team is headed.

Brockshus named Flagfest Youth Ambassador (01/19/10)
Spencer High School senior Hannah Brockshus was named the 2010 Flagfest Youth Ambassador Sunday afternoon, and Carrie Cunningham and Emily Jones were named first and second alternates, respectively. The daughter of Todd and Barb Brockshus, of Fostoria, participates in individual and large group speech, Thespians, Key Club, band and soccer as a high school student. ...

Female bull rider's spirit honored with Try Award (01/07/10)
Alyssa Vanderhoff lived life to the fullest. She did it her own special way in what some believe to be a man's world. The 15-year-old's spirit -- and passion for bull riding -- was honored recently during a special tribute at the Extreme Bullriding Tour's finale. The finals championship hosted New Year's Eve in Madison, Neb., celebrated the conclusion of the 2009 season for the Extreme Bullriding Tour.

The unbreakable bond of friends (01/04/10)
Before South Clay, there was Gillett Grove Consolidated School. Four students from the former school's class of 1939 remain steadfast comrades to this day. They've also stayed avid supporters of the northwest Iowa community they grew up in. ...

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. ...

Mediacom: No Insight Bowl after all (12/30/09)
Iowa State-Minnesota bowl game blacked out The Mediacom customers in Spencer and Iowa Great Lakes won't be able to see the Insight Bowl at home on New Year's Eve after all. The 5 p.m. game matches Iowa State and Minnesota and is only being carried in central Iowa -- with permission from NFL Network...

Heroes came in all shapes and sizes (12/26/09)
He's not faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He can't swing from a web like a spider. He can't turn invisible, burst into flame or stretch his body. But make no doubt about it, Chase Wells is a hero. ...

Lakes group seeking regional help with ice arena (12/19/09)
Ice ice baby. That's the idea being promoted by a group of area winter sports enthusiasts who are seeking to add ice hockey and figure skating to the various seasonal sports offerings available to Lakes region youth and adults. Mitch Brandt and Brett Hetland, representing the Lakes Area Hockey Association, appeared before the Clay County Board of Supervisors this week proposing the "Rink of Dreams" -- a multipurpose ice and recreation center for the Iowa Lakes Corridor community...

Soccer overseas: Coach taking U16 group to soccer's home (12/19/09)
A group of 16 and under soccer players from northwest Iowa are making plans to test their skills in a country where the sport isn't just a pastime, it's a way of life. From Aug. 6-15, 2010, a club team comprised of players from Spencer, Spirit Lake, Lake Park, Okoboji, Algona and other communities in the area will journey to Manchester and London, England, for a little soccer playing, training, viewing -- oh, and a little tourism, too...

Dance teams gearing up for big December (12/01/09)
Fifteen Spencer Middle School girls have come together to form the Dance Force (above), while 20 young ladies from the high school, comprising "The Strutters" are preparing for their Iowa State competition on Friday at Veteran's Auditorium in Des Moines. ...

The power of words (11/27/09)
Before dismissing for an extended Thanksgiving weekend, Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School students divided up Wednesday morning to hear gender-specific messages from "local celebrities" about how their words can either hurt or build up other people. Devin van Holsteijn, who is pursuing music and business management courses as a Drake University freshman, relayed to the male IGLLS students, right, that he was very active and excelled as a swim team and band member while dual enrolled as a homeschooled and a Spencer High School student. ...

Iowa, ISU still look good in bowl picture (11/21/09)
Editor's note: On back-to-back Tuesdays, Daily Reporter Staff Writer Russ Mitchell has surveyed national coverage and blogged about potential bowl destinations for Iowa and Iowa State. The bowl pairings will be announced on Dec. 6. Here's a look at his coverage earlier this week at spencerdailyreporter.com....

'Wild Cow Ride' seeking teams for rodeo event (11/17/09)
It's just one short week until the bulls and cowboys will be in the Clay County Regional Events Center arena and the dirt is already coming in. S & G Bucking Productions brings the Maurer/DemCo Touring Pro PBR to Spencer, Iowa, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21...

