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Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020 •
Vol. 162 - No. 4 - usps no. 254060
Humboldt City Council agrees to fireworks display on July 4 By KENT THOMPSON
There will be no parade passing by, but Humboldt residents may still get a bang out of the 4th of July, following action by the Humboldt City Council Monday evening. In a unanimous decision, the Humboldt Council agreed to move forward with a fireworks display in the city with some restrictions. Also, it is not certain when and where the launching will take place, but indications are it will be on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4. The display will happen thanks to city help. Part of Monday’s decision includes the city of Humboldt ponying up $6,000-$7,000 to help fund the fireworks display. “The Chamber of Commerce has always sponsored
the fireworks display and in the past they did fundraising to see that the display happened,” Humboldt City Administrator Travis Goedken said. “With the Chamber disbanded, sponsoring the fireworks display falls upon the city,” Goedken said. He said the Chamber left $4,000 in funds to be used toward this year’s display. The $6,000-$7,000 figure would be the amount needed to purchase the additional fireworks for the stupendous display Russ Seiler and his crew put on. “We have plenty of funds in the Hotel/Motel Tax account to pay for that amount,” Goedken told the Council. “We have been in discussions with Humboldt County Public Health and Humboldt County Memorial Hospital about a num-
ber of matters, including the fireworks display. They said we could go ahead with shooting off fireworks, but spectators would not be allowed in the grandstand at the fairgrounds. Having the fairgrounds open would be up to the Fair Board to decide. But they ask that no groups (gatherings) of more than 10 people. They also ask that any people gathered maintain social distancing of six feet. They also prefer all people viewing the display stay in their cars or at their residence,” Goedken said. Also, no porta-potties will be provided, at the recommendation of Humboldt County Public Health. Since the 4th is on a Saturday and there is no parade, Goedken assumes that many people will be having barbeques and parties at their SEE COUNCIL, 4A
Annual Humboldt 4th of July Parade cancelled
Afternoon stroll Humboldt daycare provider Rachel Stockdale took these four children out for an afternoon stroll on Monday. Children pictured, front row (l-r): Kacey Ricklefs and Brekett Westre. Back row: Kinsley McCullough and Brock Ricklefs. Independent photo by Phil Monson. See this photo and more at www.humboldtnews.com.
As many of you know, when the former Chamber of Commerce dissolved, the Humboldt County Development Association agreed to host the annual 4th of July parade to ensure continuity of the event. However, it is with great sadness, that we announce that HCDA will be cancelling the 4th of July parade. Please note that HCDA only
agreed to host the parade. Any inquiries regarding the status of the fireworks display should be directed to the City of Humboldt. “We understand this decision will be a disappointment to many, however we believe it is in the best interest of the community at this time. The last few months have been difficult for many of us. However, I believe
with focused recovery efforts and continued health and safety measures, we will persevere,” said HCDA Executive Director Alissa O’Connor in a letter Thursday afternoon. Any questions regarding the matter may be directed to O’Connor at (515) 3322557, or email her at alissa@humboldtcountyiowa. com.
Humboldt County reports 1st COVID-19 death Prom cancelled, Humboldt County De- Humboldt County Public tient information that could preexisting medical condipartment of Public Health Health Director Joleen Ser- lead to the identification of tions and those older than graduation still set for The today announced the first nett. “Humboldt County any individual. Humboldt 65, to continue to limit their associated with Public Health and all of our County Public Health is fol- activities outside of their June 21 at Maach Field death novel coronavirus (COV- key partners throughout the lowing Iowa law by not re- home, including their visits Humboldt High School has made the decision to cancel Prom 2020 and After Prom. But graduation is still set for Sunday, June 21, at the Mason Maach football field. “Based on current state guidelines from the Governor, we unfortunately will have to cancel Prom,” according to school announcements. “We postponed in an effort to see if things changed and give the best opportunity to have Prom, but guidelines have not changed for us to move forward with Prom.” GRADUATION
In person graduation is still planned for Sunday, June 21, at 2 p.m. with a parade to follow. In order to be compliant with current state guidelines, the graduation ceremony will be held at the Mason Maach football field. If there is bad weather, the graduation rain date will be Tuesday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. The Senior Breakfast has been cancelled. In order to comply with state social distancing guidelines, seating will be limited and each student will receive two tickets for people to attend the ceremony. Since attendance at the ceremony is limited community members are encouraged to line the parade route that will be announced in the future.
ID-19) in the county. The individual was in the 6180-age group. “We wish to extend our sympathy to this individual’s family,” said
county and state continue to work to limit the spread and impact of this virus in our communities.” Iowa Code Chapter 22 prohibits the release of pa-
leasing any further information. Humboldt County Public Health continues to strongly encourage all vulnerable Iowans, including those with
to businesses and other establishments and their participation in gatherings of any size and any purpose. SEE 1ST DEATH, 2A
Four more COVID-19 cases in the county Raising total to 18 The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Humboldt County Public Health have identified four additional cases of COVID-19 in the county. One Humboldt County resident is in the 18-40 age group and three residents are in the 41-60 age group. The four new cases bring the total positive cases in the
county to 18. According to the coronavirus website, two cases were identified on May 28, one on May 30 and one on May 31. The state website reports that as of Monday, 333 citizens have been tested in Humboldt County with 18 positive tests. There have been no Humboldt County deaths. Twelve of the 18 cases have recovered. Since the Governor’s
website, https://coronavirus. iowa.gov/ is now updating in real time, this does not mean that disease investigations and contact tracing have been done prior to the state and county updates. There have been and will be circumstances in which a case has been credited to Humboldt County when it should be credited to another county because of exposure and the patient’s address.
This is confirmed through disease investigation, thus Humboldt County numbers may continue to fluctuate as local public health staff complete these processes. Humboldt County Public Health will confirm the positive cases that we know to be credited to us every day around 4 p.m. at: https:// www.humboldthospital.org/ SEE CASES, 2A
Hy-Vee hands out peaches Thanks to efforts by Hy-Vee Food Store and its production suppliers, local patrons who visited the Humboldt store Monday morning were treated with an offer of free peaches. Interns from the corporate office in Des Moines who handed out bags include Allison Baty, Trinity Hopkey and Savanna Baldwin. “These ladies were sent up by the corporate office and they are helping us hand these out today,” Humboldt employee Mike Brown said. “We had a staff of 10 or 12 inside the store earlier this morning who came out and got all the bags filled after the peaches arrived,” Brown said.
“The line of people started about an hour ahead of time and so we decided to get the distribution started earlier so we wouldn’t have people backed up on the highway, which wouldn’t be safe,” Brown said. “Humboldt law enforcement was here to help make sure everything ran smoothly,” Brown said. “The weather today is beautiful and everybody is in a great mood.” “The peaches are from Sun West and all of our producers in collaboration with Hy-Vee,” Humboldt store manager Roger Townsend said. “We will be delivering Allison Baty (right) of the HyVee Food Store corporate office hands a free bag of peaches to a customer Monday morning in the parking lot outside the store. Independent photo by Phil Monson. See this photo and more at SEE PEACHES, 2A www.humboldtnews.com.
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2A • Humboldt Independent •
Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020
Courthouse to remain by appointment only till June 15 By KENT THOMPSON
A lot of thought and weighing risk vs. reward went into decisions by state governors to allow businesses to reopen, even in a phased-in approach. The same can be said about the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. After the Board’s Tuesday, May 26 meeting, the fivemember group was in favor of opening the Humboldt County Courthouse on Monday, June 8, with limitations. However, after further debate and analysis on Monday, the Board pushed that date back to Monday, June 15. Supervisor Dave Lee of Dakota City said that Gov. Kim Reynolds is going to review her recent proclamations to open up business establishments with some limitations and provisions for social distancing. “If the governor is going to review it on June 17, and could possibly close things down again, I think we should wait and maintain the status quo for the next two weeks,” Lee said. That status quo includes having the front doors to the courthouse locked and people needing to call the appropriate office ahead of time to secure an appointment. Lee sits on the Courthouse Security Committee. He was reappointed to the post at the Board’s May 26 meeting. “The court system wants to be open by June 2, but we don’t have the personnel or manpower to accommodate them that quickly,” Lee said. He pointed out that if court hearings were held the witness stand would need to be cleaned after every witness. “If an attorney in chambers meets with a client, someone would have to come in and clean it all out before someone else could use that office,” Lee said. “We told them (the court) in a survey that we don’t have the funding nor the
manpower to have a maintenance person there all the time. If the court wants to open, they will have to hire someone,” Lee said. Humboldt County Auditor and board secretary Peggy Rice revised the court opening date at Monday’s meeting. “I have talked to the judicial district court administrator and chief district judge and they are looking at resuming non-jury trials on July 13, with jury trials slated to begin on Sept. 14,” Rice said. “As far as requirements for cleaning and sanitation, the state court administrator is putting together protocols and we will have to see if we can meet those,” Rice said. She provided the Board with policies that Harrison and Black Hawk counties are following and their plans for reopening to the public. “Most are doing what we are with the doors closed. We are recommending that people entering the courthouse use hand sanitizer when they come in and also suggest that they wear cloth masks. We can’t force people to. We would allow people to remove their masks to talk to employees in an office,” Rice said. It was noted that plexiglass barriers will be installed to provide courthouse employees with protection from microscopic particles of saliva that can carry the coronavirus. Rice said she has ordered standing hand sanitizer dispenser machines for the courthouse and is just waiting for the sanitizer liquid to fill them. “The hope is to gradually open the office doors, but my office is limited in space. We can only have three people in there at a time. One will have to be driver’s license employee, so it limits the amount (of employees) for tax (purposes),” Humboldt County Treasurer Jana Bratland said. “As far as sanitation, we can handle it now because we are seeing people by
County Fair Queen Entries are being accepted for the 2020 Humboldt County Fair Queen Contest. The contest is open to ages 16-21. Deadline for entering is 5 p.m. on June 19. A $50 sponsorship is needed for each candidate by a business, community organization or a family member. The competition will take place on July 17 at 9 a.m. at the ISU Extension Office in downtown Humboldt. Coronation takes place the evening of July 22 at the Humboldt County Fair grandstand. Fair Queen candidates will ride in Humboldt’s July 4 parade. The 2020 Humboldt County Fair Queen will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Humboldt Mutual Insurance Association, $250 for State Fair Queen Contest expenses, plus additional gifts and scholarships from Humboldt County businesses.
