Stories from Tuesday, July 7, 2020

You might take it for granted that the town of Storm Lake just naturally came into being like most of the frontier towns—pioneers staking claims and forming settlements. You would be wrong. The town of Storm Lake evolved by an interesting combination of happenstance, deceit, spite, and miscalculation. Here’s the story...

Due to the unprecedented times with COVID-19, it has been unfortunately decided that the Shayla Bee 2020 Black Tie Black Leather Affair scheduled for August 22 must be canceled. “This was an extremely hard decision to make, but we constantly go back to the fact that we aren’t willing to risk the health of people whom we consider family,” organizers for the regional charity for families of ill children said. ...

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Albright family in Lytton, Iowa, recently. The farm is run by Ben and his wife, Susan, Ben’s younger brother, Nick, and father, Alan. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award presentation ceremony was limited to the family. Secretary Naig and the Albright family practiced social distancing while receiving the award live on WHO Radio’s The Big Show...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that requires women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion, trying again to institute a restriction similar to one struck down two years ago by the Iowa Supreme Court. Reynolds signed the measure into law just after lawyers representing Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the state wrapped up arguments before a state court judge. ...

UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center announced Kari Jones, BSN, RN, will become the Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) of Trinity Regional Medical Center effective July 6, 2020. “On behalf of Trinity, I am very pleased to announce Kari as our CNE,” says Leah Glasgo, President and CEO of UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge. ...

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Iowa Newborn Screening Program, in partnership with the North Dakota Newborn Screening Program, is starting a pilot to screen all newborns for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is an inherited neurological condition that leads to progressive muscle weakness. ...

Over a lifetime, sunburn and unprotected sun exposure can increase a person’s risk of malignant melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. Protecting skin is especially important for workers who are exposed to the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m...

Rock band Vic Ferrari is returning to northwest Iowa for a show in the free Live at the Lake Concert Series, Saturday night, July 11, at the Preservation Plaza in Arnolds Park. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair, or pull up near the shore to enjoy the tunes from your boat...

Ben Grillet & The Black Bloods will be in concert Wednesday, July 15, at Whiskey Throttle in Cherokee. Showtime is 7 p.m. Grillet, a performing veteran from Sioux City, and his latest band, crank out what he calls “red dirt country,” and has played events like the Sturgis motorcycle rally, Awesome Biker Nights and Saturday in the Park main stage...

“ Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” Will Ferrell’s goofy and highly quotable parody of the long-running European spectacle, is the first great comedy of 2020 and it couldn’t have come soon enough. There hasn’t been much to laugh about lately...

The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association on Tuesday, June 23, announced two outdoor music series to start in July. “Rock The Patio” “Rock the Patio” and thenew “Live at Lake Street” series got underway last weekend. The Music Association also announced the cancellation of the entire indoor “Rock The Roof “season, originally scheduled for the Roof Garden...

Popular area rock band Wild Ambition will be playing a recently-scheduled Main Street dance during the Schaller Fire Department/Schaller Fun Days event, Saturday, July 11. Gates open at 8, the concert will be 9 p.m.-midnight. $10 cover charge. If you miss this show, you can still catch Wild Ambition, playing the Sioux Rapids Tall Corn Days festival July 25...

There’s plenty of music still to come this month on the outdoor stage at InnSpiration Vines & Wines at Linn Grove. On the Friday night music schedule (6:30 p.m. shows): 10th Charlie Leissler IV 17th Kalea Jordan 24th Rod Johnson 31st Ryne Doughty On the Sunday music schedule (3 p.m.):...

Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission (PCEDC) has launched the Jump-Start Accelerator Grant Program to assist new businesses in gaining capital to open their doors and thrive within Pocahontas County. In an effort to expand the county’s outstanding business community and add job opportunities within the county, PCEDC is offering up to $10,000 to at least one startup business per year. ...

Workers dig out dirt that has filled in between foundation structures on the site of the former Sunset Bay condominium project. After being abandoned by the original developer well over a decade ago and changing hands multiple times, the site is now being prepared for construction of 117 condo/rental units in two upscale buildings. ...

Growing up in the Buena Vista County community of Rembrandt, Cordell Peterson spent thousands of hours playing baseball, working, and playing more baseball. “I was a catcher,” says Peterson, President and CEO of Peterson Contractors, Inc., of Reinbeck. “We probably played baseball, at the little league, school and American Legion level, half to three-quarters of the year.”...

Phoebe Elizabeth Feis of Lakeside has been named to the Deans’ List at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the spring semester of the 2019-20 academic year. Feis, a sophomore political science major, was named to the Dean’s List for the College of Arts and Sciences...

Members of the Storm Lake Education Association in partnership with Storm Lake Police and The Villager filled Community Connection Bags recently to distribute to students this week. Summer fun items were purchased with grant funds awarded through ISEA Community Outreach Grant and donations from SLPD and Villager...

For the first time since World War II, the Clay County Fair has been canceled. Thanks a lot COVID-19. The Clay County Fair Association announced Thursday morning through a distributed press release that the 2020 edition of “The World’s Greatest County Fair” will not be conducted this September as scheduled, but will be postponed until Sept. 11-19, 2021...

Buena Vista University’s agriculture instruction leaps forward this summer with a partnership finalized between the Circle C Cattle Company, of Storm Lake, and BVU’s growing Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Resource Management. BVU students and professors now have access to a diversified farm operation just outside Storm Lake’s city limits, mere minutes from campus...

The Iowa Legislature ordered a children’s mental health system to be built a year ago, shifting the responsibility from the state to the network of local mental health regions starting July 1. Problem: the legislature didn’t provide funding for the program when it created it in 2019, and in the 2020 session cut short by a pandemic, never got around to approving the proposed money...

A tiny youngster makes a tentative venture to the edge of the King’s Pointe waterpark diving board for the first time, with some encouragement from Mom. After giving the situation a look-over, the child retreated, saving the launch adventure for another outing. The waterpark opened for the season last week after COVID-19 delays. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

No parade, no problem. The Godfredson family and Lakeshore Cyclery of Storm Lake have been taking part in the Star Spangled Spectacular parade for 37 straight years with their collection of antique bikes, and they weren’t about to break the streak even for a pandemic. ...

The number of new COVID-19 cases has dropped dramatically in Buena Vista County. As of Monday afternoon, 20 new cases had been reported in the county over a week’s time. There were three new cases Saturday, two on Sunday and none Monday. To date, 1,712 cases have been confirmed, and 1,477 people are considered recovered from the virus. The death toll in the county is 11, with no deaths reported in the past 11 days...

Today, Hy-Vee, Inc., in partnership with Kellogg’s and Keurig Dr Pepper, announced its End Summer Hunger campaign to provide food for children and families in need. During the month of July, for every qualifying purchase at a Hy-Vee grocery store, one meal will be donated to Feeding America food banks in Hy-Vee’s eight-state region. The program has a goal of donating 1.5 million meals...