Stories from Monday, March 26, 2018

March 23, 2018

The Buena Vista County Extension and Outreach presents a new course that will provide the tools Iowans need to work toward financial goals. The course meets on Tuesday’s April 10 and April 17. All sessions are from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Area Education Agency, 824 Flindt Ave. ESL Level 1 Room...

ACCIDENTS On March 21, at approximately 11:04 p.m., at 315 Vilas Road in Storm Lake, a vehicle owned by Arturo Sanchez of Newell, was struck by a vehicle driven by Gordon Haworth of Grinnell. Total damages were estimated at $600.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10924, creating the Peace Corps. Over the years, Peace Corps volunteers began working around the world, providing assistance and working to achieve the order’s goal “to promote world peace and friendship.” This spring, a Spencer citizen and longtime Peace Corps volunteer will return to the West African country of Benin to celebrate 50 years of the organization’s involvement inside the country’s borders...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School Silversteppers dance team hosted their annual dance night recently with guest teams Newell-Fonda, Alta-Aurelia and East Sac County High Schools. The St. Mary’s team performed multiple routines with different costumes and dance styles under the direction of coach Tori Stille...

On the evening of March 21st the House amended and passed Senate File 2349. Amendments are normally small changes and technical corrections but in this particular instance the House amendment to SF2349 took a major step toward making health care more affordable for many Iowans...

St. John Lutheran Church, 402 Lake Ave, Storm Lake, will observe Holy Week and Easter Sunday with special services. The Maundy Thursday service will be held March 29 at 7 p.m. The service commemorates Christ’s institution of the Lord’s Supper and concludes with the solemn ceremony of Stripping the Altar...

David and Laura Turnquist of Alta and Roger and Lois Morris of Spencer are pleased to announce the engagement of their children, Katie Turnquist and Tanner Morris. Katie graduated from Alta-Aurelia High School in 2013 and Buena Vista University in 2017. ...

On Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. the Storm Lake United Methodist Church at 211 East 3rd St. will present an original dramatic presentation of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. The drama is title ‘The Truth Will Set You Free.’ Through music and dialogue the drama explores the transformation that happens to individuals as they grow in their understanding of Jesus and his teachings. ...

On the morning of Wednesday, March 21, at approximately 8:30 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Storm Lake High School in reference to a harassment. Upon arrival of police they met with school staff and the reporting party who alleged that another student, identified as a 16 year old female of Storm Lake, had threatened the victim while at the school...

On the morning of Wednesday, March 21, at approximately 9:30 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to Midtown located at 1100 East 5th Street in reference to a theft. Upon arrival of police they met with store staff who alleged that shortly after 12 a.m. Wednesday morning two patrons worked in concert to remove alcohol from the store without paying for it after previously been denied the sale. The cost of the merchandise stolen is approximately $10...

When in Storm Lake, finding wonderful places to eat, soaking in the atmosphere, and enjoying some dinner company is a must. If you are an out-of-town guest just in to enjoy the offerings of the beautiful city, or a local; there are some great places to eat. The ones that maintain a following with great service, and great food, seem to just keep motoring along, gaining steam as a go-to place when the desire arises...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center is hosting the first annual Cares for Kids Trivia Night. The organization will be hosting this event Thursday, April 12, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Columbus Hall, located at 1507 East Lakeshore Drive. Cost is $150 per table with 10 members per team. A hot sandwich, beans and chips will be provided with entry fee. For any additional questions or to sign your team up, please contact Mary Jo Dwello at 732.4455 ext. 8563...

It only takes one hour to save three local lives via blood donation with LifeServe Blood Center. One hour of time and one pint of blood may not seem like a huge sacrifice, but it’s a matter of life or death to area hospital patients. Only 38 percent of the American population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 5 percent of those donors actually give...

The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report was released recently and includes important, updated findings related to the individuals living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their afflicted families in Iowa. This year’s report reveals that for the second consecutive year, the total national cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s is projected to surpass a quarter of a trillion dollars ($277 billion), an increase of nearly $20 billion since last year alone. ...

