Stories from Monday, September 23, 2019

Candidates from area communities have filed to be on the ballot in the Nov. 5 city/school election. Storm Lake city council will see no contested races, but the school board will have four candidates including all three incumbents running. There will be only one contested race for mayor in the area, in Marathon, while Alta, Albert City, Linn Grove, Marathon and Sioux Rapids will have council races. ...

Food insecurity has become a staple of normalcy in northwest Iowa, and beyond. The irony is that for a state know still for agriculture, there are daily food needs that are not being met. The issues behind this are many, and sometimes complicated, but are people getting the right foods to stay healthy? You can have a daily abundance in food supplies, but will it lean too heavy on carbs, sweets, and fried foods, that well-meaning suppliers will put in with healthier choices, just to make sure there is enough to meet demand? Several food pantries are open during the day in Storm Lake, filled up with supplies at one point, then down to bare shelves, but are people making the right choices when it comes to feeding their families?. ...

“Look up - stop looking at your cell phone!” Dr. Shawn Stone chided a student who admitted that he had never noticed the common phenomenon known as a “sundog” in the morning sky. Advertised as “something that will blow your mind quicker than a star imploding,” the Buena Vista University lecturer sought to unravel some of the mysteries of outer space Tuesday night in the first installment of “That Dam Science Symposium.” Students created the series that they hope will continue monthly as the academic year wears on.. ...

SIOUX RAPIDS - The Sioux Central volleyball team, fresh off their first two losses of the season, showed no ill effects from it on Thursday night against Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire. The Rebels swept the Titans with set scores of: 25-13, 25-20 and 25-18...

LAKE VIEW - The St. Mary’s volleyball team got back on the court Thursday night when they took part in a triangular that also featured Manson-NW Webster and East Sac County. The Panthers came home licking their wounds after three set losses to both the Cougars and Raiders...

POCAHONTAS - It was a busy Thursday night for both Newell-Fonda and Alta-Aurelia’s volleyball teams as they took part in a triangular that also featured Pocahontas Area. The Mustangs won both of their contests as the Warriors bowed in their two matches...

SIOUX RAPIDS - The Alta-Aurelia cross country teams went to work on Thursday night at a meet at Sioux Central. The Warriors came away with eighth in both the boys and girls meets on the night. The Rebel boys were second and the girls were ninth. “We had a slew of runners that had career bests. ...

PAULLINA - It was a long night for the Sioux Central football team on Friday night as they played their final non-district contest against South O’Brien. The Wolverines’ bellcow running back, Tristan Wilson, ran wild over the Rebels, aiding his team to take a 42-16 decision...

LAWTON - The Ridge View football team had some chances on Friday night against the Lawton-Bronson Eagles. The Raptors forced three turnovers, but were unable to turn those into points, as the Eagles took a 24-6 decision against them. “I was happy with the way we finished the game. ...

KINGSLEY - The Newell-Fonda football team opened up district play on Friday night when they went west to Kingsley-Pierson. The Mustangs used a balanced offense, along with a strong defense, to come away with a 45-8 win over the Panthers. “It’s not easy winning on the road and it’s a tough place to play,” N-F Coach Brian Wilken said. “Our kids had to battle. We did some good things.”...

POCAHONTAS - It was the same issue that’s plagued the Alta-Aurelia football team that caused them to start slow on Friday night. The inability to sustain drives. However, the Warriors were able to find a bit of mojo in the second half against Pocahontas Area as they reeled off 28 straight points to claim a 28-6 decision for their second win of the year...

STORM LAKE - Too many turnovers, too much Cooper Dejean. In a nutshell, that’s what stood between Storm Lake and a chance for a homecoming win Friday night. OABCIG cashed in as a Tornado team with only one turnover on the season coming into the game gave the ball away four times. ...

Artist’s inclusion-themed book finds a home in Storm Lake hat is about to become Storm Lake’s favorite children’s book never started out to be a book at all. Illustrator Suzanne Kaufman visited Storm Lake Thursday and Friday to meet children in the preschool, elementary and Head Start buildings, where students are receiving some 1,300 autographed copies of her book celebrating diversity and inclusion, “All Are Welcome.” Additional copies will be given away to the first 75 children completing their “passport” of activities during the Day of the Child celebration September 28.. ...

Matt Dengler’s interest in model railroading really began as a child. He grew up in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and had a huge interest in local history and the railroads that ran through that area. “By the time I was born, the railroads had all pulled out leaving behind intriguing shadows and an air of nostalgia that piqued my curiosity’” he explained...

