Stories from Monday, April 2, 2012

Taylor Woods and Jacob Spindler were named the 2011 Tomahawk Relay Queen and King at Cherokee Washington High School. The coronation ceremony was held on Friday at the WHS auditorium. Taylor is the daughter of John and Quinn Woods and Jake is the son of Bill Spindler and Susan Spooner. The Tomahawk Relays will begin on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at WHS. Photo by Mike Leckband...

Cherokee City Administrator Don Eikmeier, left, questions Mayor Mark Murphy about his recent decree that all City employees must wear baker's hats 24-7 now through RAGBRAI XL that rolls into Cherokee Sunday, July 22. The Mayor created the City's official RAGBRAI slogan to greet the bicyclists - "Shake & Bake Your Bootie in Cherokee" - and said he thought the baker's hats would "fit the bill." To cap it all off, many City employees have flipped their lids over the decree and have been seen after hours without their baker's hats on. ...

The final workshop in the ISU Extension and Outreach "Learning with Lunch" series will be held on Wednesday, April 11 , from noon to 1 p.m,. at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Cherokee. Iowa Master Gardener Duane Kent will present the program "Perennials for the Home Landscape."...

SIOUX CITY -- U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, is scheduled to hold a series of town hall meetings in the region this week. King will talk with residents about concerns and suggestions. Each meeting is planned for one hour. Scheduled meetings are: Monday - 2:30 p.m.: Wilbur Aalfs Library, 529 Pierce St., Sioux City;...

The Cherokee County Farm Bureau is celebrating Rural Roads Safe Driving in April by encouraging county residents to travel safely on the roads this spring. This time of year, farmers are busy working in the fields and driving tractors, farm trucks, wagons and large equipment on roads...

With less than three weeks to go in this session, lawmakers are scrambling to get things done. We are actually in pretty good shape time-wise, but everything must fall into place in perfect order. As of now, all budget bills have passed in at least one chamber, except the massive Human Services bill...

Sunday is Easter, a joyful time for Christians everywhere and a time when many families and friends get together to enjoy a bountiful feast. Holidays can be wonderful, but they can bring added stress and excesses. Hosting the Easter dinner, visiting with family and friends, and having house guests can lead to upsets if you have unrealistic expectations of yourself or others. ...

On the morning of Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at approximately 11 a.m., the Storm Lake Police Department took a report in connection with a person being videotaped without their knowledge or permission. Police were advised by a juvenile female that she was staying at a residence located at 123 Irving St., having returned to Storm Lake to visit for a few days. ...

On the morning of Thursday, March 29, 2012 at approximately 7:13 a.m. the Storm Lake Public Safety Department (police & fire) responded to the intersection of Lake Avenue and Railroad Street in reference to a suspicious package. The reporting party advised they saw a briefcase lying in the street near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Railroad Street. ...

The Cherokee Soil & Water Conservation District will be having a meeting via conference call on Friday, April 6 at 9 a.m. Phones will be available for public comment at the USDA Service Center - 314 Lake Street in Cherokee. Individuals with disabilities and/or special needs should notify Tracy Rasmussen at 225-4151 of their need for special services far enough in advance of the meeting to enable services to be secured...

The City of Cherokee has announced that yard waste will be picked up by Sanitary Services on your regular recyclable service day on the following dates: West side of Cherokee will be Thursdays, April 12, and May 3; and the East side of Cherokee will be Fridays, April 13, and May 4...

Kenneth M. Stellish of rural Aurelia passed away at the age of 64 Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center. Funeral services were held Saturday, March 31st, at 10:30 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, with Rev. Magrey de Vega officiating. Burial was at Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Aurelia. Boothby Funeral Home of Cherokee was in charge of funeral arrangements, and on line condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com...

Le MARS - The 8th annual Joan Wilson Memorial 5K will be run at 9 a.m. on Saturday April 28 on the Maser Fitness Trail in the Le Mars Municipal Park. Particpants can register online at http://allsportcentral.com, or pick up registrations at the YMCA in Le Mars. Early bird registration discount expires April 13, 2012...

POCAHONTAS - The Alta-Aurelia girls played a Twin Lakes Conference dual golf meet against Pocahontas Area/Pomeroy-Palmer here on Thursday, but the dual was rather one-sided, as Pocahontas Area had only three girls in the varsity meet and didn't field a team in the Junior Varsity meet...