Stories from Wednesday, November 28, 2018

On the morning of Monday, November 26, at approximately 10:42 a.m. the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to Bob’s Garage located at 410 Oneida Street in reference to a reported vehicle on fire. Upon arrival of fire fighters it was determined that a fire had occurred in the engine compartment of a 2002 Oldsmobile sedan while it was running. The fire was quickly extinguished by an employee at the shop prior to the arrival of fire fighters...

John Wise July 5, 1945 - November 25, 2018 John P. Wise, age 73, of Spencer, formerly of Newell died on Sunday, November 25 at St. Luke Lutheran Home in Spencer. Funeral services are being held on Wednesday, November 28 at Nain Lutheran Church in Newell. Burial will be in the Newell Cemetery. Visitationtook place on Tuesday, November 27, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Newell. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Newell is in charge of the arrangements...

Serving a four-county area, Amy Andrews is the new private lands wildlife specialist for Clay, Dickinson, Emmet and Palo Alto counties. The position is a collaboration between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources private lands program, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Conservation Districts of Iowa. Based out of the Dickinson County USDA office, Andrews said she hopes to assist landowners who are looking for conservation opportunities...

13. Launderville, Jocelyn 9 21. Schumacher, Lorelei 9 25. Valdovinos, Marlene 9 33. Gustafson, Elizabeth 10 64. Damewood, Chandler 12 53. Sherkenbach, Samuel 12...

The 2019 Buena Vista County Farm Bureau and Iowa Farm Bureau (IFBF) scholarship applications are now available to interested high school seniors of Iowa Farm Bureau members. The application is available on the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation website in a working PDF format. ...

Last month, Buena Vista University students Andrew Bandstra and Tyler Brunner traveled to Louisville, Ky. alongside Dr. Andrea Frantz, professor of digital media, where they attended back-to-back media conferences and took home several top awards on behalf of the BVU digital media department...

Buena Vista University art students recently tried their hand at capturing their own campus in charcoal drawings. Here are two of the resulting pieces, which represented everything from realist to surreal styles.

There is little to distinguish Tom Gross’s family farm from other farmland in the area — on the surface. Gross’s land has been in his family for more than 50 years, it is where he grew up, but there is more to the land than a visitor might understand from a casual glance...

Inez Cressler Thomsen will be celebrating her 90th birthday on December 2 with a card shower. Cards may be sent to 523 E. 5th Street Newell.

Ever notice how winter in movies looks a lot better than living in wintertime really is? Actors stand in the snow for lengthy dialogue, and yet you never see their breath? In Iowa, they’d be in the emergency room with hypothermia. Winter is all beautiful and etherial and bursting with emotion - or at least that’s how studios in southern California imagine it - as opposed to getting frostbite shoveling dirty snow out of your driveway for the umpteenth time, and ending up falling on your butt...

Join Buena Vista University’s Concert Choir at Lakeside Presbyterian Church for a holiday concert, under the direction of Dr. Merrin Guice. The concert will feature songs and soloists, and is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Showtime is Saturday, December 1, 7:30 p.m...

Nemaha - The Crooners will present their annual Christmas concert on Sunday, December 16 at 2 p.m.. The concert will be presented at the Nemaha United Methodist Church, 120 4th Avenue N in Nemaha. The choir will be singing “The Glory of Christmas” by Lloyd Larson...

Join Habitat for Humanity’s holiday fun with our 2nd annual Holiday Lighting Contest. There will be an opportunity to compete in one of three categories: residential, commercial, and, the all-time favorite of the season, the Griswold. Winners will be selected by three guest judges and announced following the Miracle on Lake Avenue parade on December 6. All winners receive a prize...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King says he expects to mount a vigorous defense of President Trump in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee next year. He feels that “a good number” of Democrats will attempt to impeach Trump after taking the majority in the House in January, King said in a radio interview...

Gasoline prices in Iowa have fallen 8.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.33. This compares with the national average that has fallen 7.8 cents per gallon versus last week to $2.53. Storm Lake prices continue to fall below average, holding steady at $2.20 or $2.23 at many stations heading into the week...

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is hosting an upcoming orientation for community members to learn more about foster care and adoption. Hundreds of Iowa children are currently in need of a foster family, but there are not enough foster homes in western Iowa and the Storm Lake area...

