News

Through Sunday, April 11, Cherokee County has totaled 1,566 COVID 19 cases and 38 total deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020. There have been two new cases diagnosed recently. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Saturday reported 679 new positive COVID-19 tests and six additional deaths in Iowa...

The Parks and Recreation Department has begun a new program called Cherokee Joggers. Free for all ages and allowing participants to run at their own pace, the Joggers begins Tuesday, April 13th at 5:30 am. Tuesdays falling on even dates will start at Spring Lake Park at the Open Shelter while the Tuesdays on odd dates will be at MHI, meeting at the Iowa Street Parking Lot. ...

Ladies and Gentlemen. I am pleased to inform you that the Gold Egg for this years Easter Egg Hunt has been found! Details will be provided in Monday's edition of the CT. Stay tuned!

Congratulations to Riley Swartz for being chosen as the April Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month! Riley is the 8th grade son of Craig and Nina Swartz.  Riley was nominated because he is wonderfully kind to others. He has a great sense of humor and shows integrity in and out of the classroom. He is a great citizen of Cherokee Middle School!...

April Rotary Student of the Month is Colten Woltman!  Colten is the son of Heidi and Ryan Woltman and was nominated for this recognition by staff members.  Colten participates in basketball, group speech, and track.  A quote from one of Colten's teachers, "Colten Woltman is a great student, quiet leader, and nice to others."  Congratulations to Colten!   ...

Washta native and long-time Cherokee resident Ralph S. Johnson will be celebrating his 100th birthday on Monday, April 12th. Johnson is a World War II veteran who achieved the rank of motor machinist's mate first class, served in the Atlantic on a ship laying and tending nets which would stop torpedoes before transferring to the Pacific Theater in preparation for an attack on Japan...

The 77th Cherokee Boys Tomahawk Relays scheduled for the Braves spiffy new “All-Weather” track Thursday were canceled due to inclement weather. The Girls Tomahawk scheduled for today was still a go at Thursday’s CT press time. Cherokee Athleltic Director Josh Landhuis reported Thursday morning: “Between the already sloppy field conditions, standing water in certain areas of the field and chances of more rain later today, we have canceled today's (Boys) Tomahawk Relays. ...

The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors Tuesday held a public hearing for the proposed 2020/2021 FY budget amendment and receiving no comment from the public, approved the amendment as published. The amendment addresses the following major adjustments: Estimated $240,000 COVID related grants, etc.; Roads & Transportation Expenses increased $550,000 for Bridges & Culverts; Administration Expenses increased $33,000 for Law Enforcement Center Roof Replacement; Non-program Current Expenses increased $200,000 for Dakota Access Pipeline pass through funds; Capital Projects decreased $1,000,000 in Roadway Construction.. ...

The Cherokee School Board held the Public Hearing Monday night on the proposed 2021-22 FY budget and, receiving no written or oral objections, approved the budget as proposed and published. The budget, prepared and presented by CSD Business Manager Joyce Lundsgaard, calls for an estimated $22.8 million in Total Requirements (certified maximum ceiling), and Total Expenditures of an estimated $19.5 million...

The Parks and Recreation Department has begun a new program called Cherokee Joggers. Free for all ages and allowing participants to run at their own pace, the Joggers begins Tuesday, April 13th at 5:30 am. Tuesdays falling on even dates will start at Spring Lake Park at the Open Shelter while the Tuesdays on odd dates will be at MHI, meeting at the Iowa Street Parking Lot. ...

Track and field lovers, the 77th Cherokee Tomahawk Relays are scheduled for the Braves spiffy new track at WHS Thursday and Friday, April 8-9. Cherokee, along with area schools in two classes for both boys and girls will be the first athletes to compete on the impressive black 8-lane Olympic Gold oval. Both boys and girls meets will feature 8 schools in each 2A and 1A classes for the 32-team field...

Weed Commissioner gets new sprayer

Track and field lovers, the 77th Cherokee Tomahawk Relays are scheduled for the Braves spiffy new track at WHS Thursday and Friday, April 8-9. Cherokee, along with area schools in two classes for both boys and girls will be the first athletes to compete on the impressive black 8-lane Olympic Gold oval. Both boys and girls meets will feature 8 schools in each 2A and 1A classes for the 32-team field...

Long-time Cherokee businessman Denny Taylor, an avid booster of track and field and especially the Braves and the Cherokee Tomahawk Relays, is this year’s Tomahawk Honorary Referee. The coveted honor annually feats those who have supported word and deed the popular Cherokee track and field tradition now in its 77th year. ...

