News

At approximately 5:12 p.m. Monday, the Spencer Fire Department and Spencer Police Department responded to a fire inside the Spencer Hospital. A total of 18 firefighters, three fire engines, a number of police officers and hospital staff were on scene during the emergency, which lasted approximately one hour.

STORM LAKE ― A father and his 8-year-old son died, but two other children were rescued after a vehicle fell through the ice on Storm Lake Sunday evening. Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston said emergency personnel responded after receiving report of the situation at approximately 5:42 p.m. Sunday...

Registered voters in Spencer’s Ward 1 are reminded to vote Tuesday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. for one of three candidates seeking to fill the vacant Ward 1 Spencer City Council seat. Voting will be conducted at the Clay County Administration Building in Spencer...

SPIRIT LAKE — Seasons Center for Behavioral Health and Autumn’s Center are hosting the seventh annual Winter Games Free Kids’ Carnival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Bedell Family YMCA in Spirit Lake. Attendees can choose from many different activities, including: face painting, carnival games, inflatables, rock climbing wall and a craft table. ...

The second filing of an ordinance which would allow the creation of murals in the city of Spencer did not move forward without considerable discussion. During Monday’s Spencer City Council meeting, a number of citizens spoke directly to the council to share their concerns regarding the mural ordinance. Before the ordinance can become law, it must be read and approved three times by the Spencer City Council...

Local Northwest Bank employees have been raising funds to support those fighting cancer for years, but this year the efforts have become more personal after losing of one of their own. Twenty employees from area Northwest Banks are joining forces to enter the Polar Plunge challenge at the University of Okoboji Winter Games at Arnolds Park Amusement Park at 3 p.m. Saturday to honor the memory of Northwest Bank employee Bethany Huseman who lost her battle with cancer last year...

The Spencer City Council approved an increase in compensation for Spencer City Manager Amanda Mack during Monday’s City Council meeting. The resolution states after a required performance evaluation and compensation review, it was recommended to increase Mack’s salary to $120,000 per year effective Jan. 1. Mack’s predecessor — former city manager Bob Fagen — also faced an initial evaluation with a possible salary increase after his first six months in 2008...

Virginia “Deda” Behrens sees the beauty in things. Flowers and greenery, warm personalities, interior design items, a good game with friends and jewelry with “bling” are among her most favorite beautiful things. Deda was raised with seven brothers and six sisters. Her nickname Deda, given to her by younger brother Don Brinkley, “stuck” when the rest of her family picked up on it...

During the most recent Spencer Committee of the Whole meeting, council members and city staff discussed how to move forward regarding a series of events relating to the grass seeding of a multi-residential property participating in a 2017 sidewalk improvement project, where new sidewalk was installed. Mike Mingus, property owner of 804 Second Ave. SE in Spencer, performed reseeding work on the property this spring and sent the city a bill for his expenses...

The Spencer Chamber of Commerce’s annual Leadership Spencer program is now accepting applications for its 2019 class. Now in its 28th year, Chamber Director Bill Campbell said each year the program has been refined to make the most impact during the 10-week, 20-person event...

Whether it is playing with fake snow or making candy sushi out of Swedish Fish, rice crispy treats and fruit roll-ups, children's librarian Sarah Beth Fuchsen is looking for creative ways to engage children, infant through teenager. Two perennial favorites, the Pint-Sized Prom and Book Fort Night will be returning to the library during the next month...

Rehabilitation professionals at Seasons Center and Hope Haven are taking applications for Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation services. The program's approach increases the frequency and duration with which patients meet for rehabilitation services to provide a step process aimed at reaching an overarching goal...

In the new year, Spencer Municipal Utilities will be making the switch to National Information Solutions Cooperative for a new billing software provider. According to SMU officials, this has been in the works for some time, and some customers have asked for all charges on the same statement...