Judging will be based on leadership ability, poise and self-motivation. Entry form is available online at www.humboldtcountyfair.com, or by contacting Amber Harrison at (515) 473-8035, or by email at [email protected]. Entry forms are also available online for the 2020 Humboldt County Princess (ages 12-15) and 2020 Humboldt County Junior Miss (ages 7-11). Deadline is July 1 with the competition July 17 and the coronation during the Humboldt County Fair on the evening of July 22. People can also enter the Little Miss and Mister Humboldt County Fair Queen and King Contest. Boys and girls must be ages 4-6 and reside in Humboldt County. Winners will be drawn from a random drawing. Deadline for entering is 5 p.m. on July 1. The County Fair will be held July 21-27.
Thank you
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appointment. If we open fully, how often do we do a full cleaning? One time a day, twice a day?” Bratland wanted to know. “We’d like to get some signage put up to limit the number of people and we need markers on the floor for acceptable space. From where we sit at our desks, we can’t see who is coming in and going out (of the office),” the treasurer said. “Maybe move the wood chairs to the north wall and spread them apart,” she added. The number at the treasurer’s office for motor vehicle registration and tax processing is (515) 332-1681. For driver’s license processing, please call (515) 3322993. There is a drop box located on the north side of the courthouse by the center door for use in paying taxes or motor vehicle renewals. Bratland said because there may be some delays for driver’s licenses, people may want to renew online if they are younger than 70, or go to www.iowadot.gov and get a six-month temporary license. Most farm licenses can be handled via mail or leaving forms in the drop box outside the courthouse. Lee and District 1 Supervisor Bruce Reimers agreed with maintaining the phone system for appointments for the time being. Lee said a large sign is needed, saying if you are sick or show symptoms of coronavirus, don’t come in the courthouse. Supervisor Rick Pedersen said most people can be respectful and show patience. “We can see how it goes (after opening). If everyone takes their turn and is polite, we shouldn’t have any or very few problems. If there are problems, we will need to adjust,” Pedersen said. The Board also discussed continuing to have meetings held via Zoom. The Board agreed to continue offering Zoom meetings for the next two weeks while the courthouse is closed to the public. Rice said she has not received a bill yet from Solutions for the service. Outside of some difficulty hearing and a possible bandwidth issue if there are too many people online for the meeting, the experience has went pretty well and the Supervisors see some benefit to having an option of meeting remotely if someone is out of town, or unable to physically be at the meeting. “It’s better than a conference call,” Reimers said, noting he has one meeting with more than a dozen people on the phone and said it’s a mess and everyone sounds like they are in an echo chamber. Rice updated the Board on precautions being taken for this past Tuesday’s primary election. Face masks and rubber gloves are the gear for the nine poll workers who worked at the Livermore and Humboldt locations. She reported that hand sanitizer would be available and poll workers would need to clean the voting both and the ballot machine between voters. Disposable secrecy sleeves were made available and cheap Bic pens were purchased the voters could keep or throw away when they were done. Rice reported Monday that she expected around 250 absentee ballots to come in Monday or Tuesday and absentee
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Humboldt County Auditor Peggy Rice installs plexiglass partitions Monday at the Humboldt County Events Center in Humboldt. Gloves, face coverings and disinfectant wipes were made available to election workers, who also were granted hazardous duty pay, an extra $4 per hour, due to manning the polls during the coronavirus pandemic. See this and other photos at www.humboldtnews.com. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson. ballot counters would begin work Tuesday afternoon. Rice said the normal pay for election workers is $8.25-$9.25 per hour. She said for this primary election it is being recommended that election officials be given hazardous duty pay. She recommended an increase of $4 per hour. Pedersen made a motion to pay the election workers more and Lee seconded the motion. All Supervisors voted in favor. SECONDARY ROADS
The Board approved a payment in the amount of $18,204.96 to Merryman Bridge Company of Algona for replacement of the bridge on Virginia Avenue. Humboldt County Engineer Ben Loots said the payment was for H piles. He said the south pier line was driven two weeks ago and concrete work and setting of beams has begun. The Board approved a payment to Manatt’s Inc. of Brooklyn in the amount of $11,849. The payment was largely for patching on County Road P-33 between Rutland and Bode, which was completed in May. Loots said work is guaranteed for a year. The Board also approved a work in the county right of way application from R&G Electric to place an underground service like from a pole to the residence of Geoff Michaelsen, 1819 210th St. DRAINAGE
The Board recessed as supervisors and reconvened as drainage district trustees for the purposes of conducting a conference call with Webster County about joint drainage district No. 3-9 Humboldt-Webster. The area in question is in Section 33 of Weaver Town-
1st death
ditch on the north side of the fairgrounds. Reimers said it was determined that there are 15-20 small trees on the Curt Carlson property, some of which may have roots going into tile and plugging it up. “He (Curt) isn’t up for removal unless we can show that’s what the problem is. There has always been water near the site of the old swimming pool. Curt was going to get back to me on the tile locations on his property,” Reimers said. He said the county may want the Iowa DOT to repair the hole, since is part of the state’s Highway 3 right of way. In other action the Board: • Set the election for renewal of the Local Option Sales and Service Tax for Tuesday, Sept. 8. The county has received letters from municipalities served by the tax stating their ballot language for the vote. • Approved general bi-monthly claims of $224,856.46, and drainage claims of $582.50. • Recognized Dave Lee for organizing the placing of flags at the courthouse grounds for many years to honor veterans. “We want to thank Dave, not just for this past Memorial Day holiday, but for all he does for veterans in the county throughout the year,” Supervisor Erik Underberg said. “Putting those flags up takes a lot of work and a lot of volunteer hours and he orchestrates it for Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Veterans Day,” Supervisor Pedersen added. Supervisor Reimers also wanted to give a special thanks to the youth volunteers who helped place the flags for the holiday last week.
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We encourage all Iowans to limit their in-person interactions with vulnerable Iowans and to exercise particular care and caution when engaging in any necessary interactions. For up-to-date information on COVID-19
Cases
ship, south of Pioneer. It was reported that the Union Pacific Railroad put new culverts under the tracks about two years ago and in the process damaged drainage district tile. “Then they ran open trenches across the ground,” Pedersen said. Plans for improvement would be to bore under the railroad tracks, clean out the tile and fill in the tracks or realign the drainage tile system in a diagonal fashion to the railroad track, which also runs diagonally. Drainage attorney Douglas Struyk of Des Moines joined the conversation via phone. He said he could put some pressure on representatives from the railroad to respond to the county. Loots said a 7-inch rain that occurred on June 14, 2018, may have been the start of the problem. McClure Engineering for Fort Dodge has a report on the extent of the problem and estimated a cost of $105,000 for a fix with 24inch tile. Supervisor Rick Pedersen was not optimistic given Humboldt County’s experience with Union Pacific in a railroad/tile issue southwest of Livermore a few years ago. “We went through a long process with them and they (the railroad) only ended up paying about 12 percent of the cost, then they wanted their assessment lowered to zero,” Pedersen said. After some discussion, the joint board directed Humboldt County drainage clerk Trish Erickson to contact the claims representative for Union Pacific and draft a letter to other officials with the Omaha-based rail carrier. In other drainage matters, Reimers said he visited with Doug Marso about a tile failure and a big hole next to the
in Humboldt County, visit https://www.humboldthospital.org/news-events/covid19-update and follow Humboldt County Public Health on Facebook @HumboldtCountyPublicHealth For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Iowa, visit
https://coronavirus.iowa. gov/ and follow the Iowa Department of Public Health on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.
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news-events/covid-19-update The Humboldt County Public Health Department reminds residents that although they are spending more time away from friends and family because of social distancing, state, county and local leaders recognize and appreciate the vital role they serve in stopping the spread of COVID-19. “This unprecedented time is not easy,” said Humboldt County Public Health Director Joleen Sernett. “We want everyone to know that the actions they are taking staying away from groups of people and keeping a 6-foot distance from other individuals – are impor-
Peaches
tant and make a difference.” These actions, known as social distancing, help slow the spread of COVID-19. While physical health is a primary focus now, mental health should also be a priority. “Spending most of your time at home means more television and social media, and that often means an overload of information about COVID-19. People may feel lonely and anxious. This is normal, but there are steps we can take to help these non-physical results of COVID-19,” said Sernett • Use the phone, computer or other devices to connect electronically with friends and family. • Take time to unplug. It’s important to stay informed, but you can do that
by checking in with trusted sources a few times a day. • Eat healthy meals and find ways to be active. Be sure to eat regular, healthy meals and make time to move. • Find ways to support others. • If you need to talk to someone, visit YourLifeIowa.org, where you can online chat. You can also text YourLifeIowa 24/7 at 855895-8398 or call 855-5818111. All services are confidential and free. Humboldt County Public Health thanks all the local businesses, schools, essential service workers, health care providers, coalitions, churches and individuals for doing their part during this COVID-19 pandemic.
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peaches outside the Algona store in the afternoon,” Townsend said.
“It’s been a great initiative to give back to the commuand a lot of people are ex- nity.” cited about it and it’s fun
Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020 • The Humboldt Independent • 3A
School’s end of year message to students, parents We want to begin by offering thanks to the students, staff, parents, and community members who helped us succeed this spring with remote learning and ending the 2019-20 school year. While certainly not without bumps, frustrations, and tears, we are proud of the way we all persevered as we responded to this crisis. And now, as we catch our breath for a moment and look to summer, we must also consider what school will look like in the fall and how we can restore some form of in-person learning. This will be yet another daunting task we must undertake. We need to create a quality and meaningful learning experience for our students, while also making sure we maintain a safe learning environment and put forth a model that our professional staff can execute. With guidance from the Governor and the Iowa De-
partment of Education, Iowa Schools are being asked to create their own Return to Learn plan for the 2020-21 school year. In this plan we will create three different models for returning in the fall. Our first model will be to return to normal with all face-to-face learning. For academic, social-emotional, and economic reasons, we are compelled to stand up for this teaching and in-person learning model. But we also cannot ignore that the threat of this virus remains, and we must take all prudent steps to keep our schools from spreading it in our community. The second model will be with required teaching and learning done remotely. While this is less than ideal for students, staff, and parents, we are taking steps this spring to prepare for this possibility in the fall. Then to duplicate the Governor’s 50-50 return to
normal, the third model will be a hybrid model which would include a combination of some students learning at home while others are in school and then alternate who stays at home and who comes to school. We must also anticipate that there will be outbreaks, creating cycles through which we move from in-person to remote learning for some time. Beginning this week, our teachers are undergoing nine days of professional learning. They are engaged in classes to increase their skills in teaching online and learning about and experiencing with technology tools that can enhance their in-class, as well as remote, instruction. Teachers are meeting with teachers in other grade levels and in their content departments to review what didn’t get taught this spring and having conversations about what is going to need to be done in the fall to ad-
dress any gaps in learning that took place this spring due to school closure We must remain open to what’s possible and consider all options to move forward. We are compelled, out of love for our community and our children, to shake off our hesitations, put forth our very best thinking, and courageously take action. We understand that there is a sense of urgency in knowing what the fall will look like, and we will do our best to make decisions as quickly as possible and work to keep you informed along the way. As you know, this fall we have many new administrators in our district. This spring we have been working diligently with superintendent Jim Murray to enable his new administrative team to be prepared to execute our Return to Learn plan in the fall. During June, we will be working with the incoming
and outgoing administrators, as well as our district TLC instructional coaches, to outline the details of our 2020-21 plan. The new administrative team will officially begin their work on July 1 and they will refine the Return to Learn plan. The health and well-being of your child(ren) and our staff will always be our top priority as we plan for a successful start to the 2020-21 school year. Have a great summer and stay safe. Please remember Humboldt CSD mission is “Learning and Success for All” and we will all work together to make that happen for all. Yours in education, Mike Sherwood, interim superintendent Lori Westhoff, high school principal Greg Thomas, assistant high school/middle school activities director
Brenda Geitzenauer, middle school principal Brad Nelson, middle school dean of students George Bruder, Taft and Mease elementary principal Tamela Johnson, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment Jim Murray, 20-21 superintendent Paul Numedahl, 20-21 high school principal Greg Thomas, 20-21 high school/middle school activities director Abby Horbach, 20-21 HS Ass’t Principal Brenda Geitzenauer, 2021 middle school principal Creighton Jenness, 20-21 assistant principal Ryan Fedders, 20-21 Taft elementary principal Lora Kester, 20-21 Mease elementary principal and director, of curriculum, instruction and assessment.