Congressman Steve King continues to bash “Fake News media, DC political establishment and radical leftists on and off Capitol Hill,” who he claims continue to “lash out at me so often.” In a fundraising email message, King asked supporters, “Have you abandoned me, did I just not receive your email or letter… OR has the liberal mob bullied you…”...

A premiere screening for the film “Toy Story 3 In Real Life,” produced by Buena Vista University students Morgan and Mason McGrew, will be held Thursday, September 26, 7 p.m., in Anderson Auditorium on campus. The brothers meticulously re-created the computer animated set for the original movie, but in reality...

In a year where mother nature would rarely cooperate, area agriculture professionals said the recent weather has been almost perfect for crops planted in the region to get back on track to normalcy. However, they said area farmers are still prepared for more bad weather news, while hoping for the best...

Safety First: Perhaps you’re looking for a change of scenery, or maybe your job has offered you a promotion in a different city. Whatever it is, when considering packing up your life and moving to a different place, safety is often a number one priority. ...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has scheduled five open public meetings across the state in October to present its proposed waterfowl season and zone structure for the 2021-2025 waterfowl hunting seasons, including one in Alta, October 23, at the Community Building, 6-8 p.m...

The Rosemary Clausen Center for Performing Arts will open its tenth season on September 28, with a performance by the internationally acclaimed Celtic Angels. The venue opened its doors in September of 2010 after a three year fund raising effort to get it built. ...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Auxiliary is offering three $500.00 scholarship opportunities for those looking to pursue education in a health related field. Application deadline is March 31, 2020, and winners will be awarded in April. Three categories are offered Criteria for applicants are as follows:...

LifeServe Blood Center is urging blood donors to roll up a sleeve to save local hospital patients this September. LifeServe Blood Center is the sole provider of blood to more than 120 hospitals across Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. In order to make sure LifeServe’s hospital partners’ needs are met, blood donors, whether first time or gallon level, are needed each and every day...

Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation has purchased, five infant mini-transport carts, a safe and secure option to carry patient infant carriers and other personal items while at BVRMC. “Parents with infants typically have an infant carrier, totes and sometimes siblings with them when they come to BVRMC. ...

The Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Auxiliary will hold its fall Masquerade Jewelry & Accessories Fair on Tuesday, October 1. All items are priced at $5. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Kallmer Education Center and is open to the public. The Auxiliary is a volunteer group that works on activities throughout the year that benefit the patients at BVRMC. Anyone that would like to join or volunteer at the hospital can call Volunteer Coordinator Mary Drey at 712.213.8619...

Jan Mary Keith, 67, of Loveland, CO, was welcomed into eternal life while in Hospice Care at Sierra Vista Health Care Center on Friday, September 6. Her body succumbed to multi-system organ failure, following a grueling attempt to recover from hip replacement surgery...

Jeffrey Lewis Knutson, age 49 of Irene, SD, died on Tuesday, September 17, after a seven-year battle with liver disease.  Funeral services were on Sunday, September 22, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Irene with Pastor Mark Ostrem officiating. Burial followed at Hillcrest Cemetery in Irene. Visitation was held Saturday, September 21, with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m. at the Hansen Funeral Home in Irene. hansenfuneralhome.com...

The headline out of the Iowa Associated Press set me on on my heels for a moment: “Is America ready for a gay president?” For one thing, when I was in journalism school, if you handed in a story with a headline ending in a question mark, it got thrown back to you with a big red X through it and a comment along the lines of: “Lazy writing.” For another, it’s a question that can’t be answered, at least until Iowans get to the polls...

Those of us of us who grew up listening to NRP early on, remember listening to Cokie Roberts give her take on Washington, politics, and the world at large. Roberts, who passed away last week, was an icon, not only for women trying to succeed in not just broadcast journalism, but anyone trying to tell the stories in the rough, raw world of politics in Washington. ...

Having stayed rigorously close to his native New York for much of his career, writer-director James Gray has lately been making up for lost time. His last film, “The Lost City of Z,” journeyed into the Amazon, circa early 20th century. His latest, “Ad Astra,” skitters across the solar system like a stone skipped through space...

We all know that Native people have suffered under a dominant culture for the past five centuries. However, David Treuer makes the point that they have prevailed, and in some cases, even thrived, despite that oppression. Treuer’s history The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee makes the point that Native people are still vibrant and alive and making their way in a society that, for hundreds of years, tried to destroy them...