Stories from Wednesday, August 15, 2018

New teachers in Storm Lake got ready for their first class with a workshop on Tuesday. Of the 25 new teachers, 12 are elementary, nine middle school, and four high school. Front row, L to R: Hsin-Wei Chen, Andrea Vlahoulis, Amy Stewart, Jennifer Lyman, Brooke Gvvaffney, Jordan Jorgensen, Kathleen Besch, Wilmer Flores. ...

CHEROKEE — A new program in northwestern Iowa provides financial support for residents enrolled in West Iowa Tech Community College programs. The Cherokee County Promise program covers the cost of tuition and fees after financial aid has been applied, The Sioux City Journal reported. Students enrolled in the program commit to working and living in Cherokee County for three years after they graduate...

How can I be sure my retirement funds will last my lifetime? This important question will be addressed in an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach workshop on August 21st and August 28th from either 11:30 a.m-1 p.m. at Loring Hospital or 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sac County Extension and Outreach Office...

The annual retired staff breakfast will be August 23. Anyone who has retired from Storm Lake Community School is invited to attend. They will meet at Lakeshore Cafe at 8 to chat for a bit, then order from the menu and eat around 8:30. If you have questions, call Marilyn at 732-7783 or Denise at 284-2843...

This story was produced by IowaWatch.org, an independent, non-profit, online news news organization of The Iowa Center for Public Affairs

Sioux City Art Center will host the annual ArtSplash! celebration September 1st and 2nd, full of hands-on art and artist demonstrations, music and a children’s stage with an array of energetic performers. The event will be held in Riverside Park, Saturday, from 10-6 and Sunday 10-5. Admission is $5, children age 11 and under are free, and there is no charge for parking. Food will be available on site...

The annual Escape to the Lake Kar Show is being planned for Sunday, Sept. 2. Classics, sports cars, hot rods, customs and tricked-out trucks in 36 classes will fill the Chautauqua Park area for the show, which is presented by the Storm Lake Hy-Noon Kiwanis Club. Registration is 9 a.m.-noon, with the show running from noon to the awards ceremony at 3:30-4 p.m...

Come join in for the first annual Hanover Wine Tasting Event, A Sip in the Country. The Wine tasting event will take place at the Hanover Village at the Junction of M-27 and C-65 on Friday evening, August 24, from 4-8 p.m.The $18 entry fee includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, music, and wine tasting and a commemorative tasting glass...

Vinestock will be returning to the area community of Peterson, Saturday, October 6. Stroll through downtown Peterson and enjoy wine and beer tasting from various wineries and breweries, as well as delicious food and shopping of arts, crafts and more. Hours are 10 a.m.- 4 p.m...

From the get-go, “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” a Kate McKinnon-Mila Kunis buddy spy comedy, has two things going for it. First, female spies are clearly in vogue, if you’ve been reading the news — or if you prefer your spies to be fictional, may we recommend Keri Russell’s recently departed Elizabeth Jennings on “The Americans”?...

Tuesday, August 7 was Agronomy in the Field at Ron and Margo Sievers near Rembrandt. Participants didn’t make it into the field because of the mud, but ISU Extension Agronomist, Angie Rieck-Hinz pre-scouted and provided plenty of samples. They discussed scouting and thresholds for soybean aphids, discussed corn aphids and staging our corn and beans and how long until maturity occurs. The ladies made yield estimates for corn...

The Trump Administration recently appointed Grant Menke as the new State Director for USDA Rural Development in Iowa. Menke began his new role on Monday, August 6. Menke is a native of rural O’Brien County and grew up on a farm near Paullina. A University of Northern Iowa graduate, he now lives in Ankeny with his family. As state director, Menke will use his leadership experience to oversee Rural Development programs in a customer-focused manner to restore prosperity in rural Iowa...

Gasoline prices in Iowa have fallen 1.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.73 early this week. This compares with the national average that has fallen 1.1 cents per gallon versus last week to $2.85. Storm Lake hasn’t enjoyed a reduction, unchanged at $2.69 for super unleaded. Alta stations were at $2.72...

Justice Bruce M. Snell Jr., a former justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, will be honored at a reception Saturday, Aug. 18, in the Heritage Room of the Ida Grove Library. The event will feature a traveling exhibit about both Snell and his father, the late Justice Bruce M. Snell Sr...

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen seeking details on a man and 13 year-old girl who were apprehended by Customs and Border Patrol after illegally crossing the southern border. ...

