Stories from Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Bruce Springsteen, “Letter to You” (Columbia) Has Bruce Springsteen written a “Letter to You” to say goodbye? The Boss turned 71 just last month. Although his fitness, spirit and the actuarial tables would suggest he has plenty of music left in him, it’s hard to miss the valedictory feel and sense of loss that pervades this new album...

The distance for Adam Sandler from last year’s frantic, high-wire act “Uncut Gems” to his new Netflix comedy, “Hubie Halloween,” is great, but maybe not as vast as it sounds. Both feature Sandler playing someone who romanticizes something out of proportion (a high-priced gem in “Uncut Gems,” Halloween in “Hubie Halloween”), an appearance by a former NBA star (Kevin Garnett in “Uncut Gems,” Shaquille O’Neal in “Hubie Halloween”) and June Squibb wearing a T-shirt that says “Boner Doner.”...

The Witter Art Gallery in Storm Lake is currently hosting a Buena Vista University Alumni Show, with pieces representing a variety of media. Examples (from right:) “Daddy’s Got a Special Guy Friend,” an intaglio print by Katia Barragan; “Untitled,” a large-scale acrylic on canvas by Barb Bartlett, and “Doorway Interior,” a painting by Cheri Courter. The show is open to the public, free of charge, until November 26. The Witter Gallery is located in the Storm Lake Public Library building...

The “Minnie Queen” is under construction at Okoboji. Patterned after the famous cruise ship of the Iowa Great Lakes, the unique two-story playgournd is a project of the Imagine Iowa Great Lakes campaign, projected for completion by November 1. Brush was cleared from the lakeshore last spring to open up the view of Lake Okoboji in the Hattie Elston Access Park area. The development will include green space, trail extension, nautical-theme play areas and landscaping...

State lawmakers should decide the penalties for police departments and officers who violate citizens’ rights in cases that show bias, a state panel decided informally Thursday. The FOCUS Committee on Criminal Justice Reform plans to meet this week to finish its recommendations to the state before the Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities on Oct. 29...

Traditionally, many children of all ages go door to door trick-or-treating on Halloween. This year, the recommendation is to avoid that activity and consider other ways to celebrate.  “The traditional Halloween celebration of trick-or-treating and going door to door unfortunately carries risk of transmission of COVID-19,” says Dr. ...

Through the month of July, Fitness & Health Center in Storm Lake is focusing on breast cancer awareness with “Plank Bucks.” The team at the center loves its “plank” core exercise - to find out how much, challenge them! Purchase Plank Bucks anytime this month for $1 each. For every $100 collected, the staff will plank for a minute. Proceeds go to the Buena Vita Regional Medical Center P.i.n.k. program, designed to help women who are uninsured or underinsured access mammography services...

DNR Director Kayla Lyon named Pete Hildreth of the DNR’s Wildlife Bureau the next Conservation and Recreation Division Administrator. The Conservation and Recreation Division is one of two divisions within the DNR, serving a large portion of the department including the Wildlife, Fisheries, Law Enforcement, Engineering, Land and Waters and Parks, Preserves and Forests bureaus...

Robert P. Bergendoff, age 85, of Storm Lake, died Monday, October 12, in Fort Dodge. Private family services were held on Monday, October 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. A recording of the service will also be uploaded to the website. ...

The Alta Elementary Playground has been shut down due to safety concerns for students. The 20-year-old wooden structure has begun to splinter, causing risk of injury, school officials said. A fundraising campaign is underway to build a replacement playground...

Eighty Northwest Iowa high school students reported to Buena Vista University’s new Agricultural Experiment Station on Oct. 7 for the FFA District Soils Judging Contest. The day played out beneath blue skies, sunshine, and 80-degree temperatures. “I’d like to take credit for the weather, but I can’t,” said Rich Crow, Director of BVU’s new Institute for Agriculture. “But we’re very happy you’re here and can enjoy it with us.”...

