Stories from Monday, December 17, 2018

Joyce “Joy” Patten, age 88 of Perry, passed away on Thursday, December 13, at the Rowley Masonic Community in Perry. Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 17, at 12 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Perry. Visitation will be on Monday, December 17, starting at 10 a.m. ...

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a family farmer, created a social media series called #CornWatch that gave followers an insider look at farming operations and tracked the progression of the corn crop grown on the Grassley family farm in New Hartford, Iowa from planting through harvest. The series concludes for the year this week...

The City of Storm Lake has announced our online billing option is updated and operational. City officials appreciate the public’s patience during this process and believe the new system will provide more information, more reliability and more efficient options for our customers...

ANKENY – The unveiling of localized soybean production data, tips for managing new and emerging pests and strategies for optimizing soil health and fertility to boost yields will be the focus of Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) 2019 Farmer Research Tour...

On November 17, a burglary was reported in Storm Lake. Total value of items reported missing were estimated at $15. -------------------- On November 30, a theft was reported in Storm Lake. Total value of items reported missing were valued at $60.

While the benefits of music therapy are becoming more well-known, music therapist Meghan Ross says caregivers and family members of patients with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias still are surprised when they see the results firsthand. “A staff member recently walked by one of my groups and said, ‘I can’t believe this person was smiling and singing with you. ...

December 19: Public Planetarium Show (theme: Life on the North Pole), 4 p.m. December 20: Santa visits. 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. December 22: Santa visits. 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. December 23: Santa visits. 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. December 23: Public Planetarium Show (theme: Life on the North Pole), 4 p.m...

Sioux Rapids P.E.O. Chapter GJ announces that applications are being accepted from area women post-secondary students for $300 and $500 scholarships to be awarded in February 2019. To be eligible for a scholarship the applicant must be from, or living in, the Buena Vista or Clay County area. They must have completed one year of post-secondary education and currently be enrolled in a college, university, community college or va-tech school. All applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2019...

A crowd at Better Day Cafe took advantage of the chili supper fundraiser for Ready, Set, Grow! day care program, during the Miracle on Lake Avenue event.

A Spiritual Leaders Appreciation Lunch is being planned for Storm Lake by the local SALUD program. All spiritual leaders of all faiths are encouraged to RSVP to [email protected]. The event will take place Wednesday, December 19, 11:30-12:30 at Our Place multicultural center, 114 East 3rd Street, Storm Lake. The event is intended as a small way to express appreciation for all that the spiritual leaders do for the community...

The Storm Lake City Council meets tonight (Dec. 17) at 5 p.m. in City Hall chambers. The meetings are open to the public. Here is today’s agenda: 1. Hear the Public 2. Consent Agenda A. Approve Consent Agenda B. Buy Local Information C. SLPD Code Enforcement Summary...

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Okoboji Sailing Center and the Pearson Lakes Art Center are collaborating on a new Winter Games event to take place on Little Millers Bay on West Okoboji. For three days during Winter Games, organizers will transform Little Miller’s Bay into a village of “Winter Water Sheds,” or architecturally unique, artistically inspired ice houses. The event will also include outdoor performances, games and inventive cold weather activities...

In his youth John Mellencamp was known to be cocky. That brashness carried him to the big stage, where he became a stadium-scale rocker with an adventurous spirit. He mostly fell short of the stature attained by contemporaries named Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, but he sometimes took bigger risks...

A Touch of Broadway performed for the Witter Gallery’s annual Wassail Party Tuesday, marking the 19th performance in 18 years at the art gallery for the singing group that is an offshoot of the Buena Vista Community Theatre. This year’s performance, “Aspects of Love: What’s in a Name?” featured enthusiastic performances of songs with name titles, throughout the alphabet. ...

Buena Vista County Conservation says they’re planning to stock Sturchler Pit in Newell with trout next month for their 60th anniversary, just in time for ice fishing season. The initiative is part of an effort they’re working on to do some fun things with any room left in the budget. They plan to release 900 lbs. of trout (about 1,000-1,500 fish) by January 19...

Get fit Alta and Aurelia’s fitness centers, run by the schools, are getting a refresh in equipment soon. The two fitness centers are offered to students, and at a single rate of about $175 per year for non-student memberships. A bid for new equipment from Push-Pedal-Pull came in at $24,446. The new equipment includes three treadmills, two ellipticals, an upright bike, a recumbent bike and a rower. Cardio equipment is the lion’s share of the cost for necessary commercial-grade fitness equipment...

The annual Literary Baskets event at the Storm Lake Public Library was a success again this year. Twenty-eight themed baskets raised over $1,400 in the silent auction. All proceeds from the Friends of the Library project go to help the library with special needs...

Alta Municipal Utilities and the City of Alta are sponsoring their 12th annual food drive to serve the needy people in our community. The winter season is fast approaching and it brings additional hardships with it. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of the needy. We can make sure that no one in the community goes hungry during this upcoming holiday season...

The Storm Lake pep band played a wide selection of songs before the home games on Tuesday night against Cherokee. / Photo by Craig Shultz

Witter Gallery features the Artists Showcase and Sale this month, with works by nine local artists, all available for purchase (plus some artistic ornaments that can be bought off the Christmas tree). Above, Essence of the Soul,” a watercolor by Randi Mackey, LeMars...

