Stories from Wednesday, February 14, 2018

“The divisiveness in our country right now cannot be addressed through policies or grand programs,” Rev. Deb Mechler said. “It has to happen one-on-one, where we look each other in the eye and celebrate our shared values, appreciate our different perspectives.”...

The Cherokee Fire Department was called to the scene of a fire at the home of Eric and Sarah Erschen of 430 W. Cherry St. in Cherokee at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The family, Eric, Sarah and their three children, escaped without injury. The four-plex was in the process of being turned into a single family dwelling. According to Cherokee Fire Chief Randy Eaton, an electrical fire broke out in an attic of the home...

ACCIDENTS On February 11, at approximately 6 a.m., at 710 Geisinger Rd. in Storm Lake, a vehicle owned by Jaime Rodriguez of Storm Lake, was struck by an unknown vehicle. Total damages were estimated at $1000.

King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort is hosting a Legislative Forum on Saturday, February 17 from 10-11 a.m. State Representatives Gary Worthan and Dan Huseman along with State Senator Mark Segebart will discuss issues before the Legislature and answer questions from the public...

Fly fishing is a challenging and exhilarating sport. It pushes someone to the max and creates rewards in big ways. It gets the individual outside and takes them to incredible places that wouldn’t normally get to go to. For someone who has never fly fished before, it may seem overwhelming and a bit too complicated. Determining how to get started might feel daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. If someone has always wanted to learn more about fly fishing, here is an introductory program...

Jan Hersom and Janet Piller hosted a free Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® class at Junk Rescued on February 7. Both women are Annie Sloan Stockists®. Jan Hersom owns a design studio in Laurens located at the Vintage Marketplace and Janet Piller owns TLC Vintage Collection in Des Moines...

Buena Vista County Attorney Dave Patton confirms that he will not seek another term in the 2018 election. “I’ve truly loved the job, and the privilege on trying to ‘do justice’ every day, but as we all learn, nobody is irreplaceable,” Patton told the Pilot-Tribune. “It’s time for another to represent the county, and I’m eager to return to general practice full time.”...

Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest food companies and Storm Lake’s top employer saw record earnings per share in its most recent quarter and its second-highest quarter of operating income ever, closing the year with cash flows of over $1.1 billion...

On the evening of Saturday, February 10, at approximately 7:28 p.m., the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to 120 Russell Street in reference to a reported house fire. Upon arrival of fire fighters it was determined that the home had been evacuated. ...

"Paddington 2 ” is that rare creation that somehow improves on its already charming predecessor. Maybe it’s the addition of Hugh Grant as a lunatic faded star desperate for some cash to get his one man show going, Brendan Gleeson as a moody prison chef named Knuckles McGinty, a totally random dance routine during the credits, or just the sheer earnestness of it all but “Paddington 2” is a total delight...

• February Art Wall: Pamela Douglas • February West Gallery Exhibit: The Sky is Not the Limit: Astrophotography by Andrew Linn. • February 14: Public Planetarium Show (theme: Love Stories of the Night Sky), 4 p.m. • February 17 : SMA Program: Appalachian Trail Hike: Alone, 69 and holding! with Kay Rutherford, 7:30 p.m...

Bravo Amici will be performing in Holstein at the Rosemary Calusen Center on Saturday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. Bravo Amici is a performance experience starring some of the world’s most classy and elite vocalists – a mix of handsome tenors and stunning divas...

Life is not about money — but how people manage their money impacts their quality of life, their family’s life and the life of their community. A new course from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach provides the tools Iowans need to work toward financial goals...

The following local students graduated from Drake University at the end of the fall 2017 semester. Alta: Chayce Glienke, Bachelor of Arts, Politics and Philosophy. Storm Lake: Mark Brown, Master of Business Administration, Business Administration.

The Academic High Honor and Honor lists (Dean’s lists) for the past fall semester at Minnesota State University, Mankato have been announced by Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marilyn Wells. The following students from Minnesota State Mankato were named to the Dean’s List:...

The following local students have been named to the Dean’s List at Drake University. This academic honor is achieved by earning a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the Fall 2017 semester at Drake. Albert City: Madelyn Bjork. Alta: Chayce Glienke, Anthony Stellish and Gabriel Walsh...

