Stories from Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Royce W. Mortensen of rural Cherokee, 86, passed away suddenly on Saturday morning, February, 20, 2016 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center. Memorial services will be announced at a later date, with burial in the Liberty Township Cemetery at rural Meriden, Iowa. It was Royce's wish to have his remains cremated. There will be no visitation. The Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa is assisting the family with the arrangements. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com...

Jeffrey K. Robinson of Cherokee, age 66, formerly of Aurelia, died on February 12, 2016 at Countryside Estates in Cherokee. Memorial services will be held at a later date, followed by inurnment at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee. The Redig Funeral Home in Aurelia is in charge of the arrangements...

June Reinert of Cherokee, 95, passed away on Sunday, February 21, 2016 at Country Side Estates in Cherokee. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m on Friday, Feb. 26th at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cherokee, with Father Dan Guenther officiating. ...

June A. Raper of the Sutherland area passed away Monday, February 22, 2016, at Countryside Estates in Cherokee at the age of 90. Funeral services will be held Friday, February 26, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sutherland Church of Christ. Pastor John Erickson will officiate. ...

Due to its enormous success, the Cherokee County Recorder's Office is hosting another Passport Saturday in Cherokee on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Those participating should use the southwest (main) door of the courthouse. Those wanting to obtain passports will need: a certified birth certificate or expired passport, two separate checks (no debit/credit cards), and a drivers license. Please visit the web-site or call for specific information regarding children 16 and under...

Rikki Johnson of Cherokee is happy to announce the birth of her baby girl, who was born on February 18, 2016. Aribella Rose Johnson was born at 3:33 p.m., weighed 7 lb. 10 oz., and measured 19 inches long. Grandparents are Elaine Johnson of Cherokee and Adam and Julia Johnson of Long View, Texas...

Friday's Chamber Coffee at 9:30 a.m. will be hosted by Exit Realty, located on the corner of West Willow and North 2nd (the former H & R Block office), and it will also be a Red Ribbon Cutting ceremony.

Last week, Iowa legislators heard emotional pleas from desperate patients of chronic illnesses, as well as from parents of suffering children. They were pleading for legal access to the only medicine that is effective in treating their conditions, medical marijuana in the form of cannabis oil. This is a substance that is, ironically, unavailable by subscription, unlike highly addictive opiates and highly toxic chemicals...

I have been trying to come up with something for a column that would be interesting. I'm not sure I've succeeded but I'm going to take a short walk down memory lane. Let's see who remembers what I'm writing about. In the "olden" days each library book (and in those times it was only books, not all of this other stuff) had a card and a pocket inside the cover. ...

Around 85 people attended the Aurelia Commercial Club's annual kickoff dinner at the Aurelia Community Center on Thursday February 18th. Those present were treated to a catered dinner, followed by the presentation of the 2106 Aurelia Citizen of the Year plaque to Pastor Larry and Marge Lemke...

The Cherokee Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is taking orders for trees and shrubs. Proceeds help fund scholarships for graduating seniors from Cherokee County, a conservation poster contest for area fourth graders, and a conservation tour held each summer in Cherokee County...

LE MARS - Kingsley-Pierson outscored Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn 26-15 in the second half to abscond with a hard-fought 55-38 victory in Class 1A Girls basketball Regional final action here Monday night. The win sends 21-2 K-P to the State Tournament running Monday through Saturday next week at the Wells Fargo Dome in Des Moines, and ends a superb season for 19-4 MMC...

HUMBOLDT - Defense and trademark grit carried the day for the acclaimed Cherokee Washington High girls here Saturday night as they had what it took to knock down a stiff challenge from a pesky Clear Lake team and prevail 66-49 in a hard-fought Class 3A Regional basketball final...

There will be a sendoff for the Cherokee Girls Basketball team on Monday, February 29th at 5:30 at Washington High School. Go Braves!

Several months of preparation went into each project entered into to the Cherokee Middle School 8th Grade Science Fair this year. The displays were judged in three sessions on Monday morning at Western Iowa Community College Cherokee Campus. The public was able to see the projects on display during open houses at WITCC on Monday and Tuesday...