Spencer Hospital nurses Joyce Tewes and Jeri Wescott, both of Hartley, have been selected as two of Iowa’s 100 Great Nurses for 2018 and will be honored at a May 6 celebration in Des Moines. The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program identifies 100 outstanding nurses every year whose courage, competence, and commitment to patients and the nursing profession stand out above all others. These nurses go above and beyond to contribute significantly to the profession of nursing...

The Clay County Fair announces that Blood, Sweat & Tears with special guest Journey former lead vocalist Steve Augeri will perform as part of the SRG Concert Series in the Grandstand at the Clay County Fair on Sunday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m.. It’s been more than four decades since drummer/producer Bobby Colomby and friends assembled into the genre-crossing sound and style of Blood, Sweat & Tears. ...

Noises Off will be held at the Anderson Auditorium on Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. Noises Off, a British farce about putting on a farce, provides humorous insight into the on stage and off stage challenges of producing a play. What’s a farce? Noises off is a superb example: high-energy comedic romp involving highly improbable events, impeccable timing, misunderstandings and mistaken identities...

Go ahead, pick your favorite young, villain-vanquishing fantasy heroine. Meg Murry probably came first. Katniss Everdeen? She arrived in 2001. Hermione Granger? That was 1997. Elphaba, the green girl from “Wicked”? 2003. But Meg, the reluctant, bespectacled heroine of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic “A Wrinkle in Time,” has been with us, and on the shelves of middle-schoolers, since 1962...

Storm Lake organizations are taking full advantage of the AmazonSmile fundraising program. Among the local non-profits already signed on with the program: Friends of the Storm Lake Public Library, Lake Preservation Association, Storm Lake Schools Foundation, Bridge of Storm Lake, Community Chest, School District Music Boosters, Faith Hope & Charity, Parade of Flags, Cornerstone for Life, Tops Club, Scholarship America, Northwest Iowa Wrestling, Watt Lao Simong Khoun Chanthalaram, United Community Health Center, Witter Gallery, BV Sheriffs Reserve, Buena Vista University, Habitat for Humanity, Methodist Manor and several local churches.. ...

“The wealth is in our soils in Iowa,” believes Craig Lang, a Republican candidate running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture this year. “That’s the one thing that lets us compete with the rest of the world.” Lang’s top priorities in his bid for the position are soil quality, water quality, and the rural economy in Iowa—concerns that seem to be a common theme among all candidates running for the position...

Faith Bible Christian Outreach Center recently sent three members on a week-long mission trip to Haiti. Jody Besch, Kevin Thayer and Sue Thayer returned from working alongside full-time local missionaries Les and Catherine DeRoos at Laborers With Christ and Chris and Michelle Rasmussen with GoServ Global. The Rasmussens and DeRoos families both serve in the Les Cayes area...

It’s mid-March as a steady torrent of rain pours on a Friday night at the Storm Lake National Guard Armory. Being the month of March, the rain is changing to sleet in a hurry, but inside the Armory, it’s all business as usual for Sgt. Nicole Vanek as she sets up paperwork and questions for a possible new recruit to the ranks of the Guard...

As the students in the Robotics Club at Storm Lake High School prepared for an international competition last week, they may not have realized that the club is the one preparing them—for life. The team of 11, named “Green Lightning,” competed at the University of Northern Iowa Dome in Cedar Falls March 21-24 against teams from around the world - a first for SLHS. ...

DECORAH - The Buena Vista baseball team plated four runs in the 10th inning of game one and held on to win the game 7-3 before Luther went on to score four times in the sixth inning of the nightcap to even the series with a 5-2 victory. The Norse opened up a 3-0 lead in the third inning of game one with an RBI single and a two-run home run. ...

The Buena Vista University athletic director, Jack Denholm, has been at the post for a year and a half now, guiding Beaver athletics in the best way that he can. Denholm, a Parkersburg native, was a multi-sport athlete playing football and wrestling. He found his way to Wartburg after high school to wrestle for the Knights, becoming a two time All-American on the mat. Soon thereafter, Denholm made his way to Mankato, Minnesota to get his Masters degree at Mankato State University...

September 29, 1939 - March 22, 2018