Clothing Construction Contest Infant/Toddler - Sleepwear 4th place Leann Baumhover, Storm Lake FFA Members Flock for Ribbons at Iowa State Fair FFA Poultry Show Reserve Champion American: Abbigail Bean, Sioux Rapids Champion Mediterranean: Abbigail Bean, Sioux Rapids...

On Monday, August 13th, Justin Mohning of Central Insurance talked about the current state of health care insurance and explained the changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act and what these changes have done to the health insurance industry and to the costs of health care. ...

The winners of the Flower Power Contest at the Albert City Thresehermen & Collectors Show included: Adult bucket, 1st: Theresa Erickson, Marathon 2nd: Denise Huskamp, Newell Adult planter, 1st: Amy Saunders, Laurens 2nd: Berny Schluesener. 3rd: Kris Ehlers, Albert City...

November 8, 1935 - June 28, 2017

July 20, 1945 - July 4, 2018

April 24, 1958 - August 9, 2018

November 15, 1939 - July 29, 2018

On the morning of Sunday, August 12, at approximately 12:55 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the King’s Pointe Resort locate at 1520 East Lakeshore Drive in reference to a panic alarm sounding at the front hotel desk. Upon arrival of police they met with resort staff who alleged an intoxicated male had been at a wedding reception where he caused concerns as no one knew him. ...

The first four days of Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s State Fair Straw Poll show close contests in two congressional districts so far. Secretary Pate is polling the Iowa Governor’s race and all four congressional races at his booth throughout the State Fair, August 9-19...

A blacksmith hammers a ten-penny nail into a gift for a young child at the Albert City Threshermen & Collectors Show over the weekend. He said he’s made as many as 80 such toys a day at the show. Attendance for the 48th Annual Threshermen & Collectors Show held west of Albert City on August 10, 11, and 12 totaled 12,162 people...

The MillStone Park dedication launches a year-long effort to develop a memorable stopping point in the heart of Milford. The park will be located at the intersection of Highway 71 (Okoboji Avenue) and county road A34 near St. Joseph Catholic Church. Mayor Steve Anderson said planners want MillStone Park’s centerpiece monument “to serve as a gateway to the Iowa Great Lakes while telling a story of Milford’s origins as the home of several water-driven mills.”...

A Storm Lake man faces additional charges after being arrested last week for Indecent Contact With a Child. In an ongoing investigation, police gathered additional information from interviews with the 12 year old victim and her 8 year old sibling. Officers now allege that Marion Gutierrez Meza, 44, in addition to inappropriately grabbing the 12-year-old, on two separate occasions had attempted to lure her younger sister into his bedroom with plans to sexually assault the child. ...

=While some members of the Storm Lake City Council wanted to push for a new kitchen at the Public Library, the library board of trustees responded this week with a “no thanks.” City Manager Keri Navratil met with the board, at the direction of the council. ...

A crowd gathered Saturday during the Albert City Threshermen Show to honor three local veterans as recipients of the Quilt of Valor program. Donald Fisher, Alta, a Vietnam veteran, Norman Hanson, who returned to service in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, and Aaron Dahlstrom, who served in Kuwait and Iraq, received quilts designed by Ann Crawford, Western Iowa Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. The group gave out its first quilt at the show last year to a lone recipient...

The Iowa DNR has accepted a bid to reconstruct the Chautauqua Park jetty. The reconstruction contract, at a total estimated cost of $85,990, has been awarded to Algona-based Reddings Gravel and Excavating. The decades-old jetty will be rebuilt with fieldstone (as required by Iowa state code) instead of limestone this time around, which fisheries biologist Ben Wallace said should help with durability...

“It’s a sad day when you have to force the government to read their own regulations in order for people to have their constitutional rights.” So says Marie Sennert, Storm Lake immigration attorney, after attempting to see 12 of the immigrants detained after ICE raids at O’Neill, Nebraska...

Holstein has been chosen as the site for a celebration to mark the completion of a four-lane Highway 20 corridor across Iowa - a vision that has taken six decades to realize. A ribbon cutting will be held at The Boulders Inn, October 19, 3 p.m., open to the public. ...

Football is a sport that requires discipline, teamwork and the mindset to go out and hit the guy across the line. For Ridge View’s Ezra Miller, football is a passion that has earned him Division I offers for the sport, and a place at the University of Iowa next fall...