Stories from Friday, March 10, 2017

The Cherokee Middle School’s 8th grade science fair took place at the Western Iowa Tech Conference Center on Tuesday, Feb 21st at the WITCC Conference Center in Cherokee. Judges included Larry Goodrich, science educator; Jim Lewellen, science educator; Laura Jones, Cherokee County Naturalist; and Terry Janssen, ISU Regional Extension Education Director...

Irma Veit of Varina, Iowa, age 96, died Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at her home in rural Varina.  Funeral mass will be held Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Varina, and burial will be in the St. Columbkille Catholic Cemetery in rural Varina. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. ...

DES MOINES - A promising Cherokee Washington High Boys Culinary Team strutted their stuff for the 2017 Iowa ProStart Invitational Culinary event held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines last week. Culinary teams prepared a three-course meal in 60 minutes using only two butane burners. They were judged on knife skills, safety and sanitation, teamwork, product taste, and much more...

The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) is accepting applications for the 2017-18 school year. If your child will be four-years-old by September 15, 2017 they will be eligible to receive free preschool programming through the Cherokee Community School District. This free four-year old program offers a morning or an afternoon class option...

Discover the real story behind the Salem Witch Trials and what it reveals about Colonial American society at a 7:30 p.m. program Saturday at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee. Kathy Wilson will present “The Devil Has My Consent - The Real Story Behind the Salem Witch Trials, 1792-1693.”...

Cherokee Regional Medical Center is offering the Kenneth Hobson Memorial Scholarship for a graduating high school student interested in a health care career. Area high school counselors have received information about the scholarships and the applications can be found online at www.cherokeermc.org...

The Cherokee Fire & Rescue Department will be going door-to-door starting Monday, March 13, selling tickets for the 135th annual Fireman’s Ball. This year’s Ball will be on Saturday April 8 at the Cherokee VFW Club, featuring the music of the talented Damon Dotson...

AURELIA - The Cherokee County Pork Producers will jost the 4th annual “Bite of Pork” Bamquet Night tomorrow, Saturday, March 11, at the Aurelia Community Center. The popular cooking contest ,featuring the area’s best pork recipes, include a Judge’s Choice Winner ($200 cash and $200 in pork certificates), and People’s Choice Winner ($200 cash and $200 in pork certificates. In addition, all contestants receive $50 in pork certificates...

The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors last week approved a motion to accept a $1,954,240.83 bid from Mathy Construction Company, Onalaska, Wisconsin, as submitted to the Iowa Department of Transportation for the Farm to Market Project #STP-S-CO18(72)--5E-18 including HMA resurfacing on L-51 from C-38 to Quimby...

Tuesday’s Public Hearing for the proposed City 2017-18 Fiscal Year Budget sailed through without written or oral comment and the budget was unanimously approved by City Council action. The approved tax rate of $16.14 per $1,000 valuation represents a slight decrease over the current year’s rate of $16.19. Annually, the City Budget totals approximately $10 million, factoring in revenue and expenditures...

JOHNSTON - Olivia Dagel, a senior at Washington High School in Cherokee, was recently honored as the 2017 recipient of the Iowa Bankers Association's Student Athlete Achievement Scholarship Award during the Iowa high school state basketball championships March 3-4 in Des Moines...

**March 9 - Ralph Semerad of Meriden **March 10 - Margaret Carlson of Cherokee

Former area residents Jerry and Joyce Peterson, who now reside in Arizona, will both be celebrating birthdays this month, as Joyce turn 87 years old on March 28th and Jerry will be 90 years old on March 31. If you would like to sned the couple birthday wishes, cards may be sent to them at 7851 Medina; Sunland Village East; Mesa, AZ 85208...

Stanley and Sally Oswald of Cleghorn were married at Sally’s family’s home in Sioux City on March 23, 1952, and the couple will be celebrating their 65 wedding anniversary this March 23rd. Their families are having a card shower in their honor, and greetings and congratulations may be sent to the couple at their home at 4632 I Ave; Cleghorn, IA 51014...

A reminder - Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. this Sunday morning, so set your clock ahead one hour when you go to bed Saturday night. American Red Cross reminds everyone that it’s also a good time to test the batteries in their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks ahead...

