(Spencer)-- A 36-year-old Spencer business owner has pleaded not guilty to tax fraud charges.

Christopher Burg entered the written plea recently in Clay County District Court.

Court documents say Burg is charged with 11 counts of sales tax evasion and seven counts of fraudulent practices.

He's accused of not paying more than $89,000 in sales taxes from several businesses he owns, including Liberty Lanes, Southside Bar and Grill and A-Plus Carpet and Cleaners. 

His trial is scheduled to start December 10th in Clay County District Court.

(Estherville)--Possible injuries were reported in a three vehicle chain reaction accident Tuesday afternoon in Estherville. According to the Estherville Police Department, the accident happened around 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of 1st Street and Central Ave.

A 2006 Chrysler Pacifica driven by 28-year-old Shelby Riefer of Estherville and a 2018 Honda HRV driven by 63-year-old Janet Leifeld were stopped for a red light at the intersection, facing east on Central Ave. Police say 41-year-old David Shasteen of Benton, Arkansas, was driving a 2012 Honda INS eastbound on Central Ave. and struck the rear of the Reifer vehicle with enough momentum that the Reifer vehicle then struck the rear of the Leifeld vehicle. Shasteen admitted to being distracted at the time of the accident.

All three drivers complained of possible injuries and were checked over at the scene by Estherville EMS.

The Shasteen vehicle was totaled in the accident. Damage was estimated at $3,000 to the Riefer vehicle and $1,500 to the Leifeld vehicle.

(Spirit Lake)--The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors this week voted to appoint Amy Zenor as County Attorney when John Martin steps down from the position at the end of the year. Zenor is currently an assistant in the office. She told the Supervisors she looks forward to assuming the lead role in the office

The appointment will be effective until the next election.

Efforts are currently underway to fill the position being vacated by Zenor.

(Graettinger)--Students from three area high schools are working to help area businesses solve problems as part of a program called No Boundaries. The schools involved are GTRA, Okoboji and Spencer. Marc Benedict, Site Facilitator for the program at GTRA, says students selected their projects at the beginning of the semester.

Benedict explains how the kids will attempt to solve the problems presented by businesses.

He says there is no deadline for students to complete the projects.

Benedict says the students will learn skills that will help them when they join the workforce.

Benedict made his comments on the GTRA Spotlight program which can be heard every Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. on KILR FM 95.9.

(Spencer)--The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation held their 10th annual business recognition Luncheon today (yesterday) at the Clay County Regional Events Center.  Dr. Greg Oleson and Oleson Chiropractic was recognized as this year’s Corridor small business of the year.  After the program KILR’s Roger Jacobson caught up with Dr. Oleson and asked him what this honor meant to him.

The Keynote speakers were Dennis Fraise & Jason Hutcheson Co-hosts of the number one iTunes economic development podcast called: Develop This!  We caught up with Dennis Fraise after the program for comments.

That was Dennis Fraise with KILR’s Roger Jacobson at this year’s 10th annual Business Recognition Luncheon for the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corportation.

(Spirit Lake)--A canvass by the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday has changed the election results for Terril City Council.

A write-in candidate has been declared the winner of one of the three council seats up for election.

The election night count had the seats going to Joshua Link with 65 votes; Morgan Nelson with 39 and Marc Haffner with 33. However, Tuesday's canvass revealed a write-in candidate, Marck Lair the 2nd, had 44 votes. As a result, Link, Nelson and Lair were declared the winners of the seats.

(Emmetsburg)--Minor injuries were reported in a car-deer accident Monday evening southwest of Emmetsburg.

Shortly after 6:50 p.m., the Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office responded to a single vehicle collision with possible injuries located in the 3900 block of 440th Avenue. Upon investigation, it was determined that a 2014 Ford Explorer driven by 39-year-old Jennifer Garrelts of Ayrshire, was traveling south on 440th Avenue when a deer emerged from the west ditch. The Garrelts vehicle collided with the deer. A minor child was checked out by medical personnel at the scene for injuries sustained from a seatbelt/airbag deployment.

The Garrelts vehicle sustained an estimated $6,000 in damage.

The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Emmetsburg Police Department and the Palo Alto County Health System.

(Forest City)--Country Thunder has announced the list of musical acts that will be performing at next year’s event in Forest City

Lynyrd Skynyrd will be the main headlining performer as part of their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour.  Old Dominion and Kane Brown are also being tapped as headliners for the three day festival.

Other artists that will be performing include Big & Rich, Clay Walker, Lonestar, Ashley McBryde, Mitchell Tenpenny and Meghan Patrick.  Several more bands will be announced later. 

Country Thunder is taking over for the Tree Town music festival, which has been held in Forest City since 2014.  The festival will kick off on June 12th and run through the 14th at Heritage Park. 

Country Thunder also holds similar music festivals in Florida, Arizona, and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

(Estherville)—Donations are now being accepted for the 2019 Community Christmas Project, sponsored by the Estherville Area Ministerial Association. Pastor Doug Burton of the First Christian Church in Estherville is the coordinator for the Community Christmas Project.

Gifts will be distributed on Tuesday, December 3^rd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Duhigg Center in Estherville.  Burton says donations of new unwrapped items can be made at any EAMA church.