Storm Lake schools have begun offering weekend meals to students, starting this past weekend. Each school has sent out a form for parents/guardians to complete if they would like to request weekend meals. Each Friday afternoon, students will receive meals for Saturday and Sunday as they leave the building...

Colors fading, leaves falling. Sure signs that winter and the holiday season are close behind! The Fonda Arts Center wants to add to the holiday color and festive air by hosting the sale of holiday greens again this year, however, on a pre-order basis only. ...

On Oct. 4, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence located in the 4200 mile of 270th Avenue near Gillett Grove. The search warrant stemmed from a report that 30-year-old Jaykie Harrington was chasing his ex-girlfriend around the property with a chain saw threatening her. Harrington also allegedly choked a 5-year-old child during the assault...

More than 130 students were named to Buena Vista University’s Summer 2020 Dean’s List. The following local students made the list: • Gavin Freking of Storm Lake • Jeanette Moss of Fort Dodge • Ana Neri-Gonzalez of Storm Lake The Dean’s List recognizes full-time students achieving a 3.5 grade point average or higher for the semester...

Make your meals just a bit more special with homegrown garnishes. You invest time and money growing, purchasing, and preparing quality ingredients. But do not stop there. Add a nutritional and decorative flair as you plate your meal by adding a garnish of homegrown herbs...

Tlobedo Quester 4-H Chapter, of Odebolt, with members from Arthur, Odebolt, Schaller, and Wall Lake made their selection, at the 2020 Sac County Fair, of the outstanding historical entry. Exhibitor Deim Reis, shown here, with her woodworking, finished display case showing her Great Grandmother’s manicure items of clutch purse, curling iron, ivory nail care tools, necklace, and photo to mention a few of the items at least 50 years of age, encased which Deim has preserved. ...

A 2004 Spencer High School graduate has made the transition from a career in crime scene investigation to becoming a publisher and author. Jodi Monahan Adams launched her first crowdfunding campaign for her first children’s book, “The Train Rolls On,” last week and has already reached her funding goal with more than 20 days remaining. Before becoming an author and publisher, Adams grew up in Spencer, the same as her husband Eric Adams, who is a 2003 graduate of Spencer High School...

The number of deaths in the United States through September 2020 is at least 10% and likely 13% higher than it would have been if the coronavirus pandemic had never happened, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Conservatively, that’s at least 224,173 deaths and probably as many as 279,700 deaths above what was expected, just for the first nine months of the year. That’s 24,000 to 79,000 extra fatalities above the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19...

In the early morning hours of Feb. 14, before the sun had risen at 4:11 a.m., the Casey’s General Store at 800 S. Grand Ave. in Spencer was being robbed. The story originally told to police involved a ski mask-wearing man, clad in black, and armed with a gun, forced the store’s lone employee to drive him with his ill-gotten money and drop him off. It turned out to be much less strange than what the police investigation revealed...

Health care is emerging as the pivotal issue in the upcoming election, and with ljust days remaining in the campaign, Democrats are hitting the issue hard. State Auditor Rob Sand, congressional hopeful J.D. Scholten, and Iowa House candidate Sara Huddleston shared a podium set up on the blustery lakefront at Circle Park in Storm Lake Friday for a “Health Care is on the Ballot” press conference, one of three being held in the western part of the state...

A pivotal meeting of the North Raccoon Rover Watershed Management Coalition Friday saw little traction, but hope for the future. Only 10 people took part in the Zoom meeting, so no conclusions could be made or votes taken. Chairperson Keri Navratil of Storm Lake felt the low turnout could have been due to some members still working in the farm fields, or reluctance of some to take part in an online-only gathering. Decisions will be delayed to the coalition’s annual meeting to be held in January...

Simple caring enough to ask, “How are you doing?” can sometimes be enough to save a life. The newly-formed Buena Vista County Suicide Prevention Coalition offered an open “SAVE” training session Thursday to help people respond to those who may feel suicidal...