State and Regional News

After a successful fundraising campaign, the Clay County Cattlemen raised $5,200 for the Nebraska Relief Fund, which will assist Nebraskans effected by the severe flooding which has impacted the area since the spring. “They went around the local area and people donated hay and money,” said Art Hamrick, of the Clay County Cattlemen. ...

Colleen “Coke” Anderson will put her duties at M&C Anderson Pullets on hold Wednesday for a trip to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. While there, Anderson will be honored twice — once as a 2019 winner of the Farm Environmental Leader Award, and a short time later as the fair’s Iowa Farm Family 2019 Way We Live Award recipient for the day...

No matter who you are, there is something for everyone at the 2019 Clay County Fair, Sept. 7-15. “While every day at the Fair is full of fun activities, there are some activities that only happen once on a special day,” said Fair Manager Jeremy Parsons...

A youngster poses in a selfie shot on the dock of the tourist resort King’s Pointe in Storm Lake recently.

A second consecutive month of below normal precipitation has about 36 percent of the state rated as abnormally dry, according to the latest Water Summary Update. “It seems surprising that after the wet winter and spring that we would be thinking about drought conditions, but recent dryness has pushed parts of the state in that direction,” said Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources. ...

THE DNR FISHING REPORT: Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) White Bass - Fair: Use leeches, crawlers and twisters. Walleye - Fair: Pull crankbaits along the dredge cuts on the east side of the lake and to the west of the big island. Low light hours may be more productive. Channel Catfish - Fair: Try cut bait, stink bait or crawlers fished on the bottom. Target areas with rocky structure. ...

Two voter advocacy groups have told Iowa’s secretary of state that the state must stop rejecting ballots from people misidentified on state lists as felons, saying that the practice violates election laws. The Brennan Center for Justice and the League of Women Voters of Iowa told Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate that the rejections violate the National Voter Registration Act, which allows the U.S. ...

The line to the door of the newly updated Roof Garden ballroom was beginning to wind around the block Friday night as officials with Historic Arnolds Park gathered outside to cut the ceremonial ribbon. The touchstone venue had been torn down in September of last year. Construction had continued through the winter, and the venue’s iconic lettering was hung Memorial Day weekend...

As the international trade dispute between the United States and China continues, a second round of federal aid for farmers is being prepared and may start to make its way through Clay County as early as the end of August. The $16 billion aid package consists of three programs, the centerpiece being the Market Facilitation Program, which will distribute aid payments to eligible farmers through each county’s USDA Farm Service Agency...

The Spencer Daybreakers Kiwanis Club is announcing its second annual Touch a Truck. “Touch a Truck is an event where we park vehicles used in our community in one parking lot for folks to take a closer look.” Explained the club’s Treasurer Terry Peterson, “From a garbage truck to a helicopter-it will be an interesting event.” “This is really an all ages show,” continued Megan Jones, who serves on the Kiwanis Daybreakers Club Foundations Board, “kids and adults love checking these trucks out and seeing how they work. ...

Senator Chuck Grassley, former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the committee advanced legislation to improve integrity and efficiency in the nation’s overburdened asylum system. The Secure and Protect Act was reported to the full Senate by a vote of 12-10...

One of the three Democratic candidates currently campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Eddie Mauro met with the Clay County Democrats inside the Spencer Public Library Thursday and introduced himself, discussing a number of issues and political topics...

On August 3, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Daniel Ryan Linderman, 28, of Waukee, IA, was tubing behind a boat being operated by Timothy Heitland of Buffalo Center, IA, when Linderman fell off the tube into the water. According to witnesses, Linderman was swimming back to the boat when he possibly suffered a medical emergency and went face down in the water for a short period of time. ...

Truck Pull fun at the Humboldt County Fair as Iowa Central Community College Diesel technology Students debuted the truck they built and maintained for competition.

Iowa officials approved lastweek a final set of rules for the state’s new law allowing sports betting, which is set to go live at noon on Aug. 15. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved the new rules during a meeting in West Des Moines. Iowa’s new bill was signed into law in May establishing a legal way to bet on professional, collegiate and international sporting events. ...

The Iowa State Board of Education has adopted new rules that would require lap-shoulder seat belts on all new buses bought by school districts and state-accredited nonpublic schools. The administrative rules adopted Thursday are still subject to legislative review. Other safety equipment required would include one additional stop arm per bus, hand rails, exterior boarding lights and fire-resistant crash barriers between the front bus seats and the bus drivers...

