Stories from Wednesday, January 16, 2019

On the morning of Monday, January 14, at approximately 2:20 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to 319 East 4th Street #4 in reference to a domestic disturbance in progress. Upon arrival of police they made contact with Webster Vang, age 34 of Storm Lake and Cinsta-Iba Michelle Vue, age 26 of Storm Lake. ...

Barbara M. Halverson, age 93, of Spencer, and formerly of Sioux Rapids, Iowa, died on Thursday, January 10, at the Spencer Municipal Hospital in Spencer. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, January 16, at 3 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Sioux Rapids. ...

Oneta L. Forsythe, age 99, of Sanborn, and formerly of Laurens, died on January 13, at the Prairie View Nursing Home in Sanborn, Iowa. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 19, at 2 p.m. at the Powers Funeral Home, Main Street Chapel, in Laurens. Burial will be in the Laurens Cemetery in Laurens. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. ...

Kelly Jo Meusburger, age 62, of Truesdale, died at her home on January 10. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, January 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 take place one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids is in charge of the arrangements. ...

Edmund “Ed” Rassler, age 82, of Dowling Park, Florida formerly of Varina, died on Thursday, January 10, at the Lake City VA Hospital in Lake City, Florida.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 19, at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Varina. Burial will be in the Varina Cemetery in Varina. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Gasoline prices in Iowa have risen 6.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.08 to start the week. This compares with the national average that has increased 0.5 cents per gallon versus last week to $2.24. Storm Lake pump prices slipped below the $2 mark for last weekend, at $1.99 at most stations. The last time gas here was at this level for this date was in January 2016...

Efforts to dive the Linn Grove Dam this season have been delayed by higher than normal water levels. The county has been seeking a dive crew to examine the underwater area of the landmark dam, to determine the extent of damage from flooding. Buena Vista County Conservation Director Greg Johnson said that a dive team can only be deployed when six inches or less of water is flowing over the dam, due to the heavy undertow at the foot of the 10-foot structure that dates to the 1870s...

Sioux City officials are considering a $16.4 million riverfront redevelopment plan, though the mayor has voiced concern that there will not be enough parking spaces. Architecture company SmithGroup JJR presented council members with the updated plan Monday, The Sioux City Journal reported ...

WAVERLY - Wartburg College has recognized 478 students who were named to the 2018 Fall Term Dean’s List. Those honored include: Kevin Duque of Storm Lake. Alisha Ungs of Storm Lake. The list honors students who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above in at least four course credits during the term. Three of the four course credits have to be graded with a traditional letter grade...

Volunteer Iowa is seeking applicants for federal funding in the form of AmeriCorps State program grants.  AmeriCorps is a National Service program that helps meet community needs through the efforts of AmeriCorps members. The AmeriCorps State program offers different types of grant funding to host agencies to help them advance their work and mission through the service efforts of AmeriCorps members. Organizations that operate local AmeriCorps programs identify proven solutions to a community need and then design service activities for a team of members serving full- or part-time for one year or during a season. . ...

A variety of workshops were held at the Sac County Extension and Outreach Office during winter break! The workshops included a Maker’s Day which allows the youth to make things such as felting, bath bombs, learning about electricity and using copper tape, a battery and an LED light to make a light up card and using the 3-D pens! A sewing workshop was held with Denise Opsal teaching the youth to make a pillowcase. ...

The Buena Vista University Science Center is home to scores of wild beasts, or at least, what’s left of them. Mounted specimens, skins and skeletons populate the atrium and the upper floor, giving the building a nature appeal. At left, a North Chinese Leopard sprawled on a tree branch in an upper hallway. At right, an African elephant skeleton greets visitors beside the center entry...

All are welcome to join Cole and Ashley Magnussen for a come and go baby shower honoring Ashley Magnussen on Saturday, January 26 from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. located at Columbus Club Hall in Storm Lake. Cole and Ashley are registered at Target and Sugar Bowl...

Rob and Katie Struss of Albert City are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Violet Ann. She was born Friday, January 11 , in Spencer. Violet weighed 7 lbs. and was 19.5 inches long. Grandparents are Keith and Janet Struss of Albert City, and Dirk and Lee van der Linden of Belmond...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School will be inducting four new members into the Athletic Hall of Fame at the 2019 Homecoming Games vs. Pocahontas Area High School Friday, Jan. 25. The induction ceremony will be between the varsity boys’ and girls’ games...

Join the Dueling Pianos of Andy Anderson and Mike Leeds Saturday, February 2, from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. at Columbus Hall (KC Hall) Storm Lake. There will be a cocktail hour, and Dinner Hour followed by the Dueling Piano show. Tickets are available for resale at $500 for table sponsorships or $40 per person. ...

County music legends The Gatlin Brothers will be in concert March 9 at the Hard Rock Resort in Sioux City. Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale now starting at $30. Larry, Steve, and Rudy, the Gatlin Brothers, are a Grammy Award-winning trio who have dazzled audiences for more than 60 years with a lifetime of noteworthy achievements in their storybook career, including a Grammy for Best Country Song (“Broken Lady”), three ACM awards for Single of the Year (“All The Gold In California”), Album of the Year (Straight Ahead) and Male Vocalist of the Year for Larry Gatlin, along with five nominations for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Single, Album and Male Vocalist of the Year.. ...

Ted Stockton is completing the lineup for a country music show benefit for the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. He will join headliner Cody Hicks Band, and young singer-songwriter Hawk Mcintyre in the all-Iowa lineup January 26 at Lake Creek Country Club...

