Stories from Friday, January 31, 2020

Kiley Miller, President & CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, has been awarded recertification by the International Economic Development Council (JEDC) through April 2021. Miller first achieved the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation in 2015. Recertification required that he fulfill demanding standards for continuing education and service to the profession...

Storm Lake native Meredith Daley has been named as CEO of the Worthington Area YMCAs in Minnesota. She was most recently the Senior Aquatics Director at the Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Daley’s past work history includes aquatics positions at Pennsylvania State University and Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey. ...

The new Junk Rescued store will be opening next week at 516 Lake Avenue in Storm Lake. / Photo submitted

The Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency Board of Directors has selected Dr. Susie Meade as its next Chief Administrator. In her new role, Meade will support the agency’s 247 full and part-time employees who provide special education and school improvement services in 14 counties across north central Iowa. ...

Violin Shredder says he is the first individual violin artist to implement the instrument into heavy metal, hard rock, indie rock and alternative rock. With his first album release “Shredder” has already seen streaming music success. Multi-talented musician and Buena Vista University student Job Saunders - a.k.a. one-man band Violin Shredder, has spent over seven years in making “Project Shredder” that will push him towards his career in becoming an artist...

Whatever your thoughts may be on Donald Trump as a politician, most voters would agree that he’s far more successful in that venture than as an actor. Still, The Donald has made a yoooge number of cameo appearances in the movies over a period of 30 years, serving as go-to Hollywood shorthand for New York-style glitz, greed and cunning. We set out to make this one of our Top Ten lists, but let’s face it, there’s no top about it...

Caucus night is Monday, February 3, 7 p.m. Voters registered or registering in their party can take part. See the website iwillvote.com to confirm your caucus location or check your registration status. Republican Precinct Caucus locations in Buena Vista County...

The North Raccoon River Watershed Coalition gathered in Adel for its annual meeting Friday. The coalition was formed in 2016, and its five-year charge will end next year. Keri Navratil, Storm Lake City Manager and coalition chairperson, is pleased with the progress the watershed project has made in four years, and hopes that the impact will last long beyond its period of funding. ...

A Laurens man was sentenced this week to seven years in the federal prison system for possession of child pornography. Raymond Painter, Jr., age 31, pled guilty in August to one count, under a plea agreement, admitting to possessing photo and videos of obscene materials from 2013-2017...

Storm Lake father-son duo Bruce and Kerry Edwards were among those honored as Maser Pork Producers during the 2020 Iowa Pork Congress. A Master Pork Producer award denotes an individual’s or family’s excellence in pork production, as measured by their pork production statistics, their commitment to We Care® principles, and their contribution to their community. ...

When temperatures drop below 30 degrees (Fahrenheit), farmers, ranchers and anyone working outside are at risk to incur frostbite, trench foot and/or chilblains. This is especially true when cold is combined with wind. Cold weather conditions are the most common cause of frostbite, although direct contact with ice, frozen metal or very cold liquids can also lead to frostbite...

Fruit trees can be a beautiful and fun addition to any landscape, and they should be pruned to obtain good yields of high-quality fruit. There are three important aspects to pruning fruit trees: timing, frequency and procedure. Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach share information on how to prune fruit trees. To have additional questions answered, contact the Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline @iastate.edu...

False news and misinformation continue to circulate online and through social media, making it difficult to identify fact from fiction. Peggy Rupprecht, Ph.D., assistant professor in Creighton University’s Department of Computer Science, Design and Journalism, says there are methods to verify and check the authenticity of information:...

Abby Bean, Marathon; Alexis Berte, Algona; and Caleb Hogan, Monticello, have been selected as the 2020 Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team. They were chosen from a field of 13 contestants during the Iowa Pork Congress. IPPA sponsors the contest, which includes interviews, demonstrations of their outreach skills, and testing on their knowledge of pork and pig production...

Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 3, and local party chairs are busy making sure volunteers are ready to help the public through the process. Democratic caucusgoers will have their work cut out for them as they winnow a wide field of candidates running against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump. ...