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) visited Lopez Foods in Cherokee on Wednesday. During the visit Senator Ernst had the opportunity to meet with Lopez Foods President, John P. Lopez and other members of the Cherokee plant leadership team. John P. Lopez provided Ernst with the history of Lopez Foods, an update on current and potential future production at the Cherokee facility. ...

Kindergarten teacher Abby James and her class of 18 students have been exploring their creative side in the Cherokee Elementary School’s new STEM classroom. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This project began in the old building on Roosevelt during the cold snap. “It was too cold to go outside for recess and a lot of the indoor recess stuff had been packed up or moved already to the new building,” said James...

Historic Civil War artifact now in Sanford collection

Paul Pingel from the Cherokee Braves Booster Club, and Steve Kimmes, from the Cherokee Country Store, are proud to announce the start of their "Pride Pump April Stimulus" for Spring 2021. Starting on April 1st and ending on April 30th, Country Stores will be doubling their per gallon incentive paid benefiting Cherokee Washington High school from .02 to .04 cents per gallon...

The Cherokee City Council at last week’s meeting approved a recently negotiate a three-year labor agreement increase of 3% between the City and Cherokee Policeman’s Association (CPA) covering the period July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. With the exception of wages and minor language changes, the CPA contract remains the same as the current contract that expires June 30, 2021...

MARCUS - The Marcus Community remains vigilant and dedicated formalizing plans and events for the town’s 150th Birthday to be celebrated concurrently with the annual Marcus Community Fair August 11-15, 2021. “Pride in the Past - Faith in the Future” is the community and Sesquicentennial theme as residents collaborate on saluting Marcus’s historic birthday this summer...

At last week’s Cherokee City Council meeting, two bids were received for the purchase of a vacuum excavator, to be used by water and sewer personnel and funded in FY22 with revenue in the Water and Sewer System Maintenance Funds as follows: Ditch Witch - $84,585.28; Vermeer, Marcus IA, $61,650.00. Council approved the low bid of Vermeer...

Paranormal activity suspected in Brummer Building

City explores tax abatement incentives

Cherokee students make and market own products

At last week’s meeting, the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors approved an underground construction application on county right of way for Osceola Rural Water System in Section 5 of Spring Township; and an underground construction application on county right of way for Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative in Section 33 of Cherokee Township and Sections 4 and 5 of Pilot Township...

Group forms to save historic downtown Building

The Cherokee School Board continued to struggle with an estimated $110,000-$140,000 shortfall involved in an “alternate” project associated with the artificial turf project scheduled this summer at WHS. A citizen’s committee organized to fundraise the estimated $1.2 million project to turf the football field after being told about 1 1/2 years ago that such a project was not included in the School District’s 5-year plan. ...

Budget Hearing April 5

The Cherokee School Board entered into exempt session at Monday’s March meeting to discuss District collective bargaining strategies and issues. The Board took action after the closed meeting as follows: Moved by Board member Jodi Thomas, seconded by Patty Brown to approve the Master Working Agreement with the Cherokee Education Association for the 2021-2022 school year with $1,150 added to the base, 1 additional...

Are You an Eggcellent Artist? Then hop to it and enter our Easter Coloring Contest! Sponsored by the Chronicle Times, Cherokee Hy-Vee, Rider Family Dentistry, Cherokee Regional Medical Center & Wellness Center, Fareway, Bomgaars, Sioux Valley Family Health, North Star Community Credit Union, Northwest Realty, Family Table, The Book Vine, Hairology and Rasmus Realty...

The hunt is on! It’s that time once again for the annual Carey’s Furniture and Chronicle Time’s Easter Egg Hunt! The search begins on Monday, March 22, 2021 and will end on Friday, April 2, 2021, or until both the eggs have been found. The sponsors for the Easter Egg Hunt are Carey’s Furniture and the Chronicle Times. ...

The hunt is on! It’s that time once again for the annual Carey’s Furniture and Chronicle Time’s Easter Egg Hunt! The search begins on Monday, March 22, 2021 and will end on Friday, April 2, 2021, or until both the eggs have been found. The sponsors for the Easter Egg Hunt are Carey’s Furniture and the Chronicle Times. ...

