Stories from Wednesday, January 23, 2019

David LaVern Berkland, son of Ernest and Sylvia (Larsen) Berkland, was born February 28, 1934 on his parents’ farm near Fenton, Iowa. He began his education in Center Country school, completing first through eighth grades. This school house is now on display at the Palo Alto County Fairgrounds in Emmetsburg. Following eighth grade, David attended Fenton High School, graduating in 1952...

Phil Rasmussen, known to many as “Uncle Phil”, age 66 of Omaha, Nebraska passed away peacefully on Friday, January 18, 2019 following complications of a brief illness. Visitation will be held in Omaha on Thursday, January 24 at 10 a.m. at Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler Funeral Home, West Center Chapel, 7805 W. Center Rd., with services following at 11 a.m. Casual attire is welcomed...

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 19, at approximately 3:36 p.m. a Storm Lake Police officer stopped a vehicle near the intersection of East 6th Street and Seneca Street for a traffic violation. Upon contacting the driver identified as Rebecca San Miguel, age 18 of Storm Lake police allege they could detect the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle...

The 88th General Assembly of the State of Iowa gaveled in at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 14. After electing a temporary Speaker and Chief Clerk, the first order of business was to swear in the 100 members of the Iowa House of Representatives. All 100 members of the House stand for election every two years. ...

Storm Lake Elementary kindergarteners sang at the Senior Center Monday, bringing warmth to seniors on a bitterly cold day.

SIOUX CITY – Morningside College student Coltin Schachtner Kramer, son of Clay Kramer and Heather Schachtner of Fonda, Iowa, recently attended the 91st Annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis with the Morningside College Ag Club. Schachtner Kramer is a 2017 graduate of Newell Fonda High School. He and three other Morningside students participated in a Quiz Bowl competition at the convention and placed seventh...

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) has named Buena Vista University to its 2019 Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts Institute which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia in June. About 25 independent colleges and universities from across the country were selected to attend. ...

Ms. Cary Brown will teach a fun make-n-take greeting card class at The Meeting Place in Galva on Wednesday evening, February 20 at 6 p.m.. Participants will learn how to cut and stamp six (6) personalized greeting cards in this two-hour class. All supplies are provided, but please bring along a scissors to use and a beverage of choice to drink. Beginners are encouraged to attend, and ages 12 and older are welcome with a parent or adult helper...

DES MOINES – The Iowa Federation of Republican Women (IowaFRW) was honored at the Inauguration of Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg on Friday, Jan. 18, in Des Moines. Six IowaFRW members and associate members were commissioned as Honorary Iowa Colonels of the Militia and 10 IowaFRW members and associate members served on the Inaugural Committee and the House and Senate Inaugural Committee...

CHEROKEE – Growing older is the greatest risk factor for acquiring Parkinson’s Disease and many people live with symptoms for several years before being diagnosed. To provide more resources on the topic, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will host the three-session educational series A Journey Through Parkinson’s Disease Feb. 19, 25 and March 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center Conference Room...

DES MOINES - State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald awarded a $1,000 College Savings Iowa account today to six year old Nora Brostad of Storm Lake. Nora was randomly selected to receive the account after her mother, Katie, entered her for the giveaway as a part of the College Savings Iowa 2018 Year-End Giveaway...

At approximately 5:12 p.m. Monday, the Spencer Fire Department and Spencer Police Department responded to a fire inside the Spencer Hospital. A total of 18 firefighters, three fire engines, a number of police officers and hospital staff were on scene during the emergency, which lasted approximately one hour...

Storm Lake’s Ashley Farmer-Hanson crossed an item off her “bucket list,” completing the Walt Disney World “Dopey Challenge” last week. the achievement includes 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon and full marathon runs over a four-day period for a total of 48.6 miles, all within the theme park property...

Samuel L. Jackson’s Elijah Price, or Mr. Glass, as he prefers to be called, was by far the most compelling part of M. Night Shyamalan’s slow-burn comic book send-up “Unbreakable.” A brilliant, tortured manipulator and superhero enthusiast suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta (i.e. brittle bone disease), Glass is that kind of charismatic supervillain that you can’t get enough of...

Tickets are on sale now for the Brothers Osbourne, in concert March 7 at the Orpeum Theater in Sioux City. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $27-47. See orpheum live.com Two sons from a working-class family, John and TJ Osborne grew up in a small, Maryland water town writing and playing songs for friends and family in their father’s shed. ...

The Rosemary Clausen Center in Holstein will present a tribute to The Carpenters, “Superstar,” Saturday, March 9. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. For ticket availability, see rosemaryclausencenter.com/tickets or call 712-368-4849. “We spent several years looking for a Carpenters tribute that we would want to bring to our Clausen Center audience, but without much luck. We were just about to give up when we found Helen Welch, and we knew we had our show,” the executive board said in a show announcement...