For Spencer native John Wendlandt, his family and friends, earthquakes are “a cost of doing business in Alaska,” but the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which hit the Anchorage, Alaska, area on Nov. 30 and subsequent, ongoing aftershocks are bigger than anything he has experienced in almost 30 years in the northern most state in the union...

Through 4-H, young people have the opportunity to explore new interests, learn leadership skills and expand their vision for their future. For some though, 4-H isn’t well known. That is especially true in communities like Storm Lake where the wide array of cultural backgrounds (80% of the school district is non-Caucasian) means that many young people have never been exposed to the 4-H Program. ...

ESTHERVILLE — Eight northwest Iowa families are fighting a company they blame for not doing enough to address the smell of dead, rotting hogs from a nearby rendering plant. An attorney for the Estherville families filed a motion this week pushing for Emmet County leaders to take stronger action against Central Bi-Products, a Minnesota-based company...

Iowa Central Community College Board of Trustees approved a flat-rate tuition and fees amount for full-time students for the 2019-20 school year. In-state students will pay $2850 per semester to take 12 to 18 credits. At 18 credits, students will pay $158.33 per credit, positioning Iowa Central at one of the lowest per credit rates in the state. ...

As Clay Central-Everly school board members and officials discussed preliminary data gathered regarding sharing possibilities with Okoboji, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, Harris Lake Park, Sioux Central and Spencer school districts at Monday night’s meeting in Royal, initial impressions emerged and were offered by board members. ...

A student studies furiously amid the holiday decor at BVU forum, where the trees were decked out in the school colors of blue and gold. Final exams ended Thursday.

Over much of the past year, the Buena Vista University campus community has been working to build a new strategic plan to guide the university through 2023 - a plan BVU says “reaffirms our worth and dynamic ability to embrace change and impact lives.” A team of 21 university leaders was assembled to create the plan, using input from faculty and staff...

ONAWA - The Raptor wrestling team went 1-1 on Thursday night, dropping to the Spartans of West Monona and getting another duel win against Woodbine. The Raptors are now 4-8 in duals this season. “We learned a lot from the first duel to the second. I give this team a lot of credit, they learn quickly from one match to the next,” Ridge View Coach Caleb Christensen said. “We thought we could win the second duel, but we had to bump a few up a weight class to get some key wins.”...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia Warriors and Sioux Central Rebels both competed in a Twin Lakes Conference meet on Thursday night. The Warriors were able to best the Rebels but fell to Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Aryshire while the Rebels fell to both schools...

SIOUX RAPIDS - The Sioux Central boys had a huge effort from senior Hunter Decker on Friday night against Pocahontas Area, Decker pouring in 40 points to aid the Rebels in a 85-73 win to remain undefeated on the season. “This was just a great game to be a part of, both teams making runs and going back and forth all night,” Sioux Central Coach Stephen Tjaden said. ...

NEWELL - The Newell-Fonda boys basketball team came into Friday night on a small two game skid. They were able to reverse their fortunes against Manson-NW Webster, coming away with a 12-point victory, 66-54. “Our team is still striving for a consistency that we just haven’t been able to reach yet. We had some great moments Friday night both offensively and defensively, but we are striving to up our efficiency level as a team,” N-F Coach Shad Coppock said...

NEWELL - The top ranked team in 1A, Newell-Fonda, kept their undefeated season going with a huge win on Friday night against Manson-NW Webster in Twin Lakes Conference play, taking a 76-26 decision. “After a week off I was very pleased with our defensive energy and our ability to extend offensive possessions by getting rebounds,” N-F Coach Dick Jungers said. “Our kids did a great job of making things challenging for Manson.”...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia boys basketball team got off to a quick start on Friday night and was able to get their fifth win of the season after besting West Bend-Mallard, 58-38. “On Friday night we played a good first quarter and we jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first,” A-A Coach Evan Franzmeier said. “We tried a few new things defensive in the second half.”...

CORRECTIONVILLE/STORM LAKE - The St. Mary’s girls basketball team continues to grow with the numerous freshmen playing this year as they were able to get their fourth win of the season on Thursday night, taking a 58-40 decision against River Valley...

CORRECTIONVILLE/STORM LAKE - It was a rough night from the floor on Thursday for the St. Mary’s Panthers as they connected on 26 percent of their shots in a 46-31 loss to River Valley. The Panthers started out cold in the first quarter, scoring three points which allowed the Wolverines to take a nine point lead to the second, 12-3. St. Mary’s managed to put up six in the second frame but trailed at the break, 23-9...

STORM LAKE - The Tornado girls faced another top 10 opponent on Friday night as they continue to navigate through the difficult Lakes Conference. They battled hard but bowed to LeMars, 71-36. “I saw some improvements from us Friday night. LeMars is a really good team and we were able to challenge them at times,” SL Coach Sam Lipps said. ...

STORM LAKE - It was the first time that the green and white wrestlers had the chance to compete at home on Thursday night as they went against Estherville-Lincoln Central and MOC-Floyd Valley. Storm Lake was able to take both of those duals to start off 2-0 at home this season...

STORM LAKE - It was a long time coming on Friday night for the Storm Lake boys basketball team. Not since 2006 had they been able to defeat the LeMars Bulldogs on the hardwood. Their 26 game losing streak to LeMars came to a halt with a 70-63 victory for the fourth Tornado win of the year...