Stories from Thursday, September 13, 2018

The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute is an advanced study of entrepreneurship that includes entrepreneurial simulation, seminars with business and community leaders, and networking and mentoring to enhance understanding of entrepreneurship opportunities in Iowa...

For many, the year 2030 is too distant of an idea to contemplate, but first grade students at Johnson and Clay Central-Everly Elementary schools are already envisioning what the future might hold the year they graduate from high school and beyond. Students were asked to fill out a brief survey addressing their general feelings about the future, what changes they anticipate for animals and travel, and what invention they hope to see in their lifetime...

For the third year in a row, Iowa has made progress in improving the reading skills of students in kindergarten through third grade, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday, along with a new early literacy blueprint to strengthen teachers' skills in reading instruction...

A Storm Lake juvenile was arrested Friday for trying to pass a counterfeit bill to attempt to buy merchandise at the Storm Lake High School football game. The 13-year-old male allegedly was carrying two counterfeit $20 bills and attempted to use a fake $20 bill for the purchase. The child was charged with a felony count of forgery and released to an adult pending a court date...

Storm Lake St. Mary's School will be trying out their new bleachers Tuesday afternoon at the junior high volleyball game and the varsity volleyball game Thursday night. The project was financed by the St. Mary's Athletic Boosters, St. Mary's Foundation, and a grant from the Buena Vista County Foundation. ...

Area favorite Brad Morgan Band will wrap up the season at Buoy's Bar & Grill at Storm Lake Marina (Casino Beach) Friday, September 14. Showtime is 8 p.m. Brad was born and raised in a small northwest Iowa town. He was brought up surrounded by music and began performing at an early age. ...

Storm Lake 4th graders may have had to clear a few hurdles, but a sweet corn shucking competition at Storm Lake Elementary was no obstacle to learning about locally grown corn. Last Friday, Aug. 31, all eight classes of 4th graders participated in an obstacle course, where they shucked 200 ears of corn from Morse's Farm Market in Vermillion, SD. The corn was then served up fresh on all Storm Lake students' plates for lunch that day...

On the afternoon of Monday, September 10, 2018 at approximately 5:00pm the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Sail Inn Motel located at 1015 East Lakeshore Drive in reference to an assault. Upon arrival of police they met with the reporting party who stated that on Sunday evening a motel employee was called to a guest room to fix a toilet. ...

A 911 hangup call in Storm Lake led to an unexpected arrest for a Sioux City woman wanted on an outstanding warrant. Responding to the dropped call as a precaution, officers talked with residents in the 600 block of West 9th Street, where the call had plotted to, and determined that no emergency had taken place. ...

A Fonda man was arrested Monday morning for a third offense OWI, after Storm Lake Police were alerted to reckless driving. Police located and stopped the vehicle on Cayuga Street. Naped Elias, age 22, was found to be intoxicated, driving with a barred license, and had an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. He faces multiple charges including the third offense felony, and was jailed on $7,465 bond...

The Okoboji Police Department and Dickinson County Sheriff's Office helped bring about a guilty plea related to meth distribution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Jesus Jonathan Vazquez-Espinoza, a 33-year-old citizen of Mexico, was residing illegally in Spencer, according to authorities...

Community Orchard, rural Fort Dodge, is in full swing for the season. The orchard which lies along the scenic Des Moines River Valley, grows 5,000 trees and includes 15 varieties of fresh from the tree picked apples. The market offers all of the apples for sale, along with specialty products like apple dumplings and cider. One of a kind home décor and gifts are available in the Apple Attic...

A former Food Bank of Iowa employee has been accused of stealing nearly $35,000 while working for the nonprofit. Polk County court records say 31-year-old Lauren Phillips is charged with theft, identity theft, forgery and other crimes. The records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment for her...

Anglers are concerned that they will have less information about fish populations and habitat after an Iowa agency closes its only fish-monitoring station on the Missouri River. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing Tuesday at the Lewis and Clark State Park Visitor Center to discuss its plans for the Missouri River Monitoring Station...

HOLSTEIN - The Sioux Central, Alta-Aurelia and Ridge View cross country teams all took part in the Tim Thomas Classic on Saturday. The Sioux Central boys finished in fourth place in the B category, Alta-Aurelia sixth as Ridge View was unable to field a team. The Raptor ladies took second place as a team with neither Sioux Central or Alta-Aurelia’s girls having enough to field a scoring team...

(All kickoff times are set for 7 p.m.) Tornadoes aim to rebound following physical loss The Storm Lake Tornadoes were out muscled last week, bowing to Humboldt in a 28-6 loss, their first of the 2018 season. Their opponent this week is the OA-BCIG Falcons who sport a 3-0 record and have won all three games by double digits...