January

Across the board pay 3.5 percent pay raises for the 2018-19 fiscal year were approved for all Tama County elected officials by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

Marshalltown K-4th Grade Art Teacher Maggie Parks will share a display of her artwork in MCC’s Ray Frederick Gallery, room 306, on the Marshalltown Community College campus.

Today’s health guidelines often mention the advice to “Know Your Numbers.” The annual Grundy County Health Screening event sponsored by the Grundy Center Wellness committee will give community members a chance to learn their key numbers for good health while learning about other important health screenings and visiting the newly expanded UnityPoint Clinic. The 2018 Health Screening event is Saturday, January 6th.

Tama County 4-H will be holding their Annual Winter Carnival Saturday, January 20, 2018.

1st Distrcit Tama County Supervisor Larry Vest, Dnisdale, was chosen chair of the board for 2018 during the annual organizational meeting on Tuesday morning, Jan. 2.

2nd Disttrict Supervisor Kendall Jordan was elected vice-chair.

A fundraiser which includes meal, silent auction and performance by the Dallas Moore Band is planned for Friday, January 26, 2018, at the Lincoln Amvet Hall, in Lincoln, Iowa is planned in honor of Noah Ohrt.

Wolverines stun 10th-ranked Dunkerton

GARWIN – Madi Krull made a pair of free throws with 7 seconds left in overtime to help the GMG girls’ basketball team seal its 57-54 upset of Class 1A No. 10 Dunkerton in Friday’s Iowa Star Conference contest.

The Wolverines (5-6) trailed 34-20 entering the fourth quarter before making four 3-pointers right out of the gate, including the first three consecutively by Kelsey Vaverka. GMG forced overtime tied at 45-all before getting out front to stay in overtime.

Vaverka led GMG with 17 points and McKensie Vaske finished with 15 more. Mable Dieleman added nine points while Zoe Duncan and Tory Novotny finished with six points apiece. Belle Duncan added two and Krull’s only two came on those key free throws at the end of overtime.

Kaitlyn Wilder piled up 24 points to lead Dunkerton (7-2), whose only other loss was to seventh-ranked Janesville. McKayla Boeschen added 17 points for the Wildcats.

BCLUW 63, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 28

REINBECK – Madison Ubben posted a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds to captain the BCLUW girls’ basketball team to a 63-28 rout of Gladbrook-Reinbeck in NICL West Division play here Friday.

Lauren Anderson returned from an injury to contribute 15 points and four assists for the Comets (5-7, 2-4), while Brooke Aalfs and Easton Swanson chipped in six points apiece. Swanson had a team-high seven steals and Kaylee Goecke chalked up four assists.

Taylor Gienger scored 14 points and Megan Swanson added eight for the Rebels (4-6, 2-4), who were within 15-12 after one quarter before being held to seven points or fewer in each of the remaining three periods.

Grundy Center handles Rebels, 73-24

GRUNDY CENTER – The Class 2A No. 11 Grundy Center girls basketball team won an NICL West Division matchup over Gladbrook-Reinbeck on Tuesday, 73-24.

The Spartans (10-1, 6-1) were led by Hailey Wallis with 16 points, while Reegan Zinkula had 12, Cora Saak 11, Brooke Flater nine and Maddi McMartin eight.

Taylor Gienger was the lone G-R (4-7, 2-5) player in double figures with 10 points, while Megan Swanson had five.

Novotny helps GMG rally past Bolts

GARWIN – Tory Novotny scored all of her career-high 15 points in the second half to help the GMG girls’ basketball team overtake Baxter for a 44-42 win in Iowa Star Conference South Division play.

The Wolverines (6-6, 4-3) trailed 22-16 at the half but finished off the comeback behind Novotny and Baxter’s woeful free-throw shooting. The Bolts (1-11, 1-7) suffered their sixth-straight loss after going 4-for-20 at the line.

Zoe Duncan added 11 points and McKensie Vaske had nine more for the Wolverines.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 71, BCLUW 36

REINBECK – Caden Kickbush knocked down six 3-pointers on his way to a new career-high of 34 points, leading the Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys’ basketball team to a 71-36 victory over BCLUW (1-9, 0-6) in Friday’s NICL West Division contest.

Kickbush also pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds to record the double-double for the Rebels (6-1, 5-1). Jackson Kiburis added nine points and five boards, and Mason Skovgard had eight points and five rebounds for G-R.

Jonny Neff paced BCLUW (1-10, 0-6) with 12 points and Jack Garber added 11 in the Comets’ fifth-straight loss.

