Stories from Tuesday, May 7, 2013

As the city of Spencer continues in its attempt to become a Blue Zones designated community, it reached a milestone by becoming the first Blue Zones Demonstration Site in Iowa to achieve the 20% Engagement Goal. Read more in Thursday's Daily Reporter...

4-H families all throughout the state of Iowa have been receiving emails, postcards and letters reminding them that May 15 is right around the corner and to make sure everything is ready for the upcoming 4-H year. So does that mean for Clay County 4-Hers?...

Funeral services for Miss LeAnn Arthur, 57 of Greenville, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 9, 2013 at Warner Chapel in Spencer. Rev. Tonna Parsons will officiate the service. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, with the family present from 5-7 p.m. at the Warner Funeral Home in Spencer...

Graveside services for Lola Lee "Peggy" Cockburn, 91 of Tuscon, Ariz., will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer. Rev. Dr. Jo Frahm Watkins will officiate the service. Following the services at the graveside, there will be a lunch served at the Methodist Church in Royal...

Funeral services for Raymond Norlin, 93 of Spencer, formerly of Storm Lake and Alta, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Spencer. Rev. Michael Huebner will officiate the service. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at Christ The King Lutheran Church...

Services are pending for Mr. Clark Wallace Chickering, 96 of Spencer, formerly of Everly, who passed away Friday, May 3, 2013 at Community Memorial Heath Center in Hartley. Warner Funeral Home of Everly is in charge of arrangements.

Services are pending for Mr. Raymond Schau, 87 of Spencer, who passed away Monday, May 6, 2013 at home. Warner Funeral Home of Spencer is in charge of arrangements.

Police responded to a collision at 6:58 p.m. Sunday evening at the intersection of East Fourth Street and First Avenue. Andrew Huffman, 36 of Spencer, was northbound in his 1997 GMC Jimmy on First Avenue East. He recalls stopping at the stop sign at Fourth Street, though did not recall seeing a 2001 Ford Expedition, operated by Robert Lawver, 32 of Spencer, traveling westbound on East Fourth Street. The Expedition attempted to slow down but was unable to stop before colliding with the passenger side of the Jimmy. Lawver and his passenger, Jessica Lawver, 30 of Spencer, were unsure if Huffman stopped at the intersection. Both Robert and Jessica Lawver were taken to Spencer Hospital for neck pain. A third passenger in the Expedition was uninjured. The damage to the Jimmy was estimated to be $2,500 and the damage to the Expedition was estimated to be $2,000. Both vehicles were able to be driven from the scene. Huffman was issued a stop sign violation for failure to pull away safely from the stop sign (Photo by Kate Padilla)

One hundred plungers, representing 10 teams, participated in a true "Polar Plunge" Saturday at Scharnberg Park and raised more than $11,000 for the local Special Olympics of Iowa. The fifth annual event occurred in 30-degree temperatures with 20 mph winds and a steady rain, making conditions miserable for the dedicated participants. (Above) Dean Stein, a campground host at Scharnberg Park and the head custodian at Clay Central-Everly High School, fires up a group of CC-E plungers before they hit the water. (Below) Sunshine Services staff and clients dressed up like the Village People and hit the water for the cause. All of the participants were certainly "Freezin' for a Reason." (Photos by Randy M. Cauthron)

Econo Lodge Inn & Suites of Spencer is going through a 6-month complete renovation. When completed, Econo Lodge & Days Inn are going to merge under one brand - retaining the Days Inn name. The new creation will be 76 rooms and suites, featuring pool and hot tub, an exercise room and a room that will be available to handle small meetings and family gatherings...

The Spencer City Council finally made a decision on what to do with the Freeman Building at the Monday night meeting. After a 4 to 3 vote the building was approved to be sold to Mark and Sherri White, to be made into a storage facility for public use...

On May 4, the Clay County Visitors Bureau held its first Tour of Clay County. The tour started in Spencer, at the Heritage Center, where tour goers walked through the new exhibit showing the history and foundation of Clay County towns. Tour goers braved the rain and cold to take in historic sites of Clay County. (Photo by Brandon Barb)

Spencer senior Maddie Boyd shot the low score of the day at the Lakes Conference golf meet Monday at Okoboji View Golf Course in Milford, winning conference with an 89. The Lady Tigers earned a second-place finish behind Emmetsburg. "It's really quite a feat," girls coach Marc Bruning said of Boyd's performance. ...

They needed two overtimes and a shootout but the undefeated Spencer boys eventually got what they were after Monday night: a win over Storm Lake, 2-1. The Tigers scored early but wouldn't score again in regulation or the extra periods before claiming the victory with a 4-3 advantage in the shootout...

The Spencer girls completed its regular season with the same success they've worked for all season with a big conference win. With the State Qualifying Meet on Thursday, the Lady Tigers Lakes season culminated with a conference championship in Cherokee Monday night, besting Western Christian 173-143...

At 17 years old, many high school juniors are still learning to navigate the roads, gaining confidence in their vehicle and learning the ins and outs of safe driving. Katie Gibson is navigating the air. At 17, she is working toward earning her pilot license, a step she hopes will lead to a career as a fighter pilot for the United States Air Force...

She may look frail. She may look weak. She may look as though a stiff wind could blow her right into Winnebago County. Looks can be deceiving. My Grandma Read has a core of steel, strengthened by fire. She is the strongest woman I have ever known, and my admiration for her is boundless...