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McKeon wins write-in mayor’s race

Meg McKeon has been declared the unofficial winner of the contested Storm Lake mayoral seat.  McKeon defeated fellow write-in candidate Charles Hernandez in a 301 to 158 vote, according to …

Martinez, Riner, Piercy victorious in SL

A series of contested races for city councils across Buena Vista County were decided on Tuesday night.  Challenger Don Piercy, an independent voice who intends to shake up City Hall, was …

Storm Lake, Alta-Aurelia school board members win reelection

Voters elected sitting members of both Storm Lake and Alta-Aurelia school boards to another term in Tuesday’s election while a newcomer for A-A looks forward to joining the group. Tom …

Incumbents mayors fall in Newell, Sioux Rapids

Challengers prevailed in mayoral contests in Alta, Newell and Sioux Rapids.  Wayne Westergaard and Jim Wise were unseated in Newell and Sioux Rapids, respectively. And Desi Suter bested Jon …

Piercy victorious on Tuesday night

Don Piercy was the top vote recipient among those vying for seats on the Storm Lake City Council.  Piercy notched 581 votes in a special election to fill Kevin McKinney’s council …

Bond elections in Alta, Sac fail

Voters in Alta and Sac County turned away building projects that were expected to raise property taxes for a library and a jail.  The Alta library vote failed by a 315-208 margin. Nearly …

Mr. Goodfellow: 101 Years of keeping kids warm

Maria Arreola in a storage room for extra clothing at Storm Lake Early Elementary
Mr. Goodfellow drive 2025 is officially underway, now in its 101st year. The Mr. Goodfellow fund, established by newspaper publisher W. C. Jarnagin, and supported by donors like you, has provided …

Communities band together to help bridge the SNAP gap

Food banks in Storm Lake, Cherokee and surrounding northwest Iowa communities are bracing for the influx of residents in need of food assistance after the federal government stopped funding …

A boon or bane

Community meetings focus on noise, utility profits The City of Alta is expected to hold a community meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the implications of a 12-megawatt Bitcoin mine …
A tower of "Whip Trip" canisters sits next to THC-infused drinks on display at R Smokes Plus in Storm Lake, where members of the city council claim residents can purchase unsafe amounts of nitrous oxide for inhalation.

At a loss for curbing huffing

City mulling ordinance to rein in nitrous oxide Councilmembers Meg McKeon and Maggie Martinez called for statewide action prohibiting the sale of nitrous oxide products for non-medical …

SLCSD offers to settle lawsuit alleging abuse to special needs student

'Alleged wrongdoing will be expressly denied’ The Storm Lake Community School District is offering a settlement of an undisclosed amount to the Khaoorn family, who sued the district and …

BVU student arrested after public cafeteria fight

BVU campus security escorted a student off campus after he allegedly assaulted another student in the campus cafeteria, throwing two chairs and a plate during the process.  Storm Lake …
Amanda Goff, 41

Goff human trafficking case pushed to Dallas County

Sac County Attorney Ben Smith dismissed charges of sexual abuse against a Belmond woman after the FBI transported her to Dallas County to face human trafficking charges that carry a …

Fourth annual BVU Making History event on Nov. 10

The four BVU alumnae panelists from left to right: Deni Adams ’15, Judge Michelle Jungers ’04, Katie Larson ’08 and Dr. Lexi Fisher ’16.
Buena Vista University invites the public to attend the fourth annual BVU Women Making History event on Monday, Nov. 10. This inspiring panel discussion will feature four BVU alumnae who will share …

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The third wing of Storm Lake Early Elementary School is taking shape on schedule and plans are to add the roof soon. The floors are being poured and brick laid, says Storm Lake Community School District COO Jeff Tollefson. The wing is being built for P-K students and should be finished by August 2026
The third wing of Storm Lake Early Elementary School is taking shape on schedule and plans are to add the roof soon...
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Rick Wimer with the Storm Lake Beavers Kiwanis Club presented a $500 donation on Tuesday to the Storm Lake Food Gap fund with Central Bank to help support local food shelves.
Rick Wimer with the Storm Lake Beavers Kiwanis Club presented a $500 donation on Tuesday to the Storm Lake Food Gap fund with Central Bank to help support local food shelves.
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Jenkins Cervantes, 10, cuts the ribbon!
The City of Newell hosted a ribbon cutting late Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the opening of its new musical playground. The ribbon cutting was attended by children and adults of the community to …
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Walking into Friday like...

Amor Ford ends last Friday’s school day with style. Storm Lake Elementary School students celebrated an incentive day on Halloween.

