Stories from Wednesday, February 28, 2018

On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 27, the Storm Lake Police Department was advised by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department that a wanted person was traveling to Storm Lake. Police were advised that a Raymond Kerns, age 36 of Quimby, was traveling to a business in Storm Lake and that he was wanted out of several counties in Iowa and had a history of violence and being armed...

When Homeland Security provided mass shooting prevention training to three Iowa Lakes Community College staff members during a workshop in Sioux City, the attendees felt they couldn’t just keep the information to themselves. “We needed to be able to share that with our local school districts,” Delaine Hiney said, after a November 2013 program at Okoboji High School. ...

Buena Vista University (BVU) alumnus and New York City photographer Andre D. Wagner is set to visit campus to discuss his work and process of using the street as an open studio. The event will take place on Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery located in the Social Sciences & Art Hall on the BVU campus...

The morning of February 27, at approximately 5:06 a.m., the Storm Lake Fire Department was dispatched to 714 Walnut Street for a report of a carbon monoxide detector going off in the house. Upon arrival of fire fighters, it was determined that there were high amounts of gas in the building and Alliant Energy was called to the scene...

On the afternoon of Sunday, February 25, at approximately 4:28 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the parking lot at the Storm Lake Walmart Store in reference to a motor vehicle accident. Responding officers were advised that a motorist had struck a parked vehicle. Upon arrival of police they detained the driver who allegedly was driving the vehicle that struck the parked vehicle as she was walking away from the scene and identified her as Deborah Hanson, age 55 of Alta...

WANTED On the afternoon of Saturday, February 24, at approximately 3 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Department was on location at a residence located at 1 Rockwell Court. While at the residence police observed a wanted person. Police arrested Albert Quintana, age 24 of Storm Lake who was wanted out of Buena Vista County on a warrant for Contempt of Court. Quintana was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on a $500 bond.

On February 24, at approximately 6:41 p.m., at the intersection of W. 10th St. and Vestal St. in Storm Lake, an unknown vehicle struck a stop sign and West 10th and Vestal Sign owned by the City of Storm Lake. Total damages were estimated at $80.

Many crafts require a lot of time and a steep learning curve before you feel skilled enough to make a beautiful finished item. Crocheting is not one of those crafts, and Melissa Ausborn wants to show the public how easy (and addicting) it is to crochet like your Grandma or Great-Aunts used to do...

After a winter break, the Arts Center is up and running. “Touch of Broadway” is coming again this year with another delightful performance. Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes “Touch of Broadway”, performing at the Fonda Arts Center on Sunday, March 18th, at 3 p.m. ...

A public meeting will be held on the keeping the IPERS benefit system intact. The session should be of interest to public educators and city, county and state employees, according to organizers. The meeting will be held at Storm Lake High School Media Center, Wednesday, March 7, starting at 7 p.m...

An independent audit report has been completed for the Newell-Fonda School District. According to the findings, the district took in revenues of $7.61 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year, a 5.3 percent increase over the previous year. That included $3.55 million in local taxes, $1.2 million in contributions and restricted interest, and over $845,000 in charges for services...

Average retail gasoline prices in Iowa have fallen 2.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.54 early this week. This compares with the national average that has fallen 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.50. Storm Lake prices, that had topped out near $2.50, have ebbed back to $2.34 to start the week...

The First Grade Informance will be held March 6, at 7 p.m. at the Storm Lake Elementary Gym. More than 150 students are taught by Mrs. Becky Brown, Mrs. San Juanita Chamul, Mrs. Vicki Flink, Miss Whitney Gebers, Mrs. Missy Jenness, Mrs. Erin Nelson, Mr. Nate Reichter and Mrs. Molly Richardson...

Tickets are on sale now for a Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Cancer AWARE fundraiser concert at Lake Creek Country Club March 24, featuring the country/southern rock Nashville duo Walker McGuire with their full band. Tickets are $27 and are limited to the first 150 sold. More information is available from Storm Lake Radio...

The 2018 Barnes Bull Riding Challenge tour is heading to Ames, Iowa on March 2-3. Current students and Iowa State rodeo alum are working jointly on the fundraiser for the rodeo team.   Stock Contractors Marty Barnes and Westin Barnes from Peterson are producing the event and hired bullfighter Luke Moore and announcer Jeff Lucas.   ...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s Middle School will be presenting “Junie B.  Jones  is not  a Crook” by Allison Gregory Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 3 at 2 p.m. in the St. Mary’s auditorium/gymnasium. Attendance is open to the public. Admission is $3 for students and $5 for adults. Ms. Melissa Schwery is directing the play. St. Mary’s Fine Arts Boosters organization is sponsoring the production...

P.E.O. Chapter GJ of Sioux Rapids is proud to announce three scholarship recipients for 2017. Two young women have received the Dr. Carol Steiler Halverson Scholarship of $500. Claire Blomberg, daughter of Tom and Gina Blomberg of Linn Grove, attends the University of Missouri in Columbia and is majoring in political science. She has a minor in business administration...

