A celebration of life is set for 4-6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, for longtime businessman and Arnolds Park City Council member James “Jim” Jensen.

Jensen passed away Thursday, Nov. 14, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He was 74 years old.

The city leader spent a lifetime connected to the Iowa Great Lakes including a legacy of 46 years on the Arnolds Park City Council.

Just in time for the holiday season, a new postmaster is in town.

Crystal Dunn, a resident of Spirit Lake for the last eight years, was sworn in as postmaster at the Spirit Lake Post Office on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Dunn was initially promoted to postmaster back in June, but this ceremony marks her official start when it comes to the new role.

Enterprise Media, owner-operator of the Dickinson County News announced an expansion to its Spirit Lake newsroom Monday with the addition of Russ Mitchell as DCN Managing Editor.

Mitchell has more than 25 years of journalism experience, including a previous 11-year stint as Managing Editor of the Dickinson County News.

Spirit Lake’s football team ended the 2024 season with a runner-up finish in Class 2A. The Indians, who made back-to-back trips to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls for the first time since the 2011-2012 seasons, fell 42-7 to West Lyon in the championship game held Friday, Nov. 22. (Photo by Matt Heinrichs)

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the identity of a Spirit Lake man who took his own life following a car chase on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Sheriff Chris Raveling said one of his deputies tried to pull 30-year-old Andrew Phillips over at about 4:10 p.m. near the intersection of 11th St. SW and 11th Avenue SW in Spencer. Deputies believe Phillips stole the 1998 red Chevrolet pickup he was driving at the time.

The Dickinson County Endowment Fund, in support of 23 projects led by Dickinson County non-profit organizations, has distributed grants totaling $110,842.

DCEF Council Advisor Ann Ditsworth recognized the 2024 advisory council, which is made up of volunteers who broadly represent the county's residents:

• Chairman Evan Bensley — Lake Park

• Vice chairman Marilyn Vos — Arnolds Park

• Treasurer Dawn Matthews — Terril

Holiday market in Lake Park

The Lake Park Friends of the Museum will hold a holiday market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Lake Park Community Center. There will be a wide variety of quality vendors, including Rustic Spirit, Rosewoods Shoppe, Tolsma Handmade Cards, West River Art Glass, Rise and Grind, Stan’s Metal Works, Pampered Chef, Sewing After Hours and Itch Barn Creations.

In the Nov. 21 edition of Dickinson County News, there was an article discussing updates to the Red Rock wind turbine project which stated that there would be upwards of 83 wind turbines built in Dickinson County. This is incorrect. The number of potential wind turbine locations for the project is 67 in Dickinson County and 19 in Emmet County, for a total of 86 wind turbines.

Winther, Stave & Co., LLP has recently released an audit report on the Lake Park Municipal Utilities.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Utilities’ revenues totaled $2,822,674 for the year ended June 30, 2024, a 5.9-percent decrease from the prior year. Expenses for the Utilities’ operations for the year ended June 30, 2024 totaled $2,641,347, a 3.5-percent decrease from the prior year.

AUDIT FINDINGS:

Join Milford Memorial Library for our weekly Building Bookworms Storytime at 10:30 a.m Mondays. Take a look below for our themes. All materials and services are provided by the library free to participants. All kids and their adults are welcome to stay after storytime and mingle. For more information contact the library or check out our Facebook page.

• Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m. — Safari

• Dec. 9, 10:30 a.m. — Gingerbread

• Dec. 16, 10:30 a.m. — Airplanes

Annette Marie Loerch, age 39, of Spirit Lake was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended/cancelled/revoked, operating while under the influence — second offense — child endangerment and speeding at approximately 12:52 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 near the 3700 block of Highway 71 in Spirit Lake. According to the criminal complaint, Loerch was allegedly driving with an infant sitting in her lap while intoxicated. Loerch was allegedly going at 82 miles per hour in a 50 zone.

The days are growing shorter and colder, which means now is a good time to find some cozy indoor activities. Top of the list, of course, is reading books, but putting together a jigsaw puzzle is also a great choice.

The Red Rock wind turbine project has been in the works for quite some time in Dickinson County. The project would see the construction of up to 83 wind turbines in the county, though project managers have stated they plan on scaling back those numbers by about 18 percent.

The Dickinson County Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending that the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors to rezone a property, designated A-2 Environmentally Sensitive, to an A-1 Agriculture designation.

Spirit Lake Community Schools is ramping up its methods of identifying talented and gifted students within the district.

The district says they believe every child possesses unique strengths and talents that deserve to be recognized and nurtured. It focuses on making sure all students have opportunities to think critically, creatively and to learn within the scope of their abilities.