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Scaring for a cause

A dilapidated hearse and a sadistic clown greet visitors.
Calling themselves “Northwest Iowa’s Best Haunted Attraction,” the non-profit Bango Haunted Crib in Schaller invites you to tour the refurbished popcorn factory and visit the attached Bango …

Local candidates split over LGBTQ, water quality issues

Candidates disagreed, but all remained civil at a forum sponsored by SALUD and PFLAG Sept. 30 at Buena Vista University. Topics on the agenda were water quality, immigration, LGBTQ-related issues and …
The City of Storm Lake is negotiating with a new operator for its beleaguered miniature golf course.  The operator of the 18-hole miniature golf course sold to Severson Properties, an …
Youth at Sunday’s Youth Justice Action Month event compete in a friendly game of dodgeball at Seneca Park.
The community came together at Seneca Park on Sunday for Youth Justice Action Month. Youth from Midwest Christian Services, foster care groups, and families from surrounding counties spent the …
The white Toyota Prius allegedly stolen from 117 N. Main St. in Alta was found here near the intersection of Ontario and West Milwaukee.
Held without bond for being ‘unauthorized alien’ Four teens – one of them an adult undocumented immigrant – were arrested in connection with a string of car burglaries around Storm …
A youngster fastens the seatbelt before riding the seat belt convincer. Below: At the bottom, Maggie Reyes has survived the ride. The sign facing the passenger says, “Remember this ride is voluntary,” and warns heart patients, back patients, those who have had hernia surgery and others not to try it.

Storm Lake Fire Department Open House

The Storm Lake Fire Department gave visitors a big jolt and the inspiration to wear a seatbelt as part of an educational activity at its open house Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol’s Seat Belt …

Council pumps the brakes on The Breeze

Councilman Don Piercy: city ‘backed into a corner’ as condo work grinds to halt The Storm Lake City Council rebuffed Shawn Foutch’s request to renegotiate the completion deadline for phase …

Supervisors pass on traffic surveillance

The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors rebuffed a request to install traffic monitoring software that’d assist Sheriff Kory Elston and Engineer Bret Wilkinson.  The supervisors …

Alta City Council discusses incoming businesses: Andale Mex Grill and Dollar General

The Alta City Council approved a liquor license for a new Mexican restaurant — Andale Mex Grill on Oct. 5.  The owners of Andale, current residents of Lake View, showed up to observe the …

Court rejects constitutional challenge to SLPD stop

A district court judge determined a Minnesota man’s constitutional rights were not violated during a stop he claimed was unreasonably prolonged due to racial profiling.  Judge Kristi J. …

DNR to zap Spring Lake with Rotenone this fall

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is renovating Spring Lake’s fishery in Cherokee, which was clouded with turbidity and infested with rough fish as a result of the 2024 floods.  Fisheries Biologist …

Sweet home Alta

Nashville artist Lawson Harris entertained the crowd from a stage set up downtown.
Alta Hometown Days brought lots of activity to downtown Saturday afternoon and evening. The event was organized by Alta Hometown Pride in conjunction with Scooters on Main. Bounce houses, a balloon …

Beaver Pride

The marching band and cheerleaders form an alley for the team to run through at the beginning of the game against Simpson College.
Fans surrounded Peterson Field last Saturday for Buena Vista University Homecoming
Iowa Capital Dispatch

Cake Dig pink diamond won by husband for wife

Angel Guerra and Linda Miller duke it out in the final round of the cake dig to find the buried gem buried in the cake. Guerra snagged it to win the .67 carat pink diamond.

Paxtons Jewelry hosted their annual balloon bash and cake dig on Saturday to benefit Buena Vista Regional Medical Center P.I.N.K. during breast cancer awareness month. BVRMC P.I.N.K. provides free …

Bridge accepts $10K grant

The Bridge of Storm Lake is grateful to Variety-the Children's Charity of Iowa for their generous $10,000 grant. They plan to use the funds to help renovate their warehouse area into a recreation, …

New playground at Kading

Playground equipment is going up at Sunrise Pointe by Kading. The playground was part of early plans of the development. Top: The arrow points to the location of the playground near the intersection …

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Storm Lake Times Pilot 10-9-26

