Stories from Monday, January 9, 2017

DES MOINES — A Des Moines man’s Facebook photo of himself with a gun and his posts about being involved with guns and gangs were sufficient enough evidence to justify his illegal gun possession conviction, even though he claimed the gun was a fake, a federal appeals court ruled...

In yet another sign of how tough it is for former retail giants to compete in a world now dominated by online shopping, Sears announced Thursday that it will close 109 Kmart stores and 41 of its namesake Sears outlets this spring. Among them is the Kmart store in Sioux City, as well as Waterloo and Dubuque stores in Iowa. The Storm Lake store was not among those slated to close...

LAKE CITY — A frozen pump has led to a wastewater discharge in Lake City. The DNR was notified Wednesday afternoon of an ongoing discharge from a manhole near Lake City’s main lift station at a rate of about 5,500 gallons per hour. The wastewater is entering Lake Creek, which then flows into the North Raccoon River, downstream from Buena Vista County...

Buena Vista County will sell two aging dump trucks, as the county brings two new vehicles online for road and snow work. Smith Concrete was the lone bidder for the old trucks, offering $21,850 and $22,740. Cherokee County had expressed an interest but did not enter a bid...

Both the DNR and the City of Storm Lake have signed off on the final approvals needed for the first-ever pond hockey tournament to take place on Storm Lake later this month. City officials say the tournament may become an annual event. They provided permission for use of the Sunrise Park shelter across from the campground, which tournament organizers will outfit with plastic wings to enclose it for heating. ...

Come join the Cherokee County Conservation Board (CCCB) at Redtail Ridge for night cross country skiing. Cross country skiing is a low-risk, low-impact aerobic form of exercise, which makes it perfect for all ages. Take this opportunity to enjoy the snowy outdoors and try something new with your loved ones! The CCCB has equipment you can borrow during this program free of charge. Be sure to dress comfortably and in layers...

The Buena Vista Soil and Water Conservation District has requested $3,500 in funding for the next fiscal year to assist with its education program. The agency runs a poster contest that attracts 1,200 entries from schools in the county, provides a give-away of shrubs to third graders, and offers an environmental mini-course in which students build their own model waterways, terraces and glaciers and learn how to test soil and water...

Everyone has fallen at one time or another. From a toddler learning to walk to an accomplished athlete trying to achieve the impossible on the field of play. A child or someone young and fit can easily overcome those momentary failures, but for seniors, that recovery can be painful and difficult in both body and mind...

The Undergraduate Rural Medicine Education and Development (URMED) program selected three Buena Vista University (BVU) students for its January 2017 program, which included a white coat ceremony and a three-week internship. The students selected for the January 2017 URMED internship were Christian Kladstrup, a senior biology major from Spencer; Jacob Braddock, a senior biology major from Swea City; and Jacob Staudt, a senior biology and chemistry major from Forest City...

By MICK POLICH Pilot-Tribune Staff During the school year, Storm Lake Middle School is abuzz with activity once school lets out at 3:30 p.m., every weekday from September to May. Sports, after-school tutoring, band lessons, and many other activities keep the school hopping with an energy only middle school students can bring. ...

I wasn't alive when the original Star Wars trilogy hit theaters, but I'm old enough to have watched them on VHS. My parents were big fans of the movies and we would watch them over and over, laughing when Luke screamed, "No!" upon finding out who his father was. I was six when Episode I: The Phantom Menace released. Now, at 23 I have enjoyed two more Star Wars films; Episode VII: The Force Awakens and Rogue One...

Performing at the upcoming Cherokee Jazz & Blues Festival is Damon Dotson. Dotson is a singer/songwriter based out of Des Moines, originally from Northwest Iowa. He has opened for legendary performers like BB King, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys, as well as for modern artists like Matt Nathanson, Edwin McCain and The Lone Bellow. He has sustained his career for ten years, released four original albums and performed countless shows all throughout the Midwest, without a record label or management...

By DEE FRIESEN Pilot-Tribune Staff On January 1, Iowa’s own Stone Park Ritual won Z-98 Underground’s award for Best Local Metal Band. Founded and managed by lead guitarist Jay Brannan, the band is a five piece hard rock/metal group from Odebolt. Brannan expressed he was “very very excited” when he learned Stone Park Ritual had won the award. He explained it felt great to be recognized after all of the band’s hard work...

The Storm Lake Public Library’s “Great Directors” film series, which offers a monthly Monday matinee, continues in 2017. Monday, January 9th’s selection is often cited by critics, filmmakers, and fans to be the greatest film of all time. Orson Welles directed, produced and starred in the 1941 classic that tells the story of the rise and fall of publishing magnate, Charles Foster Kane. ...

The Storm Lake Kindergarten classes of Kathy Bowman, Diane Brandt, Anne Hoffard, Amy Jesse, Erica McAtee, Nancy Thompson, Hope Backman, and Mary Kate Mooney will sing under the direction of Pegg Havens at the Storm Lake Senior Center in Sunrise Pointe Club House on Monday, January 16. ...

October 14, 1942 - January 2, 2017

December 31, 2016

The Iowa delegation wasted no time in trying to destroy the impact of the Affordable Health Care Act under President Obama. On the opening day of the 115th Congressional session, Western Iowa Rep. Steve King announced that he had introduced a proposal for a complete repeal of “Obamacare.”...

Updates from the Storm Lake Police Department, Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office and the Storm Lake Fire Department.

A million-dollar gym renovation project for Storm Lake High School is expected to kick off as soon as school is out in the spring. School Board officials, assisted by consulting architects DLR Group, opened bids for the project in a special meeting Thursday. Representatives of four construction companies from around the region competing for the job gathered around the meeting table as the bids were unsealed...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King is applauding a GOP plan to include defunding of Planned Parenthood as part of a bill to repeal the Affordable Heath Care Act that was passed under President Obama. “Absolutely,” King said in an online post Thursday. “It’s time to defund this evil organization once and for all.”...

A Storm Lake man is accused of physically and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in her home Wednesday night, then fleeing when police were called. Jose Nieves Rodriguez, 27, allegedly entered the home of the victim in the 1100 block of East Third Street without her permission around 6:20 p.m., according to police. The woman was at home at the time, and Rodriguez refused when she told him to leave...

A gift of $500,000 from a generous couple has provided valuable resources and equipment to better prepare Buena Vista University education students to teach in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. As part of the endowment’s launch, students were able to experience the University’s first-ever STEM classroom beginning this past fall semester. ...

Sioux Central may be sharing option for Laurens-Marathon

SLHS keys up to select and transport a Steinway from NYC to Storm Lake’s high school auditorium