Local and Area News

Spotlight surveys find area deer numbers rising, bobcats moving in If you’ve seen suspicious spotlights shining around the ditches and groves of Buena Vista County of late, rest assured, it isn’t space aliens or rogue hunters. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is in the midst of a spring spotlight survey - an important process to learn about the population of deer, opossum, fox, coyotes and other furbearers. ...

HyNoon Kiwanis announces the start of another season of the Community Sailing Academy. Information and class registrations are available at the Storm Lake United office at 119 West 6th Street, by calling CE at 732-3780, or contacting skipper Rick Peterson at 299-4374...

There is still time to sign up for the first “Storm Lake Proud” campaign, with beautification projects happening around the community next week. To find out about opportunities for groups to be involved in a project, call 732-8029. Early response has been slower than the city hoped for, and interest needs to be determined in order to have tools and materials such as paint for the bandshell and park benches, or sealer for the city’s tree carvings, prepared for the projects...

A Storm Lake man appearing for a probation revocation hearing at the courthouse this week was arrested on allegations of sexually abusing a 14-year-old former Storm Lake resident. Police were notified April 5th by Juvenile Court Services of a possible sexual assault case...

A Storm Lake man has been charged with Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse and drug-related charges after allegedly holding a 14-year-old girl against her will and sexually assaulting her. Police were called to the medical center emergency room Sunday afternoon after a patient there had reported being sexually abused. ...

The Storm Lake School District is losing an administrator from one position, creating another position, and moving one of its current administrators. In a special meeting Monday, the board accepted the resignation of its curriculum director, Tina Gress, at the end of the school year. In a letter to the school board, Gress cited a long commute over the past five years and a desire to spend more time with family...

On Thursday, April 25 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Mickle Center, 1620 Pleasant Street in Des Moines, Bold Iowa will host a Climate Bird Dog Workshop. Participants will hear from Iowans on the front lines of the climate crisis and from Climate Bird Dogs about their experience interacting with presidential candidates. ...

Members of the Buena Vista County Farm Bureau and Iowa Corn Growers Association will be on hand at the new Casey’s General Store in Storm Lake Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to promote E15 and UNL 88 ethanol products. The volunteers will man the pumps and help customers learn about the ethanol products, and Casey’s will be offering discounts. Everyone is welcome...

Registration forms for the 2019 Star Spangled Spectacular Artists’ Alley are now available online at the event website for vendors to download. Interested participants can go to www.starspangledspectacular.net, go to Artists Alley on the site and download the registration form and send in their completed form along with the $45 entry fee...

Family and friends are raising funds to send the body of a Storm Lake man to his home country of Cuba and to assist his family with burial costs. Lien Tejeda Lores, age 29, of Storm Lake, was killed in a motorcycle accident near Alta on April 15. A fund drive is underway on the GoFundMe website, “Loving Memory of Lien.” As of presstime nearly $4,000 had been raised in the first week toward a goal of $10,000...

A bill that would legalize betting on sporting events and fantasy sports in Iowa has passed the Senate and is expected to be considered as soon as Monday in the House. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which regulates the state casinos, to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events, including motor racing...

Summit Evangelical Free Church hosted a concert by the A cappella Choir of Northwestern College, Orange City on Saturday, April 6. The choir also sang during the church’s worship services as well. The tour program featured songs of faith, including “Mary, Did You Know” and a powerful setting of a prayer by Mother Teresa. ...

A Storm Lake man appearing for a probation revocation hearing at the courthouse this week was arrested on allegations of sexually abusing a 14-year-old former Storm Lake resident. Police were notified April 5th by Juvenile Court Services of a possible sexual assault case...

A Storm Lake man has been charged with Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse and drug-related charges after allegedly holding a 14-year-old girl against her will and sexually assaulting her. Police were called to the medical center emergency room Sunday afternoon after a patient there had reported being sexually abused. ...

“What’s the catch?” parents ask Jodi Theisen, guidance counselor at Storm Lake High School, when they find out about the Gear Up program, thinking a program that prepares a select class for college success and provides them with a $2,500 per year scholarship to use towards college is too good to be true...

The Storm Lake High School Student Council and mascot Stormy joined the preschoolers at East Early Childhood for an Easter egg hunt.

Storm Lake School District officials have agreed to sell land to the City of Storm Lake to allow for a water retention project in the 4th Street and Oates area. The area of the community has long seem extreme flooding, compounded by E-coli concentration in the stormwater. ...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Buena Vista County is one of 69 in the state that are losing population. Newly-released estimates place the county under 20,000 population for the first time in at least a decade, down from 20,102 in 2017 to 19,874 for 2018. Census estimates have reduced population of the county for five consecutive years, from the recent high of 20,612 in 2013...

