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Storm Lakers made a good showing on and off the court Tuesday night when the Iowa Hawkeyes took on Virginia Tech in Sioux City. The Hokies would come away with the win, but not without an extreme …
From left: Alison holding Zaylee, Tyler Jones with Michael in front, Sarah Schlichte holding Forest with Liam in front, Daisy Maldonado, Joanna Chavez, Andriette Wickstrom, Ofelia Rumbo holding Stevie Jo and RSG Director Diana Mendez holding Collins.
The Step Up Storm Lake 5K/Half Marathon & Relay committee has announce a record-breaking event held in early September. Thanks to enthusiastic participants and incredible community support, the …
A donation of $675 from members of PEO Chapter EP-NL is making Mr. Goodfellow at the Times Pilot smile. The main focus of the Des Moines-based PEO organization is to provide educational opportunities for women worldwide, explains Chapter President Jean Bellinghausen. The three Storm Lake chapters provide and promote scholarships and grants to local students and causes. Helping clothe children for winter weather is something the EP-NL Chapter has prioritized, adds Bellinghausen. Pictured are, from left: Pegg Havens, PEO; Dolores Cullen, Times Pilot; Marilee Bedel, PEO and Jean Bellinghausen, PEO.
The Mr. Goodfellow fund, a non-profit managed by the Times Pilot, is in its 102nd year. Through your generous donations, Mr. Goodfellow provides coats, snow pants, boots, hats and gloves for Buena …

Alta asbestos abatement

Asbestos abatement procedures were carried out this week on the old Alta High School building to prepare for its demolition. Floor tile was removed from the interior and here workers from L&L …
The new sign is in place at the Alta City Park.

Alta Library committee kicks off $200K fundraising goal

The Friends of the Alta Library Steering Committee has kicked off a fundraising goal of $200,000 as an initial step for a total project estimated of $1.4 million for a new library to be built at the …
Pictured with Panther Pantry food bags from left to right: Chelsey Gibbins, Jennifer Behm, Jessa Fetrow, Kielee Larson and Peyton Phelps.

St. Mary’s establishes the Panther Pantry

As a way to address food insecurity among students and their families, Storm Lake St. Mary’s School established the Panther Pantry at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. Thanks to grant …

Motorcyclist dies in Sac County accident

An Odebolt man was killed in rural Sac County Tuesday afternoon when the motorcycle he was riding ran into the back of a semi truck. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident happened …

Airport Commission pushes back against “public spanking” from council

Members of the Storm Lake Municipal Airport Commission voiced frustration with the city council at a meeting on Monday, defending the rent-free storage of four planes as necessary to protect $150,000 …

Hope Haven extends RSG lease to the end of 2027

City representatives, child care providers and community members attended the child care Lunch & Learn.
Hope Haven will extend the lease for Ready Set Grow Learning Center at 1723 W. Milwaukee Ave. for at least six months past the previous deadline of June 2027, said Brooke Zinn, president of the RSG …
Peach the News Hound looks tiny under the giant bur oak tree about four miles south of Peterson. The “crown spread” is estimated at 95 feet across, four feet shy of Iowa’s biggest bur oak near Tipton.

Buena Vista’s big, beautiful bur oak

Trunk isn’t thick enough to land it on the IDNR Big Tree Program list There’s a huge, beautiful bur oak tree near Buena Vista County Conservation Park, but it’s not quite big enough to …

Police and Courts

Carlson trial set for next Tuesday

A jury trial involving a Storm Lake woman who allegedly struck a Newell motorcyclist while intoxicated in July 2024 is set for Nov. 17.  Judge Carl Petersen set Tracy Carlson’s trial at …

Altercation outside De Noche’s

A physical altercation outside De Noche’s on Erie Street on Sunday morning resulted in the arrest of a Storm Lake man for brandishing a knife during a physical altercation.  Anthony …

Sports
BVU volleyball to host Simpson in ARC tournament semifinals
The Buena Vista volleyball team is set to return to the court on Thursday to host No. 3 seed Simpson in the semifinal round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament in Siebens Fieldhouse with …
Iowa basketball's local connection comes to Sioux City
Former Storm Lake star Jaidyn Coon and the Iowa Hawkeyes made history on Tuesday night by playing the first-ever NCAA Division I men’s basketball game at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. …
BVU women defeat Waldorf in Central Bank Classic
In what was the final game of the 2026 Central Bank Classic on Saturday, Buena Vista held off Waldorf 62-49 with Mary Walker being named MVP of the tournament. Walker finished with a game-high …
Turkey Shoot grades 4-8 winners
Winners of the 2026 Community Education Turkey Shoot are pictured from left to right, front row: Andy Ingold and London Ingold, Shannon Schreiber and Finley Schreiber, and Lily Wendt and Travis …
Turkey Shoot grades K-3 winners
Winners of the 2026 Community Education Turkey Shoot are pictured from left to right: Shannon Schreiber and Ada Schreiber, Andy Kosky and Grayson Kosky, Heath Stille and Beckett and Jaxton Stille, …

