Stories from Tuesday, January 8, 2008

-Claussen uses the YMCA fitness challenge to launch a complete lifestyle makeover- Monica Claussen is proud of her new guns. And she's not afraid to use them. And why should she be, she's worked hard for them. The 41-year old Spencer mother of two has spent the past year priming them along with the rest of her body...

-Spencer crowns four champions in second tournament championship of season- The Spencer wrestling team climbed back to the top of the tournament mountain Saturday, crowning four champions at the Lyn Dighton Invitational en route to their first team championship at the annual event in Boone...

-Jacobsen pours in 35, sets single game scoring record- The Spencer girls basketball team studied the blueprint from Friday's win over Emmetsburg and followed it to the letter one night later, holding a second consecutive opponent to 25 points and using another strong transition game to overwhelm Boyden-Hull Saturday at the Fieldhouse in a 73-25 victory over the Comets...

-Goeken's late hoop lifts Spencer to third straight win- Boyden-Hull limited Spencer to just eight fourth-quarter points and provided the No. 10 Tigers with a scare Saturday, taking Spencer to the wire in non-conference play, but Spencer's defense provided a late spark and Nolan Goeken rescued the Tigers with a last-second shot, lifting Spencer to a 48-47 win...

-DeGeest scores season-high 15 to lead No. 5 Spencer past No. 10 Algona- January games don't come much bigger than that. Spencer and Algona provided a sneak peek to a possible postseason regional final Monday in Algona where the No. 5 Tigers overcame foul trouble and a decided height disadvantage, using an 8-0 run and clutch free-throw shooting late in the contest to hand the No. 10 Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 60-49...

In, perhaps, one of the most bittersweet days of every year for me, I took down the Christmas tree on Sunday. Plucked the ornaments from the branches and tucked them away. Made a mess while trying to wrap 10 pounds of lights into an organized bundle. Cleared the mantle of stockings, and the stockings of stray candy...

ARRESTS...

The Iowa Great Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross recently took possession of a covered utility trailer that will be used for disaster services. The chapter was able to purchase the trailer through a grant from the Spencer Renaissance Initiative. ...

Visually Impaired/Blind Self-Help Group The Spencer Area Visually Impaired/Blind Self-Help Group will host its monthly meeting at 1:30 p.m., today in the round room at Spencer Public Library. Meeting planned for international adoption For those who have ever wondered about adopting a child internationally, here's an opportunity to talk with families who have been through the process and to hear from social workers of Holt International, the largest international adoption agency in the United States. ...

Services for David D. Nelson were held Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Alta, with Reverend Duane Olson officiating. Burial took place at the Scandinavian Cemetery at a later date. Dave passed away on Dec. 31, 2007. David D. Nelson was born to Arnold and Jean (Warme) Nelson on July 31, 1954...

Rueben Percy Heggestad, 86, of Okoboji, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn. Services for Rueben are pending. Rube was born on July 29, 1921, to Erick ("Ed") and Gunda (Veium) Heggestad in Stoughton, Wisc. He was raised and worked on the family farm before attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison...

Funeral services for Lloyd Strand, 82, of Emmetsburg, will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, at St. John's Lutheran Church, Cylinder. Burial is in North St. John's Cemetery, Cylinder. The family will greet friends from 4-8 p.m. Monday at the Joyce Funeral Home in Emmetsburg...

Funeral services for George Lanz, 79, of Spencer, are pending. Special services and burial will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn. Mr. Lanz passed away Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at Longhouse Residence in Spencer.

Memorial services for Iris Erickson, 86, of Spencer, will be held at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, at Warner Chapel of Spencer. Rev. Paul Hansen will officiate the service. There will be no visitation. Iris passed away Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, at Longhouse Residence of Spencer...

Funeral services for Donald Dodge, 90, of Terril, will be held Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, at First Lutheran Church in Milford. Rev. Tim Nappe will officiate the 10:30 a.m. service. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Terril. Mr. Dodge passed away Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, in Sioux Falls...

On Nov. 20, 2007, an Appointment Ceremony was held at the Clay County Courthouse for Shantel Pausley, who will be serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to abused and neglected children. The ceremony was officiated by the Honorable Donavon Schaefer. ...

Overwhelming interest in the well-being of a Ukrainian teenager and two of his siblings has Dr. Ken Hunziker of Spencer wishing he would have printed a T-shirt proclaiming the news: "Bo's doing great" on the front and "Oksana's doing great, too" on the back...

CONEJOS, Colo. -- Six snowmobilers missing in the mountains for 2½ days while a howling blizzard swirled around them were rescued Monday -- hungry and cold but unhurt -- after taking shelter in a cozy cabin and calling 911 on a cell phone when the storm eased up...

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Her voice quavering, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton struggled Monday to avoid a highly damaging second straight defeat in the Democratic presidential race. Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney scrapped for success on the eve of a New Hampshire primary that neither could afford to lose...