The Iowa Women’s Foundation is following up in Storm Lake to ensure progress is being made in the fight for an oasis in The City Beautiful’s child care desert. Having lost 65 percent of providers in the area in the last five years, the solutions team is working on all fronts with all different ideas to make up lost ground for nearly 4,000 children in Buena Vista County...

Child abuse and neglect come in all forms and does not have a demographic, says Annette Koster, Early Childhood Coordinator for Sac City Public Health. In honor of April, declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by Buena Vista County Supervisors, learn to recognize the signs...

Storm Lake college student Isabel Haas received an Excellence in Mentoring Award presented by Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg in a ceremony last week at the state capitol rotunda. Haas is a volunteer with the BV Buddies program at Buena Vista University/Storm Lake STARS mentoring program. She has been a mentor for two years and has now taken on leadership and recruiting roles...

Former head of the Iowa State Patrol and 1978 alumnus of Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School Patrick Hoye will be giving the address at the May 12 St. Mary’s High School Commencement Exercises. Graduation will be held at 2 p.m. in the school gym/auditorium and is open to the public...

Anyone who thinks the Dakota Access Pipeline protests of 2016 were merely a futile protest by current-day Native people should read Our History is the Future by Nick Estes. Estes, who grew up in Chamberlain, S.D., and who is a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, chronicles centuries of Native resistance to colonial incursions on indigenous land and human rights...

U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa today released the following statement regarding an announcement from Sanofi to reduce the price of insulin for qualifying patients to $99 a month. “Sanofi’s announcement is a step in the right direction. Millions of Americans with diabetes need insulin to survive. Any time a prescription drug company lowers prices for patients, that’s news I’ll welcome...

Health officials have reported the first confirmed Iowa case of measles since 2011. The Iowa Public Health Department said Monday the person wasn’t vaccinated and contracted measles while on a trip to Israel, where outbreaks have been reported. Iowa officials are working with the infected person as well as with people he or she potentially exposed. The department says there’s no indication of any threat to the general public...

In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, Hy-Vee, Inc. is providing free Hemoglobin A1C screenings throughout its eight-state region during the month of April. April 1-30 8 a.m.-noon or 3 - 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday at varying locations The free screenings will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis at the Hy-Vee Healthy You Mobiles in more than 150 Hy-Vee store parking lots. ...

Donations to the Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation totaling $13,000 have been used to purchase two Maxi Move patient lifts. These new lifts will provide greater safety and comfort for the patient and help reduce the possibility of injury to the care giver. ...

Rob Colerick, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center CEO, welcomed past and present BVRMC Voluteers at their annual luncheon held on April 16, 2019. Rob thanked them for their personal connection with patient experience by our greeting them at the door, walking them to their destinations, and answering questions to help people better understand what BVRMC is about. Mary Drey, Volunteer Services Coordinator reported 90 active volunteers gave over 5,500 hours of their time towards BVRMC in 2018...

Registration is open for the 2019 Star Spangled Spectacular Big Parade – the biggest and best Fourth of July Parade and Iowa. Entrants are encouranged to complete a registration form by June 17. The online forms are available at www.starspangledspectacular.net under the Big Parade section. ...

All are invited to join us for the 90th Birthday Celebration of Bonnie Kier Sunday April 28, from 2-4 at Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. No gifts, please. Birthday greetings may be sent to  Bonnie Kier 6254 200th Ave. Newell, IA 50568./ Photo Submitted...

Kirk Langner, native of Schaller Iowa, will be featured speaker at the Buena Vista County Historical Society’s Annual Meeting at the museum, on Sunday, April 28, 2 p.m., following the Museum Annual Report at 1:30 p.m.. The title of his talk is: “Talking Weather’: Kirk is a 2017 graduate of Alta-Aurelia High School and is currently completing a degree in Music Education at Iowa Central. ...

Storm Lake Water temperatures are in the low to mid 50’s. Black Crappie - Fair: Anglers have picked up crappie in the marina using crawlers and minnows. White Bass - Fair: Pick up white bass from shore with crawlers and twisters. Walleye - Fair: A few have been picked up from shore in the marina and along the north and east shores using twisters. Look for the post-spawn bite to pick up...

By ELIJAH DECIOUS Pilot-Tribune Staff When 11 million people are killed in genocide, it takes some thinking to understand why. “How could the world allow bad things to happen?” asked Brad Wilkening, member of the Iowa Holocaust Council, as he reviewed the rise of antisemitism that also claimed the lives of five million deemed “others,” including gay people, the handicapped, Catholics and gypsies...

