Stories from Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Just as surely as climate change is scarring the land and warming the seas, it is also flooding our movies. The planet’s imperiled future has been in the DNA of disaster movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” for years, of course. But lately, climate has taken a more leading role in films proliferating as quickly as ice caps are melting. ...

While Danielle Trussoni’s spellbinding novel The Ancestor could be categorized as a mystery, further definition remains, well, something of a mystery. On first note, Trussoni’s novel smacks amazingly of Joyce Carol Oates’ labyrinthine 1980 novel Bellefleur with its unspoken family secrets. ...

The Hit Men will be performing at the Pearson Lakes Art Center Wednesday, Sept. 1. Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Wings, Alan Parsons, Billy Joel and Journey were among the most beloved and influential pop music artists of the second half of the 20th century. And all share another common denominator: at some point during their careers each had at least one of The Hit Men playing behind them on the road or in the studio...

The EuroCAST Ballroom in the Events Center will bring a variety of speakers and performers to the 2021 Clay County Fair powered by SMU, Sept. 11-19. “Whether it’s a game show or a patriotic salute or one of the top Southern Gospel music groups in the nation, the Ballroom will be a great venue for activities at the 2021 Fair,” said Fair Manager Jeremy Parsons...

Tickets for Downtown Country Jam in Fort Dodge featuring Randy Houser with Cory Waller & the Wicked Things and Brad Morgan are now on sale online at Ticketweb.com and at Fort Dodge HyVee. The show is Saturday, October 2 at Central Plaza. Doors open at 5 p.m., music starts at 5:30. Tickets are $25 for all ages in advance, if any remain they will be sold for $35 at the gate...

Diego Escarcega marks his high school tenure in a unique manner, wins and losses. The four-year period coincided with the four years his mother, Maria Soile Pina, worked to get her documents in order to apply for and earn U.S. citizenship. The first two years of Escarcega’s college tenure at Buena Vista University have been marked in another series of wins and losses, the time in which his mother has battled cancer...

Storm Lake High School Music Department is headed “Back to the Beach,” resuming its traditional Beach Party fund raiser Sept. 2, 5-7:30 p.m. This year’s Beach Party will be held at the high school parking lot. There will be plenty of fun and games (with 25 cent tickets for kids), plus music, limbo and hula hoop events, crafts, prizes, a Tiki Tike Bake Sale and more...

The Alta VFW Auxiliary Post 6172 recently donated school supplies to Alta Elementary for the upcoming school year. Pictured from left to right are Cathy Fisher of the VFW, administrative assistant Cara Pedersen, school behavior specialist Sherie VanBerkum, and Warrior Academy Coordinator Shelley Koopman...

Storm Lake Police joined in the first High Five Friday of the school year, welcoming students at the elementary building.

The mere mention of a cemetery tour to certain people, and the thought of walking among the dead and buried can invoke fascination, fun, sorrow, fear and even joy. Organized cemetery tours can be historical, and even fact-finding, for some. From the obsession, for some, of hanging out with the dead from Hollywood’s Forest Lawn, or putting whiskey bottles and candles, on Doors’ singer Jim Morrison’s grave outside of Paris, cemeteries can draw all types, at all hours...

Eric Ramos of Storm Lake, IAwas one of more than 90 students in the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health who volunteered at non-profit and community service organizations in the greater Iowa City area the Friday before the start Iowa’s 2021 fall semester. The community service provided the students an excellent opportunity to connect with the greater Iowa City community and get to know each other prior to the start of classes...

Reduce single-use plastic in the environment and give back to those in need in the local community, all while running routine weekly errands at the local Hy-Vee grocery store. The Friends of the Storm Lake Public Library has been selected by local store leadership as the benefiting non-profit for the month of September...

Horseshoe throwers from across the state competed in the Iowa State Elders Championship division of the Horseshoe Contest Saturday, August 21, at the 2021 Iowa State Fair. Marvin Dirks, Fonda, placed fifth in the Class A Division.

As the school year approaches, kids of all ages are once again faced with additional challenges. This time of year can be stressful for every child – especially a child experiencing a mental, behavioral, or emotional challenge – and with the added safety concerns surrounding COVID-19, kids may be feeling extra pressure as they adjust back to a school routine this fall...

Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04) spoke on the House floor to recognize Colton Griffin, a third grade student from Moville, Iowa. After Colton’s classmate and friend, Hope Widman, passed away in a tragic accident, Colton wanted to make sure her bucket calf still made it to the Woodbury County Fair. That is when he came up with the idea to have his whole class show her calf, Taffy...

With much of Iowa currently under drought conditions, many shallow lakes and wetlands will either be dry or nearly dry, making scouting an important part of hunter’s preparation ahead of the 2021 waterfowl season. The issue is most pronounced at Big Marsh Wildlife Area, near Parkersburg, that relies on the West Fork of the Cedar River to provide water for its expansive network of wetlands...

Dean Nicholson, age 86, of Storm Lake, Iowa died August 24, at Methodist Manor in Storm Lake. A Celebration of Life Service was Friday, August 27, at 4 p.m. at the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa. Visitation was Friday, August 27, 2021 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Storm Lake. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Storm Lake School Foundation at 419 Lake Ave Storm Lake, Iowa. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of arrangements...

On Thursday, Oct. 7, Seasons Center for Behavioral Health will host a Domestic Violence Summit at the Crossroads Pavilion Event Center in Sheldon. This free training will feature keynote speaker, Michelle Jewsbury, who since 2016 has been focusing her efforts on ending domestic violence. An afternoon and an evening session will be offered for members of the community...

More than 80 University of Iowa bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) students celebrated a significant personal milestone earlier this fall when they participated in the UI College of Nursing’s biannual white coat ceremony. The donning of the white coat symbolizes a nursing student’s transition to clinical nursing course work and live patient care. ...