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Sports
Kampbell, Schwint help SL boys finish sixth in Cherokee Invite, girls 10th
Simpson spoils Buena Vista’s homecoming
Spencer outlasts Storm Lake on Pink Out Night
Missed opportunities hurt Newell-Fonda in setback to district rival Remsen St. Mary’s
BVU wins 13th straight volleyball match to begin season
Storm Lake to offer girls wrestling program for first time ever
For the first time in school history, Storm Lake will have a girls wrestling program. The team will be coached by Jennifer Jimenez. The Tornadoes will make their inaugural season this winter and …
Storm Lake defeated by Emmetsburg in non-conference match
Reagan DeHaan went 26-for-31 in hitting with 13 kills, was 11-for-11 in serving with two aces, and added three digs and two blocks, but it wasn’t enough as Emmetsburg handed Storm Lake a …
Newell-Fonda serves up win over Algona Garrigan
Rylee Hogrefe went 22-for-28 in hitting with 13 kills, was 8-for-8 in serving and added 14 digs to help Newell-Fonda defeat Algona Garrigan in a non-conference match on Thursday at Algona. …
Regional volleyball pairings
CLASS 1A REGION 8 MATCHES MONDAY, OCT. 19 at Newell Newell-Fonda (11-11) vs. Paton-Churdan (6-10) at Kingsley Kingsley-Pierson (10-10) vs. Ar-We-Va (1-19) at Remsen …
BVU extends school record with 14th straight win to start season
Fourteen and counting. Charley Hernandez had a match-high 16 kills and added 13 digs and two ace serves to   help lead Buena Vista to a win over Nebraska Wesleyan in the American Rivers …

Alta-Aurelia spikers top Pocahontas Area to stay unbeaten in Twin Lakes Conference

Alta-Aurelia kept its Twin Lakes Conference unbeaten record intact as the Warriors beat Pocahontas Area 25-16, 25-22, 25-13 on Tuesday at Pocahontas. “Our girls played a very organized and …

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Emmetsburg hands Newell-Fonda spikers setback

Quinn Sievers went 13-for-13 in serving with two aces and finished with 17 digs and 15 set assists, but it wasn’t enough as Emmetsburg defeated Newell-Fonda in a Twin Lakes Conference match on …

Weber helps Sioux Central girls finish fourth at SCC Invitational

Sage Weber finished sixth overall to help Sioux Central place fourth in the South Central Calhoun Invitational on Tuesday at Lake City. Denison-Schleswig won the team title with 45 points. Sioux …

Opinion

Editorials: Corporate welfare

The Republicans running things announced last week that they are locating a $15 billion steel mill in Southeast Iowa, near Keokuk and Fort Madison in hard-pressed Lee County. Knowing next to nothing …

The high cost of politics

This will probably be the most expensive election in Iowa history, judging by all the money that’s being spent on political advertising. The political ads seemingly run non-stop. I’ll bet …

More opinion

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart came to Storm Lake on October 3 to inspire volunteers who are working to get out the vote. Canvassing strategies in the past have focused on visiting the party …
I’m about to show my age again in this article. In the last article I wrote, I talked about some of the cool stuff that you can find on YouTube. Now, I’m going to chat about things that make me …
Rick Morain
Election analyst Nate Silver says the outlook for the Nov. 3 general election strongly favors Democratic candidates. But he adds that Republicans have one major advantage: money. Will that be …
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
What is an “unauthorized alien”? Or better yet,what is an “authorized alien”? I am sure I don’t know either of these. An alien from Mars, Jupiter, or maybe Pluto? So you have a …
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Family & Friends

Cake Dig pink diamond won by husband for wife

Angel Guerra and Linda Miller duke it out in the final round of the cake dig to find the buried gem buried in the cake. Guerra snagged it to win the .67 carat pink diamond.
Paxtons Jewelry hosted their annual balloon bash and cake dig on Saturday to benefit Buena Vista Regional Medical Center P.I.N.K. during breast cancer awareness month. BVRMC P.I.N.K. provides free …
Leigh Madsen, left, of the Alta PEO chapter, has no trouble selling an Iowa State bowl cozy to Holly Cullen of North Liberty.
A ton of pumpkins, or at least it looks like it, were put up for sale in front of the parish center where St. Mary’s Fall Bazaar & Bake Sale took place Saturday. Vendors were set up in the …
Storm Lake St. Mary’s fifth and sixth graders traveled to Sioux Rapids to enjoy an afternoon at Gabrielson Park –– Gustafson Lake. Conservation staff instructed students on canoeing, and then …
Matt Pearson, left, new president of the Storm Lake Hy-Noon Kiwanis Club, presented a plaque Monday noon to outgoing president Steve Mead in recognition of Mead’s leadership of the club during the …
Front row from left: Sandra (Tscherter) Witt, Merri (Kolb) Johnson, Christy (Anderson) Hyndman, Nancy (Galvin) Webb, Connie (Ballantyne) Ludwig, Denise (Gustafson) Fredericksen and Kelly (Peterson) …

Buena Vista Co. Conservation Events

Fall Fun Day Join the Buena Vista County Conservation Staff for the annual Fall Fun Day on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 1-3 p.m. All the fun will take place in the Timber Ridge Campground at Buena …
Briar Cliff Homecoming King and Queen Emma Erickson and Derek Schering.

