Page 1 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 11-18-2015

Thanksgiving Recipes pg. 9
Weather
Mostly sunny, but cooler for the weekend. Look
for a low of 20 degrees Saturday night.
USPS 117-120 VOL. 145 Issue 46
Clear Lake
Mirror-Reporter
CALENDAR
Thurs. - Sat.
Cup O’ Joe
The fall Cup O’ Joe
production will have you on the
edge of your seat, or rolling in
the aisles, as you wonder what
those crazy art instructors are
going to do next in “Art School
Homicidal.” The melodrama
will be performed by the Blue
Horizon Players on Nov. 19-21
at 7:30 p.m. at the Lakeview
Room at the City Park Bandshell
- doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets
can be purchased in advance
at the Clear Lake Chamber of
Commerce or Lake Liquors for
$10, or at the door for $12.
Friday
Arty Party
A stack of whimsical holi-
day packages is the subject of
the acrylic on canvas painting
for the Arts Center’s Arty Party
on Friday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m.
Arty Parties are fun-filled art
parties centered around an art
activity with cash bar (wine and
beer) and step by step instruc-
tions from an instructor. De-
signed for beginners or interme-
diates. Everyone paints the same
subject. In the end, there will be
a finished canvas in everyone’s
hands. All materials, includ-
ing paint smocks, are included
in the $32 price for Arts Center
members or $35 price for non-
members. To register, call or
email the Clear Lake Arts Cen-
ter at 357-1998 or clac2@cltel.
net The Clear Lake Arts Center
is located at 17 S. 4th St.
continued
More CALENDAR
on page 2
Inside
Opinion..................... 4
Weather.................... 5
Sports................13-15
Legals..................... 17
Classifieds.........18-19
The lake level rose slightly
to its new reading of -1.08”
below the weir. Last year at
this time the lake was declared
officially frozen on Nov. 17.
The last lake level reading of
the 2014 season was -1.20”
below the weir.
Mail: 12 N. 4th St.,
Clear Lake, IA 50428
Telephone: 641-357-2131
Fax: 641-357-2133
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.clreporter.com
@CLReporter at (515) 286-3800.
Search the ALL of the Homes on the Market for FREE at JaneFischer.com
JANE FISCHER AND ASSOCIATES TEAM
OF CENTURY 21 PREFERRED
Jane Fischer • 641-425-4900 • [email protected] • www.JaneFischer.com • CENTURY 21 Preferred • 2800 4th Street SW, Ste. 3, Mason City, IA • 641-424-9400
More weather on page 5.
Nov. 18, 2015 Serving Clear Lake and Ventura since 1869 • Hometown newspaper of Marlin & Pats Meints $1.50
City gives go-ahead
to hire design firm
for veterans memorial
Former water tower site
eyed, but not yet chosen
Vehicle jumps curb, crashes into garage The Clear Lake City Council ceptual plan to move forward,” said
agreed to enter into an agreement with Callanan.
Emergency crews worked to free Vanessa Swalve from the vehicle she was driving Thursday, Nov. 12, when it crashed into Clear Lake V.F.W. Post 4868 to have Councilman Gary Hugi said he
a garage attached to a home at the corner of 4th Avenue South and South 9th Street. Swalve, of Clear Lake, was driving a RDG Planning and Design, of Des was opposed to using taxpayer money
2006 Chevrolet when she first hit a power pole and then a garage. She was transported by ambulance to Mercy Medical Cen- Moines, provide design services for a for the project, but voted in favor of
ter - North Iowa, where her condition was not made available. The accident, reported at 11:08 a.m. Thursday, is still under proposed veterans memorial at the for- an agreement with the V.F.W. for re-
investigation.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy. mer downtown water tower site. payment. In September, Hugi voted
Council members stressed they against the development of a plan for
School Board tables discussion of were not approving the site, but rather a memorial at the water tower location.
supporting creation of a conceptual At whatever time a specific location is
superintendent sharing until Dec. 16 design which will provide a visual for proposed for the memorial, Hugi sup-
the amount of space a memorial would ports holding a public hearing to re-
The Clear Lake School Board dis- Earlier this year the Board indicated it tops $765,000. occupy. ceive comment.
cussed ending its superintendent shar- was interested in at least planning for a Clear Lake School Board members “I think it is important to know The Council approved entering
ing agreement with the Mason City time in which the superintendent posi- have expressed their concern that in- the height, width, depth, how large, into the concept design agreement with
School District during its regular meet- tion would not be shared. centives may eventually be reduced and how much space a memorial would RDG and into a loan agreement with
ing, Wednesday, Nov. 11. Ultimately In March, the Mason City School Mason City, which holds 60 percent use,” said Mayor Nelson Crabb. the VFW on a 5-0 vote.
