Illinois volunteers and staff of Mothers Against Drunk Driving are teaming up with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to promote safe boating and ATV seasons and to educate about the dangers of operating a boat, watercraft and all-terrain vehicles while impaired by alcohol or other drugs.

Chronic wasting disease was confirmed in 96 deer that were tested during the 2022 monitoring season, including deer from three new counties — Jasper, Grundy and Lucas. With the addition of Jasper County, chronic wasting disease has again come into central Iowa.

It’s a new fishing season for many of us. We’re excited to get back on the water, and we’re also excited to try new equipment and techniques in our attempts to catch a few or a lot of fish. But before we hit the water, it’s a good idea to get some thoughts together regarding those attempts to catch a few or a lot of fish. Following are some of those thoughts.

The third annual Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation Iowa State Championship held on Saturday for the first time ever on the Okoboji chain of lakes turned out to be quite a shoot-out in the High School Division (grades 9-12). High skies, sunshine and a light variable wind welcomed the contestants as they left the Emerson Bay Boat Ramp area at 7 a.m.

DES MOINES — All the work put in this season by athletes has come down to state track this weekend. By the end of Saturday, Iowa will crown its 2023 high school track champions to end the season. For watching purposes, if you can’t make the trip tune into www.ihssn.com as they will be broadcasting for free.

GIRLS

STORM LAKE — The Spencer girls golf team competed in the postseason on Wednesday at Lake Creek Country Club in Storm Lake. Spencer would finish in fourth place as a team, but Mo McDermott would advance to the state tournament in Cedar Falls next week. McDermott stayed focused in her 18 holes of work, carding an 85 for the Tigers. She would finish in fourth place as an individual.

SPENCER — It was a night to remember for the Spencer boys tennis team, which defeated Spirit Lake-Okoboji in five matches to advance to the 1A State Quarterfinals in Iowa City on May 31. The second straight state appearance for the Tigers.

ORANGE CITY — It came down to the wire on Monday at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Spencer competed for the 3A District Golf Qualifier, hoping to advance to state as a team. The boys got the job done, finishing in third place with a team score of 324. It’s the second straight season that Spencer will be in attendance at the tournament.

ALTA — On Tuesday, Spencer officially started its baseball season, heading to Alta-Aurelia to face the Warriors. Reid Tigges took over the game for the Tigers, going five-for-five with a homer, triple and three base knocks.

Tigges drove in seven runs for the boys while throwing five innings on the mound, allowing just one earned run and fanning six Alta batters in the process. If that wasn’t enough to impress you, he also swiped a bag. Spencer would defeat the Warriors 10-4.

SPENCER — Tuesday was the annual running of the Little Tiger Relays for fifth and sixth grade Tiger students who want to get out on the track and compete in various track competitions. The morning session was hosted for the fifth graders, and the afternoon was for the sixth graders. The event took over the town on Tuesday, with bunches of people waiting to watch the future of Spencer athletes compete.

5TH GRADE GIRLS

ORANGE CITY — It all came down to Thursday at the Iowa Girls and Boys 3A Qualifying Track Meet at DeValois Stadium in Orange City. After claiming first or second in eight events, the girls automatically qualified for state. Spencer then added four more events after the official results came out. The team would finish second in the meet, racking up 120.5 team points.

SIOUX CITY — On Saturday, the Spencer girls tennis team traveled to Sioux City to compete at Bishop Heelan High School for team regional competition. Spencer would face off with Denison-Schleswig, defeating the Monarchs 5-1 to advance to the next round. The team would then face off against Bishop Heelan in a nearly-five-hour marathon, with the Crusaders slipping past the Tigers 5-4 to advance to the substate final.

ORANGE CITY — Spencer traveled to Northwestern College on Thursday to compete in the 3A District Competition. The boys qualified for nine events in their efforts, finishing third in team points with 111 in the event.

SPENCER — The Tiger boys tennis team hosted its team regional contest on Friday. Cherokee, Bishop Heelan and Le Mars all came to Riverview Tennis Courts to compete for a spot in the substate final. Spencer was successful in their efforts, dominating Cherokee 5-0 and advancing to the final. The team quickly won five matches to face Le Mars. Spencer had more of a battle with the Bulldogs, but still swept Le Mars, 5-0, to advance to the substate final.

STORM LAKE — On Thursday, Spencer traveled down U.S. Highway 71 to face off with the Storm Lake Tornadoes in boys soccer. The Tigers defeated Storm Lake at the end of April in a 1-0 win. The team would have a better night scoring this time, defeating their conference opponent 4-1 to end their regular season with a 12-1 record.