Stories from Friday, July 15, 2016

There's an episode on History TV's Iowa-based "American Pickers" where a freaky dude tells Mike and Frank when they're interested in an item to "Just put it in the pile." Well, I was put in a pile about four months ago when my kidneys failed and by the grace of God, medical technology, a loving family, and many cherished friends I never knew I had, I managed to crawl out of that pile, battle back to a semblance of normal life, and sit here today trying to get back in the groove as a journalist for which I've devoted most of my adult life because a beloved nun, the late Sister Bernadine, told me I was equipped for it.. ...

Tyson Foods is getting pressure to drop its obstruction of efforts to market the now abandoned meat processing plant that the company leases from New York resident Mark Langfan. U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and U.S. Representative Steve King have weighed in on the issue in support of local city and county officials, economic development professionals and the owner of the facility who are critical of Tyson Foods for its position that it will not allow any company that competes with Tyson to buy or take over the lease of the facility. ...

Jared and Kayla Koch of Cherokee are happy to announce the birth of their baby boy, who was born on July 11, 2016. Jacob Dean Koch was born at 3:24 p.m. and he weighed 8 lb. 12 oz. and measured 21 inches long at birth. Grandparents are Duane and Marcia Henke of Larrabee and Scott and Deb Koch of Cherokee...

AURELIA - At their monthly joint board meeting here Monday, the boards had a conference call with Kris Frieders of Cornwell and Frieders CPA, who went over the districts' audit report and answered any questions board members might have. Frieders felt the districts' books looked very good...

Drum and Bugle Corps from six states arrived in Cherokee on Tuesday to practice for the Drum Corps International competition on Wednesday in Sioux City. The musicians wore more formal attire during the actual competition. Photo by Ken Ross

Tyson Foods Thursday issued the following statement from Wes Morris, president -- Prepared Foods, about the Cherokee, Iowa, deli meat plant the company closed in 2014: "Tyson Foods has offered to buy out our company's lease of the closed plant in Cherokee, Iowa by paying 100 percent of the remaining four years of rent on the property, nearly $400,000. ...

Cherokee Regional Medical Center will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, July 17 from noon to 3 p.m. The celebration will include a cookout meal from noon to 1:30 p.m. (while supplies last), complete with cake and ice cream. Activities such as an inflatable bouncy house, slide, and obstacle course will be on hand for the kids to enjoy throughout the event...

As 2016 marks the 100th Anniversary of the original Sioux Valley Hospital, here is a brief history of the past 100 years: The efforts to build a community hospital in Cherokee began shortly after 1910 when a group of physicians tried to convince the community of the benefits of building such a facility. Their proposal came up for a public vote but was defeated by a two-thirds majority...

The oil pipeline from the Bakken oil fields of Northwestern North Dakota to Southern Illinois is now being laid in Cherokee County. This photo was taken two miles south of O'Brien County and 1 mile north of C-16.

LOGAN - In one of the most talked-about games of the season Monday night, the Alta-Aurelia softball team lost its Class 2A Regional final game against host Logan-Magnolia, 4-2 in six innings. The game actualy got into the 7th inning, and the Warriors scored three runs in the top of that inning to take a 5-4 lead. ...

EMMETSBURG - The South O'Brien softball team was down, 4-0 in the top of the first inning of their July 5th District Tournament game here against Emmetsburg, and the Wolverines fought through 11 long innings before Emmetsburg finally got the best of them by a final score of 9-7...

Three Cherokee Braves were named to the Class 2A All-District Baseball First Team announced this week. They include seniors Adam Cedar (utility player) and Josh Nichols (first base) and junior Mason Pitts (shortstop) for the Lakes Conference Champion Braves...

The Alta-Aurelia Trap Shooting Team had a great finish to their season at the State Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Shoot, held recently at Cedar Falls. In the High School Senior Varsity Division, two Warriors - Noah Sundene and Alex Speers - placed in the top 100 out of 835 competitors for American Singles. Speers also finished at the top of the standings for...

Playing before an overflow crowd at Cherokee's Sam Doupe Complex, the Cherokee Braves and Alta-Aurelia Warriors played a classic baseball game in a Class 2A District match-up in Cherokee Tuesday night. The Braves came out on top, 3-2 in a game befiitting a pair of squads which each won at least 20 games this season...

There is a frequently-run ad on TV that annoys me the more I see it. At first, I didn't understand why the seemingly innocuous public service ad bothered me. I certainly don't disagree with the conclusion at the end of the ad that, "Violence against women is wrong."...