Stories from Wednesday, February 12, 2014

As U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln ended slavery, won the Civil War, and ensured that the United States would remain united in the modern world. His face is printed on the five-dollar bill and stamped on the penny. The Lincoln Memorial is one of the nation's iconic sites...

As the cold weather persists, and an active weather pattern continues to grip the nation, Iowans are bracing for yet another hit to their family budgets. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the tremendous spike in propane prices. Thankfully, propane prices are coming back down, but now, we are seeing big jumps in the price of natural gas. All I have heard over the last few years is that the United States has an abundant supply of natural gas...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia girls took a 3-14 season record into their Twin Lakes Conference matchup here on Friday with Class 1-A's #1-ranked team, Newell-Fonda, and the results were not unexpected, as the Mustangs rolled to s 79-25 win over the young Warrior team...

ALTA - The top-ranked Newell-Fonda boys posted a 76-56 win over Alta-Aurelia here on Friday in what many hoped would be a closer game. Newell-Fonda shot an incredible 68% from the field, however - many of them from close range - and Alta-Aurelia's "helpside" defense was "just a step slow all night," said a disappointed Warrior coach Chris Abaray...

The first-year Cherokee Washington High bowling team swept Sioux Central in the final home match of the season at the Cherokee Bowl. fOn the girls' side, the conditions were a bit of a challenge but the team adjusted well and came out of the first round with a comfortable 243 pin lead going into the second round of Baker style team bowling...

MARCUS - #1 undefeated Le Mars Gehlen's boys withstood a 15-3 scoring run in the third quarter by Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn with a 21-12 scoring advantage in the fourth period on the way to a hard-fought 52-43 win here Friday night. Dylan Spieler led MMC with 13 points and a whopping 18 rebounds, while Ben Specht added 12, and Reece Jackson 10...

MARCUS - A quick 25-8 lead in the first quarter got Le Mars Gehlen's girls off and running to a 62-46 basketball conquest of Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn here Friday night. The gritty MMC club responded with a 16-4 scoring run of their own in the second frame, but it was not enough to catch the 12-5 Jays...

SERGEANT BLUFF - The Cherokee Braves qualified two wrestlers to advance to this Saturday's Class 2A District at Sheldon at last Saturday's Sectional Tournament action in Sergeant Bluff. Cherokee's 5th- ranked sophomore Hunter Morrow was Sectional champion at 132 pounds after romping over his two opponents here, and #1 -rated senior Micheal Rosewall pinned both foes to claim the championship at 285...

These MMC wrestlers placed either first or second at the Class 1A Sectional Wrestling Tournament at Moville on Saturday and earned the chance to advance to the District Tournament at Sibley-Ocheyedan on Saturday. Pictured left to right, at 285 pounds, Tyler Schuck placed second and moved his record to 26-9; Justin Theisen placed first at 195 pounds and moved his record to 34-4, and also earned his 100th career victory on Saturday; Jacob Letsche placed first and moved to 30-10 at 182 pounds; Derek Erdman earned the Sectional championship at 138 pounds and moved to 35-6 on the season; and Ben McDaniel earned second place and moved his record to 25-16 at 120 pounds. ...

SERGEANT BLUFF - The Cherokee Braves qualified two wrestlers to advance to this Saturday's Class 2A District at Sheldon at last Saturday's Sectional Tournament action in Sergeant Bluff. Cherokee's 5th- ranked sophomore Hunter Morrow was Sectional champion at 132 pounds after romping over his two opponents here, and #1 -rated senior Micheal Rosewall pinned both foes to claim the championship at 285...

The Cherokee Youth Summer Ball Association (CYSBA) has released it schedule of upcoming events for this year's youth t-ball/baseball/softball seasons. The Cherokee Middle School gym will be open on Sundays from February 9- March 23 for grades 3-8 to practice. Signups for travel teams (Girls 3-7th, Boys 3-8th) will be on three different Sundays - Feb. 9, 16 and 23...

ONAWA - The West Monona boys exploded with a 30-5 scoring run in the first quarter and rode that blast of momentum all the way to a resounding 82-63 win over River Valley here last week. The host Spartans had four players hit double figures, led by Wade Martian with 24, Brandon Blumer 15, and Austin Rietz and Tyler Westendorf 12 apiece. Martian also led his team in rebounds with 11 for a nifty double-double, as did Westendorf with 10 rebounds, and Jack Rose also with 10 rebounds...

Here are the schedules for the first round basketball tournament games for the six schools in the Chronicle Times coverage area: South O'Brien vs. Hinton at Unity Christian, Orange City 6:30 p.m. Ridge View vs. OA-BCIG at Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto 6:30 p.m...

1. Western Christian; 2. New Hampton; 3. West Fork, Sheffield; 4. Kuemper Catholic; 5. Cascade,Western Dubuque; 6 (tie) Des Moines Christian and Treynor; 8. Van Meter; 9. IKM-Manning; 10. Sioux Center 1 (tie) Gehlen Catholic and Newell-Fonda; 3. Lamoni; 4. Nodaway Valley; 5. Dunkerton; 6. Ar-We-Va; 7. Gladbrook-Reinbeck;...

Shirley Nation of Cherokee, age 82,, passed away on Friday, February 7, 2014, at her residence. Memorial services were held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee. Pastor Magrey deVega officiated. ...

Dorothy D. Saxen of Sutherland, 87, a former Quimby resident, passed away Sunday evening, February 9, 2014 in the Sutherland Care Center. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Quimby, with Pastor Don Meyer and Pastor Leroy Riemer officiating. ...

Marcus Iowa native and former Executive Director of Living Media International in Haiti, Lee Rainboth, will be at The Book Vine in Cherokee on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. signing copies of his book "The Grinder." "The Grinder" provides a glimpse into the lives beyond the news cameras of a number of interconnected survivors in the mountains of southern Haiti during and after the earthquake of January 12, 2010...

MARCUS - The Marcus Community Center is celebrating its 30 year anniversary. and has just completed the updating of the ceiling tiles, lights and fans. To help pay for the work done, the Center's Board is hosting a Silent Auction/Anniversary party as a fundraiser on Saturday at the Marcus Community Center. Cost is a free will donation at the door...

This week's Cherokee Chamber Coffee will be held at Northwest Realty at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. This will be a red-ribbon cutting for Northwest Realty's new location at 200 W. Main St.

Cherokee Community Theater will be performing six shows of the play "Harvey" by Mary Chase. "Harvey" is the second in a series of five Pulitzer Prize-winning plays that have been donated to CCT through private funding. The first performance of "Harvey" will be this Friday at 7 p.m., and other performances will be on Saturday, Feb. 15 and Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23...

MILFORD - The Alta-Aurelia Warrior wrestlers competed in the Class 1A Sectional Tournament here on Saturday,, and the Warriors crowned three champions - Skylar Solko at 106, Colten Larson, 113, and Jay Walter, 182, and also a second place finisher, John Tuttle, 126, who dropped a 6-5 decision in his final match. All four wrestlers will advance to the District Tournament...

The Cherokee Middle School 8th Grade Science Fair was held on Monday at the Sanford Museum. The students set up 34 science displays and were judged during the school day. There was also an open house between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. later that same day. Student projects will be on display at the Museum for the next two weeks...