Stories from Friday, September 24, 2021

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) is excited to announce the nomination period for the eleventh annual Business Recognition Luncheon to be held Friday, November 5th. This ceremony thanks the businesses and individuals in our region for stimulating the region through job creation, investment and fostering quality of life throughout Corridor communities...

Many Americans rejoiced when the CDC announced that, for the fully vaccinated, face masks could be discarded. While a majority felt elated at this news, for others, masks have worked as a protection not only from a deadly airborne disease, but also from the unwanted attention of strangers. Indeed, many women have reported that they will continue to wear face masks when out in public, happy with the anonymity they provide...

The State of Iowa has awarded $1 million in Workforce Housing Tax Incentive Program (WHTIP) benefits to the Sunrise Point project in Storm Lake. Kading Properties is building a 170-unit for-lease townhome community on East Milwaukee Avenue. WHTIP benefits provide incentives to development housing across Iowa. ...

A Storm Lake United ribbon cutting was held September 15 at Heartland Counseling Services is located at 813 Flindt Drive in Storm Lake (inside the Century 21 building across from the Dairy Queen). Heartland Counseling Service offers mental health counseling services to individuals 10 years and older. ...

Fall sneaks in, and even though the temps are still pretty moderate, you can see the leaves on trees get a brushing of color. School is back in session for most, and usually, a few area high schools support an educational work initiative that allows some upper class folks to spend a few hours or days per week, working at a job. ...

A new feasability study shows what we shouldn’t need to be told - don’t screw up a golden opportunity. That opportunity is the former Storm Lake dredging spoil site, across the Lakeside blacktop from the back side of the golf course. A landscape architect this week told city leaders that you could build sports fields, trails, shelter houses, playground, gardens, a dog park, etc. on the site, but repeatedly urged against overdevelopment of a place with rare natural appeal...

There is a lot of mis-information going around about the proposed soybean processing plant and how it affects the residents of Lake Creek, so I hope I can provide clarification. Most importantly, no one from Lake Creek has voiced opposition to having a plant in Buena Vista County that I am aware of. ...

The 14th annual BVRMC A.W.A.R.E. 5K Walk/Run Event and Kid’s Fun Run was held Saturday, September 18. There were 328 registrations and over $10,500 was collected in support of cancer awareness. The funds will be used to assist patients receiving cancer treatment at BVRMC...

Q102FM presents: The Ultimate Halloween Party featuring The Trip, Saturday, October 30 at the Roof Garden ballroom in Arnolds Park. The Trip is a popular cover band from Los Angeles, performing classic and modern rock and pop hits. Special guest guitarist Ron Bumblefoot Thal, formerly of Guns N Roses and Asia, will join the show. A costume contest will be sponsored by BudLight with cash prizes for the top three costumes...

O’Brien County Conservation Board invites trick-or-treaters to Mill Creek Park on Saturday, October 2nd from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. To help make this ghoulish night a success campers will be offered free camping on Saturday, October 2nd in exchange for decorating their campsite and handing out goodies that evening...

Grandpa’s Barn and Vinyard at Varina will host Harvest Fest, Saturday, October 9. There will be an omelet breakfast from 8-11 a.m., a craft and vendor show, roaming musicians, pony wagon rides (free will offering), a grill-out lunch with burgers and brats from noon-2 p.m. Pie and ice cream and hot apple cider are available. Pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and broom corn are available for purchase. For information, call 309-373-0208...

We’ve all heard about George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. But what could happen in the future? That’s the question Joel E. Lorentzen tries to answer in his novel Proles: A novel about 2084. Lorentzen, who was born in Davenport, Iowa, moved with his family to various acreages between Blue Grass and Buffalo as he was growing up, later settling on a 144-acre farm in Muscatine County. ...

Neil Anders and the Brothers Merritt will be in concert Saturday, October 9, 7 p.m. at River Hops Brewing on Central Avenue in Fort Dodge. The newly-formed combo played in Storm Lake last spring during Storm Lake Proud Day, and was well received at a July Lighthouse series concert in Storm Lake’s Sunset Park...

The Storm Lake Board of Education has approved agreements with Lutheran Services in Iowa and Plains Area Mental Health for the school year. Local families were disproportionately hurt by the pandemic, with staff seeing mental health concerns among students, according to Superintendent Stacey Cole said. ...

The City of Storm Lake will offer a project swap with the developer of Kading Properties associated with their project to build 170 units of new housing in the Poplar Lane area. Originally, the city and the developer planned to split the cost of a 10-foot wide shared-use path along the railroad right of way adjacent to the neighborhood. The city was then to install the remainder of the path from Geisinger Road to the Sunrise Point Addition within five years...

