Stories from Friday, July 23, 2021

Secretary of State Paul Pate announces Iowans registered the highest amount of new business entities in state history during the 2021 fiscal year. 33,260 new businesses registered with the Secretary of State’s Office between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. The mark breaks the previous record of 24,720 set in Fiscal Year 2019 and is a 35.8% increase from last year. This is the fifth time in six years Iowa has set a record for new business filings...

The Iowa State University Sac County Extension and Outreach office will host a meeting on Tuesday, August 3, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with doors open at 9:00 a.m. The location is at the Sac County Extension office located at 620 Park Ave in Sac City. The meeting will last approximately 2 ½ hours and will be facilitated by Alexis Stevens and Tim Christensen, farm and agriculture business management specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach...

A new cafe is preparing to open in Storm Lake with authentic Mexican foods. El Rinconceto (‘The Little Corner”) is located at 115 Railroad, registered to Teresa Zarate De Espinoza.

Construction continues at the site of the new Central Bank location at the intersection of North Lake Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. The location will serve both banking and insurance customers, with separate entries, lobbies and conference space. Work earlier this week was focusing on the drive-up and ATM lanes. The former building, once the site of Godfather’s Pizza, has been heavily redesigned, with additions added. The building is expected to open later this year. / Pilot photos by Dana Larsen...

We know you are hungry for Fair food, it’s been a LONG time since the 2019 Fair. Maybe you are hungry for your old favorites or maybe you want to see what is new and different this year? Well, you won’t have to wait the 29 more days until the Fair to find out the new foods. The 2021 New Foods list is below, but highlighted today are the new food contest entries and the top 3 finalists. Fairgoers can vote on the top three to officially name the top new food for the 2021 Iowa State Fair...

Cassie McDowell is a typical Minnesota seventh-grader. She loves her parents and her sister Sephie. She has a huge crush on the cutest boy in her class. And she seems to be living an idyllic life in the woods of Minnesota. Her parents also hold wild parties and neighborhood boys are mysteriously disappearing and reappearing after being sexually assaulted...

The Farmers Bank Stage will bring six different acts to the 2021 Clay County Fair Sept. 11-19. This is just a portion of the $150,000 of free entertainment that will be offered to fairgoers. “From comedy to polka music to a cappella, the Farmers Bank Stage will have something for everyone,” fair manager Jeremy Parsons said. “The tent in southwest corner of the fairgrounds will again be a popular spot to see great free entertainment.”...

Shelby Nelsen entered the role as the Clay County Heritage Center’s new executive director on July 6, bringing an enthusiasm for local history and experience from Washington, D.C. “I’ve always been fascinated by history,” Nelsen said. “There’s just something about learning about local history that helps me understand where I’m from and makes me more passionate about helping other people discover more, too.”...

The Storm Lake United Methodist Church B.L.E.S.S. (Bless and Love Everyone School Supplies) program is preparing for its sixth annual School Supply Giveaway. The public service project gives away 350-500 backpack bags with supplies each year. This year, a call-ahead system will be used to reserve bags, with a drive-through pickup distribution...

The new Experience Trail continues to take shape at the Prairie Heritage Center near Peterson. The trail will be one of a kind, and serve as a showcase attraction for the state, organizers say. The trail will begin at the observation platform and will wind for approximately a half mile through the tallgrass prairie to the west of the bison pastures. ...

The City of Lakeside held a gathering Monday to recognize Patty Heuton, left, as she departs as city clerk. Heuton has held the position for two years and will be relocating to Arizona. The new city clerk, Sarah Bartling, center, was sworn in by Mayor Roger Pomrenke. Sarah is a native of Alta, who resides near Storm Lake with husband Mike. She was previously the residential director for Genesis Development (later Imagine the Possibilities). / Pilot photo by Dana Larsen...

May 4, 1943 - July 17, 2021

February 12, 1944 - February 2, 2021

September 15, 1931 - July 19, 2021

Let’s help them celebrate their anniversary! The family of Martin and Jeanne Glienke of Alta request a card shower in honor of their 55th wedding anniversary on August 14th. Their children are Rick (Shelley) Glienke of Alta; Dan (Kim) Glienke of St Paul, MN; Susie (Jim) Kolterman of Libertyville, IL; Ann (Art) Gustafson of Clearwater, FL and 11 grandchildren. Their address is 610 Prospect, Alta IA 51002...

Pheasant hunters harvested nearly 300,000 roosters in Iowa during the 2020 season, which was the second highest harvest reported in more than a decade. In 2019, hunters harvested nearly 284,000 roosters. “The 2020 roadside survey showed our pheasant population was 18 percent higher than in 2019, so an increased harvest was expected,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). ...

Naturalist Lunch Box is back for summer 2021! Naturalist Lunch Box is held at 12 p.m. on selected Fridays in the summer at South Cove Park. Pack a lunch and join the fun! Naturalist Lunch Box is designed for all ages. The naturalist will present a short program on a selected topic and have hands on activities for younger audience members...

There are 945 cities in Iowa, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, and Tyler Sullivan of North Liberty is set on going for a run in each and every one of them. The runner and poet trekked through Milford and Spirit Lake on July 5 — completing his visits in the northwest section of the state. Sullivan intends to write a free-verse poem about each of Iowa’s 99 counties as part of his project...

Long before the first presidential nomination contest of 2024, most potential Republican candidates are just getting a sense of the political landscape, tiptoeing through early-voting states and trying to make friends in key places. Then there’s Kristi Noem...

Young Mia Muggenberg and her grandmother Beth stopped at the Sac County Sheriff’s Department July 20. Mia gave the department her proceeds from a lemonade and cookie stand that she and her grandmother set up the previous Saturday in Sac City. Mia raised $1210 to go towards the department’s K9 fundraiser. ...

Storm Lake High School will implement a new three-course block scheduling format for the 2021-22 school year. The new schedule will allow teachers and staff to better focus on student learning due to the increased flexibility it provides. Teachers can now choose the duration of time that works best for each of their courses. For example, while some courses work better in shorter blocks of time, others work best when there are longer stretches to focus on the content...

Developers of a proposed 172-unit housing development near Bel Air Beach approached the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors this week, asking the county to install the sanitary sewer to get the development under way. The developers of the agland known as the “Massop Property” are asking that the county use some of its COVID relief funding to pay for the sewer cost, estimated at over $900,000...

Storm Lake is experiencing blue green algae, which can cause toxins, make the water appear cloudy or scummy, and result in odor. After receiving emails and photos of the algae bloom in the northwest part of the lake, Iowa Fisheries Biologist Ben Wallace visited the lake this week to take samples, and is awaiting results...

Amy Von Bank is planning to bring stability - and an ear for music - to the management of King’s Pointe Resort. After the leadership position at the city-owned signature resort had turned over five times in the past five years, the firm that manages the resort for the city set out to find a long-term solution, recently tapping Fort Dodge native Von Bank as the new general manager...

Filmmaker spending four years seeking insight into lives of SL immigrant families

The Newell-Fonda Mustangs are 1A State Softball Champions, defeating Lisbon 4-1 in the championship game at Fort Dodge last night. The title is the second for the school, which has sent teams to the tournament in 13 of the past 17 years. See today’s sports for tournament coverage. / Photo by Adam Dublinski...