Daily Freeman-Journal, Webster City, IA

16/02/2025

https://www.freemanjournal.net/news/local-news/2025/02/receiver-asks-court-to-approve-sale-of-naturalshrimp-assets/

14/02/2025

The Daily Freeman-Journal will be an e-edition only on Monday, February 17, due to the Presidents Day postal holiday.

The DFJ will be back in your mailboxes on Tuesday, February 18.

The Daily Freeman-Journal will be an e-edition only on Monday, February 17, due to the Presidents Day postal holiday. The DFJ will be back in your mailboxes on Tuesday, February 18.

14/02/2025

The Legislative Forum planned for Saturday at Iowa Central Community College’s Webster City campus has been postponed until March 1.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to noon on that day.

This is a collaborative event sponsored by Iowa Central, the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Daily Freeman-Journal.

The Legislative Forum planned for Saturday at Iowa Central Community College’s Webster City campus has been postponed until March 1. The event will be from 11 a.m. to noon on that day. This is a collaborative event sponsored by Iowa Central, the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Daily ...

14/02/2025

It’s mid-February and a good time to check progress on your New Year’s Resolutions.

What? You haven’t lost that extra 20 pounds? You haven’t de-cluttered the house, which it so badly needs? And the new cookbook with all those heart-healthy recipes you got for Christmas hasn’t been opened.

There’s still time to do something big in 2025. May we suggest learning a new language?

In Webster City, learning Spanish almost suggests itself, but maybe you need more convincing.

What if you only had to go to class once a week, you can be assured there will be folks there with as little starting knowledge of Spanish as you? Finally, what if the class, the textbook and worksheets were all free?

Believe it, it’s all true.

All Cultures Equal — ACE — is accepting registrations for both beginners and advanced beginners Spanish classes. The first classes will be held Monday, February 17, for the beginners, and Tuesday, February 18, for the advanced beginners. Both classes run from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and both take place at ACE, 637 Second Street in downtown Webster City.

What kind of people will you meet in class?

According to ACE Executive Director Kathy Vaughn, “teachers, business people, those planning future travel, almost anybody really.”

Last year’s classes were attended by a business owner who wanted to be able to communicate more effectively with his employees, some local women in their 70s wanting to be able to talk to people on the street in a way they could understand, and even a few who are merely curious.

Checking her records, Vaughn noted: “we had 57 students last year who took advantage of our free language classes. Most of them would tell you they met some new people and had a great time too.”

Instructors Chelsea Quinteros and Hilda Martinez are both bilingual. Martinez taught Spanish in her native Mexico before immigrating to the U.S.

“They’re low key and very patient,” Vaughn assured. “There are no tests. These classes are for those who truly want or need to learn Spanish.”

For more information, or to enroll, phone ACE at 515-832-4153.

It’s mid-February and a good time to check progress on your New Year’s Resolutions. What? You haven’t lost that extra 20 pounds? You haven’t de-cluttered the house, which it so badly needs? And the new cookbook with all those heart-healthy recipes you got for Christmas hasn’t been opened. ...

14/02/2025

A trial date has been set for a Webster City man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 10-month-old child.

Gunner Michael Jones, 26, will go before a jury in Hamilton County District Court on September 30 for his role in the April 2023 death of the infant in his care.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, officers and medical personnel responded to a 911 call of an unresponsive child on April 16, 2023. The infant was transported to Van Diest Medical Center and later transferred to Blank Childrens’ Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the criminal complaint filed with Hamilton County District Court, the mother of the child called 911 at 1:45 a.m. after discovering her son was “unresponsive and turning blue and cold to the touch.”

Both Jones and the child’s mother told authorities that they were alone in the residence prior to the child’s death and the mother stated when she went to sleep that night, Jones remained awake with the child.

The DCI stated in the complaint that Jones was the only individual with the child prior to the injuries being inflicted.

The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries to the infant’s head and listed the manner of death as homicide.

Jones remains in the Hamilton County Jail with bond set at $5 million cash only.