(Editor’s note: Information for this story was provided by Depot Renovation Inc. members Jim Adamson, Mick Samsel, and John Snapp.) The Illinois Central Railroad Depot and Rail Yard complex in Cherokee were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Despite this information, the depot was left unattended with no maintenance, and eventually became a target for demolition to make way for a proposed parking lot...

Wednesday at the EPA hearing on the proposed 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blend levels, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw stressed that if the EPA “blatantly ignores a court order to restore 500 million gallons illegally cut from the 2016 RFS blend levels, American farmers and biofuels producers will lose all faith in the Trump EPA to act fairly.”...

Milford Fire Chief Jim Carpenter is officially back on the job after the Milford City Council meeting on July 22. The council members unanimously opted to retain the city’s longtime fire chief after a sometimes contentious month of discussion. “It’s a big relief to the department and to the town,” Carpenter said. “We’ll do the best we can.”...

Humans aren’t the only ones escaping the heat with a trip to the beach, as this pup and owner shared some time recently on the shore at AWAYSIS Park in Storm Lake.

The University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa are identifying areas that could be trimmed to handle revenue limitations. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that officials say in budget documents sent to the Iowa Board of Regents that Northern Iowa expects to receive $3 million less to spend this coming year than last, in part because of stagnant tuition rates and declining enrollment...

The Latest on the reason a former Iowa state executive was asked to resign, according to AP news: Former Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven says he was unexpectedly asked to resign by the governor last month after he objected to the governor’s request that he continue paying the salary of a woman moving from his department to the governor’s office...

Iowa Public Radio is losing some state support and will have to find more donors, bigger donations or other sources of revenue in order to maintain current programming. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that a proposed budget submitted to the Iowa Board of Regents shows Iowa Public Radio will receive roughly 8% less than it did the last budget year...

Midwest wildlife officials gathered Wednesday to discuss how they might better combat chronic wasting disease, which has been spreading through the region’s deer herds with no end in sight. Among those at the two-day conference in Madison were wildlife officials from Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and two Native American tribes — the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Forest County Potawatomi...

At least four Iowa children have died in the past 18 months at day care centers that had been warned about caring for too many children. The Des Moines Register reports that criminal charges have been filed in two of the deaths, and prosecutors are considering charges in a third case...

Across the nation – including in the state of Iowa – genetic testing company representatives are offering “free” genetic tests to Medicare beneficiaries. These tests can also be referred to as DNA screenings, cancer screenings, and hereditary testing, to name a few...

The youngest serving member of the Spencer American Legion Glen Pedersen Post No. 1, Bri Pullen, became the post’s 81st commander Wednesday evening. “This is probably the first volunteer organization I have been involved in that I wholehearted believed in,” Pullen said. “I really believe in what we do — helping out our veterans in our community in anyway that we can. It is very important to me. It is probably one of the most important things for me.”...

Storm Lake lived up to its name to start the weekend, as a storm system with angry clouds and high winds swept in. Local photographer Leslie Murphy shares this image of the dramatic sky.

The Milford City Council voted on Monday, July 8, not to reappoint Jim Carpenter as the city’s fire chief, and reactions to that vote prompted a joint meeting between the council, Milford Fire Department and Fire Advisory Board. The fire department continued its recommendation of Carpenter, and volunteer members turned out in dress uniform to support him...

By Paul Struck Special to the Pilot After more than two months of rumors and a strategic “corporate” hesitancy to release pertinent information, Iowa Food Group has finally completed the transaction to sell the Cherokee meat processing plant to Lopez Foods, a highly reputable national company steeped in the meat processing industry and a major supplier of McDonald’s food products...

Clay Central-Everly assistant superintendent, Jeff Scharn, and superintendent, Scott Williamson officially took over leadership of the district on July 1. As the district transitions to an elementary only system with the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, the administrators are working to assess the immediate and long-needs of the district and introducing themselves to the communities...

Spencer will have to wait until May of 2020 to make a second attempt at attaining its “Iowa Great Place” redesignation through the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Spencer first received an Iowa Great Place designation 11 years ago, however the program was rebooted requiring cities to redesignate before qualifying for funds available through the program on a cyclical basis...

The Dickinson County Conservation Board voted Wednesday, July 10, to keep clubs swinging and balls flying at Brooks Golf. The board released a statement saying it plans to send out a request for proposal regarding the management of the course. The vote comes after last month’s open forum, where the board heard public opinion as to whether the course should remain open or be converted to prairie reserve. Many comments at the June meeting were in support of continued golf operations...

