Stories from Monday, March 24, 2014

After a few months of freezing, sub-zero temperatures, biting winds, and way too frequent snow and ice, the wondrously warm weather the past few days have folks thinking "outdoors." With the arrival of the "outdoor" season comes the outdoor cooking season (although some of us fire up the grill throughout winter) and health experts advise outdoor chefs to keep food safety in mind every time out...

BOONE - The Iowa High School Athletic Association will sponsor five free baseball umpire clinics around the state starting Wednesday in Anamosa. Dates and site for the Clinics are listed below. Each clinic begins at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude before 9 p.m...

March 22 John Schleef of Cherokee March 24 Dale Bartel of Cherokee

Cherokee County Emergency Management Coordinator Justin Pritts wants the public to be aware that the Emergency Tornado Sirens will be tested on Tuesday at 10 a.m. as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. Pritts stated that the week of March 24-28, has been designated as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa. This week is utilized by the public, government and businesses to raise awareness, prepare, test, and practice procedures for what we would do during a severe weather event...

The Cherokee Fire & Rescue Department responded to a grass fire just north of the Afton Cemetery on M -10 in Afton Township in the northeastern part of Cherokee County on Thursday. The department was called out at approximately 5:45 p.m. Upon arrival, it was determined that the fire was part of a controlled burn that was believed to be out but reignited. The Department was on the scene for a couple of hours...

AURELIA - Disney's "The Little Mermaid jr." will be performed by the Alta-Aurelia Middle School students at the Middle School Gym in Aurelia at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $1 for students. The 60-minute musical, designed for middle-school aged performers, is based on the 2008 Broadway production and the 1989 animated feature film. The 7th/8th grade cast of approximately 55 students will be directed by Deb Peterson, Nikole Nuttall, and Sara Walter...

Jean Morse was born and reared in Storm Lake, graduating from Storm Lake High School, and she trained for the ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), serving her internship at a church in Bagley, Wisconsin. Pastor Morse's first congregation following her graduation from seminary in 1996 was in Kimballton, Iowa, where she served as Pastor of the Bethany and Immanuel Lutheran congregations. ...

The Music Department of River Valley High School, under the direction of 7-12 Music Director Eric Flynn, presented its 2014 Swing Show at the High School in Correctionville on March 14th.

Here are a few musings of an idle mind (mine),as spring tries its hardest to burst through the ice and snow of a long winter : 1. Major League Baseball's regular season will get underway in just a few more days (in Australia, for Pete's sake - so much for the "American Pastime")...