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GOTTA GO... RODEO!

Cherokee PRCA Rodeo weekend May 29-31

Jessica Blair Fowlkes, a Roman rider from Kentucky, will star as this year's specialty rodeo event. She's an equestrian performer known for Roman riding — standing atop a pair of horses tethered together — and even competed at national rodeo competitions in Las Vegas. Sheryl Leonard, a Cherokee PRCA Rodeo board member, said audiences should expect Fowlkes to dazzle with her liberty act and leap through fiery hoops. 
The countdown is on for the 2025 Cherokee PRCA Rodeo, set for Thursday through Saturday, May 29-31. This year’s event brings a full slate of rodeo action, community events and fresh additions …
Jim and Nancy Nelson will be honored this year as the Cherokee Rodeo Parade Grand Marshals. Jim was on the rodeo board for 25 years, starting in 1994. Nancy joined in 2008 and stayed for 11 …

Demo crew takes down old Bomgaars

Demolition crews on Friday begin tearing down the building that used to house the Cherokee Bomgaars on North Second Street. The building was purchased in 2018 for $1.27 million by Fifth Generation …

Supervisors ease up on solar project setbacks

Cherokee County Board of Supervisors conceded on the quarter mile setback for utility scale solar projects as originally written in the proposed solar ordinance draft. After weeks of public pleas …

Ryherd receives same 2.8% admin raise, new contract

The Cherokee School Board approved a new salary package and contract for Superintendent Tom Ryherd Monday, similar to that approved for other district administrators and staff last month. In an …

Holzhauer sheriff sales scheduled for next month

Sheriff sales for the former Holzhauer Ford dealerships in Storm Lake and Cherokee are scheduled for next month. The sale of the former Holzhauer Ford Storm Lake on North Lake Avenue is scheduled …

Police & Courts: Schmillen Construction sues Minn. company over ‘inoperable’ truck

Schmillen Construction of Marcus is suing a Minnesota-based automotive company and its CEO over the purchase of an allegedly inoperable dump truck that the company never repaired. David Briese …

Cash rent land rates down nearly 3%

Farm land across much of Iowa saw a decrease in cash rental rates for 2025 marking the first decline in cash rental since 2019, mirroring recent declines in farmland value. Buena Vista County …

April showers continue to ease drought

April precipitation provided ample relief to much of the existing drought conditions as northwest, northeast and southwest Iowa were upgraded from “moderate drought” status to …

SL Council rescinds ‘Car Meets’ permit

McKeon: ‘I think this says that there would be a problem’ The Storm Lake City Council rescinded a permit they approved earlier this month for a Cherokee resident planning to host …

A-A facility upgrades coming this summer

Alta-Aurelia Community School District is looking forward to upgrades coming to campus over the summer in preparation for the 2025-26 school year. During their meeting …

A-A staff, admin to receive 2.6% raise

Alta-Aurelia Community School District will be increasing pay for all staff and administrators by 2.6% for the 2025-26 school year. Last Monday, the school board approved flat rate contracts for …

100: Pretty in Pink

The Gardens Assisted Living recently hosted a joyful celebration in honor of Norma Reinholdt, who turned 100 years old. Surrounded by family, friends and fellow residents, she marked a century of …

Diane Young featured in Lab Manager magazine

Diane Young, the director of technical services and owner of Foundation Analytical Laboratory in Cherokee, was featured in the Lab Manager magazine.  Young was honored by the magazine as …
RESEARCHED BY ADAM DUBLINSKE For more historical archives from the area, check out this website: https://cherokee.advantage-preservation.com 1950 (75 years ago) 26 Seniors in Final …
Thursday, May 15 Meeting My wife told me to put catsup on our grocery list. I did, and now we can’t read anything. Yikes. Oops getting ahead of myself, but see what you can learn from …
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Cherokee County Memorial Day Services

Aurelia Aurelia Middle School at 10:30 a.m. A meal will be catered by Home Plate Catering from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Aurelia Community Center. Meal cost is $14. Ages three years and under …

Aurelia Women’s Club announces donation and award winners

Aurelia GFWC/Iowa Federated Women’s Club met Monday May 19, at the Aurelia Community Center at 9:00. Prior to the meeting, Amy served. After the Pledge, Ardelle introduced the speaker, …
STUDENT SCENE

