Stories from Monday, July 23, 2007

Ryan Kolpin, an Aurelia-based attorney and former magistrate, won a special election for Cherokee County Attorney on Tuesday by a vote of 1,422 to 401 over James Tiernan, Jr. The position of Cherokee County Attorney went from part-time to full-time as of Jan. 1 of this year...

The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors, meeting in special session Monday, approved a continuation of the present designation of funds for the Local Option Sales Tax. The one cent sales tax for the county and for the city of Cherokee are not set to expire until 2011 but the tax for the city of Quimby will expire at the end of the current year. In order to hold an election, entities representing at least half of the population of the county must participate...

An investigation of a burglary at the Washington High School reported on May 14 (a Monday morning) has resulted in charges filed on July 10 against two males and charges are pending against a third male, according to the Cherokee Police Department. At the time of the burglary in May, police reported that entrance was gained by breaking a window on an outside door. Several rooms had been ransacked and a small amount of money was taken...

In accordance with state mandates, the Cherokee School District has changed its graduation policy to require completion of 4 years (8 semesters -- 8 credits) of language arts, 3 years (6 semesters -- 6 credits) of science, 3 years (6 semesters -- 6 credits) of math, 3 years (6 semesters -- 6 credits) of social studies and 4 years (8 semesters -- 4 credits) of phys ed...

William "Bill" Pitts, age 78, of Rembrandt, died on Friday, July 13, 2007 at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City. Funeral Mass was held at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 16, 2007 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sioux Rapids, with Father Al Reicks officiating. ...

Michael Dean Britton, 17, of Peterson died on July 14, 2007 due to an accident. Services were held on July 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Sioux Central High School in Sioux Rapids with Pastor Jeff Filkens officiating. Burial was at the Oakland Cemetery in Peterson. ...

Lemvel Wright and Natatia Gibson of Meriden are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Tanisha Rhee Gibson. She was born on June 25, 2007 at 5:21 p.m. She weighted 7 lbs and 12 oz. and measured 21 inches long. Grandparents are Lonnie and Sherri Benson of Cherokee...

The Cherokee County Fair had good participation in a number of events. The demolition derby remains the primary draw with a crowd that was better than ever and the new go-kart track appears to be a good draw. However, with the exception of some specialty events, the fair had lackluster attendance. One possible explanation is the absence of a carnival...

My wishes for an interactive column have been partially realized by responses to my recent Fourth of July Gray Matter. Let me explain. A young friend charmingly agreed that little things do so often remind us of loved ones no longer with us. She told me that whenever she eats a fresh peach, she thinks of her paternal grandpa. ...

Ruehle pitches #1 Braves past St. Edmond's A huge crowd watched the #1 Cherokee Braves methodically dissect a very good and very young Fort Dodge St. Edmond's baseball team here Saturday night, with a convincing 10-2 victory and the championship of the Class 2A District...

Jenna, Jaclyn, Kendra, and Kortney Johnson along with their parents Ed and Jennie are extremely proud to announce that a baby brother has arrived. Evan Dean was born on June 19. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 19 inches long. Grandparents are Dave and Cindy Stevenson of Marcus, Dean and Mary Johnson of Pierson, and Dan and Linda Gano of Spirit Lake. ...

Drefke fires 6-hit shutout at Falcons BATTLE CREEK - The gritty Cherokee Washington High softball team nicked a tough Class 2A District Tournament foe on the road here Monday night, with an exciting 1-0 victory over 15th-ranked Battle Creek-Ida Grove...

GALVA - The Galva-Holstein softball team opened the first round of Class 1A Districts with a solid 8-1 decision over Aurelia on July 14th. Getting the win on the mound for the Lady Pirates was Jaime Christensen, who gave up one run on five hits and one walk, and struck out six in seven innings of work...

Marcus' own Tom Wurth, who went to Nashville in 1994 and is now an up-and-coming country music artist, was the headliner at this year's Cherokee County Fair. Wurth performed Friday evening on the main stage, and he noted that this was also the location of his very first performance, when he sang LeRoy VanDyke's "The Auctioneer" in the Bill Riley Talent Show at the Cherokee County Fair...