News

STEM at the Library The library has been fortunate to receive funding for STEM. We really have received a TON of funding for STEM programming. In all, the amount for STEM alone is well north of $10,000 just in programming and supplies we have received from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council, Prenda and our IMLS grant, Google, and many other generous funders. ...

Municipal department heads officially presented their budget requests for fiscal year 2020-21 at last week’s Cherokee City Council meeting. Armond Rider, Public Works Director, reported on Streets, Water and Wastewater budget requests. Proposed funding for the Street Department includes replacing a 2009 dump truck and plow. ...

This months Artist of the Month is Amee Ellis. Born in Minnesota, she lived in Nebraska, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, and New Mexico. Her roaming led her back to the Midwest, and where she now calls home: Des Moines, Iowa. While in high school, she developed an interest in photography with it's Dark Room Program. ...

KeeLive warms January cold

At the Monday night meeting, the Cherokee School Board approved a series of resignations, extended contracts, and internal transfers that are now tucked into the Consent Agenda portion of the main agenda. In previous years, that information stood individually on its own in the “New Business” discussion/action item portion of the agenda...

The Cherokee WA TAN YE Club met Monday evening, February 10 at Danny’s Sport Spot for their monthly dinner and business meeting. President Jane Johnston presided over the business meeting. A thank you note was received from the Sanford Museum Association for the club’s membership renewal...

Andrew Perry of Alta is the third generation to work on the farm started by his grandfather. Andrew’s dad returned in the 1980s, and Andrew came back after graduating from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., in 2011. Perry Livestock LLC in Aurelia is a wean-to-finish operation that includes three finishers and one nursery. They finish about 7,500 hogs annually...

Cherokee Regional Medical Center’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department is pleased to announce that Aurelia native, Tayler Van Berkum, has joined their team as a speech-language pathologist. Van Berkum passed her board exams and started at CRMC in January. ...

Saturday, March 7, 2020, marks the date for the 15th Annual Cherokee Educational Foundation dinner to be held at the Little Sioux Event Center. The doors will open at 4:30 pm, with the event beginning at 6:00. The CEF is proud to host this event, which provides our school system and students with perks for the classroom!...

Council advances water main, street projects May relocate Wescott Park By Paul Struck Editor At Tuesday’s regular meeting, the Cherokee City Council set a bid letting date of Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 2 p.m. for a Water Main Improvements Project (Hillcrest Street water line that needs to be upsized and Armory water line that is a dead end and needs to be looped), and Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 3 p.m. ...

Everyone is invited to the annual Sermons Ala Carte 2020. First established in 1985, this will be it's 35th anniversary. The theme for this year is "God's Eternal Truth." The program will take place each Wednesday at Noon during Lent at the Memorial Presbyterian Church at 127 E. Willow St. Service will take place from noon to 12:30 p.m. Lunch will follow at 12:30 p.m. with a cost of $3...

About 400 meals were served Tuesday as area farmers and families flocked to Cherokee’s 25th annual Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee Ag Show at the Little Sioux Events Center. A bountiful 54 vendors showed their wares and services through the day as visitors sought Ag information and advice. More than 100 attended the pesticide application training by ISU. There were drawings for Chamber Bucks and a free lunch was served...

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Cherokee City Council held a Public Hearing on the planned East Main Street Bridge Repair Project and the Hearing was continued to the February 25, 2020, Council meeting. The delay results because more detailed information on the bridge girder painting was requested by contractors and an Addendum was sent out to contractors moving the bid date for the project from Thursday, February 6, 2020, to Friday, February 14, 2020 (today)...

That Anderson fellow sure knows how to throw a party. As in CAEDC’s 25th annual Cherokee County Recognition Banquet last week at the Little Sioux Events Center in Cherokee. Wow! From Cherokee Troubadour Charlie Leissler’s opening serenades to 150-year old barristers still Cookin’, to Dick Point’s Cherokee Citizen of the Year Award, the night was one to remember in this heavenly slice of rural Iowa...

