Stories from Friday, November 1, 2019

The Witter Gallery held its annual Halloween party along with the Storm Lake Public Library. Children had the opportunity to to create scarecrow bags, Tye-dye monsters, free drawing, and paper plate creations. They also enjoyed taking pictures with Katie Struss and Luna the Owl, face-painting, and painting pumpkins. ...

Women farmers, landowners and ag retailers are invited to participate in free monthly Agronomy in the Field learning sessions beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach office located at 209 Centennial Drive in Cherokee...

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) is happy to announce Dennis Fraise and Jason Hutcheson, hosts of the #1 iTunes economic development podcast Develop This!, as this year’s Business Recognition Luncheon keynote speakers. The Develop This! podcast explores topics related to transformational community leadership in candid conversations with veterans of the economic development profession and inspiring interviews with other thought leaders...

Parents with children in elementary school are most likely aware of PIE Partners, otherwise known as Partners In Excellence. For the layman, this is when a business in town teams up with a class to help them with learning more about how their business works. Sometimes, volunteers from that business will travel to the school to help the children with projects such as banner and floats for homecoming or Christmas Cards to send to a retirement home...

Larry Henschke, longtime local musician from Fonda, will perform at Inspiration Vines and Wines in Linn Grove as part of the Friday Evening Music series, November 8. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. The series continues with Usual Suspects playing on the 15th, Kalea Jordan on the 22nd, and Tommy Binford on the 29th. In December, Inspiration hosts LD3 on the 6th, Charlie Leissler on the 13th, Tom Lichter on the 20th and Fishin for Olives on the 27th. / Photo submitted...

The Ku Klux Klan had a short but highly visible presence in Iowa between 1922 and 1926. It came to power promising to resolve many social ills in the state, especially violation of the prohibition laws. In reality the Klan failed to eradicate any problems and actually heightened ethnic and racial tensions...

Members of the community were invited to put up traditional ofrenda to honor loved ones and share Mexican culture for the Dia de los Muertos exhibit at the Witter Gallery in Storm Lake. The exhibit is open through Saturday. The gallery is open free of charge in the Storm Lake Public Library building. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

In response to popular demand, the Rosemary Clausen Center for Performing Arts in Holstein, Iowa has added a second show featuring the Lennon Sisters. The matinee performance will be Saturday afternoon, April 4, 2020 at 2 p.m. “We want to thank the Lennon Sisters for this accommodation, which will allow more fans to experience and meet one of America’s most beloved family singing groups. ...

Iowa gas prices have fallen 2.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.42 per gallon of super-unleaded this week. Gas prices in Iowa are 4.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, yet stand 30 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Usually stable Storm Lake prices have been anything but, jumping from $2.33 last week to $2.43 this week, and as of midweek ranging from $2.28 to $2.43 at various stations...

Prairie Lakes AEA is offering free Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings at various locations across its region. This six-hour training course is designed to teach ANY adult who works with youth, how to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (ages 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge, or is in crisis...

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King is demanding greater public transparency into the impeachment hearings being led by Rep. Adam Schiff. Following a press conference October 23, House members including Congressman King, entered the hearing room to bear witness to what King describes as “the greatest atrocity I’ve seen in the United States Congress in 17 years.”...

Auctioneering is a tradition in America, sometimes a family tradition that dates back decades. While Auctioneer Ronnie Brown doesn’t have a history in his family of auctioneers, he does have 40 years behind him of auctioneering, meeting new friends along the way, and enjoying the pleasure of working alongside his wife, Gloria...

The Storm Lake City Public Library has some version of a robotics class at least twice per year. The first one held this year was on October 26. According to the Library Director, Elizabeth Huff, the next one will be held at some point during Christmas break...