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Storm Lake Times Pilot 11-7-25

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Sports
State cross country
Sioux Central’s Weber, Newell-Fonda’s Brabec, Alta-Aurelia’s Berkland pace respective teams
State Cross Country
Ramirez Parra places 19th to help Storm Lake boys finish 15th
Avery DeHaan
Alta-Aurelia, Storm Lake players headline list of selections to 2025 Times Pilot Volleyball Team
State Cross Country
Wernimont takes sixth to lead area boys runners at state
Kierra Jungers
Jungers to pitch for Creighton next year
South Hardin defense bottles up Ridge View
It takes a pretty special defense to shut down Ridge View’s potent rushing attack. South Hardin has it. The 10th-ranked Raptors ran for 426 yards in their first round playoff game, …
Central uses strong rushing attack to beat Buena Vista
Buena Vista faced a tough test on the road against No. 18 Central and the Dutch used a strong running attack to hand the Beavers a 52-28 loss on Saturday at Pella. Of its 518 yards of total …
Football playoff scores/pairings
SECOND ROUND LAST FRIDAY CLASS 4A Cedar Rapids Xavier 47, Waverly-Shell Rock 0 ADM (Adel) 27, North Scott 24 Gilbert 27, Council Bluffs Lewis Central 24 Newton 51, Fort Dodge …
Nine Newell-Fonda players make all-district football team
Nine players from Newell-Fonda were chosen to the 8-Player District 1 team for football, it was released. Wide receiver Jacksyn Hogrefe, lineman Lincoln Gauley and punter Trevor Tauber were …
Alta-Aurelia players head all-Twin Lakes volleyball team
Four members of conference runner-up Alta-Aurelia were voted to the Twin Lakes Conference teams for volleyball, it was released. Hayden Berkland was chosen to the first team by a vote of the …

Two Storm Lake players selected all-Lakes in volleyball

Two members of the Storm Lake volleyball team were voted to the first team in the Lakes Conference, it was released. Hitter Avery DeHaan and setter Abby Bodholdt were selected to the first team …

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Two Ridge View players make all-Wester Valley volleyball team

Two members of the Ridge View volleyball team were represented on the Western Valley Conference teams, it was released. Setter Zoey Aschinger was voted to the first team by the league’s …

BVU basketball teams to host Central Bank Classic

The Buena Vista women’s and men’s basketball teams will each tip-off their respective seasons by hosting the first annual Central Bank Classic on Nov. 7-8 (women) and Nov. 14-15 (men) in …

Police Blotter and Court Files
police & courts
SL man gets probation, deferred judgment for weed sale on BVU campus A Storm Lake man alleged to have sold marijuana to a confidential police informant while on campus at Buena Vista University …
County resists Hazen’s retrial demand
The Buena Vista County Attorney’s Office resisted Aaron Hazen’s request for a retrial with new evidence, calling the claims of his longtime defense attorney ‘baseless’ and …
Firearm at Lake Avenue smoke shop
A Rockwell City man was arrested on Wednesday for brandishing a firearm at a vape and smoke shop on Lake Avenue.  Miguel Alcantara, 33, was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on …
Police and Courts
SL man arrested for strangling, assaulting mother of his kids A Storm Lake man was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors related to an alleged string of domestic assaults against the …
Bryan Rumbo, 30
SL brothers arrested at home with half-pound of weed
After smelling marijuana outside a Cayuga Street residence, Storm Lake police seized nearly half a pound of marijuana, vaping devices and firearms and arrested two brothers living inside the …

More police blotter and court files

Opinion
The Storm Lake Times Pilot welcomes your opinions. Letters to the Editor must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Mail: P.O. Box 487 Storm Lake, IA 50588-0487 E-mail: times@stormlake.com

Letters to the Editor: The marina lakefront building should be a gathering place, not a workplace

The ongoing debate over the future of the Storm Lake Marina has dragged on far too long, and it’s time for BV County Conservation officials to face the facts. The public has spoken — …

Steve Corbin

Who’s pulling Trump’s strings?

Since the 1960s, think tanks and advocacy groups have been key influencers of presidential policymaking. For decades, Democrat and Republican presidents have relied on think tanks for research and …

More opinion

Alan Guebert
Paradox seems to be the guiding principle of today's food policies. For example, the Trump Administration is arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that the nation’s longstanding trade …
State Rep. Megan Jones
The following was provided by the Iowa Insurance Division: Every fall, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to review and change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan …
First impression of Keokuk: beautiful and blighted, drained away with the currents of time at the confluence of the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers on Iowa’s southeastern tip. You could …
We had a little fun making Peach the Newshound look like she was getting a facial, and picturing a Newell-Fonda football player in a huge stadium by using an artificial intelligence program. This is …
Facebook
Family & Friends
My Favorite Recipe

