Page 2 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 1-6-2016

Local NewsPage 2 • Jan. 6, 2016 Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter

Dr. Troyce Fisher elected WEATHER WATCHER the points that I gathered from one of
as new Central Gardens of from page 1 the presentations is that you can have
North Iowa president as accurate of a forecast as you want,
Iowa-Skywarn.org to form what is but the public still may not prepare
New officers to Central Gardens Clear Lake. Both Kinsey and Nicholas now the Iowa Weather Network. for the expected hazards.”
of North Iowa’s 12-member board of will remain on the board. Henry says the partnership com- Luker blends presentations on his
directors began their duties on Jan. Continuing as treasurer is Jim bines the meteorlogical skills of he weather website to engage viewers in
1, 2016. Elected as president is Dr. Kuhlman, Mason City, and as secre- and Wilcox, with Herrstrom’s techni- a variety of ways. He uses live cov-
Troyce Fisher, Clear Lake, and elected tary is Donna Dull, Clear Lake. cal prowess. The three original do- erage, social media, forecasting, radar
as vice-president is Connie Plagge, Central Gardens recently an- mains, IowaWX.com, iaswc.org, and and live coverage, which he says is
also of Clear Lake. Fisher started on nounced the hiring of a half-time ex- iowa-skywarn.org, have since been typically not available online.
the board in 2014 and succeeds Chip ecutive director, Jody Hamilton, who merged together into a single domain, Several other issues around the
Kinsey, Mason City. Plagge began in began her duties on Dec. 1, 2015. iawx.net. Since the merger, the Iowa National Weather Service was also
2013 and succeeds Barb Nicholas, Weather Network has grown dramati- discussed at the national meeting,
cally and now has a team of 13. including simplification of alerts and
A good day to stay inside Late last year Luker arranged the 100-plus colors used to denote
an absence from his classes at Clear alerts.
As the snow fell outside last week, Olivia Larsen and Taylor Krull stopped at Lake High School so that he could Luker recalled that in his keynote
Cabin Coffee for a warm-up.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy. attend the 40th Annual National address, Spann noted how physical
Weather Association Annual Meeting science has evolved and how the me-
Grissom says… Three CLHS students are in Oklahoma City, Okla. Together teorology behind major events has
I was never a good Constitution finalists with Wilcox, he listened to presenta- improved immensely; however, the
dancer because I had tions ranging from National Weather message is not getting to the public.
Service Director Louis Uccellini to “He proceeded to show a picture
two left feet! legendary ABC 33/40 meteorologist of a mother of one of the survivors –
James Spann to several other govern- with so much heartbreak, loss, and
Buying or Selling a Home in Three Clear Lake High School The “Know Your Constitution” ment, private sector, and media me- pain in her face – and went on to sum-
the Clear Lake Area? students have been named finalists Project is designed to enrich students’ teorologists. Luker said the keynote marize it as ‘why we do what we do in
in The Iowa State Bar Association’s understanding and appreciation of the speaker, Spann, is highly regarded for the meteorological community.’”
Trust one of these Real Estate Professionals Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution. The students partici- his weather coverage during the tor- The loss of life, whether at the
Constitution” Project. pating in the project were required to nado outbreak that occurred on April hands of nature or otherwise, struck
2800 4th St. SW #3, Mason City Brooke Keith, Isaac Byrne, and familiarize themselves with Constitu- 27, 2011 and tragically took over 300 Luker further as he and Wilcox in-
641.424.9400 • 1.877.243.8221 Ali Witt will be honored at the Know tion related issues. A quiz was com- lives. cluded a stop at the Oklahoma City
www.Century21PreferredTeam.com Your Constitution luncheon on Fri- pleted by each participating student. The help that Spann provided Bombing Memorial on their itinerary.
2065 Country Club Dr., Mason City day, Jan. 8, in West Des Moines. The An essay question accompanied the through his coverage is a message “The situation was quite ironic, as
Carefree living in this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse! Main and lower levels. trio is among 100 finalists selected quiz in case of a tie. This year’s essay which touched Luker deeply. He says legendary meteorologist James Spann
Screened porch overlooks pergola, patio and fire pit. Built in 2007. $289,900 from the more than 1,000 students topic involved a Constitutional ques- that his Iowa Weather Network was showed and talked about some of the
across the State of Iowa who partici- tion focused on the admissions pro- founded on the principle that by shar- 324 deaths in the April 27, 2011 tor-
302 Main Ave., Clear Lake pated in the “Know Your Constitu- cess in higher education, specifically ing accurate information, he could nado outbreak - fiancés, near college
(641) 357-0500 tion” Project. This year’s Keynote racial preference in evaluating candi- keep Iowans safe. graduates, and more. One of the fi-
Speaker is the Honorable Justice dates – similar to the on-going United Today, his operation has grown nal slides he showed was one of the
www.schonemanrealtors.com David Wiggins of the Iowa Supreme States Supreme Court cases involving from a small set-up in his bedroom to mother of a daughter who was killed
1208 North Shore Dr., Clear Lake Court. the University of Texas. a command center in his home’s base- in the event. The look was fully similar