A trial date has been set for a Webster City man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 10-month-old child. Gunner Michael Jones, 26, will go before a jury in Hamilton County District Court on September 30 for his role in the April 2023 death of the infant in his care. According to […]

14/02/2025

JEWELL — The South Hamilton boys dropped a 93-57 contest to Greene County on Tuesday night.

Grant Larson had a big night for the Hawks, scoring 36 points. Larson hit seven three pointers and was 10-for-21 from the field and 13 of 14 from the line.

Benjamin Swenson had nine points and nine rebounds.

Six players, three from the bench reached double digits for the Rams.

Lincoln Schwander led the way with 18 points. Nick Madsen and Broc Stream had 14 each. Camden Jacobs, Nathan towers and Teagan Chisholm had 10 points each.

JEWELL — The South Hamilton boys dropped a 93-57 contest to Greene County on Tuesday night. Grant Larson had a big night for the Hawks, scoring 36 points. Larson hit seven three pointers and was 10-for-21 from the field and 13 of 14 from the line. Benjamin Swenson had nine points and nine rebounds...

14/02/2025

JEWELL — The South Hamilton girls ended an eight-game losing streak with a 57-21 victory over Greene County on Tuesday night.

“I was really happy for the girls to finish off the regular season with a convincing win on our home court,” said South Hamilton head coach Mark Henderson. “We had been on a losing streak, including some close games that didn’t go our way, so it was great to get one back in the win column.”

The Hawks (6-15 overall) had two players reach double figures and did a strong job on the boards.

South Hamilton out-rebounded Greene County 59-17.

“Our kids continued to play hard and that really showed up with how we rebounded in this one,” Henderson said. “We did a phenomenal job on the offensive glass and that gave us a lot of extra chances to score.

“In all we scored 27 second chance points and had a season high 77 shot attempts. Claire led the way for us with 10 offensive rebounds.”

Tessa Skartvedt had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“Tessa had a big game for us, finishing with a double-double,” Henderson said. “She shot the ball with confidence and was active on the boards. Greene County really didn’t have anyone who could match up with her.”

Isabel Swenson had 10 points. She also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Claire Hewitt had 12 rebounds. Kaylen Trask had eight points and six rebounds.

Makenna Ebersole had a strong game for Greene County with 17 points. She also had nine blocks, five rebounds and three steals.

South Hamilton will open postseason play on Saturday at Dike-New Hartford (7-14). Tip is set for 7 p.m.

“We will try to take the momentum from this win and use it to give us some confidence going into the postseason,” Henderson said. “We’re looking forward to our matchup with Dike-New Hartford, a program that has done a lot of winning over the past few years.”

JEWELL — The South Hamilton girls ended an eight-game losing streak with a 57-21 victory over Greene County on Tuesday night. “I was really happy for the girls to finish off the regular season with a convincing win on our home court,” said South Hamilton head coach Mark Henderson. “We had be...

13/02/2025

The Mobile Food Pantry will be in Webster City on Tuesday, February 18, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Center, 1000 Des Moines Street, Webster City.

The Parish Center will open at 2:30 p.m. on that day for registration. The food pantry itself will be open from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. or until the food is gone.

This Food Pantry event is in cooperation with the Foodbank of Iowa.

The Mobile Food Pantry will be in Webster City on Tuesday, February 18, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Center, 1000 Des Moines Street, Webster City. The Parish Center will open at 2:30 p.m. on that day for registration. The food pantry itself will be open from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. or until the food [...

13/02/2025

The local Knights of Columbus will host an Omelet Brunch on Sunday, February 16, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Center, 1000 Des Moines Street, Webster City.

This event is from 9 a.m. until noon.

A full breakfast will cost the diner a freewill donation, according to one of the organizers, Greg Olson.

Proceeds of this brunch will go to the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight.

The local Knights of Columbus will host an Omelet Brunch on Sunday, February 16, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Center, 1000 Des Moines Street, Webster City. This event is from 9 a.m. until noon. A full breakfast will cost the diner a freewill donation, according to one of the organizers, Greg Ols...