The Cherokee Community Theater’s production of Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ will have its opening performance at the Cherokee Community Center at 7 p.m. tonight, and there will also be performances at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday...

The family of Melburn Schmidt honored him at Careage Hills in Cherokee on his 100th birthday February 18th, 2017. Family members and close friends from Chicago; Beaufort, South Carolina; Mesa, Arizona; Lafayette, Colorado; Sioux City; Calumet; Pauliina; and LeMars...attended the celebration...

Alice J. Hoeppner will be celebrating her 90th birthday on March 23rd, and an Open House is being held on Saturday March 18th at her home in Washta (1197 640th Street), from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come help Alice celebrate this special occasion...

AURELIA - The Aurelia Commercial Club will hold its annual Kick-Off Dinner at the Aurelia Community Center on Thursday, March 16. The social hour will start at 5:30 p.m. and the dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Cost of the meal is $15 per person and will consist of broasted chicken, broasted pork shop, cheesy hashbrowns, sweet and sour green beans, roll, Oreo salad, past salad, lemonade and coffee...

Jessica Buddenhagen, daughter of Renee Buddenhagen of Aurelia and the late Lloyd Buddenhagen, and Patrick Gillespie, son of Priscella and Steve Stewart of Aurelia and the late Roy Gillespie, announce their engagement. Jessica, an Aurelia High School graduate, earned her AAS degree in Band Instrument Repair and Technology at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, and she is currently employed at Ray's Mid Bell Music. in Sioux City...

Champ. Round 1 - Avery Guidebeck (DC-G Mustang Wrestling Club) won by fall over Jackson Kinnetz (Northwest Iowa Twisted Steel) (Fall 2:47) Cons. Round 1 - Jackson Kinnetz (Northwest Iowa Twisted Steel) won by fall over Blake Johnson (Southern Iowa Outlaws) (Fall 1:39)...

SIOUX CENTER - Cherokee Washington High senior Trey Valentine has been invited to play in the Defender Gold Club American State Bank High School Basketball All Star Game here Saturday, March 18 at 7 pm. The annual event, featuring senior players from the War Eagle, Siouxland and Lakes conferences, will be played at Dordt College in Sioux Center...

Cherokee senior Trey Valentine was named to second team All-Lakes Conference Basketball announced this week, and Braves' seniors Ben Lingenfelter and Mason Pitts each earned honorable mention status. Accompanying Valentine on the second team were senior Jesse Jansma and junior Caleb Harmsen of Hull Western Christian, senior Jake Thompson of Le Mars, junior Brady Kluender of Spencer, senior Thomas Schultes of Emmetsburg, senior JP Walz of Spirit Lake, junior Trevor Friesner of Estherville-LC, and sophomore Cham Deng of Storm Lake.. ...

Neil and Ashley Cedar of Meriden are happy to announce the birth of their baby boy, who was born on February 16, 2017. Tysen Gene Cedar was born at 12:59 a.m., weighed 10 lb. 2 oz., and measured 20 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Donna Cedar of Cherokee and Scott and Christy Carlson of Marcus. Joan Cronin of Marcus is Tysen’s Great Grandmother...

In early January the legislature cut $118 million out the on-going 2017 budget.  It has been noted that this may not be a big enough cut and the legislature may need to cut more this year. The Revenue Estimating Committee meets on March 14, and they will tell the state how much more needs to be cut to keep the state budget balanced. ...

It is mind-boggling to consider the astronomical amounts of water required for the new Seaboard Triumph Foods pork processing plant scheduled to be in operation July 31 in Sioux City. To be the city’s largest water and wastewater customer in history, Seaboard Triumph officials say the plant will process up to 12,000 hogs per day and employ about 1,100 with a single shift, and a second shift planned in the near future boosting employee numbers to more than 2,000...

The annual declamatory contest of the Washta high school was held Friday evening, March 2, at the I . O. O. F. hall. There were twelve contestants who had been trained during the past two weeks by Miss Alice White, dramatic coach, of Portsmouth, Iowa. The following waa the program:...

Alta-Aurelia received two berths on the All-Twin Lakes Conference girls’ basketball teams, which were recently announced. Warriors’ juniors Erin Locking and Lily Peterson were each named to the Second Team All Conference, and the Warriors’ Mary Barnes, another junior, was named to the Third Team...