Page 1 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 3-16-2016
P. 1
St. Patrick’s Day Fun pg. 9
Weather More weather on page 5.
Rain/snow mix on Thursday with a high of 45
degrees and a low of 31 degrees.
USPS 117-120 VOL. 146 Issue 11 March 16, 2016 Serving Clear Lake and Ventura since 1869 • Hometown newspaper of Bruce & Debbie Cook $1.50
Clear Lake Clear Lake schools superintendent named
Mirror-Reporter
CALENDAR DOUG R. GEE Doug R. Gee, shared Superintendent at Boyer Gee has served as a shared Superintendent at Boy- when they were on the same night. I can now focus on
Valley and Woodbine Community Schools in Iowa, er Valley and Woodbine Community Schools for the bringing the school and community together,” he said.
Wed. - Fri. has been offered a contract to become superintendent past three years. While the shared experience has been Gee said his immediate goal will be to get to know
Spring break fun of the Clear Lake Community School District, pend- good, he said he looks forward to focusing on one dis- the staff, school board and community.
ing a background investigation. trict. “I want to find out what Clear Lake is doing really
Looking for something The Clear Lake School Board announced Gee as “Both Boyer Valley and Woodbine are about 450 well, what they need to improve on, and find out what
for the kids to do over Spring its new leader after interviewing four candidates last students each and eight miles apart. They need each some of the goals are for the board, staff and com-
Break? On Wednesday, Thurs- week. There were nineteen applicants for the position. other both financially and academically. We plan our munity,” he said. “The next step will be to have a
day and Friday, March 16-18, The School Board anticipates approval of a contract Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) grant board work session to talk about what I found out by
from 10 a.m. – noon the Clear with Gee at its Wednesday, March 30 meeting. Gee, together and are now sharing several classes. I am very talking to people and then we will set board and dis-
Lake Arts Center will be offer- who has been offered an annual salary of $150,000, much looking forward to focusing on one school dis- trict goals. Then our administrative team will start to
ing a Spring Break Edition of plus benefits, will assume the duties of superintendent trict. It will be nice to be loyal to one district. It is
Creative Kids Open Studio. beginning July 1, 2016. hard to decide which athletic or fine arts event to go to See SUPERINTENDENT on page 2
Children first grade and up
are invited to explore a variety Lekwa Marsh lake access improvements discussed
of projects that encourage cre-
ative expression with instruc- Hobie Cat fleet concerned about
tors Angie Roe Gauden and losing space for sailboat launch
Linda Dlouhy. There is a special
mini-critter mask making activ- A steady stream of about 50 persons listened access point. The popularity of canoeing and About 50 persons stopped at the Lekwa Marsh access Monday to learn about planned improv-eRmepeonrst.er photo.
ity planned for Friday’s session, to plans by the Iowa Department of Natural Re- kayaking is one of the fastest growing outdoor
as the Arts Center prepares for sources and shared their ideas for improvements recreational activities and improvements to the there can be no mooring at the site between sunset marsh for 30-plus years. We typically have three
April’s Clear Lake Earth Days to the Lekwa Marsh area during an open house access will provide greater opportunity, as well as and sunrise. to five boats beached there, of which four race
activities. Class fee is $10 per Monday afternoon at the south shore lake access. taking pressure off of existing boat ramps around The no mooring rule has members of Hobie regularly. This represents half of our club,” the
day, which includes all supplies The DNR intends to develop the public ac- the lake. Cat Fleet 10 concerned. Member Chris Wessels letter explained. “Beach cats require this type of
and a light snack. cess across the road from Lekwa Marsh into a day DNR officials say the parking and mooring delivered a letter to DNR representatives Monday space to launch and dock. These members do not
use area that can be used as a launching point for of private boats and trailers throughout the sum- on behalf of Fleet 10 Commodore Steve Brewer, live on the lake. Without this type of access, our
Thursday shallow bottom boats including canoes and kay- mer on the state land is an issue. During summer from Cedar Falls, Iowa. club will dwindle and certainly will not grow.”
aks. The access point can also be used for fishing months, the DNR estimates one to two trailers “We have enjoyed the privilege of using the
More CALENDAR and will initially include some amenities includ- are parked and between five to 10 boats are pulled See LEKWA MARSH on page 7
on page 2 ing some picnic tables, a grill, a portable restroom on the shoreline— many for the entire season.
and some informational signage. Additionally, the area is used as a mooring
Inside “Primarily people seem happy to see some- site for a large barge owned by a landscaping
thing being done at the area. Most liked the idea company. Rock dropped at the access and load-
Opinion..................4-5 of having a day use area with some tables and stand ed onto the barge has started to greatly impact
Weather.................... 5 up grill,” said Josh Rembe, ranger at Clear Lake emerging vegetation found along the shoreline at
Sports..................... 10 State Park. Management of the Lekwa Marsh ac- the area, according to DNR Fisheries Biologist
Legals................12-13 cess on the north side of South Shore Drive is be- Scott Grummer.