Basin work at Humboldt’s wastewater treatment plant first step in $1.8 million project By KENT THOMPSON
PeopleService and the city of Humboldt just completed a nearly $40,000 cleaning and rebuilding of the west aeration basin at the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant on Gotch Park Road. It was the first time that grit and old sludge was sucked out from the corners of the basin since the plant was put into service 20 years ago. The improvement is just the first of a series of upgrades over the next couple of years for the 2.7-million gallon activated sludge plant. The project was able to utilize local vendors Hog Slat, Fastenal, Bomgaars, W&H Cooperative and Speedy Dump for the $40,000 project, which came in at $2,408 under budget, PeopleService reported to the Humboldt City Council during a recent meeting. The largest expenditure was $29,820 for a biofuser assembly and related items from Parkson Corporation. PeopleService also rented a jet-vac truck for 1.5 days from Rehab Systems Inc. at a cost of $5,130. Work included replacing all down-corner hoses with new hose clamps and all diffusers along the bottom of the basin were replaced. According to PeopleService, it took two days to drain the basin, one day to remove the old diffusers,
1.5 days to remove grit and dead sludge, one day to reassemble the new diffusers and one day to refill the basin and clean things up. “Since this basin had never been refurbished, there was much to do. You want to have a nice level bubbling and there were geysers in spots. The diffusers were plugged and the work included replacing all the attachments off the main trunk line,” Humboldt City Administrator Travis Goedken reported. “We talk about infiltration and inundation. Despite all the work the city has done over the past decade or more to shore up the city’s wastewater system, there is still sand and sediment coming in. It is costly for the city to treat rainwater and the sand and sediment causes its own issues in the plant itself,” Goedken said. The work completed this past spring is just the first part of an overall project over the next 16 months that will bring the city up to specifications to meet the nutrient reduction standards act. Humboldt is one of many communities that is being asked to treat and contain nitrogen and phosphorus loads from its sewage treatment plants. “We are very fortunate that 75 percent of the cost
will be paid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant and there is a good possibility we will be able to access an additional 10 percent from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security,” Goedken said. “Even with that, the city’s expense will be about $270,000,” Goedken said. “In addition to fixing the aeration basins, we will need to change blowers to variable speeds. Up until now, we have oxygenated the whole basin to change ammonia to nitrates and total kjeldahl nitrogen.” “Changes we can make at the plant will be able to turn that nitrogen into hydrogen gas, which can safely be released from the plant and into the atmosphere,” the Humboldt city administrator said. The push is because of anoxic waters where oxygen is depleted. There has been much discussion and action during the past two decades about agricultural practices that can improve severe conditions of hypoxia in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. Now, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking municipal water systems to take steps to reduce nutrient release. “There is also a push by the state to reduce the amount of potassium released. We are working with
Diffusers in the west aeration basin at the Humboldt Wastewater Treatment Plant on Gotch Park Road where replaced this past spring. It is the first step in a $1.5-$1.8 million upgrade at the plant to meet state nutrient reduction guidelines. Submitted photo. Fox Engineering of Ames on ways to do that. There are some chemical updates we can employ to help with that issue,” Goedken said. There are also some electrical and equipment changes that are needed to be made after 20 years of operations. The city will be paying off its 20-year bond for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant this year.
Police remind citizens of ordinance enforcement The Humboldt Police Department would like to remind citizens of Humboldt of the following city ordinances: (1) Grass exceeding 10 inches in height (City Code 145.15); (2) Grass and leaves being placed in the street (City Code 135.03); (3) Accumulation of rubbish/garbage on a private property (City Code 145.15). Anyone in violation of these ordinances will be given a warning and 72 hours to correct the violation. Failure to do so will result in a city of Humboldt municipal infraction. In the case of excessively tall grass, the city has a company hired to mow the lawn at the citizen’s expense. These ordinances and other ordinances affecting property maintenance, parking, signage on private property and public safety matters are listed on the city’s website, www.cityofhumboldt.org, under the tab “How Do I?”
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HUMBOLDT MOTOR SALES
Elections Deputy Kris Mickelson cleans the voting dividers on Monday at the Humboldt County Events Center in advance of Tuesday’s primary election. The dividers need sanitized after each group of voters use the space. Free Multi-Point Inspection Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
A/C Inspection ............ $49.95 includes connection of A/C machine to check pressures and refrigerant MFWFM JOTQFDUDBCJOŪMUFSBOEDIFDL system operation.
Workers pump out grit and sludge using a jet-vac truck at the Humboldt Wastewater Treatment plant during a basin rebuilding project conducted in April. Submitted photo.
HUMBOLDT RECREATION CENTER Featuring the Ken & Marilyn Nielsen Fieldhouse
Now Open!
Automatic Transmission Flush ...................................... $159.95 Cooling System Flush ............. $149.95 Some cars & heavy duty trucks may be extra
We will be following the guidelines provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health & strictly enforcing them to ensure the health of our members & employees. Specific guidelines are posted on Facebook and at the Rec Center.
Highway 3 East, Humboldt
Phone 515.332.2764 www.humboldtmotors.com
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4A • Humboldt Independent •
Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020
Way Back When Albrecht, who retired. TEN YEARS AGO 2010
The Gustavus Adolphus men and women competed in the Division III NCAA outdoor track and field championships at Baldwin-Wallace College. The heptathlon wrapped up with the long jump, javelin throw and 800run. The Gusties’ Janey Helland finished fourth overall, totaling 4,722 points. She won the long jump with a jump of 17-10-1/4, took fifth in the javelin throw (1217) and placed fourth in the 800-meter run (2:22.86).
1995
Carl Parsons of Humboldt scored his first hole-in-one during 1 p.m. league action at Humboldt Country Club. Parsons used a five wood to ace hole number four. Witnessing the shot were his partner Ray Fisher, Merf Johnsen and L.D. “Butch” Kleiss.
2005
2010
Gerald Curry won his first feature race in the Sport Modified Class and Chad Palmer won his fifth race of the year to lead a contingent of area drivers. Curry, of Lu Verne, grabbed his first win of the year in the Sport Modified Class at the Algona Raceway on June 5, 2010. Palmer, meanwhile, drove to the checkered flag in the Stock Car Class at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt on June 3, 2010. 2010
Humboldt’s freshman baseball team swept Hampton in a season-opening doubleheader in Humboldt. The Wildcats took the Bulldogs by scores of 2-1 and 4-1. In game one, Garrett Nelson pitched five innings for the Wildcats, striking out five. A suicide squeeze bunt by Cody Weisbrich in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed Nelson to steal home from third base to give Humboldt the go-ahead victory. Don Smith hit a single for HHS. Michael Orness scored Humboldt’s first run in the fourth. Orness advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Monson and scored moments later on Tyler Rutz’ fly ball to left field. In game two, Dillon Fevold pitched three innings with two strikeouts to lead Humboldt. The Wildcats got singles from Fevold, Cal Coleman, Ryan Lee, Nick Laing and Drake Russell. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO 2005
Jana Bratland was appointed the new Humboldt County Treasurer by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. She takes over for Pat
[Council
Larson said what she has loved most in her years as Library Director have been 2005 Humboldt’s Katie Chris- the patrons and of course, tensen, a freshman at Kirk- the books. wood Community College in Cedar Rapids, played TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO 1995 centerfield on the women’s softball team and re- Tim Smith served as master ceived all-region recogni- of ceremonies and Eugene tion. Christensen received Smith gave the address at a second-team All-Region XI ceremony dedicating a room honors in the Iowa Com- at the Humboldt County munity College Athletic Historical Museum to FranConference. She helped ces Messer. Providing vocal Kirkwood win the Divi- entertainment were Mike sion conference title with a Blair, Amanda Collins and 16-4 record. They were 47-9 Andrea Archer. overall. A special recognition service was held for the Zion Lutheran Preschool. Thirty-four preschool children were recognized during a Saturday evening worship service. Kristi Anderson was also recognized for serving as the Zion Lutheran Preschool teacher’s aide for seven years. Barb Zabel continues to serve as the Zion Lutheran Preschool director. The 2005-2006 school year will be the preschool’s 25th year.
