Stories from Wednesday, September 4, 2019

WEST BEND - The Rebel volleyball team came away with their second win of the year on Thursday night after they took down West Bend-Mallard in a three set contest. The set scores were 25-16, 25-22 and 25-22. “It feels good to start the season off 2-0. ...

GOWRIE - The Alta-Aurelia volleyball team picked up their first win of the season on Thursday night after a four set contest against Southeast Valley. The Warriors won the first, second and fourth sets for the match victory. The set scores were: 25-7, 25-20, 22-25 and 27-25...

STORM LAKE - The Storm Lake volleyball team kicked off their season on Thursday night as they welcomed in Hinton. Hinton were unkind visitors as they took a three-set contest from the Tornadoes to spoil the season opener. The set scores were: 25-20, 25-16 and 25-16...

SPENCER - Thursday night marked the start of the new cross country season for the Storm Lake Tornadoes as they took part in the Spencer Invitational. The green and white boys were fourth, and the girls took ninth. LeMars took first in the boys meet, and Spencer first in the girls...

SIOUX RAPIDS - Miscues came to the forefront on Friday night for the young Sioux Central football team. A fumble along with some penalties and inefficient red zone play caused the Rebels to drop a 20-2 decision to the Pocahontas Area Indians. Sioux Central racked up 219 yards, all of them coming on the ground. The defense struggled at times against the Indians’ spread based look, giving up 208 yards through the air and another 104 through the air...

HOLSTEIN - The Ridge View football wasn’t quite ready for the speed that OA-BCIG quarterback Cooper DeJean possessed on Friday night. DeJean and the Falcons tormented the Raptors, taking a 49-8 decision to send Ridge View to a 0-1 start. “They just had big plays all night and we kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” RV Coach Dale Tokheim said. “There were times when we moved the ball and then we would jump offsides, or fumble, or whiff on a block or line up wrong.”...

NEWELL - Despite giving some big time smackdowns to Collins-Maxwell in the past couple of seasons, the Newell-Fonda football team found themselves struggling in their opener on Friday night. The Spartans led through the first half, but Newell-Fonda was able to rally together to take a 52-44 contest to start off with a win...

LAWTON - The start of the season looked like it might have been a rough one for the Alta-Aurelia football team. They allowed a long touchdown drive to Lawton-Bronson, but never really let the Eagles sniff much else the rest of the game. Behind three touchdowns from senior Anthony Krier, the Warriors took a 27-7 contest to kick off the year in style...

Marion J. Ralston, 87 of Independence, MO passed away Wed., August 25, in Independence, MO. Visitation will be Sun., September 8 from 10 to 11:30am at the McGilley & Sheil Chapel, 11924 E. 47th St., Kansas City, MO. Inurnment will be Mon., September 9 at 12:30 p.m. ...

Marjorie H. Rudolph, age 93, of Storm Lake, passed away August 24, at the Good Samaritan Society in Newell. The cause of death was living a great life. Memorial services will take place Friday, September 6, at 11:30 a.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake Burial will be in the Varina Cemetery in Varina, Iowa. ...

William Paul Kestel, age 89 of Storm Lake, died Saturday, August 31, surrounded by his loving daughters. Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, September 5, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Storm Lake. ...

Two Buena Vista County farms were recognized during the Iowa State Fair with Iowa Century Farm designations. The Keith and Kathy Jorgensen farm, Storm Lake, was established in 1883. The Mobley family farm owned by Catherine Cave and family dates to 1919...

STORM LAKE - In the annual tussle for the Battle Axe trophy, Storm Lake hung touchdowns on the Cherokee Braves on their first two drives, and delivered the dagger with three more on three possessions in a dominant third quarter en route to a 41-6 win...

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center’s First Embrace Obstetrics Sibling Class for September will be held on Tuesday, September 10, a change from an earlier notice. The Breastfeeding class that was scheduled for September 10 will now be held on Tuesday, September 17...

