Stories from Friday, January 2, 2015

Charles B. Raper of Mt. Airy, Maryland, 89, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2014 at the Lorien Life Center in Mt. Airy. He was the husband of the late Angela Nelson Raper, who died in 2010. Charles was born on June 16, 1925 in Sutherland, Iowa , the son of the late Frederick and Lucy (McCormack) Raper. ...

As this photo from Berghorst & Sons of Hull shows, a 40-wheel trailer, constructed of reinforced steel H-Beams, allows giant transformers - weighing several hundred thousand pounds - to be safely transported to electric converter substations, such as the one at the Highland Wind Farm in O'Brien County. The required weight distribution is engineered for such massive loads to be shipped by rail and then trucked to the substation site...

Karen Peterson and Denny Paltz had a low-profile beginning for their new Cherokee business, Loft 101, at 101 North 2nd St., which officially opened on Dec. 18. They have had customers during their first two weekends of operation who found out about the establishment through word- of- mouth...

Reduced revenues and reduced participation over the last couple of decades have made adjustments necessary for the Cherokee County Fair. Brad Nelson, the Cherokee County Fair board president, along with board members Nick Sullivan and Chris Nelson appeared at the Dec. 30 meeting of the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors to present an annual report and answer questions...

Elaine Nitz of Cherokee, 90, formerly of rural Larrabee, passed away Wednesday morning, December 31, 2014, at her home in Cherokee. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 3rd at 10:30 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee. Pastor Robin Thomas will officiate. ...

Erna (Honsbruch) Golnitz celebrated her 99th birthday on New Years Eve at her home in Frederick, South Dakota. Erna, daughter of Dick & Margaret Honsbruch, grew up in Afton Township, north of Aurelia, Iowa. She married Melvin Golnitz (deceased) and together they raised their four sons in northeastern South Dakota: Robert, now of Long Prairie, Minnesota; Marlin, now of Huntington Beach, California; Darrell, now of Blairsville, Georgia; and David, now of St Paul, Minnesota...

The Food Bank of Siouxland will have food distribution at the Cherokee Community Center, 530 W. Bluff St., on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 1:15 p.m. For more information contact the Food Bank of Siouxland at 712 255-9741.

The City of Cherokee Street Department will provide a city-wide Christmas tree pickup on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Trees must be CURBSIDE ONLY, with NO plastic bags, tree stands, lights, decorations, or screws/nails in the trunk as the trees will be run through a chipper. They must be at the curb before 8 a.m. NO EXCEPTIONS TO ABOVE...

An amalgamation of blues, rock, soul and world music, multi - award winning Australian singer/ songwriter Peter D. Harper creates a heady mix of roots music through his creative use of the harmonica, and the haunting drone of the didgeridoo. By combining traditional and modern influences, borrowing from both Western and World music, Harper has created a highly original take on the roots genre which many have labeled "World Blues"...

People have never been good at predicting the future, especially not in predicting how future technology will affect our lives. When the concept of a computing machine was new, no one seemed to know what practical use it would be put to other than the earliest application of calculating ballistics...

Neither side on the "right to work" debate provides the complete story on what this law means in Iowa and what the effect of a repeal would be. Although repeal is not likely, the issue is raised periodically by those who regard the matter as defining a political candidate's attitude towards labor. Iowa is one of 24 states with a right to work law...

Most of the churches had Christinas trees last Thursday evening, at the Presbyterian Church 'the programme consisted of two cantatas entitled "getting ready for Santa," in which the little wee tots found their stockings needed mending before they could be hung for Santa, they then solicited the aid of the older ones, making it very interesting. ...