Stories from Monday, March 5, 2018

February 27, 2018

May 26, 1943 - March 1, 2018

Harlan and Deb Matasovsky of Storm Lake are pleased to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their son, Tim Matasovsky to McKenzie Reece, daughter of Chad and Kristine Reece of Forest City.  Tim is a 2006 graduate of Storm Lake High School and a 2010 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. ...

At this writing, it would appear March will come in like a lamb. That is great news for people and animals. I have talked to some cow/calf producers who are into the calving season, and the little “critters” could use some help from Mother Nature. Calving season is always a sign Spring is near, and that makes everyone happy. Hopefully, attitudes will change here at the Capitol as well...

This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Most ice is around 15 inches, but there are variable conditions near shore - with some areas of thinner ice and open water so use caution. ...

“The Starting Six,” the newest exhibit on display at the Clay County Heritage Center, has opened to the public. The exhibit features many artifacts from a time when six-on-six women’s basketball was one of the most popular sports played in the area’s rural Iowa. State-championship caliber teams hailed from some of the area’s smaller-sized communities...

National FFA Week is celebrated each year during President’s week. This year celebrations took place from February 17- February 24 “I Can. We Will,” is this year’s theme for FFA. Members of Newell- Fonda’s FFA chapter plans’ to part in their own festivities to celebrate an organization dedicated to, “making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.”...

On February 28 at approximately 3 p.m., in the 600 block of Lake Ave in Storm Lake, a vehicle owned by Todd Nicholson of Storm Lake was involved in an accident with another vehicle driven by Anthony Vargas of Storm Lake. The Two vehicles collided causing total damages estimated at $3,000. Vargas was cited for No Valid Drivers License.

FIRE ALARM On the afternoon of Thursday, March 1, at approximately 4:40 p.m. the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to Edson Hall on the campus of Buena Vista University in reference to an automated fire alarm. Upon arrival of fire fighters they were directed to a burning odor on the second floor. It was determined that a small fan motor in a second floor practice room had overheated causing the alarm to activate. The fan was taken out of service. There was no fire and no damage. The fire department was on scene for approximately 45 minutes and was assisted at the scene by the Storm Lake Police Department and BVU Security.

This is the story of a local schoolteacher who turned a part-time job into an international business enterprise, and provided Storm Lake with a worldwide identity. In the very late 1800’s and early 1900’s there was a Storm Lake teacher of very modest means, who was also working part-time for a small local business of processing poultry and eggs for the local area markets, in order to supplement his meager salary. ...

Bernard Weiss, former Beaver basketball coach, passed away on Feb. 25, 2018. He was 79. Weiss was head men’s basketball coach at Buena Vista College from 1972-1980. He was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year in 1975 and led the Beavers to a conference championship during the 1975-76 season. Weiss also served Buena Vista as assistant professor of health and physical education...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - It was a rough day for the Buena Vista baseball team as it opened its 2018 campaign on the road down in St. Louis for a mid-day doubleheader against Washington University (Mo.). The Beavers fell behind early in game one and were defeated 10-0 in seven innings before the Bears rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the twinbill to hand BVU a 15-4 setback...

ROCHESTER, Minn. - The Buena Vista softball team began its 2018 campaign on Saturday night in thrilling fashion inside of the Rochester Dome by edging Northwestern-St. Paul in walk-off fashion, 4-3, before cruising to a 10-1 (6 inning) victory over Lake Forest College in the nightcap...

Buena Vista University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Brian Van Haaften has announced that he is stepping down effective March 2. He has accepted a position at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. “I want to thank BVU for the most awesome time of my life,” says Van Haaften. ...

DES MOINES - Friday and Saturday saw the full range of emotions for the Newell-Fonda Mustangs girls’ basketball team. From elation and joy, to sorrow and sadness, Newell-Fonda finishes the 2017-18 as the second best team in 1A. Friday afternoon saw the three seed in the 1A Girls State Basketball tournament take on the second seed, Central Decatur, in a battle of unbeaten squads...