George Powers presented a buckskin Indian outfit, dating from 1888 to the Humboldt County Historical Association for display at the TWENTY YEARS AGO Association’s Mill Farm 2000 Museum. Accepting the gift Bret and Deb Harklau have was Mrs. Beulah Adams, become partners with Bill president of the Association. and Sheri Petersen at B & N Auto. Former partner, Norm 1980 Petersen, sold his interest in The Iowa Test and Evaluathe automobile dealership to tion Facility (ITEF) for high the Harklaus with plans to voltage research and demspend a little more time fish- onstration, was officially ing and playing golf down opened Monday, June 2, south. The name will remain 1980, with officials repreB & N Auto, the same as senting all 10 electric utility when the business was start- companies in Iowa attending ed in 1975, by Bob Kirk- the ceremonies. Including patrick, Norm Petersen and those from Corn Belt Power Bob Eckberg. Bill Petersen Cooperative in Humboldt. joined the business is 1977. The test facility is located south and east of Badger in Webster County, at the site 2000 Cleary Building Corp., of the Webster Sub-station, the second largest build- owned by Iowa Public Sering company in the United vice Company. Ed Crist and States, has opened a branch George Toyne were among office in Humboldt. The Ve- representatives of Corn Belt rona, WI, based company Power Cooperative in Humwas founded in 1978. It was boldt, attending the opening. incorporated in 1983 and has 60 branch offices and 1980 three manufacturing plants Members of the 1979 nationwide. Humboldt High School DECA class presented a 2000 McCullough chain saw to After more than 22 years of the Humboldt Volunteer service, Carol L. Larson will Fire Department. The 1979 be retiring from her posi- DECA class was the last tion at the Humboldt Public to graduate from the high Library as Library Director. school as the program has
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
homes. “There probably won’t be a lot of social distancing going on throughout the day. Frankly, enforcing that will be a problem,” the city administrator said. “Our police force is seven officers and we really can’t control that,” Goedken said. “You really can’t control that anyway. It’s a recommendation from the governor,” Councilman Joel Goodell responded. “It’s up to the person themselves. They are responsible for their own health. I say go ahead. I think since we aren’t having the parade, which I don’t quite agree with either, I say go ahead,” Goodell added. Goedken broached the possibility of postponing the 4th of July celebration and making it a Labor Day fireworks display instead. His thinking is that some of the restrictions may go away by then.
FORTY YEARS AGO 1980
“Or they may not,” Goodell responded. Council members were relatively cool to the idea of postponing the fireworks if there is a feasible way to shoot them off and allow the public to view them on Saturday night, July 4. “The state says it is going to be down $360 million in income. Are we going to just shut down and destroy our economy over this or move forward? I say get on with business,” Goodell remarked. “We do have to do that,” Goedken agreed. “Russ (Seiler) has been hounding me for a month (to order the fireworks), so a Council decision is imminent,” Goedken said. “We have to pay our bills. If we shut down we aren’t going to be able do that and the local option sales tax money won’t be there,” Goodell said. Other Council members
JAMES GARGANO .......................... Publisher Emeritus JEFF GARGANO.............................. Co-Publisher JAIME ZWEIBOHMER ..................... Co-Publisher TIM CRAIG ....................................... Sales Representative HEATHER DAHL .............................. Graphic Designer JEN JENSEN.................................... Graphic Design Manager DANETTE MILLER ........................... Production Manager PHIL MONSON ................................ Managing Sports Editor TAMMY MOSER ............................... Office Manager KENT THOMPSON .......................... News Editor Published weekly on Thursdays by Humboldt Printing Company at 512 Sumner Avenue, P.O. Box 157, Humboldt, Iowa 50548. Periodical postage paid at Humboldt, Iowa. USPS #254060. Postmaster: send address changes to The Humboldt Independent, P.O. Box 157, Humboldt, IA 50548.
NEWS & ADVERTISING DEADLINE: MONDAY – 12:00 P.M. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $55.00 per year in Iowa • $67.00 in other states INTERNET ADDRESS http://www.humboldtnews.com E-Mail us at: [email protected] Telephone (515) 332-2514 • FAX (515) 332-1505 Advertising Rate Card available upon request.
In the summer of 1911, Frank Gotch established a training center in Bicknell Park. Many wrestlers and trainers were here, and great crowds gathered to watch. After becoming world champion, Gotch retired in 1913, and formed an automobile agency with P.F. Saul and later Albert Wittman. Gotch died in 1917, at the age of 40. Gotch is the fourth from the left in this photo. Text with permission from “Images of America - Humboldt County,” by Pat Baker and Martha Schmidt. Image scanned by Tom Tierney. since been incorporated into a multi-occupations program. Present were: Rod Silbaugh and Paul Cartwright, representing the fire department, and Tim Smith and Kym Husske, representing the DECA class.
at the Star Restaurant. An amateur radio system, said Dr. Schultz, provides a person with the opportunity to visit with someone any time of day or night, provides communications in time of disaster, promotes international goodwill, provides FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO contact between people in 1975 remote areas and serves as a ISC Financial House, a testing ground for new elecconsumer finance firm, has tronic equipment. opened a new branch office in Humboldt, to be located FIFTY YEARS AGO 1970 at 411 13th St. North. James Gales of Fort Dodge, will Dave Hart, son of Mr. and head operations at the Hum- Mrs. Leonard Hart of Humboldt office. ISC Financial boldt, will be installed as House, Inc., is a subsidiary master councilor of the of ISC Financial Corpora- Gotch Chapter of Demolay tion, a financial services at the Humboldt Masonic company primarily engaged Temple. in insurance, consumer finance, and savings and loan. 1970 Paula Halverson became the 1975 2,000th Humboldt senior to Four piano teachers present- graduate during the 23 years ed 52 pupils for National that Clyde D. Mease has Guild of Piano Teachers been superintendent. Mease auditions for membership is retiring at the end of his in the National Fraternity of present contract. Student Musicians in Humboldt including: adjudicator 1970 Diane Lee Metzker, teach- Armon Frank of Pioneer was ers Eloise Buckner, Mavis honored as a truck driver for Moklestad, Jan Altermeier 40 years at Truckers Day in [Fort Dodge] and Paula Ar- Sioux City. Frank has drivends. en a truck in Pioneer since 1932. He also drove a gravel 1975 truck in Webster County for Dr. Ivan Schultz of Hum- two years prior to moving to boldt spoke on amateur ra- Pioneer. dio systems at a meeting of the Humboldt Rotary Club SIXTY YEARS AGO
1960
Mary Olson, member of Norway Patriots Club, was chosen to represent Humboldt County 4-H girls at state convention held at Ames. 1960
The Hardy Co-operative Elevator Company is building a new office and installing a new scale. The Milton Will Company of Fort Dodge is erecting the building. It will be 62 feet by 36 feet with a full basement. The Fort Dodge Scale Company is installing the 70-foot Howe Printamatic scale with time and date stamp. 1960 John A. Day, son of Mrs. Belle Day and the late Earl Day of Gilmore City, was presented two commendations for his part in the procurement and check out of the data link system. The van, of which he is in charge, is one of only three PAM systems operational in the world. The data link system is for the Midas project satellite, which was launched from Cape Canaveral. Day records information gathered by the satellite. His wife is the former Donna Blomker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd A. Blomker of Rutland.
] tract with the Iowa Department of Transportation in moving the school speed limit sign for northbound traffic on Highway 169, 200 feet to the south. The move is in conjunction with the intersection improvements made to Sumner Avenue SW last summer. Humboldt School District Transportation Director Leo Reigelsberger inquired with the Iowa DOT about adding flashing LED lighting to the existing four-way stop signs at Highway 169 and 4th Avenue SW/Wildcat Road. According to an email to Reigelsberger dated May 26 from the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Craig Wood, the District 2 traffic technician with the Mason City office, the DOT would not look at doing anything additional at the present time. Wood referred to the department’s crash history record for the intersection from 2016 to May 18 of this year. “There were a total of 10 reportable crashes in this time period. Of that number, one involved a suspected minor injury, one possible injury and eight were property damage only crashes,” Wood said in his email. He said half of the crashes occurred with surface conditions of wet, ice/frost or snow. Seven of the 10 happened between the hours of 2-6 p.m. Wood suggested stepped up law enforcement patrol during those time periods (Monday-Friday). He said the crash rate for the intersection is .84 crashes per million entering vehicles, compared to a statewide average of .90 per million entering vehicles. Currently the intersection has a red flashing beacon overhead, oversized stop signs on both sides of the road with a red flag that will SCHOOL ZONE SAFETY The Council unanimously be updated in 2021, and two agreed to enter into a con- stop ahead signs on both sides of the road with red
expressed agreement with Goodell’s sentiments. “It’s a positive thing for the community. People have to make their choices. With the protests going on, we have seen people disregarding social distancing and gathering. It’s important to keep something around the 4th of July because without the parade, it is a positive thing we can do,” First Ward Council member Matt Dominick said. “I say also go ahead with it,” at large Council member Kirk Whittlesey said. It was mentioned that HyVee sometimes has issues with rowdy people shooting off their own fireworks in their parking lot. “Parking along the highway could be an issue if we are not allowing people in the fairgrounds,” Goodell said. There was talk about moving the display to an open field in the Humboldt Industrial Park and let viewers park along the streets in the Industrial Park. Goedken said if Clarion decides to cancel their display, would there be an issue of Wright County residents coming to Humboldt to view the display? “As we open more, I would hate to restrict more. Churches are opening. I think it’s something we can do and it’s something people look forward to. If you talk to people who have attended church services in recent weeks and people who are participating in Shag the Drag, they are doing so responsibly, for the most part,” Dominick said. Council members John Sleiter and Mike Worthington were also in favor and the Council agreed to have city fireworks, although an exact date and location has not as yet been specified.
flags that will be upgraded in 2021. In his correspondence with the DOT, Reigelsberger expressed concerns about school buses crossing Highway 169 traffic during school hours (specifically 7:35-8 a.m. and 3-3:30 p.m.) Placing roll out stop signs in highway at the intersection with Sumner Avenue SW could lead to more accidents with an all-way stop 725 feet north of the entrance. It was agreed that the school/city, did not want to encourage more pedestrians crossing the highway at that location. Wood suggested have local police direct traffic when buses are exiting the school driveway. He also suggested buses going east across U.S. Highway 169 could turn south onto the highway and then back east at 9th Avenue SW. Wood also suggested a possibility of a three-lane cross section with a center left turn lane on Highway 169 North. He said with three lanes it would reduce the number of gaps in traffic and would make it easier if the bus driver only has to look at one lane in each direction. Also, if they turn left at the four-way stop they can pull into the two-way left turn lane if there is not a vehicle occupying it. He said such a plan would require more review and analysis and coordination with the city. The school speed limit 30 when flashing sign will be posted 200 feet to the south of its current location for northbound traffic on Highway 169. The Humboldt
Community School District will have control of the flashing beacons that will be programmed to flash 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon when students are going to school and coming home. It can also be activated for after normal school hour events. Goedken said the DOT has a very antiquated way of figuring speed limits. “They set it at what speed 80 percent of the people drive, understanding that 20 percent of the people drive too fast. We tried to get it changed at Fareway on Highway 3 and didn’t have any luck.” “By pure luck we haven’t had more accidents there (at 4th Street SW and Highway 169.) It’s a shame someone has to die or get maimed before we can get action,” Goodell said. The Council then approved the agreement. DOWNTOWN PROGRESS
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Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020 • The Humboldt Independent • 5A
Pool to open for lap swim and swimming lessons only On Tuesday, the Humboldt Park Board unanimously decided to open the Humboldt Family Aquatic Center for lap swimming and Red Cross swimming lessons levels 1-6 only. There will two sessions the week of June 8 and two the week of June 15. Each session will have three time slots per level. Levels 4-6 will run at 8:15 a.m., 9 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Monday-Friday. Levels 1-3 will run at 2 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. People wanting to sign up for summer swim lessons are asked to be at the pool Wednesday or Thursday (June 3-4) from 3-8 p.m. Time slots and sessions will have a limited capacity of students. People who cannot be at the pool those days and hours may sign up at the Recreation Center. The cost is $25 per child and is available only to Humboldt County residents.