Monetary donations can also be made by mailing a check to Community Christmas Project, P.O. Box 383, Estherville, Iowa 51334. Burton says Emmet County residents in need must obtain a coupon to participate in the program.

Participants should leave their kids at home when they come to the distribution. Burton credits the many volunteers for making the project a success.

The Community Christmas Project started in 1982. Last year, 247 households in Emmet County received gifts through the project, including 327 children.

Reservations are now being accepted for the Iowa Lakes Community College Music Department’s Annual Elizabethan Madrigal Feaste. Iowa Lakes Vocal Music Professor Brett Fuelberth says this year’s festivities will be held at the SERT Building on the Estherville camputs on Saturday, Dec. 7, with performances at noon and 6:00 p.m. Fuelberth says this is the 20^th year for the event.

Tickets are $20 per person, with limited seating available. For more information or to reserve tickets, contact the Iowa Lakes Music Department at 712-362-8345.

On another topic, Fuelberth says construction continues on the new Performing Arts Center on the Estherville campus which is scheduled to open next Spring.  Fuelberth says a seat campaign is underway for the 500 seat auditorium.

Again that phone number for the Iowa Lakes Foundation is 712-362-0491.

(Spirit Lake)-- The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to move to a different mental health services region.

The board voted 4 to 1 in favor of a petition to move from the Northwest Iowa Care Connections to the Sioux Rivers region, effective July 1^st, 2020.

The supervisors took the action after meeting again Tuesday with CEO's and representatives of both Northwest Iowa Care Connections and Sioux Rivers. They reviewed more detailed financial information and service comparisons.

Supervisor Kim Wermersen made the motion to make the move, saying he was basing it on what he was hearing from service coordinators in Dickinson County and that he felt it was the best option for the county's clients. Chairman Bill Leupold cast the lone no vote. He again called on fellow supervisors to wait another year to see what the legislature does on the matter.

(Spencer)--A southwest Minnesota teenager is facing several traffic charges after a rollover accident last Tuesday in Clay County.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a vehicle on its top at the intersection of 290^th Ave. and 440^th St. Upon arrival, the deputy did not locate anyone in or around the vehicle, a 1995 Chevrolet Astro van.

The vehicle had slid off the shoulder and due to the steep ditch, overturned and came to rest on its roof. The driver was eventually located at a job site near the scene of the crash. It was determined that a 17-year-old from Fulda, Minnesota was operating the vehicle.

The minor driver was cited for no valid driver’s license, failure to provide financial liability-accident related, and failure to maintain control.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $4,000.

(Spencer)--A Florida man is facing charges after a traffic stop Sunday afternoon south of Spencer.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says at around 4:30 p.m. a deputy stopped a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu for excessive speed in the 4400 block of Highway 71. Upon making contact with the driver, 30-year-old Horton Sterling of Tampa, Florida, the deputy detected an odor of marijuana coming from the car. The deputy investigated and eventually located marijuana in the vehicle.

Sterling was placed under arrest and transported to the Clay County Jail without incident. He was charged with possession of marijuana-2^nd offense and issued a citation for excessive speed. Sterling was then released on bond.

(Spencer)--Area farmers are getting close to wrapping up the 2019 harvest. Paul Kassel is ISU Extension Agronomist for Northwest Iowa.

Kassel says the quality of the late planted corn has been better than many expected.

Kassel says the propane shortage in the Midwest has caused problems for farmers needing to dry their grain.

He says for the most part yields have been a pleasant surprise.

Kassel says the yields for the area soybean harvest have averaged around 60 bushels per acre.  He says if weather conditions improve, harvest should be completed in a week to 10 days.

(Okoboji)--Animal Encounters is the theme for the next Family Nature Night Program at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji. Community Relations Coordinator Kiley Roth says the program will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22^nd.

Roth says visitors will get to meet several different types of animals.

Roth says you should pre-register for the event as soon as possible.

For more information visit: dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com.

(Des Moines)—A lakes area Fire Chief was honored this past weekend.

Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth was awarded the 2019 Roger Mooty Memorial Award Saturday evening during the annual conference of the Iowa Fire Chiefs Association.

The award honors those who have made exceptional contributions to fire service. 

(Estherville)--A small crowd braved frigid temperatures to attend the Veterans Day Ceremony Monday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Estherville. The featured speaker was Pastor Doug Burton of the First Christian Church in Estherville. Burton says the bitterly cold weather served as a reminder of the conditions soldiers had to endure during times of war.

Burton explained why Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11^th.

He says those who served in the military are responsible for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

The ceremony also included a prayer by Joseph May of the Estherville American Legion and a military salute by an Honor Guard made up of members of American Legion Post 91 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3388.

(Estherville)--Firefighters responded to a corn dryer fire Monday morning just south of Estherville.

Shortly after 10:05 a.m., the Estherville Fire Department was paged out to the fire at New Fashion Pork south of Estherville on Highway 4.

Fire Chief Dick Beaver says upon arrival, firefighters found a fire about 30 feet up in the corn dryer. He says the corn was emptied out of that side and extinguished.

Firefighters were on scene for about one hour. Assistance was provided by the Wallingford and Gruver Fire Departments and Estherville Ambulance. There were no injuries.