Let shares her favorite Karen sausage dish

Peh Let enjoys growing plants. She also shares her vegetable garden with neighbors.
Peh Let of Storm Lake is a busy lady. She used to work at Tyson and now her husband Thay Ro works there. Now Peh Let works part-time with a cleaning business, doing janitorial work. She is also a …
From left: Ximena Calderon, Eleina Martinez Bucheli, Bailey Aube, Clare Brostad, Deleyza Martinez Medina and Naevia Hernandez.
Storm Lake Elementary celebrated its October Incentive with popcorn, tattoos, face painting and sugar skulls coloring. 780 students –– 97% of our students –– were able to …
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Storm Lake St. Mary’s sixth grade class traveled to Spirit Lake to view glacial land formations on Oct. 24. This trip was an introduction to a soil and conservation unit led by Colleen Schwanz …
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Upper Des Moines Opportunity had the opportunity to come together for a day of connecting and learning.
Nearly 200 Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. team members came together for a comprehensive All-Staff In-service event recently, focused on organization wide collaboration and reaffirming the …
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Creepy crawler

Thank you to Cindy Hoffard for sending this photo of a praying mantis crawling across her deck.
Mae Specketer advances the ball.

Sunday soccer

Youth soccer continues to be extremely popular with 265 participants this year. Fall soccer is facilitated by Community Education and is officiated with BVU and Storm Lake High School …

Applications for BVRMC Auxiliary Scholarships available

Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Auxiliary is offering three $1,000 scholarship opportunities for those looking to pursue education in a health related field. Application deadline is March 31, …

Bomgaars to host Ladies Night Nov. 2

Make plans to attend a night of festive fun and fall shopping. The Storm Lake Bomgaars Ladies Night is set for Sunday, Nov. 2 from 5-8 p.m. Shoppers will receive 20% off regular priced merchandise, …
Veterans Day Salute
Scott Bohlin with Sailor in his office at Seasons.

100% disabled veteran keeps giving back

Meet Scott Bohlin, substance use disorder counselor at Seasons Center For Behavioral Health in Storm Lake. He said he was called to this job because he wanted to “give back.” But he …

young Bob Wittrock standing near his bed in his gear ready for guard duty.

When the world held its breath, Bob Wittrock served

While the world’s eyes were fixed on the jungles of Vietnam adn the Cold War was happening, Bob Wittrock of Cherokee stood watch in Germany. Wittrock enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1971. …
Mike Fry is seen In 2011 in Rahmankheyl Afghanistan near Shi Kot Valley.

Volunteer guard dogs make a difference –

Another four-footed friend of military personnel is seen in this photo sent by veteran Mike Fry of Aurelia. He was part of three deployments, two to Afghanistan and one on homeland security with the …

Home tour benefits homeless pets

Caring Paws Rescue invites you to “Home Fur the Holidays,” a home tour in Storm Lake and Alta sure to bring you comfort and joy. Six home owners have agreed to open their houses, …

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation (Corridor) is excited to announce the nomination period for the 15th Annual Business Recognition Luncheon to be held in January 2026. This ceremony …
The Alta Hometown Pride Committee cordially invites residents, business owners, employees, students, and all other stakeholders of Alta to participate in a newly launched survey. The insights …
St. John Lutheran Church, 402 Lake Ave., Storm Lake, will host its annual Pancake Supper on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 5-7 p.m. in their handicapped accessible basement.  Included with the …
ENTERTAINMENT
Super bowls for chili
Raptors on stage
ON STAGE NOV. 14-15
SLHS presents ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’
AM Artworks classes at Witter Gallery
‘Amazing Iowa’ author to share her story at SL Public Library
Calendar of events
Obituaries
Marvel Rosdail
Marvel F. Rosdail, 96, of Storm Lake died Nov. 3, 2025, at Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake. Funeral services will take place Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. at United Methodist …
Daniel Haworth
Daniel Haworth, 73, of Schaller died Nov. 2, 2025, at his home. A Time of Gathering will take place Thursday, Nov. 6, from 4-7 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Schaller.
Gerald Lohman Jr.
Gerald “Jay” B. Lohman, Jr., long-time resident of Rock Creek, died at his home on Oct. 30, 2025. He was 82. Jay was born on Aug. 23, 1943, in Springfield, Ill. He proudly served in …
LuVerne Rydberg
LuVerne “Bud” V. Rydberg, 100, of Alta died Nov. 1, 2025, at his home surrounded by family. Funeral services will take place Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. at Hope Evangelical Free Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be …
Lynn Faust
Lynn Faust, 93, of Alta died Oct. 24, 2025, at Ruthven Care Center. Memorial services will take place Friday, Oct. 31, at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Alta. Burial will be in Elk …

More obituaries

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