Monday-Friday and once a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Lap swimming hours are 7-8 a.m., 12-2 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Saturday hours are 7-9 a.m. and Sunday hours are 12-2 p.m. Lap swimming is available by reservation only for 30 minute time slots. At this time, swimming will be free for Humboldt County residents only. Until a phone and answering machine has been established at the pool, call the Humboldt Rec Center at (515) 604-6494 to reserve your date and time. REC LEAGUES
Humboldt T-ball and coachpitch leagues will begin Monday, June 8 at Heinz Field. Games will be played from 5-8 p.m. All third-sixth grade softball and baseball games and practices have been cancelled for the summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Family groups atLAP SWIMMING tending games must stay six Lap swimming will be of- feet apart from others and fered several times a day bring their own seating, as
[Council
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payment of $134,520.24 to Sande Construction of Humboldt for work on the downtown revitalization project. It was reported sidewalks from Taft to 6th Street on the south side of Sumner have been completed and the storm sewer replacement at 8th Street and Sumner by Northwest Bank has been completed. It was reported that all bump outs at Taft Street and Sumner Avenue should be completed this week. The project is expected to be completed before the end of the month. Mayor Dan Scholl asked how many additional days will be added for the 8th Street storm sewer replacement, which was not part of the original work? Nick Frederiksen, engineer with ISG, said he would not expect more than two days, unless there are other overriding circumstances. Sleiter asked about the stop sign posts. It was reported that all stop signs will be affixed on permanent posts in appropriate positions. The stop signs at 8th Street and 4th Street will
The Humboldt Recreation Center on Wildcat Road officially reopened for business on Monday, June 1, after a 75-day hiatus. Machines and equipment that cannot be used because of social distancing requirements are marked with red tape. See a complete list of dos and don’ts on the Humboldt Independent website, www.humboldtnews.com, under the Rec Center Reopens story. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson. the bleachers will be closed. The Park Board also approved doubles play for pickleball effective immediately. For a full list of chang-
es, restrictions and precautions regarding the opening of the Humboldt Rec Center June 1, see the humboldtnews.com webpage.
Sticking to Budget Can Boost Your Emergency Fund
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have flashing LED lights, signaling the entrance and exit to and from downtown. The Council approved on third and final reading an ordinance that will increase city water rates effective July 1. Usage and additional costs are as follows. • For a minimum bill using 0 gallons of water at the curb, the total for all utilities will increase 69 cents per month. • For use of 1,500 gallons of water per month the increase will be $1.32. • For use of 3,000 gallons per month the increase will be $1.95. • For use of 5,000 gallons per month the increase will be $2.79 per month. • For use of 7,000 gallons per month the increase will be $3.64. IN OTHER ACTION THE COUNCIL:
• Held a public hearing on an amendment to the FY 201920 budget. The amendment will include an additional
$4,056,050 in revenues and $4,373,750 in expenses. There were many projects that were not fully known to the Council when the budget was certified in March 2019. The change will result in a $317,700 decrease in the city’s ending fund balance, leaving the total at $5,740,029 on June 30. The Council unanimously passed the amendment. • Approved a central business matching grant award for door and façade improvements to Dennis and Beverly Hanna for Feather Your Nest for Less, 626 Sumner Ave., in the amount of $3,000. • Approved a resolution regarding the preliminary official statement regarding the intent to issue $3,445,000 in general obligation capital loan notes. Approximately $2.5 million will be for general street repairs and just under $1 million for a water main relocation on 13th Street North, by AmericInn. • Approved an amendment to the city’s Central Business District Urban Renewal Area Incentive Grant
Program to include awning projects. The city will award a maximum grant of $2,500. The applicant must show invoices and proof of payment totaling $5,000 to receive the full grant. Awning grant projects can be in conjunction with building façade projects, so a grantee could receive up to $4,500 in funds. The awning framing shall be rigid frame with no “crank out” or retractable awnings. • Discussed but took not action on allowing construction of a handicapped accessible ramp entrance to Humboldt Engraving and Gifts The Biz at 617 Sumner Ave. The Council agreed more information was needed on the width of the ramp and dimension requirements relative to the storefront and sidewalk. More information will be gathered from the property owner, Hadington Housing. • Approved a class C liquor license and Sunday sales to El Sol de Mexico. • Approved a class C beer permit and Sunday sales to Humboldt Ampride.
During the coronavirus pandemic, our health concerns – for ourselves and our loved ones – have been at the top of our minds. But financial worries have been there, too, both for people whose employment has been affected and for investors anxious about the volatile financial markets. And one aspect of every individual’s total financial picture has become quite clear – the importance of an emergency fund. in normal times, it’s a good idea for you to keep three to six months’ worth of living expenses in a liquid, low-risk account. Having an emergency fund available can help you cope with those large, unexpected costs, such as a major car repair or a costly medical bill. Furthermore, if you have an adequate emergency fund, you won’t have to dip into your long-term investments to pay for short-term needs. These investment vehicles, such as your IRA and 401(k), are designed for your retirement, so the more you can leave them intact, the more assets you’re likely to have when you retire. And because they are intended for your retirement, they typically come with disincentives, including taxes and penalties, if you do tap into them early. (However, as part of the economic stimulus legislation known as the CARES Act, individuals can now take up to $100,000 from their 401(k) plans and IRAs without paying the 10 percent penalty that typically applies to investors younger than 59-1/2. If you take this type of withdrawal, you have up to three years to pay the taxes and, if you want, replace the funds, beyond the usual caps on annual contributions. Of course, life is expensive, so it’s not always easy to put away money in a fund that you aren’t going to use for your normal cash flow. That’s why it’s so important to establish a budget and stick to it. When developing such a budget, you may find ways to cut down on your spending, freeing up money that could be used to build your emergency fund. There are different ways to establish a budget, but they all typically involve identifying your income and expenses and separating your needs and wants. You can find various online budgeting tools to help you get started, but, ultimately, it’s up to you to make your budget work. Nonetheless, you may be pleasantly surprised at how painless it is to follow a budget. For example, if you’ve budgeted a certain amount for food each month, you’ll need to avoid going to the grocery store several times a week, just to pick up “a few things” – because it doesn’t really take that many visits for those few things to add up to hundreds of dollars. You’ll be much better off limiting your trips to the grocery, making a list of the items you’ll need and adhering to these lists. After doing this for a few months, see how much you’ve saved – it may be much more than you’d expect. Besides using these savings to strengthen your emergency fund, you could also deploy them toward longer-term investments designed to help you reach other objectives, such as retirement. Saving money is always a good idea, and when you use your savings to build an emergency fund, you can help yourself prepare for the unexpected and make progress toward your long-term goals.
Erickson and Carlson awarded Bank Iowa’s Spirit of Chandy Scholarship Lauren Erickson and Frances Carlson, both seniors at Humboldt High School, have been selected from Bank Iowa’s Humboldt region as recipients of the Spirit of Chandy Scholarship. The winners will each receive a $500 scholarship. Bank Iowa awards more than 20 $500 scholarships to commendable high school students across the state annually. The scholarship honors Bank Iowa co-founder Harry Barr’s daughter, Chandy Barr Clanton, who passed away in 2009. Students are selected based on academics, character, leadership, honors/awards re-
ceived and participation in school and community activities, including swimming, biking, running and flying — a few things Chandy was passionate about. The application process asks students to complete an essay describing their personal strengths, as well as their education and career goals. This year, Bank Iowa received more than 100 applications. “It’s an honor to be able to give back by supporting Frances Carlson Lauren Erickson these distinguished students in their higher education journeys,” said Bank Iowa’s of the talented students we people is very important for Regional President David have in our community. In- our community’s future.” Boswell. “We are so proud vesting in our local young
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC
Finding Solutions for Your Financial Needs Tony R Christensen, AAMS® Financial Advisor .
530 Sumner Ave Humboldt, IA 50548 515-332-2431 www.edwardjones.com
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6A • Humboldt Independent •
Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020
Wedding
Leah M. Frieden of Springdale, AR and Brandon Rush of Springdale, AR, were united in marriage Friday, May 8, in a private ceremony performed by Washington County Justice of the Peace Andrea Jenkins. Parents of the couple are Rachel Frieden of Humboldt, Richard Frieden and Kathy Brown of Columbia, MO, and Brenda (Entler) Rush and Dean Rush, of Royal, AR. The bride and bridegroom are both Humboldt High School class of 2010 graduates. Bank Iowa announced the recipients of its first-ever crowdsourced community give back program, Helping Hand. The initiative asked community members to submit ideas both big and small across 23 Iowa communities. Upper Des Moines Opportunity received $1,500 and will use its Helping Hand gift to continue addressing the effects of poverty on individuals and families. Pictured from left to right are: Becky Jensen and Jessica Norman of UDMO, Angie Frerk and Dyanne Poppen of Bank Iowa in Humboldt. “On behalf of the entire Bank Iowa team, I thank the organizers, leaders and neighbors who took the time to let us know where our contributions will have the greatest impact,” said Bank Iowa President and CEO Jim Plagge. “We’re so excited to see all the creative programs and big ideas Helping Hand funds will help bring to life."
Births
ADRIEL JOSSIAH MARTINEZ LOPEZ
Yamilex Martinez and Eliseo Martinez Lopez became the parents of a son born Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at Iowa Specialty Hospital, Clarion. He has been named Adriel Jossiah and weighed 6 pounds 3.4 ounces. He joins his siblings, Elias Itzael Rangel Martinez, 2-1/2, and Hazael Eliseo Martinez Lopez, 1, at home. Grandparents are Liliana Martinez Medina of Eagle Grove. MATTHEW PAUL NILES
Courtney M. Niles of Buffalo Center became the mother of a son born Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at Iowa Specialty Hospital, Clarion. He has been named Matthew Paul and weighed 7 pounds 3.8 ounces. Grandfather is Alan Niles of Humboldt. EVAN MICHAEL HERMSEN
Shawn and Tara Hermsen of Humboldt became the parents of a son born Thursday, May 28, 2020, at Iowa Specialty Hospital, Clarion. He has been named Evan Michael. He joins a brother, Emmett, 4, and a sister, Elena, 2, at home.
