Stories from Tuesday, June 7, 2016

I cannot get over yesterday...Storm Lake Tornados playing in the CHAMPIONSHIP match was STELLAR! Entering the match the cheers from these stands was nearly as if entering a World Cup match - cheers in English; cheers in Spanish - the beat was infectious!...

What a rainy stretch we had during the last part of April right through May. We definitely reached the saturation point with fields covered with water. Rivers and streams rose and went out of their banks, and runoff made its way into tiles and tributaries eventually ending in our lakes. As a result, lakes rose above full and water poured out of their overflows...

Marathon to Marathon Race Director Al Pierce tries to explain why people run marathons like this: "If you come up to Marathon and meet some of these people, you'll see marthoners are a unique group. They are all ages and they just love to run. For a lot of people, it's a way to express themselves, it's a lifestyle of fitness and weight loss."...

Photo courtesy of Hugh Perry

If you had the ability to create a world with more birthdays, would you do it? This year Buena Vista County is holding its Annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life to support the fight for a cancer-free world on Friday June 17, at Chautauqua Park in Storm Lake. ...

An association of more than 70 years will soon end, following a recent unanimous vote by the Emmetsburg Community School Board to leave the Lakes Conference - the conference in which Storm Lake High School competes. Emmetsburg will join the Twin Lakes Conference for fall 2017, to compete with smaller area schools such as Storm Lake St. Mary's, Alta-Aurelia, Newell-Fonda and Sioux Central. The E'Hawks would be the 12th team in that league. The Lakes would be left with seven schools...

A member of the crew brought in to paint the water slide at King's Pointe has been accused of inappropriate contact with a female child in the indoor waterpark. Storm Lake Police were called to Kings Pointe Resort Friday night. The reporting parties alleged that while their 10 year old daughter was swimming in the indoor park she was inappropriately touched by an adult male...

Saturday morning, Storm Lake Police were advised that a 19 year old female had entered the Sac City Hospital and reported that she had been sexually assaulted in Storm Lake. Police conducted an investigation and allege that the woman had been sexually assaulted by her former boyfriend at a residence located in the 600 block of Superior Street in Storm Lake Friday morning...

Storm Lake police were called to La Paranda's located at 200 East Railroad Street, in reference to an assault with a knife, late Saturday night. Responding officers were told that a victim was at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center being treated for injuries from the incident...

Beth Blankers, associate professor of accounting, was named the 30th recipient of the George Wythe Award, Buena Vista University's (BVU) highest honor for excellence in teaching, at the annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Dinner on May 20. Blankers has been a member of the faculty since 2005. ...

According to Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston, at approximately 2:56 p.m. on June 6, the Buena Vista County Communications Center received a report of an accident involving a tractor rollover in the ditch approximately 1/4 mile east of M50 on C49. ...

Rollin Joens cuts his first hay crop of the season next to Casino Road. Not one for new fancy equipment, Rollin is driving a 1953 International Harvester Farmall Super H with an attached cutter of the same vintage. / Photo courtesy of Hugh Perry

SOUTH SIOUX CITY - A northwest Iowa city clerk has been arrested and charged after police say he tried to meet an underage boy in Nebraska for sex. The Sioux City Journal reports that Lawton City Clerk Douglas Furlich has been charged with sexual assault through use of an electronic device...

Annexation of Tyson plant looms

The Patty Judge campaign is hoping to embarrass longtime incumbent Chuck Grassley. "Grassley's already on TV to try and boost his dropping approval rating in Iowa, but he's off to a rocky start," the campaign said in a statement over the weekend. "Grassley has become so out of touch with Iowans that he features a Patty Judge campaign staffer in his latest ad without his permission."...

Republican State Representative Gary Worthan, Storm Lake, has joined the list of Republicans endorsing Congressional incumbent Steve King prior to the primary election. "I am supporting Steve King because, for the last 14 years, Steve has been a stalwart for family values, life, American sovereignty, and fiscal responsibility in the United States House of Representatives," Worthan said. ...

The 2016 Star Spangled Spectacular Buttons are now on sale throughout the Storm Lake community. Hundreds of buttons have been printed with the winning design by Storm Lake Elementary Kindergarten student Jairo Zavala. The buttons were produced by Buena Vista Stationery and Printing who contributed the cost production to the Star Spangled Spectacular. ...

Storm Lake Police took a report Saturday night of a person in a red Honda vehicle brandished a handgun in a threatening manner towards a local family. Police were advised that the suspect vehicle was parked in front of a residence located at 810 Geneseo Street, and several people who were in the vehicle were standing in the yard at that address. Officers encountered seven people at the home and took all of them into custody...

Sen. Chuck Grassley is pressing the Department of Health and Human Services to implement several recommendations to save billions of dollars and improve the quality of Medicare, Medicaid and other agency-run programs. Grassley also noted that the agency implemented greater safety checks of Head Start facilities after he cited the shortcomings in a letter last year. ...

*Warriors win twice at SL tournament Alta-Aurelia picked up a pair of wins in the Storm Lake Tournament Saturday. With the home team bowing out, the other schools played a round-robin style tourney. AA beat Sioux Center 4-3 in its opener, then KO'ed East Sac County 17-6 in the final game of the afternoon...

_Warrior freshmen each pick up win_ You might say Alta-Aurelia softball has come of age. Behind their young pitching staff steered by wily senior backstop Micah Barnes, the Warriors took two at the Cherokee Tournament Saturday, with an 8-2 win over River Valley and a 13-3 victory over Sioux Central...