CWHS Films as Literature Class announces spring Filmey awards

Third period class from left: Nathan Wittmayer, Issac Lam, Cam Kohn and Alexis Millikin.
Each year students in Films as Literature class at Cherokee Washington High School write, produce, film, and edit a movie. The class is taught by Jaylene De Vos. Besides producing the final feature …
Opinion
Editorials: GOP mismanagement
One must marvel at the incompetence that just gaveled to an untimely close in the capitol. With a stranglehold on all branches of government, Republicans failed to deliver on their priority — …
Supreme Court spikes an excuse for hiding public comment
The Iowa Supreme Court gave citizen engagement and accessibility to public meetings a much-needed boost Friday in an appeal of a lawsuit against the Iowa City Community School District. The …
Rick Morain
Trump in emolument discussion
Have you ever heard someone refer to an “emolument” in a context other than the U.S. Constitution? Probably not. The word is somewhat archaic, and rarely appears other than as a reference …
Alan Guebert
Since 2013, Farm Bill ‘safety net’ mostly ensures need for ‘safety net’
The opening lines in an April 11 farmdocDAILY post should have raised an eyebrow or two among Farm Bill geeks both in and out of Congress: “The U.S. crop safety net,” it begins, …
They should have listened
If Democrats only had taken Iowa’s counsel, Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders probably would be president today. I mean, if Joe Biden could beat Donald Trump … “That thought …
Sports

Warrior girls 4x800 crowned State Champs

The Alta-Aurelia girls 4x800 meter relay team of Breyer Anderson, Hayden Berkland, Elsie Peterson and Nora Peterson held of Earlham down the last 100 meters to win their school’s first State …

AA’s Westphal, South O’Brien’s Horstmann qualify for State golf

PRIMGHAR - The Alta-Aurelia and South O’Brien girls golf teams competed in the Class 1A Region 1 final on Wednesday. Alta-Aurelia’s Avery Westphal and South O’Brien’s …

Braves fall 11-1 to Indians in season opener

The Cherokee baseball team hosted Pocahontas Area on Thursday to kick off the 2025 season, but suffered an 11-1 loss. Poky put up three runs in the top of the second inning while the Braves …

Raptors win 10-0 over Wolves to start season

HOLSTEIN - The Ridge View baseball team hosted IKM-Manning to start the season and came away with a 10-0 victory. The Raptors scored one run in the second, one in the fourth, three in the fifth …

Raptors, Royals golf qualifies for State Meet

LAKE MILLS - The Ridge View and MMCRU boys golf teams traveled to Lake Mills on Monday to compete in a Class 2A district final. Ridge View won the meet with a 320 while MMCRU took third with a …

AA’s Baker qualifies for State Golf Meet

LEMARS - Alta-Aurelia senior Lucas Baker and South O’Brien senior Jace Kleinwolterink and junior Alex Griebel competed in a Class 1A district golf meet, hosted by Gehlen Catholic, on Monday. …

Brave boys tennis ends season in 5-0 loss to Indians

SIOUX CITY - The Cherokee boys tennis team traveled to Sioux City on Saturday to compete in the Class 1A Substate 1 tournament. The Braves took on undefeated Spirit Lake in the first round and …

Wolverine girls win regional tournament

HULL - The South O’Brien girls golf team won a Class 1A Regional Golf Tournament in Hull on Friday. The Wolverines shot a 411 to win the meet while Harris-Lake Park took second with 420. …

Westphal wins regional, Warriors take second

AURELIA - The Alta-Aurelia and Ridge View girls golf teams competed in a Class 1A Regional Meet hosted by the Warriors on Friday. Alta-Aurelia took second in the meet with a 409 to qualify for …

Obituaries
Karen Akin
Karen Sue Akin, 59, of Boynton, Okla., passed away Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at her home. She was born Sept. 28, 1965, in Richmond, Mo., the daughter of Gary Wayne Cunningham and Betty Sue …
Michael Hantsbarger
Michael Ray Hantsbarger, 68, of Meriden passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Mercy One in Sioux City, surrounded by family. Public visitation with the family present was held …
Maribeth Nissen
A Celebration of Life for Maribeth Nissen will be held on Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Nissen Acreage at 4840 10th Ave., Aurelia, IA, 51005. The family will provide food, a …
Elizabeth Reinert
Elizabeth Ann Reinert, 63, of Newton passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2025, at her residence. Funeral arrangements are currently pending at Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee. Online …
Pamela Dayton
Pamela Lee “Pam” Dayton, 76, of Cherokee passed away Friday evening, May 9, 2025, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. Private family Celebration of Life services will be …
Births

Amelia Lynn Sanchez

Justice Livingston-McDowell and Salomon Sanchez are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Amelia Lynn Sanchez. She was born on Thursday, May 1, at 8:07 am. Amelia weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces …

Eleanor Mae Morris

Laura and Michael Morris are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Eleanor Mae Morris. She was born on Thursday, May 1, at 5:56 pm. Eleanor weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 19 inches …

Slade Colton Weaver

Terran and Andrew Weaver are happy to announce the birth of their new son, Slade Colton Weaver. He was born on Wednesday, April 16 at 2:02 pm. Slade weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. …