Stories from Friday, August 28, 2020

In Iowa, one in nine people struggle with food insecurity—meaning they have insufficient or unreliable access to enough nutritious food to live a healthy, active life. Fareway, in partnership with Food Bank of Iowa, is working to fight food insecurity by donating 21,600 dozen eggs to hungry Iowans in need...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the creation of a Local Produce and Protein Program today. Gov. Reynolds has allocated $500,000 through CARES Act funding to help Iowa schools purchase locally-grown products from Iowa farmers impacted by COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions. The funding will be awarded through three grant programs administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship...

Alliant Energy is beginning construction of its new headquarters building in Storm Lake. The company approached the city in late 2018 with plans to purchase almost 10 acres of land near the Lakeside Blacktop, across from Sunrise Pointe golf course. The roughly $7 million project includes office space, storage for trucks and equipment, and also a base for crews working on wind farm development. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

In view of the COVID-19 virus and after careful consideration, the board of directors of the Cherokee Symphony has decided to cancel the first concert of the 2020-2021 season. The symphony board and conductor, Ted Hallberg, plan to meet in October to re-evaluate the situation before making any decision about the remaining concerts for the 2020-2021 season...

The Clay County Fair & Events Center announces a number of September “Un-Fair” activities to help fair fans get their “fix” in 2020, including Fair in a Box, two nights of IMCA auto racing, and a second round of Non-Profit Take Out Tuesdays and Fair Food To Go...

The Usual Suspects, an acoustic blues and rock group from Orange City, will make a return visit to the outdoor stage at Innspiration Vines & Wines, Friday, September 18. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. The band has its roots in the duo of Joel Westerholm and John Hubers, who started playing guitars and singing together several years ago. ...

Brad & Kate - the acoustic singer-songwriter duo of Brad and Kate Myers from Cedar Falls, have been forging a reputation for entertaining shows around Iowa for the past couple of years. For the first time, Brad and Kate Take the Lake! September 4 will be the first time the married couple and their full band perform at the Iowa Great Lakes. The show is hosted by Okoboji Store, starting at 8 p.m...

With most of the area’s summer events cancelled, attention turns to how to salvage the holiday season amid COVID-19 concerns. The Storm Lake United Board addressed Chills & Thrills, the annual Halloween season event, this week. “It is a work in progress. I’m guessing it won’t be the same as in past years, but we will still try to have an event,” SLU leader Lee Dutfield said...

A Storm Lake man has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for attempted to set fires at the Vista III theater and in the movie aside of the Walmart store on the same night in November, 2019, saying that he felt movies were “ruining the world.”...

The program that helped make Project Awaysis in Storm Lake possible has been paid off. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald announced this week that Iowa has paid off the Vision Iowa bonds issued 20 years ago. “Vision Iowa was a program created to bolster tourism and recreation projects across the state and was funded through selling bonds,” said Fitzgerald. ...

On August 21, three Laurens men were arrested on warrants and numerous drug related charges stemming from an investigation into a report of stolen property. After receiving a report of a burglary to a Laurens residence, the Pocahontas County Sheriffs Office conducted an investigation that led to a search warrant for 519 Lake Street in Laurens. During the execution of the search warrant, evidence was observed which led to a second search warrant being issued for drug related items...

December 25, 1916 - August 25, 2020

July 31, 1930 - August 24, 2020

October 20, 1932 - August 23, 2020

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) Storm Lake has a daily limit of 3 walleye, and all 17- to 22-inch walleye must be released; no more than one walleye longer than 22 inches may be taken per day. Walleye - Fair: Drift with leeches or crawlers along the dredge cuts and troll crankbaits in the main lake. ...

Sac County sheriff’s Sgt. Jonathan Meyer and his partner K9 Petey traveled to Algona, Iowa for their annual patrol dog 1 certifications through Region 21 of the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA). During their two -day certification, K9 Petey presented his proficiency in criminal apprehension, responding to gunfire, article searches, obedience and obstacles...

A reported explosion at the Ag Partners Elevator rocked area homes and required evacuation of nearby residents in the town of Royal. Smoke and fire could be seen pouring from the top of the solo which witnesses reported had been blown off. Multiple fire agencies in the area were called to respond as the need for water was urgent. ...

Iowa State University has taken steps to correct an English teacher’s syllabus that initially banned students from submitting work that opposes Black Lives Matter, gay marriage, abortion and other social issues. ISU English instructor Chloe Clark’s syllabus spelled out that students could not not choose a writing topic that “takes at its base that one side doesn’t deserve the same basic human rights as you do,” the Ames Tribune reported...

As Iowa schools resume this week across the state, some school districts are already quarantining students and staff due to COVID-19 exposure. The situations vary. At the Adair-Casey-Guthrie Center school district, the varsity volleyball team is under quarantine after an athlete tested positive for the virus...

Storm Lake Police were called to a local residence August 14 on a belated report of sexual abuse of a child. After investigating, police allege that in 2017, Marvin Calderon-Coronado age 45 of Storm Lake, sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14 on two occasions at a residence in Storm Lake...

A virtual political convention may have more impact than the traditional gathering could have, or so Buena Vista County Democrats Chairperson Jim Eliason reflects on the heels of the Democratic National Convention. “I felt like it went well, it was programmed well, despite a couple little glitches,” he said. ...

Saul Trigo III and his family pulled up to campus at Buena Vista University on Friday, the day campus faculty, staff, and fellow students welcomed the largest freshman class in the past seven years. “I can’t believe how friendly everyone is,” said Trigo, who traveled 13 hours from Dallas, Tex. “Everyone says, ‘Hi’ and asks how we’re doing. I’m not used to all that yet.”...

Randy Feenstra hit economic issues hard during a campaign appearance in Storm Lake Tuesday. Republican Feenstra, from Hull, knocked off longtime Congressman Steve King by nine percentage points in a hard-fought primary. Feenstra stresses his experience in the Iowa legislature, where the assistant majority leader credits himself as “architect of the largest income tax reduction is state history.”...

“When Tyson had their big COVID numbers, you could have shot a cannonball down Lake Avenue and not hit anything.”