MARCUS - Year 2021 will be the 150th celebration of the city of Marcus. One of the projects for the historic Sesquicentennial will be an update to the History Book that was published in 1996 for the 125th anniversary. This book will present the town’s growth in the past 25 years and will include businesses, families, organizations, school, churches, etc...

Richard "Dick" Point was awarded Cherokee's Citizen of the Year at this years CAEDC Cherokee County Recognition Banquet at the Little Sioux Events Center. In bestowing the annual award, Cherokee Mayor Craig Schmidt said, “I am especially honored to award this year's recipient of the Citizen of the Year. I consider the recipient a dear friend and know first hand of his qualifications...

Professor Kurt Spearing at the Sanford Museum On February 5, 2020, The Sanford Museum and Planetarium was delighted to have the Northwest Chapter of the Iowa Archaeological Society host Kurt Spearing Ph.D., a professor at Morningside College. Dr. Spearing gave a presentation at the Sanford Museum to discuss his research and the path he took to studying paleontology...

Cherokee Regional Medical Center is accepting applications for the CRMC Auxiliary, CRMC Foundation, Kenneth Hobson Memorial, and John M. Comstock scholarship opportunities for graduating high school students interested in a health care career. All four scholarships require students to be a resident of the CRMC service area, a senior in good standing, and entering a health care field to qualify...

February 11, 2020 marks this years 25th annual Cherokee County Agricultural Show. The event will be taking place at the Little Sioux Event Center at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There are a total of over 50 sponsors for this years Ag Show. The sponsors this year include:...

Carson King, the beloved Iowan with a sign at a college football game asking for beer money that turned into a $3 million windfall for the Iowa City Stead Family Children’s Hospital, was in Cherokee Monday to talk to WHS students. The Altoona resident became a sensation after cameras caught him holding a hand-drawn sign as he stood behind the set of ESPN's "College GameDay" in Ames on Sept. ...

At Tuesday’s Cherokee County Board of Supervisors meeting, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director Justin Pritts asked for the prior meeting minutes to be adjusted to include the reason for his approaching the Board to make comments regarding accusations that he had not provided funding to fire departments in the Dakota Access Pipeline district...

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg led the latest Iowa Caucus voting (97% reported) with about 27% of State Delegate Equivalents. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is second, just behind, with about 25% of delegate equivalents. Elizabeth Waren trailed with about 18%, followed by Joe Biden 16%, and Amy Klobuchar 12%...

SPIRIT LAKE - Cherokee matmen Simon Mummert, Cael Wood and Sean Cronin are 2020 Lakes Conference wrestling champions. According to Cherokee head coach Austin Todd, it’s been 37 years since the Braves have put three wrestlers on the championship podium. It goes all the way back to 1983 when Todd Borkowski (138), John Pearse (145) and Clark Voge (167) capture league titles...

We’re well into award season with the Golden Globes, Grammy’s and soon the Oscars. I know it sounds a little weird to bring this up as a librarian, but this is also the time of year that book awards come out. Every January at the ALA Midwinter Conference the Newberry, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and other awards are announced in a panel called the Youth Media Awards...

Ludvigson Chiropractic in Cherokee has been undergoing some changes. Recently, the clinic has relocated to an expansive new location at 213 N. 2nd St. in a former medical clinic, and had a red ribbon cutting to celebrate the occasion. The building had to be renovated to accommodate more customers and account for growing business with the addition of their new staff...

Homeland Security says system not hacked

More than 50 vendors are registered for Cherokee’s 25th annual Ag Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the spacious Little Sioux Events Center on Linden Street. There will be private pesticide application training by Iowa State University at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Events Center Conference Room...

DES MOINES — The State Library of Iowa is now offering a weekly delivery service to Iowa public libraries. The agency contracted with St. Louis-based STAT Courier to operate the service and partnered with MOBIUS, a library consortium out of Columbia, MO, for management of the system...

