Stories from Sunday, October 29, 2017

Five Spencer Community School District students and their teachers were honored Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Belin-Blank Recognition Ceremony in Iowa City. The University of Iowa's Belin-Blank Center serves talented and gifted students throughout Iowa and the nation. Each year the top students in various Belin-Blank programs are honored during the special ceremony...

Ghosts and goblins, superheroes and princesses, Transformers and animals got an early start on Halloween candy collection Sunday evening. The rain which had persisted throughout the day stopped just as Hope Reformed Church's annual Trunk of Treat began. Vehicles were decorated and costumed members of the church distributed candy and goodies as did local law enforcement teams and Spencer Fire Department. Hot dogs, hot beverages and kids train rides were also offered. A line stretched from the church parking lot to Grand Avenue. (Photo by Randy M. Cauthron)

Officials at Spencer Hospital encourage citizens to be aware of the shortened enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act. This year the period allowed to change insurance plans, or to make changes to an existing plan on the government health insurance marketplace begins Nov. 1 and concludes Dec. 15 — about half of the time allotted last year...

A search warrant executed Thursday resulted in the arrest of two individuals at a western Spencer home on multiple drug-related offenses. Following a search at 206 35th Ave. W., the residence of Tracy Campbell, 57, he was taken into custody along with Jaydee Carney, 31...

During the Clay County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, officials from Discovery House — a transitional housing facility located in Spirit Lake — promoted a new development for the facility. An adjacent property, located next to Discovery House, has been purchased by the facility, named Daniel House. The new house is scheduled to open on Nov. 1, and offers a transitioning process for the residents of Discovery House...

It was a parade of costumed dogs, cats, snakes — and handlers — Saturday afternoon at Southpark Mall as the local shopping center hosted its annual Halloween Pet Show. A good crowd of spectators turned out to enjoy the event. (Above) Amy Forrette, in her cooking attire, provided information about her little cupcake Sammie with show emcee Rhiannon. ...

Members of the Spencer Homeschool Coop met with Spencer K-9 Officer Pat Westfall and his partner Mennox for a discussion on the purpose of the unit in local law enforcement efforts. Following his presentation at Foundation Church, Westfall answered questions from the audience which consisted of students and parents. Mennox was brought in for a search demonstration as the the audience watched. Mennox was rewarded with playtime with his ball. (Photo by Randy M. Cauthron)

I've heard it for years. We need to get tough on crime. Then, our policy suggests just the opposite. In recent weeks, legislators have worked to soften the penalties on criminal activity and reducing the consequences. Heck we've got policies in place that allow the governors and presidents to overturn court determined sentences and just set people free...

Oct. 13 — Darrin Charles Monroe, 25, Spencer Arrest warrant --- Oct. 14 — Cody Joseph Olson, 19, Spencer Fifth-degree theft Public intoxication — school, etc --- Oct. 14 — Audrey Lynn Braunersrither, 32, Paullina OWI first offense Failure to maintain control...

Funeral services for Richard G. Harris, 88, of Spencer, formerly of Everly, will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, at United Methodist Church of Everly. Rev. Mike Eeten will officiate the service. Visitation was Sunday, Oct. 29 with the family present from 2-4 p.m. at the Warner Funeral Home in Everly...

Raymond “Mike” Michael Hale, 57, of Casa Grande, Arizona, passed away at his home Sept. 30, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer. Graveside services will be held Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Little Sioux Valley Cemetery in rural Rembrandt, Iowa...

Funeral services for William “Bill” Howard Brennan, 88, of Spencer, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Spencer. Rev. William Schreiber will officiate the service. Visitation will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday with the family present from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday at the Warner Funeral Home in Spencer. A vigil service will be conducted at 5:30 p.m...

At this time last year, I figuratively dressed my column in a literary costume prior to Halloween's arrival. Some may recall the piece written in the (cheaply imitated) pen of one Theodor Geisel. I rather enjoyed the idea, although it was lost on some readers who found my dime-store version of our beloved Dr. ...

Since I'm writing this letter prior to the start of Game 3 of the World Series, I don't know if there will be a Game 6 to discuss. In any event, to a diehard Yankee fan, it isn't an official World Series anyway, as the Yankees aren't in it. Be that as it may, I originally thought about needling your sports editor, since his Red Sox exited from the playoffs faster than my team. ...

STORM LAKE — “Trust me — I’m thankful to the taxpayers every day for this facility,” Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston said. The department is preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the Buena Vista County Jail and Sheriff’s Department facility, constructed after voters approved a $4.8 million bond issue in November 2005...

