Stories from Monday, May 15, 2017

By SETH BOYES/ Special to the Pilot-Tribune Motorists along Highway 71 in Arnolds Park have likely seen the construction taking place, as part of the amusement park's first phase of improvements. The project is being called, "Restore the Park" to compliment the previous park campaign, "Sustain the Park," which took steps to make the park financially sustainable. Charlie Whittenburg, CEO of Arnolds Park Amusement Park, said the project will be completed in three phases...

Oh the feels! It's that time of year again, and you can't rock a memorable graduation ceremony on "Pomp and Circumstance" alone. Luckily, there's plenty of durable grad-ready fare from the pop charts to draw from. Here's our Top 20 choices. 20. Miley Cyrus, "The Climb" - A ballad on moving on, from the innocent pre-twerk Hanna Montana days. "There's always gonna be another mountain / I'm always gonna wanna make it move / Always gonna be a uphill battle / Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose..."...

By COURTNEY CARSTENS Pilot-Tribune Staff Do you take your coffee plain or with sugar and cream? That was the first question leading into Dr. Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel's lecture about LGBTQ rights and intersectionality at Buena Vista University Wednesday. ...

Storm Lake Police Department will join law enforcement agencies throughout the nation this week honoring those law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2016. The week of May 14 through May 20, 2017 is Police Memorial Week with Monday, May 15, being Police Memorial Day as established by President Kennedy...

Each spring millions of monarch butterflies leave the mountains of Central Mexico, where they survived the winter, to begin their annual migration north. This spring they are accompanied by cyclist Sara Dykman (age 32) from Kansas who is biking 10,000 miles from the monarch overwintering colonies in Mexico to Canada... and back... with the butterflies. Or as Dykman would say, "Butterbiking with the butterflies."...

The western Iowa sheriff’s deputy who authorities say was killed by an inmate during a jail escape was remembered Monday for the way he treated everyone with respect. More than 1,000 people — most of them law enforcement officers from various agencies — gathered at an arena in Council Bluffs to honor Pottawattamie County Deputy Mark Burbridge. ...

Many in Spencer are familiar with the mainstay businesses of Spencer’s downtown district. Despite being familiar with what occupies the ground floor, many people have never had the chance to see what sits above their favorite shops on Grand Avenue. To remedy this, Spencer Main Street and the Spencer Historic Preservation Commission held the “Main Street Upper Stories Tour” on Saturday, which included the areas above Jimmy John’s, the former Thrifty White Drug, the former Carrick’s Hallmark, Brown’s Shoe Fit and the former Emagine Marketing offices. ...

A northwest Iowa woman accused of intentionally crashing her vehicle into another has been imprisoned. Melissa Ebert had pleaded guilty in Plymouth County District Court to two counts of serious injury by motor vehicle. On Monday she was sentenced to 10 years in prison...

On the afternoon of Monday, May 8 at approximately 3:30 p.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Storm Lake Wal-Mart Store in reference to a theft. Upon arrival police met with store staff who alleged that a patron, identified as Angela Carle, age 33 of Webster City attempted to leave the store with approximately $100.00 in merchandise without paying for the items...

On the evening of Tuesday, May 9 at approximately 11:56 p.m. a Storm Lake Police officer while on patrol observed that a no parking sign had been struck and damaged in the 500 block of East Lakeshore Drive by a vehicle. Police allege they located the suspect vehicle from the damage traveling eastbound near the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive and Lake Avenue where they conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle...

VT Industries, Inc. is pleased to donate $5,000 to the Cherokee fire department towards its fundraising efforts to purchase a new aerial fire truck. “As a family-owned and operated company, we feel strongly about supporting the communities that our employees reside in,” notes Doug Clausen, President, VT Industries, Inc. ...

On October 31, 2016, Autumn’s Center opened its doors to provide specialty care for children ages 0-21 in northwest Iowa. In just over six months, Autumn’s Center, located in Spencer, is serving its 1,000th child. “It has been such a blessing to be able to serve children in a facility that provides holistic, wrap-around care in a healing environment,” said Dr. ...

Supermarket chain continues to expand and lead efforts to promote healthy oceans

It’s a delicious treat no one can beat. Not to mention all the beautiful heirlooms on display for sale throughout the store. The store is owned by Julie Egland and is located on Lake Avenue. The store has been in existence for sixteen years. Its original location was on Erie Street but moved to its 612 Lake Avenue location in 2004...

Inspirational performer Gaelynn Lea, a musician and public speaker from Duluth, Minn., will be in concert Sunday, June 25 at Byron’s in Pomeroy. She will be doing sets from 5-9 p.m. Lea has been playing violin for over 20 years. First classically trained, she began learning traditional Celtic and American fiddle tunes at the age of 18. ...