12/02/2025

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said Tuesday he has high hopes for the Iowa Legislature to pass an anti-SLAPP bill this session after several years of the measure stalling.

SLAPP, or “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” is a term used for civil lawsuits filed to intimidate a person or news organization from speaking publicly about certain issues. The individuals or organizations bringing these suits do not necessarily think they can win in court, but aim to stop reporting or public speech on a subject by threatening a drawn-out, expensive legal battle.

House Study Bill 116 is this year’s run at passing anti-SLAPP legislation in Iowa — one of 15 states that does not have a state measure protecting against these lawsuits. The bill has been passed by the House in previous sessions, but has yet to clear the Senate.

But this year, Holt said he believes the bill has “outstanding chance this year to advance to the Senate.” The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate File 47, the companion bill to the House measure, earlier Tuesday.

“I think this year we’re going to get it done,” Holt said.

Holt said his interest in passing anti-SLAPP legislation began in 2018 when a Carroll police officer sued the Carroll Times Herald for libel after the paper reported he was having sexual relationships with teenagers, an act he admitted to. The court case cost the paper over $100,000 and took more than a year to conclude.

The legislation, Holt said, would help prevent these situations by allowing for an expedited relief in court on actions that involve freedom of speech and of the press, as well as the rights to assemble, petition and of association.

“What this legislation allows is a sort of an expedited judgment up front, if the lawsuit is that way, is trying and attempting to silence speech,” Holt said. “Obviously, if there’s slander something there, the judge would determine, ‘no, it doesn’t fit,’ it would move forward. But it does allow that expedited relief and also reasonable attorney fees to the individual who’s targeted.”

David Walker, a member of the Uniform Law Commission of Iowa, said the legislation is an important step toward protecting constitutional rights of Iowans.

“This is bipartisan legislation — really crucial to our democracy, in protecting public expression against the kind of intimidation that is real, and that has effect without the protection of this act,” Walker said. “… I would say that it broadly protects all First Amendment rights which are replicated at the Iowa Constitution.”

Several speakers supported the bill on behalf of news organizations, saying the measure will help prevent the judiciary from being used to restrict First Amendment rights. The bill was also supported by multiple speakers who said they had faced threats of legal action for their comments about the construction of Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline.

Rep. Megan Srinivas, D-Des Moines, said though she has not been working on the legislation as long as Holt, she has “very vehemently” supported the measure for the past two years.

“I’m eager to do so again, for all of the reasons that each of you have stated, from trying to protect just our constitutional rights to freedom of speech — the very basics of what we should all be standing upon — and the good work that so many in the newspaper industry and journalism industry have done for our state,” Srinivas said.

The House bill is now available for consideration by the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate measure will be available for floor debate after being placed on the calendar.

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said Tuesday he has high hopes for the Iowa Legislature to pass an anti-SLAPP bill this session after several years of the measure stalling. SLAPP, or “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” is a term used for civil lawsuits filed to intimidate a person or...

12/02/2025

The Webster City Community School Board passed a resolution Monday which allows the City of Webster City to move forward with its urban renewal area on Wall Street.

The urban renewal area will be the site of a new housing development called Wilson Estates.

Webster City’s City Manager John Harrenstein attended the meeting to address any concerns or questions from the school board members.

Harrenstein explained, “Iowa Law requires that a portion of TIF be set aside for low and moderate income individuals. It will take 15 years to recoup the financing. Iowa Law requires anything over seven years must have approval from the county and the school board.”

Both the school board and the Hamilton County supervisors needed to pass formal resolutions. The Hamilton County Supervisors approved their resolution at their last meeting, voting to approve the use of TIF dollars for a period up to 16 years.

Webster City Schools Superintendent Matt Berninghaus noted the benefits. When completed, the proposed 218-unit complex is intended to provide better housing for future area employees, an increase in student enrollment and infrastructure improvements along Wall Street and Lynx Avenue in southwest Webster City.

Berninghaus recommended approval of the resolution, even as he noted that the downside is the delayed revenue that the schools would be able to access for their use.

