Local and Area News

Suicide prevention is an issue that has touched Storm Lake, as many other communities. A key step is awareness, according to Willa Casstevens, a former psychotherapist and current Buena Vista University social work educator who studies and speaks on suicide prevention...

Planning is underway for Storm Lake Proud Week, April 27-May 3. It’s all about taking ownership, says Mike Porsch. An idea was kicking around in his head well before he became the mayor of Storm Lake. “For a long time, I had been trying to think of a way to develop pride in the community, and at the same time get people involved first-hand in caring for our parks and beaches and public spaces,” he reflects...

Iowans have scarcely had time to recover from last year’s river flooding, which inundated towns from Hamburg to Davenport and points in between, but meteorologists are already warning that flooding is likely this year, too. In response, Iowa’s congressional delegation is focused on short-term concerns, such as making sure that disaster relief efforts get to residents quickly and helping communities shore up flood protection infrastructure before the waters rise again...

A St. Louis man original accused of taking part in kidnapping and robbing two Albert City residents of two pounds of marijuana and $3,800 cash has been sentenced to prison for up to 12 years on lesser charges. Jerome Roberts, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced in local District Court Monday...

By DANA LARSEN Pilot-Tribune Editor Only a year after the new Farm Bill, discussion of agriculture will intensify as Congress looks toward the next guiding piece of legislation, according to Western Iowa Congressman Steve King, who spoke to a gathering including many agribusiness people at Nutra Tech near Storm Lake Thursday...

Gain a better understanding of body image and eating disorder issues during a week of events at Iowa State University starting this week. Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week is part of a national effort to encourage a positive, sustainable lifestyle through awareness of body image issues and eating disorders and to identify resources on campus and locally...

Does the dog movie have any new tricks? Do we want it to? For the most part, we want our dog movies like our pooches: comforting, obedient and slightly slobbery. “The Call of the Wild,” the latest adaptation of Jack London’s 1903 novel, is all those things but adds a new twist. Its canine is computer generated...

The Buena Vista County Pork Producers introduce the 2020 BV County Pork Royalty: Jaeyln Hartnett is Little Miss Pigtails, Paige Roberts is Ambassador, and Adrain Hatlen is the 2020 Pork Queen. The royal crew will make their first official appearance at the producers’ banquet February 28...

Iowa gas prices have risen 5.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.33 to start the week. Gas prices in Iowa are 1.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 2.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Storm Lake pump prices also trended up in recent days, ranging from $2.27 to $2.34, with many station at $2.32 Monday...

A GoFundMe online memorial fundraiser for Kain Mendez surpassed its goal in a mater of hours over the weekend. With a $7,000 goal, over $11.000 was donated within the first day. The 16-year-old Storm Lake High School student passed away Friday. A memorial gathering was held at the school Saturday, and on Monday, the district offered a list of grieving resources. Donations are being accepted for funeral/memorial expenses at “In Loving Memory of Kain Mendez,” GoFundMe.com...

On February 10, Phillip Smith, age 48 of China Grove, North Carolina, was sentenced in the Iowa District Court by the Honorable David Lester for the crime of sexual exploitation by counselor or therapist, an aggravated misdemeanor. Smith is the former minister of Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. The case relates to a parishioner he was counseling...

Seven Storm Lake Middle School band students were selected to participate in the 6th Grade Strong Foundations Honor Band. The selected students performed a concert at Sioux City East High School on Thursday, February 20 (rescheduled date from the original January 23 event cancelled due to snow). ...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King calls 2020 “the most interesting election I’ve been in.” Noting that he faces four primary opponents, he cited a poll from a year ago that showed a 75 percent approval rating for his work. “My gut feeling is that nothing has changed.”...

Plans are already shaping up for a second Day of the Child multicultural celebration in Storm Lake next September, which will expand to include a “children’s villages” element. “It is very exciting to see the children’s villages take off this year with community leaders,” event founder Trevina Jefferson of Trepson Preschool said...

Coffee has been such a daily staple, for so long, for many in society. From providing the fuel, to getting us going in the morning, to the nice diversion of finding a cool little coffee shop on an out-of-town trip, coffee can be the common element, to bring people together...

Media personality and sixth generation American farmer Trent Loos gave the final presentation of the 36th annual Ag Outlook, and it ended with cheers and a standing ovation. Introduced as “a voice for ag,” Loos spoke to the crowd about the spirit of the farmer as well as public perception of farming...

Two people arrested during a coordinated search in downtown Spirit Lake last November have again found themselves in the Dickinson County Jail. The Milford Police Department executed a Feb. 12 search warrant for the apartment of 43-year-old Angela Marie Rinkoski in the 1200 block of Sixth Street. The search resulted in multiple drug charges against Rinkoski and 42-year-old Patrick William Miles of Spirit Lake...