ANKENY — The Tiger girls swim team took to the shiny new Trail Point Aquatics and Wellness Center on the Des Moines Area Community College campus Saturday with state berths on the line. Spencer handled the competition well, qualifying all three relays and two individual events for the state meet to be held Saturday, Nov. 4, in Marshalltown...

FORT DODGE — Spencer’s cross-country girls took to Lakeside Municipal Golf Course Saturday looking to improve on last year’s 12th-place finish at the state meet. The Tigers didn’t have their strongest performance of the season in the 40-degree weather with 9 mph winds, finishing in 15th out of 15 teams in 3A with a score of 324. Dubuque Wahlert took the title with a score of 72...

STORM LAKE — A ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday dedicated one of two “Little Free Pantry” locations for Storm Lake. The small, watertight structures were put into action by Buena Vista University student Taylor Loy, and are used to house food items that are available for anyone in the community...

(Left to right) Brittney Shanley, English/social studies departments; Guy Elder, reading department; Jeremiah Langner, ag/technology/vocational departments; Audrey Ruda, business/math/Spanish departments; and Brooke Kathman, fine arts/physical ed/Spanish departments. (Photo submitted)

MOUNT VERNON — Students from around the country were admitted to Cornell College for the fall 2018 semester, including Grace Gilderhus, of Spencer, who was awarded the Dean's Scholarship. --- SEWARD, Neb. — Concordia University, Nebraska, will hold its Fall Composer Recital at 7 p.m. ...

Tim Straub, of Peterson, was the winner of a 520 fuel trailer courtesy of Meridian Manufacturing in Storm Lake. His name was randomly drawn from hundreds of entries collected at six different farm shows in the region. Straub and his wife both entered the contest at the Clay County Fair this year in the Meridian booth. He plans on using the fuel trailer on his family farm. Meridian kicked off the giveaway as a way to promote fuel trailers and gain attention at the trade shows including Clay County Fair, Ohio Farm Science Review, Dakotafest, Farmfest, and Big Iron and Farm Progress. (Photo submitted)

Dr. Samuel Butler, of Eyecare Centre in Spencer, is a member of the Iowa Optometric Association. He attended the Hawkeye Optometric Institute continuing education Oct. 12-13 in Coralville. Education sessions included ocular biomarkers of traumatic brain injury, Plaquenil screening guidelines, cataract surgery in patients with retinal disease, and several other topics including macular disease, glaucoma management strategies, diabetic eye disease, retinal detachment and more...

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — When Kellie Einck was a youngster, she found horsepower and torque far more interesting than playing dress up. The Paullina resident’s fascination with engine mechanics eventually led her to take agriculture and power in addition to other technical courses while she was in FFA. ...

HAWARDEN - Riding a six game win streak, the Sioux Central Rebels rolled in to the Class A playoffs with momentum on their side. However, they ran into a buzzsaw on a cold and breezy Friday night in the opening round of said playoffs, finding out how fast No. 1 West Sioux was. The Falcons jumped out to an early lead en route to a taking a 63-6 win over the Rebels...

Each fall, from September through December, bird of prey enthusiasts gather at hawk watches around the state to observe and count eagles, hawks, falcons and other raptors as they migrate south. Using thermals and up-drafts along major river valleys, thousands of these fascinating creatures follow Iowa’s “hawk highways” as they make their way south from northern nesting grounds...

DES MOINES — The Iowa DNR is launching a new campaign this week called “Let’s Go Hunting” to encourage more people to either try hunting, to get back into hunting, or for passionate hunters to share their favorite pastime with a beginner. The campaign kicked off on Oct. 16 and will run through mid-December...

The Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club will host its annual fall seminar meeting on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Godfather’s Pizza in Spencer starting at 6 p.m. Iowa DNR fisheries biologists will be featured speakers and talk about the state of fishing in our area lakes...

For some anglers, the open water fishing season is history. If you’re one of those anglers, there are some things you should do while open water fishing is still a fresh memory. If you don’t do those things now, if you’re like me, you’ll probably forget to do them, and that could create problems and expenses when the next open water fishing season returns. Following are some tasks you should do this weekend if you’re done fishing for the year...

For as long as I can remember, when late summer into early fall came on Big Spirit Lake, it was time to target the perch. Certainly, there were the normal ups and downs in the perch population, but most years you could figure, there would be some pretty darn good perch fishing...