Stories from Friday, June 27, 2008

A split Iowa Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied a Pleasant Hill woman's challenge of a city ordinance. The appeals case also sheds some light on Pleasant Hill's ultimately unsuccessful effort to retain City Administrator Robert Fagen. Fagen was named Spencer's City Manager on July 30 of last year. He began his duties with the city on Sept. 10...

Spencer public elementary students have a newly-designed summer reading program to partake in this summer. Following the local school board's elimination of the district's $2,119 elementary summer school program during budget cuts made this past winter, the search for funding to continue the program began...

Neal and Kitty Conover opened their property for a fiesta celebration Thursday evening, honoring those who have contributed and supported the Dvergsten Child Care Center expansion at the Spencer Family YMCA. Becky LaBarre, (above right) executive director of the Spencer Family YMCA shares a laugh with Marla Jacobsen and Karen Mueting. ...

BIG SUR, Calif. -- Flames from a huge wildfire burning through a national forest inched toward the scenic tourist town of Big Sur, where firefighters rushed Thursday to protect historic structures and hundreds of homes. As the lightning-sparked blaze crept closer to California's coastal Highway 1, fire engines stood guard next to rustic buildings as thick smoke and ash drifted over the Pacific Ocean...

CLARKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- When Mayor Jo Anne Smiley looks down Washington Street at the soggy fortress of sandbags protecting her town, she knows it's a view she will have to get used to. The sandbags are ugly. They clutter the streets in the picturesque town of 500, blocking access to the century-old brick storefronts housing antiques stores and arts shops. Some of the bags -- soaked with God-knows-what from the flooded Mississippi River -- stink...

Mary Tonderum, representing American Family Insurance, is thanked for providing $500 of services by Flagfest Committee chairpersons: Bill Campbell, Jodi TenKley and Tracy Coleman. The donation was used to offset the costs associated with the annual community celebration, recognizing Spencer as the "Flag City," the second weekend in June each year...

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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) -- A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison. Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens...

BOSTON (AP) -- The principal of a Massachusetts high school who said a group of students intentionally got pregnant stood by his comments Thursday, saying his information "was and is accurate." In his first public statement since the controversy erupted earlier this month, Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan said he does not specifically remember using the word "pact" but does not dispute it...

Kelly McCarty, Duaine Holck, Richard Noah, Bill Hemme, and Dale Brigham representing the Spencer Daybreakers Kiwanis, a sponsor, presented Amy Simpson, Clay County Relay for Life chairperson, with a check for the Clay County Relay For Life event held at Dale Norton Field in Spencer, Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22. This year's theme was: "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back." Over $50,000 was raised by participants in the event...

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) -- A state collaborative raising private funds for flood and storm victims has secured pledges of nearly $3 million so far. Iowa's first lady Mari Culver was in Cedar Rapids Thursday to help kick off the fundraising effort by the 2008 Iowa Disaster Collaborative...

ST. LOUIS -- Strong Midwestern downpours may force residents to wait even longer to return to homes they evacuated because of fears of flooding, emergency management officials said Thursday. Parts of northeast Missouri and west-central Illinois got as much as an inch of rainfall overnight Wednesday after powerful downpours the night before. Weather systems rolling across Iowa were expected to produce more rain Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said...

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and Regents Resource Center (ILLRRC) is preparing a Master Site Plan that will guide the development of its grounds, trails, and facilities as it enter its second century of service. A planning workshop will be held from 5-7 p.m. tonight in the Waitte Building on the ILLRRC campus...

Funeral services for Mr. Robert Rausch, 84, of Hartley, formerly of Spencer, will be held at 10:30 a.m., today, Friday, June 27, 2008, at Bethany Lutheran Church of Spencer. Rev. Scott Meier will officiate the service. Interment will take place at Lone Tree Cemetery in Everly...