BVU women hold off late rally by Faith Baptist Bible to win season opener

Buena Vista had five players score in double figures and led by as many as 26 points before needing to hold off a late surge by visiting Faith Baptist Bible College to win the season opener 95-85 in …

BVU scores 14 unanswered points in fourth quarter to beat Loras

Josh Eilers intercepted a pass in the end zone on second-and-10 for a touchback, and that sealed a 24-17 win for Buena Vista   over Loras on Saturday in Dubuque. Adriel Fussell scored a …

Hot shooting Platteville proves to be too much for Buena Vista

Buena Vista cut a 20-point first half deficit down to three in the second half, but   Wisconsin-Platteville used a strong long distance shooting game to pull away for an 88-65 non-conference win …

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: Storm Lake Farmers Market gives thanks

The 2026 Storm Lake Farmers Market vendors thank all faithful customers and newcomers for a great market season. And the thanks go beyond those who frequent the market.   Thanks to Storm Lake …

It’s a public school crisis

I was sound asleep when I heard a loud pounding on my front door. It was 7 a.m. on a March Saturday in 1981. I was a second-year teacher in a tiny central Iowa school. I fought the …
In July 2024, several publications printed an op-ed where I stated “Psychological scientists who study human behavior concur that past actions are the best predictor of future behavior. If past …
In January 2000, with the Iowa presidential caucuses approaching and candidates trading political shots, roughly 1,200 people gathered for the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s annual recognition …
Nobody likes to lose, least of all Chris Jones. He thought he could beat incumbent Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, a Republican. Jones lost by six points. The former Simpson College baller left …
Our long national nightmare is over. The elections are finished and now we’ll find out if all those nasty ads made a difference. All politicians claimed they were bipartisan. We’ll see if they …
Family & Friends

Bring on the holidays!

Storm Lake’s annual Holiday Open House brought shoppers to businesses in The City Beautiful Saturday and Sunday.
Grand Central Coffee Station, with two locations in Storm Lake, has added a third in the Old School Mercantile building in Arnolds Park. It’s run by John and Karen Keenan of Storm Lake Grand …
Congratulations to, from left: Sophie Carlson, Jocelyn Schaefer, Michael Hansen and Alivia Glienke who were selected for Northwest Iowa Bandmasters Association middle school honor band. They …
Sixth-graders hiked the trail.
Storm Lake St. Mary’s sixth-grade class traveled to Spirit Lake to view glacial land formations on Friday, Oct. 23. This trip was an introduction to a soil and conservation unit led by Colleen …

Harvest ride to remember

Steve Lange’s brother-in-law Jeff Jensen of Alta, left, is ready to help help Bob out of the wheelchair, which is guided by Steve. Below, giving directions to the loader driver is Zack Sutton.

Steve Lange, who farms south of Storm Lake, made a special effort to give a combine ride to his uncle Bob Lange who is in hospice at Methodist Manor. The deed was done carefully with a little …

Operation Christmas Child kicks off

Angie Ehsa and Laurie Wilcox show some of the over 100 Operation Christmas Child boxes already packed by the Storm Lake United Methodist and Micronesian services. Storm Lake United Methodist Church …

STORM LAKE HISTORY

The evolution of drug stores in Storm Lake

Constable Drug Store at 518 Lake Ave. It operated from 1946 to 1960.

When I arrived in Storm Lake in 1976 there were a number of mostly small drug stores downtown. Over time, these all disappeared and now downtown has only Walgreen’s, which came in 2008. In making a …

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Obituaries
Steven Hoffman
Steven Hoffman, 79, of Storm Lake, died Nov. 10, 2026, at Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake. Memorial services will take place Sunday, Nov.15, at 2 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen …
Tammy Stephens
Tammy Stephens of Alta, passed away Oct. 23, 2026, surrounded by her family at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. She was 65. Tamyah “Tammy” J. Stephens was born …
Cheryl Lustgraaf
Cheryl Lustgraaf of Storm Lake, and Crescent, passed away on Nov. 6, 2026. Cheryl Ann Lustgraaf was born in Council Bluffs on July 22, 1958, to Phillip Sr. and Janis (Nielsen) Lustgraaf. She was …
Martha Landsness
Martha Christine Landsness, 80, of Osceola, formerly of Sioux Rapids, died Nov. 5, 2026, at Southern Hills Care Center in Osceola.  Visitation will take place Friday, Nov. 13, from 5-7 p.m. …
Sue Radke
Funeral services for Sue Radke, 82, of Aurelia, will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aurelia on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:30 a.m. with a lunch to follow at Aurelia Community Center.  …