Stories from Saturday, May 14, 2016

The Clay County Fair rounds out its 2016 U.S. Cellular Grandstand lineup announcements with legendary music icons, Three Dog Night, along with special guest, Kory & the Fireflies, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. "Our final grandstand concert announcement brings yet another genre of music to the fair for our concert fans," fair manager Jeremy Parsons said. "This will be a fun night of music for all ages."...

Over the years, Mother Nature has often used the Walleye Opener weekend for her own personal punching bag. Wind, lightening, thunder, rain, snow, sleet ... you name it, she's sent it our way. 2016? Not bad; not bad at all. Oh, sure, there was a storm that rolled in Friday night for a while and pretty strong northeast winds on Saturday morning, but there was no snow, daylong rains or anything like that. ...

Walleye season is either here or very near all across the Midwest. Now that walleyes are or will be fair game throughout walleye country, here are some things to keep in mind regarding walleyes. Soma anglers are reporting the spawn happened a bit earlier than usual this year. The timing of the spawn varies from region to region, but it should be completed soon. After the spawn and throughout the summer, walleyes are often thought of as fish that like to be near deeper structure...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this past week that 800,000 acres will be enrolled through three different components of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Of particular note, USDA's CRP general signup completed at the end of February generated more than 1.8 million acres in offers, but was only able to accept 23 percent of the 26,000 landowner applications because of the program's 24 million-acre cap. ...

If you plan to release a fish, it is important to give it a chance to survive and thrive. Here are several tips to keep in mind as you release fish. Don't lift fish out of the water -- don't even touch the fish if you don't have to. Many fish can be released without ever touching them. ...

SPIRIT LAKE -- Excitement and pride echoed through the Iowa Great Lakes fisheries netting crew last week. "It is amazing that this male musky is alive and doing well in West Okoboji Lake 25 years later," said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau...

So last week, right here in "One Man's Perspective," I discussed the idea of the move to coed bathrooms as a means to help ease the anxiety being experienced by transgender persons with regards to which bathroom they have to use and which bathroom they feel like using...

The Spencer Kiwanis Daybreakers handed out bicycle helmets to the third-grade students in Spencer at Fairview, Sacred Heart (below) and Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran. The group also passed out dictionaries to the students earlier this year.

The Spencer Community School District is joining with other communities throughout Iowa this spring to honor its elected school board members during Iowa School Board Appreciation Month. This year's theme -- "School Boards Strengthen Public Education" -- recognizes work Iowa's volunteer school board members do to create educational opportunities for Iowa students. ...

First Cooperative Association, headquartered in Cherokee, with 21 locations in northwest Iowa has awarded 15 $500 scholarships to chosen graduates in their trade area. Since 1997 in excess of $144,000 has been given to local graduates to further their education in a variety of fields. This year's recipients are: Caleb Anderson, Anna Marie Ehlers and Staci Nims -- all from Sioux Central...

Dan, Mike and Justin Noteboom and Pete and Paul Hegg of Noteboom Implement along with Jeff Hultgren, Todd Conover, Dewayne, Dustin and Bryce Ricklefs of Hultgren Implement announced the merger of their John Deere dealerships in Iowa and South Dakota. The newly merged company will take effect July 31 and will conduct business together as Noteboom Implement...

Williams & Company, P.C. has released an audit report on the Spencer Municipal Utilities of Spencer. The municipal electric utility's total operating revenues and non-operating revenues totaled $15,098,996 for the year ending on Dec. 31, 2015. The revenues included $4,071,263 in residential usage, $4,652,506 in commercial usage, $2,057,944 in leased facilities and $78,493 in interest on investments. ...

AMES -- The Iowa Beef Industry Council recently participated in an Iowa meat trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia. Iowa beef representatives on the mission included Janine Moore, beef farmer from What Cheer, and Chris Freland, executive director of IBIC...

Clay Central-Everly's Judge Altenburg chases the state's 1A top seed in the 100-meter dash, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's David Van Dyke (11.06 seconds), at districts in Hawarden Thursday night. Altenburg qualified for the event at state with a run of 11.56 seconds. He enters the race as the 17th seed.

Iowa Lakes golfer Ashton Connelly is preparing to tee it up Monday, May 16, at the LPGA International Golf Course in Daytona Beach, Florida, in the 2016 NJCAA Women's National Golf Tournament. She is the 21st national qualifier in Iowa Lakes' women's golf program in the last 21 years...

Sioux Central's track and field teams took part in state qualifying action Thursday night in Manson. The Rebel boys and girls ended up pushing 13 events through to next week's State Track and Field Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. The girls account for nine of those events which greatly helped them bring home a second straight district title...

--- --- 200-Meter Dash Qualifier (Grade): Nadine Johnson (9) Qualifying Time (Seed): 27.64 (19) Top Seed (Time): Dianna Slight, Boone (25.19) Coach Pierce's thoughts: Nadine Qualified 19th going in and has been a very solid sprinter in the 100/200's this year for us. She has great top end speed and has been very important to the success we have had this year in the sprint relays...

The 34th annual Walleye Weekend saw 1,785 anglers casting their lines into the Iowa Great Lakes. The event was held Saturday, May 7, through Sunday, May 8. No angler came home with the top prize. Heaviest stringer of three walleye -- Charlie Shuck Memorial...

