Stories from Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Entire student body is concerned for classmates who may be caught in uncertainty, principal says

CHEROKEE - There was no time left on the clock on Monday night at Cherokee. #4 Newell-Fonda began to celebrate a 75-74 win over #7 Kingsley-Pierson, but the joy faded as a referee signaled foul on the Mustangs to give KP junior Bri Jensen three chances at the line while the packed gym had eyes on her. The first rimmed off to the right side, the second went in and the third and final free throw found the mark to send the Panthers to the 1A State Tournament and Newell-Fonda back home...

DES MOINES - Saturday saw Alta-Aurelia senior Skylar Solko end up with a fifth place finish in 1A at 152 pounds to end his season. “Skylar wrestled a great tournament,” Warrior head coach Mike Fry said. Solko began the day against Kaden Kilburg of Lisbon and dropped an 8-4 decision. ...

LEMARS - Turnovers haunted the Storm Lake boys in a 3A District semifinal Monday night, as LeMars reeled off 13 points straight to end the first half and never looked back en route to a 75-52 win. It was a first half of runs. After knotting up 12-all after the first quarter, Storm Lake reeled off five straight points, then gave up five straight. ...

Monday night, a representative of the Canadian National Railroad pushed hard to convince the Storm Lake City Council to close some railroad crossings (in exchange for an “incentive” offer that was not revealed). Failing that, the railroad wanted Storm Lake to take on the cost of maintaining the crossing signals to be installed at the intersections...

Buena Vista University’s Board of Trustees has named Dr. Joshua D. Merchant as its new president, succeeding Frederick V. Moore, who is stepping down from the position after 22 years. Merchant will assume the role as the 18th BVU president on July 1...

Huddleston steps aside as new leaders emerge

Storm Lake Police are investigating the death of a 2 month old child. Shortly before noon Saturday, the SLPD was dispatched to the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Emergency Room after a female infant was brought in by her parents, and determined to be deceased on arrival...

For several years, Storm Lake Police community service officers have been working to clean up the city through Operation Clean Sweep. Under the program, the officers seek out property owners or renters where violations of local ordinances exist. The program was designed to be educational in nature, providing for face-to-face contact with individuals where violations exist...

It took a while to get there, but once the topic of last week’s collective bargaining legislation hit the floor at Saturday’s Eggs & Issues session, the gloves came off in council chambers at Spencer City Hall. The legislation, which the Republican majorities in the House and Senate passed recently, and was signed into law by Gov. ...

A fire broke out in a barn filled with round bales of hay at the Brett and Allisa Friedrichsen farm Friday morning. The farm is located a mile west of Holstein. It didn’t take long for the fire to engulf the building making it to difficult for the Holstein Fire Department to handle. ...

The weather seems to have moderated across Iowa, and I don’t hear anyone complaining. The warm temperatures and lack of snow are most welcome as there will be a lot of people travelling during the next few weeks. For example, the state wrestling tournament takes place in Des Moines this week, and the basketballers are at it in full swing. ...

COUNCIL BLUFFS — A retired Catholic priest in western Iowa has been given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender for invading the privacy of several students in a high school restroom. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that the Rev. Paul Monahan was sentenced Friday. The 83-year-old Monahan got a suspended sentence of 30 days in jail for each of five counts...

The Iowa Economic Development Authority on Friday announced direct financial assistance and tax benefits to three companies for job creation and expansion projects. These awards will assist in the creation of 82 jobs and will result in over $80 million in new capital investment for the state...

Local Latino leaders report that there will be another “A Day Without Immigrants” scheduled for May 1, to be recognized both in Buena Vista County and across the nation. At the first event last Thursday, some Storm Lake businesses closed, many people stayed home from work and avoided spending money in local businesses, and hundreds of students did not attend school...

The number of influenza-related deaths in Iowa now stands at 25 since Oct. 2, 2016, including 11 deaths reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) during the week ending Jan. 2. All but one of the individuals who have died had underlying conditions or contributing factors. Since October, deaths have been reported in the following regions of Iowa:...

A Sioux Rapids woman who tried to collect a $250,000 lottery prize with her boyfriend’s help will serve no prison time. Ashley Bosler, 21, was sentenced to two years of probation at her sentencing last week in Storm Lake. Bosler also was given a deferred judgment, which means the conviction will be removed from her record if she successfully completes probation. She had pled guilty to theft of a lottery ticket or share earlier...

Rain - A Tribute to the Beatles, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. For the first time ever, RAIN will bring the historic album to life in its entirety for this psychedelic multimedia spectacular...

Alice’s Tea Party will be anything but mad. The March 2 event at Arts on Grand in Spencer is a come and go event with everyone welcome to enjoy their favorite teas using the famed tea cup collection of Alice Schar. Alice Schar was born 1923 and raised on a farm outside of Forest City, Iowa. ...

