Stories from Tuesday, April 11, 2017

SAC CITY - It was the second meet in as many nights for the Alta-Aurelia boys track team as they were able to finish fourth with 88 points out six varsity teams and one J.V. program. “We went a little easy on some of the kids tonight,” Warrior head coach Wendell Larson said. “We still had a few nice performances.”...

NEWELL - The Tornadoes barely got the better of the Mustangs on Friday night on the golf course taking a 184-187 victory. Storm Lake’s Ethan James was the medalist on the night with a score of 43. Eric Masters shot a 45, Tyler Dvergsten 46, Brock Berry 50, Shawn Barnett 54 and Drew Binning 56...

Tornado girls fall at home against Gaels STORM LAKE - The Storm Lake girls tennis team dropped a 6-3 decision Friday night to St. Edmond’s. Katrina Chaiyawong took her match 10-4, Destiny Syhavong won 10-7 and Emily Tapia took a 10-7 decision. Serea Chaiyawong dropped a 10-2 decision, Amber Chrischilles fell 10-2 and Jenny Almanza fell 10-8...

CHEROKEE - On Friday night the girls had their turn at the Tomahawk Relays and the Warriors took first place out of the 10 teams in the 1A division with 134 points. Sioux Central took second place with 107 points, Ridge View earned eighth with 52 and Newell-Fonda placed 10th with 16...

An Iowa Poll is frequently quoted as showing Iowa voters support Voter ID. I wonder what the question to those voters was. If the question had been worded “do you favor implementing a Voter ID law knowing it will cost taxpayers $340,000.00 for the Secretary of State to issue voter ID cards to registered voters who do not have an Iowa driver’s license, and $1,050,000.00 to provide e-poll books to those counties that do not currently have them,” would Iowa voters would have answered yes?...

Alliant Energy and Apex Clean Energy are working together on a wind farm in Clay and Dickinson counties large enough to power about 100,000 homes in Iowa. More than 100 turbines will be going up as part of the proposed Upland Prairie project. The 300-megawatt farm’s footprint will run mostly north and south from west of Milford in Dickinson County to north of Royal in Clay County, according to Ben Lipari, director of Alliant Energy’s resource planning and project development department...

A fund drive has been set up for the family of infant Zyler Markley, who has been diagnosed with Critical Aortic Stenosis and Hypoplastic Aortic Arch disorder. Zyler, who has earned the nickname “Heart Warrior,” was born two weeks premature at Palo Alto County Hospital February 21, but appeared to be a normal, healthy baby. ...

The Freedom Quilts workshop, a modest steel building on a country road near Fonda, was bustling with activity Saturday for the annual Honoring Heroes event. Freedom Quilts was founded by local resident Betty Nielsen after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to comfort families of victims. Thousands of quilts later, the volunteer group’s efforts go on, now serving families of deceased veterans and law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty...

A Storm Lake man was seriously injured in a car-semi collision Saturday morning. The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an accident with injuries at 520th and Highway 71, where a southbound car had collided with a northbound semi-truck and trailer...

A Sac City man died in a home fire early Monday morning. Sac City police and firefighters were called to a home in the 300 block go South 13th Street shortly after 7:30 a.m. and found a residence on fire. Resident Barbra Cook had escaped the home, but told officers that her 84-year-old husband Dale Cook was still inside. ...

Art Cullen of the Storm Lake Times was named as a winner of the Pulitzer Prize in the editorial writing category. The awards were announced Monday. Cullen was cited for a series of editorials that challenged powerful agricultural interests in the state, particularly to gain release of information on groups providing legal funding to three area counties that were sued by the Des Moines Water Works. ...

Buena Vista University recently hosted the Spirit Lake regional competition for National History Day 2017. These students created projects including websites, historical exhibits, documentaries and performances based on the theme “Taking a Stand in History.” Storm Lake Middle School had 28 students compete and several of those students received special awards. They include:...

A Lakeside man was arrested Saturday night after threatening his neighbors with a gun. According to Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston, the county Communications Center received a report at 10:30 p.m. from residents in the 200 block of Elm Street that their neighbor had just threatened them with a rifle for playing their music too loud. Deputies responded to the scene to investigate the incident...

SPENCER – A break in a wastewater force main in Jackson, Minn., early on April 8 resulted in raw wastewater entering the Des Moines River about 20 miles north of Estherville, Iowa. The force main broke at about 1 a.m. An estimated 10,000 gallons of wastewater per hour was flowing into a storm drain that drains into the river when the break occurred. Repair crews fixed the force main about 3:30 p.m. Saturday...

A video featuring Buena Vista University students inviting Al Roker to campus was featured on the Friday, March 24 broadcast of The Today Show. BVU appears four times in the video, first at the 1:07 mark. The submission was an entry in The Today Show’s “Rokerthon 3 “ event. The students invited Roker to campus to take part in the world’s largest game of lawn golf. While BVU was not chosen for this year’s event, it was the only college in Iowa featured in the segment...