STORM LAKE -- One person asked, "Have you got the guts?" She's in the process of finding out. "I've got nothing to lose," she smiles. "It's a fantastic experience." Sara Huddleston, a Storm Lake Democrat, is running for the Iowa House of Representative this season, trying to make history as the first Latina to ever be elected at the state level in Iowa...

MILFORD -- Crews are dodging raindrops and making progress as construction continues on one of the largest outdoor stages in the Upper Midwest. Boji Bay CEO Tom Golden said work at Legacy Park in north Milford will be done in time for the Richie Lee & The Fabulous 50's tribute to Buddy Holly...

A 1987 Spirit Lake High School graduate hopes to shine a light on professional gambling through his film, "The Best of It." Scott Pearson Eberly made his directorial debut with the release of the feature-length documentary on Tuesday, May 3. The film focuses on the lives of four gamblers in Las Vegas who bet on sporting events...

Growing up in Algona, David Thoreson developed a spirit of adventure while exploring the outdoors. Thoreson used to imagine he was Davy Crockett and pretend he was sailing the world's oceans. He said whenever he was inside he was always dreaming of being outside...

A funeral service for Edith Long, 88, of Milford, was held Tue-sday, May 3, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Milford. Edith (Cecilia) Long was born July 30, 1927, the fourth child of Margaret and Joe Berg, of Milford. She attended St. Joseph Catholic School and then graduated from Milford High School...

MILFORD -- Three people were injured following a head-on collision Thursday evening. Emergency crews were called at 4:24 p.m. to the 2600 block of 190th Avenue. The crash site was on a gravel road southwest of Milford and less than a mile from the Clay County line...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, this week met with Richard and Deanna McCord and their son, Sean, of Spencer, during their vacation trip to Washington, D.C. "I enjoyed visiting with the McCord family," Grassley said. "I appreciate the opportunity to meet face-to-face, hear concerns and answer questions from Iowans." The McCord family spoke with Grassley about a variety of issues and current events. Grassley makes it a priority to meet with Iowans visiting Washington, D.C., in addition to events in Iowa, including his annual visits to each of the 99 counties. While in the nation's capital, Grassley sets aside two hours each day to meet with Iowans. He encourages Iowans to write him or visit one of his offices regarding questions or concerns they have with their federal government. Meetings can be scheduled with Grassley at http://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact/request-meeting.

--- This weekly series from Courtney Carstens throughout the summer will feature destinations and opportunities throughout the region that are good for a weekend trip. --- WINTERSET -- Iowa is a state of many cornfields, friendly people, and fun, family-friendly events to attend on weekends. One such weekend-long event is the 2016 John Wayne Birthday Celebration which will take place at the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum in Winterset...

Construction will soon be underway for a standalone Thrifty White Pharmacy store near the intersection of South Grand Avenue and Seventh Street Southwest. "We're moving our entire store," said Dave Rueter, vice president of personnel at Thrifty White. "We're just ready to begin construction on that. It'll be a few months, but we're anticipating a November move."...

Spencer High School seniors were gifted a day of fun Friday in exchange for their four years of academic commitment to the local school district. The soon-to-be graduates were treated to breakfast and lunch as well as a full day of scheduled activities, including dodgeball, fishing, tie dying, bowling, sand volleyball and a movie at Southpark 7 Theaters. Some of the outdoor activities were moved indoors based on the weather in the morning. The Spencer Daybreakers Kiwanis hosted breakfast and then welcomed the students back for a lunch of burgers and fries in partnership with the Clay County Cattlemen. The seniors will participate in baccalaureate at 7 p.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and then celebrate graduation at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 22, in the Field House.

Originally scheduled as a meeting in Des Moines, a conference call was held Friday, May 13, between county auditors from Clay, Woodbury, Johnson and Clinton counties. Marjorie Pitts, Clay County auditor, indicated that, during election season, schedules were subject to changes. The meeting is in response to recent changes in legislation...

Main Street Spencer is looking for volunteers to plant flowers on Grand Avenue in the downtown business district, starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 17. Those interested in participating should meet at the Spencer Fire Station. "This started in the mid-'80s," Spencer Parks Director Delrey Bredehoeft said. "There were two downtown plantings. The second one started in the 2000s."...

The Spencer Community Sch-ool Board approved the position of communications and public relations support at their most recent meeting Tuesday night. "It's been a board priority to have better communication with parents and with the community," said Bob Whittenburg, president of the Spencer School Board. "This affords us the opportunity to do that."...

DICKENS -- Eastbound traffic was backed up a mile, travel was limited for approximately four hours and a pair of ambulances were needed to transport injured following a Friday morning accident, just before 8 a.m., at the intersection of U.S. Highway 18 and Clay County Road N-14 -- also known as the Terril blacktop -- east of Dickens. This marks the second accident at the same intersection in less than two weeks...

May 2 -- Hayley Yvette Byerly, 20, Spencer Judgment entry --- May 4 -- Matthew Alan Williams, 34, Hartley Judgment entry --- May 4 -- Cole Patrick Lawman, 46, Spencer OWI, drugged third Open container --- May 5 -- Treyor James Sealman, 23, Marshalltown...

I apologize in advance if portions of this column seem a little disjointed or, um, ramble-y, but starting at track results and seedings for a couple hours will mess with your head. "Why wouldn't you write the column before doing all the track stuff, Nate?"...