Stories from Wednesday, November 21, 2018

James “Jim” Allen Hunter, 74, of Great Falls, Montana, passed away on November 3, at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana. He died of complications following a heart procedure. Jim was born in Porath Hospital to Harold and Wanda (Hansen) Hunter on January 24, 1944. ...

Arlene Joan Zwemke, 85, passed away peacefully at her home in Mesa Arizona on September 15, in the company of family members. Arlene was born August 8, 1933 in Pitcher Township, Iowa, the daughter of Johann Carlson and Laura Christensen. She was the second of two children...

Charles Weier, age 67, of Sioux Rapids, Iowa died November 12, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Funeral services took place Monday, November 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids. Burial will follow in the Lone Tree Cemetery with full military rites. Visitation took place Sunday, November 18, from 3 - 5 p.m. at the Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids is in charge of the arrangements...

Gloria A. Dandy, age 90, of Mesa, Arizona and formerly of Sioux Rapids, Iowa, died on November 11, at the Legacy Retirement Residence in Mesa. Funeral services was held on Saturday, November 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids. Burial will be in the Lone Tree Cemetery in Sioux Rapids. Visitation will took place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids is in charge of the arrangements. ...

Verna J. Heckert, age 90, of Peterson, Iowa died November 16, at the Pleasant View Home in Albert City. Funeral services took place Tuesday, November 20, at 2 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Peterson. Burial will be in the Oakland Cemetery in Peterson. Visitation took place Monday, November 19, from 6 - 8 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Peterson. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

On the morning of Friday, November 16, at approximately 12:22 p.m. a SLPD School Resource Officer was contacted by the Storm Lake Middle School in regards to an assault that occurred on November 12 on a school bus. Officers reviewed the video from the bus and determined that two juvenile males were involved in a physical altercation on November 12th at approximately 3 p.m. ...

Alta Municipal Utilities and the City of Alta are sponsoring their 12th annual food drive to serve the needy people in the community. The winter season is fast approaching and it brings additional hardships with it. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of the needy. We can make sure that no one in our community goes hungry during this upcoming holiday season...

Internal assessments of both staff and students are in the works again this year. The Iowa Association of School Boards’ annual internal assessment of Alta-Aurelia will be conducted this year by the IASB. The assessment, usually done every five years, will cost about $1,200. Superintendent Lynn Evans said the survey can be done more quickly, more efficiently and with less bias by the IASB...

The problem with what many girls and women are commonly taught, “stranger danger,” is that most violence against women is perpetrated by people they know. But simply being assertive and knowing how to defend yourself can deter up to 80 percent of assaults from predators looking for easy targets, said Jessica Peterson Tierney, self-defense expert and owner of Women’s Self-Defense Initiative in Mason City...

JOHNSTON - Gary Langbein of Sac County and Alan Bennett of Ida County are two of eight winners in a 2018 biodiesel giveaway at the Farm Progress Show. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) partnered with the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Biodiesel Board during the 2018 Farm Progress Show to offer Iowa farmers eight chances to win $500 worth of biodiesel-blended fuel. Farmers from across the state entered to win during the three-day event in Boone...

What started out as a way to prove the boys wrong turned into a hobby for Jean Wenell. The snowbird retiree first learned how to make the eye-catching pieces at a shop in her retirement village down in Arizona’s Sun Village, just northwest of Phoenix where she goes to get away from the cold...

A plaque is faraway in Ashland, Oregon sings Storm Lake’s praises. The plaque was added to the city’s beloved “Pioneer Mike” statue, recognizing Storm Lake’s help in returning the icon to its pedestal at a fountain at City Plaza. The story goes back over a hundred years, when four identical statues of a design simply known as “The Pioneer” were produced by an artisan company, J. ...

In 2015, avacado toast took menus by storm. In 2016, the rainbow bagel became Instagram famous. In 2017, a Starbucks Frappucino “went unicorn” and the world followed suit. And in 2018, the poke bowl went from Hawaiian sleeper hit to the new chopped salad. So…what food trends will be on the tips of our tongues in 2019? ...

Witter Gallery will be offering holiday themed classes in the month of December. The exhibit will be a Artist Showcase and Sale! If you are looking for a unique gift to give a loved one, this is a wonderful opportunity to find a one of a kind gift! The Artist Showcase and Sale will run from December 4 through December 21. Events and classes include:...

The holiday season is officially upon us this week which means the stores will be doling out sales like kids getting out their Christmas lists to Santa. However, it can be a minefield shopping sometimes when a kid, or young adult, asks for a specific video game. Video games have been a hot Christmas item for quite some time and it looks to be the same this season. This list will inform potential shoppers of what to get, and what not to get this season...

With its new fire truck delivered, Storm Lake has reached out to help a fellow department in its time of need. With an accident recently crippling the City of Ventura Fire Department’s only truck, leaving the community of 700 with no protection, Storm Lake has offered its truck that was being replaced...

