Stories from Friday, July 31, 2020

Hy-Vee, Inc. announces today that Mike Drefke, a driver from the Cherokee Distribution Center, has become the area’s eighth driver to reach the 2-million-mile mark for miles driven without a preventable accident. Drefke reached the milestone late Wednesday evening as he left the Cherokee Distribution Center with 439 miles to go until the 2-million-mile mark. ...

When Kevin Rohan and his partners opened The Pawn Shop, a board, card and roll playing game shop, in a 2,800-square-foot location on West Fifth Street in 2014, they were hopeful the unique offering in Spencer’s downtown district would not just serve local gamers but draw from outside the area. Six years later, Rohan who took over sole ownership of the renamed Game State business in April of this year, is ready to take the entertainment venue to the next level...

The SOS Thrift Store is open again following a shut-down earlier this spring related to the recent pandemic.  Since 2005, this organization has worked to sell gently-used houseware, clothing, books, furniture, and more, with the revenue it earns going to support St. ...

For all the painful absences of this summer, it has been a season blessedly bereft of superheroes. No, they’re not all bad. And there is much of the normal rhythms of the movies’ main-event months to be nostalgic for. But one thing I haven’t missed is the unending business of franchises — their perpetual erection, expansion and, occasionally, hopeless collapse...

“Bars, and bar-type venues gigs are probably the worst to play right now due to the close set-up, and we are still at the height of the pandemic. And I do miss playing the jam sessions over in Cherokee, but it’s a question of safety now. As far as wearing a mask, I’m going to remind people of that, when they want to come to my gigs. I don’t think it’s an issue of ‘living in fear’, but more an issue of concern, and just being compassionate for others.”

Seasons Center for Behavioral Health was granted the Suicide Prevention Grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), beginning July 31, 2020. This grant allows Seasons to increase access to behavioral health services for individuals, families, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance efforts to prevent suicide and suicide attempts within nine counties in rural northwest Iowa...

On Saturday, July 25, the founder and earliest visionary of VT Industries, Inc., Roger Clausen, passed away. Roger passed away peacefully after a short illness. Roger Clausen was born in 1927 on a farm outside of Holstein. His life on the farm, in rural northwest Iowa, shaped him throughout his youth and instilled a strong work ethic and sense of pride for his country. After graduating high school, Roger enlisted in the Navy and then went on to graduate from the University of Denver...

The new Iowa Central Community College Industrial Training Center in the Bargloff Addition at Storm Lake is coming together well, but behind schedule. “COVID-19 got us a little on the building process. We’re pushing to get it open in time for fall classes. We may be a little late, but I think it will be okay,” ICCC President Dan Kinney told the Pilot-Tribune this week. “We’re excited to get it open.”...

October 6, 1924 - July 29, 2020

October 27, 1923 - July 22, 2020

April 19, 1926 - July 24, 2020

Russell and Gladys Eddie will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on August 6, 2020. They plan to celebrate with their family later this year. They are parents to four children: Julie (Terry) Meyer of Albert City; Tom (Steph) of Edina, MN; Rob (Terri) of Grandville, MI; and Steve (Stacey) of Storm Lake. ...

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig confirmed that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is aware that individuals in Iowa have received unsolicited seed shipments from China and other countries. The Department is asking anyone who receives unlabeled seed from an unknown origin to retain the original packaging and report it immediately at 515-281-5321. ...

On July 28, Felix Junior Luna, age 22 of Storm Lake, appeared in the Iowa District Court before the Honorable Don Courtney. During a prior court appearance, Luna was given probation for convictions that included; burglary in the third degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, three counts of operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent all aggravated misdemeanors, and delivery of methamphetamine, a class C felony. ...

During their meeting Monday evening the Clay Central-Everly School Board met with Brent Koppie, of Guardian Education and Athletic Services, to discuss a proposal for purchasing the former CC-E High School building and grounds in Everly. “Basically what we’re looking at is, more or less an intermediate college program, this would be geared toward college athletes,” Koppie said. ...

Iowa physician groups are urging Gov. Kim Reynolds to order the public to wear masks as cases continue to rise. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Medical Society and 14 other health-professional groups said Monday in a letter to the governor that “widespread use of cloth masks in public settings will dramatically slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.”...

The proposed Cherokee Braves football field turf project fundraising effort received a joyous jump this week with the announcement from North Star Community Credit Union of Cherokee that it was donating $225,000 to the project. North Star representatives met with project committee members Tuesday at their new building nearing completion on North 2nd Street to commemorate a check presentation. The funds will be dispersed over a 5-year period, as will all major donations, according to plan...

Ernesto Antonio Guerra Pascual, age 31 of Cherokee, has been sentenced to a prison term not to exceed 10 years for allegedly repeatedly sexually abusing and threatening to kill a 12-year-old girl at a home in Storm Lake in 2018. He was sentenced July 27 in the Iowa District Court by Judge Don Courtney. ...

Alceco, an Iowa cooperative based in Albert City, has signed a letter of intent to acquire full ownership of Ag Partners, LLC as of the end of the month. Ag Partners has been a joint venture between Alceco and Cargill since its formation in 1997. Also based in Albert City, Ag Partners has owned 16 grain, feed, agronomy and precision ag facilities in Iowa including area sites in Alta, Newell, Fonda, and Nemaha,...

An interest in travel nurtured at Buena Vista University helped put Makensie (Brown) López on a career arc stretching tens of thousands of miles from her native Iowa. “BVU stood out for the opportunities it provided and for its prevalence of scholarships, which was also key,” says López, a 2014 BVU graduate who majored in Spanish and graphic design...

=With the dredging era behind Storm Lake, attention turns to what to do with the drying dredge spoil land near the lake. The Lake Improvement Commission which owns part of the land met this week in a phone-in session, but did not have a quorum and was unable to take any action...

Storm Lake High School students celebrated a unique “Prom Not Prom” recently. With COVID-19 ending the school year early, and making it impossible to hold a traditional dance, students instead traveled the town one carload at a time to stops set up by volunteers and community organizations, including this ‘80s themed “photo booth” outside Witter Gallery. See more photos, page 6B. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

Many of the soldiers from the Iowa National Guard Unit in Storm Lake are about to deploy to year-long assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the Storm Lake unit is not considered deployed, the departing local soldiers will be attached to a Fort Dodge group that is part of a call-up including about 330 Iowa soldiers from 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and 34th Infantry Division. ...