Stories from Thursday, January 12, 2017

Difficult decisions will have to be made in the near future by Storm Lake city leaders. In a special meeting Monday night, the city council heard a report on upcoming revenue challenges from Brian Oakleaf, who came on board as the city’s financial director after departing as general manager of King’s Pointe in 2016...

Storm Lake Public Safety Director Mark Prosser has been chosen as a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award honoree for 2017. The award will be presented at the 28th annual Iowa Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on Monday, Jan. 16th at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens, 10:45 a.m...

A makeshift hockey game on the lake ice off Chautauqua Park, lit by the sunset. The lake will play host to a pond hockey tournament later this month. / Photo by Chip Hubert

“I am not going to break stuff, but I am not a standard politician.” – Rich Leopold Democrat candidate for governor Rich Leopold visited Lakeshore Cafe Tuesday to meet with and speak to community members. Storm Lake is the 19th town Leopold has visited since announcing candidacy last Wednesday...

Monday’s glare ice conditions kept law enforcement and road crews busy around Buena Vista County. “By my count we have 27 cars in ditches, six jackknifed semis partially or totally blocking roads, and two snowplows that slid off the roads,” Sheriff Kory Elston told the Pilot-Tribune. “You know it’s pretty bad when a plow is in the ditch.”...

Authorities have pieced together details of a tragedy that cost an 84-year-old Ida Grove woman her life last weekend. Beverly Joy Annear went missing Friday night after leaving home to visit a friend in a local nursing home. Her family placed a plea on Facebook later that night asking for help in searching for their mother and grandmother. On Sunday, they called off the search and announced that funeral arrangements would be pending...

The Newell Food Pantry recently sponsored a poster contest for Newell-Fonda elementary students in Kindergarten through third grade. The theme of the contest was “What a Food Pantry Should Look Like.” Roughly 140 students participated in the contest and the winning poster was drawn by Sherry Rivera-Galvan, a third grader in Mrs. ...

A pancake brunch to benefit The Newell Food Pantry will be held at the Nain Lutheran Church, 441 W Jensen St, Newell, on Sunday, January 15 from 12-2 p.m. This event is free will donations and is sponsored by Storm Lake Kiwanis. For more information, call 712-730-2580...

Average retail gasoline prices in Iowa have risen three cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.38 per gallon. This compares with the national average that has increased 2.1 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.37. Storm Lake prices actually declines slightly during the period, to $2.20 for super unleaded at most stations early in the week...

AMES — Iowa State University insect experts say an extensive surveillance project last year found that the two mosquito species most associated with Zika virus are not established in the state. The ISU Medical Entomology Laboratory oversaw mosquito trapping in 15 Iowa counties. The traps collected nearly 176,000 mosquitoes between May 3 and Oct. 4. Not a single specimen of the two species known to transmit Zika was found...

FORT DODGE — A central Iowa man who was texting when he crashed his pickup truck into a car has been convicted in the deaths of two people. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports Chief District Court Judge Kurt Wilke on Monday found 21-year-old Colten Bills guilty of two counts of homicide by vehicle by reckless driving...

Local economic development officials say Monday’s announcement by Polaris Industries to eliminate the Victory line of motorcycles caught them off guard. Polaris plans to “immediately begin winding down” its 18-year-old motorcycle brand and Victory operations in Spearfish, South Dakota and Spirit Lake...

Part One – The Early Years

The Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association (IRRMA) is pleased to announce the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees. • Bands – Jeff Brandt & Galaxy (Central Region), Lavender Lace Band (Central Region), High Heel & the Sneakers (Southwest Region), The Night People (Southeast Region), Hampton Road (Northeast Region), Prince & the Paupers (Northwest Region), IRRMA All Stars Band (Northwest Region)...

The Northwest Iowa Musicians will once again be performing at The Copper Cup, 425 West Main Street, from 6 - 9 p.m. on the opening night of the Cherokee Jazz & Blues Festival, Friday January 20. Here are capsule bios of the performers who comprise Northwest Iowa Musicians:...