The popular “Ride For the Cure” tractor ride will return to Storm Lake on June 17. Entertainment includes a comedian at Sunset Park bankshell at 10:30. Anyone can attend for a $5 donation. Registration is $40 and includes lunch and a shirt. The antique tractor ride will start in Lakeside and go around the lake. ...

Jill Brees Barr will perform Friday, May 26 at the Innspiration Winery in Linn Grove. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. Jill is a popular area performer and former Mrs. Iowa International pageant winner, who was featured at the Albert City Threshermen Show and the Clay County Fair. She performs as a solo vocalist as as part of several groups performing around the region, including the nostalgic pop group, “The Sliders.”...

If you visit Key West, Florida and ask where the best place to see great music is, don’t be surprised if you’re told “Wherever Fuel on Fire is playing.” They’re simply that good. Originally from Buffalo NY, the Doerfel family figured they’d get twice as good at their instruments if they’re fingers weren’t frozen for half the year. The move to the southernmost appears to have been a good call - though they still occasionally turn hockey sticks into instruments...

I usually start a good part of my interviews with “How did you get interested in this profession?” Matt Imming, Senior Paramedic with Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, replies with a grin, “It got me out of class during high school.” He shakes his head and adds, “No seriously, I took EMT classes when I was a senior and found it was something I really wanted to explore deeper.”...

It may have taken two days, multiple barges and some excavation equipment, but the Queen II returned to her rightful place on the waters of West Lake Okoboji. Crews began nudging their stubborn monarch away from the shore after surveying wind conditions Thursday afternoon, May 4...

On Saturday, April 8, over 300 adults and children participated in the 2nd END IT! for Autumn Color Run benefiting Camp Autumn. The fundraiser brought in $15,001.08 for the therapeutic day camp opening June 5. Camp Autumn is an extension of Autumn’s Center, a regional children’s center located in Spencer, Iowa, which just served its 1,000th child since opening on October 31, 2016...

The Meeting Place in Galva was pleased to welcome special guest speaker Jane Hogue, owner of the Prairie Pedlar Gardens in Odebolt on May 9th.  Twenty-seven women in the audience listened to Jane’s program on creating beautiful and long-lasting hanging baskets and floral containers. ...

Virginia Wood Beckfield, age 95, of Fonda died Sunday, May 7 at Woodlands Creek Active Retirement Community in Clive, Iowa. Funeral services were Thursday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Varina United Methodist Church in Varina. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church. The Mahaney Funeral Home in Fonda is in charge of the arrangements. ...

May 4, 1919 - May 6, 2017

1935 - 2017

December 15, 1919 - May 5, 2017

July 4, 1930 - May 7, 2017

Early moves by insurers suggest that another round of price hikes and limited choices will greet insurance shoppers as they start searching for next year’s coverage on the public markets established by the Affordable Care Act. Shoppers in Iowa also may be stuck with limited or no choices next year. ...

The Dakota Access pipeline leaked 84 gallons of oil in South Dakota early last month, which an American Indian tribe says bolsters its argument that the pipeline jeopardizes its water supply and deserves further environmental review. The newly-completed pipeline runs near Storm Lake, Alta and Newell in Buena Vista County. Commercial oil flow is expected to start in a couple of weeks on the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline...

NASA’s SOFIA aircraft, a 747 loaded with a 2.5-meter telescope in the back and stripped of most creature comforts in the front, took a big U-turn over the Pacific west of Mexico. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy aircraft was just beginning the second half of an overnight mission on Jan. ...

The substantial wind farm property tax revenues, and how best to use this future revenue stream for the maximum benefit to the county, has been a recurring discussion at O’Brien County Board of Supervisors meetings since Board Chair Tom Farnsworth initially brought up the topic at a recent board meeting...

Sliced, sauced, or cooked in your favorite recipe; tomatoes are a favorite and versatile vegetable. What’s more, they taste best when grown and harvested from your own garden or container. Ensure the best flavor and greatest results by selecting the most disease-resistant varieties and growing your tomatoes in full sun and moist, well-drained soil...

Brent and Debra Hendricks of Storm Lake announce the engagement of their son Joshua, to Jamie Wright, daughter of Gregg and Elizabeth Wright of Bettendorf. Joshua is a 1997 graduate of Storm Lake High School and the University of Iowa. He is currently a project manager for Jones Custom Builders in Denver, CO...

The annual Nemaha Memorial Day Brunch will again be held at the shelter house following the 8:00 service at the Nemaha Cemetery on Monday. May 29th.  All are invited to join in the food and fellowship.  Please bring your table service and a dish to share. Coffee will be furnished...