Meals On Wheels June drivers (CLIP AND SAVE) ROUTE 1 – DAKOTA CITY AND SOUTH HUMBOLDT
FRIDAY, June 5: Marianne Shepherd. FRIDAY, June 12: Marianne Shepherd. FRIDAY, June 19: Marianne Shepherd. FRIDAY, June 26: Marianne Shepherd.
and #2. Bill and Kris Hansen – Phase #3. FRIDAY, June 12: Mary and Susan Carlson– Phase #1 and #2. Bill and Kris Hansen – Phase #3. FRIDAY, June 19: Mary and Susan Carlson – Phase #1 and #2. Jim and Irene Kirkpatrick – Phase #3. FRIDAY, June 26: Mary and Susan Carlson – Phase #1 and #2. Barb Adams and Diane Cadman – Phase #3.
Police investigate accidents The Humboldt Police Department (HPD) responded to a two-vehicle property damage accident in traffic Friday afternoon, May 29. The accident occurred at 5:16 p.m. According to the report, a 2004 Toyota sport utility vehicle driven by Patrick J. Ewing, 60, of Humboldt, was southbound on Highway 169 (13th Street North). A trailing 2006 Chevrolet Impala driven by Owen B. Terwilliger, 20, of Humboldt was also southbound
MAY 16
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3:09 p.m.—An unruly/out of control adult was reported in the 600 block of 2nd Avenue North in Dakota City. A deputy spoke to the subject. 5:23 p.m.—A juvenile was reportedly bitten by a dog in the 1000 block of 15th Street North in Humboldt. No time given—Tuulekka Torgerson of Dakota City was cited for driving while license denied. MAY 17
5:26 p.m.—A Humboldt male on Woodland Drive reported that his ex-girlfriend was dropping off children and struck him in the face when he told her she could not go into his home. 9:14 p.m.—A caller in the 2800 block of 270th Street reported a suspicious vehicle pulled into his yard and then left and is now sitting three-quarters of a mile to the south. A deputy could not locate any suspicious ve-
hicle. 10 p.m.—A garage was reported on fire at 210 Bryan Avenue in Ottosen. The Ottosen and Bode Fire Departments were paged to the scene and the West Bend Fire Department was advised to bring water. The departments battled the structure fire and were on the scene for 90 minutes. MAY 18
5:48 a.m.—A Humboldt caller on 250th Street reported a possible missing juvenile. The subject was not missing, appearing upon a deputy’s arrival. 2:45 p.m.—An alarm was received from RSH Farms in the 2700 block of Gotch Park Road. The alarm appeared to be accidental. 7:58 p.m.—A Livermore female reported being assaulted by two consumers at the LifeWorks group home on 2nd Avenue North in Dakota City. 10:06 p.m.—A caller in the 2500 block of Gotch Park Road reported criminal mischief/vandalism to his pickup. A deputy spoke to the reporting party and the action was civil in nature and would be taken care of by the parties involved. MAY 19
12:10 a.m.—A 911 hang-up call was received from the 2100 block of Florida Avenue, rural Gilmore City. Contact was made with the subjects and everything was OK. 5:45 a.m.—A caller in the 2200 block of 200th Street reported a suspicious vehicle with Florida plates in her driveway. A deputy checked
and the vehicle in question was disabled and would be picked up later. 8:48 p.m.—Clarence L. Delanoit, Badger, reported two black cows missing. The animals were in the vicinity of the 2700 block of Lone Tree Road. MAY 20
later to tell the deputy to disregard. Everything was OK. 9:52 a.m.—The HCSO sent an email to the Iowa Department of Transportation advising them of a 3-foot by 3-foot hole on Highway 17 north of County Road C-20 on the west side of the road. 3:44 p.m.—Received a report of someone walking around the town of Bode in a Panda suit wearing a ski mask, stealing things. 4:35 p.m.—Lifting assistance was requested on 2nd Street South in Dakota City. 7:04 p.m.—Received a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 2500 block of 270th Street, rural Badger. The vehicle was described as a red pickup with no license plates and a person sitting inside.
Various—The HCSO made several traffic stops and cited two subjects for speeding. No time given—Shirley Moench of Humboldt reported a case of criminal mischief. No time given—Desmond Dahl-Saathoff, 19, of Humboldt, was cited for driving while license denied. 1:08 p.m.—Eric M. Williams, Livermore, was cited for failure to have a driver’s license after being stopped MAY 22 on Rossing Avenue in Bode. 11:52 a.m.—A caller reported five children playing in the street at the intersecMAY 21 9:33 a.m.—The HCSO was tion of Main Street and 3rd asked to assist another agen- Street South in Dakota City, cy after receiving a call of with no adult around. A depa gunshot wound on Broad uty checked and the children Street in Rolfe. Pocahontas are OK. Their parents are County was on the scene and on-site and a deputy spoke called back a few minutes to them.
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THANK YOU FOR
YOUR VOTE
In the June 2nd Primary Election
JOHN D. (JD) MYERS For Humboldt District 5 County Supervisor Paid for by JD Myers, 1915 States Avenue, Hardy, IA 50545
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According to the report, a 2006 Ford Explorer driven by Sharon A. Benson, 58, of Cherokee, was northbound on Highway 16, when an undetermined type of animal ran in front of the vehicle, striking the right front corner. No animal carcass was found at the scene. Benson was not injured. There was an estimated $2,500 minor damage to the Ford sport utility vehicle, which was driven from the accident scene.
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Terwilliger’s 2006 Chevy Impala. There was an estimated $2,500 minor damage to the rear passenger side of Ewing’s 2004 Toyota SUV, which was driven from the scene. Ewing was cited for failure to post proof of financial security against liability in a property damage accident. On Sunday, May 31, the HPD was called to a vehicle/ animal accident on Highway 169, just south of Humboldt. The accident occurred at 3:45 p.m.
Panda thief reported in Bode
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) reported a vehicle/deer accident on Sunday, May 24 at 9:05 p.m. The accident occurred on Highway 169. According to the report, a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica driven by Dennis E. Hunter, 70, of Fort Dodge, ROUTE 2 – HUMBOLDT struck a deer in the roadway. HOMES, PHASE I, II & III There was an estimated FRIDAY, June 5: Mary and $5,000 disabling damage. Susan Carlson – Phase #1 Hunter was not hurt and the ROUTE 3 – vehicle was towed from the NORTH HUMBOLDT FRIDAY, June 5: Candy scene. Carlson. FRIDAY, June 12: Candy IN OTHER NEWS: MAY 15 Carlson. to the Passows 3:04 p.m.—A Bode male reFRIDAY, June 19: Candy Harold (6/3) & Joeleen (6/5) ported harassment via phone Carlson Enjoy your day! FRIDAY, June 26: Candy or text. Love ya tons — your neighbors Carlson.
Humboldt
on Highway 169. According to the report, Ewing signaled to turn east into Pasquale’s Italian Restaurant, when Terwilliger was distracted by another car passing by. When Terwilliger looked up and realized the Ewing vehicle was turning, it was too late to avoid a collision. Both drivers were wearing occupant protection and neither driver was injured. There was an estimated $4,000 disabling damage to the front driver’s side of
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Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020 • The Humboldt Independent • 7A
Humboldt County unemployment at 9.4 percent Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) has released information regarding two new unemployment benefit programs available to Iowans. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), was created by the CARES Act and provides an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits to individuals who have exhausted their 26 weeks of regular state unemployment benefits. PEUC is available for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 29, 2020, and continuing through the week ending Dec. 26, 2020. The weekly benefit amount for PEUC is the same amount an individual receives for regular unemployment benefits. Payments will include all back payments for which the individual is eligible, in addition to $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments through the end of July. Additionally, due to the increased number of unemployment benefits since the middle of March, State Extended Benefits (EB) have been triggered. Unemployed workers who exhaust their allotted weeks of regular state unemployment and then the 13 weeks of federal PEUC benefits will now be eligible for State EB, which provides up to an additional 13 weeks of regular unemployment benefits while State EB is still triggered “On” in Iowa. The weekly benefit
amount for State EB is the same amount an individual receives for regular unemployment benefits and PEUC. No additional action is needed by individual claimants at this time as claimants will automatically be moved to the two new programs as they exhaust regular unemployment benefits. Iowans will not be eligible for State EB until PEUC benefits have first been exhausted. IWD will provide notification to claimants when they exhaust PEUC and become eligible for State EB. The availability of State EB is dependent on a rolling 13-week unemployment rate. As the state reopens and more people return to work, the rate will decline and the State EB program will end. IWD will provide additional details of the State EB program as guidance is received from the U.S. Department of Labor. HUMBOLDT COUNTY FIGURES
IWD reported the statewide unemployment rate for April at 10.2 percent, with 9.4 percent in Humboldt County. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent. Humboldt County’s rate was higher than neighboring counties with the exception of Webster County (9.9 percent) and Hancock County (11 percent). Iowa’s non-farm employment in April was 1.39 million, a drop of 177,100 from
March and a 191,200 decrease from April of 2019. Accommodations and food services led all sectors with 56,400 jobs shed in April. The layoff was nearly half (-46.5 percent) of all staff on payroll in this sector as restrictions went into place and halted in-person dining. In total, leisure and hospitality shed 68,500 jobs (-48.9 percent), easily the most of any sector. Retail trade lost 22,300 (-12.8 percent) as non-essential stores either temporarily closed or
worked in a reduced capacity. Education and health care dropped by 17,700 jobs (-7.6 percent) with health care and social assistance laying off 11,400. Professional and business services lost 13,900 (10.2 percent) and manufacturing reduced staffing levels by 10,600 jobs (-4.8 percent). “April is the first month we have seen the real impact of the pandemic on our unemployment rate. We remain hopeful that as we reopen the state and more
people return to work, the rate will decrease quickly and this unprecedented rate will be a very temporary one,” said Director Beth Townsend, Iowa Workforce Development. “The silver lining in April’s report is that over 1.5 million Iowans remained in the workforce despite the pandemic and this will do the most to decrease the recovery time. For Iowans returning to the workforce, we want to ensure employers and employees have the
resources and information to help with this transition. If you have questions about returning to the workplace or the safety guidelines implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor, please review our FAQs and guidance on https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/ COVID-19”. The number of unemployed Iowans jumped to 175,300 in April from 56,600 in March.