Poet laureate to headline 'Written Word' event (11/17/09)
In February 2009, Governor Chet Culver announced Mary Swander's appointment as Poet Laureate of the State of Iowa. For Swander, a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers Workshop and a Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University, this was just the latest of a long string of awards, including an Iowa Author's Award in 2006 and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award in 1981...

Cherokee native to be part of PBR visit (11/14/09)
The toughest sport on dirt will make a stop at the Clay County Regional Events Center when the Mauer/DemCo Touring Pro PBR stops in Spencer Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21. When it arrives, Allan Dessel, a Cherokee native, will be sharing the spotlight with some pretty tough cowboys and extremely large bovine...

Former SHS students represented well at last USD home game (11/13/09)
Saturday was a big day for a number of Spencer High School alumni. The setting was the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. The evening football game hosted there, which pitted the University of South Dakota (USD) Coyotes against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, marked the last home football game of the season for the Coyotes. Their 45-21 win over Southern Utah had USD finishing 4-1 at home this season...

Holiday Family Adoption under way (11/10/09)
The Holiday Family Adoption program kicks off today with the first listing of families in The Daily Reporter. The Holiday Family Adoption Program, a Spencer-area holiday staple, allows generous area families, businesses and service groups to share in the holiday spirit and bounty...

Rep. King wades into Limbaugh, Rams ownership (10/30/09)
U.S. Rep. Steve King used a Capitol Hill appearance by Roger Goodell to press the NFL Commissioner about conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who was removed from a group trying to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Goodell was testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday to examine the long-term effects of head injury among NFL players...

Iowa football playoff pairings revealed (10/24/09)
Clay Central-Everly was the only team left standing in the local coverage area when the Iowa High School Athletic Association released the 2009 postseason football pairings late Friday night. The pairings included all potential matchups in bracket form, beginning with substate games and showing each postseason qualifier's road to "The Dome."...

The toughest sport on dirt (10/06/09)
The rules are simple. Place a wiry 150-pound cowboy on the back of a hulking, snorting temperamental 2,000 pound bull and see if he can ride the beast for an eternal eight seconds... with one hand strapped to the bull's massive backside. S & G Bucking Productions brings the PBR Enterprise Tour to Spencer on Nov. 20-21...

Myron follows up fair with library appearance (09/26/09)
Meet Author Vicki Myron from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Spencer Public Library. Spencer's own, Myron, author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, makes a return visit to promote her brand new children's book, Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! Books will be available to purchase at the event by On Eagle's Wings of Spencer. ...

New board welcomed, $210,000 foundation gift presented (09/24/09)
Before three new board members were sworn in Tuesday night, retiring Spencer school board members David Schlichtemeier, Ed Ver Steeg and Barb Van Wyk were recognized for their years of service to the district and the community. Superintendent Greg Ebeling presented each with a plaque and then thanked the outgoing board members for their contributions...

Spencer to celebrate homecoming next week (09/22/09)
James Bond 009 will spring into action as Spencer students, residents and volunteers alike put their own spin on the fictional James Bond 007 spy character during this year's homecoming celebrations, which officially begin on Monday, Sept. 28, and last through Saturday, Oct. 3...

Vicki Myron's children's book to appear at Clay County Fair (09/10/09)
Vicki Myron will have her children's book available at the Clay County Fair. For a story on the children's book and her new projects associated with Dewey Readmore Books, see Thursday's Daily Reporter.

Nothwehr serving Denver youth, leading them to Christ (09/03/09)
Caleb Nothwehr may have majored in journalism at the University of Kansas, but he's found his calling as a mentor who shares good news. The Young Life staff member leads weekly programs at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver where messages about Jesus are shared at the end of each session in a language that the students can understand and relate to. ...

