Stories from Friday, September 3, 2021

Miller leads beef and pork business unit

Well-known blogger, speaker and social influencer The Iowa Gallivant (Iowa City’s Jay Goodvin) recently paid a visit to Storm Lake for a lengthy online review. Goodvin is in the midst of a 34-county beef-focused gallivant across northwest Iowa, or as he refers to it, “The T-Bone Tour.”...

Shiny Top Brewing in Fort Dodge is now offering axe throwing. Sign up your group of four at www.shinytopbrewing today and check out their new Facebook page, Shiny Top Axe Throwing. Axe throwing is one of the biggest trends right now and it’s perfect for guys nights, girls nights, double dates, and groups of friends. Remember, no open-toed shoes are allowed...

Prophets and Outlaws will close out the Stone Pier Summer Concert Series with a show full of soul, Sunday, Sept. 5. The outdoor show begins at 5 p.m. This group originated in a Jesuit high school set in the heart of metropolitan Dallas when two brothers and a best friend came together in their shared love of music. ...

Tickets are now on sale for “CATS,” the Broadway At The Orpheum presentation for October 6. Showtime is 7:20 p.m. Tickets are $28.50-$86.50. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s megahit musical has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, and is now on tour across North America!...

Perhaps the most unique act at the Clay County Fair grandstand this month is Darci Lynne, the singer-ventriloquist in the midst of her “My Lips Are Sealed (Except When They’e Not)” tour. Darci is set to take the stage Friday, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $33 (general admission stage front seating), $28 (reserved grandstand seating), and $23 (general admission bleacher seating),available in advance at Midwestix.com...

On August 30th, Juan Alvarez, age 26 of Early, was sentenced in the Iowa District Court to a prison term not to exceed five years. On May 19th,Alvarez entered a guilty plea to felony Theft in the Second Degre.

On August 31st, Lisa Lohnes, age 37 of Storm Lake, was sentenced in Iowa District Court to serve a prison sentence not to exceed 10 years. On August 12th, Lohnes entered a guilty plea for the crime of Perjury, a Class D Felony and Failure to Appear...

Spencer Hospital is implementing a COVID-19 vaccination policy requiring hospital employees to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 1. The policy has been put in place to protect hospital’s patients, visitors and health care team, and will be effective beginning Sept. 1...

Storm Lake’s Labor Day weekend classic is back. Hy-Noon Kiwanis’ 15th annual Escape to the Lake Kar Show will be held on Sunday, September 5th at Chautauqua Park. Awards will be given in 35 classes, such as convertibles, pickups, Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, and many others, both classics and modern marvels. High school students are encouraged to enter in their own division...

Storm Lake St. Mary School is experiencing a significant gain in enrollment for the 2021-22 academic year, most notably at the high school level. The preK-12 Catholic school realized a 3.6% gain system-wide and a 33.3% gain in grades 9-12. St. Mary High School has 64 students enrolled for the current year, and 285 students are enrolled in preK-12...

Cub Scout Pack 105 is hosting a new member sign-up/information night on Thursday, September 9th at 6:30 p.m. at Scout Park in Storm Lake. This is an opportunity for interested families to learn about Cub Scouting and have any questions answered. In addition to learning about scouts, everyone who attends will get to build and launch a pop bottle rocket!...

Teams of 4-H youth from four Iowa counties showcased their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit during the third annual AgOvation program finals on Aug. 21. AgOvation is a research-based competition that challenges youth to explore and develop innovative science-based solutions to agricultural problems that they identify in their own communities. ...

Gov. Kim Reynolds this week issued disaster proclamations for 13 counties in response to recent severe weather. Two area conties. Palo Alto and Pocahontas, are included. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to, and recover from, the effects of recent severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program.  ...

An area man has died while serving essentially a life sentence in prison. The Iowa Department of Corrections announced that Ronald Hendricks, 74, had died Thursday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center, where he was being treated for cancer...

The next Taste of Storm Lake event will be “Thanksgiving in the Park,” hosted by the Buena Vista County Democrats. The community meal Thursday, Sept. 9 features turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn, salad and pumpkin pie, with a soft drink, coffee or water. To-go meals will be available. Cost is $10, children 12 and under free...

Several Iowa monitoring sites recorded exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter last month, including two measurements that were more than twice the national standard. Smoke from wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada were evident across much of Iowa towards the end of July. While many news outlets reported on smoke, official data from regulatory monitors is only available after laboratory analysis...

November 19, 1947 - August 29, 2021

Federal education officials have launched civil rights investigations in Iowa and four other Republican-led states that have prohibited school districts from mandating mask-wearing, saying those policies could amount to illegal discrimination against students with disabilities...

Iowa pheasant hunters could reasonably expect one of the best seasons in the past dozen years, based on an annual population survey. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources found enough birds on its annual August roadside survey to project a kill of 250,000 to 350,000 roosters, or male pheasants, this season. That would be the second-highest total in the past 12 years and about the same as last year, DNR reported...

The new Experience Trail at the Prairie Heritage Center debuted this week with a exploration event. Children learned about megafauna that lived here during the time of the glaciers, played at the new cave and climbing bridge, and explored the prairie. This new trail is open to the public at any time, free of charge. / PHC photo...

It might not be a stretch to say that Leanne Valentine has handled more money at Buena Vista University than anyone in the 131 years of the institution. That’s an honor reserved for the Executive Director of Financial Assistance, a professional who held that title for nearly four decades as she directed the disbursement of financial aid awards that ignited then kept dreams alive for hundreds of thousands of BVU students...

The Storm Lake Water Advisory Board reviewed development projects in the city and their impact on storm water, during a meeting this week. A new Frito-Lay distribution center is being built by Ebert Construction of Minneapolis in the Radio Road/Rothmoor Road area. ...

Proposals for potential grant funding for Storm Lake Public Library renovation have been cut down from nine to potentially two - extensive upgrading of the HVAC systems and addition of a virtual learning area. The cost of the air/heating/cooling systems has been estimated to take up the bulk of the $625,000 the library hopes to see if successful in seeking a state Community Development Block Grant, plus some city matching funds. ...

William J. Ludwig, Architect and Urban Planner, presented plans for the Massop property located at the south entrance to the City of Lakeside during a recent meeting of an informal local committee. The Planned Residential Community of 70 potential homes is named “Lakeside Village” and includes single family residential lots, senior villas, and young family townhomes...

Former Storm Laker Matt Hanson placed second in his match at the inaugural Collins Cup in Šamorín, Slovakia Sunday. The 100 kilometer event was described as “a triathlon like the world has never seen before - a head-to-head showdown among the world’s greatest athletes to determine who rules triathlon.”...

Traditions were renewed at last weekend’s Buena Vista University Convocation, with a bagpipe procession, first-year bell-ringers, and the freshman class marching in through the Victory Arch for a welcome speech by BVU’s W\ythe Laureate Shawn Stone. /Photos: BVU UMC Team...

A Supreme Court decision allowing Texas to enact new restrictions that effectively ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy has ignited fresh debate on the issue around the country. Will Iowa lawmakers follow in Texas’ controversial footsteps? State legislator Gary Worthan predicts that the governor and Republicans in the state House and Senate will be watching the court decision play out carefully...

The Alta-Aurelia Warriors fought through the rain, turnovers and tough Akron-Westfield defense to win 22-21 in overtime. Other scores from this week: Storm Lake fell to 1A #5-ranked OABCIG 10-42 8-man #7-ranked Newell-Fonda took down Siouxland Christian 75-14...