ESTHERVILLE — Iowa Lakes offers convocations to bring culturally diverse events to campus and the community. The next convocation will be Bystander Awareness with Tim Collins on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10 s.m., on the Estherville campus in the Janice K. Lund Performing Arts Center and 2 p.m., on the Emmetsburg Campus in the Smith Wellness Center gymnasium.

IOWA CITY — More than 4,000 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the dean's list for the 2022 spring semester. Dean's list status was earned by 714 first year undergraduates during the 2022 spring semester at Iowa, only 1,268 second year students, only 1,559 third year students, and only 2,045 fourth year students.

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation will be hosting a Quarterly Investor Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, from noon to 1 p.m., at the Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville campus. The Corridor is partnering with Northwest Iowa STEM for this event.

The Spencer Chamber Ambassadors were at DEMCO Tuesday to recognize the company and their recent feature in the chamber “Thrive” publication. Specializing in agriculture equipment, DEMCO has been a family owned business for four generations focused on supporting the local community and striving for the highest standards of safety, quality and productivity. (Photo submitted)

Following Sunday afternoon’s fire in the 200 block of Grand Avenue which involved response from Spencer and other area fire responders, as well multiple other agencies moved into follow up mode on Monday. The blaze, which impacted and damaged multiple businesses and upstairs apartments in the block, left doors closed and residents homeless in the aftermath of the blaze which kept firefighters on site for approximately eight hours.

The Spencer Community School Foundation is hosting the Tiger Pa’s — high school junior and senior dads — showing their dance moves Friday, during the halftimes of the girls and boys basketball games with Spirit Lake. Funds raised will go to provide robotics equipment for technical education classes. Come support the dads as they raise funds to benefit the education of Spencer students.

Work to Spencer Hospital’s emergency department has shifted to indoor work. Though initially the hospital’s expansion project began with exterior work, the project schedule has changed slightly due to recent weather conditions.

Local legislative forum Eggs & Issues will have its first event Saturday, hosted by the Spencer Chamber of Commerce at Spencer City Hall. Doors will open to the public at 8:30 a.m., with the session running from 9-10:30 a.m. as area legislators speak to community members.

City officials further considered the possibility of using the services of a retail recruitment partner to assist with developing recently purchased city land. The city had previously discussed approving a contract with the firm Retail Coach at a previous committee meeting on Jan. 5, and during a committee meeting on Monday, officials met with Austin Farmer, the firm’s project director, to hear more information about the company’s plan.

Representatives from IGL TeleConnect visited the Clay County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to share the company’s plan on providing broadband in the county. IGL representative Alex Seaman reported the company is planning on building in Clay County sometime this year.

Celebrate the work of Iowa filmmakers and explore the art of filmmaking with brand-new episodes of “The Film Lounge.” Iowa PBS recently announced the upcoming seventh season of its popular series that showcases short films created by Iowans. This season includes two new episodes featuring 10 short films of varying styles and subject matters as well as some special segments.

Spencer High School senior Josie Thompson was recognized as the Spencer Rotary Student of the Month. Thompson is very active in speech and drama and choir. She isn’t sure where she will be attending school this fall but is leaning toward a business degree and a minor in theater. (Photo submitted)

BROOKINGS, S.D. — More than 3,200 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance over the fall 2022 semester at South Dakota State University by being named to the dean's list.

ESTHERVILLE — Iowa Lakes Community College will hold the annual Jam the Gym on Laker Visit Day on Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 10 a.m., on the Estherville campus for anyone considering attending college at Iowa Lakes and their families.

The Laker Visit Day will include a tour of campus, presentations from Student Services areas, a meeting with an academic advisor, and a free lunch.

Twelve students from Spencer recently participated in the Strong Foundations Honor Band held in Sioux City on Jan 16. These students were chosen through a nomination process and 100 students were selected representing three states. The purpose of this honor band is to provide an opportunity for young instrumental musicians to have an excellent ensemble experience in a positive, friendly environment while working with outstanding music educators.