Stories from Wednesday, November 15, 2017

More than 50 years ago, then - Storm Lake High School boys basketball coach Barry Holtgrew sat at Raymond and Helen Struck’s kitchen table in the “lower east side of town,” in Storm Lake trying his damndest to recruit my younger brother Giles to come to Storm Lake High “And take the Tornadoes to the State Tournament.”...

SIOUX CITY - Siouxland Republican Party officials on Monday picked Jim Carlin over Alex Pick as the nominee to run in the Iowa Senate District 3 special election on Dec. 12. The two election nominees have now been settled, as Todd Wendt was selected Saturday as the Democratic nominee for the open Iowa Senate District 3 seat a month ahead of the special election...

Employees of O’Halloran International recently met with Roosevelt Elementary second grade students as part of a “touch a truck” program in the "Partnership in Excellence" program between the Chamber of Commerce, Cherokee Business Community and Cherokee Schools. ...

The Cherokee School District will hold a Public Hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Washimgtom High School Conference Room at 600 W. Bluff St. to glean input from the public regarding the possible sale of the Roosevelt Elementary School (RES) property to the Cherokee Regional Medical Center (CRMC) for (as proposed) $4 million...

Des Moines - The Iowa Motor Truck Association recently recognized Gary DeYoung, of the Cherokee Hy-Vee Distribution Center, as an outstanding professional driver at its annual Management Conference. As a professional driver, Gary has consistently demonstrated commitment and dedication to excellence, which is displayed by an outstanding driving record, years of service, and professional attitude. ...

At last week’s Cherokee County Board of Supervisors meeting, Todd Wetherell of the Cherokee Aviation Authority discussed options for amending the current Cherokee Aviation Authority 28E Agreement created by Cherokee County and the City of Cherokee...

Friday’s Cherokee Chamber Coffee, at 9:30 a.m., will hosted by Friends of the Library at the Cherokee Public Library.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure...

Well, I took down my Halloween decorations. This is always a really sad time for me. October is such a great month of the year. The leaves get crunchy. Hot apple cider is always available at the Freking-Smith household. The pumpkins aren’t mushy and still vaguely look like a face. But, it’s November now. Time to put away my Halloween decorations and start working out so I don’t feel so bad about the millions of calories I’m going to ingest over the next two months...

I came across a vintage story from my childhood (yes, I can remember that far back) that my Great Aunt Birdie told to my sisters and me. I had not thought of it for years until I went into my personal literary archives looking for something different to share with all my “littles” at the library...

June M. Dilocker of Cherokee, Iowa, 86, passed away peacefully on Monday morning, November 13, 2017 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center. Memorial services will be on Thursday, November 16th, at 10:30 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa., with Pastor Jon Riggert officiating.  It was June’s wish to be cremated, and there will be no visitation. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com...

Norman V. Laursen of rural Sutherland, Iowa, 85, passed away Monday afternoon, November 13, 2017 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center. Visitation at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. will be held on Saturday, November 18th from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., with the family present from 3 p.m. ...

Virginia M. Slechta of Cherokee, age 91, passed away Monday, November 06, 2017, in Cherokee. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, November 18, 2017, at the Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee, with Pastor Cris Decious officiating, and burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee. ...