Stories from Wednesday, March 11, 2020

With the conclusion of the 2019-20 girls basketball season, capped off with the second straight 1A Championship from Newell-Fonda, the Twin Lakes Conference released their All-Conference teams as well as naming their coach of the year. To recap the TLC slate: Newell-Fonda won the conference title with an 11-0 record. Sioux Central was fourth after an 8-3 mark, St. Mary’s tied for seventh after going 4-7 and Alta-Aurelia was 12th after going 1-10...

Buena Vista University will stage the thriller, “Wait Until Dark” this spring, with rehearsals underway. A mysterious doll, a trio of shady characters, a young girl, and a woman who is blind make for a highly suspenseful evening of theatre. The basement Greenwich Village apartment of Sam Hendrix and his blind wife, Susy is the setting for a deadly game of intimidation orchestrated by three con men, but she turns the tables on the worst of the criminals and survives their deadly game...

Here is a recipe for a wild evening of wine, women, and uproarious laughter. The Sioux City Community Theatre is serving “The Wild Women of Winedale” from Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 22. The Siouxland cast includes Tammy Summers, Beverly Roth, Leslie Werden, Amy Kimbell, and Heather Tolvanen...

Visitors to the small northeastern Iowa city of Dyersville can soak up all the Americana that embodies a baseball diamond built amid cornfields for the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” At Fort Dodge, they can experience a replica of 19th-century fort life. And in tiny Cushing, they can have a cold brew and tacos at the Old 20 Bar and Grill...

The lineup is set for the 10th anniversary season of the Stone Pier Concert Series at Black Hawk Lake and Lake View. All the concerts are free, and concessions are available at the site. Things get underway Saturday, June 6 with The Pork Tornadoes and special guest Joshua Sinclair. ...

In the last two weeks we have moved 67 bills out of the Iowa Senate to the House of Representatives. The House will vet them and either accept, amend or reject the bill. The Senate will be doing the same thing with all bills sent from the House. Floor debate tends to last longer in the House than in the Senate because they have twice as many members as the Senate. ...

As the areas only nationally accredited Air Medical Provider, Wings Air Rescue of Sioux City understands how experience matters, not only to those we serve but also to those we work with. They take time each quarter to recognize a deserving individual in their service area by presenting them with The Wings Air Rescue Experience Matters Award...

The growing problem of a shortage of school bus drivers threatens the transportation programs of many rural Iowa schools, including Cherokee and surrounding districts. Among the many reasons for this job pool drain are: • Cumbersome state and/or federal restrictions and mandatory testing on-line and face-to-face chasing some applicants away, including retirees who may not be well-versed in computer technology...

Rep. Gary Worthan (R-Storm Lake) welcomed iJAG students from Storm Lake to the Iowa House of Representatives. Students Nou Yang, Sally Henry, Ka Ying Yang and Hsar Shee were visiting the Capitol to discuss the funding for their program with the legislators. Pictured here is Rep. Gary Worthan (Storm Lake), Nou Yang (Storm Lake), Sally Henry (Storm Lake), Ka Ying Yang (Storm Lake) and Hsar Shee (Storm Lake)...

Henry Schuelke, age 94, of Storm Lake, Iowa died on Thursday, March 5, at the Newell Good Samaritan Society in Newell. Funeral services was held on Tuesday, March 10, at Grace Lutheran Church in Storm Lake. Burial was in the Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake. Visitation took place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Janet Rosenbrook, age 86, of Alta, Iowa died on Thursday, March 5, in Storm Lake. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, March 10, at Summit Evangelical Free Church in Alta, Iowa. Burial will be in the Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation took place on Monday, March 9, from at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lakr. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association on Friday blasted President Trump over reports that he plans to appeal the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision earlier this year ruling against the government’s handling of refinery exemptions that lower demand for ethanol...

The Buena Vista County Historical Society has a limited number of free copies of “A Time to Honor” - a 50th anniversary commemoration book on the Vietnam War, available to the public. The books were donated by the local VFW.

Reaching more than 2,000 participants ahead of the noon hour Saturday, the 10th annual Family Fest, held at the Clay County Regional Events Center, was a popular draw for families across the region who were looking to start the weekend on a fun note. ...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King has taken to addressing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as “Crazy Joe.” “Crazy Joe will say ANYTHING to get elected, won’t he? He’s even willing to open the floodgates for illegals to pour into our country,” King said in an email message to supporters this week...

Iowa gas prices have fallen 6.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.20 Monday. Gas prices in Iowa are 2.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 24.9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Storm Lake pump prices dropped even more dramatically, to $2.12 at most stations to start the week. Prices around Iowa ranged from $1.66 to $2.77 per gallon. The high for this date came in March of 2012 at $3.76...

La Isla Restaurant & Bar #2 will have its grand opening on Wednesday, March 11 in the former Embers building on Lake Ave. They serve a great variety of seafood, Nayarin Mexican Style, as well of all Mexican food, Drinks and more. La Isla has been in business for 7 years in Sioux City. The owners, Martha and Cesar, felt it was time to expand to Storm Lake. Their son Edgar Deluna will be the administrator of La Isla Restaurant & Bar #2...

Shortly after a Buena Vista University announcement Friday that a program evaluation proposes to eliminate BVU majors including chemistry, music performance, music production and theatre, an effort is underway to respond before the board of trustees meets in early May to potentially take action...

Ten thousand high-spirited riders plus others attracted by the annual RAGBRAI overnight celebrations, can amount to a handful when it comes to safety and security. “We’re probably going to bring in some help,” says Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole. “It’s a taxing thing for manpower, providing security for the different venues as well as traffic control. Everyone on our staff will be working with RAGBRAI in one way or another.”...

When the war’s over, the battle may be just beginning. New York actor Douglas Taurel brought his unique drama “The American Soldier” to Buena Vista University Friday night, driving the message home in an intense one-man performance. Taurel has never experienced war. Blindness in one eye disqualified him from hopes of serving in the Marine Corps. His characters are drawn from letters written by soldiers, from Valley Forge to Afghanistan...

Governor Kim Reynolds declared a state of emergency Monday as new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Iowa. At least one college in the state planned to send its students home, and Iowa’s financial firms were rocked by the worst one-day drop in the U.S. stock market since 2008...