Stories from Monday, September 4, 2017

With the Clay County Fair’s centennial celebration less than a week away, work on the new bridge on U.S. Highway 71 (above), south of Spencer at Prairie Creek, has been completed and the Clay County detour has been removed. U.S. 71 is open to traffic as the state’s second largest attraction and “World’s Greatest County Fair” prepares to begin its nine-day run on Saturday. (Photo by Will Jones)

The Spencer Dream Center was one of multiple drop points in northwest Iowa for a variety of supplies destined for a Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, as part of the local Hurricane Harvey relief effort. The supplies were loaded into a truck trailer and driven to Sutherland, where at least three semitrucks holding approximately 40,000 pieces of clothing, food, water and other supplies waited...

It’s been a busy year for Hunter Miller and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. The recent Spencer High School graduate served as student body president, was named homecoming king, served as a football captain and won multiple awards including the Burlsworth Character Award, American Citizenship Award, Distinguished Athlete Award and SHS MVP...

It's time to get in the Centennial Fair spirit with last minute savings and kick off celebrations prior to the opening of the Clay County Fair on Saturday, Sept. 9. Everyone can get a taste of the fair ahead of time by attending "Fair on the Square" from 5-7 p.m. ...

A number of positions in local city governments are up for election across Clay County on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Potential candidates must be old enough to be a registered voter, must sign a petition for candidacy, and must be a resident of the corporate area of their city or a resident of their ward in the case of Spencer’s council positions. ...

SIOUX RAPIDS ― A high-speed chase through Buena Vista and into Clay County Sunday evening left two people injured. A 2014 Dodge Avenger was stolen from a Storm Lake home; the keys had reportedly been left in the ignition. The vehicle led deputies on a chase north on Highway 71, reaching speeds up to 130 mph, and racing through Sioux Rapids at an estimated 110 mph. ...

ROYAL — Clay Central-Everly and Ar-We-Va both showed up to the field in Royal Friday night with 14 players on their sideline, but the Rockets got quite a bit more bang for their buck, running up a 65-0 win over the Mavericks. “They controlled the line of scrimmage,” CC-E football coach Dan Heissel said. ...

Funeral services for Delores Meier, 83, of Spencer, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, at Hope Reformed Church in Spencer. Rev. Russell Muilenburg will officiate the service. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday with the family present from 5-7 p.m. at the Warner Funeral Home in Spencer...

AKRON — Clay Central-Everly hit the road Thursday night for the team’s second volleyball match of the year, looking to bounce back from a season-opening sweep against 1A No. 5-ranked Le Mars Gehlen. The Mavs fared better than their first outing, but the result was the same as the Akron-Westfield Westerners doled out a 25-13, 25-21, 25-23 sweep...

ALTA — The Alta-Aurelia Warriors returned a host of key contributors from an 18-7 team a year ago, and the experience showed Thursday night during a matchup with Sioux Central. The Rebels couldn’t match the firepower, falling in straight sets. “Alta-Aurelia is a very talented team. ...

OTTUMWA — On Friday the Laker men’s soccer team took on conference opponent Indian Hills Community College. This contest was a nonconference meeting as it was part of the first annual Wells Fargo Cup. The Indian Hills Warriors opened up the game in the 14th minute off of a header from Rodrigo Paredes that went into the back of the net. Akean Shackleford ended the game with a hat trick, scoring in the 27th, 56th and 86th minutes...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Alumni and Friends Athletics Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the class of 2018. The deadline for nominations will be Friday, Sept. 22. Nomination forms are available in the athletic department office at the Estherville campus or online at www.iowalakesathletics.com/information/hall_of_fame/nomination_form. ...

Errand Buddy is a new service offered by Elderbridge Alliance that came in very handy for a pair of area residents recently. On July 30, 87-year-old Avis, of Spirit Lake, and her Uncle Leon, 94, needed help getting to a family reunion in Ledyard, Iowa. Neither drive anymore, but Avis said they very much wanted to attend this special event, "We had a family reunion but neither of us have a driver's license, so without this service we wouldn't have been able to get there as easily.”...

SIOUX RAPIDS — Week one’s Channel Seed Ag Bowl victory had Sioux Central flying high into Friday night’s matchup with Alta-Aurelia which gave the Rebels an opportunity for a seventh straight win over the Warriors. However, a speedy group from A-A put the scarlet and gray on its heels, leading to a 40-13 Rebel defeat...

As I write this, I’m doing one of the least effective cram sessions of my life. To be fair, I’ve had dozens of highly productive cram sessions, so measuring up to my collegiate self in that category is nearly impossible. However, I’ve been far too busy (*coughlazy *cough*) in the lead up to the fantasy football season this year, and I’ve got a draft coming at me in less than an hour...

INDIANOLA — The Iowa Lakes men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Simpson College Friday to run in the annual Bill Buxton Invite. The women ran a 4K course that was physically demanding. Sophomore Jadin Bezdicek led the way for the women, finishing in a time of 19:30 which was good enough for 19th place. Sophomore Chelsea Cave saw action for the first time this year and finished with a time of 22:04 which landed her in 29th place...

The Aug. 31 Daily Reporter contained a truly remarkable letter from H. Schar. In it, he apologized for comments he had made earlier in a letter to the editor. My hat is off to H, as it took courage and an adherence to values we all are to be striving to attain. ...

Can you believe it, the summer is over! And the Clay County Fair kicks off its 100th anniversary celebration this Saturday! Through my haze of jet lag and dealing with a garden overflowing with the bounty of September, I'm processing the arrival of fair, and all the fun that comes with it...

It gets pretty easy to become a shut-in these days. You buy your groceries, rent a movie, and then it’s pretty hard to leave the house. I’m often guilty of it myself. After work, I like to go home and relax. However, I think while it’s just as important to relax in the confines of your own home, it’s probably important to go out and do something too...

POLK CITY — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has confirmed a fish kill involving white bass at Big Creek Lake. Fisheries experts believe a virus impacting only white bass is responsible for this die off and that it began a few days ago. There is no estimate for number of fish killed. No other species is being affected...

AMES — Ordering trees from the DNR’s State Forest Nursery just got easier. A new online sales site — http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/ — features dozens of quality native Iowa trees and an easy check-out process. Also new in 2017 are changes to how nursery stock can be used to accommodate a wider audience of people wanting to order bulk trees:...

DES MOINES — Squirrel hunters should expect to find an average to above average squirrel population over most of the state, with higher squirrel numbers in areas with quality oak and hickory trees. Squirrel season opens Sept. 2. Fox squirrels can be found anywhere there are a few acres of trees, but gray squirrels are generally limited to the heavily forested areas in eastern and southern Iowa...

Autumn is quickly approaching, and in many areas, the water clears up in the fall. This is due to several things within the ecosystem, but the reality is, autumn waters can be clearer, and that will affect how the fish react. And how the fish react should have an impact on how we react to our fishing presentations...

Jon Thelen’s seminar during the Okoboji Blue Water Festival was met with great enthusiasm by over 40 fishing enthusiasts. Perhaps it was the topic “Catching Summer Walleyes over the Weeds,” or perhaps it was his prowess as a top walleye tournament angler or perhaps it was the popularity of the popular “Lindy Fish Ed” television series that he hosts...