Livermore News By KIRK HUNDERTMARK “Flags-in” refers to the cer- LIVERMORE LIBRARY IS emony of flag placement OPEN TO THE PUBLIC LIVERMORE AMERICAN on Memorial Day, a tradi- The Livermore Library will LEGION HELD A SHORT tion first observed in 1868, still be having Popcorn FriMEMORIAL DAY three years after the end of days and Kid’s Club will be PROGRAM the Civil War, at Arlington held this Saturday, June 6,
The Livermore American Legion Post 415, conducted a very short Memorial Day remembrance to honor deceased veterans who served their country on Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. on Main Street in front of the Humboldt County Freedom Rock and Veterans Memorial Park. Because of the new coronavirus health emergency, they asked that during this short presentation that everyone who attended would park on Main Street and stay in their vehicles. The program was opened by master of ceremony Steven Larson, who also gave the prayer, followed by the laying of the wreaths, one for each of the cemeteries, representing the Livermore Union, Livermore Mount Calvary, Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in St. Joe, Lu Verne Cemetery, Lu Verne, and one at the Humboldt County Freedom Rock located on Main Street, Livermore. Tom Collins sang the National Anthem, the American Legion members, Ladies Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion firing detail under the direction of Sergent at Arms, Ron Zeimet, then the bugler Floyd Raney played Taps. Even though the Memorial Day weekend main tradition that honors veterans was cancelled at many cemeteries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flags have decorated veterans’ graves in America for 150 years
National Cemetery in Washington D.C. On Friday, May 22, volunteers from the Livermore area in keeping up with tradition, went out to place flags on the graves of fallen veterans, at the Livermore Union Cemetery. Putting up about 144 flags were Ronald and Marlys Trauger, Bruce and Denise Foth, Brent Foth and his grandson Creighton. At the Mount Calvary Cemetery putting up about 75 flags on Friday evening were Brian Edwards, Joann Landolt and her son Jim Landolt. The American Legion tradition of wearing a poppy dates back to 1920, when it became the official flower of The American Legion family. The American Legion Ladies Auxiliary has used poppies for many years to raise awareness and support for our nation’s veterans, active-duty service members and their families. The Livermore American Legion Post 415 Ladies Auxiliary were on hand handing out poppy flowers during the short presentation. The legion ladies want to bring attention and awareness to this symbolic flower by calling upon all Americans to honor our fallen and living heroes on National Poppy Day™, on May 22. The red poppy is a symbol of sacrifice worn by Americans since World War I to honor those who served and died for our country in all wars.
from 10 to 11 a.m. The Livermore Book Club will be Monday, June 15, at 5 p.m., stop in and pick up your book, there are plenty of copies of the June Book Club book Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. This is an interesting story that follows an 85-year-old woman who goes on a walk on New Year’s Eve in New York, she thinks of the passage of time, her life and the people she meets. The City of Livermore Arbor Day program will be held at the Livermore Library at 2 p.m. Friday, June 19, and the library will also hold Father’s Appreciation Day! LIVERMORE POOL TO OPEN THIS SATURDAY JUNE 6, WITH RESTRICTIONS
Last week Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa swimming pools, as defined in Iowa Code § 135I.1 may reopen for the limited purpose of lap swimming and conducting swimming lessons, but only to the extent that the establishment operating the pool takes reasonable measures under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure social distancing of employees and patrons, increased hygiene practices, and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 consistent with guidance issued by the
Iowa Department of Public Health. Except for these limited purposes, all swimming pools and spas, wading pools, water slides, wave pools, spray pads, and bath houses, as defined in Iowa Code § 135I.1, shall continue to be closed. The proclamation included no specific language on capacities or swimmers-per-lane as other states have used. Rather, the State of Iowa ordered “reasonable measures” for distancing and hygiene practices based on the circumstances of each facility. This makes Iowa the 25th out of 50 U.S. states to have announced a specific plan to reopen pools for some purpose. The Livermore swimming pool will open on Saturday, June 6, for lap swimming from 1 to 8 p.m. The pool has five swimming lanes and each swimmer will be allowed one hour at a time. To schedule your swimming time, which is by appointment only, you can call City Hall (515) 379-1074 from 10 a.m. to noon and in the afternoon by calling the pool directly at (515) 379-1120. The Livermore baby pool will remain closed at this time. The city is hoping that
Last Friday the Larson Brothers Drainage Company started plowing an eight-inch non-perforated drainage tile about three to four-feet-deep on the Livermore walking trail to help with drainage on the trail. Photo by Kirk Hundertmark. Pictured left to right: Livermore American Legion Post 415 Commander Roger McNeill, Floyd Raney holding trumpet for TAPs and Steven Larson who was the master of Ceremony. Photo by Kirk Hundertmark.
Iona Benz!
98 years young on June 11th Let’s shower her with well wishes: 307 7th St. S., Dakota City, IA 50529 She will appreciate your card!
Happy Birthday to this little Fireball! She’s only 8 decades old!
Cards of wit & wisdom can be sent to: Carol McKenna 803 4th St., Livermore, IA 50558
in a few weeks or so the governor may open the pools further. (The talk is that they might open pools at 50 percent the third week in June, but could change). The City of Livermore will be selling pool season passes at City Hall and at the pool when it opens. Family pass is $100 and a single pas is $55. For more information on rules, etc. call City Hall at (515) 379-1074. LIVERMORE AREA NEDD FREELEY FUNN BAND TO PLAY AT OKOBOJI STORE
Looking to get out of the house, how about making a short trip to see your favorite band members consisting of Elden Landolt, Jack Dimond, Donny Wagner, Steve Curry and Scott Dahl? The Nedd Freeley Funn Band will be playing this weekend Saturday, June 6, at the Okoboji Store, 1404 Highway 71 S, Okoboji. Come join them on the patio, have a drink and some grub, listen to some tunes. The Okoboji Store has been open since May 2015, with a newly renovated restaurant, that has a great view of both East and West Lake and the best atmosphere in the Iowa Great Lakes area. You can enjoy your food
lake side with live music or from up above with a great view. LIVERMORE WALKING TRAIL TILING PROJECT UNDERWAY
Last Friday the Larson Brothers Drainage Company, equipped with a Case IH 930 4-wheel drive tractor pulling the Case IH 435 Quadtrac tractor pulling the tiling plow started plowing an eight-inch non-perforated drainage tile about three to four-feet-deep on the Livermore walking trail. They started at Oak Avenue at the under the road culvert, heading west to the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Raney Road, tying into the drain culvert at the intersection. Then the plan is to run a four-inch perforated drain tile alongside to help with the trail drainage itself. The City of Livermore will be using TIF funds for this project cost of $11,700. LIVERMORE UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS TO REMEMBER
• Livermore pool to open Saturday, June 6. • Livermore Arbor Day Celebration is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at the Library.
8A • Humboldt Independent • Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020
Independent Sports
Humboldt’s state runner-up golf team in last year’s Class 3A state tournament in Ankeny, pictured from left: Nora Carlson, Frances Carlson, Kenzie McCartan, Morgan Hotovec, coach Jess Harklau, Arielle Naeve, Kelly Boleyn and Addie Birdsell. Humboldt shot a school record 342 on the second day of the tournament at Otter Creek Golf Course to finish with 701 strokes. Dubuque Wahlert won the team title with 653. Independent photo by Phil Monson.
8 defending champs back for George Lee Memorial golf tourney here Saturday There will be eight defending champions back for the 69th annual George Lee Memorial Golf Tournament set for Saturday, June 6 at Humboldt Country Club. The first round of golfers will tee off at 8 a.m. The championship flight is expected to begin at 5 p.m., according to tournament director Nate Mueller. Past champions who will be on hand include Austin Morrow of Fort Dodge (2019), Kole Petersen (2016) of Waukee, Kody Oppedahl (2015) of Des Moines, Ryan Kinseth (2013) of Fort Dodge, Neil Doak (2010, 2009) of Cedar Falls), Steve Cero (2006) of Cedar Falls, Kevin Ault (2012, 2008, 2007) of Fort Dodge and Tom Schill (2014) of Gowrie. Last year Morrow shot a one-under-par 107 to win the tournament. Morrow shot rounds of 33, 38 and 36 to edge Cole Jaeschke of Gowrie, who finished with 34-37-34–108. Oppedahl and Cero are former Humboldt players who crafted their game on the Humboldt course back in high school. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mueller says a new ball retrieval device will be used to follow social
distancing recommendations. The device snaps onto the pin and allows golfers to lift the ball out of the cup with their putter instead of Nate using their Mueller hands. We a t h er permitting, the scoring sheets and sign-in table will be located outside near the first tee. “Championship flight will be top 10 scorers and ties. In total there will be five flights with four places paid in each flight,” Mueller said. “As far as I know, the club will be open for food and drink.” PAST CHAMPIONS 2019–Austin Morrow, Fort Dodge. 2018–Eddie Doyle, Fort Dodge. 2017–Lucas Boyd, West Des Moines. 2016–Kole Petersen, Waukee. 2015–Kody Oppedahl, Des Moines. 2014–Tom Schill, Gowrie. 2013–Ryan Kinseth, Fort Dodge. 2012–*Kevin Ault, Fort Dodge. 2011–Blake Bengurd, Orange City. 2010–Neil Doak, Cedar Falls. 2009–Neil Doak, Cedar Falls. 2008–*Kevin Ault, Fort Dodge. 2007–Kevin Ault, Fort Dodge. 2006– Steve Cero, Cedar Falls. 2005– Bruce Gervais, Algona. 2004–Joe Hunter, Webster City. 2003–*Jeff Panek, Coon Rapids. 2002–*Jeff Panek, Carroll. 2001–Rick Sch-
upach, Grundy Center. 2000–Jeff Panek, Harlan. 1999–Jeff Panek, Grand Junction. 1998–Bill Benda, Marshalltown. 1997–Todd McDonough, Decorah. 1996–Greg Kramer, Des Moines. 1995–Jeff Panek, Harlan. 1994– Mike Winkel, Algona. 1993–Gregg Winkel, Algona. 1992–Phil Joselyn, Fort Dodge. 1991–Mike Winkel, Algona. 1990–Mike Winkel, Algona. 1989–Bill Benda, Humboldt. 1988–*Phil Joselyn, Fort Dodge. 1987–Bill Benda, Humboldt. 1986– Pat Wendell, Fort Dodge. 1985– Dave Iverson, Humboldt. 1984–Mark Christensen, Humboldt. 1983–Tom Fassett, Webster City. 1982–Chris Winkel, Algona. 1981–Gregg Winkel, Algona. 1980–*Bill Benda, Humboldt. 1979–John Eyman, Forest City. 1978–Bill Benda, Humboldt. 1977– Bill Benda, Humboldt. 1976–Keith Campbell, Sheldon. 1975–Bob Helgeson, Lake Mills. 1974–Dave Sergeant, Fort Dodge. 1973–*George Lee, Humboldt. 1972–George Lee, Humboldt. 1971–George Lee, Humboldt. 1970–Larry Castagnoli, Fort Dodge. 1969–Jack Lansing, Mason City. 1968–*John Leichty, Marshalltown. 1967–*George Lee, Humboldt. 1966–Dale Hayes, Humboldt. 1965–John Leichty, Marshalltown. 1964–Dr. Charles Updegraff, Boone. 1963–**Dr. Charles Updegraff, Boone. **Tom Chapman, Sr., Fort Dodge. 1962–*Dr. Charles Updegraff, Booone. 1961–Bob Leahy, Manning. 1960–Bill Hird, Jr., Fort Dodge. 1959–Jake Rule, Waterloo. 1958–Jack Rule, Waterloo. 1957– Jack Webb, Spirit Lake. 1956–Fred Gordon, Belmond. 1955–Jack Webb, Atlantic. 1954–George Lee, Humboldt. 1953–George Lee, Humboldt. 1952–Jean Vonderhaar, Humboldt. *Won playoff. **Co-Champion.