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

Everyone has risks associated with Stroke. Knowing your risk and getting a fast and painless stroke screening are your best defenses against a life threatening or life-altering event. Many people go through their daily routines without realizing how close they are to suffering a life-threatening stroke. ...

On Sunday, May 7, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Nurses Cathy Fordyce, Nikki Hazen and Tenaea Jeppeson were awarded the 2017 100 Great Iowa Nurses Award. This award recognizes outstanding nurses whose exceptional contributions to patients, colleagues and the profession are truly remarkable. ...

When you or someone you love is dealing with a mental health concern, sometimes it’s a lot to handle. It’s important to remember that mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable. Yet, people experience symptoms of mental illness differently – and some engage in potentially dangerous or risky behaviors to avoid or cover up symptoms of a potential mental health problem...

Recently, the Branstad-Reynolds Administration released new information showing continued success of modernizing our state’s Medicaid program.  Medicaid Modernization is ensuring that members get the right care, at the right time, at the right place.  Iowa’s Medicaid program is also one of the most transparent, outcome-focused, and accountable programs in the country. ...

• On a scale of 5 popcorn buckets, “The Circle” pops up 3 tubs of too-good-to-be-true tubs of fluffy corn. Sure it’s delicious, but what’s the catch? There’s always a catch. Well acted tale that will put you to thinking about just how controlling this growing technology universe is becoming. Rated PG-13. Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Jeffrey Messerole will present an informal concert June 9 at the InnSpiration Winery, Linn Grove. The first album J. Jeffrey Messerole put out was a six-track concept album, with the concept being: death and the five stages of grief that follow it up. It may have been a risky freshman attempt, but the Spirit Lake-based independent musician found that it was incredibly rewarding to create...

The Rosemary Clausen Center in Holstein is offering a special event, The Magic of Bill Blagg, on Saturday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. The show will be the anchor event for Holstein’s Kinderfest weekend. Blagg first appeared at the Clausen Center in 2013. His sold-out show was a huge hit with both adults and kids and drew rave reviews from all directions. ...

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday approved a roughly $7.2 billion state budget that will keep open a longtime research center, though he still plans to remove its funding. Branstad used his veto power to cut language that would have eliminated the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University...

Members of the Storm Lake Mayor’s Committee on Parks, Trails and Urban Forestry may not be satisfied with looking at proposed small neighborhood parks. At the monthly meeting of the volunteer group Thursday night, members pressed some issues including a skate park and a dog park, two concepts that have been discussed in past years, but never developed, and the possibility of capitalizing on the city’s growing collection of chainsaw tree sculptures...

A decision has been made to close the east boat ramp on Storm Lake to allow for dredging and island restoration work to move forward this season. After a pre-dredging meeting this week between City, DNR and Dredge America representatives, it was determined that restoration of Shorty’s Island off the Lakeside Marina area will begin right after the Memorial Day holiday and continue throughout the summer, with staging in the boat ramp area. ...

Each spring millions of monarch butterflies leave the mountains of Central Mexico, where they survived the winter, to begin their annual migration north. This spring they are accompanied by cyclist Sara Dykman (age 32) from Kansas who is biking 10,000 miles from the monarch overwintering colonies in Mexico to Canada… and back... with the butterflies. Or as Dykman would say, “Butterbiking with the butterflies.”...

The popular rental watercraft service at Awaysis Beach will not resume this summer, as Storm Lake City officials had hoped. The operation ceased in 2016 due to concerns with liability insurance coverage. After several recent meetings trying to arrange for the service to resume this summer, City Manager Jim Patrick told the Pilot-Tribune that it will probably not be possible to resume the vendor arrangement. “Insurance has complicated things a lot,” he said...

Graduation is a time for celebration but for one Storm Lake native, it will not be from high school or college. Tina will be graduating from Teen Challenge USA, a substance abuse treatment program, which she funded from the help of over 15 donors on a GoFundMe account she started over a year ago in hopes of reclaiming her life. After over five years of battling substance abuse Tina will be graduating from the program in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 10...

Eleven members of the service staff at Rasmussen Ford recently decided to shave their locks in support of Storm Lake native Blake Overmohle who is going through medical treatment that caused him to lose his hair. Justin Lyman said he simply sent out a message that he was bringing his clippers to the shop, and found the employees waiting in line for a turn to take part in what quickly became known as, "The Overmohle Family Support Shave Off." Blake's father Bob is a technician at the dealership. ...

Do you take your coffee plain or with sugar and cream? That was the first question leading into Dr. Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel’s lecture about LGBTQ rights and intersectionality at Buena Vista University Wednesday. Dr. Hoffman-Zinnel is the executive at One Iowa, a group dedicated to preserving LGBTQ rights in Iowa, and was invited by the BVU Alliance, the gay-straight alliance at Buena Vista University.This is a part of the Academic and Cultural Events series...