Stories from Tuesday, February 26, 2013

As we face a blast of arctic air almost daily in northwest Iowa, I can't help but remember a saying I think someone adapted just for our part of the world, "March wind blows April showers, which brings May flowers." Several 4-Hers started to prepare for the May flowers and summer vegetables at the first of four Horticulture SpIn (Special Interest) Events hosted by Del's Garden Center and led by Todd Brockhus. ...

While it's winter, we humans can't take our cues from the bears and hibernate. As the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted, we can't seem to get even a minimum needed for our best quality of life. In "chatting" via instant message with family recently, I laughed as I noted how many of our frequent messages were about sleep - when we got to sleep, whether we got to sleep, and when we might be able to "catch up" on our sleep. ...

Reps. Megan Hess (R-Spencer), Jeff Smith (R-Okoboji) and Tedd Gassman (R-Scarville) welcomed members from the North West Senior Services to the capitol this week. Pictured: (seated) Connie Hurst (Spencer), Rep. Tedd Gassman, Linda Thiesen (Spencer), Rep. Jeff Smith, Stacia Timmer (Spencer) and Rep. Megan Hess. (Photo submitted)

Students from Spencer High School's speech class and foreign exchange program gave small "PechaKucha" presentations at area coffee shops Friday afternoon. PechaKucha presentations include 20 slides that last 20 seconds each, creating a presentation no longer than six minutes 40 seconds long. Above, freshman Sara Bauermeister gives a presentation on runner Steve Prefontaine at Mae B coffee shop in Spencer. (Photo by Kate Padilla)

Funeral services for Ilene Crew, 99, of Spencer, will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at Warner Chapel in Spencer. Rev. Roger Maize will officiate the service. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home...

Funeral services for Mrs. Pat Gross, 86, of Spencer, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Spencer. Rev. William Schreiber will officiate the service. Burial at North Lawn Memorial Park in Spencer...

Alice Jean Martin, 70, of Mesa, Ariz., passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in Mesa, after a long battle with breast cancer. A memorial service was conducted at Christ the King Catholic Church in Mesa (1551 E. Dana Ave.) on Monday, Feb. 25. 2013, with Rev. Steve Kunkel officiating, followed by a meal in the church hall...

Services are pending for Mrs. Connie Paulsen, 73, of Spencer, who passed away Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. Warner Funeral Home of Spencer is in charge of arrangements.

Family Fest returns for its third year from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Clay County Regional Events Center. There is no admission charge for the day's activity. The day of activities is designed for parents and children to enjoy together while learning about family-friendly programs and services in the area. More than 30 exhibitors will be featured along with Safety City, Ag Safety and Learning; the entertainment and demonstration stage; and a new feature for this year with interactive STEM displays hosted by Iowa Lakes Community College, STEM's northwest Iowa regional hub. Organizers are still seeking volunteers to assist at the various areas. If interested contact Amanda at amanda@spencerevents.com. (File photo)

Wednesday will officially kick off the 16th annual Clay County Relay For Life. The event isn't until June 22, but teams can begin signing up to participate Wednesday night at The Bear Coffee House and Wine Bar. There is no charge to sign up for the event, and teams can number up to 15 people...

Chase Foote, 23, of Dickens, turned himself in to the Spencer Police Department at 5:45 p.m. Monday night after a warrant for second degree murder was issued following the autopsy findings in the death of Jefferson Wilbur. He is scheduled to appear in court at the Clay County Courthouse today...

Dale W. Westphalen, born Aug. 26, 1934, passed away in San Leandro, Calif. on January 30, 2013. Dale was born in Iowa but spent most of his life in California. After a stint in the Army, Dale joined Lucky Stores in San Leandro, Calif. as a retail clerk and spent 35 years there prior to retiring in 1995. ...

SUBSTATE - Monday, Feb. 25 CLASS 3A Davenport Assumption 51, Marion 47 Dallas Center-Grimes 64, Norwalk 61 (OT) Grinnell 48, Centerville 33 Harlan 52, Atlantic 43 MOC-Floyd Valley 70, Bishop Heelan 61 Mount Pleasant 51, Solon 33 Waverly-Shell Rock 65, Clear Lake 55...

Twelve members of the Spencer youth wrestling club wrestled at the state AAU meet this past weekend in Des Moines. Front Row: Logan Huckfelt, Brogan Seier, Andrew Schomaker, Nick Bronstad, Gabe Bronstad, TJ Huckfelt. Back Row: Drew Thompson, Kyler Rieck, John Freeman, Nic Hoefling, Eric Beehler, Tom Heetland. (Photo submitted)

FIRST ROUND - DES MOINES - WELLS FARGO ARENA CLASS 1A - Monday, Feb. 25 Newell-Fonda 75, Villisca 28 Marquette Catholic 67, Ar-We-Va 57 (OT) Burlington-Notre Dame 60, Colo-Nesco 43 Central Lyon 67, Earlham 43 CLASS 2A - Monday, Feb. 25 Western Christian 65, Pella Christian 28...

Nick Lawrence led the Lakers with a seventh-place finish to earn All-American honors at this past weekend's NJCAA National Championships in Des Moines. Lawrence went 3-2 at 174 pounds to place seventh. Glenn Cothern (197) and Nate Lawrence (165) both went 2-2, while Jeff Erickson (285) Dylan Konechne (125) and Skyler Rice (133) all went 1-2. Alex Anderson, Travis Johnson and Ethan Lindquist each were 0-2 at the tournament...

After a great deal of behind-the-scenes work, Spencer's efforts to land one of Federal Aviation Administration's six Unmanned Aircraft System test sites to the local airport fizzled before it got off the ground. Spencer Airport Board Member Les Hicks spent a great deal of time gathering support in the form of letters and verbal commitments of support for the project over the past couple of years. ...