Storm Lake United is pleased to present the Lighthouse Summer Concert Series: a total of four unique and diverse concerts that are free to attend and a great reason to stay in town and enjoy some family-friendly fun. Bring your blankets and chairs and find your perfect spot on the Great Lawn at AWASIS Park or take to the lake and experience the concert from the water. ...

First, the bank tried to lock them out. Then, the Sheriff's Office knocked on their door. Turns out, their landlord of three years hadn't been paying the mortgage, even as she collected the rent checks. "What?!" Alta tenant Cynthia Larson replied in disbelief...

On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 17, at approximately 12:39 p.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the intersection of West Milwaukee Avenue and Vestal Street in reference to a report of a small child falling out of a school bus...

The Sioux Rapids Area Historical Association will offer a Dailey Family Pioneer Cemetery Tour, Sunday, April 28, highlighting what is believed to be the oldest cemetery in Buena Vista County. A brief informational presentation will be held at the historical museum. Buses will leave from there at 3 p.m. for a ride to the cemetery locations...

The Storm Lake Police Department K9 Unit has received a generous donation of a “Buddy Bag” for their police K9 Ozzy and his handler Officer Mitch McDonald. A “Buddy Bag” is a canine specific emergency medical kit. The buddy bag was created by the K9 Defender Fund, a non-profit organization that provides medical kits to K9 Teams throughout the nation...

The Sulphur Springs window is being readied by Linda Struthers for the 2019 theme “Past Businesses on Main Street.” The new main display and windows for each county community are nearing completion. The society has enjoyed locating memorabilia for display, with Lucille Fitzsenry leading the effort for the research and creating the displays in the museum glass cases. ...

Storm Lake will extend a deal for $1 building permits for new single-family home construction, after seeing some success with the incentive over the past year. Nine homes were built in the past year, which is as many as the previous three or four years combined, according to Mayor Mike Porsch. Council member Tyson Rice noted that while the city gives up permit funds, the community benefits as the property tax base is expanded...

Sue Brown was nominated and unanimously elected as president of the Prairie Lakes Area Education Association Board of Directors at this week’s board meeting, replacing Gary Astor, who is resigning from the position. Brown had been serving as vice president. ...

The Storm Lake Public Library Board of Trustees will be holding a Community Forum on April 23, at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to voice their concerns and suggestions regarding the library. The forum will be held in the main reading room.

After a closed-session evaluation of Superintendent Stacey Cole Wednesday night, the board of education voted to offer Cole a three-year contract. The first year includes a salary of $190,339, up from $184,039, representing the same 3.75 percent salary increase as the other district administrators are receiving. Cole will still be considered to be in a two-year probationary period, in keeping with state policy...

On Thursday, April 18th, at 7:30 p.m. the Storm Lake United Methodist Church, 211 East 3rd Street, will be presenting an original Last Supper Drama titled That You May Have Everlasting Life. The drama explores some of the events that happened during Jesus’ last week on earth. ...

A Storm Lake resident chided the city council Monday night about the condition of the community, saying that it’s being allowed to “turn into a junkyard.” He said many junk vehicles are being allowed to sit around, as well as garbage on trailers. “It makes the town look like hell,” he said. He brought photos of what he saw as problem areas, and urged the city to do more to enforce ordinances dealing with abandoned vehicles and junk...

The Gospel Fellowship, a network of area churches and ministries, will hold their annual Joint Easter Sunrise Service, April 21 at 6:15 a.m. at Casino Beach (located behind the Storm Lake Marina on the west side of the lake). Worshippers are encouraged to bring their own chair, blanket and lantern...

The City of Storm Lake’s plans to redo the Michigan Street parking lot this spring will likely be pushed back to fall, after a lone contractor bid for the project came in about 47 percent above the estimated cost for the project. The city’s engineer had estimated cost at about $329,000, and the company from Fort Dodge bid over $484,000. Several other companies that had shown an interest did not submit bids...

Storm Lake prom-goers in all their finery pose with the backdrop in the Storm Lake High School Commons. After moving the event back to the school this year, attendance increased by 40 couples.

Storm Lake college student Isabel Haas is being honored with an Excellence in Mentoring Award presented by Governor Kim Reynolds this week at the state capitol rotunda. The award program, established in 2009, gives certified mentoring programs such as Storm Lake’s the opportunity to recognize outstanding long-time youth mentors. Individuals selected have served as a mentor a minimum of two years and exemplify both the spirit and positive benefits of mentoring...