Stories from Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Ahead of the 2019 Iowa legislative session, the Iowa Public Information Board proposed an amendment which would make all police body camera videos public with limited exceptions. Spencer City Attorney Don Hemphill explained currently Iowa Code Chapter 22, which sets forth the guidelines under which all records “of or belonging to” a government body or official are available to the public, allows an exemption for police investigation materials and does not address video or audio recordings specifically.. ...

For former educators Ron and Judy Krull, studying the Holocaust has changed their lives forever. The husband and wife team was inspired to put together a program sharing what they have learned through their travels after “gaining a respect for the sheer size of the evil committed.”...

Delbert Johnson, age 90, of Storm Lake, died on Monday, January 14. A Celebration of Life Service was held on Sunday, January 20, at 2 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Storm Lake. Private family burial will be in the Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation took place prior to the service at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

The Undergraduate Rural Medicine Education and Development (URMED) program selected three Buena Vista University students for its January 2019 scholars program. These students have begun their internships, which include a white coat ceremony and a three-week internship...

SIOUX CITY – LifeServe Blood Center is encouraging blood donors to roll up their sleeve and give a gift straight from the heart this February. Premature babies, transplant patients, mothers after delivery, cancer warriors, trauma victims, and more hospital patients receive blood transfusions from generous LifeServe blood donors each and every day across Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota...

For many people, the start of New Year is a customary time to assess their health and finances. And for most Iowans, a new health plan benefits begin in January, so now is an ideal time to learn how your health plan works. Here are five tips that may lead you to better health and even help save you money this year and beyond...

Six Storm Lake High School choir members were selected to participate in the 58th Annual Northwest Iowa High School Honor Choir Festival held at Dordt College on Monday, January 14, 2019. Thirty-four schools were represented in the 200-voice honor choir directed by Dr. Ryan Person of Morningside College. Representing Storm Lake were Junior Zambrana, Denisse Balandran, Giuseppe Chichizola, Sandra Ramos, Ethan Courter, and Alex Goodman...

Would you like to meet a talking dog? A real dog that thinks “speak” means “speak your mind”? Then have Todd Oliver introduce you to his canine comedy partner, Irving the Talking Dog. Comedian Oliver is the next act in the Storm Lake Community Education 2018-19 Performance Series. The show is Saturday, February 16, 7:30 p.m. at Storm Lake High School auditorium. For ticket information, contact the Community Ed office...

The Nadas, one of the state’s best loved indie bands, are returning to their Iowa stomping grounds, Saturday, February 23 at The Marquee in Sioux City. Showtime is 9 p.m. They released their 11th studio album, “One Louder,” in 2018, and were inducted into the Iowa Rock ’N’ Roll Hall of Fame last fall. They have sold over 200,000 albums on their own label...

Jessica McClintock will be performing at Shiny Top Brewing in Fort Dodge, January 31, 7-9 p.m. Jessica, a graduate of St. Edmond High School, has built a regional following as she travels doing solo acoustic shows, including three shows as part of the King’s Pointe summer series in 2018, the Guitars4Gifts fundraiser show in Storm Lake in 2017, and a AWARE cancer fundraiser concert at Lake Creek last spring...

Folk, Americana, pop performer Amelia White will be in concert at Byron’s in Pomeroy, Sunday, March 10. Raised In Virginia, and based in Nashville, Amelia White cut her musical teeth in the New England area, in the same scene that produced Mary Gauthier, Lori McKenna and Aimee Mann. ...

The Storm Lake Board of Education approved purchase of a new 84-passenger bus for $111,554. Based on their transportation manager’s proposal, they opted for a rear-engine model. The bus will replace one that the district disposed of last year that had seen numerous repairs and left riders “stranded by the side of the road” five times, they were told...

The Storm Lake School Board heard a report on the new Student Athlete Leadership Team program. Administrator and Coach Michael Sullivan said a first session was held exploring what students believe in. The next will deal with how to become role models...

The Storm Lake dance team performed during halftime of Tuesday night’s boys basketball game.

The first session of the 88th General Assembly convened at 10 a.m. on January 14, 2019. The opening day of a new session is filled with much pomp and ceremony. A new Speaker of the House is elected, leaders from both parties deliver speeches and the House of Representatives is officially organized. ...

