Stories from Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The Cherokee Community Theatre will open their spring production for the 2018-2019 season this Friday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. with the riotous comedy, “Always a Bridesmaid.”   An opening night wine and cheese reception for the evening’s ticket holders will start at 6:45. Hosted by Marci Brown and Pamela Linn, this delightful opening night celebration will feature a lively array of cheeses, wines, and other light snacks...

Dakota Access Pipeline has released information related to its 2018 annual property tax payments in Iowa, with $786,713 paid to Cherokee County last year. In 2018, more than $18 million was paid to 18 counties across the state where the oil pipeline runs. Iowa is expected to receive $25 million for property taxes in 2019. These revenues funneled through the County, help fund roads, schools, libraries, law enforcement agencies, and community programs...

Now that the water in the Little Sioux River and area streams is receding, it is opening up a whole new set of problems consisting of road and bridge damage. According to Justin Pritts , Cherokee Emergency Management Director, there is a lot of shoulder damage and the secondary roads are too soft at this time to allow the heavy equipment for repairs...

Monday was an active evening for the Cherokee School Board as members reviewed the sale of bonds for the remaining $2.6 million of the $12 million bond voters passed last September calling for a P-K-4 school addition onto Cherokee Middle School. Construction is to begin this spring...

Steven R. Canny, age 64 of Cherokee, IA, passed away Thursday, February 28, 2019, at his home in Cherokee. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 21st at Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Marcus. Pastor David Doellinger will officiate. There will be no visitation. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.greenwoodfuneral.com...

Raymond Kerns, 36, Cherokee, Iowa, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine. He had pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine...

Stephanie Cromwell of Cherokee is proud to announce the birth of her daughter, Luna Anne Cromwell. She was born at Cherokee Region Medical Center on March 12, 2019 at 4:50 PM. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. Grandparents are Paul and Robyn Cromwell of Wall Lake and Sandy Napiers of Cherokee...

What does the library mean to you? How about your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews? How about the health of the community as a whole? These are some of the questions I grapple with as a librarian, especially when trying to identify resources the community lacks and can utilize. How does a librarian find out this information though?...

While news cycles recount the emotions of the protest by Indians and others of the Dakota Access Pipeline's (DAPL) potential for contaminating our waterways and/or sacred grounds, the cold, hard fact is that the most popular mode of transporting crude oil - railroad tankers - is a far more dangerous and foreboding hazard than a properly laid pipeline underground out of harm's way...

This Hawkeye fan will be rooting with a sincere heart for the Iowa State Cyclones this week. Seriously. It’s the least I can do. I’m pulling for the Clones in honor of two lifelong friends and Cherokee residents who are no longer with us - Tom and Audrey Dushinske...