Citing the need to provide a safer and more relevant grandstand concert and event experience, the Clay County Fair has announced several changes for the 2019 fair, Sept. 7-15. “The fair is known for its long tradition of bringing big-name entertainment to Spencer each September,” fair manager Jeremy Parsons said. ...

STORM LAKE — Holly Hoffman has been named as the keynote speaker for the annual Women in Denim conference in Storm Lake. The annual conference is scheduled for Jan. 25-26. The conference is held at Buena Vista University. The keynote is scheduled for Friday evening...

MaxYield Cooperative announced today details of their scholarship program for area college students and graduating high school seniors. MaxYield will once again offer up to six $1000 scholarships to students who are in pursuit of a degree in agriculture. ...

WATERLOO — Hawkeye Community College announced the dean's list for the fall 2018 semester. Olivia Japenga and Graham Smith — both of Spencer — were among those on the list. --- AMES — At Iowa State University’s fall commencement ceremonies Dec. 14-15, 2,157 graduates received degrees. ...

STORM LAKE — An overflow crowd packed in and around the new CRU5H restaurant in the Buena Vista University Forum Wednesday evening for a Grand Opening event marking completion of the Siebens Forum/School of Business renovation. “Someone asked me a little bit earlier today if I thought we would have a good turnout, and I said yeah, I thought we would have a decent turnout. Never in my imagination would I have thought we would have this great a turnout,” BVU President Josh Merchant told the crowd...

A new movie is available for rent on Amazon, but this time the star of it isn’t any old Hollywood A-lister — it’s Storm Lake’s very own Alison Hixon. The Storm Lake-raised artist and actor got her break after moving to Chicago, following school at Stephen’s College in Missouri...

A Dickinson County man accused of sexually abusing two Milford teenagers in Estherville has entered a “not guilty” plea at the Emmet County Courthouse. District Court Judge Don Courtney on Jan. 9 set a Feb. 5 jury trial for David Michael Clinton of Superior...

For former educators Ron and Judy Krull, studying the Holocaust has changed their lives forever. The husband and wife team was inspired to put together a program sharing what they have learned through their travels after "gaining a respect for the sheer size of the evil committed."...

The Clay County Board of Supervisors and Clay County Engineer Bill Rabenberg discussed the prevalence of slag, a byproduct of steel processing, being used as an alternative to gravel on rural Clay County roads. Supervisors referenced a news article detailing Muscatine County’s decision to suspend using steel slag on their roads due to public health concerns over slag dust, brought forward by a community opposition group...

In the fifth week of the partial government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — part of the closed U.S. Department of Commerce — continues to provide critical services. It is currently unclear how many NOAA employees are furloughed or exempt from the shutdown, working without pay. NOAA’s National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serves much of northwest Iowa and the surrounding region...

After a short bout of unseasonably warm temperatures, winter has returned to Spencer. Following Wednesday’s light overnight dusting of snow, officials at the National Weather Service say northwest Iowa is expected to experience multiple snow events starting Friday...

After a year of assisting seniors and those with disabilities locate and secure financial assistance through the Benefit Enrollment Center, Elderbridge Service Specialist Thomasina Hegg said the area Agency on Aging is helping more clients access benefits...

REMSEN — An inquiry into an incident regarding a MMCRU middle school math teacher and a sixth-grader has resulted in the teacher being put on administrative leave pending the completion of secondary investigations. The Daily Sentinel has chosen to not publish the teacher’s name until, if at the time, charges are filed...

District Court Judge James C. Ellefson ordered a new trial date for a high-profile kidnapping and abuse case that has been moved to Spirit Lake. Alex C. Shadlow's trial was scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 7, in Dickinson County, but attorneys are still working with the court to finalize the list of witnesses to be interviewed. A pretrial conference will take place June 21 in Eldora. The trial is now scheduled to take place June 24 in Spirit Lake...