At last week’s Cherokee County Board of Supervisors meeting, Justin Pritts, Emergency Management Association Coordinator, shared documentation that was presented at a recent meeting in Aurelia with regards to donation money the EMA received from Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that runs through the County...

Paul Mugge, Sutherland organic farmer and member of the Practical Farmers of Iowa, was awarded the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award on January 18, 2020. He received the award at a presentation at the Iowa State Center Scheman Building the Practical Farmers annual conference in Ames, Iowa. "It's just humbling, and I certainly wasn't expecting it," said Mugge in response to him receiving the award...

Tonight’s coed doubleheader between Cherokee and Western Christian cagers could determine who wears the pants in the Lakes Conference family. Western Christian’s girls lead the Lakes at 6-1, while Cherokee is 5-2 with two league games left for both teams after tonight...

Raising Awareness During National American Heart Month

Dan Huseman, R-Aurelia, announced this week that he will not be seeking reelection in 2020 for his Iowa District 3 House seat. At the conclusion of his term, January 21, 2021, he will be retiring from the Iowa House. Huseman represents House District 3, which includes the Cherokee and O'Brien counties, as well as portions of Plymouth and Sioux counties...

Carson King, the beloved Iowan with a sign at a college football game asking for beer money that turned into a $3 million windfall for the Iowa City Stead Family Children’s Hospital, will be in Cherokee Monday to talk to WHS students. At the personal request of the sagacious and opportunistic WHS Guidance Counselor Jolene Heater, King will speak to students from 10-11 a.m.Monday in the WHS Auditorium. The public is invited...

Cherokee’s rated girls won their 12th game and the Braves exhibited composure in a hard-fought 58-55 win over the Tornadoes here Friday night. The girls; game was a runaway 86-50 win for Cherokee, but the boys’ nightcap was a battle to the bitter end...

Our long National nightmare is over. No, I’m not talking about the election (watch out, getting political!). The carpet has officially been completed here at the library *Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” plays in the background, a single tear rolls down my face*...

With the Chair calling for comments from the public at a recent Cherokee County Board if Supervisors meeting, a rural Cherokee man voiced concerns about the Cherokee Trails Project being within City limits and asking for County funding. He obviously has a problem with that...

Caitlin Sholty and Travis Stofferan of Ida Grove are proud to announce the birth of their new daughter. Remington Kay Stofferan was born on January 24, 2020 at 1:20 a.m. She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 20 inches in length. She has one sister named Zoey Sholty. Her grandparents are Gerrod and Julie Sholty and Richard and Robyn Stofferan...

The 25th Annual Cherokee County Recognition Banquet will be held Thursday, February 6th at the Little Sioux Event Center in Cherokee. This is an opportunity to recognize outstanding members of our communities for their contributions to our county. Dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30PM. You will enjoy music performed by Charlie Leissler, good conversation and a great meal during the dinner hour. Presentation of awards will begin at 6:30PM. Tickets are $30 per person in advance, $35 at the door...

Cherokee plant renovation continues; planned April start

REMSEN - Win. That’s what MMCRU’s lady Royals do. We referring to the Class 1A, No. 6th ranked lady Royals, now owners of an unblemished 14-0 record after sidelining ninth ranked Kingsley-Pierson here Thursday, 70-59. A standing room only crowd saw the Royals turn a slim 12-11 first quarter lead into 30-21 halftime lead on an 18-10 second quarter run. ...

The Knights of Columbus have begun selling their 28th year selling money calendars. Each year, they have given $1,500 to needy causes. They started with a donation to Western Iowa Tech. Then they split the donation and gave $1,000 to one cause and $1,000 to another...

Saying yes to the dress can be difficult at times, especially if your new to the dress shopping and wedding scene. However, there's no need to fear. Here in Cherokee, we have a boutique that can help you find the right dress, and solve some problems when it comes to wedding attire...