MID-AMERICA UPC CODES Buffalo Center Tribune
Keota Eagle
Proudly serving Buffalo Center, Lakota, Rake, Thompson and the North Iowa Community School District Volume One Hundred Twenty Six Number 48 12 Pages November 30, 2016
Buffalo
Butler County Tribune Journal
Liberal Opinion Week
Clarksville Star
New Sharon Sun
Conservative Chronicle
Pioneer Enterprise
CWL Times
Sheffield Press
Dows Advocate
Sigourney News-Review
$1.00
T Center ribune
Home of the first consolidated school west of the Mississippi River - 1896
Entered as Periodicals in the post office at Buffalo Center, Iowa 50424 (USPS 069-400)
Christmas in Lakota Sunday
Eagle Grove Eaglefestivities Christmas
in Lakota are planned for Sunday, December 4 at the Lakota Community Center from 4-6 p.m. For events and times, see ad elsewhere in this ediGraphic-Advocate tion of the Tribune.
Thompson Library to host Christmas Open House December 3 Grundy Register The Thompson Public Library will host a Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 3 from 9-11 a.m. A special visit by Santa and his Hampton Chronicle helper will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Refreshments will be served.
The Leader
Village Vine
What Cheer Paper
Rake Library to host Holiday Open House Friday
Library holds sendoff for Cindy Steffensen
The Rake Public Library will host a Holiday Open House on Friday, December 2 from 3-5 p.m. Sandwiches, bars, juice and coffee will be served, along with a visit from Santa. The public is invited to attend.
Thompson Fire Dept. to host Soup Supper December 3
The Thompson Fire Department will host its annual Soup Supper on Saturday, December 3 from 5-7 p.m., or until gone, at the fire station. All proceeds will go towards purchasing new equipment.
State Savings Bank to host Holiday Open House December 2
State Savings Bank in Rake will host a Holiday Open House on Friday, December 2 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Holiday goodies, coffee and cider will be served, along with 2017 calendars and door prizes.
NIB to host Craft and Vendor Show December 3
North Iowa Betterment will host a craft and vendor show on Saturday, December 3 at Heritage Town Center in Buffalo Center from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Santa and his Elf will also make a visit to the Bison Senior Center from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Light Up a Life ceremony to be held Friday
The UHD Hospice will host its Light Up a Life ceremony on Friday, December 2 at 6 p.m. at Timely Mission Nursing Home in Buffalo Center. $10 will light up one bulb in memory of one person on the hospice Christmas tree. Contact UHD Hospice in Blue Earth, MN for more information.
Holiday Parade of Homes in Rake planned for Sunday
A Holiday Parade of Homes in Rake is planned for Sunday, December 4 from 4-7 p.m. The cost is $5. Tickets and maps are available at Rake City Hall. Coffee, cider and goodies will also be served.
Senior citizens dinner next Tuesday
The North Iowa Student Council will host its annual Christmas dinner for senior citizens next Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Heritage Town Center in Buffalo Center. Doors open at 10:45 a.m., with entertainment starting at 11 a.m. and the meal beginning at 11:15 a.m. Pre-registration was required.
In this issue
Church..................................page 4 Classifieds.............................page 6 Courthouse......................page 5, 6 Local News..........................page 2, 12 Marketplace.....................page 7, 8 Obituaries.........................page 4, 5 Opinion / Editorial.............page 2 Public Notices......................page 5 Social News..........................page 3 Sports..............................page 9, 10
“Martian Christmas” Monday at North Iowa Elementary
Library director Sharon Hippen and board members Cheryl Baumann, Linda Friesenborg and Pam Angstman bid Cindy Steffensen a fond farewell as Tuesday, Nov. 22 was her last day of work at the library. Cindy has been assistant librarian since July, 1999. Many friends and former co-workers came to the library Tuesday morning to wish Cindy well on her new venture, as she will be leaving Buffalo Center soon. Front from left are: Sharon Hippen, Cindy Steffensen and Pam Angstman. Back row: Cheryl Baumann and Linda Friesenborg.
The North Iowa Elementary students, K-prep through fourth grade, will present their holiday concert on Monday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in the North Iowa Auditorium. In addition to K-prep through second graders singing sounds of the season, the third and fourth graders will present a holiday musical called “Martian Christmas”. Among the performers will be, front from left: Aaron Cook, Drew Schutjer, Jamison Kramersmeier and Landon Price. Back row: Lucas Oldenkamp, Caden Holt, Jenna Daniels, Lily Beckman and Aisha Jobe.