The Storm Lake City Council has accepted a funding agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for safety improvements to the Highway 110 and Highway 7 intersection, near the site of the new Early Elementary School that will open in early 2022...

Actor, writer and producer Scott Siepker became known as the “Iowa Nice Guy” approximately 10 years ago. Through the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Siepker visited the Clay County Fair last week to share the stories behind his work. Siepker was born in Carroll in 1982. ...

Fall is a season of transition and that includes your garden. Make the most of beautiful fall days to enjoy your garden and prepare your landscape for the winter ahead. Put fall leaves to work in your landscape improving your soil, reducing maintenance, and creating winter homes for toads, frogs, and beneficial insects. ...

Sixteen art educators joined a pair of Buena Vista University students in learning and practicing concepts surrounding social and emotional learning as part of a day-long seminar on campus hosted by Mary Mello-Nee, BVU Professor of Art. The session was spearheaded by Erin Price, a Storm Lake native and a Ph.D. student who teaches in the University of Missouri Honors College and School of Education...

1946 - September 17, 2021

December 20, 1963 - September 20, 2021

June 21, 1955 - September 18, 2021

February 27, 1944 - September 16, 2021

December 19, 1925 - September 17, 2021

James Lightfoot, age 35 of Newell, was sentenced this week in Buena Vista County District Court. in July, Lightfoot entered a guilty plea for two felony counts of Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registry requirements. He was sentenced to a prison term not to exceed five years with the Iowa Department of Corrections. Lightfoot is required to turn himself in to begin his sentence by November...

Jetorria White, age 23 of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced in Buena Vista County District Court this week, after pleading guilty in June to Burglary Second Degree and Child Endangerment. She was sentenced to a prison term not to exceed 10 years. White was one of three persons arrested in Storm Lake in October 2020 after reportedly forcing their way into a home and assaulting occupants in a custody dispute over a minor child...

A teenager has been ordered to residential treatment with no jail time after multiple violations of probation stemming from a Lascivious Acts With a Child case in 2019. Judge John Sandy also ordered that Ivan Najera, age 19, of Spirit Lake, be held by the Buena Vista County Sheriff until a bed can be found in a treatment facility...

The Bridge of Storm Lake is preparing for its Annual Fall Banquet at Buena Vista University on Saturday, October 23rd, 6-8 p.m. This event is an important way for the organization to share updates regarding the mission and future plans. Additionally, it is a key fundraising activity that helps sustain The Bridge in the upcoming year. ...

Iowa’s COVID-19 cases continued to rise Monday, with daily average cases surpassing the most recent peak in January 2021, before vaccines were widely available. Iowa’s daily average of COVID-19 cases was 1,867 on Sunday, according to New York Times data. That number represents the average number of new cases every day over the last week...

Three weeks after the last U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, over two-thirds of Iowans said they disapproved of the way President Joe Biden handled the situation, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. Iowa’s lawmakers in D.C., many of whom have been critical of Biden’s approach from the onset, are turning their attention toward creating memorials for veterans of the Global War on Terrorism...

The U.S. Senate parliamentarian has turned down a plan to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, a blow for Democrats and immigration advocacy groups when the decision was disclosed late Sunday...

Lee Dutfield has been hired for a newly-created position of Development Services Specialist with the City of Storm Lake, and will be leaving his role as CEO of Storm Lake United.   “We are appreciative of Lee’s years of service to Storm Lake United and the community,” the city government and SLU said in a joint statement. ...

Iowa legend Simon Estes joins the Buena Vista University Concert Choir and high school choirs from across Buena Vista County in a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, at Schaller Memorial Chapel on BVU’s campus. Estes, a native of Centerville, will sing and interact with students as part of his “99 Counties Roots and Wings Tour,” an endeavor in which Estes, one of the world’s leading bass-baritone voices, shares the blessings of his talent while showcasing the gifts and work ethic of students in vocal music programs across the state.. ...

Expert: developments could include sports fields, walking and bike trails, dog park, outdoor classroom, nature playground, Community, gardens and more

“We don’t want to lose this project. Cooler heads can sit down and discuss this situation.” - Lake Creek resident Denny Vaudt

Ridge View 20, Sioux Central 6 Alta-Aurelia 22, H-M-S 66 Newell-Fonda 41, Kinglsey-Pierson 34 Storm Lake 14, LeMars 36