Transportation And Shipping

Semi collision blocks beltway (03/18/10)
A collision involving a pair of semi trucks at the intersection of B24 and M50 on Spencer's east beltway limited traffic for approximately two hours Wednesday afternoon on the busy bypass. Details were limited at press time Wednesday evening, but according to responders on the scene, a Schuster semi cab out of LeMars was hauling a Bomgaars trailer, traveling west on B-24 toward Spencer when he crossed in front of the UPS semi truck after properly stopping at the intersection. ...

Three teens injured in Monday's accident (03/11/10)
Despite crinkled cars, none of the teens involved in a collision Monday afternoon received life-threatening injuries. The accident happened at 3:37 p.m. when a 1992 Jeep driven by Nicholas Dischler collided into the 1996 Ford Taurus driven by Raymond Foerster. Dischler was westbound on E. Park St. when Foerster, headed southbound on Eighth Ave. E., failed to yield the right of way...

Milford man dies in two car accident (02/25/10)
A Tuesday afternoon accident claimed the life of a Milford man and injured another in the 2900 block of Highway Blvd. in Spencer. Twenty-nine-year-old Jacob Ralph, of Milford, was traveling southbound on Highway Blvd. when, according to the Spencer Police Department report, apparently lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle -- driven by 31-year-old Kevin Schley, also of Milford...

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...

Ruthven man victim of fatal crash (02/11/10)
Brian Hoover, 32, of Ruthven, died as the result of a collision with a semi one-half mile south of Graettinger early Tuesday morning. At 6:15 a.m., Hoover was traveling southbound on Highway 4 in his 2007 Ford Focus when a 2007 Freightliner operated by Scott Spillers, 45, of Adel, collided into the driver's side of his vehicle...

Woman killed in semi-car crash (02/05/10)
Deborah Weideman, 18, of Estherville, was the victim of a fatal accident four miles north of the intersection of Highways 4 and 18 Thursday morning. Weideman was driving northbound on Highway 4 when she lost control of her vehicle and crossed the center line. Her vehicle was struck by a semi with a grain trailer driven by Todd Travis, 45, of Mallard, forcing both vehicles into the east ditch...

A storm to remember (12/29/09)
The 2 feet of snow accompanied by ice and wind which buried northwest Iowa residents over the extended Christmas holiday weekend caused havoc for many area families. But despite the problems which reared their ugly heads, those impacted worked together to remove snow, handle power outages and help dig each other out. ...

Shine Bros. receives DOT rail grant (12/12/09)
The Iowa Department of Transportation on Tuesday included funding for a Spencer scrap recycling company in its latest round of Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant program awards. A total of $311,071 was awarded to the Shine Bros. Corporation at an Iowa Department of Transportation Commission meeting Tuesday. The funding package includes a $206,071 loan and a $105,000 grant...

Deer firearm season opens Saturday (12/04/09)
The first round of shotgun-season deer hunters will be heading into Iowa's wooded areas at sunrise Saturday morning. This year's two seasons -- scheduled Dec. 5-9 and Dec. 12-20 -- are expected to once again attract a large crowd. ...

75 years and still in love (12/03/09)
Hjelmer and Dorothy Huberg are rapidly approaching the celebration of another milestone in their lives. The couple, from Royal, plans to quietly mark their 75th wedding anniversary with family and friends later this month. Both clearly remember the day they wed as if it were yesterday. ...

Kapco takes over Postal Pack & Ship (12/03/09)
One perk of moving a shipping business from one location to another? Rounding up the packing peanuts and bubble wrap shouldn't be a problem. In August, Kapco Pack & Ship owners Tom and Angela Chavez purchased Postal Pack & Ship, which operated out of a small store at the corner of Seventh Street and Grand Avenue in Spencer...

Crash near Moneta injures four (12/01/09)
Crash investigators are still looking into a head-on collision in western Clay County, which sent four people to the hospital Monday morning. The Clay County Sheriff's Office received a report of a two-car traffic crash in the 3500 mile of 100th Avenue, just north of unincorporated Moneta at about 10:20 a.m...

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...

Tractor, two cars collide on bridge (11/17/09)
Three drivers were injured, but recovering after a collision involving farm equipment and oncoming traffic Friday evening. Clay County deputies say 20-year-old Seth Small, of Royal, was westbound at about 9:51 p.m. Friday and attempting to get a 1994 International Harvester Tractor across the Little Sioux Bridge in the 2500 block of Highway 18...

Cast a vote for local 'Every 15 Minutes' video (11/06/09)
A local video dramatizing the dangers of drinking and driving has been named one of 13 top entries in a national contest. The just over 31-minute video, which was produced by Spencer Municipal Utilities staff this past spring, features Clay Central-Everly students and other area representatives who'd been involved in a local drunk driving accident, as well as ensuing court and funeral scenarios. ...

NTSB issues report on fatal crash near Sanborn (11/03/09)
Federal aviation officials say it may take about 60 days for the National Transportation Safety Board to finalize the cause of a small plane crash June 23 in a corn field near Sanborn. The crash killed all three Wisconsin men on board and a factual report released Oct. 28 by the NTSB suggests the single-engine Piper was low on fuel. Ted Lopatkiewicz, an NTSB spokesman, said the board will use the factual report to issue a determination of probable cause...