The Buena Vista County 4-H Robotics Club participated in a Robotics Competition at Pocahontas High School on Tuesday, January 2nd. Sue Jarvis, Pocahontas High School science teacher and 4-H Robotics educator, designed three competition courses including: 1) Working on the Farm, 2) Day at the Zoo and 3) Nature’s Fury. ...

Get out of the winter doldrums with a look at a REALLY cold time period! Join the O’Brien County Naturalist as we take a step back in time to learn about the glacier’s impacts in our region and the colossal creatures that lived here at the time. The O’Brien County Conservation Board is hosting a program “Frozen in Time” at the Prairie Heritage Center on Sunday, January 15 at 2 p.m. ...

March 6, 1963 - January 6, 2017

May 11, 1923 - January 7, 2017

August 3, 1933 - January 8, 2017

April 10, 1929 - January 8, 2017

Theft On the afternoon of Monday, January 9, at approximately 4:15 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Storm Lake Wamart store in reference to a theft. Upon arrival of police they met with store staff who alleged that a store patron identified as Cara Christoffer, age 29 of Sac City, attempted to leave the store with approximately $13 in merchandise she didn’t pay for at which time she was detained. ...

The Lighthouse Inn has been a peaceful place for weary travelers to rest their heads since 1953. The fourth and most recent owner of the inn as of December 1, 2016 is John Reed. Reed, from Wisconsin, moved to Storm lake four years ago. He’s lived in many places over the years including New Hampshire, California, and Missouri. ...

Quad County Corn Processors, a 14.5 million bushel corn processing biorefinery in Galva, recently donated $5,000 to the Holstein Fire Department to assist with purchases of new rescue equipment which helps fire fighters and ambulance personnel in emergency situations...

Confinement site manure applicators should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to maintain or renew their confinement site manure applicator certification. The Sac County workshop will be offered on February 3 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sac County Extension and Outreach Office, 620 Park Ave., Sac City...

Area’s ‘Saw-whet Santa’ leads bird watching guru to his goal - 750th spotting across 50 states

During January interim, students are encouraged to sign up for a course from an array of creative, cultural, mathematical, or scientific courses. If students aren’t participating in an internship or field work, they can sign up for classes such as: Creativity boot camp, Cryptography: A History of Secrecy, or Things You Should Know That Happened Before You Were Born...

For months, Buena Vista County Supervisors and their drainage attorney have met regularly in closed session to discuss strategy in a land-breaking lawsuit in which the Des Moines Water Works seeks to assign responsibility for nitrates in river water to upstream counties Buena Vista, Sac and Calhoun...

For decades, the Witter Art Gallery has been a cultural force for Storm Lake. Which begs the question, “What now?” “Our biggest concern for the future is finding the proper balance of what we are able to provide for the community and what the community wants from the gallery,” muses Patricia Hampton, head of the Witter Gallery board...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King tangled briefly with critics over his stand on defunding Planned Parenthood, via Twitter, over the weekend. One woman posted a King quote, with the Congressman suggesting efforts could be further expanded to eliminate abortion services. “I would say, why would we limit it to Planned Parenthood,” his quote read. “Why wouldn’t we include any organization that provides the things they call abortion services or pro-abortion counseling?”...

The St. Mary’s Homecoming coronation and pep rally will be held Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in St. Mary’s Gym. The homecoming basketball games vs. East Sac High School will be played Friday, Jan. 13 with the girls’ game tip off at 6 p.m. and the boys’ game to follow...

Humans don’t hibernate, so it’s time to get out of the house. Bring your toddler, ages 2-5, to the next Nature Tots Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji and go for a Wintertime Walk. “We will focus on snow and how animals survive through the winter,” said naturalist Charles Vigdal...

DES MOINES — Donald Trump’s emphasis on immigration issues has ramped up interest in a federal proposal named for an Iowa woman killed after a suspected drunken driver who authorities say was living in the country illegally slammed his pickup into her SUV...