The regionally renowned paranormal group, Para911, will conduct an investigation of Cherokee’s historic Brummer Building. Para911 (Formerly Siouxland Paranormal) was founded by Dave LaFleur in 2008. The goal of the group is “to assist people experiencing unknown activity. Para911 can assist in answering the question, is it a spirit or a ghost?” explained Para911 founder LaFleur. “We work to determine why a spirit may be attached to an individual, object or place.”...

In today's technology-driven world, you can do almost anything, including design your own cemetery stone. Now, Cherokee Monument Company, owned by Matt and Julie Schubert, have made that process easier for customers. Recently, the Schubert's relocated their monument business from south of Cherokee...

At last week’s Cherokee County Board of Supervisors meetin Kaitlin Letsche, County Election Manager, reviewed the March 2, 2021 Special Election results for the three measures involved in MMC School District’s $20 million improvement projects passed by voters allowing for expansion and upgrades to the high school and for a new day care facility at the school...

The Cherokee High School Speecheltes had a great Large Group Speech season.  120 students from the high school were participants in Large Group Speech.  Due to Covid they held all of their contests at WHS.  The kids did a great job and thrived in this environment.  There were 27 groups involved in the District Contest and 24 of those groups moved on to the State level.  Of those 24 groups 6 groups were nominated for All-State.  This is the highest honor a Speech student can receive.   The groups included 52 students and were 2 group improvs, 1 readers theatre, 2 TV news, and 1 Radio Broadcasting.  The WHS Speechletes are coached by James and Jaylene De Vos, Libby Peterson, and Chris Anderson.  . ...

Property owners in the City of Cherokee are advised to begin cleaning up nuisance areas as the spring weather warms and snow cover disappears revealing problem areas for residents. At last week’s City Council meeting Council member Chad Brown commented on an increasing number of nuisance properties around the City and wants to make sure this issue is addressed. ...

No deal, but Holstein’s Nees, Lamp shine on big stage

While continuing to vaccinate those age 65 or older, Cherokee Public Health is finishing up Phase 1B Tier 1 First Responders (fire fighters, police officers, and child welfare social workers), and PK-12 school staff, early childhood education, and childcare workers and has moved into the next identified tiers...

The Board of Directors of Cherokee Day Care, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathy Peterson as Executive Director, effective March 8, 2021.   As a strong mentor in the facility, Kathy demonstrated strong leadership in planning and managing the organization’s numerous programs and services, and in forming partnerships across the region to facilitate positive outcomes...

ICAP insurance premium jumps $24,000

Focus on fundraising, renovation phases

At last week’s Cherokee County Board of Supervisors meeting, Derek Scott, County Sheriff, presented a wage authorization and other benefit clarifications for consideration. The Board approved a $70,975.00 (85% of Sheriff’s salary) wage authorization for Kristopher Alesch, Chief Deputy, effective March 1, 2021...

Lori Ebel, owner-operator of Home Anthology in downtown Cherokee, asked for Cherokee to "Ante Up" and so they did!  During the month of February, Home Anthology hosted a fundraiser for Cherokee Day Care.  With the purchase of candles and wax melts, a portion of Lori’s sales were donated to the daycare. The funds will be used to buy a variety of new toys for Cherokee Day Care's School Aged Room. ...

DES MOINES - West Lyon limited the No. 1 ranked, state tourney Class 3A top seeded Cherokee Braves, to just 10 points the entire second half on the way to a convincing 52-39 semifinal win, ending Cherokee’s season at 23-1. Ten points in 16 minutes. That says it all...

Days after South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, a 1995 Cherokee Washington High graduate, fatally struck a man while driving in September, detectives told the Republican official they had found a pair of broken reading glasses inside his Ford Taurus. They belonged to the man he killed...

Group forms to save, market historic Brummer Building

The Food Bank of Siouxland Inc. will be distributing food at the the Cherokee Community Center. The Community Cenbter can be located on 530 W. Bluff St. The distribution will take place on Thursday, March 11, 2021, starting at 11:15 p.m. in the Community Center parking lot. Please stay in your vehicle as boozes will be brought outside. Also go to the "upper" "bigger" parking lot at the Community Center. For more information contact the Food Bank at (712) 225-9741...

On 2/26/21, The Marcus Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling eastbound on HWY 3 driven by Marina Stinson, 25 years old of Lawton. Upon the stop being initiated Stinson accelerated resulting in a vehicle pursuit at speeds in excess of 100 mph. ...

For high school, elementary expansion; new dar care