Cruise vessel safety legislation passes House (10/24/09)
Advocates for cruise ship safety are applauding House passage Friday of language authored by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) to improve safety of cruise ship passengers on the high seas. Matsui's Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act of 2009 was included in H.R. ...

OF NOTE: Tailgate meal moving inside (10/16/09)
Fans going to tonight's game against Sergeant Bluff-Luton are invited to a tailgate meal and should note a change in location. The cool and soggy weather is moving meal service inside to the student center at Spencer High School. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Northwest Bank in Spencer will serve pork loin sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and drink for $5...

Local comrades share service (10/13/09)
The mood was jovial among the local veterans who departed Spencer Monday afternoon in a van provided by H&N Chevrolet Buick of Spencer. After submitting applications and patiently awaiting responses from the trip's organizer, each of the seven World War II veterans knew their time had come...

'Creating Grand Opportunities' -- a communitywide strategic plan (10/09/09)
Tarrel Storey and Dan Heissel, co-chairs of the Spencer Vision Coordinating Committee, unveiled a 36-project plan designed to make Spencer a better place to "Live Work and Play." Building on a theme originating with the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor of Opportunity, a team of approximately 40 Spencer area residents worked together under the label, "Spencer Area Strategic Planning Team," dedicating four-plus hours a month for the past 12 months to come up the project bases designed to build on the assets that Spencer already offers.. ...

Whittemore man's last act may have saved others (09/29/09)
The driver of a semi transporting fuel may have spared others from harm by pulling his rig off well-traveled U.S. Highway 18 near Spencer during a medical emergency. Dana Aaron Lee, of Whittemore, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Spencer Hospital. His truck was found, with the motor running, in a ditch less than three miles east of the city at about 3:35 a.m. Saturday. Traffic investigators ruled out a crash impact as the cause of Lee's death...

Krause stumps for Grassley's seat at fair (09/15/09)
U.S. Senate aspirant Bob Krause (D-Fairfield) campaigned Saturday at the Clay County Fair. The 59-year-old, who acknowledges he faces stiff odds in his bid to defeat Iowa's senior senator, readily recited the handful of colorful statements his foe has made over the last few months, recited the incumbent's voting record and then forecast "that the winds they are a changing." ...

Lost at sea -- Kendall Carver's crusade (09/12/09)
The days of business cards and power-point presentations were supposed to be in the past for 72-year-old Kendall Carver, a member of the Spencer High School class of 1954. He retired to Phoenix 15 years ago after a successful career as an insurance executive in New York City. It's the stage of life when hobbies, grandchildren and travel should replace the appointment book...

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...

Pilot error cited in aircraft crash (09/04/09)
A National Transportation Safety Board review suggests pilot error was the cause of a crop duster crash in rural Clay County. The crash occurred less than two miles south of Royal on Aug. 3. A call about the plane crash came into the Clay County Communication Center at about 8:30 a.m...

RIDES awarded $1.6 million in federal stimulus funds (08/06/09)
RIDES fared well in the recent doling out of federal stimulus dollars. The Spencer-based Regional Transit Authority was awarded $1.669 million in stimulus funds. Of this amount, $1.519 million is earmarked for the purchase of 23 new vehicles, ranging from minivans to light duty buses. ...

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.. ...

Moving day approaches for 'Gary's on the River' project (06/11/09)
The story looked like it was going to end in 1993 for a 111-year-old church along East Fifth Street. That's when a declining, local congregation at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church made the difficult decision to merge with St. Alban's and its Episcopal church congregation in Spirit Lake. Pews were empty, stained glass was dusty; only the local church's signature ivy returned for 16 years...

In-town bus routes remain in question (06/09/09)
The future of in-town school bus routes for Spencer students still hasn't been decided following a public forum Saturday at the district's central offices. As of now, Spencer School Board member Dave Schlichtemeier told about 30 school district patrons that the district will not provide "discretionary busing at taxpayer expense" for the upcoming school year...

Public forum on busing set for Saturday (06/05/09)
The Spencer Community School District will conduct a public hearing at 9 a.m. Saturday to seek input from patrons about changes to discretionary busing policies. The proposed new policy calls for a daily, $1 user fee to bus students who are picked up less than two miles from their school building. The cost is $175 for the entire school year. Families with more than two students would be capped at $350 per year...

Funding paves way for smooth landing (05/09/09)
Federal funding came through for an extensive improvement project at that Northwest Iowa Regional Airport. U.S. Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley announced a $153,614 grant for the city of Spencer to make repairs at the airport's shorter, north-and-south runway...

Postal carriers gathering food today (05/08/09)
Local members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, will be collecting food today. This marks the 15th year the nationwide "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive has helped families in need in the community...

Sending a solemn message (04/24/09)
The impacts of drinking and driving were brought front and center for Clay Central-Everly High School students Thursday afternoon as they witnessed two friends -- Tasia Nielsen and Mitch Maurer -- "die" before their eyes. Peers and community members had been working behind the scenes over the past month to illustrate the fact that a person is killed in alcohol-related accidents every 15 minutes on U.S. roadways.

