Stories from Monday, November 15, 2021

Sac Fit received a $2,000 grant to restock their food pantry. The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America’s (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund. Sac Fit used the Working Here Fund Grant to purchase food items to restock the Sac County food pantry. The food pantry offers four locations throughout the county to serve the food insecure families in surrounding communities. “We are honored to support organizations dedicated to addressing food and hunger issues in our local communities,” said Angie Vaughan, regional vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica’s Storm Lake office. Steph Erpelding of the Sac Fit committee said, “We were pleased to hear our grant was approved and we were going to be able to give our local food pantries a boost before the holidays!” Sac Fit is one of 55 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the first quarter of 2021. FCSAmerica awarded $88,133 during the grant cycle ending March 31, 2021.

As people adhered to stay-at-home orders or self-isolated during the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, daily commutes turned into shuffles between the bedroom and the living room. Clicking Zoom links erased time spent walking to meeting rooms, and Netflix spilled into time otherwise dedicated to the gym...

As the John Deere strike enters its fifth week, a national Republican organization took aim at Iowa Democrats for supporting union workers. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, an organization devoted to winning back a GOP Senate majority, issued a news release Wednesday, criticizing Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer for supporting striking workers...

An Iowa State University study looking at the impacts of soil disturbance and early remediation practices from construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline finds significant soil compaction and gradual recovery of crop yield in the right-of-way over five years...

Nancy Mae Hoch was a loyal cousin, friend and animal lover. On Wednesday November 3rd Nancy passed away peacefully in her sleep with her beloved cat, Bella, on her lap and her faithful dog, Chip, at her feet. Nancy was being treated at home when she succumbed to the effects of COVID-19...

Buena Vista University and Ridge View have entered a Strategic Partnership, working to build up the people and communities both entities serve. This partnership allows for employees of Ridge View, as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost of education while enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus. ...

Q: What do Iowans need to know? A: Don’t dilly dally. The deadline for Medicare recipients to update their health insurance coverage for next year is Dec. 7, 2021. More than 644,000 individuals are enrolled in Medicare in Iowa. During open enrollment, beneficiaries may join or switch from original Medicare to Medicare Advantage. ...

A judge passed down a 50-year jail sentence last week for Gregg Eugene Winterfeld of Spirit Lake, who has twice been found guilty of murdering a Cleghorn man. The 71-year-old had been granted a retrial after being found guilty of second-degree murder in April. ...

Last week a bench in Seneca Park in Storm Lake was damaged by vandals. This bench had been placed through a donation in memory of a loved one by their family some time ago. Anyone with information on the incident should contact the police department...

Sioux Rapids P.E.O. Chapter GJ announces that applications are being accepted from area post-secondary women students for scholarships of $500 to be awarded in February of 2022. To be eligible for a scholarship the applicant must be from, or living in, the Buena Vista or Clay County area. ...

On October 30, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Buena Vista University completed a clean up at Circle Park, Sunset Park and Chautauqua Park. Mayor Mike Porsch and the City Council extend sincere appreciation for the volunteers in giving of their time to enhance the appearance of the community. Their efforts symbolize the idea of being Storm Lake Proud...

Central Insurance at Central Bank is pleased to welcome three new executives with Storm Lake ties and industry expertise; Matt Cress, Ben Jones and Jayson Van Haaften. Matt Cress joins the agency’s agribusiness and commercial lines team as Sales Executive. In this role, Cress will develop new clients, manage existing clients and oversee client deliverables...

Lizard Lake Wildlife Management Area in Pocahontas County has received a massive facelift over the past 10 years turning what was once a shallow lake full of rough fish that suffered from severely degraded water quality to a healthy functioning ecosystem with some of the best water quality in the state...

The City of Storm Lake has received notice that its bid for a $500,000 public library renovation grant has ben approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The grant period runs from now until early 2023. Plans for the funds include replacement of the heating/cooling/air movement systems at the library, and renovating a current staff work room into a semi-private multimedia room that can be used for online meetings, education and telehealth appointments...

Tori Curoe isn’t a professional juggler. She could be. Curoe worked four jobs while serving as a paraprofessional in the Dubuque Community Schools District. So, she technically worked five jobs. And attended Buena Vista University at the same time. “I liked that BVU offered courses that were all online because I was working so many jobs when I was an undergraduate,” says Curoe, a Behavior Teacher who serves a special education program within the schools...

The 10th annual community Thanksgiving “Caring is Sharing” meal will be served Thanksgiving Day, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Lake Avenue Lounge, downtown Storm Lake. Cindy Bosley off BozWellz and her team started the event to provide a place for anyone to gather for those who might be alone or in need on the holiday, and it has since grown into a community happening. ...

The movies are clawing their way back in theaters, but, so far, not everyone is showing up like they used to. While certain segments of moviegoers are closer to pre-pandemic levels, older moviegoers and family audiences have been slower to return. That’s shrunk already narrow opportunities for non-franchise films to find audiences. Well before the pandemic, superheroes and spectacles were already a bigger and bigger slice of the box-office pie. Right now, they’re closer to the whole meal...

Clay County Heritage is excited to announce their next temporary exhibition called “Parker House: History of the First Floor” that will open to the public Wednesday, November 24th at the Clay County Heritage Center in Spencer. The exhibit showcases the story of the James E. Parker family with their living room furniture and pictures from the house. Other artifacts, like pianos and clothing, illustrate their lifestyle...

Thanksgiving needs a good PR firm. While Hallmark is dealing out Christmas movies by the bucketful before Halloween, name me a few good Turkey Day films. I’ll wait… *insert sound of patient whistling.Not so easy, is it? But let’s not just rush past a perfectly good holiday here. With a deep dive into the archives, here’s a list of movies to celebrate with while the cranberry sauce is dribbling down your chin...

Amid a pandemic, Buena Vista County families have fallen behind on normal childhood vaccinations, raising concerns from county Public Health and the schools. The county and the state audits all of the school districts and licensed day cares to ensure that children are getting the health protections they need, immunizations that are required unless families receive religious or medical exemptions...

It’s official, Dave Rowley has been named the GOP candidate on the upcoming ticket for an empty state senate seat. Republican leadership for Iowa’s multicounty Senate District 1 gathered Thursday night, at the Arrowwood Resort in Okoboji, to select the party’s candidate to run for the position vacated in the state Legislature following Sen. Zach Whiting recent resignation...

Santa’s Castle holiday showplace in Storm Lake is preparing for a grand re-opening on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers are working on a new look for the Castle, with new surprises for visitors. Local quilter Rhonda McQuigg and volunteer Paulette Erlandson are shown fitting out the well-known “sleeping goats” scene with a colorful new quilt McQuigg made. ...

Lakeside’s mayor wasn’t looking to keep his job, but voters decided otherwise. The city had no candidates running for mayor, leaving the job to be decided from write-in ballots. Current mayor Roger Pomrenke received nine votes, while seven others were scattered among different names...

Soon enough, the children will be crafting snowmen on the playgrounds of our area communities. Except for the one who will stay inside at his or her desk, without a warm coat to go outside for recess. Kids will be tossing snowballs - except for the ones who stand at the wall and watch, because they don’t have mittens, boots or snow pants...