Stories from Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Kathleen Joan Faine, 67, passed away peacefully at her home following a long courageous battle with breast cancer on November 8th, 2020 with her family by her side. Born March 27th, 1953, in Storm Lake, Iowa, the daughter of Boyd and Dorothy (DeSart) Cammack. Kathie graduated from Storm Lake High School, class of 1971. She was looking forward to her 50th class reunion next summer. Kathie was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, Tony Faine, on June 9th, 1974...

Lois Marvelyn Johnson, the daughter of Otto and Hortense (Hartman) Sierck, was born September 16, 1928 in Okoboji. On February 14, 1949, she married Eugene H. Johnson at her parents’ home in Spencer. After establishing their first home near Alta, they moved to Morris, MN, then back to Iowa near Rembrandt, then Arnolds Park and finally to Spencer where they have resided since 1968. ...

Sioux Rapids P.E.O. Chapter GJ announces that applications are being accepted from area post-secondary women students for scholarships of $300 to $500 to be awarded in February of 2021. To be eligible for a scholarship the applicant must be from, or living in, the Buena Vista or Clay County area. ...

Provided by Buena Vista County Public Health In days, Thanksgiving will be upon us. And just like everything else in 2020, it will be seriously impacted by Covid-19. The week of Thanksgiving is normally the busiest day for traveling in the US. Will this year still have a lot of travelers, large family dinners, and Black Friday shoppers? Only time will tell. In the meantime, here is what this Thanksgiving in order to minimize risk...

Storm Lake city crews cleaned up truckloads of broken tree limbs after last week’s ice storm. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen

The Storm Lake Community School District has named Michael Sullivan as principal of the district’s Early Elementary School, which will open in January 2022. Sullivan, who currently serves as assistant principal of Storm Lake Elementary School, has been with the district for the past eight years. The Board of Education was scheduled to vote to approve his appointment at its meeting on Monday, November 16...

Michael Schreck came to Buena Vista University this fall intent on playing in the marching band and tennis for the Beavers. He made history as BVU’s first esports champion. Schreck, a freshman from Willey, topped 12 fellow BVU students in the University’s fall Super Smash Bros. ...

Authorities don’t suspect foul play after firefighters discovered a body inside a home Nov. 4 in the city of West Okoboji. The Milford Fire Department was called to 1213 Okoboji Blvd. around 8:17 a.m. that day, after a passerby reported seeing smoke coming from the windows of the home. ...

A Storm Lake United Ribbon Cutting was held Wednesday for Holzhauer Motors, in the former Rasmussen Ford location on North Lake Avenue. Speaking at the event were Dan Winchell, president of Holzhauer Motors, Ltd. and General Manager Frank Alderton. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

Three-quarters through “The Climb” comes a scene we’ve all come to expect in a romantic comedy: A wedding is interrupted by the best man who rushes into a church during a marriage ceremony and screams “I object!” He turns to the shocked bride and groom kneeling at the altar and — summoning all his courage — declares to one: “You deserve to be with someone who loves you for who you are.”...

Through decades, deaths and disasters, AC/DC keeps thundering on. Forty-seven years along, and with the closest thing possible to their original lineup, the rockers on Friday are releasing “Power Up,” their first album in six years. It’s also the first since the 2017 death of Malcolm Young, who founded the band in Sydney, Australia in 1973 with his little brother, Angus. “Power Up” is dedicated to the elder brother and is shot through with his spirit and songwriting...

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will bring your favorite rock holiday tradition directly into your home with an up-close-and-personal livestream performance of “Christmas Eve and Other Stories!”  Join TSO on Friday, December 18th at 7 p.m. Central for an intimate 90-minute performance of this beloved album. Tickets for this virtual event are on-sale now for $30 on tsolivestream.com. Limited quantities of livestream merchandise is available...

