Stories from Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Standing on a vista overlooking the expansive Cayler Prairie, it’s easy to imagine bison - the icon of the open prairie - at home on this historic area. The 1,200-acre rolling prairie complex in Dickinson County, a short three miles west of West Okoboji Lake, boasts some of the highest quality and diverse virgin prairie in Iowa...

While the Buena Vista County Courthouse reopened to the public this week, the Board of Supervisors has decided to continue their meetings using the GoToMeeting app, in case individuals don’t feel comfortable attending the meetings in person due to COVID-19. ...

Buena Vista University students returning to the Storm Lake campus this fall are being required to complete student COVID-19 training and take a mandatory quiz on the pandemic situation online by August 1, before coming to the campus. In a message to students, the University says it will work closely with students who have self-identified as high risk for illness caused by COVID-19, and these individuals will work with Disability Services and Health Services as necessary to modify schedules, minimize presence on campus, work remotely, and/or learn remotely.. ...

The 86th Okoboji Bible Conference begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 for worship and will continue all week, Aug. 3-7, at 69 W. Broadway in Arnolds Park. Sidewalk Prophets, an award-winning Christian band with five No. 1 hits and eight top five songs, will be performing at 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, in a new location...

During these blazing hot and humid days of summer, watching movies or reading books about chilling circumstances in cooler weather may provide an excellent escape from the heat as well as provide a distraction from COVID-19 concerns. EVEREST ADVENTURES...

Well, it’s Groundhog Day at the movies...again. But instead of the icy winter of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the time-loop romantic comedy has been transported across the country to the desert resort city of Palm Springs where Andy Samberg is permanently stuck as a plus one at a wedding...

With school quickly approaching, BV County Public Health is asking families to make sure their children are up to date on vaccinations. It is especially important for those with children entering kindergarten, 7th grade and 12th grade. Below is a list of required vaccinations for those grades...

“We know visitors are very important to a patient’s recovery. We want individuals to be safe while COVID-19 is still in our community. Because of this, as of last week, UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center updated our inpatient visitor policy,” shares Troy Martens, Chief Operation Officer, UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center...

Camp Heart Connection, a program of Children’s Cancer Connection, is finding a new way to have camp this summer. Due to precautions in response to COVID-19, in-person camps had to be cancelled. However, campers can still get that magical camp experience, just in a different way...

School districts that plan to reopen classrooms in the fall are wrestling with whether to require teachers and students to wear face masks — an issue that has divided urban and rural schools and yielded widely varying guidance. The divide has also taken on political dimensions in Iowa, among other places, where Democratic-leaning cities like Des Moines and Iowa City have required masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while smaller, more conservative communities have left the decision to parents.. ...

A Sac County man has won a $50,000 lottery prize. Brian Pickhinke of Early won the 15 top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “$50,000 Super Crossword” scratch game. He purchased his winning ticket at Casey’s, 2245 Karr Avenue. in Early, and claimed his prize last week at the lottery’s Storm Lake regional office...

Iowa, South Carolina and South Dakota have now joined Nebraska in agreeing to share state driver’s license information with the U.S. Census Bureau to help the Trump administration to determine the citizenship status of every U.S. resident. Until recently, Nebraska had been the sole state to sign an agreement with the Census Bureau to share the information. ...

The Iowa Department of Public Health has announced expanded funding of 5-2-1-0 - Healthy Choices Count!, which began in 2017 in Iowa. Five new communities will receive grants, while eleven communities currently funded for the initiative will receive additional grants...

The Spencer Hospital Board of Trustees convened for their monthly meeting on Thursday morning and in a similar fashion to previous months, took some time for discussion over the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region and beyond. Spencer Hospital President Bill Bumgarner said right now the state of Iowa is trending on a small increase to a plateau for positivity rates...

With most of western Iowa experiencing some form of drought, specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to offer a series of webinars on Thursdays...

In an effort to protect its customers and employees from COVID-19, Hy-Vee will distribute free masks to those entering its stores starting this week. The company will hand out more than 3 million free masks in an effort to help support the CDC’s recommendation to wear masks in public by launching a new initiative called “Mask It Up To Shut COVID Down. It’s Your Choice.”...

Donations to the Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation recently purchased the latest in oncology chemo pump technology. Care, treatment, and at-home comfort is critical to patient outcomes. The new pump delivers medication trouble-free without any intervention from the patient. ...

Kim Hoxie-Huss, age 66 of Early, passed away on Wednesday, July 15, at UnityPoint HealthTrinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge.  Kimberly Gail Hoxie-Huss was born on March 29, 1954, to parents Robert and Nedra (Rodgers) Hoxie in Sac City.  She grew up in Early, attended grade school in Early, and graduated from Shaller-Crestland High School in 1972.  Together, Wes Bernard and Kim where blessed with two children: Michael and Stacey during their marriage. ...

Maxine J. Wolverton, 90, passed away Tuesday, July 21, at Pioneer Valley Living & Rehab, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Private Family Memorial Graveside services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Rush Family Care Service, Onawa, Iowa...

Patricia (Pat) Daniel passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on July 16, in Urbandale, Iowa where she had been cared for by her sister Paula Diane. Pat was born March 18, 1949 in Bemidji, Minnesota to Stan and Rita Stough. The family later moved to Early, Iowa where Pat graduated from Crestland High School in 1967. ...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a new proclamation Friday extending the Public Health Disaster Emergency for another 30 days, including hygiene rules for businesses and requirements for social distancing at the state’s bars and restaurants. However, many restaurants are going un-checked...

An inmate in the Sac County Jail escaped Friday night around 7:30 p.m. Dylan Lee Pedersen of Lake City, age 28, was fist booked in to the Sac County Jail on July 23 on a domestic abuse charge out of Calhoun County. Video surveillance shows Pedersen kicking a fire exit door. ...

The Storm Lake Community School District has named Megan Richardson as the next principal of Storm Lake Middle School. Richardson, who is currently an instructional coach in the district, will assume the role upon receiving her principal licensure. This is expected to occur within the next several months. In the meantime, current SLMS Assistant Principal Jaymie Bral will serve as the official interim building administrator...

Working in Ireland and working in every county in Iowa serve as highlights for the Buena Vista University academic career of Lena Gripp, a member of the BVU Class of 2020. “I wasn’t sure about my major until I went with a group and Dr. Andrea Frantz (BVU Professor of Digital Media) to Ireland at the end of my sophomore year,” says Gripp, a native of Lehigh. “During that trip, I realized I should be a digital media major. I became one and everything fell into place.”...

There were a lot of first Friday, as a better-late-than-never graduation ceremony was held for the Storm Lake High School senior class. They became the first to celebrate the milestone in July, and the first in memory with commencement outdoors, and at night...