Stories from Wednesday, February 26, 2020

The Lakes Conference released their All-Lakes first and second teams, along with honorable mentions this week as a pair of Tornado boys were named to the second team this year, two boys to the honorable mention and one girl. Storm Lake juniors Mark Eddie and Jamuo Gatwech both earned Lakes Conference second team honors this year. ...

SHELDON - The Sioux Central boys had a tall task ahead of them in the 2A-District 3 Championship game on Tuesday night. The Rebels took on a 19 win Boyden-Hull team that flexed their defensive might, shutting down Sioux Central’s offense in a 72-33 decision...

ALGONA - Newell-Fonda and Harris-Lake Park locked horns in a fast-paced, physical boys District Semifinal Tuesday night in Algona. The Mustangs led for much of the first three quarters, before bowing out 79-69. Both teams suffered chilly shooting in the opening minutes. ...

ORANGE CITY - The Storm Lake boys came into their 3A-Substate 1 quarterfinal game against MOC-Floyd Valley on Monday night with nothing to lose. They were considered the underdogs against the 18 win home squad, and for the first 10 minutes, the green and white had everything going. However, the Dutchmen were able to weather the early Tornado storm, used a key run in the third quarter, and took a 65-50 contest to end Storm Lake’s season...

Seven Storm Lake Middle School band students were selected to participate in the 6th Grade Strong Foundations Honor Band. The selected students performed a concert at Sioux City East High School on Thursday, February 20 (rescheduled date from the original January 23 event cancelled due to snow). ...

Ron Ellefson, age 78, of Storm Lake, died on Tuesday, February 18, at his home in Storm Lake. Funeral services were held on Saturday, February 22, at 1 p.m. at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Storm Lake. Visitation took place on Friday, February 21, from 5 - 7 p.m. ...

David Joseph Proczak, age 56, of Cherokee, Iowa died February 21, at his home in Cherokee. There will be no services at this time. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. David Joseph Proczak was born August 29, 1963 in Storm Lake, the son of Joe and Linda A. (Miller)...

Frances Marie Hinde Bean, age 99, of Storm Lake, Iowa, passed away Monday, February 24, at the Methodist Manor Retirement Center in Storm Lake. Funeral services will take place Saturday, February 29, at 11 a.m. at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake. ...

On February 10, Phillip Smith, age 48 of China Grove, North Carolina, was sentenced in the Iowa District Court by the Honorable David Lester for the crime of sexual exploitation by counselor or therapist, an aggravated misdemeanor. Smith is the former minister of Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. The case relates to a parishioner he was counseling...

A GoFundMe online memorial fundraiser for Kain Mendez surpassed its goal in a mater of hours over the weekend. With a $7,000 goal, over $11.000 was donated within the first day. The 16-year-old Storm Lake High School student passed away Friday. A memorial gathering was held at the school Saturday, and on Monday, the district offered a list of grieving resources. Donations are being accepted for funeral/memorial expenses at “In Loving Memory of Kain Mendez,” GoFundMe.com...

Iowa gas prices have risen 5.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.33 to start the week. Gas prices in Iowa are 1.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 2.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Storm Lake pump prices also trended up in recent days, ranging from $2.27 to $2.34, with many station at $2.32 Monday...

The Buena Vista County Pork Producers introduce the 2020 BV County Pork Royalty: Jaeyln Hartnett is Little Miss Pigtails, Paige Roberts is Ambassador, and Adrain Hatlen is the 2020 Pork Queen. The royal crew will make their first official appearance at the producers’ banquet February 28...

The Crown Jewels presents its tribute to the music of Queen, February 28, 8 p.m. at Hard Rock Resort in Sioux City. Hailing from Minneapolis, the band is made up of some of the area’s finest musicians who share one thing in common: a special place in their hearts for the band Queen...

Mo’s in Storm Lake and Raptor Darts will host the Hope For Farmer darts tournament March 7, starting at 1 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with brain cancer. Harper has already gone through six weeks of radiation and will be starting chemo treatments soon at the St Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. All money raised will help with costs for treatments and to hep with the family’s stay in Memphis. #HopeforHarper...

Does the dog movie have any new tricks? Do we want it to? For the most part, we want our dog movies like our pooches: comforting, obedient and slightly slobbery. “The Call of the Wild,” the latest adaptation of Jack London’s 1903 novel, is all those things but adds a new twist. Its canine is computer generated...

Tickets are still available for the Hall Sisters, the next act in the Storm Lake Community Education Performing Arts Series. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at Storm Lake High School Auditorium March 14. For ticket information, visit the CE office or call 712-732-5711...

Come join for an exciting night of dance performances by our youth clinic kids, the dance team, dance team parents, and a couple of surrounding schools. The night will kick off Friday at 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s High School. Admission to event: $5 Adult and $3 Student...

Gain a better understanding of body image and eating disorder issues during a week of events at Iowa State University starting this week. Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week is part of a national effort to encourage a positive, sustainable lifestyle through awareness of body image issues and eating disorders and to identify resources on campus and locally...

Nine Buena Vista University (BVU) business students and seven science students have been selected for the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award for the 2019 calendar year. The awards, which range up to $5,000, were created by two separate $750,000 endowments from the foundations established by Dr. ...

The Iowa Supreme Court elected Justice Susan Christensen as its next chief justice on Monday, making her only the second woman to rise to chief of the seven-member court. Appointed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018, Christensen is part of a new more conservatively constituted court. Reynolds has named three justices to the court since becoming governor and will name a fourth after acting Chief Justice David Wiggins retires next month...

We just finished the first funnel week for this legislative session. This week was very busy attending last minute subcommittees and attending standing committees. Here are some of the significant bills that made the deadline. Human Resources: SF 2084: This is a bipartisan bill sponsored by myself and Senator Greene to mandate health benefits for families who have children with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANDAS). ...

If you can’t move the bridge, move the city. That’s the strategy for Buena Vista County as it seeks to replace the landmark Linn Grove Bridge. An application for city bridge funds from the state last October has been denied after it was found that the bridge is not touching city limits, as County Engineer Bret Wilkinson had believed at the time...

By DANA LARSEN Pilot-Tribune Editor Only a year after the new Farm Bill, discussion of agriculture will intensify as Congress looks toward the next guiding piece of legislation, according to Western Iowa Congressman Steve King, who spoke to a gathering including many agribusiness people at Nutra Tech near Storm Lake Thursday...

A St. Louis man original accused of taking part in kidnapping and robbing two Albert City residents of two pounds of marijuana and $3,800 cash has been sentenced to prison for up to 12 years on lesser charges. Jerome Roberts, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced in local District Court Monday...

Iowans have scarcely had time to recover from last year’s river flooding, which inundated towns from Hamburg to Davenport and points in between, but meteorologists are already warning that flooding is likely this year, too. In response, Iowa’s congressional delegation is focused on short-term concerns, such as making sure that disaster relief efforts get to residents quickly and helping communities shore up flood protection infrastructure before the waters rise again...

Planning is underway for Storm Lake Proud Week, April 27-May 3. It’s all about taking ownership, says Mike Porsch. An idea was kicking around in his head well before he became the mayor of Storm Lake. “For a long time, I had been trying to think of a way to develop pride in the community, and at the same time get people involved first-hand in caring for our parks and beaches and public spaces,” he reflects...

Suicide prevention is an issue that has touched Storm Lake, as many other communities. A key step is awareness, according to Willa Casstevens, a former psychotherapist and current Buena Vista University social work educator who studies and speaks on suicide prevention...