A black and yellow garter snake curled around 5-year-old Lucas Baker’s fingers as the boy showed the reptile to the dozen or so other children he’d spent the morning hiking with.

KCAU Channel 9 recently announced Terri Batschelet, of Spencer, as its fourth and final candidate, as well as the winner of Siouxland’s 2025 Remarkable Woman award.

“I was very surprised,” Batschelet said. “… I was speechless, which is not normal.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be providing an update on the West Swan Lake restoration project during a public meeting at 5 p.m., April 30, at the Emmet County Nature Center, basement level.

The Spencer Chamber of Commerce will host the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, April 24, from 4-7 p.m. at the Clay County Regional Events Center. This free, public event offers jobseekers of all ages the opportunity to connect with local employers and explore a wide variety of career opportunities.

Whether looking for full-time employment, part-time work or a summer job, the Spring Career Fair is a chance to network with businesses from across the region.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced a $500,000 grant that will add another link in the larger effort to connect the Iowa Great Lakes trails system to the Iowa capital city.

Dickinson County was awarded $500,000 for the “Clay County Connection” project on Friday. The grant will go toward a 3.5-mile addition to the Dickinson County Spine Trail. Once complete, the 32-mile trail corridor will link three counties in two states and eight municipalities.

FOSTORIA — Clay County deputies responded to a late afternoon call of a seizure Saturday in Fostoria, leading to assault charges.

Emergency medical services were dispatched to a residence in Fostoria at 4:10 p.m., following the call of a juvenile female having a seizure.

Rotary proudly supports the Cherish Center’s father/daughter dance coming up on June 1 in Arnold’s Park with a $200 donation. Pictured left to right is Rotary Secretary Nancy Naeve, Cherish Center’s Financial Administrator Jennifer Otto and Office Manager Lori Swanson. (Photo submitted)

Spencer Hy-Noon Kiwanis became a Hall of Fame sponsor of the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club. This helps support their work with kids, teaching fishing skills and giving them tackle needed to fish. (Pictured) Dean Jacobsen, Terry Thompson, Jason Warren and HyNoon Kiwanis President Levi Morris. (Photo submitted)

2025 Greenhouse Guide
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On June 22, 2024, Candice McGuire’s life, like so many other Spencer residents’, was upended by disaster.

Both McGuire’s home and business, Northwest Glass, located on South Grand Avenue, were inundated by floodwaters. Ultimately, Northwest Glass ended up with 91 inches of water in its small compound, which included workshops, storage buildings and a storefront. The business lost all of its tools, nine vehicles, its records and around $1 million worth of inventory.

A workshop in the 3600 block of Fourth Avenue West near the Spencer Redimix facility and Vander Haags Inc. on the north end of town suffered severe damage from a fire on April 14.

According to a news release from Deputy Fire Chief Mark Stover, the Spencer Fire Department responded to a report of smoke rolling from under the doors of the building at about 11:46 a.m. The first fire engine arrived around 11:57 a.m. and reported heavy smoke outside the building.

The community of Royal has been busy making plans for its Quasquicentennial — 125th — and Fun Days Celebration, which will be held July 18-20.

The weekend event will include many free, family-friendly activities including a parade, all-school reunion, free Friday night concert with Jeremy DeWall Band, free Saturday night street dance with Johnny Holmes Band, a car show, historic events and many more activities celebrating the town’s history.

Spencer Historic Preservation will host its final two April Lecture Series events on Thursday, April 24, and Tuesday, April 29, starting at 5:30 p.m., both evenings. Each session takes place in council chambers in Spencer City Hall.

“History of Iowa Lakes Community College in Spencer” will be featured on April 24, and April 29 will conclude with the “1953 & 2024 Floods.”

Amazingly, nobody was injured in a head-on collision, Monday afternoon, in northern Clay County between two noncounty residents.

A Ford F-250, operated by Rodney Nothwehr, 57, of Storm Lake, was westbound, at 4:10 p.m., in the 2600 mile of 300th Street, when an eastbound 2010 GMC Sierra, driven by Jimenez Martin, 41, of St. James, Minneapolis, drifted into the westbound lane, colliding head-on with the F-250.

HULL — U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, recently announced Jim Jordan, Ohio congressman and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will be his special guest at this year’s Feenstra Family Picnic on Friday, May 30, in Sioux Center.