Stories from Friday, May 28, 2010

The final school bell rang early Thursday afternoon, marking the conclusion of the 2009-10 year for Spencer students and staff members. A mixture of shouts for joy, tears and hugs, as displayed by Fairview librarian Kris Woolston and kindergarten students Heaven Peters and Ashlyn Yeager, were exchanged as summer vacation officially began. ...

The heavy snowfall of the winter of 2009-2010 took a toll on many area buildings. The Clay County Fair facilities were hit heavier than most. First, a major portion of a 1937 cattle barn collapsed, then, just weeks later, a large section of the 1969 swine barn also crumpled under the extreme snow load...

One of Spencer's homegrown businesses is no more. Operations at Standard Printing and Design ceased Wednesday as Woolverton Printing Company of Cedar Falls purchased the projects in process, accounts receivable and book of business from Bank Midwest, who had recently foreclosed on the business owned by Scott DeGeest and Craig Gabhart...

A 50-year-old Laurens-Marathon science teacher has died after the bike he was riding Wednesday evening was struck by a former student of the same school. Alan Petersen was riding westbound on Highway 10, about three-and-a-half miles east of Marathon, training to participate in RAGBRAI later this summer, when he was approached from behind by a passenger car driven by Kelsey Fredricks, 18, of Marathon, who graduated from LMHS with honors this month...

Funeral services for Mr. Rick Anderson, 56, of Peterson, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 28, at First Congregational Church in Peterson. Rev. Charles Hall will officiate the service. Visitation was at 1 p.m. Thursday with the family present from 5-8 p.m. at the Warner Funeral Home in Peterson...

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 5, beginning with a service at 11 a.m. in the open-air shelter, Oneota Park, Spencer. From noon until 2:30 there will be an open house and buffet meal in Golfview Commons Room, 1900 Fourth Avenue SW, Spencer. At 3:30 a Best Shot Golf Scramble will be held at Spencer Municipal Golf Course with sign up by June 1 with Stacey at SMGC, 712/580-7280. Also at 3:30 there will be Scrabble and other table games in Golfview Commons Room...

Funeral services for Mrs. Lorrayne Westphalen, 94, of Ruthven, formerly of Royal, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 28, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Royal. Rev. Deb Mechler will officiate the service. Visitation was after 5 p.m. Thursday with the family present from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home in Spencer...

With their high-school careers coming to a close, Alden Stabb and Wes Lincoln -- seniors at the Landon School in Bethesda, Md., -- had one final decision to make. "One of our graduating requirements is that we do a senior project and presentation," Lincoln explained...