Classifieds.........14-15 ing transferred from the DNR’s Wildlife Bureau Representatives from three dock and hoist
to Rembe in the Parks Bureau. companies serving Clear Lake were on hand to ask
Historically the lake access at Lekwa Marsh questions Monday. Overall, the business owners
has consisted of a small parking lot and primitive seemed supportive of the DNR’s plans to improve
boat ramp. The site has been primarily used as the site. The changes will not greatly effect their
a canoe and kayak boat launch and receives con- business, as they may continue to use the access
siderable use during the winters as an ice fishing for hauling hoist and dock materials. However,
Students step into
The Sandbox for
unique learning
Road Reports Eighth grader Keslsie McKibben shared her love of Legos with visually imparied Justine Young.-Reporter photo. Make. Believe.
Emily Hill, Technology Integration Coach for Clear Lake Schools, says those two words
Iowa 1-800-288-1047 sum up a new space this year at the school. Formerly used as a computer lab, “The Sandbox,”
Illinois 1-800-865-5394 a classroom space located adjacent from the school’s media center, offers students a land of
Kansas 1-800-585-7623 challenges. There’s everything from K’NEX and Legos stations, to Erector sets and computer
Minnesota1-800-542-0220 devices, all waiting for students to build, engineer, program and design.
Missouri 1-800-222-6400 It’s a space where’s there’s no wrong answers and no assignments— just the tools to create
Nebraska 1-800-906-9069 and challenges to inspire.
S. Dakato 1-866-697-3511 “We started this in October and it has been an awesome feeling to see so many students
Wisconsin 1-800-762-3947 signing up, wanting to spend time in here before, during and after school,” said Hill. So far
this school year about 70 students have been choosing their own adventures in “The Sand-
Forecasts box.”
This school year, Sandbox time has been divided into 12 rounds, each consisting of 10
Des Moines 1-515-270-2614 school days. Nearing the midway of its rounds, students so far have continually impressed
Sioux Falls 1-605-330-4444 and amazed Hill with their creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication,
Waterloo 1-319-234-6600 she said. They have created fashion using newsprint, challenged each other to create the
Call 511 for Iowa, Minnesota See THE SANDBOX on page 7
and South Dakota
non-emergency weather
and road conditions.
Body found, but murder mystery lingers
Mail: 12 N. 4th St., At the end of the day on Friday, March Irwin Wikstrom, at his home. He told Wik- ways been a “fast and conscientious worker.” This is a weekly feature highlighting some of Iowa’s
Clear Lake, IA 50428 18, 1966, Effie Bell (known as “Cupie” to her strom that Effie was leaving for Illinois. She had gone before to visit her sister in Mo- unsolved homicides in the hopes that it will lead to
Telephone: 641-357-2131 family) got off work from her job at McRay “He told me she was upset and nervous line, Ill., he said, but each time she’d always new tips and potentially help solve cases. The project
Fax: 641-357-2133 Cosmetics Factory in Madrid, Iowa, just as and that she would be leaving to visit a sister,” notified him she would be absent. Townsfolk is a partnership between this newspaper and other
Email: [email protected] she’d done since 1958 when first hired by the Wikstrom recalled. The following Wednes- had begun to talk. Several Madrid persons members of the Iowa Newspaper Association.
Website: www.clreporter.com cosmetics manufacturer. There was no telling day, March 23, Bell went into McRay Co. and quoted Mr. Bell as saying around that time
what the weekend had in store for the wife and picked up his wife’s $40.41 paycheck. that he was moving to Des Moines. In fact,
@CLReporter mother of three, or what her husband, Frank “I asked him when [Effie] would be re- some remembered Bell’s comments from as
Bell, Sr., 49, might have in mind; he’d just quit turning and he told me she was not coming early as Wednesday, March 16, and others as
his job at the John Deere Des Moines Works back,” Wikstrom said. late as Saturday, March 19. Yet Mrs. Bell had
plant the day before. Mrs. Bell had given no indication on said nothing about her husband — or even the
On Sunday evening, March 20, Frank March 18 that she would not be returning to two of them — moving to Des Moines or why.
Bell placed a call to his wife’s general manager, work, Wikstrom later told police, and she’d al-
See GONE COLD on page 7
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