Stories from Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Imagine Iowa Great Lakes and the Iowa Lakeside Lab are excited to announce the Public Art & Ecology Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program which invites artists to apply for an eight-12 week residency. Lakeside Lab is a biological field station and nature preserve located in the northwest region of Iowa. ...

Below zero temps for days, it seems like, and now, the snow looks to be piling up – Iowa winters can get downright nasty. Bring on more isolation, in what has been a year of constant isolation, and people can get a bit stir crazy. The power of reading is a habit that some folks have discovered, or re-discovered, during this time. Here’s some recommended books, new and old, to help further the cause...

U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to publicly release its weekly formula for allocating vaccines to states and other jurisdictions. The push for greater transparency comes as news reports suggest Iowa is lagging behind other states in vaccines delivered and CDC data currently available does not provide transparency into state’s vaccine allocation formula...

The COVID-19 climate has changed since the Clay County Board of Supervisors last hosted their regular update from Clay County Public Health — most notably new actions taken by Gov. Kim Reynolds to relax state mask regulations — but the county’s mask mandate continues to be in effect. When the supervisors met Tuesday, they not only had questions for Clay County Public Health and Spencer Hospital but also fielded some COVID-19 questions themselves...

“Last April, we noticed that 90% of our ICU patients with COVID-19 were Hispanic, the majority of whom were only Spanish speaking,” says Rolando Sanchez, MD, University of Iowa clinical associate professor for the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine...

Buena Vista University has announced plans concerning Commencement ceremonies in May. The Class of 2021 will celebrate Commencement on Saturday, May 8, and separate ceremonies will be held for the BVU Class of 2020 and master’s program graduates in both 2020 and 2021 on Sunday, May 9...

Just like marketing their pigs, or planting and harvesting their field crops, soil and water conservation efforts are part of the yearly plan that Mike and Michelle Ehlers of Marathon put together. For their efforts, and willingness to help educate other farmers about changes they can make, too, the Ehlers are the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) 2020 Iowa Environmental Steward Award winners...

A year ago, in the beginning stages of this pandemic, we were told that a vaccine may or may not be possible. And, even if a vaccine could be developed, it could take as many as five years to bring into production. Look how far we have come in a year! Thanks to Operation Warp Speed, we have two highly effective vaccines with a third on the way and thousands of Americans already receiving the two doses required for maximum immunity. ...

You’re invited to the St. Mary’s Virtual Ball and Charity Auction on March 6, 2021. Join St. Mary’s alumni, friends, family and supporters for a night of bidding and fun from the comfort of your own home. St. Mary’s Ball Chairs Dr. John and Lindsay Armstrong and Colin and Trisha Schmitt are offering something new this year. Purchase a Starry Night Party Basket donated by VT Industries and host your own virtual bidding party!...

The Storm Lake High School Jazz Choir, Evergreen, hosted the Iowa High School Music Association’s State Jazz Choir Festival on February 8. Evergreen performed at 7:40 pm and received the highest rating from all three judges, thereby earning a Division I rating for the festival. ...

One hundred thirty-five students were named to the Fall 2020 (August to December) Dean’s List at Ellsworth Community College. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must have taken 12 or more credit hours during the semester (a full-time class load) and have earned at least a 3.5 grade point average for the Spring 2020 semester. Among those honored is Bethany Greenfield, Fonda...

Phoebe Elizabeth Feis of Lakeside has been named to the Deans’ List at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the fall semester of the 2020-21 academic year. Feis, a sophomore majoring in political science, was named to the Dean’s List for the College of Arts and Sciences...

DMACC President Rob Denson recently released the names of students eligible for the Fall Semester Dean’s List. To be eligible, a student must have completed a minimum of six credits and earned a 3.5 to 3.99 grade point average for that semester Those recognized from the area are:...

P.E.O. Chapter GJ of Sioux Rapids has awarded five $500 scholarships to Whitney Anderson, Elle Johnson, Delaney Weeks, Haylee Gunnerson and Makayla Nims. These scholarships honor the memory of Dr. Carol Stieler Halverson. Chapter GJ also has awarded a local $500 scholarship to Nicole Raner...

The 3A District Court Judicial Nominating Commission has received five applications for the upcoming vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David A. Lester on March 2. The Commission will conduct a meeting on February 24, to interview each applicant following which deliberations and voting will occur to determine the two applicants whose names will be submitted to Governor Kim Reynolds for her consideration. ...

Front: Abby Else, Taya Phillips, Tatum Shepherd, Jake Breyfogle, Asher Endrulat, Adrian Altena, Tess Pacza, Noah Shepherd, Graca Goettsch. 2nd Row: Klay Grieme, Caden Biede, Ian Shepherd, Lakota Altena, Jayley Endrulat, Kenna Wiese, Morgan Wright, Madison Stowater. 3rd Row: Ben Todd, Anya Kistenmacher, Morgan Todd, Jerzey Endrulat, Hannah Grieme, Morgan Hamrick, Emma Vohs, Becki Lange. / Photo credit to Ridge View High School...

The Pilot-Tribune received several top awards during the Iowa Newspaper Association 2021 awards ceremony, held virtually on February 11. Among the honors, the newspaper won first place for Community Leadership in its class. Judges noted the Pilot’s coverage of the most vulnerable in the community. “Keeping a persistent spotlight on poverty issues from multiple angles isn’t always popular but these articles move the community conversation in the right direction, for long-term change,” they said...

The Lakes Conference and its member schools have accepted a request from Western Christian High School to withdraw from the conference, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year. That stands to leave the conference with just five member schools, although there are hopes of recruiting some new schools to join...

“If I could describe this year in one word, the word would be ‘chaotic,” Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole said of 2020 in an annual report, adding that opportunity can spring from chaos. The statistics show Uniform Crime Report cases - serious crimes including arson, attempted homicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, assaults and child abuse, theft and auto theft - at by far the lowest level of the past decade. ...

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 160 - the 100% in-person learning bill - into law a few weeks ago at the end of January, but there is more major school-related legislation under construction at the Iowa Capitol. Backed by Reynolds, Senate File 159 is one of the standout education bills in the current legislative season. ...

“To me, this smell means home,” said newly-minted U.S. Congressman Randy Feenstra, next to a stack of hay bales in the cattle barn at Buena Vista University’s Agriculture Experimental Station. The visit to Storm Lake was Feenstra’s first since being elected, and with plenty of experience working on his inlaws’ family livestock and grain farm, he said he felt right at home at Circle C Cattle Company, the Christen farm on the north edge of the city where the BVU Experimental Station was established last summer.. ...