Dr. Al Lewis, professor emeritus of health and physical education, passed away on Feb. 22. He was 78. Lewis served on the Buena Vista College faculty from 1970 until his retirement in 1988. In the 1970s, he was head of the physical education department and director of intramural programs. Lewis was well-known as a professor who emphasized the “education in physical education.”...

Buena Vista University’s (BVU) student media organizations took home several awards at the 2018 Iowa College Media Association (ICMA) conference held earlier this month in Des Moines. Overall, students in BVU’s campus media organizations - KBVU, the University Cable Network (UCN) and The Tack Online - received 30 awards in numerous categories and were the proud recipients of the coveted ICMA First Amendment Award. ...

Jessica Smith, a University of Iowa student from Pocahontas, was named to the university’s President’s List for the fall 2017 semester. Approximately 400 students were named to the President’s List for the fall 2017 semester.

The following full-time students who have demonstrated academic excellence by earning at least a grade point average of 3.25 or higher were named to the 2017 fall Honors List: Early • Zachary Roling Fonda • Hayley Albee Marathon • Jordan Gunnarson Newell...

On Saturday, February 10, members of the Flint Hills Resources Arthur ethanol plant joined local students and their families at the 8th annual Girls in Science Festival at the Science Center of Iowa (SCI) in Des Moines. The Girls in Science Festival, which is part of SCI’s broader Girls in Science Initiative, strives to educate and encourage students, especially girls, to learn more about, and potentially pursue, STEM-based – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – careers. ...

In addition to U.S. Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) visit to South Korea and Japan, the Iowa senator traveled to China on Saturday, February 24th to meet with U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and former Governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s School will be conducting their Kindergarten Round Up Thursday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. with attendees gathering in the school gymnasium. Parents should plan to bring their prospective Kindergarten student. Attendees will learn about a typical school day in a Catholic school, ask any questions regarding uniforms, lunch, tuition scholarships, etc. ...

The annual report released by the Storm Lake Police Department is a case of good news and bad news. Uniform Crime Stats, made up of seven of the most serious crime categories, fell by over 15 percent from 2016 to 2017, continuing a 10-year trend of falling crime rates. Substantial decreases in burglaries along with a slight decrease in assaults spurred the past year’s reductions...

Students at Storm Lake High School will soon have an opportunity to study literature from ancient Beowulf to modern Hollywood. Principal Beau Ruleaux brought a plea to the school board recently to add more electives in the English Language department. After the core classes, there is little for juniors and seniors to choose from. The department staff began to research offerings at other schools...

The nomination period begins March 5 for several Buena Vista County elected positions. Nomination papers must be filed by March 28. Three seats on the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors will be decided in the 2018 elections. Tom Huseman has already announced a reelection campaign. Paul Merten and Dale Arends currently hold the other two seats up for election...

“The Lord will provide,” Duane Queen said hopefully after the former site of the Mobile Food Pantry was sold. The old Bomgaars building had been provided for Hy-Noon Kiwanis hunger prevention program use for two years. And the retired minister and organizer of the Mobile Food Pantry was apparently right. As soon as one location was lost, another was offered - the Genesis Development work activity center across the road...

Plans are coming together for a food issues summit to be held in Storm Lake in April, according to Katelyn Brinkerhoff, Buena Vista County Extension, one of the organizers of the event. A keynote speaker will be announced later. The event will be called, “Finding Your Spark: Battling Food Insecurity in Rural Iowa.”...

SPIRIT LAKE - The temperature outside on Monday was a little balmy for the end of February and for the Alta-Aurelia Warriors’, the warmth outside did not translate to inside the gym in the 2A-Substate 2 contest against the Sheldon Orabs. The Warriors cold shooting harmed them in a 62-42 loss, ending their season a game short of State for the second consecutive season...

Tuesday morning saw the release of the Twin Lakes All-Conference teams, final standings and coach of the year being named. Newell-Fonda shared the conference title this season with Pocahontas Area, both teams going 9-2 in conference play. Alta-Aurelia finished fifth with a 7-4 record, Sioux Central sixth going 6-5 and St. Mary’s 12th...

Buena Vista Head Softball Coach Mandie Berneking and the team are chopping at the bit to get the 2018 season going this weekend with their openers on the road in Rochester, Minnesota. Last season the Beavers went 20-17 and finished fifth in the Iowa Conference. Berneking, now in her fourth season as the skipper for BVU, felt like they should have finished a bit higher than they did but some defensive mistakes held the Beavers back from reaching their full potential...

The Lakes Conference boys basketball teams were announced recently with one Storm Lake Tornado earning first team honors. Junior Cham Deng was the first team All-Lakes selection for the green and white. Deng finished fifth in the conference with 14.4 points a game and made the most free throws with 85 of them. Deng also finished third in rebounds per game with 7.9...

The Buena Vista University athletic department has announced the 2018 Spring Kick-off Event to be held at Lake Avenue Lounge. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7, and is open to the public free of charge. A social hour will take place starting at 5 p.m. ...

June 22, 1958 - February 26, 2018

February 27, 2018