Dance joins list of SHS offerings (08/08/09)
As camps wrap up for the summer, one will still be logging 16 hours over the course of the next two days. No, it's not football, they wrapped up their week of daily two-hour sessions on Friday. No, these campers are working through three, eight-hour days to perfect their craft, battling through sore muscles and nagging injuries just like the participants in Spencer High School's more traditional athletic camps...

Peterson artist paints her lifelong passion (07/25/09)
Barb McGee has been drawing them from the time she could hold a pencil. But it wasn't until she turned 13, opened the pages of "Quarter Horse Journal" and saw the beautiful painted equines by Darol Dickinson and the late Orren Mixer that her fate was sealed. ..

Extreme Am VI events announced (07/25/09)
Celebrating six years this year, Spencer's Extreme Am skateboard competition and festival will take place over the course of two days at East Leach Park Skatepark on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16. This free event offers amateur skateboarders from around the region to come together and compete in three competitions: Freestyle, vert and big air. ...

Board to ready for 2009-10 school year Tuesday (07/18/09)
The Spencer Community Schools Board of Education will convene its monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, in the board room of the central administrative offices, located at 23 E. Seventh St. Approval of consent items, including minutes from the June 30 and July 8 board meetings, bills, a teacher employment and sharing agreement for a 2009-10 swimming program with the Spencer Family YMCA for $3,740 if the district provides school year busing for the YMCA or for $5,280 if it doesn't, and personnel recommendations will then be sought.. ...

Whispers from the spirits of Everly's past (07/17/09)
Looking for an opportunity to gain a bit of a historic perspective about the people who helped make Everly what it is -- take part in the Cemetery Walk at Lone Tree Cemetery from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18. Walking tours will leave every half hour...

Everly teen practices way to nationals (07/11/09)
Practice. Practice. Practice. It's what Jared Thompson plans to rely on as he competes in the National High School Finals Rodeo, scheduled from July 19-25 in Farmington, N.M. The rural Everly teenager will be competing in the steer wrestling and team roping events there.

Storm cited as factor in fatal crash (07/11/09)
The Clay County Sheriff's Department said Thursday's stormy weather may have contributed to a fatal, head-on collision one mile west of Ruthven near the Palo Alto County line. The crash claimed 77-year-old Opal Lucille Frerichs of Spencer. Deputies think she was traveling east in a 1991 Corsica. She drifted into the westbound lane and into the path of oncoming traffic along U.S. Highway 18 at 4:20 p.m. Frerichs was pronounced dead at the Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg...

Wilkerson heading to American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. (07/10/09)
Matt Wilkerson has been deemed the "cream of the crop." The Spencer teenager will join Daniel Rediske, of Waverly, to represent the state of Iowa during the upcoming American Legion Boys Nation summer session. The citizenship and government program, scheduled from July 17-25, will provide participants with a week of government training in Washington, D.C., and will be comprised of lectures and forums with visits to federal agencies, institutions, memorials and historical sites.

Store, museum celebrate Everly's 125 years (07/09/09)
With its big Quasquicentennial celebration right around the corner, volunteers in Everly are gearing up for the event. Committees have been meeting for months to prepare the dozens of events and activities which will draw thousands to the small town located just west of Spencer. Everly school alumni will return, and families will open their homes to relatives back to celebrate the big event...

Spencer to tackle religion in the public schools (07/03/09)
Is there a place for religious expression in public schools? Should history be taught to students via the Bible and texts dealing with Darwinism in a public school district's classrooms? Spencer school board members, with hoped-for input from members of the public, are planning to address issues such as these with a draft religious liberty policy currently under consideration...

South Clay committee sets dissolution timeline (07/02/09)
A tentative timeline for bringing patrons and neighboring districts into the South Clay dissolution process has been established. The Clay County school district's dissolution is scheduled to take effect following the 2009-10 school year. As an organizational meeting of the Dissolution Commission Committee for South Clay School District was held Tuesday in the Gillett Grove school building's board room, Barry Anderson was appointed to serve as the committee's chairperson. ...