Jayme Riedell, Director of Sales for King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort and Zayra Sanchez, Guest Service Manager, presented two boxes of donated school supplies to St. Mary’s 6-12 Principal Ryan Berg and students of Storm Lake St. Mary’s School. The supplies were proceeds from King’s Pointe’s school supplies drive earlier this summer in an effort to provide supplies for students and families who may struggle to make ends meet. ...

Emily Tinsman, Miss Iowa, visited Spencer for the first time Thursday, stopping at the Spencer Public Library to read and do crafts with area youth. Tinsman’s visit to northwest Iowa comes as the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program seeks candidates for its Miss Okoboji Scholarship Program and Miss Okoboji and Miss Okoboji’s Outstanding Teen Competition planned for October at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. ...

Northwest Iowa Bone, Joint and Sports Surgeons’ team of doctors has a new addition, Jesse Wolfe, DPM. Dr. Wolfe is an Emmetsburg, Iowa native and completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota. He received his Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine from Des Moines University in 2016. ...

In years past, health plans worked with employers to help manage almost all health benefit decisions, leaving employees relatively unaware of the costs. Today, for example, employers and consumers are more frequently choosing plans with higher deductibles; more than 43 percent of Americans are enrolled in such plans, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Health officials say four cases of respiratory illness have been confirmed in four young Iowans with a history of vaping. The Iowa Department of Public Health said in a news release Thursday that several other states have recently reported cases of severe respiratory illness among teenagers and young adults who’d been vaping. Their symptoms include cough, fatigue, dizziness, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, chest pain and worsening difficulty breathing. The cases are still being investigated...

3 - Storm Lake Community Blood Drive-LifeServe Blood Center, 12:30-6 p.m. Main Entrance 5 - Young at Heart, A New Generation of MRI, Speaker, Joan Kurtz, director of diagnostic imaging, and Emily Ellefson, MRI Supervisor, 10 a.m. KEC 5 - BLS for Healthcare Providers Skills Evaluation, 1-2 p.m. KEC...

A new study shows Iowa ranks No. 15 spending the least money spent on healthcare annually in the U.S. Iowa residents spend an average of $ 5,364 per year on healthcare, this is below the national average of $ 5,640.78. Hawaii residents spend the least at $ 3,626 per person...

The BVRMC Oncology & Infusion Center recently purchased a blanket warmer to help patients receiving treatments feel more comfortable. Pictured is nurse Darcy Siebenaller using the blanket warmer. The unit was purchased thanks to generous donors to the Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation...

Eighty-nine percent of the children surveyed at the College Savings Iowa annual Iowa State Fair survey believe a college education is a necessary step to achieving their dreams and career aspirations. “Iowa children are already thinking about their futures,” State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald stated. “Every year, this survey reaffirms how important it is for families to start planning and saving early to help make college a reality for their children.”...

Farm Credit presented the local Future Farmers of America Chapter at Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School with a $2,000 grant check. The grant funds will be used towards attending the national convention and for the school’s new ag class and materials, according to moderator and ag instructor Ashley Treadwell. ...

Three Storm Lake St. Mary’s School staff members will be honored for their years of service, at the Bishop’s Dinner for Catholic Schools Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Delta Hotels Convention Center. Third grade educator Heidi Larsen will be honored for 35 consecutive years of service, preschool educator Kristin Stille for five years of service and preschool aide Heidi Wunschel for five years of service. ...

Buena Vista University welcomes 17 new faculty members for the 2019-20 academic year. “We are thrilled with the quality of new faculty members this year,” says Dr. Brian Lenzmeier, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “These professionals come from across the country, bringing a wide range of experiences to our campus, ranging from seasoned faculty with extensive experience in higher education, to new faculty coming right out of industry. ...

By GEORGE WHITEHOUSE Special to The Pilot Once upon a time, Buena Vista County was home to a unit of the most decorated and renowned U.S. Army Division that won the First World War: the 42nd Infantry Division, under the American Expeditionary Force commanded by General of The Army John J. ...

