Stories from Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Iowa continues to ease business restrictions over the next few weeks. Starting May 28, bars, wineries, breweries, and distilleries were able to reopen. On June 1, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement parks, skating rinks, outdoor performance venues, and outdoor playgrounds will also be able to reopen. ...

A Friday morning collision involving a semi and a passenger vehicle in the 4800-mile of U.S. Highway 71 claimed the life of a 24-year-old Cedar Rapids man and injured a second man. At approximately 7:34 a.m., a northbound 2003 Peterbilt semi and empty livestock trailer, operated by Stoney Ray Burris, 46 of Livingston, Tennessee and a southbound 1987 Pontiac Firebird, driven by George Skyler Ellsworth Cole, 24 of Cedar Rapids, collided after the Firebird allegedly swerved into the northbound lane.. ...

A construction worker from Minnesota who was electrocuted and fell from a building is suing the city of Sibley, Iowa, for negligence. Victor Maldonado, of Worthington, Minnesota, alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the city knew the high-voltage power line was too close to the building and did not comply with safety codes...

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t upended President Donald Trump’s plans to hold a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital this summer. The White House told the Associated Press recently that Trump intends to move ahead with a scaled-back version of last year’s massive “Salute to America” event on the National Mall. Those plans are taking place despite the pandemic and as lawmakers in the region have asked the administration to reconsider...

SeaWorld and Walt Disney World will reopen in Orlando, Florida, in June and July after months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic, under plans approved Wednesday by a city task force. The proposals will now be sent to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for final approval...

The Clay County Fair announces Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone with special guest Gary Lewis & The Playboys as part of the SRG Concert Series in the Sleep Number Grandstand at the 2020 Clay County Fair on Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. Herman’s Hermits and Peter Noone have sold over 52 million recordings since the original band’s first hit in 1964. ...

Since Wesley Arnold first built a 60-foot wooden toboggan-style water slide on the shores of West Okoboji in 1889, Arnolds Park Amusement Park has seen and survived several generations of hardships. It survived the Spanish flu of 1918, two world wars, the Great Depression, a tornado and — at the turn of the last century — threats to turn the park into a condo/resort complex...

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) today sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting clarification on its temporary policy for the manufacture of alcohol-based hand sanitizer products during the COVID-19 pandemic...

It isn’t easy adjusting to changes brought on by the pandemic. Consider how to deal with grief caused by the loss of your normal routine. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has changed people’s lives in many ways. In addition to feeling grief over the loss of life caused by COVID-19, you’re likely grieving the loss of your normal routine...

Gone Fish’n bait shop at the Storm Lake Marina is planning to close. A going out of business sale will run through the month of June. “I’d like to thank those of you that supported us loyally throughout this crazy adventure,” owner Josh Schwartz said. “At this time I’m trying to find someone to buy the store and keep it open but it’s not looking too promising.”...

The Storm Lake Test Iowa site at the high school parking lot has been extended. It was scheduled to close after Friday, and now is scheduled through June 12 - weekdays only, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A donation from Mr. Goodfellow has provided $4,000 to the Storm Lake Community School District to purchase activities for students while buildings remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SLCSD used the funds to expand the effort, teaming up with volunteers from The Bridge of Storm Lake and Iowa State University Extension. ...

The Buena Vista County Recycling Center is asking for the public’s cooperation to curb illegal dumping at the yard waste site. On May 18 the center reopened the yard waste site fully to the public during normal hours and some extended hours, after having restricted access for a few weeks under COVID-19 quarantine. ...

Starting June 8th, the Courthouse offices will be open by appointment. Beginning June 1st, offices will begin to schedule the appointments to occur starting June 8th. As with all the recent openings, some strategies for safety will be implemented. For the health and safety of both the public and the employees the county that the public continue to use online, mail, phone and dropbox resources as much as possible. ...

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Water clarity has increased. Anglers have had good luck with walleye in the main lake and panfish in the marina. 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. ...

Heartland Museum started discussions two years ago that a windmill would be a good addition to the complex. On May 20, that discussion became a reality. When the board of directors was discussing how windmills were an integral part of any farm for years, Larry Maasdam mentioned that he had the base of a windmill. ...

With COVID-19 cases rising locally, the board for the Storm Lake Day of the Child multicultural festival reluctantly voted Friday to cancel the event that was scheduled for September. The group took into consideration the cancellation of the Star Spangled Spectacular recently, the amount of planning and fundraising that has to take place, and the possibility of a new wave of illness in the fall...

State health officials say four more people died over the weekend with COVID-19, raising the coronavirus death toll in Iowa to 542 Monday. The Iowa Department of Public Health said that 19,695 people had tested positive for COVID-19 by Monday, an increase of 452 since Saturday...

Buena Vista University senior Josh Cole was supposed to give a Commencement address on Saturday, May 23, date of BVU’s originally scheduled 129th Commencement. Cole performed that day, but it wasn’t for graduates. Rather, it was to celebrate his wedding. He played the piano and sang to his bride, Emily Beck, in a double-ring ceremony hosted by Cole’s parents, Richard and Cheryl Cole, in their backyard in Saint Hedwig, Texas...

Just west of the Gingerbread House in Storm Lake, there is a new home build going up - but not just any home. A mid-week afternoon has an overcast to it, with some grayness, and clouds, but as one walks towards the muffled sounds of music, and a hammer ringing against nails, it’s clear that someone is doing some construction with zeal...

The first COVID-19 fatality in Buena Vista County was reported Tuesday, as the case total continued to climb. Public Health officials did not release any information on the individual, including age or location. “As a smaller county, we can’t give details - I don’t know a lot of details. ...

“Disheartening.” That’s how Buena Vista University educator David Walker describes a decision to eliminate the theater program at the Storm Lake campus, along with the chemistry major. He and his wife, Bethany Larson, a theatre professor who has been part of the campus community for 24 years, face the possibility of being let go at the end of the next academic year, though they will appeal that eventuality...