Stories from Wednesday, January 31, 2018

A trial is scheduled to begin May 15 for a woman accused of stealing more than $7,000 while working at a Storm Lake store. Court records say 19-year-old Abigail Clark, of Early, entered a written plea of not guilty Saturday in Buena Vista County District Court. She’s charged with forgery, theft and ongoing criminal conduct. Storm Lake police say Clark forged customer names and completed fraudulent returns for cash within the Bomgaars store where she worked, and then kept the money...

A 21-year-old Spencer man was arrested on multiple felony charges for assault, burglary and going armed with intent last week. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, Spencer Police Department officers responded to a disturbance at 17 E. First St. shortly after 7 p.m...

Weeks keep flying by and the first funnel will be here before I know it. February 16 is first funnel deadline date. Bills must be out of subcommittees and full committee by that date or they will be dead for this session. The second funnel date is March 16. This is the deadline for bills that come from the House and pass out of a Senate committee to complete the same process...

The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will be closed after that date and reopens again on May 5. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye. For more information on fishing regulations, go to www.iowadnr.gov/fishing...

A pickup went through the ice on Pickerel Lake northeast of Marathon Saturday. The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office responded, and urged the public to use caution while ice fishing on area waters where temperature fluctuations have left ice conditions uncertain. No injuries were reported, and Storm Lake Towing was able to recover the truck from the lake, which is about six feet deep...

Members of the Spencer Fire Department packed up the equipment they needed in order to battle an apartment fire at the Spencer Manor complex Thursday morning. Members of the Spencer Police Department, Spencer Hospital and Clay County Emergency Management were also on scene. ...

On the morning of Saturday, January 27, at approximately 2:48 a.m., a Storm Lake Police Officer on patrol was waved down by a staff member at the Malarky’s Night Club. Police were advised by the reporting party that a person in the parking lot was allegedly intoxicated and attempting to drive out of the parking lot...

ACCIDENTS On January 26, at approximately 7 a.m., in the 700 Block of Maywood Dr. in Storm Lake, a vehicle owned by Titus Arrow of Storm Lake, was struck by an unknown vehicle. Total damages were estimated at $1200.

The 17th Annual Father/Daughter Dance will be held on Saturday, March 3, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Storm Lake Elementary School. Pictures will start at 6 p.m. Fathers, grandfathers, father figures and their daughters of all ages are invited to spend a memorable evening together...

Iowa Public Television will present exclusive statewide coverage of the 2018 Iowa State Dance Team Championships on Monday, February 5 at 8 p.m. The two-hour program showcases highlights of all the winning routines and busy backstage action. The competition will be rebroadcast Sunday, February 11 at 1 p.m...

Eighty Bomgaars locations held a Ladies’ Night in December where participants received 20 percent off merchandise and a portion of the evening sales were pledged back to local cancer centers and hospitals. The 80 locations raised $44,821.14 to be divided between their various communities. The Storm Lake Bomgaars store presented Buena Vista Regional Medical Center with a check for $1,029.07...

Job training in areas like Pocahontas County would benefit from the passage of Iowa Central Community College’s $25.5 million bond issue, according to Tom Grau, the director of the Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission. Grau spoke during the commission’s annual meeting, according to a Fort Dodge Messenger report...

A candidate for Iowa’s 4th District congressional seat is putting part of the blame for taunting during a recent Storm Lake-Spencer basketball game on her incumbent opponent. Leann Jacobson said in a statement sent to the Pilot-Tribune the “racially charged events by certain students from Spencer High School” has left her “deeply disappointed and very upset by the racist chants.”...

On the evening of Friday, January 26, at approximately 6:54 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department took a report in reference to a fight which had occurred earlier in the day. Police were advised that four juvenile males allegedly engaged in a fight in the 600 block of Geisinger Road after school on Friday following a disagreement from school which escalated...

The Storm Lake Elementary students will be hosting their Kindergarten Informance on February 6 at 7 p.m. in the Storm Lake Elementray gym. The theme is “The Day The Crayons Quit” (based on the book of the same title by Drew Drywalt and Oliver Jeffers.)...

Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience will light up the Storm Lake High School Auditorium Friday, March 23 as part of the 2018 Community Education Performance Series. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at the CE office, and season passes are also available. The Big Band Experience creates more than music - it creates feelings, experiences and memories of “an unbelievable night out.”...

During the Ice Age, there were many large and unfamiliar animals roaming around Iowa, such as mammoths, giant sloths, and dire wolves. Researchers in Iowa are still trying to understand these ancient creatures. At 6 p.m. on February 7, the Northwest Chapter of the Iowa Archaeological Society is hosting Dr. ...

The Clay County Fair and Events Center announced Arch Allies as the headline act at Rock’n Bac’n Brew’n at the events center on Saturday, April 7. Arch Allies, a timeless, tribute band centered around making classic rock sing-alongs from the bands Journey, Styx, Boston, REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi, will take the stage starting at 7 p.m...

Two junior high musicians were honored with the 2nd Annual Evan Niebuhr Diocesan Memorial Music Scholarship during Catholic Schools Week. The first recipient is Bianca Limones, a seventh grader at Storm Lake St. Mary’s. In her nomination, Bianca was heralded as a leader her classroom and school...

The following students have been named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2017 semester at Buena Vista University. Students named to the Dean’s List must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 for the semester, based on a 4.0 grade point system, and must have taken at least 12 hours of coursework...

How involved are students in BVU productions? D: They are the driving force that makes the shows happen. From building scenery to costumes, selecting props, creating posters and programs, and running the box office, they take care of a lot. We supervise and encourage students to take on leadership positions...

DES MOINES, (AP) — The federal tax cut could save up to $147 million in utility bills for Iowa residents as the state’s investor-owned utility companies pass along some of their giant tax reductions. Investor-owned utility companies in Iowa such as MidAmerican and Allian will save millions as part of the new tax law signed by President Donald Trump in December. Legislation lowering the corporate federal income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent took effect Jan. 1...

A Storm Lake man has been arrested on 22 counts of Exploitation of a Minor after allegedly exposing a 3-year-old to pornography, and police located a cache of child pornography videos on his computer files. SLPD officers took a report January 19 from the Iowa Department of Human Services, involving an incident three days earlier. ...

Repair work on Friday apparently damaged a 24-inch sewer line near Memorial Lift Station, allowing untreated wastewater to flow into a storm sewer that runs into Storm Lake. City staff discovered the wastewater flowing under and over the ice near King’s Pointe Resort Monday morning. They estimate up to 450 or 500 gallons per minute of residential wastewater may have been discharging south of the resort. There was no industrial wastewater discharge...

Sunday night, the local ambulance crew was called for an elderly Alta man who had collapsed after suffering from flu symptoms. He’s not alone, as diagnosed flu cases are running at double the rate of this time last year, and the entire state is listed with “widespread” outbreaks by health authorities. Every state except for Hawaii is also considered to have a widespread outbreak...

Storm Lake Public Safety Director Mark Prosser joined law enforcement leaders from around the state in battling a proposed Iowa sanctuary cities crackdown during a packed hearing in Des Moines Tuesday morning. The bill seeks to withhold state funds from cities and counties that do not cooperate with federal immigration agents in holding undocumented immigrants for potential deportation...

October 15, 1923-January 29, 2018

October 10, 1915 - January 29, 2018

On the evening of Friday, January 26, at approximately 11:26 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to 216 Ontario Street #3 in reference to a disturbance in progress with a person armed with a knife. Upon arrival of police they made contact with the occupants of the residence and allege that two roommates had engaged in a verbal argument over living arrangements...

January 31, 2018