The Pearson Lake Art Center’s Performing Arts Series presents The Royal Opera’s Il Trovatore at PLAC in Okoboji. International superstars Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Anita Rachvelishvili, Lianna Haroutounian and Gregory Kunde lead a superb cast of world-class singers in this Verdi classic. Il Trovatore is one of the great operas of the Romantic period, a story of passion and blood, love and vengeance, disaster and murder...

Briar Cliff University Briar Cliff University is pleased to announce that 293 students have been named to the Dean’s List for the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year, including 81 students who have achieved a perfect grade point average of 4.0...

Nine Buena Vista University business students and eight science students have been selected for the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award for the 2016 calendar year. The awards, which range up to $5,000, were created by two separate $750,000 endowments from the foundations established by Dr. ...

Buena Vista University has announced Mike Degen and Brad Schroeder have been named to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees works together to develop and adopt fundamental policies and programs to help Buena Vista University achieve its purposes and provide a high-quality higher education experience to its students...

Mallory Bjork, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, is studying overseas this semester. Applicants for semester-long study abroad programs must pass Northwestern’s writing requirement, demonstrate they would benefit from the experience, have a strong academic record and be a good representative of Northwestern’s Christian liberal arts mission...

In the first four months of its FAFSA Ready Iowa initiative, the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) has assisted in the completion of more than 3,800 FAFSA forms, kick-starting the new college financial aid season and ensuring more students are able to access financial aid assistance for their post high school endeavors. Comparatively, during the same four month timeframe one year ago, ICAN completed 756 FAFSA forms...

Top, Grace Olsen, and bottom, Kaylea Christiansen both of Newell-Fondaperform during the 45th Morningside Jazz Festival that was held recently. / Photos courtesy of Scott Kilbride

Upper Iowa University significantly lowers in-state transfer tuition rates

This list includes Storm Lake High School students who made the honor roll for the first semester. To be eligible for the honor roll, students must receive a 3.0 average or above GPA in minimum of six full credit course. (*) indicates a 4.0 GPA or above...

David Lim, a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, will present an organ recital at St. John Lutheran Church, 402 Lake Ave., Storm Lake, on Sunday afternoon, March 5, at 3 p.m. Mr. Lim is a former winner of the Immanuel Lutheran Church (Evanston, IL) Organ competition. ...

Matilda Jane representative, Nesha Thompson, will be bringing HGTV personality Joanna Gaines’ lines of clothing and her home collection to The Meeting Place in Galva on Saturday, March 4th from 10 a.m. to noon. Matilda Jane Clothing has one overriding goal, to bring happiness into the lives of its customers. ...

Watching a bald eagle soar overhead is a breathtaking sight. Bald Eagles have very been active in the area in the past few weeks. The warm weather of the last couple weeks has increased the activity in the valley. Other raptors are also on the move in the Little Sioux River Valley...

April 18, 1931 - February 16, 2017

January 25, 1932 - February 18, 2017

June 1, 1948 - February 16, 2017

March 22, 1927 - February 15, 2017

December 6, 1936 - February 15, 2017

Assault on a school bus On the morning of Friday, February 17, at approximately 10:09 a.m., the Storm Lake Police Department took a report at the Storm Lake Middle School in reference to an assault. Police were advised by school staff that on Monday, February 13, that a 14 year old male of Lakeside, had allegedly physically assaulted another student on a school bus...

Condo site development to begin in summer

When Dakota Access resumes work on the pipeline this spring in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Cherokee counties, Bold Iowa supporters, farmers and landowners will be watching to make sure the work is done correctly. “There were way too many problems last year, with soil being worked when it was soaking wet, and with construction debris not being removed from farm fields,” said Bold Iowa director Ed Fallon, former legislator and candidate for governor. ...

Next debate may be over ‘hands-free’ cell phone mandate on roads

Storm Lake police say that a local man was “huffing” inhalants shortly before crashing his car in a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon, which resulted in a power outage for the surrounding neighborhood. Shortly before 1:30 p.m., police were called to an area near the intersection of Expansion Blvd. ...

February 8, 1948 - February 14, 2017

A benefit supper and auction with raffle for Officer Keith Truog will be held on March 11 from 4-10 p.m. at the Community Building in Marathon (the old school building). Come help honor the life of a great many and friend to many. Keith served the State of Iowa and its residences for over 25 years. All proceeds from this event will go to the family of Keith for final expenses...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has moved its listening session location in Sac City to Sac City Middle School. The previous location was no longer available. The Sac City session will now be held at Sac City Middle School, 300 S 11th Street, in Sac City...

Updates from the Storm Lake Police Department, Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office and the Storm Lake Fire Department.

