Stories from Friday, February 28, 2014

Today's teens find themselves facing more pressures than ever before. The advent of new technologies, the pitfalls of social networking sites, and an inflation and economy that has many parents taking extra jobs just to make ends meet may leave teens more on their own than ever before...

The crowds of people who attended Cherokee's great home talent festival Monday and Tuesday evenings were treated to spectacles not often seen in cities of this size. It was the aim of those promoting the affair to present something new and unusual in keeping with the spirit and custom of the great Mardi Gras in Southern cities...

LAURENS - The Alta-Aurelia boys overcame an initial slow pace by Coon Rapids-Bayard in their Class 1A District Semifinal to go on and post a 53-38 win over the Crusaders. Warrior coach Chris Abaray said, "We executed our game plan pretty well tonight. ...

Funeral services for Fern I. Beeghley of Sioux City, 98, formerly of Aurelia, were held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, 2014, at First United Methodist Church in Aurelia, with Pastor Magrey deVega officiating. Burial was in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, rural Aurelia...

Darla Struck, right, took over the presidency of the Chamber Board this year from Jan Morton. Morton passed the gavel to Struck at a Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting recently. Photo contributed

ALTA - On Friday, March 14th, the award-winning Music Department of Alta-Aurelia High School will present its second annual "Evening of Music" at the High School in Alta. A delicious meal catered by Lakeshore Cafe will be served promptly at 6 p.m. that evening, followed at 6:30 p.m. ...

For those City of Cherokee residents who wish to purchase recycling receptacles, they are availible at a very discounted price - A heavy-duty black 65-gallon container with a blue lid for $25 (valued at $50), or a blue 18-gallon tote for $3 (valued at $8) are now available at City Hall. ...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Cherokee County is offering a food safety training for food service managers Tuesday, May 13 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Office in Cherokee. "Certification in ServSafe meets the new 2014 Iowa Food Code requirements to have a certified food protection manager in all establishments," said Renee Sweers, class instructor and ISU Extension and Outreach Nutrition and Health Specialist. ...

At its weekly meeting on Tuesday, the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors set a Public Hearing date for the proposed $13.5 million budget for FY 2014-15. The Board also heard from a person who is interested in purchasing 16 acres of property owned by the county, and after consulting with County Attorney Ryan Kolpin, the supervisors signed Resolution #2014-04, stating the county's intent to make that parcel of land available to the highest bidder...

After considerable discussion and gleaning information from Superintendent Dr. John Chalstrom and a survey of faculty and staff, the Cherokee Board of Education Monday night approved the 2014-2015 School Calendar which indicates the first day of school will be Thursday, August 14, 2014 and the last day of school will be Wednesday, May 27, 2015...

Since renovation of the Illinois Central Railroad Depot in Cherokee began in 1990, there has been significant progress in many areas of the depot's use and preservation. In particular, there have been some technological advancements such as the installation of wireless thermostats that enable each tenant in the building to control the temperature in their own offices. ...

The Marcus-Meiden-Cleghorn boys faced a major test Tuesday when they took on #1-ranked LeMars Gehlen Catholic and it was too much for the War Eagle Conference rivals, as the Jays held the lead from the start and won easily, 64-38. The win advanced Gehlen Catholic (23-0) to a Thursday night District Championship game against Remsen-Union, which beat River Valley in two overtimes in Tuesday's first game at Cherokee...