Thrilling title game comes down to double overtime finish

Dr. Jae Eccher, formerly of Fonda, graduated May 28 from the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program from Des Moines University. Pictured are Jae and his wife, Ashley. / Photo submitted

Iowa Central Community College in conjunction with Decker Truck Line, Inc. and the Decker Family Scholarship announces the recipients of the 2016-2017 scholarships to Iowa Central Community College. The Decker Truck Line, Inc. $500 scholarship was awarded to Harrison Gebers of Holstein...

Recognition for outstanding academic achievement has been given to the following Grand View University students for the 2016 spring semester. The students are named to the President's List for earning a grade point average of 4.0 while carrying at least 12 hours of classes...

Brea Baumhover, a 2016 graduate of Storm Lake High School, has been awarded the F. William Beckwith Scholarship through the Iowa Grocers Education Foundation for the 2016-2017 academic year. Colton Lullman, a 2015 graduate of Storm Lake St. Mary's High School, has been awarded the F. William Beckwith Scholarship through the Iowa Grocers Education Foundation for the 2016-2017 academic year...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Surgical Director of OR, Casey Orth-Nebitt and Melissa Snyder, RN (OR) spoke to the Storm Lake 3rd Grade Partners In Excellence students on June 3. They shared the process of surgery to ease the fear of coming to the hospital. Students were treated to an end of the year indoor picnic lunch prepared by The Bistro...

Storm Lake IOOF Lodge #221 would like to congratulate Kelsey Harrington (not pictured) and pictured from top, Kaylee Peters, Katelyn Ryan, Katie Tullar and Emily Rice on their 2016 scholarship award. Kelsey Harrington graduated from Kemper Catholic High School, Carroll; Katelyn Ryan graduated from Carroll High School, Carroll; Katie Tuller graduated from MOC-Floyd Valley High School, Orange City; Emily Rice graduated from T.F. ...

On June 3rd, Sole 2 Soul hosted its annual Red Cross babysitter boot camp in Galva with 19 future babysitters in attendance! Jean Grove, owner of Tri-State Plus CPR taught the educational class and helped these young people learn about "real life" babysitting scenarios. ...

Jean Grove, owner of Tri-State CPR Plus was at The Meeting Place in Galva on June 2nd to teach a Red Cross adult-infant-child CPR-AED-First Aid certification course. During the three-hour training, discussion focused on how to check an unconscious victim, help a person who is choking, rescue breathing, run an AED machine, first aid kits, symptoms of a heart attack, administering CPR on adults and infants, how to help a person during an asthma attack, how to administer an EPI pen in case of an anaphylactic reaction, diabetic emergencies, how to help a victim in shock, seizures, stroke symptoms, bleeding and tourniquets, burns and treatment, muscle and bone injuries, head and spinal injuries, concussions, what to do for hypothermia, difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion, animal bites, allergic reactions, poison prevention, and much more. ...

Brewster (MN) Fun Time Dance is sponsoring a dance Saturday, June 11 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. at the American Legion in Brewster, MN. Music by Mark and Len. This event is open to the public. All singles and couples welcome.

Walk a mile with Lesa Turnquist on your lunch hour. Join them at the Storm Lake Library every Tuesday this summer beginning June 14. A 15 minute walk in place mile is a perfect way to either start or end your lunch break. Lesa's DVD will be ready for you in the Public Room from 12-1:30 p.m. Water and granola bars are provided by the Friends of the Storm Lake Library...

Rhubarb is a widely-grown plant that can make an excellent addition to a number of dishes and meals. Late spring to early summer is prime time for rhubarb harvest and consumption. When growing rhubarb at home, take care to ensure prime production. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists can help handle these issues. To have additional questions answered, contact the ISU Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu...

Recall due to expanded sunflower seed recall in the United States

Additional charges filed for series of burglaries Storm Lake Police has filed an additional charge in connection with a series of burglaries which occurred to Storm Lake businesses in 2015 and early 2016. On May 3, the SLPD arrested Torian Vaughan, age 23, of Pocahontas in connection with a large amount of burglaries and attempted burglaries in Storm Lake, and throughout northwest Iowa...

A longtime Storm Lake Star Spangled Spectacular fixture -- The Tubador -- will be making his 25th appearance in local Fourth of July celebration and the Big Parade. Gary McCurdy, a.k.a. "The Tubador" plays jazz and popular music throughout the parks and the parade on a vintage 100 year old tuba known as a helicon each year, delighting those attending the Spectacular...

The Storm Lake Farmer's Market opened for the season on Saturday. Another market will be held at the Buena Vista County Courthouse green (600 Block of Erie Street) Saturday from a.m.-noon. Markets will continue every weekend until October. Thursday markets will be added starting on June 30th...

June 8: Archaeology Field School: Northwest Chapter members are welcome to join the field school students for a day of digging for free. We will meet at the Sanford Museum at 9:30 a.m. and be done by 4 p.m. Members must provide their own transportation to and from the site. Dress appropriately for the weather. If it is storming, we will do work in the archaeological collections. If you plan to attend, please call ahead to let Megan know you are coming...

* On a scale of 5 popcorn buckets, "X-Men: Apocalypse" mutates into 3 buckets of summer fun. Comic purists will have a problem with some storyline continuity, but those who have just enjoyed the McAvoy/Fassbender generation X-stories should enjoy this third installment. It suffers by comparison to the summer kick-starter "Captain America," but it still holds its own. Running time: 2 hours, 24 minutes. MPAA rating: R.