Week one of the 2019 legislative session of the 88th General Assembly of the Iowa State Legislature is underway. New members were sworn in on Monday. Governor Reynolds gave her Condition of the State address on Tuesday. She called for the Legislature to extend the time Mental Health Regions have to spend down their capital balances and increase the percentage of their operating budgets that may be carried from one year to the next. ...

A flock of Canada Geese overwintering on Storm Lake near Lakeside Marina - with a few ducks mixed in - settles in to endure colder weather.

Shortly after raising a firestorm when a racially-charged quote appeared in a New York Times story, and immediately after being removed from all committee assignments, west Iowa Congressman Steve King was turning the situation into a fundraising opportunity...

Iowa’s U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst joined colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee Friday in reintroducing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The action comes in the month that marks the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand, and on the same day as the March for Life held in Washington, D.C...

The Iowa Legislative session got off to an optimistic start, with an eye toward bipartisanship, says veteran State Representative Gary Worthan, of Storm Lake. Republicans who control the Iowa Legislature vowed last week to continue building the state’s workforce while reducing taxes - what they say voters elected them to do...

Newell-Fonda High School students are ramping up to shoot for the stars in March as they prepare for the Regional Space Settlement Design Competition at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Tex. It’s a trip technology coordinator Tim Limbert has been guiding students on for 15 years in the district, and something he says he’s proud to do to show bright students what their potential could be in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field...

Storm Lake Middle School students learned how to boost their grade in a subject many people may forget about—being a better person. “Being a better human does not depend on your religion, status, race, color, political views or culture. It depends on how you treat others,” an introductory video told fifth grade students Wednesday. “As we start the new year, our goal is to be better humans.”...

Two people are dead and two small children injured after a vehicle fell through the ice on Storm Lake Sunday evening. Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston says emergency personnel responded after receiving report of the situation at approximately 5:42 p.m. Sunday...

LAKE PARK - The Sioux Central girls, fresh off of a loss from Tuesday night, got back on the hardwood on Thursday evening against Harris-Lake Park. The Rebels were able to come away with a 51-44 victory, their 10th of the year. The first quarter swung in the favor of HLP who carried a two point lead to the second quarter, 10-8. Sioux Central’s defense kicked into gear as they held the Wolves to six points and claimed a four point lead at half now, 20-16...

MANSON - It was a tough night for both the St. Mary’s girls and boys basketball teams as they took on Manson-NW Webster. Both the girls and boys were unable to pick up wins on the road on Thursday night. The Panther girls bowed to the Cougars, 39-20. ...

GOWRIE - The pressure defense has been the calling card of the Newell-Fonda Mustangs for quite some time and they used it to their advantage once again on Thursday night. The top ranked Mustangs held Southeast Valley to under 20 points, and took a 66-18 decision for their 15th win of the year...

LAKE PARK - Basketball is a team game and on Thursday night, the Sioux Central boys played team basketball. Through teamwork and sharing the ball, the Rebels were able to claim a 63-48 decision against Harris-Lake Park. “I really thought we shared the ball tonight and got good shots because of it,” Sioux Central Coach Stephen Tjaden said. “It was nice to see multiple guys really play fluid and with rhythm within the offense.”...

ALTA - The Warriors did their best against the Cherokee Braves on Thursday night, but it wasn’t quite enough. Alta-Aurelia enjoyed a lead for most of the contest, but faltered down the stretch against the Braves, dropping a 57-55 contest in overtime...

CHEROKEE - The green and white wrestlers got back on the mats Thursday night in a triangular meet. Storm Lake took care of Cherokee and Western Christian with relative ease to go 2-0 on the evening. “We wrestled well in both duals. I thought we were all really mentally and physically ready to go and it showed,” SL Coach Ben Seaman said. “It’s definitely been one of our better outings of the year and we’ll look to build off of it in the next couple of weeks.”...

STORM LAKE - Defense. That was the name of the game for the Storm Lake girls when rival Spencer rolled into town on Thursday night. Defense helped to propel the green and white gals to their third win of the season, and first in Lakes Conference play, as they took a 41-32 decision...

STORM LAKE - The green and white had a chance on Thursday night to avenge a loss earlier this season to the Spencer Tigers. Storm Lake jumped out early and never really let their rival get into the ball game. The Tornadoes ended up claiming a 69-60 decision that wasn’t as close as the score indicated...