Erickson crowned Queen at Briar Cliff University

Seniors Emma Erickson and Derek Scheuring have been crowned Briar Cliff University’s 2026 Homecoming Queen and King. They were selected from a court of ten seniors chosen by their classmates for …

City celebrates volunteerism with appreciation event

The City of Storm Lake’s fourth annual Volunteer Appreciation Reception will be held Thursday, Oct. 15 at King’s Pointe Resort ballroom, 5:30-7 p.m. The informal evening event is organized …

P.E.O. scholarships available

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 November 2026.   We have moved our …

Upcoming Blood Drives

Thank you for confirming your 2026 blood drive dates. St. Mark Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 12:30-5:30 p.m. United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall on Friday, …

Seasonal closing dates set for outdoor facilities

    It's been a fantastic summer, but like the season, all good things must come to an end. Soon the City of Storm Lake Parks Department will put some of our outdoor facilities into …

Delta Dental of Iowa announces Dr. Kevin Duque of Storm Lake as one of first four recipients of revolving loan funds

Just months after launching the Delta Dental of Iowa Revolving Loan Fund, $1.25 million has been distributed to four rural dental practices, supporting 45 jobs while strengthening access to dental …

When trucks look like toys
My Favorite Recipe

UnityPoint welcomes Dr. Jorge Vendrell

We are happy to welcome Dr. Jorge Vendrell, Buena Vista family medicine physician at UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine –– Buena Vista, and his wife Norma, who moved to Storm Lake in August. They …

Reading incentive

St. Mary’s K-5 are doing a reading incentive tied to the country's 250th birthday. It will promote daily reading and share key facts about our country's history, landmarks and monuments. Daily …

Please join us to celebrate Mavis Aronson’s 100th birthday. An open house will be held for her on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 2-4 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albert City. No gifts, please.
Caring Paws Rescue, the new animal shelter for Storm Lake and Buena Vista County announces that they have set up accounts at local grain elevators.   Farmers may deliver grain to the following …
The Buena Vista Parkinson’s Support Group will hold  its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 13 at 1:30in the library at St Mark Lutheran church. Program by Emily Gutzmann from the …
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Touch of Broadway’s current cast, from left: Jeanette Hinkeldey, Dr. Paul Hill, Therese Becker, Max Wallace, Leah Sotebeer, Terry Parson and Lisa Lindeman.
Touch of Broadway celebrates America’s 250th
Muscles and endurance in last year’s stein holding-contest, presided over by Troy Hogrefe.
Prost! Raise a glass for 5th annual Oktoberfest
Geneva and Honey Raye are discussing the big news that a salsa manufacturing factory is looking to relocate, and a representative will be arriving soon to check out the failing community Fayro, Texas as a possible site. This may be the way to save the failing community! From left: Heather French, as Twink Futrell; Dennis Freking, as John Curtis Buntner; Jan Brown, as Geneva Musgrave; Emmett Rosentrater, as Justin Waverly; Maddy Lauck as Gina Jo Futrell Waverly; Lisa Yeske-Livermore, as Honey Raye Futrelle and Steve Dublinske, as Dub Dubberly.
Cherokee Community Theater
It’s ‘Southern Hospitality,’ y’all
Fundraiser, live music in Fonda
Dreamboats kick off Holstein performing arts series
Calendar of events
Obituaries
Maribeth Wolf Phillips
Maribeth Wolf Phillips, 65, formerly of Storm Lake, passed away on Aug. 24 at her son Keith's home in Hephzibah, Ga. Memorial services will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 at 2 p.m. at …
Michael Erickson
Michael Erickson, 72, of Storm Lake, died Aug.14, 2026 at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee. Visitation took place on Aug. 23, 2026 at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Graveside services …
David Anderson
David Harold Anderson, 98, of Storm Lake died Sept. 30, 2026, at home surrounded by his family. Celebration of life services will take place at a later date. Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in …
Harlan Broberg
The Greatest Generation lost one of its shining lights on Sept. 21, 2026. Harlan Broberg was a man who embodied the values of integrity, hard work, sacrifice, love of family, humility, dignity and courage. He blessed …
Alice Speers
Alice M. Speers, 92, of Storm Lake died Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, at WEL-Life in Alta. Funeral Mass will take place Thursday, Oct. 8, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. …
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