Stories from Friday, February 7, 2020

HyVee stores around the region will no longer be available for the midnight munchies. Starting Monday, stores that had been open 24 hours a day were reduced to close overnight. Some of the stores had already moved away from 24 hour service. HyVee has 265 stores in Iowa and seven other states. Employment is not expected to change...

The SLPD will be hosting Coffee with a Cop at Storm Lake Bakery on February 17, from 10-11 a.m. Police will also be giving out glazed donuts in celebration of “Pay it Forward” Day. The public is invited.

An unexpectedly large field of 12 bidders sought the contract for the middle school roof replacement project in Storm Lake. The board of education this week approved the low bid from KG Roofing of Fort Dodge. The base bid was $419,935. The project will be paid for out of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will host two soil fertility workshops to help ag producers interpret soil test results and determine fertilizer needs and recommendations. The first workshop will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Sac County office location at 620 Park Street in Sac City. ...

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach invites area residents to join them for a two-session retirement preparation workshop on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20. Participants can choose to attend sessions at Cherokee Regional Medical Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or at the ISU Extension and Outreach Cherokee County office from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m...

The 17th annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) is looking for artists for the coming year. The deadline for applications is Sunday, March 1. All disciplines and mediums are accepted – painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, fabric, wood, photography, pottery and more...

Country star Neal McCoy will be on stage March 13 at the Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35. In 1993, Neal McCoy broke through with the back-to-back number one singles “No Doubt About It” and “Wink” from his platinum-certified album No Doubt About It. ...

Folk noir songwriting/performing duo Society of Broken Souls will be in concert Sunday, March 29, 5 p.m. at Byron’s in Pomeroy. Multi-instrumentalists Dennis James and Lauryn Shapter - one from Kileen, Texas and the other from New York City - now call Fairfield, Iowa home. Performing their own brand of American roots music, they write unflinching songs for fearless hearts - “songs that confront our shared, raw humanity while celebrating the beautiful mosaic of the human experience.”...

The Storm Lake City Council wrapped up its 10th and Ontario stormwater project this week, approving final completion. The project, in the Field of Dreams sports complex area, was designed to alleviate flooding in the area, and to slow storm water coming off of the adjacent farm fields before entering Poor Farm Creek, and eventually carrying pollutants on the Raccoon River. ...

The Lakes Area Hockey Association is $300,000 closer to its fundraising goal to complete the third and final phase of construction of the Boji Bay Ice Arena, which started in 2012. The Phase 3 project consists of adding energy efficiencies, replacing dasher boards, providing handicapped seating and expanding the lobby over the next three years. It also includes amenities such as a designated high school locker room along with restroom and shower facilities for participants...

Newell photographer is drawn to daring trips in the wilderness

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is proud to announce Dawn Luetje has been named Director of LSI Foster Care and Adoption. In this new role, Luetje will oversee LSI’s foster and adoptive parent recruitment, licensing, and support services in 30 western Iowa counties...

A man who is already facing charges of serious injury by vehicle in Dickinson County now faces a lawsuit filed by the pedestrian whom he struck last month. Joseph Vanveldhuizen of Orleans filed a lawsuit against James Lee Stevens of Spirit Lake on Friday, Jan. ...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s High School attended district speech on January 25. Three out of the six groups are advancing to State Large Group in LeMars on February 8.  The three qualifying teams are two short film groups, “The Spooning” and “The Fax” and TV news group “I.D.I.O.T. News.”...

The political universe has been turned upside down by the failure of the Iowa caucuses. Traditionally the event provides the first concrete tally after months of speculation about the presidential primary. But Monday night’s Democratic caucuses ended inconclusively as the state party blamed technological problems for preventing it from reporting results. Here are some questions and answers about what happened — and what might come next...

Parks Marina, Inc. and The Barefoot Bar announced the University of Okoboji Winter Games “Locals Kickoff Party” raised a total of $9,600.02 during the eighth annual Battle of the Bartenders fundraising event on Jan. 23. The generous donations exceeded last year’s total contributions by $3,000. ...

A male student at Storm Lake Middle School has been arrested in connection with a terrorism threat made on a school bus Tuesday afternoon. Police were called to the school after another student reported the threats of gun violence in the school that had been made on the bus...

The Storm Lake Board of Education voted unanimously during a special session Wednesday to launch an innovative Dual Language learning program next fall at the elementary school. The decision was finalized after finding a lot of excitement among parents and the community since the board first discussed the idea in January...

