December 2020

By KENT THOMPSON
The city of Bode has lifted its boil order after water problems earlier this week, when a pump went out on the main well.
Bode City Clerk Becky Struthers reported that the pump went out sometime between early Sunday morning, Dec. 27, and 3 a.m. Monday morning, Dec. 28.
Schumacher Well Drilling of Algona came to town and worked till 6 p.m. Dec. 28, repairing the problem. They had to dig 232 feet to get to the pump, Struthers reported.
The city placed a boil order in effect and provided about 120 gallons of water to city residents for general use, along with an additional 14 cases of water for drinking, Struthers said.
The water tower had to be completely drained and then refilled after the repair. On Wednesday, City Maintenance Superintendent Todd McMahon took drinking water samples to the testing site in Ellsworth as required by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

First and second grade students at Taft Elementary School had a surprise this holiday season. Santa reported that the students had been exceptionally good this year and deserved a special gift.
A new event, “Bears and Books,” was held on Dec. 23 at Taft Elementary in Humboldt. Students were treated to a handmade Teddy Bear and a book appropriate to the students’ age and a surprise item.
The books were provided by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) and the Humboldt Education Association (HEA). The bears and surprise items were donated by Santa’s Teddy Bear making elf named Tutu.
Tutu received word directly from Santa in March regarding good behavior of the students and directed Elf Tutu to begin making the Teddy Bears for each student. Tutu cut out, sewed and stuffed each bear and was on hand as the bears were chosen by the students to take home.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service and the Humboldt Fire Department were called to a two-vehicle head-on collision Monday at 5:21 p.m. on County Road C-48 (250th Street).
According to the report, a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicle driven by Katherine Jo Stewart, 30, of Humboldt, was westbound on C-48, about three-eights of a mile east of the intersection with County Road P-56 (Lone Tree Road).
A 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT2 driven by Mitchell A. Skow, 23, Dakota City, was eastbound on C-48.
Witnesses say that Skow’s Pontiac abruptly crossed the center line and struck Stewart’s Chevrolet. The Chevrolet entered the south ditch and Skow’s Pontiac spun backwards and ended up facing west in the westbound lane. Skow said he was distracted by a phone call. He looked down to see who was calling him and the next thing he knew he was sitting backwards in the middle of the road.