Board members decided to table a vote Board agreed to continue sharing on a of the contract, may decide to end the V.F.W. Commander Mike Nelson Other business
on the sharing agreement. 4-3 vote. sharing. brought a proposal to the Council, In other business Monday night,
The issue will be on the agenda at The Clear Lake School District, The Mason City School Board be- asking for the City to front the $8,500 the Council received the annual City
the Board’s Dec. 16 meeting. helped by state incentives, has spent gan discussing its sharing agreements cost of RDG’s first phase. If the con- Financial Report from City Adminis-
The 2015-16 school year is the sixth just $121,930 for the shared superin- with Clear Lake Monday night. The ceptual design is approved and City trator Scott Flory. He told the Coun-
that the two districts have shared a su- tendent over five years. Total district Board took no action. leaders vote to locate the memorial at cil the City continues to be in a very
perintendent, as well as other positions. savings by sharing a superintendent the water tower site, the City would strong financial position. Constitu-
also pay the $19,500 phase two cost tionally, Iowa cities may have approxi-
for final design and construction. Nel- mately $41 million in debt; however,
son said the V.F.W. would enter into a the City of Clear Lake is one of the few
loan agreement with the City to repay cities in the state, if not country, with
the funds once its fundraising cam- less than $6 million in debt. “It’s an
paign for a memorial was underway. extremely proud moment,” said Flory.
Councilman Mike Callanan, Flory pointed out a number of
who made the motion to approve the factors which contributed to the City’s
professional services agreement, said favorable financial report. Those high-
V.F.W. and Council members would lights included:
continue to participate in the design •Hotel-Motel tax collection ex-
process with RDG.
“As we have met over the last sev- See CITY COUNCIL on page 2
eral months we agree we need a con-
This is a weekly feature highlighting some of Iowa’s unsolved homicides
in the hopes that it will lead to new tips and potentially help solve
cases. The project is a partnership between this newspaper and other
members of the Iowa Newspaper Association.
MARTHA “MARTY” ERICKSON | AGE: 47 |
DIED: NOV. 21, 1995
Hometown: Avon Lake
On the evening of Nov. 21, 1995 Martha Erickson, Mindy Coe, U.S. Navy retrired, delivered the keynote address at local Veterans Day services.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.
47, was murdered while on her way to a dance. Her
body was discovered the following day in Avon Lake’s ‘Find your purpose and use it’
shallow water. She had been beaten and stabbed. Police
say the body offered few clues due to time spent in the water, and that they Clear Lake High School students and the public paid ford?” asked Coe. “Because veterans are silent heroes all
couldn’t even say for sure whether Erickson had been sexually assaulted. respect to veterans during a special ceremony held Wednes- around us.” She urged the public to say thank you and re-
Erickson enjoyed helping people fight their demons, and often attended day, Nov. 11, at E.B. Stilman Auditorium. The recognition flect upon the gifts veterans provide.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings even though she wasn’t an alcoholic. included speeches by CLHS students, music, a flag presen- Coe said she realized when she joined the armed services
After Erickson’s death, it was discovered that she was an acquaintance of two tation and keynote speech delivered by Mindy Coe, U.S. that she had a chance to become part of something greater
other murdered women: Susan Kersten, whose severely burned body had been Navy retired. than herself— serve with purpose; sacrifice for the greater
found two months earlier near Iowa City; and Donna Lee Marshall, who was Coe, a Ventura native who now serves as an Iowa State good.
found shot in the head in her home in Bon Aire Mobile Home Lodge in Iowa Trooper, said she was honored to represent fellow service “Find your purpose and use it for the greater good,” she
City in January 1996. But the investigation into the acquaintance of all three men and women. She told the story of William J. Craw- told the students. “There is always an opportunity to serve.
women yielded nothing substantial. ford, who served in Italy in 1943. The highly decorated Use the opportunities you are given to go forth with a pur-
Anyone with information about Martha Erickson’s unsolved murder is asked Medal of Honor recipient assumed a quiet life when he re- pose and the world will be a better place.”
to contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 725-6010, turned from service, working as a janitor. Student speakers Spencer Orr and Issac Byrne shared
e-mail [email protected], or contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office “Why am I telling you the story of William J. Craw-
See VETERANS DAY on page 7
Find out more about this and other unsolved homicides at www.
IowaColdCases.org.
Members of
the Clear
Lake MLS. 1124-1128 LIMESTONE DR, MASON 12 S WILLOWGREEN, MASON CITY 1712 SPRINGVIEW DR, MASON 24 LINDEN DR, MASON CITY 604 N MADISON, MASON CITY 534 20TH SE, MASON CITY Living room
CITY New Twinhomes. Open floor plan Patio, deck, maintained grounds & heated CITY Slider off dining to XL deck with Woodburning bricked fireplace in 9ft ceilings, oak woodwork, striking open dining room combo. Nice basement for
w/Master suite. Vaulted ceilings. Kitchen- in-ground pool. Updates include furnace, LAKE VIEWS. Eat-in kitchen & formal living room. Dining off kitchen with staircase with a window seat, colonnades, family room. Newly fenced yard and
dining combo w/breakfast bar. $252,000. water heater and patio doors. $158,500. dining. LL family room. $138,500. slider to deck & patio. $123,000. and a built-in china cabinet. $109,900. huge patio! 3 stall garage. $92,000.