Spencer Rotary Club are busy preparing for the 2018 Rotary Book Sale set for Wednesday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Clay County Regional Events Center. The 28th annual book sale is expected to feature approximately 30,000 used books ranging from fictional classics to romance novels and nonfiction selections to rare first editions...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will host a holiday wreath making workshop at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 at their office located at 209 Centennial Drive in Cherokee. “Please join us as we kick off the holiday season with a fun night of crafting holiday wreaths,” said Mary Tuttle, Cherokee County Program Coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach. ...

Registration for the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games officially opens Nov. 1. Get signed up for your favorite events from broomball to cribbage. Visit wintergames.com for a printable registration form or access to online registration. Forms can also be picked up at the IGLA Chamber at 565 S Highway 71 – Suite 4 in Arnolds Park. Gather friends and family soon, as certain events have a limit on the number of teams or participants...

On the morning of Wednesday, October 30, at approximately 12:56 a.m. the Storm Lake Police Department was dispatched to 1515 North Lake Avenue in reference to a 911 call of an unknown problem. Upon arrival of police they made contact with the reporting party who alleged that an Alejandro Vargas-Lopez, age 21 of Storm Lake was out in a field in the 1500 block of North Lake Avenue allegedly doing drugs...

The O’Brien County Conservation Board will host O.J. Fargo on Thursday, November 14 at 7 p.m. at the Prairie Heritage Center, 4931 Yellow Ave, for a special program entitled “Just Before the Battle Mother- A Visit from a Civil War Soldier. “ After an overview of Iowa’s involvement in the Civil War, the audience is introduced to a returning Civil War soldier (played by Mr. ...

An ambulance, police and sheriff’s units responded after two SUVs collided Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of 90th Avenue and Highway 7, near the future location for an Early Childhood Center - which is as yet uncontrolled. One of the vehicles was driven into a ditch by the force of the collision, with airbags deployed. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

Spencer Police responded to a call at 10:18 p.m. Tuesday, regarding a report of an armed robbery which had just occurred at the Dynos Convenience Store located at 1001 S. Grand Ave. The store clerk reported that he was just robbed by a male who fled the scene in a newer white sedan heading westbound...

Area farmers will be up against the clock this week as they work to complete their harvest before a forecast of snow could potentially arrive at the end of the week. Despite experiencing unfavorable weather conditions during planting, area agriculture professionals said there is still optimism as farmers work in the fields to complete this fall’s harvest...

Storm Lake was well represented at the Latino Voices Together 2nd Annual Gala, October 26 in Des Moines. The event is part of the Latino Political Network programs. Among the locals taking part were Jose Ibarra, Maria Ramos, Joanne Alvarez, Mayra Lopez, Emilia Marroquin and Matthew Marroquin, Sarah Huddleston, and Di Daniels - two of them current elected local leaders, one a current candidate and another a former councilwoman and statehouse candidate. ...

Going to the hospital can create a lot of anxiety, the fear of the unknown. Buena Vista Regional Medical Center strives to reduce a patient’s concern and help them feel reassured prior, during and after the procedure. An area that causes added worry is the cost of care...

Storm Lake native Jaci Hermstad recently received her seventh infusion of an experimental drug in her battle to survive an aggressive form of ALS that claimed the life of her twin sister Alex years earlier. She is receiving the treatments in Minneapolis...

Democratic Party nominee hopeful, Tom Steyer, believes the government has failed the American people. He wants voters to realize how corporations have purchased the government and that the nation’s government now works for those corporations. “If we are going to get any of the things that people are talking about in terms of health care, education, a living wage, clean air and clean water, then we are going to have to break the corporate stranglehold,” Steyer said in a phone interview with the Pilot-Tribune “They are getting what they want from the government and we’re not getting what we want from the government, the government is serving them and not us.”. ...

The acronym for Buena Vista University’s Alternative Week of Learning, AWOL, is fitting considering what the program asks of the participants. BVU students have volunteered to either go to New Orleans or Costa Rica to help with construction and other housing needs of the inhabitants in both places...

A new grant will challenge the community of Storm Lake to get healthier. The city is one of six in Iowa to be accepted in the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count campaign this year, aimed at creating healthier environments that promotes good lifestyle choices...