Republican state lawmakers are putting on hold their efforts to pass a bill requiring women to wait 72 hours for an abortion and are focusing instead on passing a constitutional amendment stating abortions aren’t protected by the Iowa Constitution...

October may seem far away, but now is the time to apply to be a part of the 17th annual Artisans Road Trip! Applications need to be postmarked by March 1st, 2020 in order to be accepted. Why so early in the year? Quite simply, it takes a lot of time and behind the scenes work to make a great event like A.R.T. happen. Once we have our membership finalized, then we get to work on designing the brochure, updating the website, and beginning to get the word out about all of our artists!...

Each year Arts on Grand is proud to offer a space for area students’ artwork to be exhibited for the public to see and enjoy. The Middle/ High School show will be Feb. 27th- March 27th. Come down and see our local emerging talent! Teachers from Spencer Middle School and High School will be submitting work for the show. ...

The Okoboji Pickleball Group has come forward with a progress update for the new four-court pickleball complex in Okoboji’s Speier Park. This new addition for the Lakes Area is going to happen in the summer of 2020. The court design was completed on Jan. 1, and on Feb. 11, the city of Okoboji approved placing a contract for installation of the courts, fencing and sidewalks. Weather permitting, organizers hope that the work will be completed by July...

The 2020 candidate filing period for state and federal offices in the June 2 primary and November 3 general election begins Monday, February 24 and runs through Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m. Only candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties will file for the primary elections...

“We need to be looking for ways of adaptation - what are people doing? We want to be able to share ideas: here’s another crop, or another way of doing a crop. We’re always looking for a third crop in the rotation.”

An equipment failure at Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., in Storm Lake caused a discharge of untreated wastewater into the city’s storm sewers early Wednesday morning. Officials at the Tyson plant notified Iowa DNR about 2 a.m., initially estimating about 10,000 gallons were lost before they could stop the discharge...

When sisters Micah and Mary Barnes stepped foot on the Buena Vista University campus, they didn’t realize they’d make history, the first competitors to officially represent the University in National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association competition. “We’re in the middle of our competitive careers right now,” says Mary, a sophomore business major who also plays on the Beaver basketball team. “It’ll be cool someday to look back on BVU rodeo and know we helped get it all started.”...

6 schools in BV County see over 10% sick, highest in state

A prolific wordsmith, Buena Vista University’s Dr. Andrea Frantz succumbs to laughter recounting the tale of a grand career honor, one bestowed upon her recently at the Iowa College Media Association awards dinner, one of 33 accolades earned by BVU in the organization’s annual contest...

Twenty-nine county projects across Iowa will receive Growing Together Mini Grants through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s SNAP-Education. This is the fifth year mini-grant funds have been made available to Master Gardener volunteers, resulting in more than 300,000 pounds of produce being donated in communities across the state...

As of this week, more than 71,000 cases of novel Coronavirus were reported globally, with more than 1,700 deaths, the vast majority in the central China Hubei province where the illness was first detected. Recently, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced that two persons were being tested for 2019 novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iowa. Both patients tested have tested negative for the illness. The nearest confirmed case is in Illinois...

The Storm Lake Schools Music Department presented its annual Swing Show on Valentine’s Day evening, with the high school orchestra, jazz band and jazz choir along with the middle school jazz band performing. Selections ranged from classical to smooth jazz to pop, including “Besame Mucho,” “Ventura Jam,” “Vehicle,” Always and Forever,” “Gonna Fly Now,” “Route 66,” and “Taking it to the Streets.”...

There were plenty of spectators inside the Spencer City Council Chambers Saturday for the Spencer Chamber of Commerce’s first Eggs and Issues forum of 2020. Legislators U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron; state Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids; state Sen. ...

Poetry isn’t written, it’s lived, says Caress Russell. Better known as Lady Caress, Russell brought her aggressive form of theatrical spoken word performance to Buena Vista University Friday night as part of Black History Month events. The National Poetry Champion connected with an audience at CRU5H in a high-energy set fusing poetry, a sweet singing voice, beatboxing, storytelling - and a few wild karate kicks to punctuate points. ...

Storm Lake city officials believe that King’s Pointe resort is finally starting to realize what community leaders envisioned it to be during Project Awaysis development over a decade ago. The city-owned hotel is on pace to rent 19,400 rooms for the fiscal year ending in June, for revenue of almost $2.3 million, and projects to rent 20,075 rooms for the next fiscal year, according to a city council budget discussion Monday...

The Storm Lake School District will buy two lots in the west part of town to cement the future of the once-threatened Building and Trades class. With no available building location this school year, the district inked an agreement with the Habitat for Humanity program that builds homes for limited-income families. Habitat provided the site, already set up for duplex construction, and the class provides the labor, which is rapidly completing the construction for two families to occupy...

