Stories from Friday, November 9, 2018

PRIMGHAR, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of driving recklessly has been given three years of probation in an all-terrain vehicle crash in northwest Iowa that killed his passenger. O’Brien County court records say 28-year-old Garrett Crowl also was given a deferred judgment at his hearing Monday in Primghar. ...

Voters casting midterm election ballots in Iowa are divided over the state of the nation, according to a wide-ranging survey of the American electorate. As voters cast ballots for governor and members of Congress in Tuesday’s elections, AP VoteCast found that 45 percent of Iowa voters said the country is on the right track, compared with 55 percent who said the country is headed in the wrong direction...

SIOUX CITY — Officials in a northwest Iowa city are considering banning people from carrying some types of “toy” firearms, which police say are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from actual guns. The Sioux City Council tentatively approved an ordinance on Monday that would ban pellet and BB guns. The proposal wouldn’t ban Nerf or squirt guns, or guns that shoot suction-cup darts...

Iowa Central Community College is responding to students who may not have enough to eat, or may not be prepared for an Iowa winter. The Triton Pantry and Triton Closet are available through the health center at the main ICCC campus. The Triton Pantry provides mainly non-perishable goods such as: canned fruits and vegetables, boxes of pasta, canned soups, crackers and more, and when available, fresh produce or eggs. The Pantry also coordinates with a local organization’s Free Bread Friday...

On the morning of Thursday, November 8, at 9:56 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to the Storm Lake Wal-Mart Store in reference to a disruptive patron. Upon arrival of police they met with store staff who alleged that a patron, identified as Adolph Ross Craig, age 80 of Newell, IA., caused a disturbance at the store by yelling at staff multiple times while returning a product. He then departed the store...

April 26, 1948 - November 5, 2018

February 5, 1956 - October 23, 2018

December 24, 1922 - November 8, 2018

The Buena Vista County Historical Society will host a small showing of Claude Skeels photography, through November 17 at the museum in Storm Lake. Claude, born in 1887, was a Storm Lake businessperson, outdoorman and a noted photography buff for many years...

Local music fans can kick off their holiday celebration in Emmy-winning style, with the next show in the Community Education Performing Arts Series. Tonic Sol Fa is a ground breaking a capella ensemble, in constant development since their formation two decades ago. TSF stands as one of the leading forces in the world of vocal music with award- winning arrangements and multi-million selling compositions...

Several members of the Buena Vista University community are volunteering their time and service to a variety of causes and initiatives this fall. This includes the entire BVU men’s basketball team and many others who are actively involved with BV Buddies, a mentoring program where BVU students are matched with middle school youth throughout the academic year. ...

As promised, Storm Lake city officials will be holding meetings for downtown residents, businesspeople and property owners on snow removal and snow emergency parking policy concerns expressed to the city months ago. A pair of open meetings will be scheduled November 27, 7 a.m. and 5 p.m, at the golf course clubhouse...

Nature’s Crafts Get into the holiday spirit with crafts made using natural items. “Nature Crafts” provides an enjoyable afternoon for people of all ages. The recipe for fun includes a few nature items, a little creativity, some glue and sparkles to make clever holiday decorations...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School students participated with Buena Vista University’s Digital Media Department’s hands-on media workshop “Harnessing Your Storytelling Superpowers.” The students worked alongside BVU faculty-student teams to produce in BVU’s new high definition television studio, record radio public service announcements and went live on KBVU 97.5 FM and took photos with DSLR cameras and edited them for web stories. ...

The Cherokee Symphony will begin its 63rd season Sunday, November 11 at 4 p.m. at the Cherokee Community Center, 530 W. Bluff St. The 55-member orchestra again under the direction of Ted Hallberg, LeMars, will present the ever-popular annual Cherokee Symphony Pops Concert. Complimentary popcorn and punch will be offered...

With Halloween over, the holiday retail season can now officially get underway (like it wasn’t before Halloween, which was fairly obvious). With that, you not only want to think about giving the gift of music for others, but for yourself, as well. There’s plenty of great stuff out there, as there always seems to be – you just need a little help looking for it, so here we go...

Albert City – Local children’s charities received a total of $35,000 from employees of Valero Renewables Albert City, who helped raise the funds through the Valero Energy Foundation and the company’s sponsorship of the 2018 Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children in San Antonio...

Zone Home Entertainment will host a Business After Hours on Thursday, November 15 from 5 - 7 p.m. The Zone Team will introduce new technology, new products, new employees, and celebrate 10 years in business. Light food and beverages will be served and a brief presentation will be made.  “We enjoy showing new products to our customers each year.  The event will also showcase some of the lowest prices of the year,” states Jeff Bowles, co-owner. ...

After over 100 years of business in downtown Storm Lake, Berg Jewelry announced it will be closing at the end of the year. Owner Steve Berg is undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for a rare form of leukemia, requiring limited public contact. ...

What have you done for us lately? I don’t think the average American military veteran has the time or the temperament to spend 51 weeks a year asking such a question, but a reasonable person could hardly blame him if he did. Veterans Day can be like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day – an occasion to heap praise upon individuals whom we spend the rest of the year ignoring, tolerating or circumventing. ...

The 2018 Storm Lake Farmers Market season has come to a close. Thank you to everyone who visited and/or shopped at the market this past summer. It was fun to see so many familiar and new faces. We are so grateful for the continued support from the people of Storm Lake and the surrounding area. You are a big part of our success. Stay warm this winter and be looking for the market again next summer at the Courthouse Square...

My parents taught me repeatedly that actions speak much louder than words. I am not prone to writing editorials and have somewhat of an aversion to entering the political arena particularly under the current aggressively Polaroid environment. However I can only stand so much fake news and social injustice...

The efforts in the Racoon River Watershed project are commendable and absolutely well-intentioned. Any improvements that are eventually made can likely only be helpful. But the approach seems somehow backward - cart before the horse - doesn’t it? Instead of determining what needs to be done for maximum environmental impact, and then budgeting to achieve it over time, in this case the money came lump sum first without any real plan on how it was to be used, except that it was to be spent within five years. ...

Love for sports, in general or a specific one, can be ingrained from an early age. Basketball was the sport that BVU men’s basketball head coach Todd Lorensen grew up with, saw the game first hand from when he was a young boy and continues to see his professional life revolve around...

“Water is a social commodity,” says Marius Agua, watershed coordinator of the North Raccoon River Management Authority. The project aimed at water quality and flood mitigation held a public round-table meeting at the Storm Lake Public Library this week...

Students tend to habitually pick away at the dots on the Braille signs around campus. “Good thing I already know where the bathroom is,” smiles Lauren Berglund, a senior at Iowa State University. Berglund returned to her hometown of Storm Lake to speak to a small gathering as part of Buena Vista University’s Diversity and Inclusion Week...

Schools from northwestern Iowa came together to share promising practices happening, Friday at the Trauma Responsive Schools Conference, hosted by Prairie Lakes AEA. New approaches from Storm Lake Community School District, Albert City-Truesdale Community School District, Iowa State University and Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City converged to find a multi-tiered approach to mental health for students...

A local preschool director has found room for expansion less than a year since opening Trepson Montessori preschool out of her home. Trevina Jefferson is matching Storm Lake’s pressing need for preschool and childcare slots with a new offering, opening next year in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on West 5th Street. The new program will start with enough space for 12 children and expand gradually as more space is available for use in the building...