Stories from Tuesday, March 9, 2021

More than 1,400 University of Iowa students participated in the 27th annual student-led Dance Marathon which raised more than $1.4 million for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The students danced non-stop for 24 hours, celebrating the child survivors and remembering those who passed away during the past year. ...

Imagine Iowa Great Lakes (IIGL) is excited to announce a new program that will bring public art to high traffic areas in the Iowa Great Lakes. Artist painted picnic tables, park benches, and Adirondack chairs will bring color and artistry to areas along the Highway 71 corridor and help to anchor gathering places along the trails and near local businesses...

The Sioux Central FFA program wrapped a fairly busy 2020. “We are really proud of the kids, and what they have accomplished. We had a lot going on, the first six months of school,” says Eric Koehlmoos, Sioux Central ag instructor and FFA advisor. The 2020 National Agriscience Fair is an event where students who have been recognized for studying ag scientific principles and emerging technologies in agricultural enterprises compete with various projects. ...

City leaders, chamber officials and community members gathered in the Spencer City Council chambers recently for the Spencer Sesquicentennial Celebration press conference, where Spencer Mayor Kevin Robinson and Spencer Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheriffa Jones announced Spencer’s 150th Anniversary Celebration, which will primarily take place during Flagfest weekend this summer with opening ceremonies beginning at 5 p.m. ...

Weather is defined as the events happening each day within the atmosphere. Climate is used to describe weather patterns over a much longer period of time. At the recent Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar on climate and weather, Dr. Dennis Todey from the USDA Climate Hub in Ames, walked listeners through the differences and tied them together into a look at the upcoming growing season...

Buena Vista University students collectively earned 34 awards, including 11 first-place honors, at the Iowa College Media Association’s (ICMA) contest. The annual awards presentation took place virtually on Feb. 18. Students submitted pieces they created through digital media programs including BVTV, The Tack, and KBVU. Local students who earned awards are:...

Jason Konz had family ties to Buena Vista University (BVU) before he visited campus as a high school student. His mother, Ruth (Portz) Konz, a 1992 BVU graduate, and his sister, Sarah (Konz) Anderson, a 2018 BVU graduate, both studied accounting here...

Winter weather always impacts the blood supply. When snow falls and temps drop, blood drives and blood donations get canceled. LifeServe Blood Center needs to boost the blood supply at upcoming blood drives! To help ensure the safety of blood donors and team members during this COVID-19 pandemic, LifeServe is enforcing several precautionary measures. ...

Colorectal cancer is one of the top cancer diagnoses in our tri-state area. Per the Iowa Cancer Registry Report with 2004-2015 data, the risk of developing colorectal cancer in the Sioux City region is higher than the 12-year state average. But, according to 2018 screening data that is part of county data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) under the CDC, the Sioux City area is the lowest metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs) in Iowa with persons ages 50-75 getting a colonoscopy in the last 10 years.. ...

With so much time spent indoors, or in one place, it’s easy to get carried away with doing something without even realizing it. A glass of wine after the day’s last meeting may be the norm, but that seemingly harmless glass can turn into a whole bottle before you even notice it. ...

Comedy Night at the Roof Garden Ballroom will feature Chris Cope, Saturday, April 3. Showtime is 7:30. Chris Pope has recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tosh.O, and Laughs on Fox. He’s acted in feature films and also appeared on the hit ABC TV Show “Grey’s Anatomy.” He uses every show as a chance to blend cleverly written stand-up about everyday life with crowd interaction...

The Des Moines Symphony performs the sixth livestreamed concert in its “Live from the Temple” series, Spring Serenade, on Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. Richard Strauss’s Serenade in E-flat Major, composed when he was just 17 years old, opens the Symphony’s March concert with lyrical woodwind and French horn melodies. ...

Rowan McCartney and Friends will perform at Shiny Top Brewing Saturday, March 13, with Irish songs and stories. Admission is free for the 5 p.m. show. Shiny Top is located at 520 Central in Fort Dodge. Rowan resides in little Somers, Iowa. “I’ve been playing music my entire life. ...

The Storm Lake Fire Department responded to 182 fire and rescue-related calls in 2020, down from 219 the year before, according to a recent public safety annual report. Eighteen structure fires challenged the department in 2020, up from 11 in 2019, but about average for the decade. ...

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of COVID-19 virus being confirmed in Iowa last March - about 340,000 cases ago. Buena Vista County saw 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases last week, down from a spike of 47 the week before. The highest percentage of local cases continued to be to young adults age 18-29 - 33% of last week’s new cases. Only 22% were to people age 60 and older, and 7%to children 17 and younger...

The American Association of Swine Veterinarian’s Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year Award was presented to Dr Chris Sievers during the 52nd AASV Annual Meeting, held virtually. The award is given annually to an AASV member five or less years post graduation who has demonstrated the ideals of exemplary service and proficiency early in his or her career...

Tyson Foods is facing new legal challenges in court, but the company is making headway in attempting to move wrongful-death cases tied to the pandemic from state court to federal court. The meat and poultry giant has been hit with several lawsuits from the families of Iowa workers who died after allegedly contracting the coronavirus in the company’s plants. Now, the company is facing a new set of allegations related to its conduct with shareholders...

When does cultural sensitivity turn into censorship? While half a dozen classic Dr. Seuss children’s books have been yanked from publication, raising a firestorm of debate, don’t expect to see the beloved children’s author disappear from Storm Lake Public Library shelves...

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently urged Americans to take a “see something, say something” approach with hate speech and threats of violence on social media and online, to help authorities combat domestic terrorism threats. Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, in the wake of the U.S. ...

Newell-Fonda won their third straight state championship Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, holding off a Bishop Garrigan team that in December had inflicted the only Miustang loss over the past three seasons. For full Girls State Tournament coverage, see today’s Sports...