Stories from Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Storm Lake United and Buena Vista Regional Medical Center are pleased to announce Sassy Saturdays to be held this October in Storm Lake. This year instead of one Saturday you will have the opportunity to save big on four Saturdays: October 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th. Take advantage of great deals and specials while supporting a worthy cause...

Normally, this space is dedicated to kick-ass movies, but with with what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday coming up, I thought it would be a good time to delve into the dense catalog of rock-and-roll’s often conflicted genius. Lennon wrote and/or performed hundreds of songs with the Beatles and later solo - music that was often deep and insightful, and almost always ahead of its time...

Thirteen recipients were selected to receive nursing scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year. A total of 152 scholarships have been awarded since the program began in 2003. Each scholarship is $1000 and funded entirely from donations, many from very generous donors who have established a scholarship fund in their name...

More Iowans than ever are exploring how to home preserve their garden bounty to enjoy that fresh taste of summer all year long. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering two new online workshops to help Iowans safely “Preserve the Taste of Summer.”...

LifeServe Blood Center is asking community members to book an appointment to give blood at an upcoming area blood drive. To help ensure the safety of blood donors and team members during this COVID-19 pandemic, LifeServe is enforcing several precautionary measures. ...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center has announce that Michele Kelly, RN, MSN, CPHQ, has been named Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) and will succeed Dawn Bach who will retire on September 30.  Michele has been with BVRMC for 31 years in a variety of roles, most recently as the Executive Director of Quality. Michele received her diploma in nursing from St. ...

In recognition of the work done by members of the Buena Vista University campus community, specifically those involved in BVU Health Services & Wellness, Student Success, and Campus Security, Katie Schwint, of Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, stopped by campus on Friday to present several dozen individually wrapped donuts, a token of appreciation for those in the healthcare field and for the continued cooperation shown between BVU and BVRMC. ...

Without new aid from Congress, small businesses will struggle to stay open throughout 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic continues, speakers told the Greater Des Moines Partnership on Tuesday. The Partnership gathered small business experts as part of its virtual version of the annual DMDC lobbying trip to Washington, canceled due to the spread of COVID-19...

Iowa children, and particularly children from non-white families, are more at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or a household challenge in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new statewide report that looks at adverse childhood experiences...

Paxtons Jewelry has once again teamed up with BVRMC’s P.I.N.K. for our annual balloon bash and cake dig fundraiser! Every $10 donation gets a chance to bash a balloon and win a gemstone. Each balloon is a winner, with chances to win gemstones like pink tourmaline, blue topaz, peridot, and many more. Winners of the pink pearls will be contestants in the Diamond Cake Dig. Grand prize this year is a spectacular rose gold morganite and diamond necklace valued at $599.00...

The Buena Vista County Suicide Prevention Coalition (BVCSP) would like to invite you to attend a FREE and VIRTUAL training opportunity on Thursday, October 15 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. BVCSP will be offering S.A.Y.E., a one-hour training that helps participants identify signs of a person in crisis and to teach participants how to play a vital role in suicide prevention. S.A.Y.E. stands for: Signs of suicide, Asking about suicide, Validating feelings, Encouraging help and expediting treatment...

Storm Lake Kiwanians’ numbers were bolstered by many young volunteers Wednesday for the monthly food distribution for the needy. Due to COVID-19, the event has become a drive-up outside the former Sears store. The event often serves 200 families.

As Iowa’s annual harvest preparation hits full stride, the Iowa DNR encourages farmers to get reacquainted with fire prevention practices to keep the farm ‘firewise.’ The following simple steps can save time and money. • Properly prepare machinery to reduce the chance of a field fire from an overheated bearing (check the manufacturer’s recommendations). ...

The Storm Lake City Council has approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment applying new regulation to businesses for handling trash. The city has been working on policy for some time, out of concern about overflowing trash containers that allow garage to spill and blow around...

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is hosting an upcoming orientation for Buena Vista County community members to learn more about foster care and adoption. Hundreds of Iowa children are currently in need of a foster family, but there are not enough foster homes in western Iowa...

Online training for child care providers offered this season

Storm Lake St. Mary’s Catholic School was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support and promote youth literacy and education initiatives. “We are thrilled to partner with Dollar General to expand our library collection and learning opportunities for the students of St. Mary’s School,” says Paulette McCall, Storm Lake St. Mary’s librarian...

LaVonne E. Hoops, age 94, of Galva, passed away on Friday, September 18, at the AbilitT Senior Living of Holstein.  A funeral service was held on Saturday, September 26, at the St. John’s Lutheran Church of Galva with Rev. Paul D. Egger officiating. ...

Merritt A. Ewalt, Jr., age 90, died at his home in Storm Lake on Tuesday, September 22, after a brief illness. at his home in Storm Lake. There will be no services at this time. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Dorothy A. Bruns, age 93, of Alta, Iowa died on Thursday, September 24, at the Good Samaritan Society in Estherville, Iowa. Funeral services were held on Monday, September 28, at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alta. Burial will be in the Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation took place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta is in charge of the arrangements...

A Laurens 15-year-old has been charged with stabbing another teenager in rural Pocahontas County recently after an incident at a party. The victim, an 18-year-old from Welcome, Minn., was initially treated at Pocahontas Community Hospital and airlifted to a Sioux Falls medical center. The assailant was charged with three counts of Willful Injury after allegedly stabbing the victim in the head and body...

The grain elevators along Highway 7 in Alta are lining up with trucks ready to dump their grain crops. This year’s harvest is ahead of schedule due to dryer conditions than normal. Troy Upah is CEO of Ag Partners in Albert City which has several locations including Alta. “This year we’re actually a week or two weeks ahead of schedule than last year,” he said, citing the fact that farmers were able to plant much earlier this year because of the dry conditions...

Storm Lake schools seem to be holding up well against the threat of COVID-19. “We talk to Public Health almost every day, but so far, so good,” Superintendent Stacey Cole says. “We’ve had positive cases, but we haven’t seen spread in the classrooms.”...

City consideration of allowing urban chickens has ruffled some feathers. Storm Lake officials held two public meetings Thursday to gather input on possibly changing existing ordinance, after a plea from a 4H youth to make raising chickens in the city limits more accessible...

Buena Vista County officials are beginning to plan for a COVID·19 vaccine, expecting peak demand when it arrives - possibly before the end of the year. After discussing the situation with Public Health leader Pam Bogue last week, county supervisors agreed to consider setting up an outdoor shed that public health nurses could use to quickly administer shots to the public - not unlike the Testlowa process...

The passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves big shoes to be filled in the nation’s justice leadership, a Storm Lake attorney reflects. “My feeling is that she had a prominent impact on any female attorney who is practicing today - and probably the male ones too,” says Ashley Herrig, Assistant Buena Vista County Attorney and a recent candidate for a District Court Judge seat...

The new Tyson Foods feed mill has taken shape rapidly under 24-hour construction, stretching into the sky in the Radio Road/Expansion Blvd. area of Storm Lake. Following the $37 million project, the current mill in the middle of town will be demolished. Fifteen new jobs are anticipated with the new facility. Three to four concrete trucks per hour around the clock have fed the continuous slip-form construction process...