Farmers Trust and Savings Bank announced that Ryan Porath has joined the bank as an agriculture lender. Porath has more than 16 years of experience in ag lending — and has been with a community bank in Iowa Falls since 2004 before coming to Farmers Bank. ...

The Alexander Piano Trio — featuring David Ray Alexander on piano, John Douglas Alexander on violin and William Emerson Alexander on cello — will provide special music at the Sunday worship of Grace United Methodist Church of Spencer. The Alexanders are the sons of Helen and Douglas Alexander of Arnolds Park. Each of the boys has been working their craft since they were in preschool. The worship service begins at 9:30 a.m.

Okoboji – On Friday, Jan. 25, Transit Authority will be returning to the PLAC as part of the 39th Annual Winter Games Weekend for a 7:30 p.m show. Transit Authority has become known throughout the U.S. as the premier tribute band to the iconic group Chicago. Based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, this eight member ensemble creates an accurate musical salute to the greatest horn driven rock band to ever hit the stage. Transit Authority’s mission is to recreate the excitement of the original Chicago’s sound with each and every performance. Tickets for Transit Authority are $25 for non-members; $20 for members and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Pearson Lakes Art Center box office, online at www.lakesart.org, or by calling 712-332-7029.

Pony Creek a versatile band from Omaha, Nebraska, will be featured during the University of Okoboji annual Winter Games. The band will play Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25-26, 9 p.m. each night, at the Nautical Bar and Grill on Broadway in Arnolds Park...

SIOUX CITY ― County music legends The Gatlin Brothers will be in concert March 9 at the Hard Rock Resort in Sioux City. Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale now starting at $30. Larry, Steve, and Rudy, the Gatlin Brothers, are a Grammy Award-winning trio who have dazzled audiences for more than 60 years with a lifetime of noteworthy achievements in their storybook career, including a Grammy for Best Country Song (“Broken Lady”), three ACM awards for Single of the Year (“All The Gold In California”), Album of the Year (Straight Ahead) and Male Vocalist of the Year for Larry Gatlin, along with five nominations for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Single, Album and Male Vocalist of the Year.. ...

EVERLY — The Clay Central-Everly School Board gathered in Everly Wednesday for a work session to review the potential savings of scenarios controlling for factors such as the impact of further operational sharing and consolidating to one building. "We had a base assumption and we just started looking at different things," CC-E Superintendent Dennis McClain said. ...

Time in a combat theater or area of hostility can forever change a veteran's life, but help is available. Counseling services through the Sioux City Vet Center are available at Grand Avenue Community Outreach to qualifying veterans. "Most generally is the misconception that seeking mental health care is a sign of weakness," readjustment counseling therapist Michael Flaherty said. ...

A crowd packed Clay County Heritage’s gallery floor as the historical center hosted the Spencer Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Business After Hours event Tuesday evening. CCH opened their newest exhibit, “Boys in Blue: The Grand Army of the Republic: A Civil War Veterans’ Organization” Tuesday, which features artifacts and stories from the Civil War, with some artifacts on display loaned by individuals from the area. (Pictured) Nancy Schoenewe looks at a glass case containing a number of swords and sabres.

The city of Spencer is currently developing a grant program aimed at owner-occupied, substandard properties for residents with low to moderate income. City officials and Spencer City Council members recently discussed how the program would work, if approved...

More than a century after its establishment, the Boy Scouts of America will see a distinct change in name — to Scouts, BSA — and in demographics. Beginning in February, girls will be eligible to join the youth organization’s flagship program and earn the same ranks and awards as their male counterparts, such as the organization’s highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout. ...

The Clay County Conservation District is once again sponsoring the annual poster Contest as part of its education program. The theme this year is “Life in the Soil — Dig Deeper.” Posters should reflect and include this year’s theme on the poster. Posters must be on regular poster board ranging from 8.5 by 11 inches up to 22 by 28 inches. Mediums including paint, crayons, colored pencils, charcoal, stickers, magic markers, paper or whatever inspires the student can be used...

