Stories from Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Despite the frigid temperatures and icy, snowy weather that have plagued us this winter, rest assured it won't be long until the first robins return to brighten our days and make us think of beautiful, refreshing Spring! For many, Spring means it's time for the enjoyable rigors of annual gardening. ...

udy A. Meikle of Cherokee, 70 , passed away Sunday morning, March 3, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City. Funeral services were held today, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee. Rev. Magrey deVega officiated. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery at a later date. ...

Della F. Grieme of Alta, age 94, passed away on Friday, March 01, 2013 at the Oakwood Care Center of Clear Lake. A funeral service was held today at 10 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church of rural Alta (Hanover) with the Rev. John H. Schmidt officiating. ...

Gerald "Jerry" Britt, age 65 of Aurelia, formerly of Cherokee, passed away Friday, March 1, 2013 at the Veteran's Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2013 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cherokee. ...

With the completion of the Girls State Basketball Tournament, the Twin Lakes Conference has released its All-Conference teams for the 2012-2013 season. Two conference teams topped the 20 win figure for the season, including Newell-Fonda, which was the runner-up at the Class 1-A State Tournament. Manson Northwest Webster shared TLC championship honors with Newell-Fonda, and South Central Calhoun and Sioux Cenral also fielded potent squads...

1st Team Josie Kopal (Sr., Lawton-Bronson); Ashley Williams (Jr., Lawton-Bronson); Jensen Boger (Jr., OA-BCIG); Ellen Gallagher (Jr., Woodbury Central); Taylor King (Sr., Lawton-Bronson); Nicole Snyder (Sr., Ridge View); Katlyn Mellies (Sr., Woodbury Central); Marina Keck (Fr., Kingsley-Pierson)...

DES MOINES - Des Moines, in conjunction with the Iowa Girls Coaches Association (IGCA), is hosting the 48th National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) National Convention at the Holiday Inn-Airport June 22-26, 2013. Iowa also hosted the NHSACA Convention in 1994...

DES MOINES - Former Odebolt-Arthur/Battle Creek-Ida Grove basketball coach Pat Miller is the 2013 basketball recipient of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's Golden Plaque of Distinction Award. Miller received the award at halftime of the Class 1A State Championship game at the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament Friday...

Jake Owen, one of Country Music's hottest stars, will headline the Creek Fest music festival in Cherokee on Saturday, August 3. Owen released his debut album with RCA Records Nashville in 2006. Since then he has had a consistent string of hit songs including, "Yee Haw," "Startin' With Me," "Don't Think I Can't Love You," and his three recent #1 singles: "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," "Alone with You," and "The One That Got Away."...

WASHTA - March 22nd is the big day for the River Valley Kindergarten Round-Up. All children who will be enrolling in kindergarten at River Valley in August are invited to visit the kindergarten room and take part in the planned activities for the morning...

People who ordered daffodils for the Cherokee County Daffodil Days may pick-up the flowers at the Cherokee Public Library on Tuesday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Cherokee's Fareway Store on Friday, March 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. The daffodil is the American Cancer Society's symbol of hope in the fight against cancer and emphasizes the spirit of renewed life and the coming of spring...

(Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series recalling retired Cherokee farmer and World War II veteran Bud Clow's distinguished military career and his special duties above and beyond.) During the first few months of World War II in the Pacific, from December 7, 1941 through June, 1942, the combat forces of Imperial Japan ran rouqhshod over weak Allied garrisons and outposts, the defending soldiers relying on outdated tactics and being forced to use obsolete and inferior weapons...