Plan to address school leadership structure change (06/12/09)
Classes may have dismissed for the summer, but some Iowa school officials still find themselves working to develop and approve new leadership structures for their districts. As requested by the Department of Education, the move marks one of the first requirements for the eventual statewide implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum. ...

Westview Memorial Park master plan approved (06/11/09)
A master plan was approved for Spencer's only arboretum-style park by Spencer Park Board members this week. The plan for Westview Memorial Park, which was presented by local landscape architect Matt Matthiesen and Karl Van Cura of Midwest Design Group in Sioux City, carried a detailed phasing of the enhancements it proposes, as well as a rough $899,046 cost estimate tied to their realization...

Cleaning the Little Sioux: Wal-Mart employees, volunteers sweep river for junk (05/30/09)
If you're going to plan a cleanup project, why not plan it on a beautiful day and include canoes and a river as two of your key tools. Starting from two different points, Wal-Mart employees from the Spencer and Storm Lake stores worked together to help cleanup one of northwest Iowa's main waterways. ...

South Clay district planning to dissolve following 2009-10 (05/28/09)
A longtime area school district will see its last students next fall. A group of area residents finds itself preparing to advance through a dissolution process for South Clay School District. The district's dissolution is scheduled to take effect following the 2009-10 school year...

Briefs 5-23-09 (05/23/09)
Farmers Market is returning with an opening date of May 23. Early season vegetables available. Located in the parking lot of the Southpark Mall. --- Come learn about Global Positioning System (GPS) and the sport of geocaching. GPS units will be used to find hidden treasure at Huston Park. Located at the nature center at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 23. The event is sponsored by the Palo Alto Soil & Water Conservation District and the Palo Alto County Conservation Board...

Volunteer help, financial donations being sought for new clubhouse (05/22/09)
Just as the new clubhouse being built on the Spencer Municipal Golf Course nears fruition, the course's superintendent is requesting assistance in order to complete the project's finishing touches. Anticipating contractors will be done with their work on the clubhouse in early July, plans are for the building to open for business by the first part of August...

City moves ahead with new industrial park (05/21/09)
The proposed industrial park in east Spencer took another step forward Monday with action from the Spencer City Council. The city has made its way through the the bidding process for a water and sewer extension, when council members approved the contract and bond...

McGaffin tells graduating seniors to 'remember the lilies' (05/12/09)
For more SHS baccalaureate pictures, visit: http://www.spencerdailyreporter.com/gall...

SHS seniors recognized with scholarships, awards (05/12/09)
The Spencer High School Senior Recognition Night was held Sunday, May 10 in the old Spencer Middle School auditorium. The following student recipients were awarded local and regional scholarships: Katie Simons - Bethany Lutheran Church Scholarship; Timothy Juza and Alex Seaman -- Clay County Cattlemen's Association Scholarship; Katie Simons and Victoria Foerster -- Clay County Farm Bureau Scholarship; Spencer Swanson, Timothy Juza, Katie Miller and Megan Zenkovich - Daybreakers Kiwanis Scholarship; Caitlyn Peterson and Felicia Essick - Eastern Star/Masonic Lodge Scholarship; Katie Miller -- Employment Connections, Inc. ...

'Dewey' movie on fast track (05/08/09)
The woman who's agreed to write the script for the upcoming movie based on Dewey Readmore Books' life is a natural for the job at hand. Pamela Gray has a cat paraphernalia collecting fever. She's been visiting people and places in Spencer this week, and she's jotting her important notes worth remembering in a notebook covered with cartoon cats. She currently has 10 cats of her own. The woman even has a tiger stripe tattoo -- based on the stripes of tigers she fell in love with while serving as a volunteer zookeeper -- inked on her right shoulder. --- It's safe to say that Vicki Myron, Spencer's former librarian-turned-author, feels a bit overwhelmed at times. She's busy. Even before her and Bret Witter's "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" book became a No. 1 bestseller, Myron had been working the media channels to promote it...

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