Stories from Saturday, October 4, 2008

Spencer citizens are being challenged by Spencer Municipal Utilities and the city of Spencer to save energy and recycle more by observing Green Day on Tuesday, Oct. 7 Green Day is a joint effort of SMU and the city of Spencer to increase awareness among Spencer citizens of the role they can play in saving energy, conserving resources, recycling, and protecting the environment. On Oct. 7, citizens are being urged to do several things to show their commitment to these goals...

Funeral services for Claire Freeburg, 61, of Redwood Falls, Minn., will be held Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Warner Chapel in Spencer. The Rev. Dale Hodges will officiate the 2 p.m. service. Burial will be at North Lawn Memorial Park in Spencer. Mr. Freeburg passed away Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008, at Redwood Area Hospital in Redwood Falls...

Iowa KidsNet, the statewide organization that recruits, trains, licenses and supports Iowa's foster and adoptive families, will hold an orientation in Spencer on Tuesday, Oct. 7 for individuals interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents. Foster care is the temporary placement of children with families outside of their own home due to abuse, neglect or other family crisis situations. ...

Iowa's congressmen split along party lines as the U.S. House of Representatives approved the unprecedented $700 billion funding package to stabilize the financial markets. Iowa's Fifth District Congressman, Steve King, joined Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Latham in opposition to the emergency Economic Stabilization Act...

Holly Kellogg, of Spencer, will be among the over 40 artists featured in this year's Artisans Road Trip which continues regionally through tomorrow. Northwest Iowa's self-guided open studio tour begins today and continues through tomorrow at 5 p.m., featuring over 40 artists from seven counties. ...

By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Sentencing will take place at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8, for a rural Everly man suspected of mishandling transactions to deceive his bank employer. A Clay County jury found 40-year-old Shane Habben guilty of one count of second-degree theft and two counts of forgery on Thursday. Jurors returned their verdict about four hours after receiving the case at 12:23 p.m. Thursday...

The third annual Walk for Awareness to draw attention to prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer is at 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5. Men, women and children of all ages are encouraged to join the fun walk which will begin at Spencer Hospital's Grand Avenue park, proceed down Grand to Leach Park and then back to the hospital for refreshments...

When Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, it imposed a 10 percent penalty of federal highway appropriations on any state setting its legal drinking age lower than 21. Talk of lowering the legal age to 18 has recently emerged again...

The Okoboji football team used a balanced offensive attack to get back into the win column Friday on the way to a 34-14 Class 2A District 2 road victory over Buffalo Ridge. The Pioneers broke open a scoreless tie midway through the second quarter when Ryan Wurtz connected with T.J. Alger for a 22-yard scoring pass. Tat Schmeling made the PAT kick to make the score 7-0 with 5:40 left in the first half...

Spencer added two more pool wins to its resume Thursday in Storm Lake on the campus of Buena Vista University, winning all but one even title in a combined double dual with the host Tornadoes and Algona. "We put the girls in a couple different events that they haven't swam yet," Spencer head coach Katie Tanner said of Thursday's meet. "It was nice to get those times to see if anybody needs to be moved around at all."...

For the second straight week, Sioux Central's fate was sealed on the final play of the game, and for the second straight week the Rebels came away on the short end of a district nail-biter, falling to West Sioux in a 17-14 road loss. "If it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all right now," lamented Sioux Central head coach Jeff Tiefenthaler...

By Jeff Hasselmann Sports Editor Turnovers, turnover, turnovers. The No. 1 team in the state needed very little help to retain that title Friday at Memorial Stadium in Sioux City, but Spencer gave it to them anyway. The Tigers committed two turnovers on the first three plays of the game and added three more in the second half, helping to turn Sioux City Heelan's 17-13 halftime lead into a 52-13 rout...