Kickbush powers Rebels past Spartans

GRUNDY CENTER – Caden Kickbush piled up 23 points and seven rebounds to help lead the Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys’ basketball team to a 62-39 rout of Grundy Center in an NICL West Division contest here Tuesday.

Mason Skovgard added a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Walker Thede tallied 10 points for the Rebels (7-3, 6-1). Jackson Kiburis contributed seven points and seven rebounds.

Baxter holds off GMG in division play

GARWIN – Will Clapper’s game-high 26 points helped Baxter hand the GMG boys’ basketball team its fourth-straight loss, a 78-64 setback in Iowa Star Conference South Division play Tuesday. Cole Damman added 15 points for the Bolts (6-4, 5-1), who led from the outset.

Brayden Peterson went 5-for-5 from 3-point range to lead GMG with 23 points. Aaron Fleming added 20 points, Hunter Smoldt had nine points and 10 rebounds, and Brock Baldazo added eight points for the Wolverines (5-6, 2-4).

Message From Our Mayor

I’m sitting here on Sunday afternoon trying to think of something to write as it has been a long time for a mayor letter. Maybe that’s a good thing!

We are at the time of year when a lot of snow birds have gone south. I hope all of you have a nice and safe trip and enjoy the rest of the winter. Those of us who stick it out and stay here in Gladbrook will miss you! For those of you who left early, you have missed out on 30 days of beautiful weather with temperature from 0 to -20 and wind chills down to -40.

As many of you read in last weeks Northern, the ambulance squad has had an outstanding year. What Ryan didn’t mention was the amount of hours the squad has put in. They have logged over 1600 hours helping people here in Gladbrook and surrounding area. Their response time from the time their pagers go off to getting on the road is averages under 6 minutes and from pager call to patient site is around 15 minutes. I think that is very outstanding considering that the squad members are on call 24/7 and have to get dressed, coats on and drive to the EMT building. Just think how long that would take if we had to rely on Marshalltown, Traer, Grundy Center or Toledo to respond. What an asset we have here in Gladbrook with our young volunteers.

I talked about the ambulance because they were the first group to turn in their annual report to the city council. I’m sure the fire department will be turning in a similar report soon. Some of their calls take a toll on them too. When you see any of the fire or ambulance squad, thank them. These young people give it their all and are the future of Gladbrook. Thank you to all the EMT’s. You are the best!

The council also got the yearly library report. Useage in all areas of the library is way up. Beth Wegner and her board and volunteers are also a great asset to our town. If you haven’t been to the library, stop in and look around. I’m sure you will find it to your liking and probably find a book or DVD you will to take home. Thanks, Beth! Keep up the good work!

As most of you know by now your city is pretty much all rural water. I hope you can see the difference. The switch over has gone very smooth. We are not completely done but very close.

January and February are the time of the year when the city council does the budget for 2018/2019. This is a lot of work as you can imagine. With Jackie’s help, your council will do their best to try to spend your tax dollars wisely and keep your tax rate as low as possible.

Lastly we all lost a good citizen and a very hard work for Gladbrook in the passing of Sherry Delfs this last week. Sherry was always willing to help out on any project in town working almost every day at Independent living and always willing to help build a float for the parade. Her fritters and treats will be missed by those of us at the Man Cave and Westbrook along with several other places. She will be missed. Our sympathy to Chuck and family at this time.

Keith Sash, Mayor

Sherrill Lewis Delfs, 63, of Gladbrook, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, January 10, 2018.

Expenses for Tama County operations totaled $18,031,482 in the 2016-17 fiscal year the annual audit report by Bowman and Miller P.C. showed. County Supervisors Dan Anderson, Kendall Jordan and Larry Vest voted 3-0 to accept the report as presented during their regular weekly meeting on Monday morning, Jan. 15.

Bishop Laurie Haller has announced that Rev. Carol Kress will become the Superintendent of the North Central District on July 1, 2018. Rev. Kress succeeds Rev. Harlan Gillespie who will assume new responsibilities as the Assistant to the Bishop for Administration, also on July 1.

The GMG High School Senior and 9th Speech Teams performed at the Iowa High School Speech Association District Contest on January 20. The contest was held at Montezuma High School.

Tait Otis Purk, 51, is seeking a new trial and a stay of his second degree murder conviction. A motion for the new trial and in arrest of judgment was filed on Monday, Jan. 22, in Tama County District Court in Toledo.

February

Mustangs reign-East Marshall takes the torch from Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 41-32.

Over the past several weeks, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has received numerous reports of diarrhea and vomiting outbreaks caused by norovirus.