Every 15 Minutes (04/23/09)
Select students were escorted from their classrooms by the Grim Reaper - one at a time every 15 minutes between 8:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. - in a drunk driving scenario that played out before the CC-E students Wednesday. The removals were part of a larger effort to educate the children and community on the danger's of drinking and driving. This collaborative effort between students, parents, the school district and the Clay County Sheriff's Office...

Four injured in two-vehicle crash (04/09/09)
Four area residents were taken to Spencer Hospital following a two-vehicle crash at 5:51 p.m. Tuesday along Highway 18 near St. Lukes Drive. None of the injuries were considered incapacitating, according to a traffic report from the Spencer Police Department. All four occupants were wearing their seat belts...

Learn to walk before you jump (03/31/09)
Third and fourth grade students at Fairview (top), Lincoln, Johnson and Sacred Heart elementary schools in Spencer began changing the local culture Monday as they took part in a program aimed at increasing exercise levels. The eight-week program, which will continue through May 22 and is funded in part through a grant from the Department of Transportation, will have students either walking outside or inside their school buildings during their Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunch breaks. ...

Iowa Lakes Charter ready to serve as northwest Iowa's new 'fun bus' (03/28/09)
The "Destination ... Fun!" sign painted on front of Crystal O'Clair's 14-passenger shuttle bus tells the story. The owner/operator of Iowa Lakes Charter, LLC -- the area's newest charter service -- is ready to get rolling on Midwestern roadways and serving residents' transportation needs...

Deputies take driving safety sTEP by sTEP (03/13/09)
Clay County Deputy Jesse Rustad doesn't know what a late-morning patrol is going to bring. On Thursday, it delivered some dry traveling conditions, good seat belt use and drivers who didn't flaunt the speed limit on U.S. Highway 18 between Dickens and Spencer...

East Milwaukee gets to stretch (03/11/09)
The city of Spencer is seeing the first drops of a $789 billion economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama in February. The money was funneled through the Iowa Department of Transportation, to Spencer on Tuesday. The city will receive $422,500 for an extension of East Milwaukee Street through a Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy (RISE) grant...

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)...

Spencer man receives 30-year sentence (03/05/09)

Board suggests residents pay for some transportation (02/21/09)
Spencer school board members threw a late twist in their 2009-10 budget-cutting discussions Thursday night as they moved to reduce discretionary in-town busing and turn it into a pay-for situation. The very last motion made during the evening work session -- approved 3-2, with Todd Korbitz and Marti Bomgaars dissenting, -- moved the $25,127 discretionary transportation item below the proposed cut line...

Area superintendents respond to lawmaker's proposed school mergers (02/11/09)
An Iowa lawmaker wants to speed up the consolidation of school districts in the state. State Sen. Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says he will introduce a bill to force about two-thirds of Iowa's districts to merge. He wants to target districts with fewer than 750 students, and free up tens of millions of dollars in administrative costs that could be spent on teachers and students...

Area search under way for 'Kids Against Hunger' volunteers (02/10/09)
Area volunteers are being sought to take part in a March 7 event that'll not only be fun, but is guaranteed to fill the heart. The service project anticipated to be filled with fellowship will have interested individuals and groups signing up to package meals for Kids Against Hunger...

Tricky weather causes new hazards (01/24/09)
The treacherous roads and sub-zero wind chills are back. Arctic high pressure brought much colder air in for the weekend as temperatures fell into the single digits and teens below zero in the overnight hours leading into Saturday. Strong winds carried some snow across Clay County roads Friday afternoon and contributed to a single-car accident at 2:23 p.m. on county road B24, about halfway between Spencer and Dickens...

Where Spencer's snow goes (01/15/09)
Ever wonder where all the snow removed from Spencer's streets is taken each winter -- and how it gets there? It doesn't just disappear on its own accord. The group effort needed to remove any accumulated snow requires Spencer's street division workers to haul it. Staff and supervisors from other city departments also assist in the snow-removal process, especially when the job requires around-the-clock plowing...

Lake Park fire engulfs three downtown buildings (12/30/08)
A fire in downtown Lake Park flattened three buildings on Sunday morning, bringing in 11 fire departments to help extinguish the blaze. Lake Park Fire Chief Brandon Ehret says the Lake Park Fire Department was called to the Hemphill Family Care building at approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28. for a reported building on fire. Hemphill Family Care is located at 204 Market Street in downtown Lake Park...

Vehicular homicide case delayed (12/02/08)
A Spencer man's trail related to a traffic death in August has been delayed. James Owen Prather, 51, of Spencer faces felony charges of vehicular homicide, serious injury by motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Prather pleaded not guilty to the charges and waived his right to a speedy trial. The case was set to begin Tuesday at the Clay County Courthouse...

Drunk driving remains a concern (11/20/08)
Before the end of the month, Spencer Police Chief Mark Lawson says he will have an extra officer out on patrol on Friday and Saturday nights. The added patrol, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., is being made possible for the next 10-12 months through a grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau. Drunk driving is a much-needed focus, according to Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow...

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