He continued explaining the future financial needs and possibilities for financing any renovations or rebuilding of the Webster City High School. All these factors would impact the timing of a remodeling project at the schools.

FEH Architecture is currently being consulted on potential facilities roadmaps.

In other action, an agreement between the Hamilton County Fair Board and the Webster City Community Schools was approved for the Career Agriculture Academy. This is a shared use agreement that allows the building to be used during the Hamilton County Fair.

Berninghaus said he is hopeful that the Career Academy will be ready by the start of the 2025-2026 school year. The initial agreement is for five years.

The Webster City Community School Board passed a resolution Monday which allows the City of Webster City to move forward with its urban renewal area on Wall Street. The urban renewal area will be the site of a new housing development called Wilson Estates. Webster City’s City Manager John Harrenst...

12/02/2025

“Iowa has more draft horses than any other state in the union.” — Webster City Freeman, February 8, 1926

Anette Sweeney is in it to win it. Despite a lack of interest on the part of her fellow Legislators, the senator from Iowa’s 27th District is doggedly pursuing her dream of naming the American Cream Draft Horse the official state horse of Iowa again this year.

“I’ve been working on this for six years, and this session may be our best chance yet for passage,” she said.

The measure has never advanced out of committee in the last few sessions of the General Assembly, so what’s new or different this year?

As chair of Iowa’s Natural Resource Committee, Sweeney is able to bring up the measure there and oversee its progress.

She also has an ally this time around. State Rep. John Willis, of Iowa’s10th District, is an advocate for naming the Iowa Darter Iowa’s official state fish.

The state currently has neither an official state horse or fish.

Sweeney makes a compelling case on behalf of the American Cream Draft Horse.

“I’ve talked ad nauseum to fellow legislators, and once they know the backstory they begin to understand. Iowa has been a leader in agriculture from the time of statehood, and the American Cream Draft Horse is one of Iowa’s finest accomplishments.”

The American Cream is the only draft horse of purely American origin, and its growth and development undeniably took place in Story, Hamilton and Hardin counties which, Sweeney maintains, is historically significant.

The measure has never advanced to a vote because Legislators “just don’t think there’s a need,” according to Sweeney.

This year marks the first year in a new two-year legislative cycle known as “the General Assembly.” As such, Sweeney points out it’s an excellent time for a new bill to be introduced and advanced to a vote.

“Last session we had a strong email campaign, and I’m hopeful we can see that again this year. I urge everyone in support of the state horse legislation to email their legislators right away.

Sweeney’s sense of urgency is justified. The Legislative Services Agency’s Guide to the

General Assembly clearly sets forth the procedures under which a bill can advance during any particular session:

“The Legislature operates under a schedule which sets deadlines for legislative action. This schedule is referred to as the ‘funnel’ and exists to make the session more manageable.”

In odd-numbered years, the Friday of the sixth week begins with the determination of which bills will make it through the “funnel” to a debate and vote on the floor of the Legislature. A series of carefully defined procedures govern the funnel through the end of the session, which occurs in the 15th week.

“Iowa has more draft horses than any other state in the union.” — Webster City Freeman, February 8, 1926 Anette Sweeney is in it to win it. Despite a lack of interest on the part of her fellow Legislators, the senator from Iowa’s 27th District is doggedly pursuing her dream of naming the Ame...

12/02/2025

FORT DODGE — The Fort Dodge city government will very soon be the owner of the big sports pavilion under construction at Corridor Plaza.

The City Council on Monday voted to buy the sprawling building for $10.1 million in a move described as a way to get the project completed when full private financing could not be obtained.

Councilwoman Lydia Schuur was absent from the otherwise unanimous vote to buy the building.

There was some public opposition to the purchase.

“This is a bad deal,” Joe McCarville, of Fort Dodge, told the elected officials moments before they voted. “This doesn’t seem proper at all.”

He described the purchase as a “miscarriage of justice.”

Councilman Dave Flattery said voting for the sale was not an easy decision.

“I feel like we have to see this project move forward,” he said. “We just can’t afford to have this project stall out.”

