Stories from Tuesday, August 4, 2020

On Sunday, July 26, Storm Lake Police received a belated report of a domestic assault. A female victim alleged that on July 20, near the intersection of 610th St. and Hwy. 110 in Storm Lake, a male subject identified as Branlis Moreno Gonzalez, age 29 of Storm Lake, struck the victim in the head with his fist. ...

Elvira M. Peters, age 93, of Newell, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 29, at Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake. Funeral services took place on Monday, August 3, at 10:30 a.m. at Bethel Baptist Church in Newell to accommodate social distancing guidelines for COVID-19. ...

After assessing the evolving needs of the Diocese of Sioux City, Bishop Walker Nickless has restructured the duties of staff members Susan O’Brien and Dawn Prosser. Effective immediately, Dawn Prosser will assume the position of Director of Communication, along with her current communications duties, including serving as media director for The Lumen newspaper and social media platforms...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Pocahontas and Sac County will hold meetings to discuss the effects of the current drought on crops and livestock. Speakers will discuss: • Paul Kassel, Extension Field agronomist -crop moisture use, the US Drought Monitor, crop staging, yield prospects...

The 8,000-acre Dewey’s Pasture complex, in northwest Iowa, is one of the best representatives of pre-settlement grassland-wetland ecosystems in the state and one of Iowa’s premier public areas. That high-quality habitat was recognized when Dewey’s Pasture was named one of Iowa’s Bird Conservation Areas in 2006, citing its importance for grassland, waterfowl and shore birds. ...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center has been named as a recipient of the 2020 MAP Award for High Performance in Revenue Cycle, sponsored by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). As a national award winner, BVRMC has met industry-standard revenue cycle benchmarks, implemented the patientcentered recommendations and best practices embodied in HFMA’s Healthcare Dollars & Sense® initiatives, and achieved outstanding patient satisfaction...

Hy-Vee, Inc. announces that the flu vaccine will be available inside its more than 270 Hy-Vee pharmacy locations throughout its eight-state region without an appointment or prescription, and will also be offered via a drive-up option at Hy-Vee pharmacy locations between Aug. 17 and Oct. 31. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people 6 months and older get a flu vaccine each year to prevent getting and spreading the flu virus...

On Saturday, September 12th, Maurice Reformed Church and Seasons Center are hosting the WALK for Mental Health Awareness. This is a free, family-friendly event to recognize the importance of mental health and to share resources on where to seek help...

Mother Podolak’s Chili Contest has been a highlight for Iowa State Fair foodies for seven years and even with the fair postponed until next year, contest sponsor Gary Kirke wasn’t about to let the fan-favorite Chili Contest simmer on the back burner until 2021...

The O’Brien County Conservation Board is looking forward to hosting guided/self-guided experiences at our parks this summer. Public programming will be taking on a new look this summer. Join the naturalist for a different kind of outdoor fun. “If These Rocks Could Talk” is the next program in the summer series. ...

Popular area musician Larry Heschke from Fonda returns to InnSpiration Vines & Wines in Linn Grove Friday for a 6:30 p.m. concert on the outdoor stage. He offers a wide range of well-known rock and country hits. The Friday evening shows will roll on this month with Fishin’ For Olives on August 14, David Anderson on the 21st and Boon & Lambert on the 28th...

The Sanford Museum Association invites the public for an outdoor movie under a sky filled with meteors. Meteors and Movie will be held at the Cherokee County Fairgrounds, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 9:30 p.m. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors an hour. During the meteor shower, visitors will be watching the movie, “Monsters VS Aliens,” an animated comedy of monsters battling aliens who plan to destroy Earth. It’s family-friendly...

Iowa could convert train box cars into homes and crank out new houses with 3-D printers to address a shortage of affordable abodes, a top state economic development official said Friday. Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority, told the Iowa Economic Recovery Advisory Board she will propose legislation for additional spending after a recent $10 million round of workforce housing tax credits applications for rural housing. ...

With China unlikely to keep its crop-buying promises in its Phase One trade agreement with the United States, farmers are looking to Southeast Asia for new markets, agriculture leaders said Thursday. “We certainly see plenty of tensions between the United States and China and I think they all pool together to create a little bit of uncertainty.” said Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday insisted that the state controls how public schools will resume classes next month, saying districts can provide online learning only if coronavirus cases are surging in their communities. The teachers union immediately pushed back against her demand that schools seek the state’s permission to send children home, saying the lives of children and teachers are at stake and that science not politics should guide decisions...

The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University will recognize 12 Iowa individuals and groups with awards for exceptional character. The 2020 Iowa Character Awards celebration will broadcast on KDSM Fox 17 in Des Moines on Tuesday, August 4, at 8 p.m...

It’s been a challenging few months for Makenzie Connor, but recently the 8-year-old Spencer girl has benefited from a great deal of community support as she has navigated her hurdles. In February, Connor was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after she began experiencing flu-like symptoms at the end of January 2020...

Tyson Foods says it plans to administer thousands of coronavirus tests per week at its U.S. facilities under an expanded effort to protect workers and keep plants running. The Springdale, Arkansas-based company, which processes about 20% of all beef, pork and chicken in the U.S., will randomly test employees who have no symptoms, as well as those with symptoms. Workers will also be tested if they were near someone who tested positive or displayed symptoms...

A Milford man is in critical but stable condition after he was stabbed Saturday morning by a Sioux Rapids man. A criminal complaint filed Saturday at the Dickinson County Courthouse suggests 29-year-old Darrel Kay Pounds of Sioux Rapids used a knife to stab 22-year-old Troy Dean Petersen of Milford in the chest after an altercation around 6 a.m. ...

Alvin Lavon Rex, age 61, from Schaller, has been charged with mail fraud.­ The charge is contained in a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City.  The complaint alleges that, around May 2020, Rex received approximately $19,000 in deposits into his account at a bank in Storm Lake, from unemployment claims made in Massachusetts and Arizona under other people’s names. ...

The Commissioner of elections for Buena Vista County is struggling to prepare for a contentious presidential election 90 days away, but one thing she’s not worried about is a raging political debate over legitimacy of mailed-out ballots. Even before the November election, the county must prepare for a Sept. 8 special election for the county’s school districts, seeking approval of revenue purpose statements in extension of an existing penny sales tax for infrastructure...

Iowa Central Community College is ready to return to face-to-face studies, including classes in Storm Lake - it thinks. “Wait 30 minutes, and it’s going to change. The new normal is that there’s no rulebook,” quips President Dan Kinney of ongoing COVID-19 recommendations...