A recent announcement from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa has many people optimistic about the individual under-65 health insurance market. Last week the company announced that as long as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains stable, they plan to reenter the market in 2019...

The Buena Vista County Parkinson’s Support Group will meet on Tuesday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. at St Mark Lutheran Church, 1614 W 5th St, Storm Lake. The meeting is intended to share information with one another about our experiences with Parkinson’s. Anyone interested in this subject is invited to attend this monthly free meeting. Please contact Bonnie (732-3383) with questions about the meeting...

The Iowa Public Health Department says in its latest report that 157 Iowa residents have died of flu-related illnesses since Oct. 1 — the worst flu season since the swine flu outbreak in 2009. The department says that at this point last flu season, just 50 confirmed flu deaths had been reported in Iowa...

Spencer Hospital has again been named one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States, earning the designation for the third consecutive year. The nation’s top hospitals are recognized annually by iVantage Health Analytics, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare analytics...

Could you save your child or grandchild in an emergency? What about your spouse, a co-worker, best friend, or someone at church or the playground? If you answered no, consider signing up for Adult-Child-Infant CPR and Choking Training that is coming to Galva in April...

Members of Sac County 4-H made blankets during a “lock-in” held February 23 in Sac City. Those blankets were donated to the Surgical Services department at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center to be given to children served at BVRMC.

The Witter Gallery is excited to announce it’s March exhibit: The Art of Lee Rainboth. This collection of paintings will be on display in the Witter Gallery through March 31. Lee Rainboth has worked with a number of organizations in Haiti, including three of which he co-founded, to expand opportunities through the arts for artists, children, and youth, to become creative leaders within their communities. ...

Clay County Fair & Events Center announces that Arch Allies will headline Rock’n Bac’n Brew’n at the Clay County Regional 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...

Iowans can explore extreme weather and archaeology aboard a battleship with Superman and a famous mountain climber -- all with a bit of history-inspired imagination at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. The weeklong series “Adventures into Iowa’s Past” offers new and exciting trips through time with artifacts, superhero crafts and an archaeological adventure, including a visit from Charlie Wittmack, the first Iowan to climb Mount Everest. ...

Four professors have been selected as finalists for Buena Vista University’s 2018 George Wythe Award for Excellence in Teaching. They are: • Ms. Miranda Pollock, assistant professor of graphic design • Dr. Gwen Hart, associate professor of English • Dr. Bethany Larson, professor of theatre...

Alta-Aurelia Fusion Dance Team Night has been moved to Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the high school gym.

A man felled by toxic gas inside a northwest Iowa hog confinement barn has won nearly $1.2 million for his injuries. An O’Brien County jury hearing the lawsuit trial found property owner Patrick Probst negligent for the 2014 incident and Tuesday awarded Thomas Mook the money...

The Clay County Fair and Events Center will look a little different after $600,000 worth of capital improvement projects are completed prior to the 2018 Fair, Sept. 8-16. Highlighting the list of projects will be the construction of a new Grandpa’s Barn. This 6,000-square-foot facility will almost double the space of the fair’s popular agriculture education attraction...

Buena Vista University Professor of Experimental Psychology, Dr. Wind Goodfriend, has co-authored a newly published textbook on social psychology. Goodfriend’s contract to write the book is the most substantial that the textbook’s publisher, SAGE Publications, has ever issued to a psychology author...

Most surveyed students in Buena Vista County feel that they live in a happy home, but one out of 10 disagree. Eight percent feel they do not live in a safe neighborhood, and 21 percent feel adults in their community do not care about kids their age...

After weeks of gathering information, the Le Mars Community Schools Board of Education made it official: the district will leave the Lakes Conference for the Missouri River Activities Conference starting with the 2019-20 school year. Following the departure of Emmetsburg last fall for the Twin Lakes Conference, that will leave the Lakes Conference, which includes Storm Lake, in a scheduling bind with only six remaining schools. ...

March 1, 2018