Stories from Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Currently, three new variants of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are creating concern. They include: A variant identified in the U.K. This COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.7) has 23 mutations. Several of these mutations are in the spikelike S protein that the virus uses to attach itself to the surface of human cells. ...

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a free “Mental Health Resiliency” Virtual Lunch and Learn meeting from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4. All are invited but pre-registration is required. The program will feature three speakers including Dr. ...

Kim Geguzis, longtime secretary to the dean in the University of Iowa College of Nursing and wellness ambassador for the liveWELL program, had strong motivation for making healthy lifestyle changes. After years of witnessing family members struggle to manage their Type 2 diabetes, she knew she had to do something to avoid the same fate...

Applications are now available for the Nelda Nelson Memorial Scholarship. The $1,500 scholarship is open to any high school senior residing in Buena Vista County planning on attending a vocational school, college or university. The application is available by contacting Buena Vista County Farm Bureau, 712-732-4004, in Storm Lake or your high school guidance counselors. ...

Wayne State College included more than 1,300 students on the dean’s list for exemplary academic achievement during the past semester. Students listed on the dean’s list are full-time undergraduate students who have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale for the semester. Included is Storm Lake student Alexys Ocegueda...

The Turn Around’s GK Storm gymnastics teams competed at Chow’s Winter Classis meet January 15th-17th in Des Moines, IA. The GK Gymnast are coached by Mike Copeland and Samantha Rasmussen. The GK Blaze & Storm gymnasts competed against gymnasts from Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. They competed on the vault, bars, beam and floor...

An owner of a large pork production company that disproportionately benefited from an Iowa coronavirus aid program recently donated $25,000 to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign, a new disclosure report shows. Mary Ann Christensen, board member of Christensen Farms and part of the family that owns the company, made the donation Dec. 29, according to the filing made public Tuesday...

The former CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa has been arrested on felony charges alleging she embezzled tens of thousands of dollars from the charity that supports sick children, the group confirmed Friday. Jennifer Woodley, 40, turned herself in to authorities in Des Moines on Thursday to face two charges of first-degree theft and the unauthorized use of a credit card. She was booked at the Polk County Jail and released after posting $30,000 bond...

Governor Kim Reynolds has announced the reallocation of $17 million in relief money made available to local governments for direct expenses incurred in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Of the $17 million remaining from the Local Government Relief Fund, roughly $4.7 million was previously allocated to smaller cities and to simplify the administration of distribution, is being reallocated to the county the city resides in. These smaller cities rely on services provided by the counties, such as public health and public safety.  Counties will not have to reapply for the additional funds and the state will use the latest application from the Local Government Relief Fund to finalize the award.  . ...

Paxtons Jewelry is pleased to once again donate to the St. Mary’s Virtual Ball and Charity Auction on March 6, 2021 – A Starry Night. The prize this year is a striking diamond necklace in trendy 14K rose gold. The necklace has one carat total weight of diamonds, in stations across the center of the necklace. Notice that several of the stations appear to be in a “star” shape, and of course the sparkle is almost as bright as the stars!...

So what was daily life like in Hitler’s Germany for the average family? That’s the question L. Annette Binder tries to answer in her gripping and memorable novel, The Vanishing Sky, a fictional treatment inspired by her father’s experiences as a Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany. Binder immigrated from Germany to the United States as a small child and lives in Lyme, N.H...

The U.S. Department of the Interior has designated the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, as a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its enduring role in the history of American music. The ballroom is best known for hosting the last concert of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson before their fatal plane crash in the early hours of Feb. 3, 1959, a date Don McLean immortalized as “the day the music died” in his 1971 hit “American Pie.”...

Border tensions are boiled down to two families in “ No Man’s Land,” an uneven independent thriller with some redeeming qualities. Its heart, and homages to classic Westerns, are in the right place even if the work as a whole is neither as impactful nor epic as the filmmakers were striving for...

A handful of sentences from state Sen. Zach Whiting ahead of his prepared remarks Thursday in the Iowa Senate have drawn criticism from the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement. The group released a statement Friday calling for the northwest Iowa legislator’s removal from office, saying Whiting’s account of June happenings at Iowa’s Capitol were “an exaggerated farce to say the least, empowered by his bold racism and general fear of Black people.” Whiting feels critics are unduly applying a racial element to his statements — which he said were made off the cuff in response to comments from state Sen. ...

The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP is opposing study bills in the Iowa House and Senate. “The NAACP believes charter schools need more oversight, transparency and diversity accountability, and it opposes funding for them until that happens and at the expense of meeting the needs of public schools students. That is especially true in the midst of the pandemic plaguing our state and the nation, which in driving classes online has had special impact on low-income families and children of color,” The NAACP said in a statement Sunday.. ...

An alleged robbery attempt of Spencer High School alumnus Mitchell Houchins, 27, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Dec. 30, 2020, in Sioux Falls, led to the arrest of three individuals following approximately two weeks of investigation. Both 21-year-old Josue Hernandez and 28-year-old Crystal Mousseau are being charged with first-degree murder charges...

Roger Peterson was born to teach students, specifically math. Into his 80s, he continues to substitute teach when needed in area schools, and until recently, coached the Storm Lake boys swim team. Roger, by nature, is known for his positive attitude. In addition to the day’s lesson, he says he tries to leave each group of students in each classroom he visits with a nugget they can use in life...

By DANA LARSEN Pilot-Tribune Editor Storm Lake city officials are protesting after learning that some have obtained COVID-19 vaccine seemingly ahead of their position in the state and national distribution plans, and jumping public safety first responders in the supply chain...

President Joe Biden came into office with executive orders requiring use of masks on federal property, and requiring masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation. Plus, the new administration issued a broad call for Americans to mask up during the next 100 days...