DES MOINES— Outgoing Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says that he doesn’t think tax cuts are feasible during the upcoming session, a position that seems to put him at odds with fellow Republicans who will control both chambers of the Legislature. Branstad told reporters at the annual Associated Press legislative seminar that although he generally supports tax reform, immediate cuts aren’t sustainable amid the state’s financial climate. ...

Who is Keith Richards? Lee Iacocca? Donna Rice? Why is “watch out for that banana peel” used as a phrase to mean be careful? Knowing things that happened before you were born used to be referred to as general knowledge and most people exhibited it. Do we still have it today?...

Democrat Kim Weaver of Sheldon is not ruling out another run against incumbent Steve King, after getting 38 percent of the vote last November. In response to comments posted online encouraging another campaign, however, she said it would take more support than she experienced in 2016. ...

This school year will be the last time that school districts will use the Iowa Assessments as the annual measure of students’ academic proficiency. Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, Iowa Assessments will be replaced with a test called Smarter Balance. ...

Instructor Di Daniels will be teaching Spanish for Beginners Monday evenings starting Monday January 20th through March 6th. Classes will be held at Storm Lake Public Library  meeting room from 4:30-6 p.m. The emphasis of this class will be on grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure. Pair work, games, music, and lots of repetition to reinforce what you learn...

Storm Lake School District leaders are looking at two different proposals for a school calendar for 2017-18, and hoping to gather some input from the public before making a choice. Both schedules begin the school year August 23 and end it May 25. The differences between the two options are when parent teacher conference comp days are scheduled. ...

Ridge View goes wire to wire against Storm Lake SCHALLER - The Raptors never trailed on Monday night against the Tornadoes and pulled out a 43-31 victory. Ridge View took a four point lead, 10-6, after the first quarter. Storm Lake managed to tie it up at 10-10, but a 10 point run helped the Raptors take a 10 point advantage into halftime, 25-15. Storm Lake battled back to get within four in the fourth period and then saw Ridge View go on another run to salt the game away...

The Clay County Fair announced country breakout band Old Dominion as the first act to headline the U.S. Cellular Grandstand at the centennial fair celebration at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. “The opportunity to bring one of country music’s rising stars to the Clay County Fair is so exciting,” fair manager Jeremy Parsons said. “This concert will be one of the highlights that people will want to ‘come home’ for during the fair.”...

Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, best known by his stage name Five for Fighting, joins the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra on February 4 at 7:30 p.m. for an evening of fan favorites including Superman (It’s Not Easy), The Riddle and 100 years. For tickets, contact Sioux City Symphony Orchestra at 712-277-2111 or visit their website at www.siouxcitysymphony.org...

Like the dark earth of his Iowa origins, Chad Elliott’s life has served as fertile ground for music. He has turned love, loss, fatherhood, divorce and homelessness into lyrics. Chad performs more than 200 shows each year, has cultivated more than 1,000 songs, and released his 20th album in October of 2015...

Werge leads Tornadoes past Ridge View SCHALLER - Storm Lake senior Josh Werge felt it from behind the arc on Monday night, canning eight threes enroute to 33 points as the Tornadoes beat the Raptors, 86-54. Werge had 18 of Storm Lake’s first 20 points on the night as they took a 20-17 advantage after the first quarter. ...

Teachers say their colleagues make the difference in their students’ educations

Long time PAC teacher and coach Kevin Stumpf was involved in a serious traffic accident on December 30th. Kevin was sent to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines by lifeflight. He has mounting medical expenses still in front of him. As a result, the Laurens-Marathon Chargers will be accepting donations on Kevin’s behalf to assist with some of the expenses. ...

The Buena Vista County Soil & Water Conservation District will again be sponsoring the Dr. T.E. Shea Conservation Memorial Scholarship. A $1500 scholarship will be presented to a Bunea Vista County high school senior to be used for their first year of education on the college level; studying in any field of agriculture or natural resources. ...