Dedicated Storm Lake High School Building Trades instructor Wilmer Flores and a couple of his students spent Thanksgiving morning trying to shingle this year’s project home on E. 13th Street before forecasted winter weather set in.

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Nutrition Services collected non-perishable food items for the Lord’s Cupboard of Alta. The food pantry was very grateful to BVRMC staff for their donations. The Lord’s Cupboard has been active for nearly 40 years and serves seven churches in the surrounding area...

Transportation advocates hope the new incoming Illinois governor will be able to help establish two new train routes connecting Chicago to the Quad Cities and Rockford. Groups hope Democrat J.B. Pritzker will be able to revive the two projects, which have stalled in recent years, The Chicago Tribune reported...

Deer hunters will soon be trading in their bows for shotguns and body harnesses for blaze orange vests as the calendar turns to December and the first of Iowa’s three main gun seasons begin.  And based on reports, it looks like hunting will be good, if the weather cooperates...

The Adopt-A-Family for Christmas project has seen 157 families 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...

Storm Lake City officials are considering a community survey on residents’ wishes for recreation areas. One of the sites that presents possibilities is the spoil site that had been used for dredging in recent years. Because that area is partially controlled by the Lake Improvement Commission, City Manager Keri Navratil took the idea to that group Monday. The two members attending were in favor of the spoil area being considered for recreation...

A Storm Lake man faces multiple charges after allegedly head-butting, hitting and choking his wife in the presence of 2 and 6 year old children. Police were called to an apartment in the 200 block of East 6th Street around 9:30 p.m. Saturday night on a reported disturbance...

Fonda Fire Department and EMS responded to a train fire Sunday afternoon on the east side of Fonda. A BNSF freight train on the Canadian National railroad approached Fonda with the middle engine on fire, and the fire department was able to meet it at the crossing. No injuries were reported, and damage to the rest of the 107-car train being pulled by three engines was limited, as firemen worked in 25 degree temperatures with a brutal north wind. A fuel leak is suspected as the cause of the fire...

Lighted parade highlights Miracle on Lake Avenue Dec. 6th The 27th annual Miracle on Lake Avenue holiday celebration will be held Thursday, December 6 in Storm Lake, including the popular lighted parade, food, activities, music and the annual community Christmas tree lighting...

An Aurelia man has been arrested for forgery after allegedly cashing bogus checks drawn on a Storm Lake bank for over $3,000 in 13 separate incidents since last summer. The incidents were first reported to police in late October, and had taken place from late August through mid October. ...

The popular a cappella group Tonic Sol Fa performed a holiday tour concert for an enthusiastic crowd Friday night at Storm Lake High School - the latest even in the Community Education Performing Arts Series.

Despite a construction season littered with adverse weather conditions, construction on Alliant Energy’s Upland Prairie Wind Farm is close to completion. The project is comprised of 121 wind turbines in Clay and Dickinson counties, including 73 in northwest Clay County. Alliant Energy officials said the majority of construction on the project is complete...

With yard signs, radio reach and a heavy reliance on social media, the Say Yes for Kids campaign, run by a committee independent from the Storm Lake Community School District, is trying to scrape enough media attention together to make a difference for kids in the community...

SCHALLER - Ridge View jumped out early against Alta-Aurelia in girls’ basketball action on Monday night and never looked back for a big 41 point win, 68-27. The Raptors were up by 11 at the end of the first eight minutes, 21-10 and then outscored A-A by 15 in the second frame to go to the locker room with a the score at 40-14. Ridge View took the third quarter by eight points, holding a 55-21 lead before outscoring Alta-Aurelia by seven in the final frame...

SCHALLER - Monday night was the season opener for the Alta-Aurelia Warriors and Ridge View Raptors and the battle between the two schools did not disappoint. The contest came down to the wire with the Warriors coming away with a five point road win, 47-42...

STORM LAKE - The young St. Mary’s girls basketball team used a stifling pressure defense against Clay Central-Everly on Monday night, stealing the ball 14 times and forcing turnovers the rest of the way. When the final horn went off, the Panthers were able to celebrate a 10 point victory, their first of the season, taking a 49-39 decision over the Mavericks...

STORM LAKE - The new era of St. Mary’s boys’ basketball got underway on Monday night as former Panther great Kennedy Drey patrolled the sideline in his first game as head coach. When the four quarters were finished and the dust settled, the Panthers walked away with a relatively easy 23 point win over Clay Central-Everly, 60-37...