Teen Parents

Mayor proclaims Family Day (09/17/08)
Spencer Mayor Reynold Peterson was on hand to proclaim Monday, Sept. 22, as Family Day. The occasion was created to encourage families to have dinner with their children on the fourth Monday of each September. Positively Spencer Youth members Wes Simpson, Josie Hough, Amy Simpson and Pat McGee were on hand to emphasize the correlation between frequent family dinners and reduced risk for teen substance abuse...

Swiss educator returns to Spencer (09/12/08)
A former German teacher visited with Spencer High School (SHS) students this week, minimizing the distance between northwest Iowa and Switzerland. Michele (Keller) Rogger, a former flight attendant and teacher, is a stay-at-home mother today to her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. ...

'Safe Routes to School' study underway (08/22/08)
Public reaction to recommendations to occur Sept. 17-18

Kardell sisters donate to Locks of Love (08/06/08)
Sisters Liz and Gabby Kardell both donated to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially-disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss, Tuesday afternoon. The pair, who mark Bruce and Gwen Kardell of Spencer's eldest and youngest of five children, trusted Sam Madison of Design Masters to shear them as their mother, grandmother Shirley Wheeler and friend Jake Kluver watched...

PSY among 24 community programs to receive federal drug free funds (07/26/08)
By Randy M. Cauthron Managing Editor Senator Chuck Grassley announced Thursday that the Office of National Drug Control Policy has awarded $2,208,689 in Drug Free Communities Support Program continuation grants to 24 Iowa communities. Among those communities, Spencer's Positively Spencer Youth group was awarded the top funding amount of $100,000...

Thee Garage Sale expands to Tuesdays (06/06/08)
Thee Garage Sale, a well-known and popular thrift store in the lakes area, is expanding their hours to include Tuesdays effectively immediately. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., every Tuesday through Saturday. Built upon a strong volunteer base, the store helps to raise funds for Cherish House, a maternity home for teen mothers located in the lakes area. ...

Castillo-Alvarez files appeal (05/16/08)
Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez wants the Iowa Supreme Court to take a fresh look at convictions stemming from his involvement in the death of an Estherville teenager 11 years ago. Judge Don Courtney found the former Estherville restaurant owner guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony Jan. 25 at the Palo Alto County Courthouse in Emmetsburg. The guilty verdict came after a trial that spanned parts of three days in September...

Local teen finds success in pageant world (05/12/08)
In a little over two months, Spirit Lake High School freshman Alexandria "Lexi" Schuchert will be onstage speaking, modeling and interviewing to the best of her ability in front of hundreds of people. This July, Lexi, daughter of Chad and Jennifer Schuchert, will travel with her family to the windy city of Chicago to compete in the Miss Teen International Pageant...

Ambassadors meet with PSY reps (05/07/08)
The Spencer Ambassadors met with Amy Simpson and other representatives of Positively Spencer Youth to learn about how the volunteer operated program is serving the needs of the young people in Spencer. The organization has partnered with the schools and other area organizations in the community to put on a series of informative and relevent seminars for teens and parents regarding the dangers on the internet and various types of substance abuse in today's teen culture, the group has also offered several fun activities for families and children to take part in, brought in a variety of positive speakers and worked with other groups such as After Prom and the Extreme Am to add more benefit to those served by each project. ...

'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. ...

Cruising for Kyuss: Raising awareness for autism (04/26/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff April, which has been designated National Autism Awareness Month, seems the perfect time for Damon and Leah Hintz of Spencer to announce that they're the proud parents of two children: Kyuss will mark his sixth birthday in July and Miles Hintz will turn 18 months old on May 3. The eldest of their two sons was diagnosed with autism as a 3-year-old...

Hearing date set in Castillo-Alvarez case (04/03/08)
District Court Judge Don Courtney has set the hearing date for a former Estherville restaurant owner who was convicted for his role in the disappearance and death of an area teenager. Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez's attorney, Mike Williams, filed a motion on March 7 asking Courtney to vacate guilty verdicts on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Castillo-Alvarez wants a new trial...

Ambassadors meet Seasons director (04/02/08)
The Spencer Ambassadors visited the Seasons Center for Community Mental Health to meet new Director, Carrie Baker. Carrie spent 54 years in Ohio before venturing out of state to take the opportunity at Seasons Center. She's been working locally for the past five weeks, overseeing the youth, adult, elderly and special programming services offered by Seasons Center. ...