Stories from Friday, January 12, 2018

The Alta City Council covered several issues during its monthly meeting Monday night. • National Night Out – Pam Henderson, who has been in charge of the community safety event for several years, wants to step down. She asked the city officials if they would be able to take over. The council said that volunteers and some businesses would be needed. The subject was tabled for further discussion in March...

The saying “hard work pays off” is an understatement for the Alta-Aurelia dance team and new head coach Brooke Nielsen. Nielsen started as the new head coach for the Alta-Aurelia dance team last year. She took over the position after the previous coach was there for nine years...

The Alta-Aurelia school board this week heard a report on the Alta At-Risk program. Staff member Sherie Van Berkum explained the Check-In Check-Out program, which is designed for a brief contact with a number of students each day, to make sure things are okay with the students and make sure they start school on a positive note...

The Alta City Council hosted a discussion on Westview Trailer Park during its meeting earlier this week. There have been persisting concerns over the condition of the property from park residents and others in the community. Several were in attendance for discussion including the new manager of the park...

Tuesday morning featured two guest speakers. First was Sherry Van Burkum who talked to us about the Back Pack and Elementary At-Risk programs at the Alta school. The Back Pack program is four years old and provides week-end meals to 51 students in need. Each Friday, volunteer students, teachers, and staff prepare sacks containing two meals (Saturday and Sunday.)...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach invites area residents to attend a workshop focused on improving swine management and extending the life of hog buildings and facilities. The workshops will be hosted by ISU Extension and Outreach Agricultural Engineering Specialist Kris Kohl and Swine Specialist Dave Stender...

7:30 a.m. and things are already getting prepped at A and A Automotive for another workday. There is a parking lot full of cars waiting to be worked on, and that’s a good thing – business has been good for the small, Storm Lake based, auto repair company. Service manager Gene ‘Gino’ Fiorendino is busy at a computer terminal, typing in invoice information, before helping the next customer in line as the mechanics come into the customer service area to drop off invoices for repairs...

CommUNITY Education Performing Arts Series will be presenting “Ole and Lena Live,” Saturday, February 3, 7:30 p.m. at the Storm Lake High School Auditorium. The lovable, dim-witted Scandinavian couple of Ole and Lena have come to life in the comedic stylings of the internationally known husband and wife team of Michael and Julie Bateson...

Since 1996, Hard Day’s Night has been entertaining Beatles fans across the country. Hailing from the rock ‘n roll city of Cleveland, OH, Hard Day’s Night is rated among the top national Beatles tribute groups performing today. Hard Day’s Night is privileged to recreate and perform the magical music of the Beatles for fans young and old, and thrilled to introduce a whole new generation of Beatles fans to the excitement of a Beatles concert...

The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association is tuning up to honor its 2018 crop of Iowa artists. Since incorporation, over 320 entities have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Inductees must have a minimum of 25 years’ experience in the industry and have made a significant impact on Iowa’s rock ‘n roll music scene...

On the four Saturdays in December before Christmas a local militia of 42 volunteers manned the entry ways of Walmart, Fareway and HyVee. “These outstanding recruits collected a four day record total of $9,970.77. The last time we had four Saturdays before Christmas was in December 2012. We set a record then by collecting $9,430.00 and we topped that by $540.00 this year,” said Dale Carver...

When freezing temperatures hit Iowa, seniors are at higher risk of health problems and injuries. Elderbridge Agency on Aging offered tips for seniors to balance the desire to remain active with safety in the ice and snow. “We care for all of our participants who use our services,” Taylor Boyle, healthy aging coordinator for Elderbridge, said. “We want them to know how to stay safe in the winter. We want them to know the importance of staying mobile in the winter too.”...

“There’s nothing like being able to hold a piece of history,” says Todd Peterson, of Alta’s Peterson Jewelry. “To have a coin from the 1790s in your hand, and wonder about who might have had it in their pocket, there’s something special about that. I find the history, and the designs so interesting - many coins are a work of art.”...

Southpark Mall Manager Kathy Anderson was shocked Friday morning when mall staff learned part of an antique nativity set which has been present for more than a decade at the mall during the Christmas season had been stolen. The nativity set was originally purchased by the youth group of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Royal during the 1960s before being owned by the Franker and Fonley family, who have loaned the set to the mall each holiday season...

On the afternoon of Saturday January 6, at approximately 3:20 p.m., SLPD officers received a report of a No Contact Order Violation that had occurred at the Super 8 Motel located at 101 West Milwaukee Avenue. The victim reported that John Johnson, age 60, of Storm Lake, had tried to call her cell phone at approximately 2:20 p.m., after he was released from jail. ...

ACCIDENTS On January 5, at approximately 3:14 p.m. in the 300 Block of Oneida St. in Storm Lake, a vehicle driven by Francisco Cruz Barragan of Storm Lake, was involved in an accident with a vehicle driven by Leodys Alvarez of Storm Lake. The two vehicles collided causing total damages estimated at $4000.

