Stories from Wednesday, October 30, 2013

With Halloween bearing down on us, Cherokee, as well as all other towns, will celebrate the annual spookfest with trick-or-treat scheduled for Thursday. There are several safety suggestions from the National Safety Council that parents and families should keep in mind while making plans for the trick-or-treating sessions...

IDA GROVE - A forum featuring Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate in Iowa is planned next month in Ida County, officials have announced. The Republican Party in Ida, Cherokee and Sac counties has scheduled the event at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Ida Grove Skate Palace...

Cherokee County Engineer Dave Shanahan announced that there will be a discussion about the work to be done on M-21, from south of the Aurelia City limits to C-63, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday Nov. 18th, at the Aurelia Community Center The project will consist of milling, cold in place and HMA overlay. This work is to be bid this winter, with work to commence in the spring or early summer of 2014...

National Bison Day was first proclaimed in 2012. This year the O'Brien County Conservation Board would like to join in the celebration of one of the main features of the tallgrass prairie. Join in the National Bison Day Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Prairie Heritage Center. Take a look at this magnificent prairie icon and learn about the bison's key features, the historical impact of the species, and what the animal's role is today...

Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II ,the artist who created the Freedom RockŪ in Adair County, Iowa, completed the first year of his Iowa Freedom RockŪ tour, on October 1st, 2013. The tour began in Pocahontas County (Rolfe) in April and ended in Sac County (Sac City). Sorensen completed ten different rocks in ten Iowa counties over the course of the spring and summer. ...

Get into the holiday spirit with crafts made using natural items. "Nature Crafts" provides an enjoyable afternoon for people of all ages. The recipe for fun includes a few nature items, a little creativity, some glue and sparkles to make clever holiday decorations...

HAWARDEN, - The Alta-Aurelia boys finished third in the Class 1A District Cross Country Meet here on Thursday, qualifying them for the State Meet at Fort Dodge on Saturday November 2nd for the third consecutive year. The Warriors totaled 94 points to trail champion Hull Trinity Christian and runner-up Maple Valley/Anthon-Oto. The top three teams and top 10 individual times qualify to run at the State Meet...

1. Carroll Kuemper (13); 2. Albia ; 3. New Hampton; 4.Mediapolis;5. Boyden-Hull-RV; 6. Waukon; 7.Spirit Lake; 8. State Center West Marshall;9. Sioux Center; 10.Alleman North Polk 1. Iowa City Regina (13); 2 (tie) Dike-New Hartford, Council Bluffs St. Albert;4. Fort Dodge St. Edmond;5. Delhi Maquoketa Valley;6.Wilton; 7. Van Meter; 8. West Union North Fayette; 9. South O'Brien;10. Ogden;(13, Ridge View)...

Four High School football teams from the Chronicle Times coverage area qualified for post-season play this year, and they begin the playoffs tonight (Wednesday). In the 8-Player class, defending State Champion Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn (8-1), hosts NE Hamilton of Blairsburg (6-3), with the winner meeting the winner of tonight's West Bend-Mallard (9-1) - Remsen Union (5-4) game on Monday November 4th, at a site to be determined...

HAWARDEN - The Alta-Aurelia football Warriors traveled here on Friday night for a season-ending District game with West Sioux, and A-A wasn't able to finish the season on a winning note, falling to the Falcons by a score of 36-13. West Sioux featured a passing attack with quarterbacks Jesus Rivera and Porter Hummel producing 140 yards and three touchdownsm and they added another 205 yards on the ground, led by Rivera's 78 yards and Justin Negaard's 77. ...

KINGSLEY - District 1 8-player champion Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn rushed the ball 42 times for 297 yards and six touchdowns on the way to a 54-32 romp past a gritty Kingsley-Pierson squad in the regular season final for both teams here Friday night. Derek Erdmann rushed nine times for 123 yards and two TDs to lead the Eagles' ground attack, his longest TD scamper coming from 32 yards out. ...

EVERLY - Senior quarterback Brennan Riedemann rushed for six touchdowns and was on the receiving end of another to pace the 8-1 River Valley boys to a resounding 70-6 win over 1-8 Clay Central- Everly in 8-player football action here Friday night to end regular season for both teams...

ORANGE CITY - The Cherokee Washington High cross country teams competed in Class 2A Districts here last week with several runners posting quality times but not placing high enough to make State. " It was a sunny cool day which brought out the best in our athletes," said Cherokee coach Matt Hoskinson...

HOLSTEIN - Ridge View finished its regular football season here Friday night with a resounding 38-17 win over Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla/Manning, and the Raptors will take a sparkling 8-1 record into a Class 1A District playoff first-round playoff game here tonight against Hull Western Christian (5-4)...

PAULLINA - The South O'Brien football team put the finishing touch on a great regular season with a 43-26 win over Hull Western Christian here on Friday to capture the Class 1A District championship. The Wolverine offense racked up 326 yards rushing on 61 carries, and had a season- high 4-7 passing for another 157 yards, with three of the four completed passes going for touchdowns...

The Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Concert Choir presented its annual Fall Concert in Marcus last week, under the leadership of new director Kayla Christ. Photo contributed

A four-year contract went into effect on Monday for the workers at the Cherokee Tyson Plant. The previous contract was set to expire in January, but members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 222 passed the new contract on their first vote on Sunday...