Councilman Cameron Nelson described the purchase as the least amount of risk needed to make the pavilion project a reality.

“We have to be creative and take a little more risk than other people,” he said.

The council bought the pavilion from 3 & 1 Properties, of Fort Dodge, for $10,117,066.

After taking ownership, the city will lease the building to its original developer, M & M LLC, of Ankeny.

The city will make an initial $2.6 million payment, with the rest of the money to be paid at the closing of the sale. City Manager David Fierke said the local government has that money from a previous tax increment financing bond issue.

The city will borrow about $9.5 million to get the rest of the money for the purchase.

Fierke said the city’s property tax payers will not be paying off that debt.

“There are many safety nets before it gets to the point where taxes are needed,” he said.

According to Fierke, lease payments from M & M LLC, will pay off the debt.

If that revenue stream is not sufficient, M & M LLC will have to come up with the money from additional sources, he said.

If the money cannot be obtained from the company, the city will use sales tax revenue generated at Corridor Plaza to pay the debt, he said.

If that doesn’t work, tax increment financing, essentially increased property tax revenue from Corridor Plaza, would be used.

Fierke said homeowners and other property tax payers would have to foot the bill only if all of those sources of money were not enough.

The pavilion, located on the South 25th Street side of Corridor Plaza, will house basketball and pickleball courts, plus a restaurant. It is expected to open this spring.

Fierke said the pavilion concept has been part of the strategy for redeveloping the former Crossroads Mall area since 2018.

“What we determined was we needed to do something to bring people to the mall that is not shopping,” he said. “We thought that was the key thing to put in Corridor Plaza.”

He said M & M LLC has two similar sports pavilions in more urban areas that are successful.

“We’re an untested market for this, which is part of the reason financing didn’t come in,” he said.

“We took an approach that we can’t just let it stop,” he added.

McCarville said if the pavilion was a good financial deal, private financing would have been available.

“Banks won’t lend money for it because they don’t think there’s a profit-and-loss statement that makes sense,” he said.

“I am strongly opposed to this,” he said. “I think it is a miscarriage of justice and a miscarriage of all your duties.”

McCarville received a round of applause from some members of the audience when he concluded his remarks.

FORT DODGE — The Fort Dodge city government will very soon be the owner of the big sports pavilion under construction at Corridor Plaza. The City Council on Monday voted to buy the sprawling building for $10.1 million in a move described as a way to get the project completed when full private fina...

12/02/2025

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. It has several origins: My Scottish and English forebears, for whom a substantial first-meal-of-the-day was an article of faith; my maternal grandmother preparing a bounteous spread for farm hands at 5.30 a.m. in her farm kitchen; and a lifetime of travel and, with it, hotel breakfasts eaten all over the world.

Now, in retirement, I see the wisdom of John Gunther, the American journalist and writer, who famously said: “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” Once you get in the habit, it has a way of drawing you in. The prospect of a second pot of tea takes the chill out of a cold winter morning like nothing else.

I have memories of some especially memorable breakfasts. There was one in The River Restaurant of London’s swank Savoy Hotel. And another in the San Marco Room of Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel one very cold January day during the city’s famous Stock Show. The dining room was filled with cowboy hats and, a few yards away in the lobby, the Grand Champion Bull from that year’s Stock Show was grazing in a pen.

My favorite breakfast?

That’s an easy one.

After a good night’s sleep on Santa Fe’s westbound Super Chief train, I entered the dining car where breakfast was in progress. There, I entered that surreal world of Irish linen tablecloths, heavy, buffed silverware and a menu running to two large pages. Having your tea and eggs at 90 miles an hour as the train bounded across Kansas? How can you possibly beat that?

As good as breakfast food is, though, nothing makes the eggs, toast and marmalade taste better than a pot of strong black tea and the morning’s newspaper beside them.

And that’s my point in writing this.

For all I know, President Trump is a “coffee guy.” Or, he may not know much of the world’s tea comes from China. During his first administration, we tea drinkers got a nasty shock when the cost of our beloved drink went up 20% almost overnight with the first round of tariffs. Now, with a further 10% tariff hanging in the balance, things could get really dicey.