Nearly 200 school board members, superintendents and parents attended the Iowa Association of School Board’s (IASB) annual Day on the Hill. Attendees from 78 districts and four area education agencies from across Iowa traveled to the Iowa State Capitol to make their voices heard on important education issues...

The Office of Registrar and the Graduate School at Northwest Missouri State University have released the names of students who completed requirements for degrees at the conclusion of the 2017 fall trimester. The following student from the area graduated: Kent Salton Irwin, M.S. in Biology from Sac City...

Garrett Meyer of Newell has been awarded a beekeeping scholarship from the Iowa Honey Producers Association. Garrett will receive a bee hive, beekeeping equipment, honeybees, a mentor and beekeeping classes. Soon Garrett will receive his beekeeping equipment and begin to assemble his hive. In late April, Garrett will receive his honeybees and install them into his hive with the help of his mentor...

The Storm Lake High School Tornado Vocal Jazz ensemble earned a Division I rating at the Iowa High School Music Association Vocal Jazz Festival held in Storm Lake  on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Included in the ensemble are: Hanna Nielsen, Danielle Reyes, Chanthla Brownfield, Beuna Thammathai, Denisse Balandran, Arwal Andrews, Rachel Bozonie, Emma Kenkel, Junior Zambrana, Chloe Grafft, Austin Knapp, Raul Arevalo, Grant Gasner, Davion McDaniels, Dustin Robinson, Alex Goodman, Ethan Courter, and Thomas Demers.. ...

A proposal before Iowa lawmakers may require students pass a civics exam before receiving their high school diploma. House Study Bill 573 would require students to correctly answer at least 60 percent of 100 questions posed on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services exam. Immigrants hoping to become citizens are required to receive the same score...

The Hunger Dialogue group is preparing to bring a second Iowa Food Insecurity Summit to Storm Lake. The event is tentatively planned for April 10 at Buena Vista University. Speakers are being lined up. “We’re trying to get everybody that is involved in food insecurity issues in any way to come together to the same table,” says Di Daniels, stalwart of The Hunger Dialogue...

A diverse crowd of about 30 turned out for a “Stand With Our Neighbors” gathering Sunday at Our Place multicultural center, where a panel discussed the uneasy situations facing Storm Lake’s large population of immigrants. “We have the potential every day to have a family from literally anywhere in the world show up,” Superintendent of Schools Carl Turner said. ...

About Eagles Eagles United is an accredited USA youth development basketball academy featuring boys 4th – 11th grade and girls 4th – 8th grade. Eagles United recognizes that basketball is only one aspect of a young person’s life. We want to be a memorable part of their journey. ...

NEWELL - The first quarter made it seem like Newell-Fonda and Ridge View were in for a back and forth battle through 32 minutes of play. However, the Mustangs had other plans on Monday night as they were able to shut down the Raptors in the second and third quarters to take a 69-52 decision in the regular season finale for both teams...

MANSON - The Rebels set the tone early on Monday night against South Central Calhoun in a 2A-District 4 game. They built an early double digit lead and staved off a potential Titan comeback to prevail, 65-57. Sioux Central came out of the gate firing with 22 first quarter points, doubling up on the Titans, 22-11 after the opening eight minutes. The Rebels kept pushing through the second quarter but it was a moreeven frame, Sioux Central getting their advantage to 13 points, 38-25...

STORM LAKE - Earlier this season, the St. Mary’s boys defeated Clay Central-Everly by 45 points and they were not quite able to match that mark on Monday night, settling for a 40 point victory over the Mavericks, 71-31 to move on in 1A-District 2. Both teams exchanged buckets in the opening stages of the game, Panther senior Will Hurd getting his team on the board first. ...

NEWELL - The Newell-Fonda girls remained undefeated on Tuesday night as they were able to blast off against the Ar-We-Va Rockets, 77-28. The Newell-Fonda press defense gave the Rockets fits to open the contest, the Mustang D forcing a pair of timeouts three minutes into the game. NF canned a pair of threes to get the offense going, setting the tone for the rest of the night. The fourth ranked team in 1A carried a 10 point advantage after the first, 20-10...

October 22, 1963 - February 4, 2018