Teepa Snow MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, one of the nation’s most dynamic and uplifting dementia care experts, and founder of Positive Approach® to Care (PAC), presented Coping with Challenging Situations in Dementia Care on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Over 200 participants, including nursing home employees and at home caregivers attended this free webinar and learned valuable information on the topic. ...

Believe it or not, the rates for Midwest ATV (all-terrain-vehicle) accidents in the 55-64 age bracket closely mirrors the rate found in ATV riders who are between 10 and 15 years of age. University of Nebraska Extension Educator – Rural Health, Wellness and Safety, Susan Harris, says the statistics surprised her at first...

As Iowa schools prepare for a third school year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning options are multiplying and receiving strong support. Steven Hoff, the head of the Iowa Virtual Academy, said the pandemic has created an influx of registrations to his school, alongside more online options popping up across the country and state...

Will Horsley, director of the Clay County Conservation Board, Bri Blom, conservation naturalist, and Lee Schoenewe, board president, recently joined the Clay County Board of Supervisors for a virtual presentation designating Clay as one of the state’s first seven counties to be awarded the Bird Friendly Iowa designation...

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Buena Vista County. Last week, 72 new cases were diagnosed, up 67 percent from the previous week. Six new hospital admissions were seen among BV patients, for a total of 12 inpatients as of Sunday - none in intensive care...

As Americans fled Kabul and desperate Afghans sought to follow, Jerry and Brett Young stood in the yard of their rural Rochester home and remembered their boy who never got to see his 26th birthday. “He loved to skateboard when he was younger. And he loved all kinds of music. He especially liked jazz, the blues and hard rock,” Brett recalled Friday of her son Chad...

Storm Lake fans turned out for the start of football season Friday, battling a swarm of gnats in the stands as the team fought ELC on the field. The cheerleaders kept the crowd’s spirits high, and some of the young fans stacked up themselves to help out...

Area crops look reasonably heathy, despite drought throughout the growing season. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data showed the entire northern half of Iowa abnormally dry. Most of Buena Vista County has been listed in moderate drought, while the area to the north and east of the county has seen severe to extreme drought conditions...

STORM LAKE - The Midgets of Estherville Lincoln Central came up big Friday night, exploding for a pair of touchdowns in the last two minutes of the first half as they put away Storm Lake 34-0. Both teams struggled for traction early on, each running into a brick wall while opting to go for it on 4th and 1 situations. ...

NEWELL - The 8-man #7-ranked Newell-Fonda football team had a dominating 54-12 win over West Bend-Mallard to open their season. The Mustangs kicked off the ball to start the game and held the Wolverines offense to a standstill to get a three-and-out before taking over. ...

HOLSTEIN - The Ridge View football team fought hard but came up short in a 13-36 loss to two time defending State Champion and 2A #5-ranked OABCIG. The Raptors kicked the ball off to start the game and OABCIG ran it back to their 43 to start. The Falcons got a couple first downs but were held up around the 45 yard line on the Raptor side. ...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia football team opened their season at home and took down West Monona, 21-6, on Thursday. The Warriors took an early lead with two touchdowns in the first quarter to make it 14-0 heading into the second. The game was a defensive battle with neither team scoring in the second or third before the Spartans scored six and the Warriors put up another seven...

PAULLINA - The Sioux Central football team fell in their season opener at South O’Brien on Thursday, 8-14. The Wolverines had control of the first half scoring a touchdown and extra point in the first and second quarters each. The Rebels managed to rally and score in the fourth with a little over a minute left and attempted an onside but couldn’t come up with it...

STORM LAKE - The Storm Lake volleyball team fell in their season opener at home to Hinton, 3-0 on Thursday. The Tornadoes lost 8-25 in the first set and 5-25 in the second. In the third set the Tornadoes fought back and had the lead for a while before the Blackhawks pulled away to complete the sweep with a 25-16 win...

ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia volleyball team took a 3-0 sweep over Southeast Valley at home on Thursday. The Warriors dominated the game taking the first set 25-19, the second set 25-10 and the third 25-12. Senior Jenna Nielsen had 12 kills to lead the team on offense while senior Shea Lockin had 10. ...

NEWELL - The 2A #6-ranked Newell-Fonda volleyball team hosted a triangular to open their season on Thursday and fell in their first match against East Sac County before beating Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire. In their first match against East Sac County the Mustangs fell 1-3. In a close back and forth opening set the Raiders won with a 27-25 win over the Mustangs. The Mustangs then dominated the next set with a 25-12 victory before falling 16-25 and 22-25 to lose the match...

WEST BEND - The Sioux Central volleyball team picked up their first win of the season by taking down West Bend-Mallard 3-2 on the road on Thursday. The Rebels took the first set 25-20 before falling 9-25 in the second and 14-25 in the third to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead. The Rebels pulled it back by winning the fourth set 25-14 to take it into the final set where they closed the match with a 15-11 win...

CHEROKEE - The Ridge View and Alta-Aurelia cross country teams went to Cherokee for their first race of the season. On the boys side Ridge View placed fourth while Alta-Aurelia took sixth in the team standings. West Monona won the meet. Ridge View junior Kyler Wunschel placed third with a time of 20:06.80 while Alta-Aurelia junior Braden Sonksen took fifth with a time of 21:02.20. ...

SPENCER - The Storm Lake cross country team kicked off their season at Spencer on Thursday. On the boys side the Tornadoes placed ninth while Western Christian won the meet. Senior Tyler Moon took third place with a time of 17:39.40, Matt Lenzmeier placed 38th at 20:16.37 and Juan Jiminez-Delcid came in 52nd at 21:29.32. Western Christian senior Tage Hulstein won the meet at 17:05.99...