Local News

The Storm Lake Police Department will step up enforcement this weekend as part of Saturation Saturday, a nationwide campaign aimed at reducing drunk and drugged driving ahead of the Labor Day holiday.  The police department says officers will conduct extra patrols, sobriety checks and public education efforts on Aug. 29, the weekend before Labor Day — a busy time of

Witter Gallery is preparing for its Art‑Bee‑Que Cook Off, a community fundraiser set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Chautauqua Shelter House in Storm Lake.  The event begins at 5 p.m. and will feature a honey‑themed barbecue competition, live entertainment, on‑site art creation and a fundraising auction supporting the gallery’s programs and operations. Local cooks are invited to compete using

Marathon Hometown Pride will host a combined car show and rib cook‑off this weekend, inviting residents to gather for food, activities and community support during the annual Smoke & Wheels event. The celebration is set for Saturday at 306 W. Attica St. in Marathon. Rib cook‑off registration begins at 10 a.m., followed by car show registration from 1 to 3

The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors has decided not to move forward — at least for now — with a proposed contract for Urban SDK, a Florida‑based geospatial analytics platform that both the secondary roads department and the sheriff’s office had been evaluating.  The board revisited the item yesterday (Tuesday, Aug. 25) after tabling it at its last meeting

Restaurante El Pulgarcito is getting bigger — and the owners say the move is all about giving Storm Lake a place that feels like home.  The Salvadoran restaurant is expanding just two doors west of its current space at 805 Flindt Drive, staying in the same suite building but adding room, comfort and new features for customers. Owner Veraliz Cordova

A Palmer man is facing multiple charges after the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic assault report Sunday afternoon.  Deputies were called on Aug. 23 to a residence at 736 Henrietta Ave. in Palmer, where an investigation led to the arrest of Joshua Peters. According to the sheriff’s office, Peters was charged with domestic assault causing bodily injury,

A Storm Lake man was arrested Saturday evening after a high‑speed rollover crash in Storm Lake.  The Storm Lake Police Department was called to the 100 block of Flindt Drive around 5 p.m. Aug. 22 for a single‑vehicle accident involving a 2021 GMC Sierra that witnesses say was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed before the driver lost

Storm Lake police say three people are in custody after a home invasion and child abduction that unfolded Sunday morning on North Seneca Street.  Officers were dispatched around 10:41 a.m. after receiving a report that several individuals had forced their way into a home in the 1400 block of North Seneca Street, assaulted a woman and forcibly removed her two