Stories from Tuesday, February 2, 2021

There were no eggs or in-person audience for the Spencer Chamber of Commerce’s first Eggs and Issues legislative forum of the year but the issues and political officials returned for the annual forum series in 2021. Attending the recent forum were state Sen. ...

Saying that the Biden Administration is rolling back immigration enforcement and reversing President Trump’s executive order prioritizing prosecuting illegal immigrants convicted of violent crimes, Chuck Grassley joined fellow Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst and others to reintroduce “Sarah’s Law.”...

When Nathan Deters, Accredited Farm Manager and partner at Stalcup Ag, is installed as president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers on Wednesday, Feb. 3, it maybe the first time in ASFMRA’s 92-year history that partners in the same firm will be leading both the state and national organizations in the same year. ...

Alta-Aurelia Fusion Dance Team members Ashley Hinkeldey and Kennedy Berkland performed solo routines during a basketball intermission recently at the high school. / Pilot photos by Dana Larsen

Eighty-nine-year-old Harold Arthur Duncan was pronounced dead, likely due to complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions at approximately 11:12 a.m. Jan. 26 in a hospice room of the Iowa Medical and Classification Center...

This week’s action in the House revolved around two proposed constitutional amendments. The first, which we debated last night (1/27), came about as a result of an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that interpreted the language of the Iowa Constitution that there is an inherit right to abortion. The second, which we will debate today, would place a right to keep and bear arms in the Iowa Constitution, very similar to Second Amendment in the United States Bill of Rights...

Iowa musician Mike McAbee will be on stage at Shiny Top Brewing in Fort Dodge, Thursday, Feb. 11. Showtime is 7 p.m. The singer/guitarist brings a folks appeal and plenty of humor to his solo shows. The son of a Lutheran minister, Mike moved around a lot growing up, but while attending dirt track races he won a free trip to Nashville. After seeing Music City, he figured if he started to learn to play the guitar then, by the time he was 18 he’d be famous. So much for plan A...

Known to mix thrash, alt rock and classic metal with a killer on-stage performance, Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is set to rock the Iowa State Fair Grandstand Concert Series presented by Homemakers Furniture on August 20, 2021...

Venues all over North America are hosting the Saving Our Jobs Virtual Comedy Festival presented by Stella Artois. Professional comedians from the U.S. and Canada will participate in an all-day live virtual festival on Valentine’s day. One of the locations will be Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. Tickets are on sale now online, at $20. Showtime is 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb.14...

There’s a kitchen-sink full of Serious Drama Cliches in the new Justin Timberlake film “Palmer,” about a high school football star turned convict who must help the young gender fluid boy with the addict mom next door while also trying to regain his footing in his small Louisiana hometown. ...

Spread the love this February by saving lives in your community at a LifeServe Blood Center blood drive! To help ensure the safety of blood donors and team members during this COVID-19 pandemic, LifeServe is enforcing several precautionary measures. ...

For over 15 years, Storm Lake and surrounding communities have been supporting the local blood bank, LifeServe Blood Center, at the community blood drives organized by Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. The blood drives were held Tuesday, January 5th and Friday, January 22nd to start off the new year strong! LifeServe Blood Center was able to collect 113 units of blood saving up to 339 local lives. ...

Webster County Department of Public Health has notified UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge that they may begin to vaccinate community members, using vaccines that were not utilized for Phase 1A (healthcare workers). UnityPoint Health will begin vaccinating priority populations 65 years and older...

If I have allergies, should I still get the vaccine? If you have a history of allergies to food, pets, insects or other things, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you proceed with vaccination, with an observation period. If you have a history of severe allergic reaction, or what is called anaphylaxis, to another vaccine or injectable therapy, your doctor can do a risk assessment, defer your vaccination, or proceed and then observe you after vaccination. ...

When an Iowa City police officer in 1996 accidentally shot and killed Eric Shaw, an artist working late in his father’s office, Troy Kelsay wasn’t the one who fired the gun but knew police had made a terrible mistake when he saw blood flow from Shaw’s body...

President Biden came into office with a flurry of executive orders, including actions on the environment that were immediately met with both hope and skepticism. Among the keen observers was Dr. Ben Maas of Buena Vista University. Teaching environmental science and geology, and with degrees in geophysics and hydrogeology, Maas has heavily researched water quality in Storm Lake...

When Wayne Andrews found out that the Storm Lake City Council had approved his family’s proposal for construction of a sign to commemorate a lakefront spot informally known as Sleepy Hollow, he was overjoyed that the project was going to go through...

Storm Lake St. Mary’s Homecoming King Aaron Ramos and Queen Ariana Eisden were crowned during a coronation ceremony Thursday night. / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen