Stories from Friday, July 2, 2021

MidAmerican Energy will close its Storm Lake building permanently at the end of July. According to the company, the Storm Lake employees have been offered other positions with MidAmerican if they wish to continue their careers. Although the office will be closed, a payment kiosk at the Storm Lake Hy-Vee will remain. Bills can be paid there at no cost for cash or check payments, or $2.75 per payment by credit card. Bills can also be paid online or by mail...

Tyson Foods marked the opening of its Bright Blue pilot health center in Storm Lake with a ribbon cutting and tours Thursday at the 608 Geneseo location. Tyson is opening seven health care centers in its plant communities, operated by Marathon Health and named Bright Blue in honor of the company’s heritage color and the outlook for a bright future with easily accessible healthcare for workers and their families...

Chamber Director Joel McCartan has released attendance information for the Chamber’s PRCA 55th Annual Rodeo and they are AMAZING. Over three nights the gatekeepers recorded a total of 5,229 attendees. This total breaks the record for recent years and the only day’s overall attendance not broken in 2021 was Saturday in 2015, which was also the 50th anniversary where fireworks and a concert were held...

The Albert City Threshermen and Collectors Show has announced its schedule of entertainment for this summer’s show. All of the concerts take place in the show tent near the entry to the grounds, and are included with show admission. Friday, Aug. 13    ...

The Roof Garden ballroom in Arnolds Park presents “Ricky Nelson Remembered,” July 7, at 7:30 p.m. The unique multi-media entertainment event features the live music of Ricky Nelson’s hit songs (including “Hello Mary Lou”, “Travelin’ Man”, “Garden Party”) performed by Ricky’s own twin sons Matthew and Gunnar...

The Iowa State Fair Grandstand on Saturday, August 21, 2021 will now feature headliners Dan + Shay, who step in to replace Keith Urban, who had to cancel his show due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict. Special guest Russell Dickerson will remain the opener. ...

Help Impact Pro Wrestling celebrate its 20th anniversary during the Buena Vista County Fair. The wrestling show returns after a popular debut last year at the fairgrounds. Showtime is Thursday, July 8th, 7 p.m. IPW is the oldest active pro wrestling company in Iowa, based in Des Moines with shows traveling the state, and promoting the annual George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame show in Waterloo. ...

Since May, state agencies, wildlife rehabilitators, and animal control operators in the Mid-Atlantic United States have received a sharp uptick in reports of sick or dead songbirds. Grackles, starlings, robins, and blue jays seem particularly vulnerable to this mystery ailment, which causes swollen and crusty eyes and neurologic signs, like disorientation, tremors, and loss of balance. ...

SATURDAY JULY 3 4:45 p.m. Classic Car Parade around the Lake (4 p.m. start assembling at 824 Flindt Dr.) Sunset Park: 5 p.m. Food Vendors 6 p.m. Kiddie Parade (lineup @ 5:45pm) 6 p.m. Ice Cream Social 6 p.m. Classic Car Show 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Poppin’ Penelope (balloon artist)...

After a year off due to COVID-19, the 2021 Star Spangled Spectacular, with theme of A Salute to Hometown Heroes, is expecting nearly 100 entries for the Big Parade along E. Lakeshore Dr. at 11:30 a.m. on July 4, 2021. “There has been a lot of excitement about the parade this year,” says the Big Parade organizer Lee Dutfield, CEO for Storm Lake United. ...

Summer means hot and often dry weather for many gardeners. Keep your garden looking its best with less water and maintenance throughout the summer. Spread a layer of organic mulch like leaves, evergreen needles or woodchips on the soil surrounding plants. ...

As fundraising for the 2021 Star Spangled Spectacular nears completion, Fundraising Co-chairs josh Newhouse and Matt Brostad shared that more than $34,200 in cash and in-kind donations was raised-surpassing their $30,000 goal and breaking the previous record...

The Storm Lake Municipal Band performs at 5 pm on Saturday, July 3rd. The All-American concert is at the Sunset Park Bandshell as part of this year’s Star Spangled Spectacular celebration. The program includes patriotic tunes and music from across the country, including marches from John Philip Sousa, John Williams, and Iowa’s march king, Karl King, as well as music from some of the best Western films...

Buena Vista University and UnityPoint Health are teaming up to extend educational benefits to more than 33,000 UnityPoint Health team members. UnityPoint Health team members throughout the system’s three-state footprint can now access grants and tuition discounts from Buena Vista University to continue their education. Spouse/domestic partners and dependents of full-time team members are also eligible. ...

Leslie Allison Kebschull is the featured artist for this season at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center’s gallery. Leslie has lived in Storm Lake for almost three years with her husband, Pastor Dave Kebschull of St Mark’s Lutheran. She was born in Charles City and grew up in Cedar Rapids, graduating from Linn-Mar High School in 1977. She always had a love of art throughout her youth...

October 23, 1931 - June 23, 2021

February 6, 1932 - June 27, 2021

February 16, 1957 - June 29, 2021

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has announced several Republican task forces as part of an ongoing effort to identify and address current issues. Iowa 4th District Rep. Randy Feenstra will serve on the Energy, Climate, and Conservation task force...

What does retirement look like for lifetime Iowa State University Extension contact Paul Kassel? Why more ISU Cyclones of course. “I plan to remain in the area — and hope to be able to attend more ISU Cyclone football and basketball games — and visit our kids and grandkids more frequently,” he said...

Three percent of Buena Vista County’s workforce is unemployed, according to the latest report from Iowa Workforce Development - or about 350 people out of a potential workforce of nearly 12,000. The county remains below state and national rates. The local rate is up very slightly from 2.9 percent in April, but is a far cry more positive than last year, when June 2020 saw a near 6 percent jobless in BV in the heat of a pandemic...

With a rising crime caseload creating backlog, Buena Vista County Attorney Paul Allen is asking the board of supervisors to add another attorney to his staff. In the region, Buena Vista County is second to only Woodbury (Sioux City) in caseload, and has double the number of violent crime cases as the more rural counties in the area, Allen told supervisors this week...

On Monday, Iowa 4th District U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra took to the House floor to urge President Biden and the administration to back off what Feenstra termed attacks on rural Iowa. “Rural Iowans are already suffering from higher gas and grocery prices due to inflation, which is a direct result of Democrats’ massive and reckless spending,” Feenstra charged. ...

“I love how a moment in time can be captured in a single photo,” Young Aziliz Kazelle Leanos reflects on her budding passion. “A photo can tell so many backstories.” At age 12, the self-taught shutterbug specializes in nature photography, capturing images that many seasoned artists could only wish for - dreamy sunset landscapes, a hummingbird frozen in flight, close encounters with deer, eagles, owls...

“It wasn’t the Brady Bunch, that’s for sure,” he says of his unique family, which has included 35 foster kids over the years along with his five adopted children. Kim Combes, a Buena Vista County native and newly-minted author, recently celebrated a unique family milestone, when his oldest adoptive son married the daughter of a foster child he supervised as a social worker 33 years before. He’s written a book based on his experiences...