Stories from Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Numerous additional charges have been filed against a Storm Lake man involved in a high speed accident in April, after the SLPD received toxicology report results from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistic Laboratory. Gabriel Hernandez Palma is now charged with OWI, Reckless Driving, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle, multiple speeding violations including Speeding 75 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone, and other traffic violations...

Lorraine Woltman, age 85 of Alta, passed away on Wednesday, May 13, at her home in Alta. Lorraine was born on December 10, 1934 to Ingval and Grace (Morris) Gunderson. She was baptized at the Bethany Lutheran Congregational Church in Jackson County, MN on February 3, 1935. Lorraine was raised in Minnesota, where she held the town of Bergen close to her heart. Many stories told of her time spent with her twin aunts, Petra and Clara, while living in Bergen with them...

With average rainfall about 2 inches below normal and temperatures about 2 degrees below normal, April was cooler and drier than usual, according to the latest Water Summary Update. In April, Iowa received 1.59 inches of precipitation, or 1.92 inches below normal. ...

Buena Vista County Conservation Board Director Greg Johnson announced that Buena Vista County Conservation Board managed campgrounds re-opened Friday May 15 with limited amenities and special restrictions. Shower houses along with modern and vault restrooms throughout the county will remain closed until further notice...

The Diocese of Sioux City is not yet setting a date to resume public Masses. The Diocese of Sioux City has based and will continue to base decisions on scientific data and reliable projections, leaders said. There are a number of criteria the diocese is waiting to be met before it is deemed safe and responsible to open up churches again. ...

The U.S. House on Friday cleared a massive $3 trillion relief bill aimed at blunting the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sweeping legislation, which passed largely along partisan lines by a vote of 208-199, carries a price tag that’s roughly equal to the four previous coronavirus response bills already signed into law...

A California farm animal sanctuary is spending thousands of dollars to send two cargo planes to Iowa to rescue 1,000 chickens that were going to be euthanized at a struggling egg farm. Workers affiliated with the sanctuary Animal Place loaded chickens onto the planes Saturday morning at the Fort Dodge, Iowa, airport. The group planned to fly the hens in more than 60 crates to California, where they will be taken to the group’s sanctuary near Grass Valley, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento...

University of Iowa researchers warned that the coronavirus would continue spreading through the state even before Gov. Kim Reynolds reopened restaurants and churches, a move they said would exacerbate the problem, documents released Friday show. The researchers, including some of the state’s top epidemiologists and infectious disease experts, also warned that hundreds more residents will likely die through the end of May even if widespread business closures remained in effect...

The Storm Lake City Council will discuss the prospects for a skate park during their next set of budget discussions. The city was approached by a citizen asking for the attraction to be reconsidered. A skate park was proposed by local youth years ago, and a plan was professionally drawn for a park to be located in the Seneca Park area behind the police station, but the project was never funded...

MidAmerican Energy said the Trump administration’s move to extend renewable energy tax credits beyond the Dec. 31 deadline would protect consumers from potential construction delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of Iowa’s investor-owned utilities, MidAmerican and Alliant Energy, have major wind developments in the works. ...

The Sunrise Campground in Storm Lake opened May 8,. Following the guidelines of Governor Reynolds’ May 13, proclamation, social distancing will continue to be required to minimize the possibility of community spread of COVID-19. Guidance from the Iowa Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control will be followed...

Iowa’s top academic students have been chosen for the 2020 Governor’s Scholar Program. The Governor’s Office, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and its title sponsor, the Iowa Farm Bureau, are presenting this recognition which began in 2003...

Last week, the Storm Lake Hy-Vee distributed 7,200 free mangos to customers during a contactless, drive-thru giveaway event. During the event, one bag containing 12 fresh mangos was distributed to approximately 600 customers who were in line for the giveaway. ...

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) granted Seasons Center for Behavioral Health with an expanded grant award to support the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant currently underway. In 20] 9, Seasons Center received the CCBHC grant, designed to provide comprehensive services to adults and children with mental health or substance use disorders. ...

Kim Keleher, CEO/President of Plains Area Mental Health, Inc. announced that Plains Area has been awarded a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant award in the amount of$3,992, 958 for two years. The CCBHC grant will allow Plains Area Mental Health to expand service delivery for IHH, School-based Services, SUD services, ASIST and MHFAlYMHFA trainings, and increase awareness of the services through various media outlets. ...

In preparation for installing a new MRI unit at Spencer Hospital, the current one was removed. To safely remove the unit, which weighs approximately 3 tons, a large crane was parked in the area typically used for emergency department parking Wednesday morning. The parking area for emergency services was temporarily relocated. A similar process will occur in early June when the new MRI unit is installed...

When many were rushing to rewatch “Contagion,” the eerily prophetic 2011 Steven Soderbergh film about the outbreak of an easily transmitted virus, I was searching for more comforting escapes. I reached for “North by Northwest” the way a baby grasps for a pacifier...

The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association has announced the decision to cancel the June events for Rock The Roof due to continuing concerns related to COVID-19. The association is attempting to reschedule these into late August and September. “We decided as an executive leadership team that, out of an abundance of caution and care for our artists, friends and staff, that it was in everybody’s best interest to postpone June’s events,” Clay Norris, executive director of the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association, said. ...

A Nebraska man suffered minor injuries after bailing out of a car chase and being run down by a police dog Thursday night. The incident began when a Storm Lake Police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle reportedly driving recklessly at a high rate of speed in the 300 block of Lake Avenue. ...

Sophomore Cody Holtgrewe wasn’t sure what would become of his AmeriCorps service when Buena Vista University closed campus in late March, sending students home to complete the second semester in online instruction, a precaution the University took to protect the health and safety of students and the larger campus community...

Coronavirus emptied the parking lot at Storm Lake High School, and Coronavirus filled it. The lot at the locked-down school was pressed into service over the weekend as the state’s eighth Test Iowa mobile test site, as positive COVID-19 cases in Buena Vista County climbed beyond 100. The unit is initially scheduled to operate through May 22...

State health officials reported four more deaths and 304 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday. To date, 14,955 people have tested positive, 355 have died, 382 were hospitalized and 7,324 have recovered. Over 103,000 Iowans had been tested as of Monday...

A Matrix Medical mobile unit has been set up at Tyson Foods in Storm Lake, and will begin testing team members this week at both the pork and turkey plants. Tyson, Storm Lake’s largest employer, is partnering with the leading clinical services company to help ensure the safety and health of their team members and contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...