Stories from Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Health experts have always insisted that we need to eat vegetables if we want to have a real healthy diet, and there are five key veggies that top the list as the healthiest: *Spinach -- Popeye was right. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin B2, calcium, potassium and Vitamin B6. It's also a good source of fiber, copper, protein, phosphorous, zinc, Vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, niacin and anti-oxidants...

1. Akron-Westfield ; 2. Lynnville-Sully ; 3.New London; 4. AGWSR; 5. Wayne; 6.Martensdale-St. Marys; 7. Charter Oak-Ute; 8. Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton; 9.Murray; 10. Rockford; 11.Marquette Catholic; 12. Mason City Newman Catholic; 13. Remsen St. Mary's; 14.Dunkerton;15.Janesville...

1. Twin Cedars; 2. Mason City Newman; 3. Van Buren (Keosauqua); 4. Remsen St. Mary's; 5. LeMars Gehlen; 6. Don Bosco (Gilbertville); 7. BGM (Brooklyn); 8. Martensdale-St. Mary's; 9. Exira-Elk Horn - Kimballton; 10. Coon Rapids-Bayard Others receiving consideration: Janesville; Glidden-Ralston; Lawton-Bronson, Lisbon; Pleasantville; Logan-Magnolia; Underwood...

EARLY - The 2nd annual Ridge View Raptors alumni baseball game will take place on Saturday, July 26 in Early. Batting practice will be at 6 p.m. with the game to follow at 7 p.m. Alumni baseball players who played for the Ridge View Raptors, Schaller-Crestland Wildcats, Galva-Holstein Pirates, Schaller Rockets, Early Crestland Cadets, Nemaha Blue Jays, Early Cardinals, Galva Blue Devils, or Holstein Pirates are invited to play...

The improving Cherokee High School softball team split its final two regular season games last week, defeating Le Mars 4-3 in a thriller in Cherokee, and losing 6-4 at Spencer. Brookelyn Hoeppner got the pitching win for Cherokee, allowing one earned run on three hits and no walks, while striking out four in 4 1/3 innings. Lindsay Williams got the save, pitching 2 2/3 innings and giving up one walk and striking out one...

The Cherokee Braves won two out of three Lakes Conference baseball games last week, including a split with Spencer, losing 10-0 in five innings in Cherokee, and defeating the Tigers 7-4 in Spencer a few days later. Cherokee also slammed Le Mars 12-2 in five innings in Cherokee...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia boys won a pair of Twin Lakes Conference baseball games just prior to the 4th of July holiday. On Wednesday, the Warriors hosted Newell-Fonda, and the Warriors came out on top by a final score of 7-3,scoring all their runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings...

LAWTON - After pulling out an exciting 12-inning win over Ridge View on Wednesday, the River Valley girls ran out of gas the next night when they took on #3-ranked Woodbury Central in the championship game of the Western Valley Conference Tournament, dropping a 7-0 decision to the Wildcats...

CRC athletic physicals July 29 Cherokee Regional Clinic will be offering athletic physicals to area students on Tuesday, July 29th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Cherokee clinic location. The athletic physicals will be offered at a special price of $25.00 that evening for students entering the 8th through 12th grades in the fall of 2014...

LAWTON - The Ridge View Raptors softball team traveled to Lawton to compete in the second round of the Western Valley Conference tourney against the talented River Valley team. Both teams played well, with River Valley coming out on the winning end with a hard fought 4-3 win in 12 innings...

The Cherokee County Relay For Life is Friday, Aug. 1 at Gillette Park/Bacon Aquatic Center in Cherokee. A special part of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, a team event to fight cancer, will be the annual luminary ceremony at dusk in Gillette Park. Candles inside luminary bags will illuminate the walking path and each bag will carry a message of remembrance, a prayer of thanks, and words of hope...