DES MOINES — Iowa union and school leaders are rushing to complete contracts before collective bargaining proposals moving swiftly in the Statehouse become state law, a union leader said. The legislation, with identical versions in the House and Senate, went from committee hearings to floor debate in a week. Lengthy debate and amendments have slowed their advance, but passage by the Republican-dominated Legislature seems certain...

Susan Dierson was the featured speaker at The Meeting Place in Galva on Thursday evening, February 9th. During her 90-minute presentation, Susan talked about basic wine making terms, what equipment and ingredients are needed, basic wine making techniques, stages of making wine, the importance of cleanliness and sterilization of all equipment, shared some of her recipes, talked about different fruits and homemade yeast recipes, using starter wine kits, and much more. ...

Donna Bremer’s next four-week quilting class will begin on Thursday, March 2nd from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at The Meeting Place in Galva. In this four-week class, participants ages 14 and older will learn new techniques to build upon their knowledge of quilt design and construction. ...

A J-term, 10-day trip to Haiti became a perspective-altering experience for five Spirit Lake High School students and their eight traveling companions. Lucy O'Hagen, Payton Ahrenstorff, Faith Norris, Kailee Jenness and Emma Jenness made arrangements for their mission trip to become their January "J-term" at school. ...

In cooperation with Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, Sliefert Funeral Homes, Mahaney Funeral Home and UnityPoint Hospice, they will be sponsoring a seven week grief support group program beginning Monday, March 6, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home, 1615 W. Milwaukee, in Storm Lake. Brad Smith, a funeral director and certified bereavement facilitator with 30 years of grief counseling experience, will be conducting the group...

The most recent survey of Iowa youth shows that Buena Vista County students are using tobacco products at a higher rate than their peers statewide. At grade 11 level in BV County, 10.8 percent of students said they use cigarettes, 12.4 percent said they use e-cigarettes or “vape”, 6.2 percent used smokeless tobacco. Overall, just over 19 percent use tobacco in some form...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Cherokee County is offering a food safety training for food service managers on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Office in Cherokee. “Certification in ServSafe meets the new 2014 Iowa Food Code requirements to have a certified food protection manager in all establishments,” said Katie Knobbe, class instructor and ISU Extension and Outreach Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. ...

Beginning Saturday, March 4th, Avera Medical Group Spencer (AMGS) will expand its current Quick Care services to the weekend, providing services from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. each Saturday. Quick Care services are designed to provide same day diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses...

The classic comedy is set to open at the Spencer Community Theatre

Two entertaining historical presentations are on tap for the Sanford Museum in Cherokee this season. On Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m., Iowa historian Kathy Wilson will present a program titled “The Devil Has My Consent: The Real Story Behind The Salem Witch Trials, 1692-1693.” In 1692, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft in Salem, Mass., and 20 were executed. What happened to create such hysteria?...

The Oak Ridge Boys will perform at the Hard Rock in Sioux City March 25 at 8 p.m. Theirs is one of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry. The four-part harmonies and upbeat songs of The Oak Ridge Boys have spawned dozens of Country hits and a Number One Pop smash, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. ...

Remember when June fell for Johnny and Loretta was just a coal miner’s daughter? Let the Classic Nashville Roadshow at the Rosemary Claussen Center in Holstein take you on a journey down memory lane with your favorite hits honoring the world’s most beloved country greats...

Storm Lake High School speech students will be competing at All-State in Ames today. The boys will be performing “Manly Men” and the girls will be performing “Cell Block Tango” in the Musical Theatre Division. They were recognized at a send-off assebly this week. / Photo by Mari Bauer...

On the afternoon of Thursday, February 16, at approximately 3:10 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Storm Lake Middle School in reference to a threat. Upon arrival of police they met with school staff who alleged that an 11 year old male of Storm Lake made threats to blow the school up...

Titan Machinery Inc. plans to close its Case IH farm machinery dealerships in Cherokee and Anthon, Iowa, as part of a broad restructuring plan. The Northwest Iowa locations are among 15 dealerships in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and South and North Dakota that will be consolidated with nearby Titan dealerships, the West Fargo, North Dakota-based company said...

It didn’t matter if the snowmobile was 30 years old or fresh off the showroom floor. They all were used in the Okoboji Vintage National Championship races held over the first weekend in February on East Lake Okoboji. Local residents Gary Ward, Scott Burgeson and Jon Ingvall coordinated the third annual event on the ice north of the Ritz in Arnolds Park...

This week has been entirely consumed by the collective bargaining bill, more commonly known as Chapter 20. Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code came into being after 12 days of debate by the Iowa Legislature in 1974 and lays out the rules and conditions for collective bargaining between the unions representing public sector workers and their employers--the state, counties, cities, school districts, the regents institutions, etc. ...