ECC announces 2017 Fall Term Dean’s List

IOWA FALLS, Iowa – One hundred thirty students were named to the Fall 2017 (August to December) Dean’s List at Ellsworth Community College. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must have taken 12 or more credit hours during the semester (a full-time student status) and have earned at least a 3.5 grade point average while attending classes at ECC or ECC online. (Note: Developmental courses do not count towards GPA.) Part-time students are not included in this list.

Students are listed below by hometown; those with an asterisk (*) after their name earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Lincoln, IA – Emily Engelkes

Kirkwood Community College announces Dean’s List honors

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Kirkwood Community College has released its dean’s list for the fall 2017 semester. These students have achieved a 3.3 grade point average or higher after completing 12 or more credit hours at the college.

Kirkwood students from the area earning this distinction are:

Gladbrook, IA-Taylor Street, Tama

UNI names area students to Fall 2017 semester Dean’s List

CEDAR FALLS-(Name/Names) from the (Hometown) area is/are among the students named to the Fall 2017 semester Dean’s List at the University of Northern Iowa.

To be included on the list, a student must have earned a grade point of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, while taking at least 12 hours of graded work during the semester. On the 4.0 system, an A is worth four points; a B, three points; a C, two points, and a D, one point.

Gladbrook, IA Emily Goettsch

Gladbrook, IA Kay Kauffman

University of Northern Iowa awards degrees to 890 Fall grads

CEDAR FALLS- New alumni were added to the roster of graduates of the University of Northern Iowa . (Name/s) of (Hometown) was/were among the graduates. He/She received a (degree) with a major in (major).

Gladbrook, IA – Jocelyn Elder

Bachelor of Arts -Elementary Education

Upper Iowa University announces 2017 Fall Dean’s List

FAYETTE, IA – Upper Iowa University has announced the Dean’s List for the 2017 fall semester. To be honored, a student must have earned a minimum 3.50 grade point average for the semester and be enrolled as a full-time student.

The honored students included the following:

Belle Plaine, IA – Lance Hinschberger, Exercise/Sport Studies major;

Reinbeck, IA – Leah Holman, Exercise/Sport Studies major;

Reinbeck, IA – Joseph Smoldt, Business Admin major;

Garwin, IA – Austin Vaughn, Management major;

Dysart, IA – Aubri Hansen, Nursing major;

To help spread the message of Soil and Water Stewardship Week, April 29 through May 6, 2018, Tama Soil & Water Conservation District will be holding its annual Grocery Sack Contest. 278 area students from five local school districts participated in this event last spring.

Tait Purk is sentenced to 50 years- Denies he killed Cora Ann Okonski.

With February’s designation as Heart Health month, it’s the perfect time for community members to take advantage of free heart health screening offered on Thursday, February 15 in Gladbrook.

A nurse and dietitian from Grundy County Memorial Hospital’s wellness team will be at the Gladbrook Public Library from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 15.

The free screening includes blood pressure, cholesterol testing, BMI measurement, and glucose test. Fasting is recommended for ten to twelve hours before your screening.

Results will be shared confidentially, and follow up testing will be recommended as needed.

Groth Completes January Interim Internship

STORM LAKE, IA – Codi Groth, a senior accounting and business major from Toledo, completed an internship with Hunzelmen, Putzier, and Company over Buena Vista University’s (BVU) January Interim.

Groth was one of over 80 BVU students to participate in the three-week internship program.

“Interns can be a supportive asset to any company looking for additional help within their workforce,” said Kristi Davis, assistant director of career and personal development and internship coordinator at BVU. “They provide new insight and can assist with completing larger projects.”

Claassen participates in Student Challenge at Sports Turf Management Association’s (STMA) Annual Conference

AMES, IA – Bridger Claassen, from Garwin, traveled with the delegation from Iowa State University to the Sports Turf Management Association’s (STMA) Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas to attend the conference and participate in the Student Challenge.

Iowa State was representated in the Student Challenge, an exam contest to challenge knowledge in the sports turf industry, by 4 teams of up to 4 students. After several years of coming in second, Iowa State placed 1st in the field of 33 teams. The other teams from Iowa State placed 15th, 18th, and 20th. Claassen was a member of the 18th place team.

To prepare, the teams took part in a weekly study session in the fall and used knowledge gained from classes and internships to help with the exam, which was made of 100-175 questions that included multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, reading passages, short answer, oral presentation, and identification/hands-on sections. Students from 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities across the country are eligible to compete.