There’s still time to get tickets for a new Storm Lake holiday event, the Ho-Ho-Homes Tour, a fundraiser for the Mr. Goodfellow program. Participants will be able to visit the homes of six local families, where a room in each will be decorated for the holidays by some of the area’s most creative home design professionals...

The local P.E.O. Chapter EP-NL collected warm winter gear for the Pilot-Tribune’s Mr. Goodfellow program, during the group’s November meeting. Members were asked to bring donations of cash, or hat, mittens and scarves to the November meeting. Through the Thrivent Action Team, the group then had $250 to use to purchase coats and snowpants. The group donated 21 hat/mittens/scarf sets, six coats and five pairs of snow pants. ...

Government documents and emails show that Iowa’s top 4-H leader was fired earlier this year after a proposed policy discouraging discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender was withdrawn. The Des Moines Register reports that it reviewed more than 500 pages of communication that show Iowa 4-H director John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas was fired after he fought pressure to drop the policy...

The trailer court located at 317 W. 18th St. in Spencer was the site of a fire which destroyed one mobile home and damaged at least two adjacent mobile homes and one nearby vehicle. The Spencer Fire Department, Spencer Police Department and Spencer Hospital responded to the fire call at approximately 3 p.m. Thursday, with SFD personnel remaining on site past 6:30 p.m...

After one week, the Adopt-A-Family for Christmas project is halfway home. Over 100 of the 200 families have been adopted. The Pilot-Tribune and Upper Des Moines Opportunity co-sponsor the program each year, matching generous individuals, families, businesses, clubs, classrooms and church groups with needy local families to provide the Christmas experience they might otherwise not have...

By DANA LARSEN Pilot-Tribune Editor The future looks bright for the Storm Lake High School Charter School program, where students can earn both a high school diploma and college associate of arts degree over a five-year period. During an annual presentation on the program this week, the school board was told approximately 70 students are interested in the program for next year. There are only two charter schools in Iowa, and Storm Lake’s in the only one offering a college degree at no cost...

If the $29 million bond issue for a new Early Childhood Center fails on December 11, teachers will continue doing the best they can, but will not have the space they need to do the job. Storm Lake Superintendent of Schools Stacey Cole made that point to a small group gathered Saturday morning at the current East Early Childhood Center...

A former employee of Meridian Manufacturing of Storm Lake has been arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment from the business. Police were called to the company October 2 for a burglary to a shop building, where Meridian management believed at least $900 worth of tools had been stolen...

The Storm Lake City Council decided this week that a sale on King’s Pointe outdoor waterpark season tickets will be offered, just in time for Christmas shopping. For Black Friday today, and Small Business Saturday tomorrow, passes will be offered at 25% off regular price ($206 instead of $275) from 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the resort front desk...

Kevin McKinney has been selected to fill a vacant seat on the Storm Lake City Council. He was the first and only nominee, approved unanimously by the council Tuesday. Votes from three of the four members were needed for an applicant to be appointed...

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association released the All-State football teams on Tuesday morning and eight Pilot-Tribune area athletes were named for the honor. Newell-Fonda had two land on the 8-Player First Team this season. Senior R.J. Rojas was named at the first team kicker. ...

SIOUX RAPIDS — Spirit Lake, anchored by. 6-foot-4 Jordyn Hamm in the middle and boasting four players 5-foot-10 or taller, gave Sioux Central fits on the inside during the season opener for both squads Monday night at Sioux Central High School. The Rebels, who top out at 5-foot-8 this season, were forced to resort to the long ball on offense and struggled to defend the paint, falling 50-30 to drop to 0-1 on the year...

IDA GROVE - The Alta-Aurelia girls basketball team kicked off their season on the road against OA-BCIG and hung as tough as they could through four quarters of play. Despite a balanced scoring effort, the Warriors bowed to the Falcons, 51-31. “We played a good three quarters. It was a six to eight point difference for most of the game,” A-A Coach Adam Rapp said. “The girls played very hard last night.”...

SIOUX CITY - The Storm Lake boys swimming team held a practice meet on Tuesday night at Sioux City and came away with some clarity about how they may stack up this season. Senior Cole Keenan was to have performed very well in the meet picking up a few top 10 finishes in the 50 free, 50 fly, 50 back, 50 broad and 100 individual medley. Senior Waylon Stark was 13th in the 50 free and 12th in the 50 fly...

ROCKWELL CITY - The Storm Lake girls played two really good quarters of basketball on Tuesday night against a talented South Central Calhoun team. However, basketball is a four quarter game and the other two caught up with the green and white in a 67-37 loss...

SPIRIT LAKE - Some nights the offense just isn’t clicking so a team leans on their defense to create havoc, that’s exactly what the number one team in 1A did on Tuesday night. Newell-Fonda’s pressure baited Spirit Lake into committing 39 turnovers, the Mustangs taking a 49-31 contest...