From the finalists, five students Prior to the Jan. 8 luncheon, the ment. His father, Todd, is currently to the one that I saw at the bombing
Enjoy gorgeous lake views from this completely restored 3 BR, 2 bath home. and their teachers will be chosen by student finalists will have the oppor- renovating the space to accommo- memorial - pure loss.”
Custom kitchen, cozy living room and stunning lower level sauna. $375,000 a random drawing to attend the all tunity to hear from and interact with date more than one dozen computer Back in Clear Lake, Luker is en-
expense paid, Close-Up Foundation’s a constitutional expert to discuss the monitors and other technology used joying putting new data and technolo-
five day long education work session essay topic and recent developments to study the nation’s weather. gy to use to hopefully keep the public
in Washington, D.C., in February and rulings. As important as understanding safe from severe weather. He runs four
2016. The work sessions are designed The program is sponsored by The weather is the ability to communi- weather models four times daily and
to develop a deeper understanding of Iowa State Bar Association, with ad- cate with the public, says Luker. That examines variable.
government and the political process. ditional funding from the Iowa State message was repeated throughout the “Accuracy and precision has im-
Kate Richtsmeier serves as fac- Bar Foundation and many of the national weather convention. proved so much through technology.
ulty sponsor for the CLHS students. county Bar Associations across Iowa. “The National Weather Service It’s more science now and we are try-
has been on a mission to commu- ing to integrate social science for bet-
nicate weather forecast information ter communication. I like to keep
better to the public. We need to do a local feeling with what I present.
a better job explaining to the public Keep it local; keep it human,” he says.
in plain English, rather than in com- Luker admits the demands of
plicated percentages that are hard to leading a weather service are consum-
communicate,” said Luker. “A few of ing, but he is quick to add that as Iowa
Weather Network has become more
Help available for insurance signup collaborative, it has become more fun.
Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa a later date. He also makes a conscious effort to
203 Main Avenue, Clear Lake (VNS of Iowa) will be hosting en- Navigators estimate the enroll- Those eligible for Medicaid and enjoy his high school days, spending
(641) 357-7373 rollment events to provide assistance ment process to take about one and hawk-i may apply at any time of the time with friends, operating the score-
to individuals enrolling in the health one-half hours, provided individuals year and are not restricted to qualify- board for basketball games, analyzing
www.hallrealtyclearlake.com insurance marketplace, which is bring all necessary documentation: ing events outside of the open enroll- and watching basketball, and helping
open through Jan. 31. Professionally •Social Security Number(s) (or ment period. VNS of Iowa also offers the school district with its website and
trained and licensed health insurance document numbers for legal immi- in-person application assistance for technology needs. He has built two
marketplace navigators will serve as grants) these programs, and in-person inter- computers and helped several in the
in-person resources for Iowans need- •Birth date(s) preters may be available, as well. In community as a webmaster.
ing assistance with the health insur- •Employer and income informa- Iowa, children up to age 19 are eli- “(Principal) Mike Barkley at
ance marketplace. tion for every member of household gible for free or low-cost health insur- Clear Creek gave me an opportunity
On Saturday, Jan. 9, and Friday, needing coverage (pay stubs or W-2 ance through hawk-i. Children in a five years ago to take over their web-
Jan. 15, assistance will be available at forms—Wage and Tax Statements) family of four earning $73,000 a year site and he told me to run with it,”
Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, •Policy numbers for any cur- may qualify. Regular check-ups, im- said Henry. “That’s what I’ve been do-
1000 4th St. S.W., Mason City. rent health insurance plans covering munizations, doctor and dentist visits, ing and it’s been great.”
Appointments are strongly en- household members of your house- hospital care, mental health services, Beyond high school, Henry is
couraged, and may be made by calling hold (if applicable) prescriptions and more are covered. considering studying Information
515-288-1516. Walk-ins will be ac- •Information about any health Appointments for assistance enroll- Technology or Meteorology. The op-
cepted; however, due to high demand, insurance available from employer(s) ing in hawk-i may be made by calling portunity to visit the University of
walk-ins will likely be rescheduled for (if applicable) 515-558-6243. Oklahoma’s meteorology department
in Oklahoma City continued to feed
his interest in the science.

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• AmericInn • Best Western • Budget Inn $15 97
• 7 Stars Family Restaurant • Clear Lake Chamber • Clear Lake Bank & Trust
• CLTel • Farmers State Bank • Fareway Specials come with choice of potato or
• Glen’s Tire • Hall Realty • Kum & Go steamed vegetables and soup or salad.
• KFC/Taco Bell • Larson Mercantile • MBT
• Mason City Airport • Microtel • The Other Place Open 6:30 a.m. Mon-Sat. • 7 a.m. on Sunday • Dinner Tues.-Thurs. at 5 p.m. • Fri. & Sat. at 4:30 p.m.
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go on line at www.clreporter.com