The Storm Lake High School Art Department is proud to present the following students who have had their artwork selected to be on display on BVU’s campus at the Arts and Humanities building for the annual W.I.S.E. exhibit from February 15 until March 20 with a reception on Saturday, the 15 of February from 2 p.m. ...

Sen. Joni Ernst has a book coming out May 26. The Iowa Republican, expected to face a competitive race for reelection this fall, is calling her memoir “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.” “In her candid, down-to-earth memoir of struggle and service, Senator Joni Ernst recounts her journey from farm girl to first female senator from Iowa,” according to the Simon & Schuster imprint Threshold Editions, which announced her book Monday. ...

As Cherokee’s newest major employer, Lopez Foods continues its $25 million renovation and upgrade of the Cherokee meat processing plant, including adding a reported $50 million in state-of-the-art processing equipment, the community anxiously awaits the proposed April start-up...

A bill proposed by a group of Republican lawmakers on Wednesday that would have amended the Iowa Civil Rights Act by removing protections against discrimination for transgender people is dead, a powerful committee chairman said. Nine Republican House members sponsoring the bill introduced it Wednesday morning but by evening Republican Rep. Steven Holt, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to which the bill was assigned, said he wouldn’t allow it to move forward to a subcommittee hearing...

A man has been given two years of probation for helping set fire to a corncrib in western Iowa. Sac County court records show Alexander Lilly, 18, was sentenced Wednesday and given a deferred judgment. Under a deferred judgment, his conviction can be removed from his record if he were to successfully complete the terms of his probation...

Ever wondered how you would survive a zombie apocalypse? Maybe you’re curious how wolves live in the wilderness. Then again, you may want to relax and tour the PING Golf Factory after playing a round of golf. While these endeavors seem random, they share a theme: Each option is available to Buena Vista University students during Interim, a month long period of instruction in January...

Local group seeks to redefine itself in face of constant need

RUTHVEN - Tuesday night saw the St. Mary’s boys and girls basketball teams head to Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire and come home after splitting the doubleheader. The Panther girls were able to take a three point win while the boys lost by 11. The St. Mary’s girls were able to hang on in a tight 46-43 thriller against the Titans for their eighth win of the year, besting last season’s win total...

EMMETSBURG - A 20 point fourth quarter paved the way for the Newell-Fonda boys to pick up their ninth straight win on Wednesday. They used a strong ending to take a 59-50 decision over the Emmetsburg E-Hawks. “Emmetsburg is such a good defensive team. ...

SIOUX RAPIDS - Four quarters just wasn’t enough on Tuesday night in the Twin Lakes Conference battle between Alta-Aurelia and Sioux Central. The Rebels used the extra period to come away with a 48-43 win over the Warriors for their ninth win of the year...

SIOUX CITY - The Storm Lake boys swim team got back in the pool on Tuesday night when they took on South Sioux City and Sioux City. The Tornadoes were able to best South Sioux City, 35-20 but fell to the Sioux City Spartans, 78-11. “This was a fun meet for us tonight. ...

EMMETSBURG - For one of the first times this season, the Newell-Fonda girls basketball team found themselves in a fight against an opponent. The Emmetsburg E-Hawks got about as close as anyone has to dethroning the defending 1A State Champions, but Newell-Fonda used a big fourth quarter to keep their undefeated season alive, 55-44...

SIOUX RAPIDS - The Sioux Central girls were able to use a strong first half against Alta-Aurelia on Tuesday night to push themselves to a 64-20 victory, their 12th of the year. “I was really happy with how the girls played coming off a long trip from Monday night. We did a great job of getting everyone involved early in the offense,” Sioux Central Coach Casey Krager said. “The girls shared the ball well and also shot it well. The game always looks better when the ball goes in the hole.”...

STORM LAKE - For the first quarter or so Thursday night, it looked like the Storm Lake girls were going to be in the thick of it against Pocahontas Area. However, the Indians’ press gave the green and white fits as Storm Lake dropped a 66-34 decision...