Stories from Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Iowa’s unemployment rate soared to 10.2% in April, reflecting the economic costs of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state officials reported Friday. Iowa has long had one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates, but it rose to 3.3% in March and then roughly tripled in April, according to Iowa Workforce Development. Iowa’s April 2019 rate was 2.7%...

If Test Iowa won’t give you an appointment for a COVID-19 test, keep trying the website or just call your doctor. That was the message Friday from Gov. Kim Reynolds. She announced earlier this week that any Iowan can now be tested for COVID-19 without having to meet criteria such as symptoms of the illness, exposure or an essential job...

For a final time, Sioux Central elementary students were driven to school to see their teachers, but instead of going to class they stayed in their vehicles for a reverse parade, waving goodbye to their beloved educators and the school year. Led by area fire trucks and emergency personnel, vehicles filtered through the Sioux Central bus lane Wednesday evening as students hoisted handmade signs, threw candy and flowers to their teachers while maintaining six feet of distance. ...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach had big plans for their 2020 summer camps, which usually begin the first week in June. Even though COVID-19 threw them a curveball, ISU Extension and Outreach staff in Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O’Brien and Cherokee Counties say that the camps will go on, just in a different manner...

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Water clarity has increased. Anglers have had good luck from shore and in the main lake. Storm Lake has a daily limit of 3 walleye and all 17- to 22-inch walleye must be released; and no more than one walleye longer than 22 inches may be taken per day. ...

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced a bill to protect recovery payments provided in the recent CARES Act pandemic response legislation from garnishment by private debt collectors...

The State Data Center at the State Library of Iowa has released estimates for populations of Iowa cities in 2019 from the U.S. Census Bureau. These estimates will be last look at Iowa’s population totals before the release of the 2020 Census. characteristics of the population looking at age, sex, race and Hispanic origin will be released for Iowa and all 99 counties later this year. Read the population highlights below and find the full city population data on the State Data Center’s website...

Buena Vista University has unveiled a Strategic Partnerships initiative designed to grow organizations and their employees and families, both locally and nationally, through educational grants and programs aimed at increasing educational opportunities and improving business results...

Sac County resident Pat Hoefling faces a DNR enforcement action. Hoefling will be required to file an application for stream alteration work that had already been completed without the necessary approval, and must pay a $3,000 penalty. If the application is denied, Hoofing will be required to restore the altered stream to pre-construction state...

Micah Barnes made history at Buena Vista University when she participated in collegiate rodeo as a junior, believed to be the first BVU student-athlete to compete in the sport under the auspices of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. “History?” Barnes asks, “I don’t know about that.”...

Arnolds Park officials announced Friday that they would cancel all of our concerts scheduled for the month of June. This includes both Live at the Lake concerts on Preservation Plaza and shows in The Roof Garden Ballroom.     The free Live at the Lake concert series was scheduled to start on Saturday, June 6th. ...

Since the first rustic vacation retreat for hunters and fishermen was built in 1871, Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes have been a drawing card for families, generation after generation. Over the decades, dozens of vacation resorts, from the magnificent Hotel Orleans on Big Spirit Lake to the iconic Inn on West Okoboji, have lured happy summertime visitors...

The Albert City Threshermen and Collectors Show will celebrate its 50th anniversary event August 7-9 - a “Threshermen Family Reunion.” The mission is to demonstrate the farming methods and lifestyle from the 1800s through early 1900s. Exhibits and live demonstrations take place throughout the old-time farmstead throughout the three-day festival each August...

If there ever was a time in recent history where our medical system is running on all eight cylinders, now would be it. Facing an on-going pandemic that is fluid, with medical professionals worldwide racing towards developing a vaccine sooner rather than later, our health system has been taxed like never before. ...

The Storm Lake South School apartment project continues to hum along despite the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Shawn Foutch of JMAE Construction was pleased with the progress in turning a long-vacant school into market-rate housing during trying times. “It hasn’t affected too much of the work inside of the buildings,” he said. “Some of the funding is taking a bit longer than it usually does.”...

As of Monday, Buena Vista County had seen 245 confirmed cases of COVID-19, or about 12.3 cases per thousand population in the county - 9th highest rate per capita in Iowa. According to the state’s stats, the 22nd was the peak day with 74 cases confirmed (in part reflecting increased test results coming in). Numbers dropped dramatically to 12 on the 23rd, 14 on the 24th and 4 on the 25th. No deaths have been reported in BV or surrounding counties. Thirty-six are considered recovered...

As Dr. Swasti Bhattacharyya, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, approaches her retirement after 18 years at Buena Vista University, she reflects on her first visit. She laughs and talks about consulting a map to find out where Storm Lake, Iowa might be located...