Stories from Monday, April 29, 2019

Cecil William (Bill) Chindlund passed peacefully to his heavenly home on April 19. Funeral services took place Saturday, April 27, at the United Methodist Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be in the Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation took place Friday, April 26, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Darwin L. “Dar” Westphal, 54, of rural Aurelia, Iowa passed away Monday evening, April 22, in the Mercy Medical Center at Sioux City. Memorial Services were held on Saturday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cherokee. ...

On the morning of Thursday, April 25, at approximately 8:12 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to Al’s Liquor on West Milwaukee Avenue in reference to a theft. Upon arrival of police they met with store staff who alleged that two men were in the store and one of the patron stole alcohol from the establishment. Staff provide police with a description of the vehicle...

The renovation of the meeting room facility at the Storm Lake Public Library neared completion this week. The room was outfitted with new tables, chairs, flooring, drapes and shades, wall treatment and rug. Much of the work was done while the library was closed for Easter weekend, and the project was funded through memorial donations. Library officials hope the upgraded room will be rented for more public uses, as well as hosting youth and adult library programs...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will offer Food Preservation 101 on Tuesday, May 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the ISU Extension and Outreach office in Cherokee. Food Preservation 101 will cover food safety information, guidelines for canning, freezing and drying, an overview of equipment and utensils for canning and freezing, and up-to-date resources and recipes for safe and tasty food preservation. ...

Artist and educator Diane O’Hern was born in Storm Lake, Iowa. Her early carefree days near the lakeshore, mother’s garden and family reunions left an indelible imprint on her art style. Life experiences are significant contributions to Diane’s artwork...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Nutrition Services department chose to support our local animal shelters. Team members opened up the option to all employees to donate as most are pet owners. Accepting donations were Lori Nehring, Lake Animal Hospital in Storm Lake and Pauline Larson of TLC Animal Shelter in Newell...

Nationally recognized child development researcher Ira Chasnoff kicked off an ongoing effort with Seasons Center to help area professionals develop common procedures and policies for child welfare at the Clay County Fair & Events Center Thursday. Chasnoff shared his expertise on prenatal alcohol and drug exposure at the Early Substance Exposure training day...

UnityPoint Health® – Fort Dodge CEO, Leah Glasgo, announced today Stacy Johnson has accepted the dual role as chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) for Loring Hospital. “On behalf of the UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge and Loring Hospital, I am very pleased to announce Stacy as the new CEO/CFO at Loring Hospital,” says Leah Glasgo, President and CEO, UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge. ...

The 15th annual Life Saver donor appreciation dinner program was held April 24 at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. The Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation holds this event to honor and thank those who contributed to the annual Life Saver fund drive. ...

The Meeting Place was pleased to welcome Jane Hogue, owner of Prairie Pedlar Gardens, to Galva on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. As part of her one hour program, Jane talked about different ways to bring butterflies, hummingbirds and bees to a flower garden and how important they all are to pollination. ...

Auditions are set for Buena Vista Community Theatre’s Next Generation Theatre production of “Frozen Jr” on Tuesday, June 25 from 1-3 or 6-8; or Wednesday, June 26, 6-8. Auditions are open for ages 5 (and completed kindergarten) through age 18 years. ...

Satisfaction is a complicated concept in Marvel Land. On the one hand, every morsel of pre-release information is obsessively pored over in feverish anticipation. But by the time the movie is coming out, a sudden hush comes over die-hard fans who, to avoid spoilers, have abandoned their phones, detached from the grid and found a quiet ditch to lie in until the coast is clear and the multiplex is open. ...

We learn so much from our canine companions, and along the way they keep us company, provide unconditional love and share in the ups and downs of our lives. The newest book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, “Life Lessons From the Dog” features “101 tales of family, friendship and sun,” one written by contributor Gwen Hart of Storm Lake...

Iowa Public Television’s STEAM trailer (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) premiered at ISU Extension in Storm Lake Thursday, showing kids ways to explore new ideas and worlds related to STEAM learning. The education services staff at IPTV works in communities to provide K-12 development in collaboration with libraries and schools. ...

We are in “shutdown” mode in the Iowa Legislature. There only a couple of budget bills left that have not been agreed upon. When the last of those clears both chambers and heads down stairs to the Governor’s office, there will be little incentive to stick around to work on policy. I am hoping that as I head home after adjournment, that field conditions will be favorable for me to start planting corn...

The Iowa House and Senate have passed a bill which would expand the rights of qualifying Iowans to service animals. Members of the Iowa House affirmed Senate File 341, known as the Iowa service animal bill, earlier this month after the bill passed the Iowa Senate by a vote of 49-0...

Sharespace Education, funded by the the Aldrin Family Foundation, granted Storm Lake Elementary a giant map of Mars as an educational initiative as NASA continues to work towards missions to the planet. Teachers at the school will also receive curriculum to use with the maps that engage kids through hands on-experiments, such as those with a provided robot, as part of a grant totaling $5,000. ...

For Pamela Lassiter Simcock, the cycle of trauma and violence started long before the day she knew her husband would kill her, or when she was sexually abused by a friend’s father from age 5 to 7. Simcock says trauma was biologically hardwired in her while in utero, as her biological father beat her pregnant mother, attempting to induce miscarriage after she refused an abortion...

Meet Storm Lake’s newest and youngest author: Giovanni Rodriguez. The 11-year-old has a new book in the works about his favorite topic: Bugattis. The book in Spanish and English will soon be on the shelves in the United States and Mexico—they’re working out the publishing details now...

Everything about Royce White says power. Except for the power to defend against his own inner struggles. After years of battling mental illness, the former Iowa State University star power forward, NBA first-round draft pick, and now author and aspiring mixed marital arts fighter, is sharing his story...