By Loren G. Flaugh Pilot Tribune Staff After a 23-year wind farm construction hiatus, work on a 2nd Cherokee County wind farm has begun despite this spring’s cooler, wetter weather patterns. Developed by San Diego based EDF Renewables, the 200 megawatt (MW) Glaciers Edge Wind Project north of Marcus is scheduled to be on line by the end of this year...

Authorities say a man died after a tractor rolled over and trapped him underneath it in northwest Iowa. Deputies were sent to the scene after someone called 911 around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says the man had been raking hay in a ditch about 3 miles northeast of Sibley. It appears the tractor’s left front wheel went into a culvert, causing it to roll...

The Adopt A Planter effort downtown is going well, Storm Lake city officials said. All of the above-grade planters on Lake Avenue have been adopted, and half of the ground-level flower beds. Signs are being made to mark the groups making the adoptions. ...

Authorities say a 78-year-old man died after a tractor rolled over on top of him in northwest Iowa. The O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office says Gary Jungjohan had a mower attached to the tractor Wednesday evening and was mowing the north shoulder of a street in Sutherland when the tractor rolled into the ditch and landed atop him...

Midwest farmers and their Republican elected officials rarely miss a chance to shower President Donald Trump with praise when he takes actions they believe help agriculture, but they’re now parsing their words over the administration’s policies dealing with ethanol...

There are approximately 30 judicial mental health advocates who serve the 99 counties of Iowa. Clay County’s mental health advocate, Abby Wallin, initially served the needs of six counties including Clay, but now serves a total of eight, with her office located in the O’Brien County Courthouse...

Dakota Access oil pipeline opponents plan to request a hearing on a proposal to nearly double the pipeline’s capacity. The North Dakota Public Service Commission decided unanimously Wednesday to open the proposal up for public input. Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who represents the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the tribe wants the pipeline shut down, but since there is a proposal to expand its capacity, “Someone needs to be accountable to make sure that’s safe and legal.”...

Dickinson County Supervisors, at the behest of several citizens, approved a letter to the Iowa Department of Transportation requesting an expanded study of the intersection of Highway 71 and Nature Center Road in Okoboji. The crossroad was the scene of a collision in May which claimed the life of a long-time area volunteer...

Democrats in the early presidential contest states of Iowa and Nevada will be able to cast their votes over the telephone instead of showing up at their states’ traditional neighborhood caucus meetings next February, according to plans unveiled by the state parties...

A judge has sentenced an Iowa woman to up to 40 years in prison for charges related to the murder of a woman and the burning of her body. The Des Moines Register reports Judge Thomas Bice on Monday sentenced 28-year-old Mackenzie Knigge, of Clare, to 40 years with the possibility of parole after 24½ years...

Buena Vista County Fair Queen Michelle Anderson, Little Miss Alivia McCarthy, Little Mister Dustin Myers, and King Kendall Snyder were crowned on the opening night of the fair.

A new law updating the possible penalties facing individuals convicted for third or subsequent OWI offenses is now in effect as of July 1. Senate File 113 was passed unanimously by the Iowa Legislature during their prior session and signed by the governor in March...

A group of volunteers is laying the groundwork to bring a program built on the premise of spreading noteworthy ideas to northwest Iowa this fall. The independently organized TEDx Okoboji, an offshoot of the TED Talks program, aims to foster meaningful discussion within communities around the world...

By DANA LARSEN Pilot Tribune Staff Three Storm Lake natives addressed the crowd during the Star Spangled Spectacular patriotic ceremony July 4th. Jane Andrews Erickson, daughter of a Navy veteran and wife of a retired Air Force officer, shared her thoughts on American freedoms, as seen through the eyes of those in other countries she has visited as leader of Kiwanis International. ...

The waterslides tower was shut down for a day last week at King’s Pointe, where a massive crane was brought in to help perform maintenance on the sky-high attractions.

On Monday, July 1, Buena Vista University (BVU) announced two new BVU scholarship opportunities for students with parents or guardians employed at Tyson Foods. Tyson Foods’ Storm Lake plant currently offers $1,000 in scholarship aid for employees’ children attending to apply to BVU. ...

For Kevin, Susan and Lily Rohan, allowing members of the LGBTQS Alliance Group to decorate the trees in front of their home in Spencer on Monday, June 17, with flags made of multicolored ribbons was more than just an act of support for friends and loved ones who identify as part of the LGBTQ community...