Voting Districts

Spencer building listed on National Register of Historic Places (03/09/10)
It's official. Spencer's former high school and middle school building at 104 E. Fourth St. is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Administered by the National Park Service, this program is the U.S. government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

Caucuses kick off election season (01/26/10)
What a difference two years can make. On Jan. 3, 2008, about 900 Democrats met across Clay County and more than 600 Republicans convened to participate in the Iowa Caucuses. While Saturday marked the 2010 Iowa Caucuses, participation numbers were anemic with eight Democrats gathering at Iowa Lakes Community College as about 60 Republicans assembled at the Clay County Regional Events Center...

Whiting second to announce plans for District 6 seat (01/05/10)
Spirit Lake native Zach Whiting announced Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the District 6 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Mike May, who has announced that he will not seek re-election in November...

Area banker seeks May's District 6 seat (12/08/09)
Okoboji banker Jeff Smith on Tuesday announced plans to run for the Iowa House District 6 seat currently held by Mike May. May said he will not be seeking re-election in 2010 and voiced support for Smith -- a fellow Republican -- as part of the statement that officially announced Smith's campaign for the seat...

Ne'er too late: 95 year old votes for first time (11/07/09)
Marion Peters heard the same question asked in disbelief, over and over, earlier this week. "You've never voted?" her daughter-in-law, Betty Peters asked. The same question came from Darlene Enderton, the chairwoman of the city of Webb's voting precinct...

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." ...

Spencer voters elect three new board members (09/10/09)
With 996 ballots cast, just over 11 percent of Spencer's total registered voters elected three new school board members Tuesday night. The men elected to serve four-year terms around the Spencer board table include: Bob Whittenburg, Bill Zinn and Dean Mechler. While Whittenburg earned 746 votes, Zinn garnered 698 and Mechler amassed 600 votes. The three men are expected to be officially seated during a Tuesday, Sept. 22, board meeting...

Spencer voters elect three new board members (09/08/09)
With 996 ballots cast, Spencer voters elected three new school board members Tuesday night. The men elected to serve four-year terms around the Spencer board table include: Bob Whittenburg, Bill Zinn and Dean Mechler. While Whittenburg earned 746 votes, Zinn garnered 698 and Mechler amassed 600 votes...

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...

Spencer breaks top 100 in KISS tour bid (05/29/09)
It's still not clear how many local votes it will take to bring arena rock band KISS to Spencer. But it is clear residents are making progress in the Internet bid to "demand" a band visit to the northwest Iowa city of 11,000. Spencer has a chance to "book" a major concert tour stop because the legendary band has put fans in charge of selecting the tour stops through Internet voting at www.Eventful.com. A link to the Eventful voting process is prominent on the www.kissonline.com Web site, too...

City completes EPA, billboard negotiations (01/20/09)
The city of Spencer cleared a major hurdle in negotiations to separate its storm water from the sewer system as part of Monday's Spencer City Council meeting. The vote to approve an Environmental Protection Agency administrative order to eliminate combined sewer overflows capped negotiations that began in late 2007...

Board strategizes on district budget with IASB financial guru (01/10/09)
As they prepare to embark upon another year of cutting the district's budget, Spencer school board members found a friend in Larry Sigel, the school finance director for the Iowa Association of School Boards, Thursday afternoon. Superintendent Greg Ebeling began the cordial "virtual presence" discussion with Sigel, conducted via a Polycam, by saying, "We know that we're dealing with a constant battle of school finance, like a lot of districts are."...

Time to pick a president (11/04/08)
Polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, in Clay County for the 2008 General Election. Voting will take place at 13 voting precincts as follows: - Lake/Freeman -- at Dickens Community Center, 302 Main St., Dickens - Meadow/Sioux -- at VFW Club, 15 East 21st St., Spencer...

Democratic leaders bring tour to Spencer (11/01/08)
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, 5th District Congressional candidate Rob Hubler and former Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson are making a stop Sunday in Spencer to energize local Democrats before Tuesday's general election. The state leaders are expected to arrive at about 11:45 a.m. ...

Voters can weigh in today (09/25/08)
From the township trustees to the President of the United States, voters in Iowa can start making their choices. Beginning Thursday, voters can pick up absentee ballots at county auditor offices around the state. Election officials are predicting a voter turnout that could reach 80 percent...

ILCC students aid in data collection (09/11/08)
Fairgoers will be able to offer their opinions on just how good the Clay County Fair is when they complete a survey at the fair this year. Iowa Lakes Community College, the Clay County Fair and the Clay County Auditor's office will be cooperating for the 11th year in a row to survey fairgoers about their opinions...

Voters mandate change on Spencer school board (09/10/08)
Spencer School Board Unofficial 2008 Election Results --- When the write-ins were officially counted by hand and reported by 8:50 p.m. Tuesday night, Spencer voters had made their intentions known: Todd Korbitz and write-in candidate Marti Bomgaars had both soundly defeated one-term incumbent board members Dean Mechler and Les Zobrist...

Vote Tuesday! (09/06/08)
Tuesday is school board election day. You don't have to serve on the board or run for school board, but you might think a bit harder about at least casting a ballot for your candidate or candidates of choice. Of the five surrounding school board elections, Spencer is hosting the only contested race. ...

Sept. 9 election marks return of paper (08/30/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff When Clay County voters walk into their respective polling sites on election day, they'll register to vote the same way they have in the past. But the Sept. 9 school board election and the Nov. 4 general election will differ from recent years past in that voters will then be handed a paper ballot to vote on. ...

Ideas offered to trim district's transportation budget (07/25/08)
The Spencer school district's new transportation director presented several recommendations Thursday night aimed at trimming the district's transportation budget and combating high fuel prices. As Julie Nemmers reported to board members that Spencer's in-town bus system is often referred to locally as "a glorified taxi service," she then encouraged eliminating 16 of the over 140 bus stops within city limits...

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...

Spencer school retirees to be honored Wednesday (05/13/08)
Twelve Spencer school representatives have chosen to take an early-retirement option offered by district officials this year. Together, _Joe Enderlin, Penny Goedicke, Jan Johnson, Jo Ann Merrill, Pat Morisch, Macrina Tesch, Betty Brennan, Becky Dettmer, Noreen Meyer, Mick Ketchum, Maggie Nicks and Alan Pierce_ represent 301 years of service within the school district...

Briefs 04-26 (04/26/08)
Lutheran World Relief Rummage Sale Bethany Lutheran Church will host a rummage sale to benefit Lutheran World Relief from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. today in the church basement dining room. Celiac Sprue group to meet today The Northwest Iowa Celiac Sprue support group will have a general meeting from 2-4 p.m. today in the Cedar Room at Spencer Hospital...

Support staff negotiations under way in district (03/19/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff Negotiations between the Spencer school district and the non-certified support staff union got under way Tuesday afternoon for the 2008-09 school year. Jack Lasiter, a representative for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, presented the union's initial proposal...

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