Stories from Tuesday, October 14, 2014

How do you make a house haunted? "Well, to be honest, we've got some good Jaycees members who are borderline crazy to begin with," laughs Kevin Thompson, one of the chief spookers behind the venerable Schaller Jaycees Haunted House, which opened for the season Saturday night...

A former Storm Lake High School athlete plans to propose that the Storm Lake High School football field be renamed for the late John Swanson, a Hall of Fame coach and longtime counselor at the school. Scott Randall said that when Swanson died in 2013, some interviews were broadcast during halftime of a football game remembering his contributions. "It didn't seem like it was enough."...

Sheri Elbert, rural Marathon, announced Monday that she will campaign as a write-in for Buena Vista County Treasurer. Incumbent Kathy Bach passed away recently, and had been the only candidate on the ballot. "After Kathy passed away, several people approached me about running, and I decided that I would give it a shot," said Elbert. No other candidates have announced campaigns...

The rules for school lunches say "no seconds," and some students remain hungry while pans of hash browns and scalloped potatoes with ham are left to be thrown away. It is a dilemma that is frustrating leaders at Storm Lake Elementary School. "In talking to some of my friends who are principals around the country, some schools are starting to opt out of the hot lunch program," because of the regulations, Principal Juli Kwikkel said this week...

On Friday, October 10, the Storm Lake Police Department took a report of a series of thefts which had occurred at the Rasmussen Ford Dealership located on North Lake Avenue in Storm Lake. Police were advised of several incidents of alleged thefts of cash from the businesses petty cash location. In addition police received information that a dealership employee allegedly made false warranty claims to Ford Motor Company for his own benefit...

A Storm Lake Police Officer suffered minor injuries early Sunday morning in an assault while arresting a Laurens man at a local night club. Police were conducting a routine bar check at Malarky's shortly before 2 a.m., where a patron, later identified as Terrane Washington, age 23 of Laurens, was being escorted from the night club...

William Henry Wolter Sr. died of natural causes at the age of 89 on May 5, at his home in Sun City, Calif. He was born in Calumet, on February 27, 1925 to Fred and Nora (Kluender) Wolter. He attended school in Calumet and graduated from Liberty Township Independent School Class of 1942. ...

Janet Anderson, age 72, of Laurens, formerly of Marathon, died Tuesday, October 14, at the Pocahontas Community Hospital in Pocahontas. Funeral services will be held Friday, October 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Marathon Community Center in Marathon. A private family burial will be held at the Poland Township Cemetery in Marathon. ...