A Cherokee woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon after allegedly threatening to harm a victim and then assaulting an officer during her arrest. Police were called to Cyclone Car Credit in Storm Lake shortly before 5 p.m. on a report of harassment. Officers were told that the victim had been receiving harassing phone calls and that the caller had threatened to harm the victim and damage the victim’s property. The victim identified the suspect as Emily Lamoureux, age 21...

Dickinson County officials threw their support behind an effort by Gov. Kim Reynolds to promote the biodiesel industry in Iowa. The governor signed an executive order in early December requiring all future bids for state vehicles with diesel engines be compatible with a 20 percent biodiesel fuel blend. ...

Buena Vista University is moving forward with its $4.3 million Phase II remodeling of the Forum building, focusing on the current library space. Most of the work will be done over the summer, with completion planned in time for the start of the 2020-21 fall semester...

Amid growing concern over not just the timeliness of Iowa’s caucus results, but their accuracy, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday called for an immediate recanvass of all the returns. With 97 percent of Monday’s caucusing results reported, DNC chairman Tom Perez tweeted, “Enough is enough. ...

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The GK Storm gymnastics teams traveled to the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs last weekend (Jan. 31-Feb. 2) to compete with hundreds of other Excel gymnasts at the 2020 River City Classic. The Gold team placed fourth overall, and the Silver team placed seventh. The gymnasts came home with lots of individual hardware as well, and two GK Storm gymnasts scored top-three all-around finishes...

STORM LAKE - The Buena Vista women’s basketball team gave No. 11 Loras College all it could handle in the first half, but the Duhawks broke open a four-point halftime contest with a big third quarter en route to a 70-50 victory over the Beavers on Wednesday night at Siebens Fieldhouse...

On Thursday morning, the Iowa High School Athletic Association released the new district groupings for the upcoming football season and also announced that the playoff format will remain the same with only 16 teams getting in. Storm Lake will once again be in 3A-District 1 and will be joined by: Bishop Heelan, LeMars, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Spencer and newcomer Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley...

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the Regional basketball pairings for 1A, 2A and 3A on Wednesday afternoon. Five out of the six Pilot-Tribune area teams know what they will be facing during the first part of postseason play. In 1A-Region 1 is the St. ...

HOLSTEIN - To say that Tuesday night’s Western Valley Conference tournament game came down to the wire between Ridge View and Woodbury Central would be an understatement. Raptor Beau Blackmore got to play the hero as his layup as time expired went in to give his team a 51-50 win...

EMMETSBURG - The Alta-Aurelia girls had trouble keeping the ball on Tuesday night against Emmetsburg, giving it away 41 times on their way to a 67-19 setback. The Warriors trailed at halftime, 36-10 and then was outscored in the second half, 31-9. “We played a very talented team last night in Emmetsburg. ...

ESTHERVILLE - The Storm Lake girls got back on the hardwood on Monday night down a couple of players due to injury and illness as they took on the Estherville-Lincoln Central Midgets. The green and white came away with a 70-24 loss in the Lakes Conference contest...

EMMETSBURG - A late Alta-Aurelia rally was thwarted by a last second shot on Tuesday night as the Warriors fell short of coming away with a win against Emmetsburg, falling 55-53. The E-Hawks jumped out to a five point lead after the first quarter, 15-10. ...

NEWELL - According to Newell-Fonda boys head coach Chad Buchholz, his team has been struggling in the first quarter as of late, but that changed on Tuesday night against Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire. Newell-Fonda jumped out to a big lead early and never let up against the Titans, taking an 81-51 decision...

ESTHERVILLE - The Storm Lake boys had built up a good sized lead against Estherville-Lincoln Central, and had to fend off a late Midget rally on Tuesday night to come away with their seventh win of the year, 65-59. Storm Lake came out of the gate strong defensively and held the Midgets to seven points in the first quarter and led by four points, 11-7. The green and white continued to build on their advantage in the second period, outscoring ELC by 10 to carry a 14 point edge at halftime, 28-14...

STORM LAKE - The Buena Vista men’s basketball team overcame an early 20-point first half deficit to lead by as many as six early in the second, but Loras used a key 16-0 run midway through and hung on for a 90-83 victory on Wednesday night at Siebens Fieldhouse...