Stories from Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Storm Lake United is pleased to announce the winners of A Mother Like No Other! – Mother’s Day give-a-way. Over a thousand people registered to win while shopping at the 22 business merchants that participated. Congratulations to the following winners and thank you for shopping Storm Lake:...

Once again, the NEW Cooperative Foundation has shown their commitment to supporting our local 4-H youth. Recently, the foundation donated $35,700 to 121 area 4-H clubs totaling to be 2,380 individual 4-H club members. The money is donated for half of each 4-H youth’s dues in NEW Cooperative’s trade territory, which includes Webster, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Franklin, Sac, Pocahontas, Humboldt, Hamilton, Kossuth, Cherokee, Crawford, Plymouth, Monona, Wright, and Woodbury counties...

After three years of serving as city manager for Spencer, Amanda Mack accepted the congratulations, well wishes and words of appreciation from the city’s elected officials after they officially accepted her letter of resignation during a special Spencer City Council meeting recently...

Street repair and construction season is well underway in Storm Lake. Replacement of Oneida Street near downtown was in full swing this week. Today, milling work on Grand Avenue near the BVU stadium us expected to begin, with that project to be completed over the next few weeks...

Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations Thursday that marks a major turning point in the pandemic. The announcement is a shift from earlier federal guidance, which had urged people who are vaccinated to continue wearing a face mask when indoors with anyone not vaccinated or when in large-group settings...

Hy-Vee, Inc. announces last week that all Hy-Vee pharmacy locations are now administering free COVID-19 vaccines to individuals ages 12 to 15, per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for this age group. Hy-Vee has been offering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to individuals 16 and older for several weeks...

A little dirt and water can create mud, as well as limitless opportunities for children to play and learn. Mud is squishy, slimy, sloppy, and wonderful! The joy children experience playing in mud is second only to the many benefits associated with mud play...

As partners for more than a century, Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Storm Lake Community School District (SLCSD) continue to build upon their ties by entering into a Strategic Partnership that expands educational benefits for employees of the district and their eligible family members...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has relaxed the fishing regulations at Pickeral Lake in Buena Vista County to allow anglers to more freely harvest fish before the lake is renovated to eliminate an overabundant population of bullhead and restore water quality and habitat...

The Newell Fire Department recently got a new fire truck, with help from the City, Fire Board and Buena Vista County Foundation. Top picture: the Buena Vista County Foundation with members of the fire department. A grant helped to purchase the new truck that will be used mainly for grass and field fires. Bottom picture. City of Newell representatives along with members of the department. The city recently purchased new air bottles for fire department air packs...

For Jim and Julie Vermeer, a chance encounter with an art form led to a fun, new hobby for the pair. Then their interest in crafting art glass grew to become a consuming passion. That meant years of study, classes and practice to master the art form. It then evolved into a thriving business crafting fine works of art in glass. The couple traveled to juried art shows throughout the region for years, before deciding their business needed a home outside their Humboldt residence...

Kalea Appel returns to the stage at Innspiration Wines & Vines, Linn Grove, June 11 for a 6:30 p.m. show, and will play another concert there July 25. Kalea (the stage name of singer-songwriter Kalea Appel) is a Worthington, Minn. native who has been performing since her young teens. She is now studying songwriting at Belmond University in Nashville, using the summer months to appear around the region...

The Bridge of Storm Lake’s “Run for Our Future” is being planned for June 19. Run or walk the Storm Lake LakeTrail to support the neighborhood ministry’s summer youth programs. Participants can join in person or virtually for 2021. The half marathon begins at 7 a.m., with the 5K and 10K to start at 8. Fees are $50 for the half marathon, $35 for the 10K and $25 for the 5K. Register before June 1 for a guaranteed t-shirt...

The Des Moines Arts Festival® presented by Nationwide has released the schedule for the event’s three-day, free outdoor concert/live entertainment series, happening June 25-27 in Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines. Following a 2020 hiatus, the nationally-noted festival will resume at full capacity with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, event officials confirmed last week...

Demolition Derby action will be coming to the Buena Vista County Fair this summer. Due to a strong turnout last year, the derby will return for 2021, with some new classes added. The family-friendly grandstand event set for Saturday, July 10, is included with gate admission. The three-hour show will begin at 5:30 p.m...

The endless summer comes to northwest Iowa, with the just-announced concert by The Beach Boys at Arnolds Park’s Preservation Plaza Tuesday, August 10. Tickets are on sale at $59 for lawn seating (bring your own chair or blanket) or $75 for reserved stage front seating. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. For more information, see https://arnoldspark.com/events/the-beach-boys...

An Iowa dog breeder convicted of 44 counts of animal neglect in 2012 was granted a new state license in 2020 and is now on the Humane Society of the United States’ annual list of the worst puppy mills in the nation. Missouri continues to have the largest number of puppy mills in the Human Society’s annual “Horrible Hundred” report, with 21 breeders listed, followed by Ohio with 16, and Iowa with 11...

Student speakers joked that they had combined their message to save minutes, anticipating that it would take “significant time to present diplomas to such a large class.” Valedictorian Ariana Elsden and Salutatorian Evie AlSaffar noted that it is not often that 30 percent of a graduating class has a chance to speak at commencement, but between the two of them, they were just that...

Dr. Wesley Beckwith, Assistant Professor of Psychology, was named the 35th recipient of the George Wythe Award, Buena Vista University’s highest honor for excellence in teaching, during the University’s Employee Recognition Celebration in Schaller Memorial Chapel on Friday...

The post-pandemic era in northwest Iowa may go down in history with a “Help Wanted” sign attached. Businesses all over the area are desperately searching for warm bodies, but how serious is the shortage? “A problem? That’s the understatement of the century,” says Brian Dalziel, interim leader of the Iowa Lakes Corridor...

A swarm of volunteers assembled the new Kiwanis Park playground Saturday, the first step in developing Storm Lake’s newest park at 5th and Russell, the former site of Joyce’s Greenery. The city’s Kiwanis clubs raised the funds for the playground and led the project. Later plans for the park include a small shelter house, half basketball court and picnic facilities...

AUDUBON - The Newell-Fonda, Alta-Aurelia and Storm Lake St. Mary’s track and field teams competed in the 1A state qualifying track meet at Audubon on Thursday. The first place winner in each event qualified for state as well as the next 16 times statewide in 1A...

STORM LAKE - Storm Lake had back-to-back competitions against Spencer and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley on Thursday and Friday. The 2A #6-ranked Storm Lake Tornadoes suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to 2A #7-ranked Spencer on Thursday night. Both teams put a goal in the first half and it stayed that way until the end of regulation time. Spencer found the net in overtime to win...