Stories from Wednesday, January 8, 2020

WESTSIDE - It was the first chance that the St. Mary’s girls had to get back on the hardwood after the winter break and they were able to find success. The Panthers were able to overcome a poor shooting night against the Ar-We-Va Rockets, taking a 37-26 decision for their fifth win of the year...

SPENCER - The second best team in 1A, the Newell-Fonda Mustang girls, showed no fear against a 4A opponent in Spencer on Tuesday night. The Mustangs played their usual brand of pressure defense, built a lead and got everyone involved. Newell-Fonda remains unbeaten with an 80-44 win over the Tigers...

ALTA - It was the first time the Alta-Aurelia boys basketball team got on the basketball court in competitive action on Tuesday night as they welcomed in the MVAOCOU Rams. The Warriors were able to pull away late against MVAOCOU, 58-39. The Warriors defense stifled the Rams early, as they held an 8-3 advantage after the first few minutes, and then extended it to 13-5 at the end of the frame. ...

ALTA - For a little while in the third quarter, it looked like the Alta-Aurelia girls were going to cruise to their first win of the season, up by 15 against MVAOCOU. However, the Rams made a charge late in the third and through the fourth quarter to climb back in the game. A-A fought through the adversity as freshman Shea Peterson hit a trio of three throws with 8.4 seconds left to give the Warriors their first win of the season Tuesday night, 46-45 ...

Arthur Hammen, age 83, of Fonda, died on Friday, January 3, at his home in Fonda. Funeral Mass was held on Tuesday, January 7, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Fonda. Burial was at in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Fonda. Visitation tookplace on Monday, January 6, from 4 - 6 p.m. with a vigil service at 6 p.m. followed by a KC rosary all at the church. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements...

Edith June Humes, age 101 ½ to the day, of Storm Lake, Iowa went to her Lord on Saturday, January 4, at Good Samaritan Society in Newell. Edith (Romine) Humes was born June 4, 1918 in Galva, Iowa as the first born child of Lester and Anna (Sievert) Romine. She walked and rode buses to school from the farms her family lived on until she later boarded “in town” in order to finish high school at Galva, from which she successfully graduated in 1935...

The close of the decade will mark the end of an era for northwest Iowa farmers as a longtime resource and friend, Les Zobrist, USDA Farm Service Agency county executive director for Clay County, officially retires on Dec. 31, ending a 35-year career with the department of agriculture in Iowa...

A coffee reception for the 2019 Auxiliary scholarship winners was held on Friday, December 22. Those that were able to attend are shown in the photos below. 2020 scholarship applications are now available at www.bvrmc.org High School Senior ($500) Josie Hodgdon, Cherokee Washington High School...

A benefit will be held Saturday, January 11, for Brian Larsen of Fonda. The benefit will help the family with medical and related expenses. Larsen faced a lengthy hospital stay and rehabilitation due to complications from heart surgery. His community is coming together to support him and his family as he continues to recover...

To help reduce the spread of rusty crayfish to other waterbodies in Iowa, licensed bait dealers can no longer harvest any crayfish species from Storm Lake. Crayfish collected for bait from Storm Lake for personal use can only be used in Storm Lake and cannot be transported live from the lake...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttegieg cited Storm Lake in an article that he wrote for USA Today last week. “During a Fourth of July parade in Storm Lake, I marched alongside 24 floats proudly displaying the two dozen countries that made up the area’s immigrant population,” Buttegieg wrote. ...

A year after being arrested, a Cherokee man has pled guilty in a sexual assault case involving a 12-year-old female victim in Storm Lake. A plea agreement reduced the charges against him. Ernesto Guerra Pascual pled to Lascivious Acts With a Child. The 30-year-old was originally charged with two counts of lascivious acts, sexual abuse 2nd and 3rd degree, indecent contact with a minor, and harassment...

The Greater Good Initiative, a nationwide effort to bring people together, invites you to a grassroots discussion from 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, in Rooms 102-103 of Siebens Forum on the campus of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. The event will encourage participants to develop ideas, policy proposals, and solutions to challenges currently facing the United States. Solutions will then be fed into the national discussion via the Greater Good Initiative Network...

Pictured is the first baby born at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in the new year 2020. The couple was showered with a basket of baby essentials, courtesy of BVRMC First Embrace Obstetrics.

“It’s Yesterday Once More,” the Carpenters once sang, and nostalgia might as well be the theme for Hollywood these days, as it recycles every time-worn tale, and wrings every last buck from every dated franchise. Why fight it? Here are our pics for the best - if not the most original - bets for familiar seqels coming at you in the months ahead...

A Clay County man has won a $100,000 lottery prize. Scott Schlichte, of Everly, won the fifth top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “$100,000 Happy Holidays Crossword” scratch game. He purchased his winning ticket at Quik Spot. in Everly, and claimed his prize on Thursday at the lottery’s regional office in Storm Lake. The $100,000 Happy Holidays Crossword is a $10 scratch game. It features seven top prizes of $100,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.30...

The DNR is again reminding Iowans of deteriorating ice conditions after another extremely dangerous situation took place at Brushy Creek Lake on January 2. The DNR reported that a man had fallen through the ice on Brushy Creek Lake approximately 50 yards from the north boat ramp. Fortunately, a nearby friend was able to push a sled to the man and pull him out of the water...

Historic Arnolds Park Amusement Park in coordination with Imagine Iowa Great Lakes is excited to share the full vision of the Arnolds Park State Pier project. Concept drawings show plantings, art and hardscape design that further enhance the beauty of this prominent spot at the Park. Visitors will notice the special attention and detail around the Captain Steve Kennedy statue and the new granite donor pavers, providing longevity for years to come...

The top tier of Democratic presidential candidates remains relatively unchanged in the latest Iowa State University/Civiqs poll. Mayor Pete Buttigieg continues to lead the pack at 24%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders at 21% who jumped ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 18%. ...

The preparations for construction of the new Early Elementary School in Storm Lake took a step forward Monday night, as the city council quickly agreed in a first reading to rezone the property at 90th Avenue for educational purposes. School district leaders were in the audience to hear the unanimous vote. ...

“We’ll be hitting it - hard,” says Storm Lake City Manager Keri Navratil. The city has been gearing up for the 2020 Census for two years, and now that the process is just weeks away, the urgency becomes palpable. A Complete Count Committee has been formed, with council member Maria Ramos as chairperson and Mayra Lopez of SALUD as co-chair. A presentation was held Friday at Our Place multicultural center to begin encouraging residents to participate...

After four years, a Storm Lake food distribution event will end this month due to financial limitations for the provider. The volunteer-run distributions have taken place on Lake Avenue in front of the school administration building monthly, targeting families of middle school-age children. Often, need has been so high that it has run out of food...

A Storm Lake woman was hospitalized after a suspected medical emergency while driving led to a three-car accident with a vehicle crashing into the Mutt Cuts building in the 500 block of Cayuga Street. Storm Lake Police responded to the accident Tuesday shortly after 11 a.m. Officers found Trisha Boger, age 50, unresponsive in one of the vehicles. They extricated Boger and initiated CPR. Paramedics transported Boger to the hospital by ambulance, her current was not available at press time.  ...