Stories from Thursday, October 15, 2015

Mitch Janssen, Orange City, penned this touching essay about his relationship with his special-needs twin sister Madison, who resided at the Faith, Hope & Charity facility in Storm Lake for more than eight years. By MITCH JANSSEN / Special to the Pilot-Tribune...

Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul seemed to lose traction with his audience Wednesday at Buena Vista University, when he responded to a final question by suggesting that climate change is not a top issue facing the country. He called Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders' stance that climate change is the nation's greatest risk "absurd," and complained that anyone who questions the science on the issue is treated as if they had "denied the Holocaust."...

Agency used infant tragedy in Storm Lake to gain thousands of dollars, Thayer says

The Storm Lake School District Foundation announced the beginning of a special fundraising campaign Wednesday at a Business After Hours gathering. The campaign, "Paving a Foundation for the Future" involves the purchase of paver bricks (8"X8" brick for $500 or 4"X8" brick for $250) that will be engraved and placed in an area adjacent to the new Storm Lake High School Auditorium/Gym entrance...

Local outdoorsmen plan a school for nature and survival skills

Anglers are still having good luck catching fish in area lakes despite the cooler temperatures. Here is a look at the DNR Fishing Report. Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Boaters should use caution around the dredge barge, booster pump barge, and pipeline. ...

The Iowa Lottery is offering players a chance to win prizes of $500 cash and men's college basketball tournament tickets in its "Holiday Hoopla™" promotion that began Monday, with a total of 126 prizes up for grabs. The number of $500 prizes on the line will go up with each of the promotion's 12 entry periods, with one cash prize in the drawing on Oct. ...

Kendall Mengey completed her work on The Pioneer statue Saturday. Earlier in the week she coated the statue with a layer of RTV rubber, then coated that with plaster, and Saturday the layers came off. Mengey had used playing cards to create seams allowing the sections to be separated. She will reassemble the sections into a mold that will be used to create a new statue for the city off Ashland Oregon. / Photo by Chip Hubert...

Local children's charities today received a total of $30,000 from employees of the Valero Renewables Albert City ethanol plant, which helped raise the funds through sponsorship of the 2015 Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children in San Antonio. "This is just one of several Valero locations that will proudly distribute funds to children's charities throughout the United States this year. ...

Storm Lake police had concluded a month and one half investigation into alleged child abuse with an arrest. On August 27, the SLPD took a report which alleged that an Edgar Moreno Leija, age 19 of Storm Lake, physically assaulted his girlfriend's 5 year old daughter by striking her with a clothes hanger...

Veterans Day is fast approaching and St. Mary's students and staff would like to pay tribute to local veterans. The annual Veterans Day program will be presented at 1:15 p.m. in the St. Mary's gymnasium on Wednesday, November 11th. Veterans of any branch and assignment are welcome. ...

We've given our kids everything - haven't we? And in the process, we've watched something be taken away, too. Call it freedom, call it innocence, call it sense of safe well-being. It's hard to define, but you know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?...

I went to the gravel pit in Three Waters Wildlife Area Sunday to do a little snorkeling. The air was 85 degrees or hotter, so it seemed like a perfect day for it. I had noticed the water was really clear while I was there earlier in the year, and I saw lots of small bluegill swimming in the shallows. Surely big ones were swimming in the deeps?...

Another Columbus Day has come and gone with a bunch of college beatniks stepping out of their drum circles to fuss about Christopher Columbus. They decry the racism of the term "Indian" as opposed to the more politically friendly, "Native American." Frankly, I do not know why a term originating from Columbus' misunderstanding of where he put down port is any more offensive than using the term "native." The people Columbus discovered immigrated from other parts of the world. ...

Vast Broadband is pleased to announce that JoAnn Foley has won the Vast Fastest Family contest. For her winning video submission, she will receive two tablets, two laptops and two years of 60 Mbps Internet. In addition to her winnings, Foley has also received $1,000 to donate to the school of her choice. She has chosen Storm Lake High School...

