Stories from Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Following a Sept. 14 incident involving 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed's "homemade clock" in Irving, Texas, social media initially erupted with horror at the treatment of the boy by his high school and by the Irving Police Department. The boy was interrogated by four police officers for an hour and a half about what the police regarded as a hoax bomb. Although Ahmed asked for his parents during the questioning, the police refused to do this...

This week I'd like to share a poem I've kept in my file of things to think about and read. The title is 'The Reading Mother' by Strickland Gillilan. I relate to it on several levels - as a mom myself, as a librarian watching the impact reading mothers have on children, and at this time as a daughter who was privileged to have a mother who read to me...

Mitch and Jessica Knippel of Cherokee are happy to announce the birth of their little boy, who was born on September 17, 2015. Carson Allen Knippel was born at 7:06 a.m., weighed 8 lb. 14 oz., measured 21 1/4 inches long, and was welcomed home by his big brother Carter Eugene Knippel...

Tim and Jennifer Snelling of Cherokee are happy to announce the birth of their little girl, who was born on September 18, 2015. Bethani Noel Snelling was born at 7:06 a.m., weighed 6 lb. 13 oz., measured 19 inches long, and was welcomed home by her brothers, Braedon and Bentley, and her sister, Braelyn...

Shawn Patrick Simmons of Cedar Rapids, 57, formerly of Cherokee, died suddenly Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Visitation was on Sunday, September 20, 2015, from 1-4 p.m. at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids, with a Rosary service at 3:30. Funeral Mass was held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, September 21, 2015, at St. John XXIII Catholic Church in Fairfax...

Alice L.Todd of Quimby, age 87 , passed away Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Careage Hills Nursing Home in Cherokee. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 26, 2015, at the Quimby Cemetery, with Pastor Barb Dinelli officiating. The Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.greenwoodfuneral.com...

It's Homecoming Week at Ridge View High School. The Homecoming Parade in Holstein will start at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24th, followed by a pep rally and then the coronation. There will be a candle light ceremony with all of the Ridge View Class of 2016 members participating, and the evening will conclude with the crowning of this year's Homecoming King and Queen...

The Northwest Chapter of the Iowa Archaeological Society will present a Little Sioux River Archaeology Day on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Prairie Heritage Center. There will be a series of half-hour indoor presentations as well as outdoor activities.,...

On Sunday, Oct. 4, the annual Marcus Cemetery Walk will be held. This year, the event will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Holy Name Cemetery (north entrance), with the first stop honoring John Bindner. The second stop honors Mary Ellen Kelly. The group will continue to the Marcus-Amherst Cemetery, stopping at Ambrose Heinis, with the final stop at the Merle Weicht grave site...

The Sanford Museum Association is sponsoring a visit from Chuck Schoenknecht and Ward Paul, antique appraisers. Call the museum (225-3922) to make an appointment with Chuck and Ward to discuss your special items on either Friday, Oct. 2 or Saturday, Oct. 3...

Here is the list of vendors and the items available for sale during the Cherokee Area Farmers Market, held under the canopy at the depot from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. This will be the 17th market of the season. --- Deb and Scott Koch of Koch Vegetable Garden will have potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, mini pumpkins, onions, beets, sweet potatoes, peppers, acorn squash, butternut squash, and zucchini; Wayne Nafe will have potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, kale, swiss chard, watermelon, squash, sweet potatoes, onions, eggplant, green peppers, and radishes. ...

Cherokee senior QB Adam Cedar threw six touchdown passes while completing 15-27 passes for 270 yards to lead the Braves to a 47-29 Class 2A District 1 football victory over Sheldon in Cherokee Friday night. Thanks to two QB fumbles by the Orabs on their first two possessions, the opportunistic Braves capitalized with two quick TDs before storming to a 34-0 halftime lead...

PAULLINA - South O'Brien dropped a tough one to West Sioux in Class A District football here on Friday, finishing on the short end of a 48-6 score. It was the first loss of the season for Coach Mark Fuhrman's Wolverines, who were not helped by the absences of key players Damon Struve and Keaton Rohrbaugh due to injuries...

ORANGE CITY - Ridge View edged Unity Christian, 24-21, in Class 1A District football action here Friday as the Raptors scored four touchdowns to the Knights' three. Unity Christian added one PAT kick and one two- point conversion, while the Raptors failed on two PATS and two two- point conversions...

CORRECTIONVILLE - The River Valley Wolverines took to the gridiron here on Friday and the final result on the scoreboard was the same as in their previous four contests, a loss. On the other hand, the Wolverines did score a touchdown and two point conversion, getting them on the scoreboard for the first time this season, in a 46-8 loss to Woodbine...

ALTA - Woodbury Central's Alec Still broke open a 7-7 game with a 30-yard touchdown run with 2:35 left in the 4th quarter, and the Wildcats added another TD to post a 20-7 district win over the host Alta-Aurelia team here Friday. Still's touchdown came after Ben Burbach recovered a fumble and took it to the 30-yard line. ...

At the age of 90, Wayne Woolridge is turning his pop can collecting activities over to others. This was one of the many activities that Wayne,along with his late wife Marlys, performed for the community. The couple shared the Cherokee Citizen of the Year Award in 1996 for all of their volunteer contributions...

Friday's Chamber Coffee, at 9:30 a.m., will be hosted by the Cherokee Villa, 1011 North Roosevelt.

The featured speaker at the 2015 NW Iowa Development Annual Partners' meeting was economist Dr. Ernie Goss, Ph. D. publisher of the Mid-American Business Survey. This meeting was at NW Iowa Community College in Sheldon on Sept. 15, at the campus' Lifelong Learning & Recreation Center...