The winning teams receive a cash award, a plaque and medallions for each team member. The prize money benefits the institution’s turf program and creates opportunities for students pursuing a career in sports turf management.

In addition to the student contest, the conference offered educational seminars, hands-on workshops, the latest technology in the industry and tours of college and municipal facilities in the area.

The Iowa State teams are coached by Drs. Nick Christians and Adam Thoms, horticulture, with assistance from Isaac Mertz, graduate student in horticulture.

Evert Eugene Lattin, 87, of Gladbrook, IA, passed away Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at Southridge Specialty Care in Marshalltown, IA.

Leon Lloyd Wrage,83, passed away Thursday, February 1, 2018, at Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, IA.

At the Mid-Winter American Legion & Auxiliary Conference in Des Moines this past weekend, the Gladbrook Auxiliary entered the poppy hat contest. Gladbrook Poppy Chairman Jodi Betts won first place with her decorated poppy cowboy hat. Jodi also placed a tiny pony on the hat with a little poppy wreath around his neck. The symbol of the Auxiliary this here is horses and the theme is “America Runs Free Because of Those Wh Served Our Country”. Congratulations, Jodi! Attending the conference were Dick & Jolene Denbow, Darrell & Jeanne Paustian, and Nicole Clapp.

Eric Keller Of Gladbrook Awarded Beekeeping Scholarship.

Mesaage From Our Mayor

Here I sit on Sunday afternoon looking out the window with the sun shining on fresh snow with no wind. Our third snow in a week but still very little drifting with about three inches covering the ground. Picture perfect! Don’t you feel sorry for all those snow birds who went south for the winter and had to miss all the pretty sights?!

I hope Mark Lowry doesn’t get too mad at me for saying the snow is pretty as he is up and cleaning the streets well before 6:00AM and has most of them done before the rest of us leave for work. While on the snow subject, don’t forget to shovel your sidewalks and please clear out around the fire hydrants. It makes it easier for the firemen and just might save your house!

When the weather is like this I’m not like my grandkids and want to play in the snow. I very much enjoy watching the Olympics on TV and I enjoy watching the amount of strength and stamina these young people have. There is such a variety of sports ranging from ice skating, snow boarding, ski jumping, long distance skiing with target shooting, hockey, curling and a lot more that I haven’t seen yet. The pride all of our Olympians have in representing our country and our flag is very obvious not like the pro football player disrespect for the flag.

Your city council along with Jackie Stephensen is beginning next year’s budget. This is not an easy job and requires many hours of work. The finance committee consists of Roger Luehring, Trudi Scott and Mark Fink along with Jackie and myself. Some of our main financial needs are streets, sewer and water repairs with much of our infrastructure having a lot of age on it. Mark Lowry would like to get a different dump truck and a much needed salt shed. This is just a few of our wish list along with many line items on our budget. Not an easy job to divide up a limited amount of money. And as always there will be something that comes up that is not planned for. This all could be solved with an extra four or five million dollars. Don’t worry your council will spend your money very wisely and hold down your taxes as much as possible.

We are still meeting with the GR school board on the future of the building here in Gladbrook. It looks like it will most likely come down. The school board is looking at removing the asbestos this next year with the possibility of demolition in 2019 or 2020. Your city council has to decide what they are willing to take possession of the swimming pool, fitness center and new gym are all on the table. This is not a fun time for your council or any of us here in Gladbrook but these are the cards we have been dealt!

I hope that the flu bug has missed you. I know many of you have had someone in your family sick. We are still working with Medicap Pharmacy on building a pharmacy here in town.

Keith Sash, Mayor

Diane (Storjohann) Giesking, 79, of Sioux Falls, SD, died Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls. Diane was born October 11, 1938 in Lincoln, IA to Alfred and Caroline (Horstmann) Storjohann. Funeral services are pending at George Boom Funeral Home & Crematory, Sioux Falls.

G-R routs Redhawks to advance, Rebels knock off rival North Tama, 60-57.

On February 17, six GMG High School students, Autumn peterson, Angel Schewe, Kaci Krier, Joaquin Fitzsimmons, Robert Hartsell and Theron Gale, dueled in the Iowa Quiz Bowl, held at Southview Middle School in Ankeny. The students entered the Junior Varsity competition, matched wits in seven rounds against various Iowa schools and competed admirably. The students are all part of the GMG Talented & Gifted Program, and this is the first time GMG has participated in such an event.

Diane Giesking, 79, of Sioux Falls, SD, died Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Lynne Ann Rose-Wrage, 58, of Waterloo, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at University of Iowa Hospital.