Storm Lake Police were called to the scene of a fight in the 300 block of West 7th Street Saturday night around 11 p.m. Witnesses told officers that Ketzell Leonard Zeledon, age 25 of Storm Lake, had come to the garage of the residence with his two small children where a party was in progress. ...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s 6-8 grade students spent a day last week in Des Moines immersed in the arts and civics thanks to a grant from Simpson College and the Des Moines Performing Arts Applause Series. The students attended the ballet Beauty and the Beast performed by classically trained dancers from all over the world at the performing arts center. ...

The Sioux City Police Department has named its first liaison to the LGBTQ community. The department announced on Wednesday that Officer Brooke Davies has taken the position to promote communication and cooperation between the police and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, the Sioux City Journal reported...

Budget numbers, election integrity, the 2nd Amendment, legislative health insurance, and life were the topics that held the attention of the House this week. Leaders of the House and Senate agreed this week on the size of the State’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18). ...

What happens when a sexual offender have served his prison term, but is deemed likely to commit further violent sexual offenses? The Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders (CCUSO) provides a secure, long-term, and highly-structured setting to treat sexually violent predators (SVP) who have served their prison terms, but who, in a separate civil trial, have been found likely to commit further violent sexual offenses...

Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says that vows are being exchanged for visas. Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, aired his concerns recently in a speech during the hearing on K-1 visas. “Over the last several years, this Committee has heard testimony about the various ways individuals scam our immigration laws using visa categories offered by our federal immigration system,” Grassley said. ...

Area band Far From Innocent to open show for headliner Huey Lewis

The children’s theatre company through the Spencer Community Theatre announces its two fully mounted productions and summer camp schedules. The Deegan Children’s Theatre is excited to announce its 2017 summer season productions and camps which include The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee (July 13th – 16th) and Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon Kids (August 10th – 13th). Ten week long theatre camps for children will begin at the Spencer Community Theatre (SCT) starting on May 30th...

The Buena Vista University Concert Choir was invited to Carnegie Hall in New York City to perform over spring break on March 26. “The experience provided students the well-deserved opportunity to showcase their hard work and talent on an internationally recognized stage,” said Dr. Merrin Guice, assistant professor of music and director of vocal music at BVU...

Clayton Ehlers, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, will perform during the college’s Chamber Orchestra and Women’s Choir concert on Friday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. The Chamber Orchestra, directed by Dr. ...

Three Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School Mock Trial students won Outstanding Performance awards at the high school regional competition at Morningside College recently. Megan McDaniel has won outstanding performance as a witness or attorney every year in high school. ...

Iowa Central Community College recently held Business, Health and Industrial Technology Competition Days. Area winners include: Business Accounting • 4th place – Will Hurd – Storm Lake St. Mary’s Baking Skills • 2nd place – Grace DePuma, Erin Lockin – Alta-Aurelia...

Buena Vista County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce the winners of their 2017 County Farm Bureau scholarship awards. Jennifer Sievers, Albert City, daughter of Trent and Jill Sievers, is the recipient of the $500 Buena Vista County Farm Bureau scholarship. ...

Michael White, ISU Extension and Outreach Viticulture Specialist held a hands-on vineyard pruning workshop on March 21 at Norm and Marsha Phillips winery located at 3132 Rolfe Ave, Lake View. Eleven people took advantage of the opportunity to check out one of Iowa’s newest Winery and Vineyards by pruning established St. ...

Paxtons Jewelry is very excited to participate in the “Choose Blue Autism Awareness and Advocacy” festivities this April. This year their plans include an opportunity for everyone to help raise money for the local campaign; and an opportunity to win a beautiful blue topaz and diamond pendant...

If you are 11-15 years old and want to become a babysitter, this one-day American Red Cross class will provide youth who are planning to babysit with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care for children, toddlers and infants. Note: A mature 10-year old can attend. The babysitter’s training course will be held on Monday, June 5th from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Meeting Place in Galva...

Do you have scrap metal? The ISUEO Sac County 4-H program is looking for scrap metal to be used for our Bucket of Junk projects. The Bucket of Junk project allows the 4-H’ers to create something new out of old scrap metal by welding the materials together and entering them into the fair. ...

Dog obedience classes are being offered at the ISU Sac County Extension and Outreach Office parking lot for adults and 4-H members! The classes will begin April 20th from 6-7 p.m. and will proceed every Thursday until the Sac County Fair. If any 4-H members or adults are wanting to show their dog in the dog show at the fair you must attend the dog obedience classes. ...

A Spencer woman faces amended charges for her suspected role in a Feb. 20 robbery and kidnapping investigation. Dickinson County Attorney Jon Martin recently filed formal charges against 23-year-old Jordaen Rochelle Duhn. District Court Judge Don Courtney scheduled Duhn to appear for an arraignment at 9:30 a.m. Monday, April 10. Typically a written plea cancels the need for a court appearance...

June 12, 1963 - April 6, 2017

Assault On the morning of Sunday, April 9, at approximately 2:56 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to McCorkle Hall on the campus of Buena Vista University in reference to an assault. Upon arrival of police they met with campus security and witnesses who advised that a Damien Penichet, age 22 of Miami, FL allegedly physically assaulted a Tyler Stolen, age 21 of Sioux City while at a party in McCorkle Hall. ...