Stories from Friday, March 1, 2019

ISU Extension and Outreach-Buena Vista County Agricultural Engineer, Kris Kohl, will lead a workshop to discuss bee keeping. Dr. Kohl has been keeping bees and extracting honey since he was a teenager. Come learn about the challenges, tips and techniques of keeping bees for yourself. Kohl will cover equipment needs, purchasing bees, building and maintaining hives, and bee health and safety...

Jan M.Spielman, MBA, ChFC®, CRPC®, BFA™, a Private Wealth Advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Storm Lake, was named to the list of “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” published by Forbes magazine. The list recognizes financial advisors who have demonstrated high levels of ethical standards, professionalism and success in the business...

URBANDALE — Is the “ugly produce’” trend already reaching the end of its shelf life in supermarkets? Walmart and Whole Foods, in recent years, tried selling some blemished fruits and vegetables at a discount, produce they said might otherwise be trashed because it’s not quite the right size, shape or color. ...

Casey Muessingmann and his band will perform a fundraiser concert for the Primghar Parks Department, Friday, March 15. Showtime is 8 p.m. at the community center in Primghar. The country musician is a native of Spencer. Getting his start in church and school choirs, he eventually expanded his horizons to local and state wide talent searches, including the Colegate Country Showdown, and an audition for American Idol in 2008. ...

Rock n Roll Damnation will be in concert at the VFW Hall in Cherokee, Saturday, March 30, with the show starting at 9 p.m. The AC/DC tribute band hails from Sioux Falls, SD with a few members from northwest Iowa. For starters, the Sioux Falls, SD quintet doesn’t try to re-create AC/DC’s visual aesthetics, but the attention to detail is with the sound. ...

Iowa four-piece cover band Riddled With Class will return to Screwie Louie’s in Newell for St. Patrick’s Day. The Saturday, March 16 show begins at 9 p.m. RWC offers alternative and hard rock from a five-decade span, punk versions of pop hits, even an occasional country tune...

Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and story-teller Susan Gibson will perform at Byron’s in Pomeroy, Sunday, March 24. Showtime is 5 p.m. Gibson, a Minnesota native now living in Texas, burst onto the scene as a young unknown after penning the song, “Wide Open Spaces,” which shot to number one on the country/crossover charts for the Dixie Chicks. ...

The Annual Storm Lake Big Fish Challenge Icefishing Tournament is still on for Saturday March 2nd. Tournament hours are 1-7 p.m. with sign up open at the Gone Fish’n sporting goods shop at Storm Lake Marina, Casino Beach. Participants can sign up on the day of the event, starting at 11:30 a.m...

An Agriculture Student Expo event is being planned as a first for Buena Vista University. The Expo is dedicated to agricultural programs at the university. The Expo will be held Wednesday, April 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The Expo will be a chance for visitors to experience a bit of a college ag class and participate in hands-on demonstrations from industry professionals in the following subjects:...

Three Clay County landowners — Allen McGranahan, David Wyatt and Robert Swan — have filed a legal petition against the Clay County Board of Supervisors and the Clay County Drainage District No. 37. The petition surrounds improvements approved by the supervisors for Drainage District No. 37, which according to the project’s engineer’s report, would cost approximately $3.6 million. The Clay County Board of Supervisors act as the board of trustees for all drainage districts in the county...

With just a minute and a half, you can learn how to save a life with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), doubling or tripling someone’s chances of survival in the event of a heart attack. In the event of cardiac arrest, follow two simple steps. First, call 911 when you see the person collapse. If you make the call on your cell phone, put it on speakerphone so they can help guide you as you put your knowledge to use while performing CPR...

An “inkoko” from the Republic of Burundi (lower right) serves as a decorative piece on a variety of tables, often serving as fruit baskets. it can also be hung on walls for more dramatic effect. Burundi is a landlocked country in central Africa bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. / Photo by Elijah Decious...

SCT reorganizes after Ruth’s resignation

There can be an immediacy when someone makes the decision to change their life and finding the resources to make such a change can often be difficult, according to Gary Wilson. That reality motivated Wilson to bring a new program designed to assist troubled men get their lives on track, Life Changes Sober Living, to the third floor of Grand Avenue Community Outreach, Spencer...

CLAY COUNTY — A Linn Grove women was transported to an area medical facility with minor injuries Monday morning after the vehicle she was driving left the roadway and wound up on its roof in a ditch in the 4700 mlle of Clay County Road M-27. Emma Meyers, of Linn Grove, was reportedly transported from the scene by a family member after the southbound 2016 Chevrolet Equinox went into the east ditch along M-27 after she swerved to avoid an object in the roadway at 10:30 a.m. ...

February 23, 1932 - February 21, 2019

Updates from the Storm Lake Police Department, the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office and the Storm Lake Fire Department.

Ashley (Hammen) Hoff, a Storm Lake native and St. Mary’s graduate, got a chance to meet legendary actress Glenn Close on the eve of the Academy Awards Sunday, where Close was nominated for Best Actress in the film, “The Wife” - her seventh Oscar nomination. Hammen works in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles as senior vice president of creative services at Critical Content. / Facebook...

Story after story on TV, the radio and in newspapers detailed the historic winter storm that swept across northern and western Iowa last weekend, stranding vehicles and closing roads for days. Drivers were warned repeatedly to stay off the roads because not doing so was “taking your life into your own hands.”...

Local humanitarian efforts fight an uphill battle as political unrest continues in Haiti. As protesters continue to call for the removal of Haitian President Jovnel Moise from office following accusations of corruption, many Haitians have expressed higher levels of concern for the Caribbean nation’s future now than in the past according to Many Hands for Haiti spiritual and organizational development director Christi Gabhart. ...

Storm Lake school leaders will take their plea for an Early Childhood Center back to voters, but first, they plan to create a couple of different options for a building, to gauge public wishes. The plan for a $29 million pre-K to first grade facility on the west edge of town was narrowly defeated by voters last December, and since then, school board members have struggled to determine what “no” voters were thinking...

The web-based news site HomeSnacks has named Storm Lake as one of Ten Best Places for Families to Live list for 2019. The project uses information from sources such as the U.S. Census, FBI, and financial data. The metrics also include schools quality, percent of households with children, things for families to do, and access to cultural resources like museums, libraries and colleges. Iowa towns with population of 10,000 and above are studied...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King is taking aim on a gun control bill that passed the U.S. House on Wednesday, insisting that guns are a “God-given” right. “Yesterday, Pelosi’s Democrats came for President Trump’s Border Wall. Today, Pelosi’s Democrats came after our 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms. I voted against them both times, and I will continue to stand with our Constitution and with our President,” western Iowa congressman Steve King posted defiantly on social media Wednesday...

Jaymie Bral, middle school assistant principal and founder of the Storm Lake School District’s new therapy dog program, had a choice to make as the board of education was scheduled to formally review the program Wednesday night. He could tell them how it was going, or show them...

“This last election sent a really strong message. He know’s there’s a perception problem. Not just among independents and liberals.” - Mark Leonard

Saturday night's final will pair #1-ranked Newell-Fonda with #2 West Hancock