Storm Lake Middle School has released their First Quarter Honor Roll. 5th Grade Irelyn Ahlers, Prescilla Aldaba, Oscar Almaraz, Hailey Anderson, Stephany Arbizu, Mubuh Too Ber, Dailton Billings, Kayla Boggs, Sylvia Castillo, Anoun Chaiyawong, Lizbeth Chavez, Jose Comparan, Nelly Cortes, Madison Courtright, Megan Courtright, Lillian Dahlhauser, Monica David, Nayeli DeLoera, Landon DeMoss, Iris Fang, Bruno Figueroa, Stacy Flores, Jimena Garcia, Crystal Gomez-Ramirez, Jose Gonzalez, Mailee Gonzalez, Fernanda Gonzalez-Lopez, Shannon Henry, Jasmine Ioanis, Maryjane Isaac, Fernanda Japa, Danielle Jepson, Shauntez Johnson, Meggie Keller, Tony Khang, Benjamin Langner Yarosevich, Tar Ler, Seanna Lincoln, Angel Lopez, Aiden Louis, Narissa Lovan, Francisco Magdaleno, Grant Mai, Lizeth Maldonado, Felipe Manriquez, Cole McAtee, Bryon Mejia, Miranda Mills, Agustin Morales, Ernesto Morelos, Sahachat Muad-Otton, Roberto Navarro, Angelo Negrete, Joanne Ni, Edgar Ordonez, Thi Ha Phyo, David Praseutsinh, Philip Preciado, Andrea Ramirez Alvarez, Saby Ramos, Joseph Rice ,Althena Rios, Arianna Rios, Taylor Ripke, Annely Rojo, Saul Rosales, Jaslyn Saengchanpheng, Leslie Salmeron, Alexis Sanabia-Manriquez, Christian Sanchez, Katherin Sarabia, Brayden Schreier, Jaiden Sievers, Hershdeep Singh, EhHserMuLar Soe, Natasha Solem, Madison Stull, Sunny Thao, Brock Turnquist, Saharat Uppahard, Karol Venegas, Mason Wunder, Aiden Yahola, Kristina Yang, Jessica Zafra-Coronel, Angel Zaragoza-DeLaPaz. ...

Grammy Award winner Mike Farris will perform his show, Mike Farris Sings the Soul of America, at the Rosemary Clausen Center in Holstein on Saturday, January 14. Show time is 7:30 p.m. In music there are those special artists that seem to transcend genre and defy categorization. From time to time one hears a voice that can stop you dead in your tracks and shake your foundation to the core. Mike Farris is that artist, and he has that voice...

The Storm Lake Buena View Garden Club is celebrating its 50th year with a number of interesting programs which are open to the public. The January 12th presentation by Dennis Beck will be in the Library Meeting Room at 2:30 p.m. Mr. Beck has an interesting program about sprouting; something gardeners can do during our cold Iowa winter. Whether interested in growing or just eating sprouts, everyone is welcome to attend this program. New garden club members are always welcome...

Couples will learn social dancing at an upcoming evening short course to be held in Storm Lake. Instructors Dan and Brenda Anderson will guide participating couples through the two most utilized social dance steps: the swing and the fox trot. The class will start Thursday, February 2nd and will be held for five consecutive Thursday evenings from 6:30-9 p.m. The lessons will be held at the Storm Lake East Elementary School Gym...

Happy 70th Anniversary to Bernard (Ben) and Elaine Meyer on January 16. Help them celebrate with a card shower. Cards may be sent to: 520 Otsego, Apt. 210, Storm Lake.

Brighten your winter days by inviting birds into your landscape. Their beauty and motion help enliven the garden and lighten your spirit. Not only do they provide entertainment, but also an opportunity for all ages to stay involved with nature year-round...

February 28, 1924 - January 4, 2017

February 19, 1930 - January 7, 2017

August 31, 1925 - December 30, 2016

Teens arrested for possession of drugs and alcohol On the afternoon of Saturday, January 7, at approximately 4:56 p.m., Storm Lake Police monitored a call to the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department involving a reported reckless driver on the east side of Buena Vista County...