Storm Lake city officials participated in a recent conference call with development firm SimmeringCory to determine possible Tax Increment Financing options for a Tyson feed mill, along with road, water and sewer utilities. The property in consideration is outside the city limits, so the county will also be included in discussions toward a future project...

SIOUX CITY — New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand introduced herself to Iowa Democrats as a commonsense fighter for family and children issues as she made her first visit to the early-voting state as a 2020 presidential prospect. Unlike some of her potential rivals, Gillibrand was starting from scratch in a state where few party activists have a strong impression of her and where some say the lawmaker is known more for the criticism she’s received...

It was “Larry Weede Night” at the Cherokee vs. Sioux City West basketball game here Thursday night as Cherokee team members and fans showed their support for the Weede family by wearing ties. Weede, a longtime principal and coach in Cherokee, died last week in a car accident. ...

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Most of the lake has around 9-13 inches of ice. Be aware of a pressure seam running along the west portion of the lake and an open area near the big island. Use caution if venturing out and check ice thickness often. Walleye - Fair: Use minnows and jigging spoons during low light conditions. Anglers have had better luck on the east side of the lake. Yellow Perch - Fair: Try waxworms in 4-6 feet of water in mornings or evenings...

REMSEN — An inquiry into an incident regarding a MMCRU middle school math teacher and a sixth grader has resulted in the teacher being put on administrative leave pending the completion of secondary investigations. Charges have not been ruled against the teacher at this time...

ALTOONA - Construction on The Phoenix, Adventureland’s new $6 million steel roller coaster, starts in February with completion expected in June. Reaching speeds of up to 40 mph and heights of more than 50 feet, riders will experience a new level of “spin-sanity” as the coaster cars rotate 360 degrees. It will be the second new steel roller coaster at the park since 2016...

Talks on the possibility for a joint Buena Vista University/City of Storm Lake recreation center project in the Scout Park area continue to move forward. The City has requested that a local contractor perform soil borings in the park to determine if it would be solid enough to build on...

Storm Lake Police Department were called to the parking lot at the Tyson Pork Plant shortly after 5:30 a..m. Monday morning, where a 28-year-old woman was reported unconscious on the ground with facial injuries. According to witnesses, a man identified as 37-year-old Lazaro Oquendo Rubio - the woman’s boyfriend - had attacked her, striking her in the face and kicking her multiple times in the stomach and head after she had fallen...

Storm Lake United plans to organize a “Lighthouse Series” of free-admission concerts this spring and summer, replacing the LakeFest, which will not be held in 2019. Representatives of SLU approached the Storm Lake City Council Monday asking for the funding to pay for the concerts - $5,000 per concert to cover the cost of the band, and $5,000 for promotion and advertising - or $20,000 for the remainder of portion of the program falling under the current fiscal budget...

Struggling with losses in food and beverage service, King’s Pointe resort and its management company have asked the City to advance it $180,000 to get through the rest of the winter off season. The Storm Lake City Council unanimously granted the request this week, noting that the funding was already set aside in special revenue reserve funds, and that King’s Pointe will repay the money with 4 percent interest, to make up for any interest income the City would forego on the amount...

Construction is slated to begin in April on a new apartment complex in Storm Lake, in the area between the 10th Street Townhomes and HyVee. Officials with West Echo Development Group, Cedar Falls, say the project is planned for 11 buildings with 12 units per building. The first phase will be three buildings, or 36 apartments...

The Storm Lake cheerleaders held a clinic for youngsters, and performed at halftime of Thursday’s girl’s game.

The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims of Sunday’s accident on Storm Lake, where a vehicle plunged through the ice killing two and hospitalizing two others. A Tuesday morning report identified the man who died as Zackary Newlon, age 40, of Anthon. Newlon and his 8-year-old son were pronounced dead shortly after they were transported by ambulance to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center...

Four boys from the Storm Lake area, ages 10-13, were named local champions of the 2019 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship and have earned the right to compete at the district level. St. Mary’s Council 2326 in Storm Lake sponsored the local competition at the Panther Pit in Storm Lake. All youngsters ages 9-14 were eligible to participate...

IDA GROVE - The Ridge View wrestling team traveled to Ida Grove on Saturday for the Herb Irgens wrestling tournament. The tournament featured 16 teams from across the state and a variety of ranked wrestlers in each class. The Raptors would place four wrestlers on the day out of the nine that traveled to wrestle in the tournament...

MOVILLE - The Ridge View boys basketball team was able to build up a decent lead going to the fourth quarter on Monday night against Woodbury Central. However, they were unable to get key stops late in the game against the Wildcats, and dropped a 56-49 decision...

SIOUX RAPIDS - Monday night was the beginning of a busy week for the Rebels with four games in six nights. Sioux Central welcomed in Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and was unkind to their guests for the evening. The Rebels got their 13th win of the year in a 77-50 victory...

CORRECTIONVILLE - The Alta-Aurelia girls notched their first mark in the win column of the season on Monday night as they hit the road. The young Warrior girls picked up that first win of the year in impressive fashion against River Valley, taking a 53-33 decision...