Humboldt No. 2 in 1st IGHSAU softball rankings Humboldt is ranked No. 2 in the first Class 3A softball rankings released Monday by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. The Wildcats, who posted a 28-3 record in 2019, hold down the second spot behind No. 1 ranked Davenport Assumption, which was 41-2 last year.
Algona, which upset Humboldt in the regional semifinal last year, is ranked No. 10. Spirit Lake is No. 7. Humboldt begins its season on Monday, June 15 at Fort Dodge St. Edmond. CLASS 3A SOFTBALL RATINGS 2019 team record listed 1. Davenport Assumption .....41-2
2. Humboldt ..........................28-3 3. Williamsburg ...................31-12 4. Anamosa...........................31-5 5. Mount Vernon .................27-13 6. Albia ..................................27-6 7. Spirit Lake.........................22-7 8. West Liberty......................30-6 9. North Polk .......................22-11 10. Algona...........................18-11 11. Eddyville-Blake/Fremont24-11 12. Atlantic ............................27-9 13. West Burlington ............25-12 14. Boyden Hull-Rock Valley 22-9 15. Bishop Heelan ..............16-14
Humboldt Men’s golf league scores May 28 results 12 PM LEAGUE Scoring leaders: Forrest Tegtmeyer and Ray Knight 32. Larry Curran and Bill Dunscombe 32. Bob Ford and Dave Dodd 27. Low gross: Mike Worthington 38. Brent Weidauer 38. Low net: John Kirkpatrick 34.
2 PM LEAGUE Scoring leaders: Brett Legvold and Brent Weidauer 34.5. Dayton Ruby and Nate Ruby 32. Joe Dvorak and Jim Hassett 31. Low gross: Brian Gargano 37. Brent Weidauer 37. Low net: Nate Ruby 31.
4 PM LEAGUE Scoring leaders: Nate Myer and Erik Westre 33.5. Troy Frideres and Nathan Helmers 31. John Morrison and Keel Zinnel 28.5. Low gross: Preston Peterson 37. Low net: Chris Gieber 33.
Nate Grainger, a member of the Humboldt High boys’ soccer team, gains control of the ball during a contest late in the 2019 season. The Wildcats were not able to play their 2020 spring season due to the cancellation from the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation. Grainger was among a strong group of returnees for the Wildcats who had high hopes entering the spring. Independent photo.
Area auto racing updates Class: 3rd in heat race. 19th in feature, did not finish. Oliver Monson, Sport Compact Class: 9th in heat race (did not finish). 8th in feature (did not finish). Chad Palmer, Street Stock Class: 4th in heat race. 7th in feature race. Calvin Lange, Street May 28 at Algona Rob Hughes, A Modified Stock Class: 4th in heat race. Class: 5th in heat race. 5th in 19th in feature. May 29 at Fort Dodge feature race. Calvin Lange, Stock Car Gerald Curry, B Modified May 29 at Britt Jeff Feaster, A Modified Class: 7th in heat race. 13th in feature race. Chad Palmer, Stock Car Class: 1st in heat race, 17th and did not finish feature race.
Class: 7th in heat race. 7th in feature race. Jade Lange, USRA Tuners Class: 1st in heat race. 10th in feature (did not finish). May 21 at Webster City Nate Hughes, NSRA Modified Class: 2nd in heat race. 8th in feature. Jade Lange, USRA Tuners Class: 4th in heat race. 7th in feature race.
North Iowa Dragway results The North Iowa Dragway east of Humboldt/Dakota City held its third night of racing last Saturday, May 30. In the Swanson Performance Juniors Class, Gloria Hanson of Austin, MN, won over Patrick Scully of Burnside. Mike Maneely J Mike of Humboldt won the G-Force Customs Pure Street division with a win over Alan Helmers of Dunnell, MN.
In the Racing Unlimited Trophy Motorcycle class, Blake Teepe of Corwith topped local driver Tanner Boyd. The Quick Performance Pro Trophy class was won by Brian Christensen of Ankeny, who defeated Mark Day of Rippey. Brad Nickerson of Truman, MN, topped Kevin Broomer of Norwalk in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Modified ET class.
Nickerson also won the Lucas Oil Top ET class with a win over Mick Boyington of Goldfield. “Thank you to all that came out today and support this great facility. We will see you all on Friday night for test and tune. Gates open at 4 p.m., on track at 6 and live band at 10 p.m. from the Kris Kerr band,” James Barhite, track manager, said.
Thursday, JUNE 4, 2020 • The Humboldt Independent • 9A
Obituaries LAVERN 'ANDY' ANDERSON 1928-2020 LaVern “Andy” Anderson, 92, of Humboldt, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2020, at the Paula J. Baber Hospice House in Fort Dodge. Andy was born on April 2, 1928, in Fort Dodge, the son of Vern and Grace (Bittner) Anderson. He grew up in Fort Dodge and graduated from Fort Dodge High School in 1947. At the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Andy was drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Rucker, AL, where he served as a military policeman. There he met and married Doris Bolin and the two welcomed their children Kevin and Jill Anderson. Upon military discharge, the family moved to Fort Dodge where Andy worked in the telephone communications at Centel Company for 22 years. In 1974, he relocated his family to Slocomb, AL, there he was employed by Sony Corporation in Dothan, AL, until his retirement in 1986. Shortly after retirement, his marriage to Doris was dissolved and Andy moved back to Iowa where he reunited and married his high school
sweetheart, Verla. He lived the remainder of his life in Humboldt. Andy loved to go hunting, fishing, golfing and go on walks. He was a fan of college sports, most notably football and basketball and his favorite team was the Hawkeyes. He enjoyed watching old Westerns and driving bus for the Humboldt Schools. He is survived by his two children, Kevin M. Anderson of Hartford, AL, and Dr. Jill M. Anderson of Dothan, AL, four step-children, two special nephews and several other nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Verla, brother Robert Anderson and sister Colleen Sindlinger. Funeral Services were held at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home on Friday, May 29. A graveside service followed at Memorial Park Cemetery in Fort Dodge. In lieu of flowers, the family would favor donations to the Paula J. Baber Hospice House in Andy’s memory. The Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home of Humboldt was in charge of arrangements.
Bank Iowa announced the recipients of its first-ever crowdsourced community give back program, Helping Hand. The initiative asked community members to submit ideas both big and small across 23 Iowa communities. Humboldt Public Library/Library Foundation received $500. With fewer activities open for children, the library will use funding to support what it expects will be a busy summer season. Pictured from left to right are: David Boswell and Tina Skow of Bank Iowa, Julie Larsen and Demi Johnson of the Humboldt Public Library. “On behalf of the entire Bank Iowa team, I thank the organizers, leaders and neighbors who took the time to let us know where our contributions will have the greatest impact,” said Bank Iowa President and CEO Jim Plagge. “We’re so excited to see all the creative programs and big ideas Helping Hand funds will help bring to life.” See this photo and more at www.humboldtnews.com.
Iowa receives $26 million in grant funds to improve remote learning Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education have announced the state has received $26.2 million in federal relief to ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa’s grant is part of the nearly $3 billion Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The GEER fund allows governors to determine how to best meet the needs of students in public and non-public schools, postsecondary institutions, and other education-related organizations. Better enabling remote
NANA G. TJELLE 1939-2020 A funeral service for Nana G. Tjelle was held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 1, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Renwick. The funeral service was live streamed on Oakcrest Funeral Services Facebook page. Nana Gail (Albertsen) Tjelle was born Feb. 22, 1939, in Fort Dodge, daughter of Clifford and Naomi (Sample) Albertsen. She grew up in Rutland attending school in Bradgate. During her first marriage right out of high school, she raised her five children, held various jobs, and was active in church. She was a big supporter of her kids and their school activities. On Nov. 22, 1979 she was united in marriage to Tommy Tjelle. They enjoyed going boating, horses, spending time with family/friends, and farming. After Tommy passed away, Nana worked at Oaks Garden. Nana enjoyed gardening and took special pride in her beautiful flowers. Her car even smelled like dirt and flowers. Nana’s other passion was her family. She really treasured the time she spent with her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. Nana was always talking to others about her grandchildren, she was especially proud of them. She was always telling her granddaughters how beau-
tiful they were. Nana also enjoyed helping Todd on the farm, quilting, salvaging items, dog-sitting Tessa, and getting together once a month with the Cosmopolitan Club. On Mondays at 7 p.m. you could find her watching her favorite TV show, “The Voice,” just so she could see Blake Shelton. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Renwick. Nana died Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at Paula J. Baber Hospice House in Fort Dodge. She was 81. She is survived by her children, Rick (Linda) George of Webster City, Cheryl (David) Blome of Clay Center, NE, Terry (Diane) George of Hardy, Scott (Rhonda) George of Slater, Todd (Michelle) George of Humboldt; 10 grandchildren, Tim George, Emily (Derek) Bailey, Rebecca Blome, Thomas (Jessica) George, Katherine (Tom) O’Brien, Samuel George, Travis (Courtney) George, Andrew George, Nicole (Andrew) Schleisman, Emma George; three great-grandchildren; siblings, Sandy Tyrrell, Lynda Swann, Dennis Albertsen, Steven Albertsen, Ron Albertsen; and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her parents; husband, Tommy; sister, Madeline Gungl, and brother, Chris Albertsen.
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