A search warrant executed at a Spencer residence last Thursday evening result in two arrests on drug charges. Cheryl Lindahl, 58, and Joseph Wendl, 57, were both taken into custody by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and transported to the Clay County Jail at 9:42 p.m. Jan. 10...

MILFORD — A Milford police officer has resigned after being accused of providing alcohol to a person under the legal drinking age of 21. Milford Police Chief Bob Clark confirmed Tuesday morning officer Richard Zalabowski III had resigned from his position on the force. ...

An Iowa Department of Natural Resources trout stocking, originally scheduled at Scharnberg Park on Saturday has been postponed until February due to anticipated weather conditions for the coming weekend. The new release date will be Saturday, Feb. 2. The DNR Trout Truck will be at Scharnberg at noon and after the release, the lake will be open to fish by all individuals with an Iowa fishing license and trout stamp.

OKOBOJI ― Hundreds of young hands beat against the Okoboji Elementary School gymnasium floor Monday morning. The drumroll swelled as STEM teacher JoAnne Sackett was announced as the region's 2019 recipient of the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award. The annual award recognizes educators who foster students in science, technology, engineering and math ― collectively STEM. ...

The Spencer Chamber Ambassadors were at Curves, located in the Southpark Mall, to congratulate owner Jean Christensen on the grand reopening of the fitness center. New equipment has been installed, ensuring a great experience for women utilizing the 30-minute circuit strength training program. Curves has been in Spencer at the Southpark Mall for 18 years.

Spencer Rotary presented $1,500 to Spencer Literacy Partners located at Iowa Lakes Community College. The local Rotary clubs allocates a portion of its annual book sale profits to get books in the hands of children. Bob Rose, Rotary treasurer, and Nancy Naeve, Rotary president, presented the donation to (center) Sue Ahlers, director of the local Literacy Partners program.

DES MOINES — Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, takes the oath of office in the Iowa House chamber as the 88th General Assembly kicked off Monday at the Capitol. During the session, Jones can be reached at megan.jones@legis.iowa.gov or through the House switchboard at 515-281-3221. The swearing in ceremony of all 100 state representatives begins a week full of ceremonies, including the Condition of the State address by the governor, the Condition of the Judiciary address by the Iowa Supreme Court chief justice, and the Condition of the Guard address by the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard.

As the Clay Central-Everly School Board continues assessing the viability of potential sharing partners, the board heard a summary of comments from student visits to the four candidate districts last week. CC-E agriculture teacher Betsy Schoelerman and guidance counselor Ashley Tessum were assisted by a student representative from each high school grade in presenting highlights from the visits of 20 students to the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, Sioux Central, Spencer and Okoboji school districts...

The Spencer Committee of the Whole met with Spencer Planning Director Kirby Schmidt to continue discussion regarding the current state of flood plain remapping done by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ...

The recent approval of the first filing of an ordinance which would allow for the creation of murals in the city of Spencer has generated positive remarks from some members of Spencer’s artistic community. Noting the ordinance still has to be approved by the council two subsequent times before becoming official, Kipp Davis and Brock Storm — two Spencer natives and professional artists — both said they were happy to see the city’s mural initiative move forward...

Dec. 28 — Brady Jon Griffin, 45, Sanborn Driving under suspension --- Dec. 28 — Tim Alan Ohara, 48, Spencer Domestic assault — bodily injury --- Dec. 28 — Jenna Ann Grimmius, 19, Spencer Violation of probation, two counts --- Dec. 28 — Travis Lee Grote, 41, Webb...

Clay County Heritage’s newest display, “Boys in Blue: The Grand Army of the Republic: A Civil War Veterans’ Organization” opens Tuesday in the South Gallery. This traveling exhibit, from Siouxland Heritage Museums in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will remain open until May and will feature Clay County Heritage artifacts as well as artifacts loaned from local individuals...