Stories from Thursday, March 23, 2017

Latitude Margaritaville, an over-55 residential housing development owned by entertainer Jimmy Buffett’s holding company, is scheduled to open in 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Buffett’s fans, a Hawaiian shirt-wearing, party-down subgroup of AARP known as Parrotheads, are lining up to get in. The developer reports they’ve already had 10,000 inquiries...

I feel scared for mine and others’ lives thinking tomorrow the world will come to an end We are one nation under God for me that means we are all the same even though we are white, black or brown but with your mentality you’re bringing all of us down...

$120,000 deal convinces Kinseth to vacate resort March 31

When most families would be planning a big celebration with balloons and a smash cake to mark their child’s first birthday, one family with Storm Lake roots is using what would have been their son’s first birthday to launch a fundraising campaign for a nonprofit organization founded in his honor...

The Storm Lake housing inspection program may be turning a corner in its efforts to get rental housing up to code on smoke detectors. In 2016, the inspectors saw 301 properties, requiring 52 follow-up inspections or 17 percent, a sharp decline from 37 percent of properties with issues in 2015...

With little discussion, the Storm Lake City Council Monday approved a housing needs analysis study for the City. The study is expected to take 60-90 days and will cost over $16,000, to be paid from the capital budget. According to a brief written report to the council by City Manager Jim Patrick, “The City continues to try to attract housing developers. One of the needed marketing tools is to have a housing needs assessment to demonstrate the need.”...

Staff at Furniture and Floors For Less confirmed Wednesday that the Storm Lake store will be going out of business, and that there are no plans for a new location. A going out of business sale begins immediately, and will run until June or inventory is gone...

BISMARCK, N.D. — The company building the Dakota Access pipeline said Monday that the project remains on track to start moving oil this week despite recent “coordinated physical attacks” along the line. The brief court filing late Monday from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn’t detail the attacks, but said they “pose threats to life, physical safety and the environment.”...

Two members of the Storm Lake Police Department received promotions at City Hall Monday. Pictured top, Mayor John Kruse reciting the oath to Officer John Bauer, promoting him to Lieutenant. Bottom, Mayor John Kruse reciting the oath to Lt. Chris Cole, promoting him Assistant Chief. / Photos by Mari Bauer

DES MOINES — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst met with confrontational crowds in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids Friday where she was repeatedly shouted down and booed over the GOP health care reform plan, an issue which dominated both meetings. Protest signs dotted the Des Moines audience including those which said “Poverty is not a choice,” ‘’Health Care For All” and “Investigate Trump.”...

Several of Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School students spent a few hours of their day off from school Friday to volunteer at Fonda’s Freedom Quilts headquarters. The students helped to sew and quilt to help the Freedom Quilters continue to make quilts for families who have lost military members, law enforcement officers and firefighters. ...

City to test tornado sirens Wednesday

The Newell Food Pantry will be open this Saturday, March 25th, from 9 a.m.—noon. The site is now partnered with the Food Bank of Iowa. The only requirements for assistance are two current pieces of mail with an address in Fonda or Newell (such as utility billings). ...

The City Council agreed Monday to move a water line to make way for an agreement for the Columbus Club Association to sell a portion of its eastern lot to Lakeshore Cyclery, in turn allowing the business to plan an expansion. The City currently has an eight-inch water line located in the middle of the Columbus Club’s two lots. ...

Buena Vista University will be hosting a presentation on Lila Mae’s House: Safety for Victims of Human Trafficking, Tuesday, March 28, 4 p.m. in the university library. While the stories of human trafficking are horrific, Sister Shirley Fineran, Field Director for the Briar Cliff Social Work Program, had a dream. ...

The Brown Eyed Handsome Man is gone, long live Chuck Berry’s music. One of the most influential songwriters and guitarists in rock history, Berry passed away over the weekend at age 90. Brash, self-confident, mercurial, and humorous, Berry’s canon of early rock and roll songs were pantheons to the joys of adolescence, while slyly tucking in messages about race, culture, social class, and justice. ...

The OPERA Iowa Educational Touring Troupe, an educational program of Des Moines Metro Opera, hit the road for its 31st annual tour recently. The group will perform John Davies’ “Jack & the Beanstalk” for elementary schools in Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri...

Want to get healthy? This is the week where it all starts! Kick-off weekend is this weekend for Shaping Laurens and Spring Shape Up Shaping Schaller vs. Shaping Souls Challenge. There is still time to sign up to join. Anybody in the Laurens, Galva and Schaller area can join...

Dan and Brenda Anderson of Storm Lake are pleased to announce the engagement of their son, Cole Anderson, to Rachel Miller, daughter of Curt and Deb Miller of Hampton. The couple plans to be married on July 1 in Cedar Falls. Cole is a 2013 graduate of Storm Lake High School and a 2016 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. He is employed as an accountant with John Deere Headquarters in Moline, IL...

August 9, 1917 March 19, 2017

Flames engulfed a favorite watering hole in Galva, the Lumber Inn, in the early morning hours Wednesday. The fire was considered a total loss and is under investigation of the State Fire Marshall. / Photo by Mari Bauer

Producers are invited to attend one or both upcoming ‘Successful Cover Crop Use in Beef Production’ field days scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 in Northwest Iowa. “There will be two field days in two locations in one day,” said Erika Lundy, Beef Program Specialist with the Iowa Beef Center, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach. ...

Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Amy Klobuchar recently led 23 senators in a bipartisan letter urging President Trump to maintain the point of obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and reject proposed changes that would upend the current successful system...

Wanted On the evening of Tuesday, March 21, at approximately 6:30 p.m. a wanted person surrender himself to police at the Storm Lake Police Station. Police arrested Eric Spratt, age 25 of Alta, who was wanted out of Sioux County on the charge of Escape from Custody – Felon...

Quad County Corn Processors, a 13.5 million bushels corn processing biorefinery in Galva, Iowa, recently purchased the former United Methodist Church building in Galva. CEO Delayne Johnson reports that the company will relocate its administrative staff to the new location in July or August after renovations are complete...

The Sioux Rapids Memorial Library was recently awarded matching grants from Alceco, a farmer-owned cooperative, and the Land O’Lakes Foundation. The organization was awarded a total of $2,000, which will be used toward the purchase of new desktop computers. ...

Smokin’ Hereford makes Top 10 list