Stories from Monday, November 18, 2019

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly from April through November. “It’s feeling more like winter than fall. ...

On Veterans Day, President Donald Trump paid tribute to America’s troops at a New York City parade as top 2020 Democratic candidates outlined their plans for the Department of Veterans Affairs, such as naming a woman to run the agency for the first time...

On the evening of Thursday, November 14, at approximately 11:35 p.m. a Storm Lake Police Officer stopped a vehicle in the 100 block of East 6th Street for a traffic offense. Upon contacting the driver identified as Ricardo Saez, age 37 of Storm Lake police allege they determined that his driving status was suspended in Iowa. A police K9 was deployed and allegedly showed a positive indication that illegal drugs were in the vehicle...

The Annual Helpers Club Christmas will be held December 7, (snow date December 14) at the Good Samaritan Society-Newell at 2:30 p.m. Enjoy live music, punch, coffee, sandwiches and cookies with a special visit from Santa. Family and friends are encouraged to join their loved ones for this special afternoon...

Savor the dark night sky and learn about some of the heroes in the heavens. This program will begin indoors with an overview of some of the fall constellations. Participants will then head outdoors to test their identification skills. Meet at the Prairie Heritage Center at 7 p.m. ...

The Buena Vista County FSA Committee is happy to announce the new County Executive Director at the Farm Service Agency, Samantha Erie. Samantha and her family reside just outside of Newell. She and her husband, Joshua, are lifelong natives to the Newell-Fonda area...

DES MOINES - The Buena Vista wrestling team was back in action on Saturday as it competed in the annual Grand View University Open. The event is made up of several DI, DII, DIII, NAIA and junior college teams. The Beavers did not have any individuals place but had several that advanced deep into the consolation side of their respective brackets. ...

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The Buena Vista women’s basketball team fell behind by as many as 24 points at the end of the third quarter and used a quick start to the fourth quarter to claw back within five with just under one minute to play, but the comeback came up just short as St. Olaf made free-throws down the stretch and the Beavers dropped their season opener to the Oles, 82-73. The game was the opener of the Saint Benedict Tournament...

STORM LAKE - Sophomore DJ McNeal turned in a career-high 23 points to lead three players in double figures, but it was a strong defensive effort that helped spark the Buena Vista men’s basketball team to a convincing 87-54 victory over Westminster College (Mo.) on Friday in what was the team’s home opener...

On Friday, Nov. 8 the students, teachers, and staff of Albert City - Truesdale Elementary hosted local veterans for a meal and performance. Preschool through sixth-grade students prepared both speaking and musical selections for the performance including a medley of each of the military branch songs so the veterans could be recognized. A special thank you goes to Karl Lind and Sam Aronson for sharing military memorabilia with our students prior to the performance...

Unity Community thanks all who attended our first ever Comm’UNITY’ Holiday Glow Event on Friday night. They also give a special thank you to Storm Lake Public Safety for keeping us safe and helping us get things glowing! If you donated food or made a monetary donation, please know you made a difference in someone’s life this holiday season. ...

The parallels between Joe Thede’s Buena Vista University football experience and his service in the Iowa Army National Guard hit home last Saturday in the moments following the BVU season finale at the University of Dubuque. “After the game, the seniors were in tears because it was their last game,” Thede says. ...

Efforts to improve voter participation among students at Buena Vista University have resulted in the University earning the Gold Seal from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. The Gold Seal is awarded to colleges and universities that have between 40 and 49 percent of their students voting. BVU reported student voting on campus increased in the 2018 election, growing from 32.6 percent in 2014, to 45 percent in 2018, a spike of nearly 13 percent...

Buena Vista University students hosted a show and sale of original student art work last week inside the Forum.

Without generous volunteer blood donors, hospital patients wouldn’t have access to the lifesaving transfusions needed for their treatment. Blood cannot be created in a lab and there’s simply no substitute for it. Donating blood is the easiest way to make a huge impact in your community! One hour of your time and one pint of your blood will save three local lives; that’s more than some people can do in a lifetime of service...

Abben Cancer Center of Spencer Hospital is preparing for a major technology upgrade for its radiation oncology services, which will provide greater treatment options for cancer care in the region. “Since 1997, Abben Cancer Center has provided a broad spectrum of cancer care to our region. ...

Iowa Public Television announced today the launch of its newest online series, The Life Autistic. The series will premiere Monday, November 18 on Iptv.org, Facebook and YouTube. The Life Autistic will explore the challenges and successes of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder at different stages in life and ranges on the spectrum. ...