Good Eats & Good Beats is on tap at Century Farms Distillery in Spencer, Friday, November 20. Iowa Great Lakes favorite Scott Larsen will be playing acoustic sets from 5-8 p.m. Scott is best known for his full group, the Scott Larsen Band, but also plays unplugged sets as a solo or with longtime duo partner Keifer Brandt...

For over 15 years, Storm Lake and surrounding communities have been supporting the local blood bank, LifeServe Blood Center, at the community blood drives coordinated by Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. The blood drive was held Tuesday, November 3rd to help the blood center keep units on hand as it pushes through a season of illness and uncertainty. ...

As we continue to see the climb in COVID-19 cases and community spread over 24%, UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge is committed to protecting its patients and staff. For this reason, beginning immediatly, Trinity Regional Medical Center will be limiting inpatient visitors to one support person during the patient’s entire stay...

Storm Lake United and local retailers coordinated another Sassy Saturday event through October. Shoppers who purchased a pink bracelet for $3 had access to deals and discounts with local retailers. Proceeds benefit BVRMC P.i.n.k. which helps women with financial barriers get free mammograms. BVRMC Executive Director of Community Development, Katie Schwint, accepts a check for $663.00 from Storm Lake United’s Lee Dutfield...

Eight Iowa labor and civil rights groups filed a federal complaint Friday alleging the state has failed to protect workers in meatpacking, dairy, construction, transportation, health care facilities, nursing homes and other industries. The complaint filed with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Kansas City seeks a full investigation and corrective action by the federal government. ...

With the 2020 election over and political speculation shifting to 2022, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is staying mum on whether he plans to seek an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. “I have no news on that,” Grassley responded during a conference call Thursday with Iowa reporters, declining to give a timeline on when he may make up his mind...

In Albert City, charity GoServ Global packed an entire semi container with donations and supplies for Haiti last week. The donations are being trucked to Florida to ship. / Photo courtesy Barb Meister

Ninety-five absentee ballots eluded the election day count in Buena Vista County. The uncounted ballots were discovered after a post-election reconciliation report check red-flagged the discrepancy. Supervisors were asked to approve an administrative recount of absentee votes, with a special meeting scheduled yesterday for that purpose...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Commission voted 4-2 on Thursday to purchase approximately 93.5 acres of land south of Spencer from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for $290,000 in a meeting conducted over the phone. The land is tied to the Little Sioux Wildlife Management Area...

Buena Vista County COVID-19 cases are continuing to steadily rise. As of Monday, the state reported 2,728 cases to date for the county, up 210 cases from a week earlier, and 100 cases from Thursday to Saturday alone. The county’s per capita rate is 137 cases per 1,000 residents, by far the highest in Iowa. The county reports 2,181 recoveries, up 47 from a week earlier. There are no current outbreaks among the county’s nursing homes. Thirteen have died, the most recent on Nov. 7...

Hundreds of boaters still will be able to anchor their boats and tie them together to form party barges near shore in Miller’s Bay on West Okoboji Lake, a governor-appointed state commission ruled Thursday. Neighbors of Miller’s Bay had asked the Natural Resource Commission to ban boaters from anchoring or tying their boats together within 300 feet of the shore, the area that includes residents’ docks...

Ahhh, Christmastime. It conjures up glowing Christmas lights, sparkling snowflakes, festive music, holiday parties, and a visit to Santa’s Castle. The Castle, Storm Lake’s hometown holiday tradition, will not be open for tours this season. But as Board president Ron Hott states, “Our doors may be closed, but our hearts are still open. ...

Last month, the Iowa Food Bank distributed more than two million pounds of food across its 55-county region, breaking all records in the charitable organization’s 40-year history. The Food Bank first set a record in April after the pandemic began in the region, and broke that mark in June when it spiked...

The life and athletic achievements of former Cherokee Brave track state champion, the late Steve Casey, are fondly remembered by a memorial bench dedicated to Steve sitting atop the hill near the finish line at the WHS track and field complex. The bench was created and donated by Steve Thomas of R.J. ...