A California man suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a Tyson semi tractor-trailer Saturday night at the intersection of Flindt and Richland, near the pork plant. Police were called to the scene shortly before 11 p.m. on a report of an injured pedestrian. According to the SLPD, a semi being driven by Curtis Newman, age 48 of Fort Dodge, was traveling east through the Tyson yard area when it struck a pedestrian identified as Michael Delcastillo, age 63 of National City, California. ...

Storm Lake High School student Malik served as an honorary Storm Lake Police Officer Monday during the Coffee With a Cop event at Storm Lake Bakery. Malik helped the SLPD deliver some donuts to area businesses. (The event coincided with National Random Acts Of Kindness Day). ...

A suggestion from a resident sparked discussion of the campground at this week’s Storm Lake City Council meeting. Dale Phillips spoke out on the city’s capital expense plan, encouraging more investment in the campground. “As I see it, it’s starting to fall apart,” he said. He was concerned about the state of the electrical service, and low spots that see flooding and standing water...

The Storm Lake Board of Education is gearing up for its multiple approaching projects. The anticipated resolution was passed to advertise for sale of general obligation bonds to pay for much of the new Early Elementary School building, not to exceed the $14.98 million based on voter approval last fall. The board plans to receive the bids and approve the funding source in a special meeting April 1...

The Buena Vista cheerleaders put on a big show durring a recent halftime of a basketball game.

Starting seedlings indoors can be a fun, rewarding hobby for many home gardeners. Growing high quality seedlings indoors isn’t difficult. Successfully growing seedlings indoors requires suitable germination materials and just a little skill, note horticulture specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. To have additional questions answered, contact the Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu...

If the Hollywood mantra for making blockbusters is “faster, faster, faster,” then the creators of “Sonic the Hedgehog” have wisely ignored it. The little blue alien who can sprint quicker than the speed of light has ironically benefited from slowing it down, taking a pit stop to retool and emerge this month as a total crowd-pleaser...

Valentine’s Day marked the one-year anniversary of Jaci Hermstad’s diagnosis with a rare, aggressive form of ALS, and the ninth anniversary of the death of her twin sister Alex at age 17 from the same disease, which then could not be diagnosed. The week also marks a trip to the University of Minnesota for Storm Lake native Jaci to receive her 11th gene therapy infusion treatment of the experimental drug the family fought so hard to obtain...

For the second time in four months, a residential fire has resulted in a fatality in Spencer. The victim of Thursday morning’s fire has been withheld pending the autopsy by the state medical examiner and family notification. With temperatures at minus 15 degrees Friday morning, Spencer Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a reported fire at 528 E. First St. shortly after 8 a.m. The report included a notification regarding the possibility of a resident still in the home...

For all their sign-waving and news conference comments, environmentalists admitted this week they have virtually no chance of getting even a hearing on their proposed moratorium on large livestock confinements in Iowa. Emma Schmit of Rockwell City was in the capital Tuesday in her role as a Food and Water Action organizer, joining Des Moines-based Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement to back a moratorium proposal that went nowhere in last year’s Legislature and hasn’t budged this year, either.. ...

The Storm Lake Hunger Dialogues is continuing to work toward solutions to food insecurity in the community, although a meeting planned for last Wednesday was called off as members were suffering from seasonal illnesses. Taylor McCombs of the Iowa Food Bank has been providing guidance for the group. Among the suggestions:...

One employee was killed in the collapse of a cage system at Rembrandt Foods Friday morning. The body was recovered Saturday afternoon and the fatality was confirmed Sunday evening by BV County Emergency Management. The collapse was reported around 6:30 a.m. Friday within a company layer barn in Rembrandt. After the incident, one person was unaccounted for. An urban search and rescue team was called in from Sioux City along with Iowa Homeland Security...

The Buena Vista dance team put on a Hip-Hop dance routine during a recent halftime.

Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School TV News group has qualified for the All-State Large Group Festival in Ames on Saturday, February 22. TV News is a pre-recorded news program involving any number of students on and off the camera.  Students create a theme, write the script, develop commercials and edit the newscast. ...

At Tuesday’s regular meeting, the Cherokee City Council set a bid letting date of Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 2 p.m. for a Water Main Improvements Project (Hillcrest Street water line that needs to be upsized and Armory water line that is a dead end and needs to be looped), and Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 3 p.m. for the bid letting of the South 1st Street Reconstruction Project (FEMA project from damage caused by sinkholes from last year’s flooding)...

The off-Broadway play “The American Solider” will be presented at Buena Vista University, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but RSVPs are being taken in advance. The American Soldier is a solo show written and performed by Douglas Taurel. In 75 minutes, Taurel enters into the personas of 14 veterans and their family members, telling their story of courage and sacrifice...