When budget is important, many homeowners try to cut costs and take on some of the work themselves. But, DIY is not always a safe bet for saving money. During their #DDIY (Don't Do It Yourself) Flooring Sale, Loews Carpet One Floor & Home is encouraging customers to think twice before taking on a project on their own. There are several questions a homeowner should ask themselves before taking on a DIY home improvement project...

The Natural Asian Store is open for business at Seneca Street. They have a very large selection of asian foods: a huge selection of noodles; canned asian drinks such as coconut milk; fresh and frozen bamboo shoots; various green leafy vegetables; frozen and prepared asian dishes; lots of different kinds of tea; kimchi; different kinds of rice from around the world; all types of seafood including eels and frogs; and tropical ice cream in flavors like peanut, pineapple and melon. ...

Prolific singer-songwriter Clint Black has long been heralded as one of country music's brightest stars. His many talents have helped shape his long career, as Black has transcended genres to become one of the most successful artists in all the music industry. ...

Cleverly Costumed Creatures at PHC Enjoy a costume party with an animal twist! Just in time for Halloween, the O'Brien County Conservation Board is holding a "Cleverly Costumed Creatures" event. Come to the Prairie Heritage Center to enjoy an interactive presentation about animal camouflage...

Newell-Fonda The Newell-Fonda football team will look to keep its season perfect as it faces Woodbine this Friday. The Mustangs (7-0) were able to capture a dramatic win against Exira-EHK with a last second touchdown. To push Newell-Fonda's winning streak to eight games this week with Woodbine (2-5), head coach Brian Wilken said the team has to take advantage of opportunities on the field...

The Buena Vista football team wants to build off the close game against Loras last week in its matchup with Luther (2-3) this Saturday. The Beavers (1-4) have struggled this year to find consistency on the field. To reverse that, BVU head coach Jay Anderson said the team needs to lean on the fundamentals of the game...

In the preliminary round of the Twin Lakes Conference tournament, Newell-Fonda and Alta-Aurelia shined while St. Mary's and Sioux Central struggled. The Warriors (18-10) won all three of their matches in the B pool in Laurens. Thirty miles away, the Mustangs (19-14) won both of their matches in the C pool in Newell...

The Storm Lake girls' swim team dropped its first dual meet of the season on Monday in Spencer. After the Tornadoes squeaked out a victory at home against Spencer early this season, the Tigers returned the favor in their own home waters, beating Storm Lake 51-43. However, the Tornadoes were able to defeat Algona 76-18, while Spencer beat Algona 83-11 in the double dual...

The Storm Lake volleyball team failed to finish the three close sets in the loss to conference opponent Emmetsburg on Tuesday. The Tornadoes (4-18) were defeated in three straight sets by the E-Hawks to drop their fifth match in a row. Storm Lake head coach Kim Johnson said it was a slow start in each game that doomed the Tornadoes...

Buena Vista head volleyball coach Lori Slight has taken a leave of absences from her coaching responsibilities. In her absence, assistant coach Micah Rhodes will take over head coach duties. Rhodes is in his fourth season coaching for the Beavers. Prior to coming to BVU, he served at the student manager for Nebraska Cornhusker volleyball team. ...

Public intox On the evening of Sunday, October 11, at approximately 10:10 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to Brewsters located at 225 East Railroad in reference to a patron causing a disturbance. Upon arrival police were advised that a patron identified as Rick Lipai, age 26 of Storm Lake, had allegedly passed out in the bar and upon being woke up and asked to leave became belligerent and wanted to fight with a friend and a staff person...

June 9, 1950 - October 9, 2015

Congratulations HR Manger Tim Steffen from Tyson Foods for once again helping out the community. Tyson Foods uses some of their profits to help give back to the community. Freedom Quilts is one of many that Tyson Foods supports. Tyson Foods was presented with a plaque in recognition of their generous contribution. Holding the plaque from left to right is HR Manager Tim Steffen and Larry Huegerich. / Photo submitted...