Stories from Monday, August 26, 2019

As Roy Orbison sang, “It’s Over”. Yes, the 62nd season of the Okoboji Summer Theatre has ended with the final performance of “Mamma Mia” on Sunday, August 11th. And now we settle in until next year when the 63rd season comes around. The Okoboji Summer Theatre Association (OSTA) is an organization that promotes and supports the goals of the program, staff, and students of the Okoboji Summer Theatre. ...

Betty Lou Hantsbarger, 95 years, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away August 21, at Accura HealthCare nursing home in Aurelia, Iowa, two days away from her 96th birthday. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Church of Christ in Cherokee. ...

On August 10 and 11, firefighters from the Odebolt Volunteer Fire Department attended an industrial firefighting training program hosted by Flint Hills Resources at its Pine Bend refinery near St. Paul, Minn. Firefighters Terry Zembsch, Nathan Neville, Austin Neville, Jerry Eslick and Fire Chief Greg Neville joined volunteer firefighters from four other Iowa and Nebraska departments for the training. ...

A 2004 Toyota Corolla, driven by Brian Scott Pollock, 23, of Fostoria, collided with a 2015 Ford F-150 pickup which had stopped for a red light at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Seventh Street at in Soencer last week. The collision created a three-car chain reaction, pushing the F-150 into a 1999 Buick Park Avenue stopped for a red light...

Researchers know exercise improves mood for people with depression, but there are still questions about exactly how it makes people feel better. The answers may be found in the endocannabinoid system. The system is made up of the body’s own naturally occurring cannabinoid molecules and their receptors, said Jacob Meyer, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University. ...

Today a new alliance of local, state, and national organizations took its first steps toward addressing the opioid epidemic in Iowa. The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) of Iowa is a partnership of more than 30 organizations who have come together to elevate programs that have a real impact on Iowans. RALI Iowa is specifically focused on addressing the growing need for effective prevention, treatment and recovery tools and services...

A new study shows the waitlist for organ transplants is skyrocketing and Iowa ranks No. 13 lowest with 4.2 waitlist candidates per organ donor. In 2018, there were 113,000 people on the waitlist nationally and 5,800 individuals died before receiving a transplant. ...

Calling all quilters and Barn Quilt enthusiasts, or the curious and history buffs. Join us at the Albert City Public Library on Tuesday, September 3, at 7 p.m. to learn about the Barn Quilts of Iowa and the “Underground Railroad Movement”. What started out as a Barn Quilt picture-taking trip to 291 farms in five Iowa counties and the City of Kalona by Dan Steiber of Waverly and Anna Kendall of Waterloo, turned into a one hour Power Point slide show and talk program...

Children who completed their reading logs by July 13th qualified them for a fun, stuffed animal class. Each child was given a bears collectors box. Inside the box was a stuffed bear, a patriotic outfit, a birth certificate and a rainbow star. The children made a magical wish with their rainbow star on their bears and put them inside the bears. They next dressed their bears, filled out their Birth Certificate and read to their bears...

The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association previously announced the “Preserving The Legacy” capital campaign to finish and sustain the new museum in Arnolds Park. Tom Bedell of Bedell Guitars is challenging donors to bid on the Bedell “Summer of Love” guitar, which revives the spirit of the most coveted acoustic guitar during the summer of 1967: the Adirondack/Brazilian dreadnought...

Getting in shape and putting your life together usually, at the movies, passes in a montage. But for many, the non-Rocky legions of us, such transformations require more than inspiring theme music and lifting weights in the snow. And for the Brittany (Jillian Bell) of “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” that’s especially true...

Dazzling harmonies, great stage presence, and wisecracking audience interaction all presented in a whirlwind a cappella extravaganza. If this is what you’re looking for, you’ll want to look up The Sound Exchange during the Clay County Fair. Whether it is a soulful ballad, a blistering rock anthem, a jazz standard, or chart-topping single, The Twin Cities-based Sound Exchange has you covered. ...

A rural Aurelia entitiy has been assessed a consent order by the Iowa DNR. Conrad Lundsgaard, Inc. is ordered to cease all illegal open burning and illegal solid waste disposal and pay an administrative penalty of $1,000. According to case documents, Lundsgaard owns a property with several grain bins, where a burn pit was observed a year ago by a DNR staff member who saw thick smoke, entered the site and photographed a fire containing plastic materials and an estimated two dozen tires. ...

U.S. Border Patrol officials are doing their best, but many of them have been turned into “babysitters, diaper changers and formula feeders,” according to Congressman Steve King, speaking at a town hall in Storm Lake recently. King visited the border area for four days three weeks ago, focusing on the El Paso area, visiting both areas that were arranged for him to see and “surprise visits” to areas not on the official tour, he said...

After responding to a number of vehicular accidents, Spencer Fire Chief John Conyn took the podium during a recent City Council meeting to warn the public of the dangers of distracted driving. His colleague, Spencer Police Chief Mark Warburton, suggested there has been an uptick in distracted driving recently but said it is often difficult to find clear cut cases...

Due to staffing issues, the Clay County Treasurer’s Office will be closing its driver’s license office on Tuesday, Sept. 3, until further notice. This will mark the second time since 2016 that county residents will be required to travel to nearby offices in Spirit Lake and Storm Lake...

Disc golf is a very popular sport in Iowa and especially in Cherokee. There are so many people that enjoying playing underway but every time the Little Sioux River floods it shuts there course down for at least a month. Due to the three floods in the past year the City of Cherokee has decided to make a change...

Planning is underway for the reconstruction of the Michigan Street Parking Lot in downtown Storm Lake. The City Council awarded the project to Smith Concrete Service of Storm Lake. The project is set to begin on September 3. A public meeting is scheduled on Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 6 p.m. ...

No injuries were reported after a storm caused damage to several homes and businesses in the Lakes Area late a week ago. Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Ehret said 54 mph wind gusts were measured at around 11:30 p.m. near Lake Park as the storm approached. He said some dime to nickel-sized hail was observed between Lake Park and Harris, but was short lived and caused no reported damage. He said a majority of the local storm damage was due to falling limbs and trees...

A pair of experts from the Iowa Association of School Boards reviewed the Storm Lake School District’s financial situation with the board of education last week, finding the district, “in good financial shape.” The increasing enrollment brings with it per-pupil funding, they noted...

Law enforcement leaders including Storm Lake Public Safety Director Mark Prosser have sent a letter to the president, vice president and Homeland Security Secretary, urging better conditions for migrant children in detention. The 42 Law Enfcrcernenl Immigration Task Force members who signed the letter call on the administration to “minimize the detention of children” and “invest in the trained personnel and facilities necessary to process and properly care for children and their families,” vvhile also expressing appreciation for Department of Homeland Security personnel.. ...

In the wake of two passionate public meetings with sentiment split on a proposal to locate a new recreation center on a portion of Scout Park, Mayor Mike Porsch remains hopeful that the project can move forward. “We have a lot of support for the rec center itself, but we don’t have all the support for the location of it,” he said. “We need to go into further discussions to determine if there is another possible location.”...

The vote Yes for Kids Committee continues its work promoting an upcoming $14.98 million bond issue to build an Early Childhood Center for kindergarteners. The committee hosted meetings this week at Our Place. Citing an “incredible space crunch” in the elementary and middle schools, Rick Peterson of the volunteer committee said that teachers have done well in adapting to the problems, but deserve a better educational environment...

A Nemaha Fire Department firefighter has been arrested for arson, accused of setting a fire so that he could report it and be first to respond. Brent Mack, 25, of Newell, was arrested along with an 18 year old male and 17-year-old female, according to the Sac County Sheriff’s Department...