Stories from Tuesday, July 13, 2021

This summer marks the first implementation of a junior golf program at Sunrise Pointe Golf Course in many years. Hosting a junior golf program in Storm Lake will provide youth in the community with an opportunity to learn about the game of golf and the core values: Integrity, respect, and perseverance, according to a presentation before the city council last week...

Plans are in place to create new hole markers for Sunrise Pointe Golf Course. The city council agreed to a contract with Laven’s NW Monuments, Inc. to produce the markers, which will be three feet tall, showing the hole layout and yardage. The $11,200 project will be payed for by businesses that sponsor each hole and are noted on the markers. Many have already been spoken for by advertisers for a four-year period...

The Annual National Night Out Event will take place in Storm Lake on Tuesday, August 3rd. National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships and focuses on community awareness. Hosting or attending neighborhood block parties is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, meet police officers and work collectively to help prevent criminal activities. Neighbors who look out for one another and report suspicious activity often make a positive ripple effect in our community...

With fundraising for the 2021 Star Spangled Spectacular complete, Fundraising Co-chairs Josh Newhouse and Matt Brostad shared that a total of $37,137 was raised—surpassing their $30,000 goal and the 2019 record. “We are very pleased with how many people and businesses supported this awesome community event,” said Newhouse. “This was an exceptional year.”...

Marcus Lumber’s Storm Lake store opened with a Storm Lake United ribbon cutting and open house July 8th. The event showcased the remodeled store, catering to the needs of professional and do-it-yourselfer home improvement needs. In keeping with the store’s expertise, the ribbon cutting was performed with a crosscut saw...

Hawk (a.k.a. Hawk McIntryre) will perform at Shiny Top Brewing in Fort Dodge, July 22 at 7 p.m. The 21 year old singer-songwriter-musician from Boone entertains crowds with his soulful voice and strong guitar play. Hawk appeared on”The Voice” in 2020 and has been featured by several radio stations. He is currently working on getting more originals recorded and released...

Sioux Rapids is preparing for its annual Tall Corn Days celebration, July 23-25. Entries are being encouraged to make 2021 the biggest and best parade to date for the event. The parade begins Saturday, July 24, 10 a.m. If you wish to participate, phone or email Ginny Smith, 712-390-0201, [email protected] to obtain a Tall Corn Days parade entry form...

Nashville recording artist Hailey Whitters is next up in the Stone Pier Summer Concert Series at Black Hawk Lake. The concert is Saturday, July 31, 5:30 p.m. Grammy-award-winning record producer and artist D. Smith will open the show. Admission is free, and food is available on site...

The second show in the Storm Lake United Lighthouse Summer Concert Series features Neil Anders & the Brothers Merritt, July 24 at the Sunset Park Bandshell. The show will run 8-11 p.m., and admission is free. Anders, from Odebolt, has become a favorite in the area as a solo performer. ...

Helena Santillan Andrews, Aunt of local Mary Beth Andrews, recently donated her nursing cape to be used by the BVRMC Honor Guard. The BVRMC Nursing Honor Guard has volunteers attend funerals of nurses wearing traditional white uniforms, nursing caps and blue capes. They offer to read the Nightingale Pledge, a statement of ethics and principles of the nursing profession...

Growing older is the greatest risk factor for acquiring Parkinson’s disease and many people live with symptoms for several years before being diagnosed. To learn about Parkinson’s disease, its effects and possible treatments, register now to participate in “A Journey through Parkinson’s Disease,” an online, educational series from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach...

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is calling for Congressional action to lower prescription drug prices, bring greater transparency to the prescription drug industry, and encourage American ingenuity in the development of new treatments and cures. “Whether it’s on my 99 County Tour or even in discussions around the kitchen table with my family members who depend on life-saving medications, folks from every corner of our state are clear that they want to see Congress act to address the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs,” said Senator Ernst. . ...

Iowa ranks 26th among the states in the percentage of adults who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, trailing five neighboring states, the New York Times reported. Based on 2021 estimates, Iowa is the 31st most-populous state. According to the Times, 63.9% of adult Iowans have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 60% are fully vaccinated. Illinois leads Iowa’s neighbors with 71.9% of adults having received at least one shot...

The federal government will spend $655 million on loans and grants to help launch new meat-processing facilities to help compete with four major corporations that control the market, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced in Council Bluffs Friday...