Auditions for Spencer Community Theatre's production of "Footloose" will be held Monday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 1 at the SCT Playhouse located one block off Grand Avenue in downtown Spencer, 518 1st Ave. E. Auditions begin promptly at 7 p.m. Footloose, based on the 1984 movie, tells the story of city boy Ren who has to move to a rural backwater town where dancing has been banned. ...

WASHINGTON -- Washington's blanket ban on handguns will fall and tight gun laws in places like Chicago and San Francisco are sure to come under attack. But most of the nation's firearms regulations will probably stay on the books, and some politicians said Thursday's Supreme Court decision won't hinder their efforts to prevent bloodshed...

DES MOINES -- Property owners and livestock producers in northwest Iowa's Great Lakes region have negotiated a four-mile buffer zone around the lakes, one of the state's most fragile environmental areas and one of its most popular tourist spots. Under the agreement, no new livestock farms will be built in the buffer zone, and existing farms agree not to expand...

Arts on Grand hosted a reception and artist's talk Thursday night for the artists whose work is currently on display at the local gallery. The exhibit spotlights the works of three Storm Lake artists: Anita Coon, Cherie Courter and Ron Netten. Following a brief reception, two of the three artists, Netten and Courter (above) took part in gallery talk. The current "Iowa: The Earth, the Land and its People," will be on display through Saturday...

PETERSON -- Sioux Central shutout Harris-Lake Park for the second straight time and the Rebels won their third consecutive game Thursday, beating the Wolves 10-0 in five innings. "The girls really opened up with the bats, it was fun to watch," said Sioux Central head coach Dave Riley...

LAURENS -- Sioux Central trailed by as much as 8-3, gave up 11 hits, four unearned runs and committed six errors Wednesday on the road, but the Rebels managed to turn their 5-run deficit into a 10-9 comeback win over Laurens-Marathon with two runs in the seventh...

SIBLEY -- Clay Central-Everly limited upstart Sibley-Ocheydan to six hits and just two earned runs on the road Thursday, but the No. 8 Mavericks committed a pair of costly errors that gave the Generals the edge in a 4-3 decision. Zach Drees, who took the loss, pitched three innings for the Mavericks, giving up two earned runs on just two hits, while striking out five...

EVERLY -- Clay Central-Everly swept the season series with Ruthven-Ayrshire Wednesday at home, using a 5-run third inning to trump the Raiders 8-4. The No. 8 Mavericks scored all of their runs in two rallies, adding three more runs in the sixth inning. Starting pitcher Ross Jobst helped himself out at the plate, driving in three runs in a 3-for-4 performance. Doug Santage and Garrick Newkirk also drove in runs for Clay Central-Everly, who was also helped by three Ruthven-Ayrshire errors...

GILMORE CITY -- The Sioux Central softball team earned a non-conference road win Wednesday, tripping up Twin River Valley 7-2 on the strength of eight hits and an error-free game. The Rebels scored the first seven runs of the game before the Thunder struck for their lone runs in the bottom of the sixth inning...

Carroll denied Spencer its second straight extra-inning win Thursday, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Tigers 3-1. "This game was a lot like the Estherville game. It was defense, defense, defense and ours kind of let us down a little bit. That was the difference," said Spencer head coach Greg Jones...

Rebels pick up second straight come-from-behind win It was deja vu all over again for Sioux Central Thursday in Peterson. For the second straight night, the Rebels overcame a 5-run deficit and pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the final inning, this time beating Harris-Lake Park 10-9 on a walk-off, 3-run double from Steven Stoner...

DETROIT -- Shares of General Motors Corp. plunged to their lowest price in more than 33 years, and Ford shares hit another 52-week low Thursday as analysts continued to speculate about just how bad things will get for U.S.-based automakers. GM shares fell $1.38, or 10.8 percent, to close at $11.43, after tumbling as low as $11.21 earlier in the session. ...

NEW YORK -- Oil futures shot above $140 Thursday after OPEC's president said crude prices could rise well above $150 a barrel this year and Libya said it may cut oil production. The advance raised the likelihood that gasoline prices would also extend their march higher, and that prices of goods and services throughout the economy would also keep rising...