Kids found safe after child abduction in Buffalo Center Two children are safe, and two suspects are in custody, following a child abduction last Wednesday, Nov. 23 in Buffalo Center. Buffalo Center Police Chief Matt Holmquist says he was flagged down by a motorist at about 4:25 p.m. last Wednesday and alerted to suspicious activity near the 400 block of 2nd St. NW in Buffalo Center. A man and woman were seen walking up to a house and acting suspicious. Several minutes later, the same couple was seen leaving with two small children. They walked to a silver SUV that had been parked a distance away from the house. Holmquist and the Winnebago
Open house Friday at newly remodeled Rake apartments
The apartment buildings in Rake are getting a makeover, after new owners took over in October. Joe and Kristine (Olsen) Kidder of JK Enterprises are the new owners, and Kathy (Olsen) Zender is the manager. They have been hard at work updating the apartments, located on 3rd St. SW in Rake, and they will hold an open house on Friday, Dec. 2 from 12-4 p.m. to show off the results. So far, they have two of the one bedroom units complete, with updates including new flooring, cabinets, countertops, toilets and a fresh paint job. They have also installed a new washer and dryer, along with new flooring in the hallway. Zender says all of the one bedroom units will be getting a complete remodel, and then they’ll move on to updating the two bedroom units. There are two buildings with a total of four one bedroom units and four two bedroom units. Anyone with questions may contact Joe Kidder at 715-645-0519 or stop by the open house on Friday.
County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the incident. A babysitter at the house told law enforcement that the two kids, ages three and one, were taken by an unknown male and the children’s biological mother, Ashley Machain, who had brandished a knife. Law enforcement began searching for the silver SUV, Machain, and the male accomplice. At 2:25 a.m. the following morning, the two children were recovered safely in Fort Dodge. Machain and the male accomplice, Daniel Smith, were taken into police custody. Machain was charged with Burglary in the 2nd degree, a class C felony, along with Child Endangerment, a class D felony. Smith
was also charged with Burglary in the 2nd degree, along with Driving While Barred, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. Other agencies assisting with the investigation include the Forest City Police Department; the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa State Patrol; Fort Dodge Police Department; Faribault County, MN Sheriff’s Office; Wells, MN Police Department; Webster County Sheriff’s Office; Ames Police Department; Iowa State University Police Department; Department of Human Services; and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Cindy Steffensen gets a goodbye hug from Doris Harms, as Harley Harms and Shirley Steenhard look on. Cindy and Doris were co-workers for many years at Timely Mission Nursing Home.
McGrady and O’Connor available for painting jobs A clarification for last week’s article about McGrady/O’Connor Painting and Decorating LLC: Chuck indicated that he will handle the book work for the company, while Kim
will focus more on managing the crew, but both Chuck and Kim will be working in the field. Chuck can be reached at 641-512-3918, and Kim can be reached at 515-538-0726.
School board talks testing and technology
By Andrew Shaw The North Iowa School Board had a rather short session for its monthly meeting last Monday, Nov. 21, where topics included driver’s education, student testing and the district’s technology plan. The board approved contracts for Jamie Droessler as paraprofessional, Colleen Hovinga as substitute bus driver and Dean Gerzema as driver’s education instructor. Fees for driver’s education will go up $20 for the coming year, for a cost of $280 per student in the North Iowa school district and $300 per student enrolling from outside of the district. The district will submit a Modified Allowable Growth request in the amount of $45,766.60, which will cover costs the school has to pay out to other districts for students open enrolling out.
The board heard updates from the principals about things going on at school, including parent teacher conferences, testing, Destination D.C., honor band and speech. Various students have also been working on a new “scholarship tree” display, which is going up in the gym lobby. Supt. Cory Myer also updated the board on a few items. The district received a refund check from its workers compensation insurance, as a result of school staff staying healthy. Myer said they have spent a lot of time working to improve safety on the job. Myer also relayed some feedback about the new propane school bus, saying that the kids on the bus are quieter because they don’t have to talk over the engine. Myer talked to the board about the new Smarter Balanced testing, which will begin next year. He said the test is more difficult than the
Iowa Assessment, and he wants to make sure parents are prepared to see lower scores. He said that if a class is rated as 90% proficient on the Iowa Assessment, it’s estimated that they’ll only rate as 35-45% proficient on the Smarter Balanced test. He said the questions are more complex, and North Iowa students haven’t taken a test in that format before. Other topics Myer discussed included the possibility of starting an Employee of the Month program, as well as forming a committee to look at incorporating alternative energy, such as solar power, at the school. The board reviewed updates to a few board policies, including a change that will allow community members to petition against a board appointment if they disagree with someone the board appoints to fill a vacancy.
The board also reviewed details of the district’s technology plan with Next Generation Technologies. Rates went up a bit this year, which includes additional work for professional development. Last year, there were 939 ticket numbers created for IT work at the school, which totaled 2,197 hours of labor. Myer said the district paid about $26 per hour of labor, which he thinks is a pretty good rate. Board members discussed their experience at the Iowa Association of School Boards Convention held earlier this month. Attending this year were board members John Helland and Rachel Wubben, along with Supt. Myer. The December board meeting will begin early at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, due to the middle school concert that night.