UnityPoint Health has released the following announcement on its potential merger with Sanford Health: Over the past several months, UnityPoint Health has seriously explored the opportunity to join together with Sanford Health. After significant consideration, we will not be moving forward with a formal partnership. ...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Fitness & Health Center observed October National Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Fitness Center trainer with the most “bucks” at the end of the month was challenged to do one squat for every “squat buck” in their jar. ...

Local favorite LD3 will perform December 6 in the Inspiration Vines & Wines Friday Evening Music series. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. at the Linn Grove winery. The band, with members from Spencer and Manson areas, has grown from a family trio that has been playing together since 1968, to a core group of six performers who appear in various arrangements with several guest musicians. Second generation performer Duane “Deacon” Davis leads the group today...

Start the holiday weekend off with Harper and the Midwest Kind, returning to the stage at Byron’s in Pomeroy, Sunday, November 24. Showtime is 5 p.m. Peter Harper and his band offer up a unique blend of world blues, soul and roots music. The multiple award-winning Australian singer/ songwriter creates a heady mix of original music through his creative use of the harmonica, and the haunting drone of the didgeridoo. ...

The first thing director Roland Emmerich should do after his latest movie “Midway” hits theaters is apologize. Apologize to the visual effects crew, the stuntmen, the carpenters, the costumers and artists. He has squandered their considerable visual skill in retelling the crucial World War II battle at Midway by melding some of the best action sequences in years with the most banal of words...

Eight months after flooding began along the lower Missouri River, the amount of water being released from dams upriver will start to be reduced later this month. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the amount of water being released from the Gavins Point dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will start to gradually be reduced on Nov. 23 as part of its plan to cut releases for winter...

The Newell Fonda FFA was pleased to supply Harvest Meals to area farmers again this year. With harvest being delayed due to the weather, the timing of these meals was difficult. However, the FFA would like to thank Ag Partners - Newell, Fonda, and Albert City as well as Landus in Newell, and Sulphur Springs for their cooperation in making this program a success. ...

Police are investigating what officials say is a threat posted on social media to three Iowa State students. Iowa State Police Chief Michael Newton said Wednesday that the university is trying to identify who posted it on Reddit. The university says the threat targeted three students who participated in a Land Acknowledgement statement made at a Students Against Racism meeting on Nov. 7. Such statements acknowledge the indigenous people who once inhabited the land...

Officials say a gay pastor in Iowa City will request a leave of absence as part of a settlement of complaints that her sexual orientation violates United Methodist Church law. The Rev. Anna Blaedel had been director of the Wesley Center at the University of Iowa but stepped down in May because of a church complaint filed in 2018. She’s been the subject of three complaints since she publicly disclosed in 2016 that she was gay...

The Avenue of Flags in Holstein, Iowa was recognized by First Cooperative Association and Cenex®, the energy brand of CHS, for being a unique source of pride to northwestern Iowa. As part of this recognition, the Holstein American Legion received a $5,000 grant that will be used to replace tattered flags and fund future storage costs...

If discussion on a Storm Lake dog park is going to put its bite where its bark is, a committee will need to be formed, and quickly, Mayor Mike Porsch says. “We need some way to see if the community wants this,” he told the Mayor’s Committee on Parks, Trails and Urban Forestry at its recent semi-monthly meeting...

Supporters and opponents of a proposal to double the capacity of the Dakota Access oil pipeline packed a small-town North Dakota auditorium Wednesday for a field hearing before regulators considering the next phase of a project that sparked months of sometimes violent protests in 2016 and 2017...

“I would love to keep teaching if I could, as First Lady,” says Dr. Jill Biden, confident in the prospects for her husband Joe, former vice president and current Democrat frontrunner for the presidential nomination. Dr. Biden spoke to a capacity gathering at Better Day Cafe Friday afternoon, many crowding in for photos with her afterward...

An emerging initiative toward a public arts project was discussed by the Storm Lake Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Parks, Trails and Urban Forestry last week. City officials were recently approached by art teachers from Storm Lake High School who suggested the idea that the community could be outfitted with 50 six-foot-tall fiberglass lighthouse figures, to be painted with individual designs by various artists in the community including students...

In a giant game that tuned humans into board pieces, “Don’t try to win, try to understand,” urged organizers. The American Dream Game is a life-sized version of a board game that explores discrimination, inequity and stereotypes. Volunteers including students and staff took on the roles of people of various racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, socioeconomic status and in some cases disabilities in the event, part of Buena Vista University’s “Diversity & Inclusion Week.”...