The Storm Lake Farmer’s Markets are in full swing, with plenty of vendors offering fresh vegetables, fruit, honey and baked goods - Saturday morning and Thursday afternoons in the parking lot across from Valentina’s Grocery on Erie Street.

Buena Vista County Conservation is hosting a series entitled “Building Better Birders and Citizen Science Workshops.” There will be four workshops focusing on all different species of birds and will be held throughout the summer at various conservation properties. These workshops will be conducted by Kelly McKay (BioEco Research and Monitoring Center) with assistance from Mark Roberts (Clinton County Conservation), and Brian Ritter (Nahant Marsh Education Center)...

The Storm Lake P.E.O. Chapters are having a used Book Sale during Ridiculous Days. It will be held where the Women’s shop used to be down town on main street. There will be an Early bird entrance on Thursday, July 15th. opening from 5 to 7 p.m. This will cost $1 They will be selling used books and puzzles all day Friday, July 16 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3p.m...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and O’Brien County Conservation will host “Growing Up Wild” training on Saturday, Aug. 21 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Dog Creek Park near Sutherland. “Growing Up Wild” is a workshop for early childhood professionals, childcare providers and teachers who work with children ages 3 to 7. The training focuses on reconnecting children with nature by building on children’s sense of wonder and exploring the world just outside the door...

On July 7, the Sac County Sheriff’s Department made the tough decision to retire K-9 officer Petey. Petey has been battling some hip issues and it came to the point where he was no longer effective. Petey will remain with his handler of six years Sgt. Jonathan Meyer and his family in retirement...

This July 15-17 will be the 50th annual Presley Reunion. Each year 150+ family members from all over the United States travel to  Hagee Park in Sac City to attend the three-day event. “The first reunion was in celebration of my grandmother’s birthday. ...

Mayor Mike Porsch thanked city workers for “an awesome” job preparing the parks system for the Star Spangled Spectacular celebration and cleaning up afterward, and thanked Public Safety employees for their efforts maintaining safety. He also cited the work of the Spectacular committee and Commodores Mike and Tony Pertzborn, noting the many obstacles that had to be overcome in the past year under COVID. The celebration showed visitors what it really means to be Storm Lake Proud, the mayor said...

Last week, 265 food pantries and feeding sites across Iowa received COVID Relief Partner Agency Grants totaling $1,980,631.87. Intended to mitigate additional costs related to COVID response, these grants were made possible with CARES Act funding. In Buena Vista County, two Food Bank of Iowa partners received grant awards totaling $7,000.49. Organizations receiving funding include St. Mark Lutheran Friends with Food and Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc...

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Special to The Pilot In dress shirts and pants, Chuck Grassley and Tom Cotton dropped to their knees on stage at a recent Iowa Republican Party fundraiser and began pumping out pushups. The 87-year-old Iowa senator’s were slow and deliberate while his Arkansas colleague’s were crisp and level, befitting the 44-year-old former Army captain...

Several former local priests have been named for allegations of child sexual abuse in a new report from the Iowa Attorney General’s office. The report noted that Josh Shapiro, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, had convened a state-wide grand jury that produced a scathing report outlining widespread sexual abuse of children and a cover up by the church in that state...

Construction is moving along well on the new Storm Lake Early Elementary School, remaining on track to welcome kindergarten students in January 2022. The first phase of the project includes kindergarten classrooms, a media center, art and music rooms, a kitchen, a gymnasium, a commons area and offices. The project was made possible thanks to a voter-approved bond issue in September 2019...

TestIowa (as we know it) will officially close July 16. There are currently only two sites that continue testing. TestIowa is transitioning to an at-home testing program. These tests, like the ones completed at TestIowa sites to this point in the pandemic, will be provided free of charge. ...

The Buena Vista County Fair completed its run Monday, with capacity crowds for several days. Top, a youngster prepares to show his animal. Center, a top national western entertainer wows the crowd with fiery rope tricks during the Bullriders of America Extreme Bullriding Tour rodeo Friday night. Bottom, a duo prepares to ride in the Barnyard to Blue Ribbon Bike Ride and Run Sunday morning. See the Pilot-Tribune Facebook page for hundreds of images from a memorable fair run...

The Laurens “Fill Our Pool” project committee announced the the $2.3 million fundraising campaign had reached the halfway point as of Thursday. Laurens Municipal Power and Communications (LMPC) has transferred $650,000 to the City of Laurens that is designated for the Laurens Pool Project, raising the total amount to date to $1.18 million. ...