Iowa Congressman Steve King and New York Senator and former presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand have been engaging in a war of words via Twitter, that continued even after Gillibrand dropped out of the race last week. In an August post directed at King, Gillibrand had said, “You are a disgrace. Resign,” referring to a Des Moines Register article on comments King made about rape and incest...

Work will begin the week of September 16 on replacing the Michigan Street parking lot that serves downtown Storm Lake, it was reported at a public meeting on the project held last week. The lot will close to the public on Friday, Sept. 13. If weather allows, work is expected to be done by November 1...

Applications are being accepted for the U.S. Citizenship Class offered at the Storm Lake Public Library. The 8-week fall course introduces students to historical and cultural information used on the Naturalization Test. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, beginning September 24 and will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. through November 5. Child care will be available...

Popular northwest Iowa roots rockers King of the Tramps return to Byron’s in Pomeroy for a Sunday, Sept. 15 show, 5-9 p.m. King Of The Tramps’ original music draws influences from modern Americana, rhythm and blues, southern rock and country crossover. Their sound has been described as “Whiskey Gospel” and “Midwestern Roots Rock” by critics...

If the Clay County Fair is the king of all county fairs, it only makes sense to bring The King of Rock ’n’ Roll to the fair. Forever Elvis tribute show will perform Sept. 13-15 at the fairgrounds in Spencer, with shows daily at 11:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m...

The annual Grape Pick ’n’ Stomp will be held September 21 at InnSpiration Wine and Vine in Linn Grove. Picking begins at 8:30 a.m. at the winery fields, with a noon meal provided. The stomping of grapes begins at 1:30, and is always a fun-filled event. Participants can RSVP by calling or texting to 712-390-0430...

A video game transaction turned ugly Saturday afternoon, as a man attacked two others with a butcher knife in each hand, and ended up in jail on felony charges. Police were called to 1216 Spooner Street shortly before 3 p.m. for a reported property dispute. ...

Storm Lake Police are taking a prank call seriously. Friday night during the Storm Lake High School football game, the county communication center received a report that three male subjects wearing masks and armed with guns had entered the stadium. The caller refused to give additional information and hung up. ...

A West Point military cadet candidate with ties to Storm Lake died in an accident at a popular cliff-diving spot in upstate New York Saturday. Benjamin Bochtler, 20, from Bellevue, Neb. was hanging from a rock ledge at Fawn’s Leap at Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills near Hunter, N.Y. when the rock broke off, police reported. Lifesaving attempts at the scene were unsuccessful...

Following a pair of emotional public meetings to gather opinions on a proposal to build a university/community joint recreation center, Buena Vista University President Josh Merchant says he feels good about the state of the concept. “My goal is, I don’t want this community to be afraid to dream outside the box, Even if those initial dreams don’t turn out to be the right ones, if they can spark other ideas, it’s positive,” he told the Pilot-Tribune...

When 9-year-old Eliana Olsen of Newell, Iowa, isn’t reading books about animals, she is busy helping her family on the farm, showing animals at the fair or playing with her dog, Bubba. Eliana will start 4-H this fall. She has already decided on her dream career...

Storm Lake Police Chief and Public Safety Director Mark Prosser is one of three to be recognized with 2019 Keepers of the American Dream honors, in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in November. The program is sponsored by the National Immigration Forum. ...

Gary Jackson might be the only man alive who took his bride on a honeymoon to see where he had been shot down. Jackson, an Alta car enthusiast, brought his latest project, a sleek, red-trimmed black Corvette convertible, to the Kiwanis Kar Show over the holiday weekend, a long haul from a hospital bed years ago where they told him he would never walk again...

Prisoners from Rockwell City correctional facility will be allowed to work in Buena Vista County on a release program. Representatives of the prison system met Tuesday with county supervisors, who expressed their support for the program. Participating prisoners will be minimum security inmates who are scheduled for release in less than a year. ...