Stories from Monday, October 4, 2021

Thirteen faculty members have joined Buena Vista University (BVU) for the start of the 2021-22 academic year. Their fields of expertise range from animation and graphic design to biomedical science to sport business. Six new professors are affiliated with BVU’s School of Liberal Arts, while four teach in BVU’s Siebens School of Business...

Information on a proposed $4.5 billion liquid carbon pipeline held the attention of Dickinson County residents for nearly two hours Thursday. Summit Carbon Solutions intends to construct some 2,000 miles of pipeline across five Midwest states in order to carry carbon dioxide produced at ethanol plants to underground wells such as one such site near Bismarck, North Dakota. ...

The Artimus Pyle Band will perform at the Roof Garden ballroom in Arnolds Park, October 9, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.50 in advance or $32.50 at the door. More than just a “tribute” to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the act is a tribute to the man that defined it. Artimus Pyle has said, ” If it wasn’t for Ronnie, no one would know my name.” Since his departure from Skynyrd in 1991 , Artimus Pyle’s career has led him down an amazing path of solo records and projects culminating into one the finest tributes to southern rock royalty.. ...

The Cherokee County Fairgrounds will host the Monster Mash Bash demolition derby event, Saturday, October 9. Action starts at 6 p.m. as a points finale of the Dominate the Dirt Point Series Championship. Classes include street stock, full size, compacts, four wheel drive, mini vans, and kids riding mower and power wheels, competing for double points, as well as a cash prize for the best decorated vehicle...

Join the Storm Lake Music Boosters and Storm Lake Music Department for breakfast, Saturday, October 9 at Storm Lake High School. The raffle breakfast runs from 8 a.m.-noon. Admission is $8, or $5 for kids age 5-11. Kids under 5 are free. The menu includes all you can eat Dad’s Belgian Waffles, assorted syrups, whipped cream, sausage links, milk, juice, and coffee. To-go boxes will be available...

Friday Night Music series at InnSpiration Wines and Vines in Linn Grove will feature popular area vocalist Jill Brees Barr. The concert is Friday, Nov. 5, starting at 6:30 p.m. Jill is a performer and public speaker from Spencer, and a former Mrs. Iowa pageant winner...

The Bango Haunted Crib in Schaller opened for the season Friday, with a new crop of scary residents. The haunted attraction will be operating every Friday and Saturday night in October, plus Halloween night. Concessions now include pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos and more, and beer is available to guests of legal age...

As part of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has announced the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has been awarded a $500,000 grant to expand farmer mental health support programs in Iowa. The Department will partner with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to help raise awareness about mental health and wellness resources, and help make them more accessible to farmers and rural communities...

A federal judge late Monday extended the temporary retraining order that prevents the state of Iowa from prohibiting mask mandates in schools. In extending the order through Oct. 11, U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt noted that the list of schools that have implemented a mask mandate in the wake of his initial Sept. 13 restraining order includes eight of the 10 school districts that brought the matter to court, as well as 16 other Iowa school districts...

Join the Buena Vista County Conservation Staff for our annual Fall Fun Day on Saturday, October 9th from 1 – 3 p.m. All the fun will take place in The Timber Ridge Campground at Buena Vista County Conservation Park. We will have many different activities going on for families. Come trick or treating in the campground, take a hike on the nature trail, and play games including: turtle racing, pumpkin bowling, dig for prizes and more...

A new study underway by economists at Iowa State University aims to better understand nutrient impacts through the lens of local recreation and tourism, with a focus on assessing the economic impacts of water quality improvement on rural and lower-income communities...

Iowans receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be aware of some key changes to the program beginning in October. Nearly all SNAP beneficiaries will see a modest increase in benefits this month to account for a recent federal government review of the SNAP program that considers, among many factors, the increasing cost of eating a healthy diet and the changing eating habits of Americans...

In recent weeks, state and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants, grocery stores and schools for hundreds of food-safety violations. The findings are among those reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the area establishments most recently found with multiple violations...

Frank Thomas has found his Field of Dreams. The Hall of Famer has headed a venture that bought controlling interest in Go the Distance Baseball’s stake of All-Star Ballpark Heaven and the Field of Dreams Movie Site. The company said Thursday that This is Heaven LLC, a company of the 53-year-old Thomas and Chicago real estate developer Rick Heidner, bought the interests in Go the Distance Baseball owned by the Denise M. Stillman Trust...

From the 1870s through the 1950s, hobos, or itinerant workers, hopped aboard trains and traveled the nation in search of seasonal jobs or better luck in the next town. While waiting around the railyard, some of them would mark their names on structures, often in inconspicuous places, using paint or pencil or by carving into wood...

Members of several reproductive health and activist groups held a press conference Friday, declaring their opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion and discussing next steps for political action. “We need to remain together because this fight in Iowa is going to be long,” said Gabriela Fuentes, an advocacy strategist with Planned Parenthood North Central States...

New COVID-19 cases in Buena Vista County nosedived over the past week, with 30 new cases in seven days as of Sunday’s reporting, compared to 65 the week before. According to CDC data, the testing percentage of positivity for the past week was near 10 percent, down from 15 percent the week before. The number of tests also declined, with 254 new tests in the week ending Sunday, off about 20 percent from the previous week...

Newly-released U.S Census data illustrates the impact of ethnic diversity in Buena Vista County, while mixed-race population has ramped up rapidly in the past decade. The county was ranked 99th in Iowa - lowest in the state - in percentage of white population. Just over 60 percent of residents reported in the 2020 Census count were white, compared to almost 81 percent in the 2010 Census. Statewide, nearly 85 percent of Iowa residents are white...

The Storm Lake Hy-Noon Kiwanis Club marked its 100th anniversary Wednesday with a gathering at Lake Avenue Lounge. For the occasion, the site was decked out in posters, memorabilia and clippings that documented the club’s history and activities through the many decades...