Friday's Chamber Coffee, at 9:30 a.m., will be held at the Bomgaars Event Center on the Cherokee County Fairgrounds

It's hard to believe we're already past July 4th on the calendar. It always seems like summer takes a downhill slide from that point. I don't care for the season so I'm ready to start thinking about Labor Day and some fall vacation time. You can feel free to boo if you like hot weather and thunderstorms. It won't bother me...

Eugene Ray Brannon of Marcus, 85, passed away on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at the Cherokee Villa. A Memorial Service was held at 2 p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2014 at the Earnest - Johnson Funeral Home in Marcus, with Rev. Kevin Roop of Peace Lutheran Church in Marcus officiating. Military honors were conducted by F.I. Goodburn Post #517 of the American Legion. Visitation at the funeral home was at noon on Monday. Expressions of sympathy may be directed through www.mauerjohnsonfh.com...

Merlin "Mert" Ballantyne of Davenport,83, a former Cherokee resident. passed away on Satuday, July 5, 2014, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf. It was Mert's wish to be cremated, and services and burial will take place in Cherokee at a later date. The Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee is assisting the family with the arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.greenwoodfuneral.com...

Halcyon Botkin of Marcus, 94, passed away on Sunday, July 6, 2014 under hospice care at her daughter's home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Earnest - Johnson Funeral Home in Marcus is assisting Halcyon's family with funeral arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be directed through www.mauerjohnsonfh.com...

Glenda L. Johnson of Cherokee,77, passed away Thursday, July 3, 2014, at St. Luke's North Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, July 8th, at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, with Pastor Jeff Harris officiating, and burial was in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee. ...

Lynda (Sue) Anderson, age 75, passed away on Friday, December 20, 2013, at Queen's Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii. Sue was born February 14, 1938 in Ottumwa, to James and Lucille (Hicks) Gray. Sue was a 1956 graduate of Ottumwa High School, graduated from Iowa Methodist School of Nursing in 1959, earned a BA degree in Sociology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; a MS degree in Public Heath from the University of Hawaii, and an MS in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University in Honolulu...

The world lost an amazing son, brother, husband, father and friend when Jason Lee Lenz passed away on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Jason was born to Jerry and Jean Lenz at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California on December 28, 1970, and three years later, Jason was given a best friend and brother when Aaron was born. Soon after, the family moved to Colorado...

Nellie L. Welch of Quimby, 81, a former Park Rapids, Minnesota resident, passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at Cherokee Villa Nursing & Rehab Center. A time of visitation was held Tuesday, July 8th from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, and a prayer service for family and friends was held at the funeral home on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., with the family present from 6 p.m. ...

The annual Cherokee Crazy Days celebration is this week. Crazy Days will be held at various area merchants throughout Cherokee on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week. Many Cherokee stores will be opening for business beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday. You can also shop Late until 8 p.m. every Thursday night with many Cherokee retailers for your shopping convenience...

The Cherokee Sanford Museum & Planetarium invites members of the Northwest Chapter of the Iowa Archaeological Society, as well as other interested community members, to meet and greet the new Sanford Museum Archaeologist, Megan Stroh, this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Museum...

"Water Wonders" is the theme of the Cherokee County Conservation Board's summer day camp. Just as the theme suggests, we'll be getting our feet wet and our hands muddy during our explorations of water! Camp will be full of fun activities like hiking and games that will help children enjoy and discover the outdoors...

Megan Deichmann, daughter of John and Mary Deichmann of Marcus, graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Morningside College on May 10, graduating with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude, the highest level of academic honors, for which a student must have a Cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 3.81. Deichmann was also selected to receive the top nursing award, the Lorraine E. Knepper Award in Nursing...

The Cherokee Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) will host its annual Conservation Tour on Monday, July 14. Registration will be from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Cherokee USDA Service Center, located at 314 Lake St. The commissioners cordially welcome your participation...

Registration for the 2014-2015 Cherokee Community School will be district-wide and will be conducted at the Cherokee Middle School. This registration will also include ECLC students who have been accepted for the 2014-2015 school year. Registration will be held on the following dates: Monday, Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m...