The folks at Genesis Development would like to invite the public to play board games at Better Day Café on Wednesday, January 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.. The Discovery program will provided a variety of games and invites community members to bring their favorite games and teach us how to play...

An open house was held on Monday, January 8, to present to the public all of the books received through a children’s book grant given by the Pilcrow Foundation. We received 81 books from this two to one match grant. Donors & Library Friends raised $400 toward the matching grant. In return we were given $1200 worth of children’s and junior’s hardcover books in both fiction and non-fiction...

The Brightside Lounge held their annual charity golf tourney in 2017 at the Cherokee Golf Course. All proceeds are earmarked for specific charities. $2425 was raised at the 2017 tourney. This year’s recipients and the amount donated include; Needy Children’s Auction- $625, Wounded Warrior Project- $400, Puppy Jake Foundation- $800, and Faith, Hope and Charity care facility- $600. The Brightside Lounge thanks the Cherokee Golf Course for the use of their wonderful course...

Ice fishing has a passionate following across Iowa. Get a group of friends and/or family together, bundle up and go ice fishing this winter. Check the weekly DNR fishing report (www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Reports) for ice conditions across the state before going out...

The law firms of Simmons Hanly Conroy and Crueger Dickinson LLC filed the first Iowa federal court lawsuits Friday on behalf of Clay, Buena Vista, O’Brien and 33 other Iowan counties against pharmaceutical manufacturers to address the “opioid crisis.” The defendants in the lawsuits include Purdue Pharma L.P.; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.; Cephalon Inc.; Johnson & Johnson; Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc...

When a child is removed from their home and taken into protective custody of the state by the Department of Human Services, DHS issues a referral and the search begins for a safe place for a child to stay. Lutheran Services in Iowa is an agency that receives referrals for the children, and helps connect foster and adoptive parents with children in need of a home. ...

Storm Lake High School students will be taking part in several activities Monday as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. In a “Sew Powerful” event, students will be sewing school bags for needy students in Africa. There will be four 90-minute shifts of students working throughout the day...

When she’s competing in roller derby, Sarah Brehm (“The Brehm Reaper”) and the rest of the No Coast Derby Girls bring tears to the eyes of their competition. When they skated into Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital recently, they brought smiles instead...

The theme for this year’s Iowa legislative session is easy to predict, according to veteran state representative Gary Worthan of Storm Lake. Too many needs, too little cash. “We’re just going to have to do the best we can with the resources we have,” he told the Pilot-Tribune in an interview from the statehouse after the governor’s Condition of the State speech to kick off the session...

“Sir Malcolm has a yard fence in his future.” So says the Ehlers family of rural Marathon. After a six-day odyssey of chasing down tips, tracking many miles through snow and frigid weather, and an internet-driven explosion of help, the wandering sable border collie is now home safe with his family...

CommUNITY Education’s Men’s Adult Volleyball League will be played every Wednesday night with the first games of the season starting March 7. Games will start at 8 p.m. and will be played until 10 p.m. (depending on the number of teams that sign up). ...

Pop in some evening at The Turn Around Dance & Gymnastics in LeMars or Storm Lake and to see determination, hard work, and perseverance on the faces of girls ages 7 to 17. Girls from these two gyms have been practicing between four and six hours per week all year mastering new skills and learning their routines for competition season...

SERGEANT BLUFF - The green and white grapplers won and lost a dual on Tuesday night. They were able to best Akron-Westfield, 60-24, but then fell to Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 51-22. “Overall the night went about as expected. We wrestled well in the A-W meet and were able to pick up a lot of pins. I liked how aggressive we were and went out and took care of business,” SL wrestling coach Ben Seaman said...

NEWELL - It took four quarters and some extra time on Tuesday night but the shorthanded Mustangs were able to get past St. Edmonds, 58-52 while missing senior post player Jake Davis. The Mustangs jumped out to an eight point advantage after the first quarter, 14-6. ...

NEWELL - The pressure defense of Newell-Fonda led to turnovers and bad decisions from the Gaels on Tuesday night as the Mustangs jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back, taking a 67-22 decision. NF jumped out to a 15 point lead after the first quarter, 20-5. ...

ALTA - It was another night of Twin Lakes Conference basketball on Tuesday night, the Warrior and Panthers going to battle. Turnovers played a huge role in their contest, the Alta-Aurelia defense forcing numerous miscues enroute to a 71-17 victory. Alta-Aurelia started the game with an 8-0 run and used it to take a 16 point lead after the first frame, 22-6. ...

ALTA - The first eight minutes of Tuesday night’s game between Alta-Aurelia and St. Mary’s was a back and forth affair with both teams exchanging baskets. However, a 16-0 run in the second quarter turned the tide in favor of the Warriors as they used that momentum to take a 63-38 victory...