A bill which would remove insurance barriers for Iowa schools interested in arming their employees was signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds on April 19.

Recent court filings show it will be nearly a year before a court decides whether a woman convicted of murdering a Lake Park resident in 2020 is entitled to a new trial.

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Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say phase 3 of the Highway 71 project is still on track for completion by May 24.

"The rain this last week slowed some of our work," said Darwin Bishop, district construction engineer for Iowa DOT. "But the contractor made great progress during the mild weather prior."

Members of the Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce recently visited Spirit Spa ahead of its April 21 grand opening. The spa, located in the Great Lakes Mall, is open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays as well as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Owner Rose Nguyen said the spa offers manicures, pedicures, waxing and other spa services. She went on to say hot oil massages and hot stone massages are available as a package deal with the spa's manicure and pedicure treatments.

Anxious anglers are just one week away from the chance at catching a fish worth $42,000 — the 42nd Annual Walleye Weekend officially begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 4. Entrants will have the following 36 hours to catch one of the 10 tagged walleye in the hopes of taking home the coveted grand prize.

Saugstad to speak at ILUUF

Allan Saugstad will preside over the April 28 Iowa Lakes Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hybrid service. His message is entitled “Liberal Christianity.”      

A pair of local students are to be awarded scholarships from the Grand Lodge of Iowa, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. A statement from the lodge said Okoboji High School student Emily Quanbeck will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and Spirit Lake High School student Fran Travis will receive a $2,500 scholarship. A total of 26 high school students were selected from a pool of 335 across Iowa to recieve the scholarship funds, according to the lodge.

Volunteers Week is from April 22-26, and Lakes Regional Healthcare is celebrating and extending gratitude to the individuals who dedicate their time and talents to support the organization’s patients, visitors and staff.

Volunteers at LRH take on a wide variety of tasks, from hospice care and hospital operations to offering critical Medicare guidance.