On top of that, there’s now a very real threat of a 25% tariff on imported newsprint, the

essential element in printing a newspaper. I’m reliably informed that up to 75% of the newsprint used in U.S. newspapers comes from Canada. In April 2018, when the first Trump tariffs took effect, newsprint increased in price by more than 30%. The result was the death of hundreds of newspapers — small and not so small — across the country.

A new round of tariffs on newsprint will undoubtedly cause many good publishers to strongly consider reducing the frequency of their papers. Recently, three esteemed newspapers in Iowa did just that: The Storm Lake Times-Pilot, Cedar Rapids Gazette and Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. The Gazette and Telegraph will ramp down from seven-day-a-week schedules to three; the Pulitzer-prize-winning Times-Pilot will go from publishing two days per week to one.

With it all, comes yet another round of pink slips for everybody from publishers, editors, writers and photographers to pressmen, truck drivers and postal clerks, all of whom will have less work when the presses don’t roll as often.

Readers, of course, will have less and less timely local news.

Truth be told, I’m uncomfortable appearing on the editorial page at all. My usual “beat” is City Hall, where I don’t have the luxury of an opinion. But the reality is I must now face the prospect of breakfast with less tea and fewer newspapers.

Hardly worth getting up for.

Robert E. Oliver is an Iowa Newspaper Association award-winning freelance writer who publishes frequently in the Daily Freeman-Journal.

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. It has several origins: My Scottish and English forebears, for whom a substantial first-meal-of-the-day was an article of faith; my maternal grandmother preparing a bounteous spread for farm hands at 5.30 a.m. in her farm kitchen; and a lifetime of travel....

12/02/2025

Food pantries in Webster City received donations of bread and soup mixes recently from a fundraiser organized by Cindi Sweedler, right, independent Pampered Chef advanced director, of Williams. Sweedler’s customers bought food gift sets that were delivered to some local pantries. For every soup/bread mix set purchased, Pampered Chef donates 10 meals to the mobile food pantry in Hamilton County. Sweedler said more than 900 meals were donated in Hamilton County.

Food pantries in Webster City received donations of bread and soup mixes recently from a fundraiser organized by Cindi Sweedler, right, independent Pampered Chef advanced director, of Williams. Sweedler’s customers bought food gift sets that were delivered to some local pantries. For every soup/br...

11/02/2025

PERRY — A big fourth quarter allowed Perry to rally and exact revenge on the South Hamilton girls basketball team here on Friday, 40-31.

The Hawks (5-15) led by a point heading into the final period, and were eight minutes away from earning the season sweep over the Jayettes (5-14).

Instead, Perry sealed a rare victory over South Hamilton with a 17-7 closing frame.

“This was a tough loss for us against (an opponent) we know we are capable of beating,” said Hawk head coach Mark Henderson, referring to his squad’s 39-29 triumph in Jewell last month. “In a lot of ways, we played well enough to win. But we couldn’t do the most important part: put the ball in the basket.

“To Perry’s credit, they shot the ball well. They made some big three-pointers down the stretch, and we couldn’t match them.”

Kaylen Trask had nine points for South Hamilton, which made only 20 percent of its field goals overall. Claire Hewitt pulled down 10 rebounds.

Tessa Skartvedt added six rebounds, five steals and four blocks. Freshman reserve Emma Lammers also chipped in five steals.

“I was proud of the effort,” Henderson said. “I thought we played hard and played together. We took care of the ball better than most nights (only 15 tunovers), we shot good, open shots, we forced turnovers and we got to the free throw line more than our opponent.

“Most nights, if we do all of that, we’re going to win. We just didn’t have a good shooting night, and (the Jayettes) did.”

The Hawks host Greene County on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in their regular-season finale.
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PERRY — A big fourth quarter allowed Perry to rally and exact revenge on the South Hamilton girls basketball team here on Friday, 40-31. The Hawks (5-15) led by a point heading into the final period, and were eight minutes away from earning the season sweep over the Jayettes (5-14). Instead, Perry...