Stories from Friday, October 26, 2018

A number of scams focusing on cellphone users have recently been circulating the state and in Clay County. Local officials explained the number of cellphone scams and their level of sophistication represents a change from past technologies. “I think it is an increasing problem,” Clay County Attorney Kristi Busse said. ...

Galva Quad County Corn Processors, a 12.5-million-bushel corn processing biorefinery in Galva, Iowa, and CoBank, a $107 billion cooperative bank, recently donated matching funds to the Galva Township Fireboard. As part of CoBank’s renewal of their “Sharing Success for 2018” program, a total of $10,000 was donated to the organization in October for improvements and repairs. These improvements will include new LED lighting, central air/heat installation, water leakage repair, and more...

Melvin Suhr, age 89, of Storm Lake, Iowa died October 22, in Sioux City, Iowa. Memorial services will be held Friday, October 26, at 10 a.m. at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be in the Mount Hope Cemetery near Red Oak, Iowa. Visitation took place Thursday, October 25, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake...

On the morning of Wednesday, October 24, at approximately 6:50 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department responded to 604C West 8th Street in reference to locating a wanted person. Upon arrival of police they located and arrested Cody Wilson, age 25 of Storm Lake who was wanted out of Buena Vista County for Failure to Pay Fines reference OWI...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s Middle School vocalists will participate in the Northwest Iowa Choral Directors Association 7/8 Honor Choir Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Storm Lake High School auditorium.  These dedicated students have learned an extra set of music and will join over 200 other musicians in rehearsals and a concert. ...

T.P. Anderson & Co., has released audit reports for Alta Municipal Utilities. The accounting firm that Alta Municipal Utilities’ operating revenue totaled $3,423,574 for the year that ended on December 31, 2017. Operating expenses for Alta Municipal Utilities amounted to $3,139,427 for the year. ...

Whereas, traditionally, children of all ages have observed Halloween in the City of Alta by participating in “Trick or Treat Night,” and Whereas, many parents have requested that the City officially set aside a specific date and time for all the little witches, goblins, and space creatures to trick or treat in our community;...

Sue Lloyd, BV County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections was our Tuesday morning guest speaker. Tuesday Nov. 6 is Election Day. As was the case last year, this year’s ballot will be printed in English and Spanish. If 5% of population in a given area is of a different ethnic group the ballots have to be printed in the two predominant languages. By 2019 this will be a requirement. Polls are open from 7 a.m. -9 p.m. on Nov. 6. An absentee ballot may be cast for those people gone on election day...

A pancake fundraiser and silent auction for Alta community leader Randy Ericksen saw huge success Sunday, with a special surprise appearance from Congressman Steve King. “All he wants to do is serve and help people and lift up our lives,” Rep. King said. “Today we get to recognize that. A lot of us live a lifetime and never see that.”...

Local entrepreneurs, crafters and vendors had the opportunity to market to Alta for a good cause over the weekend. Sales from shoppers at the Fall Craft & Vendor Show on Saturday benefitted the Alta Warrior PTO.

The Alta-Aurelia Athletic Boosters and Alta-Aurelia Community School District recently partnered to build new equipment storage sheds at the softball and baseball fields in Alta. A $5,000 grant from the Buena Vista County Foundation was matched by the Boosters and the school to fund the new sheds. Construction was led by Mark Falck with M & J Construction and a number of volunteer parents and kids...

Students at Alta-Aurelia schools are coming together in rehearsals, putting their hearts, brains and courage into practicing for the Wizard of Oz’s return to Roxy Theatre this November. New and old come together this year as the classic staple of American theater returns to Alta’s community stage...

Accessorizing is a key to decorating your home, says Kathy Sorbe, interior designer and owner of Elements by K Sorbe on Milwaukee Ave. “You can buy fabulous furniture, but if you don’t accessorize, nobody knows it’s there,” said Sorbe. People are intimidated by the task of decorating, she finds. “They think it’s an exact science, and it’s not,” she said. “So one of the biggest things we do at the store is to take that intimidation out of it and have it make more sense to them.”...

The City of Storm Lake has been informed by MidAmerican Energy Company of work to be performed in the community in the next few weeks. From MidAmerican Energy Company: “In order to provide Storm Lake with safe and reliable electric service, contracted tree trimming crews working for MidAmerican Energy Company will be clearing tree limbs from our electric facilities in your community. ...

SPENCER – The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is happy to announce Claudia Schabel as this year’s Business Recognition Luncheon Speaker. Schabel is the president of Schabel Solutions out of Des Moines, Iowa. She has over a decade of experience as a Diversity and Inclusion strategist with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. ...