Pony Creek a versatile band from Omaha, will be featured during the University of Okoboji annual Winter Games. The band will play Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, 9 p.m. each night, at the Nautical Bar and Grill on Broadway in Arnolds Park. Pony Creek, a musical collaboration between Ryan Osbahr and Billie Frost, began to take root in the spring of 2016. ...

Storm Lake schools are in a state of flux—something reflected in exploding attendance numbers, state evaluations and graduation rates. School administrators are hoping it’s an evolvement to an even better school district more equipped to handle the unique problems of today’s students in the sheer numbers they’re enrolling in...

On the morning of Saturday, January 12, at approximately 9:25 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Quality Inn located at 1726 North Lake Avenue in reference to a disturbance. Responding officers were advised that one of the suspects was sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot and the second suspect had returned to a guest room...

A Sac County Sheriffs’ deputy stopped a car for no license plates in the 3700 mile of Otter Avenue Friday night. A records check determined the vehicle to be stolen. The driver of the car was identified as 26-year old William Dean Hutchinson of Wall Lake. The vehicle, a 2015 Buick Enclave, had been stolen in Sioux City last October. A search of the car revealed a bill of sale which is alleged to have been forged showing Hutchinson as the purchaser...

Supervisors formed an agreement Tuesday to temporarily share their county engineer, Bret Wilkinson, with Cherokee County for up to six months following the departure of their engineer. “I think because it’s temporary, it’s doable,” to help out the neighboring county, Wilkinson said. “If I was worried it would be a longer term it would be questionable.”...

A Sac County Sheriffs’ deputy stopped a car for no license plates in the 3700 mile of Otter Avenue Friday night. A records check determined the vehicle to be stolen. The driver of the car was identified as 26-year old William Dean Hutchinson of Wall Lake. The vehicle, a 2015 Buick Enclave, had been stolen in Sioux City last October. A search of the car revealed a bill of sale which is alleged to have been forged showing Hutchinson as the purchaser...

Storm Lake Police were called to Storm Lake High School Thursday afternoon after an alleged shooting threat. Officers met with school staff and several witnesses. A 17 year old female and a 15 year old female, both of Storm Lake had engaged in a social media conversation that escalated into harassing statements being made by the older girl, police said. ...

An Aurelia teenager was arrested Sunday night in Storm Lake after allegedly threatening to stab a victim. The reporting party also claimed that the 17 year old had threatened him another time Jan. 12 in Alta. Police made contact with the suspect at the police station and charged him with Harassment 1st Degree. ...

A trout stocking event at Sturchler Pit, Newell, has been rescheduled due to predictions of cold weather this coming weekend. The event will instead be held on Saturday, January 26, with registration for the activities starting at noon and the release scheduled for 1 p.m...

The Storm Lake Public Library Board of Trustees hit a stumbling block Monday in long-sought plans to renovate the facility’s meeting room. Interior designer Ryan Staiert returned to the board with an estimate for a makeover he had proposed earlier, for well over $38,000, not including his fee...

A dispute between two North Carolina men turned to gunplay last week in Albert City. Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston said in a statemont Monday that his officers were called to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center January 8 in reference to a patient with a gunshot wound...

A strangely-acting subject who left a black backpack in the street in Storm Lake raised high-alert concern Tuesday morning. Police were called to the 400 block of Barton Street near Lake Pointe Villa shortly before 8 p.m. on a report of a suspicious package...

A Storm Lake man faces a series of charges after entering a Laurens home and reportedly placing a handgun to the head of an adult female victim, then fighting with officers in Storm Lake. The Laurens Police Department was called to the scene Saturday evening. Chief Tom Shaw said that Trevor Namanny, 28, had entered a residence uninvited, although he was acquainted with the residents. “He was upset for some reason and pointed a gun at the victim’s head, before leaving the residence,” Shaw said...

Republicans are piling the pressure on Rep. Steve King this week, with one GOP leader suggesting Tuesday that the nine-term Iowan leave Congress after the latest in a string of what she called his “racist” comments. “I’d like to see him find another line of work,” Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-highest Republican in the House, told reporters...

“¿Como se dice ‘carne’ en inglés?” asked Tyson volunteer Jessica Rios at Storm Lake Elementary Friday morning as she went through the “My Plate” chart recognized by most students. If your Spanish skills weren’t up to par as you read that, you may feel the way many English language learner (ELL) students feel at times when they’re taught their routine subject matter material in English, their second language...

MOVILLE - The Ridge View wrestling team traveled to compete in the Western Valley Conference wrestling tournament Saturday. The Raptor grapplers finished fourth out of eight teams in the conference behind first place Woodbury Central, second place Westwood and third place West Monona...

ALTA - The Warrior girls ran into a high powered offense on Friday night when they hosted the undefeated South Central Calhoun girls. Alta-Aurelia tried to hang tough with the Titans, but bowed 67-12. “We played a well-coached and very talented team Friday night. I was proud of the girls for their effort and willingness to fight,” A-A Coach Adam Rapp said...

SIOUX RAPIDS - Coming off of their first loss in eight games, the Sioux Central girls came out ready to play on Friday night when they welcomed Southeast Valley to their home court. The Rebels jumped out early and stayed head through the rest of the contest, taking a 66-43 decision...

IDA GROVE - The Ridge View boys hung in with one of the top teams in the Western Valley Conference through the first three quarters on Friday night. The Raptors stumbled to the finish line against OA-BCIG and went home with an 81-48 loss to send them to 4-9 on the season...

IDA GROVE - The Ridge View girls were able to hit the road on Friday night and come away with a 26-point victory over OA-BCIG, 67-41. The win moves Ridge View to 8-5 this season and 4-3 in the Western Valley Conference. “We finished off a busy week for us with a great conference road win,” RV Coach Brian Bode said. ...