Stories from Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Saturday, April 13 is the Annual Egg Hunt in the Park at Buena Vista County Park. Join the Conservation Staff to learn about animals that lay eggs and meet some of the education animals. The program will start at 2 p.m. followed by the egg hunt. Both will take place in the South Shelter area at Buena Vista County Conservation Park, 377 440th St Peterson...

In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, Hy-Vee, Inc. is providing free Hemoglobin A1C screenings throughout its eight-state region during the month of April. The free screenings will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis at the Hy-Vee Healthy You Mobiles in more than 150 Hy-Vee store parking lots. Hy-Vee registered dietitians will conduct a simple blood test, and review the results with individuals immediately following the test...

A sixth 2020 Democratic presidential candidate is on his way to Storm Lake. Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke is scheduled for a “meet and greet” Friday at Better Day Cafe, starting at 8:30 a.m. The stop is part of a four-day swing through the state that includes Ames on Wednesday; Carroll, Denison and Sioux City Thursday; Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, and Grinnell Friday; private events in Des Moines Saturday; and the University of Iowa Sunday...

National farms organizations clustered in Storm Lake Saturday to demand a “Farmer’s Bill of Rights,” claiming that government inaction along with low commodity prices is driving family farmers out of the industry and killing rural communities. With a parade of speakers, songs and chants, signs and banners, the emotional rally saw farmers and their groups promise to begin flexing rural America’s political muscle in the 2020 elections...

On the afternoon of Saturday, March 30, at approximately 5:41 p.m. the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to 1101 North Lake Avenue in reference to a vehicle on fire. Upon arrival fire fighters observed the engine compartment of a 2016 GMC pickup truck totally engulfed in flames...

Betty Custer passed away March 23, at B.V. Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake. She is survived by her sister, Norma (John) Irwin; her niece, Kim (Mike) Wilson; and nephew, Jay (Pennie) Irwin; their children, Mallory (Brandon) Anderson, Whitney (Adam) Brierly, Samantha Irwin, Trevor (Kaitlin) Irwin and their little ones, Payton and Lillian Brierly, and Easton Anderson...

Johanna (Jo) Skillman, Age 85, of Gainesville, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 21, at the North Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia. Her arrangements and internment are being cared for by Crowell Brothers Funeral Home, Norcross, Georgia. A private family memorial service will be held in the following weeks at Peachtree Memorial Cemetery in Norcross, Georgia. A Mass will be held at her home church St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Redwood Falls, Minnesota...

Pauline H. Alkire, age 85, of Council Bluffs, and formerly of Aurelia, died Sunday, March 24, in Council Bluffs. Funeral services took place Thursday, March 28, at 10:30 a.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta. Burial will be in the Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake. Visitation took place Wednesday, March 27, from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta is in charge of the arrangements...

Seniors 4.00 Gracie Chance Mercedes Juelfs Rachel Kenny Ashley Kestel Jake Kliegl 3.99-3.00 Kassandra Barker Maggie Jo Bendixen Matthew Brosamle Autumn Clausen Logan Cuthrell Austin Degen Kinzey Dutler Emerson Else Madeline Else Jill Galvin Nick Gisch...

Seniors 4.00 Gracie Chance Mercedes Juelfs Rachel Kenny Ashley Kestel Jake Kliegl 3.99-3.00 Kassandra Barker Maggie Jo Bendixen Matthew Brosamle Autumn Clausen Logan Cuthrell Austin Degen Kinzey Dutler Emerson Else Madeline Else Jill Galvin Nick Gisch...

A special meeting for 2019-2020 kindergarten students and their parents is scheduled for April 25 and 26 at Storm Lake Elementary School. Three sessions will be held for this parent/child event. One session will be on Thursday, April 25 at 6 pm. Additional sessions will be on Friday, April 26 at 10 am and at 6 pm. ...

Ridge View High School will be hosting a presentation on e-cigarettes and vaping in the Clausen Fine Arts Auditorium on Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. in Holstein. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students. ...

Buena Vista University has appointed Kevin McIntyre as vice president of enrollment management, effective immediately. He has been serving in the role as BVU’s interim vice president of enrollment management since September 2018. McIntyre is a skilled leader in higher education with more than 30 years of experience in enrollment management. ...

Dr. Roger Powell, assistant professor of English at Buena Vista University, recently learned that his research team has earned the CCCC (College Composition and Communication Conference) Research Initiative Grant. Powell was joined by a trio of colleagues at various institutions in proposing a study to examine how first-year composition students transfer their writing knowledge and skills to other academic or personal contexts. ...

Storm Lake Deborah’s School of Dance will host its 42nd Annual Dance Recital, Saturday, April 27 at Storm Lake High School. Showtime is 7:30 p.m, and no tickets are necessary.

The University Theatre at Buena Vista University presents “Monty Python’s Spamalot” on April 25, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Schaller Memorial Chapel. House opens at 7 p.m. Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table; featuring cows, killer rabbits and French people...

The Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association conducted its first event for the 2019 “Iowa Rocks Talent” on March 21. The event took place at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji. Two bands and one individual won the event and will advance to finals. Triple Shot, The Noobers and Kaela Weston will compete at “Iowa Rocks Talent Finals” on Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Roof Garden Ballroom in Arnolds Park...

The first big area celebration of the season, the Cherokee PRCA Rodeo, will bring on a new entertainer on board for the May 30-June 1 run. Dusti Crain Dickerson grew up in a rodeo family.  Her father, Ronnie Crain, and uncle Kevin Crain, began putting on rodeos when Dusti was 3 years old.  She carried the American flag and competed as a barrel racer.  The St. ...

Iowa law requires all property to be revalued every two years in the odd numbered years. Assessments have to meet certain requirements, which state that, on average, sales ratios must fall between 95% and 105% (calculated by dividing each property’s assessment by its sale price). ...

Former Iowa 4th Congressional Candidate JD Scholten, who attended the Farmers Bill of Right rally in Storm Lake Saturday, felt the rally had a powerful message. “Farmers deserve to have their voices be heard and have a seat at the table when their livelihoods are on the line,” he said...

Citizens 1st Bank gave a generous donation that allowed the high school to add some Tornado Pride to the school’s front doors.

The Storm Lake City Council Chambers isn’t a place you would expect to see young children scampering around and chattering, but that was the atmosphere at Monday’s council meeting, where a request for an official letter of support from the city government had been requested by a local day care provider...

Some Democratic presidential candidates expressed support Saturday for the Nevada political candidate who alleged former Vice President Joe Biden kissed her on the back of her head in 2014. But they didn’t say it disqualifies Biden from joining the race...

Following the late-March resignation of Beau Ruleaux as Storm Lake High School’s principal, Superintendent Stacey Cole has revealed that the mid-year departure was due to a violation of sexual harassment policies. Cole released the following statement Monday:...

After using focus groups to help with appointment of a new Student Services Director/Behavior Interventionist, the Storm Lake school district decided that two current staff members were equally qualified for the job, and hired them both to share it...

In response to local demand, Iowa Central Community College is expanding its Early Childhood Education program to Storm Lake’s campus. Need in Storm Lake demonstrated by an Iowa Women’s Foundation presentation last year to businesses generated interest of cooperation among parents, employers and educational institutions to bridge the gap for the childcare desert in Buena Vista County, where nearly 3,861 children vie for 715 spots—just one spot for every 5.4 children...

Meet Ozzy, Storm Lake Police Department’s newest officer. The 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, born in Poland, has trained for most of his life for this job—by a Storm Lake native at North Iowa K-9 in Humboldt, no less. He’s one that made the cut after through training that looks for a playful temperament (not mean, a misconception for police dogs) and the right physical traits that can undergo stress in service...

The most recent flood events have taken a heavy toll on the Linn Grove Dam scenic area. While water is still too high to determine the impact to the dam structure itself, the road on the south side of the area has been washed out in two areas, restrooms were destroyed, and the park area heavily damaged. Erosion to the shores of the Little Sioux River is considerable...

The Bridge’s Cultivate Training Garden is ready to sprout for its young growers. Shares of the fresh bounty are available to the community now At the Cultivate Training Gardens for the Bridge of Storm Lake, they raise some 40 different vegetables - oh, and grow one other crop: well-rounded kids...

HOLSTEIN - The Ridge View boys golf team was able to hit the links for the first time this season as they played host to a meet with the other conference teams. The Raptors took fifth out of the nine teams as Kingsley-Pierson took first and OA-BCIG second...

CEDAR RAPIDS - The GK Storm Gymnasts competed at the Iowa State Xcel Championships on March 15-17 and March 22-24. The scores were as follows: Platinum: Venus Gonzalez- Vault 9.400 placing second, bars 8.700 placing sixth, beam 9.025 placing third, floor 9.125 and an all around score of 36.250 receiving fourth place overall...

STORM LAKE - It was an odd beginning to the 2019 season for the Tornado girls soccer team as they welcomed in Sioux Center. The scoreboard and press box lacked power as did the Storm Lake offense as they were tripped up by the Warriors in a 3-0 defeat to begin the year...

SIOUX CENTER - The Storm Lake Tornado boys continued to keep their regular season win streak alive to begin the 2019 campaign as they were able to best the Sioux Center Warriors, 3-2 thanks to a pair of goals from senior Jose Martinez. Storm Lake has not lost a regular season game since April 22, 2017...

SIOUX RAPIDS - It was a close night between Alta-Aurelia and Sioux Central atop the leader board at the Sioux Central Boys Invitational. In the end, Alta-Aurelia scored just three most points to take the win with 135 points. Sioux Central took second with 132, Newell-Fonda was fourth with 86 and St. Mary’s was sixth with 54 out of the seven varsity and two JV teams competing...