Register before November 7 for fall commercial pesticide applicator training recertification. Buena Vista County will offer the Commercial Ag Weed, Insect and Plant Disease Management Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators Wednesday, November 14, 2018. The program will be shown at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP)...

Country foursome Farewell Angelina will be in concert at the Rosemary Clausen Center in Holstein, Saturday, January 26. Remember the night you saw Farewell Angelina right here at home, because their star is on the rise, and where it will reach is anyone’s guess. This is an all-female country group with powerhouse vocalists, dynamic songwriters and over-the-top instrumentalists...

Justin Timberlake’s ‘Man of the Woods” tour will stop in Omaha on December 8 for one much-anticipated show at the CNI Health Center. The pop singer, who performed the Super Bowl 52 halftime show Sunday, added 31 North American shows, including the Omaha date, to his already announced “Man of the Woods” tour that has been going on since March, criss-crossing Europe during the summer, and will continue until the end of January...

It won’t be all night, but former members of Kiss might get the chance to rock ‘n’ roll with the band one last time. Kiss frontman Paul Stanley says the band’s (second) farewell tour could include former members performing onstage. In an interview in Atlantic City where he was promoting his artwork, Stanley told The Associated Press the band’s “End of the Road” world tour starting next year could include appearances by former members. ...

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” a coming-of-age story about racism and injustice, overpowered wizards and time travelers to be voted America’s best-loved novel by readers nationwide. The 1960 book by Harper Lee emerged as No. 1 in PBS’ “The Great American Read” survey, whose results were announced Tuesday on the show’s finale. More than 4 million votes were cast in the six-month-long contest that put 100 titles to the test. Books that were published as a series counted as a single entry...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called on the Trump Administration to seek an agreement with Mexico to assist in accommodating a steady stream of migrants traveling through Mexico seeking asylum. The senators noted acknowledgements by Obama administration officials that potential security threats are exploiting immigration vulnerabilities to enter the United States...

Storm Lake area residents are invited to take part in Buena Vista University’s treat-or-treat program, Tuesday, October 30. From 6-8 p.m., parents and children age 1-10 may gather in the Lamberti Recreation Center in the field house (the site has changed from past years due to construction work). ...

Voters will have the opportunity to elect members of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Buena Vista County Extension Council from a slate of four candidates at the Nov. 6 general election. The council members elected this year will be involved in bringing educational opportunities to Buena Vista County for the next four years. ...

Officials with Family Crisis Centers, an organization serving victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in northwest Iowa, said 1,138 clients were assisted in the past fiscal year in their 17-county area. More than 100 clients have been served in Clay County...

Miranda Wallace, class of 2016, was accepted into multiple veterinary programs, and after weighing her options, she ultimately decided on the University of Missouri. The expedited program first allows Wallace to learn through instructional periods, giving her longer training time in clinics. The program is intense, however, Miranda finds satisfaction in her achievements. “Every time I recognize a diagnosis or get a test prep question correct, it is the best feeling in the world,” she said...

A Storm Lake woman has been arrested for throwing a hammer at a moving vehicle. Last Sunday afternoon, police were called to an apartment in the 500 block of Lake Avenue to assist a woman in getting her property out of her girlfriend’s apartment. Police headed to the apartment saw one of the women involved in the alleged dispute, Diane Graham, age 26, reportedly throw a hammer at a vehicle driving in the 100 block of East Railroad Street and then flee from the scene...

Secretary of State Paul Pate visited the Buena Vista County Courthouse Wednesday in at attempt to bolster poll workers and assure the public that the November vote will be free from tampering. Pate said many of the ideas for voting system improvements come from local poll workers. “Not a lot of poll workers do it for the pay,” he said...

ronman triathlon competition is his life. So, it’s no surprise that when four-time champion and world-record holder Matt Hanson seems to be talking about racing, he’s really talking about living. Students gathered Tuesday night at Buena Vista University to hear the former BVU assistant professor explain how perseverance and passion has driven him to his athletic goals, but instead, Hanson told them how “grit” could drive them to theirs, in the classroom or career...

It’s all coming together. Ray “Bubba” Sorensen is working on the final details of Buena Vista County’s “Freedom Rock,” to honor the proud past of the county and the veterans who have serve in it. “I want each one to tell a story,” Sorensen said while facing his Rosie the Riveter. He thinks Rosie embodies his interpretation of Buena Vista County’s spirit and the fortitude of back-breaking contributions those from the county made to Iowa and the country...

U.S. Rep. Steve King said during a recent Storm Lake visit that farmers need to clean up their act. Addressing farmers, King said, "clean up your workforce," in response to Pilot-Tribune questions about a publication uncovering the use of and reliance on undocumented immigrants for labor in the 4th District's dairy farms. "You have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to follow the law."...