Local News

Ten vehicles disappeared from Buena Vista County communities over the span of just over a month. Now, Storm Lake police say four people are facing charges in connection with the thefts and a series of burglaries. According to the Storm Lake Police Department, the incidents happened between Aug. 20 and Sept. 26 and included stolen vehicles, vehicle burglaries, attempted vehicle

Beavers, bounties and drainage — a Storm Lake resident brought all three to the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors’ table Tuesday. Tim Humes used the public comment portion of this week’s supervisors meeting to question the county’s beaver-trapping program and whether there is room for more coexistence with the animals. Humes, who periodically comes before the board to discuss

A former Spencer city employee will spend 30 days in jail and owes the city more than $100,000 after admitting to stealing public money. Fifty-three-year-old Lavonne Marie Bell of Spencer was sentenced Tuesday in Clay County District Court after pleading guilty to first-degree theft and being convicted of credit card fraud. Bell received a suspended 10-year prison sentence on the

For the third time, Buena Vista County supervisors have hit the brakes on a proposed high-tech traffic tracking system — this time, putting the idea on hold indefinitely. County Engineer Bret Wilkinson updated the board Tuesday on the latest proposal from Urban SDK, a system that would provide detailed traffic information for roads throughout the county. Wilkinson said he and

Alta Hometown Days returns this weekend with an expanded lineup of entertainment and activities planned throughout the Buena Vista County community. The two-day event is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4, and is organized by Alta Hometown Pride, a local initiative partnered with Keep Iowa Beautiful that focuses on community improvement, volunteer involvement and building community pride. Alta Hometown

The Storm Lake I and Storm Lake II wind farms are still on track for a major redevelopment, but ALLETE Clean Energy now expects the project to begin producing electricity in 2028 — roughly a year later than previously planned. Jim Moran, an ALLETE Clean Energy project manager, gave the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors an update on the

Buena Vista University is continuing a recent enrollment upswing — with one of its biggest freshman classes in more than a decade. BVU says it welcomed its second-largest freshman class in recent history to its Storm Lake campus this fall. The university has not released the exact number of students in this year’s freshman class, but the announcement follows a

A Newell woman’s photograph celebrating generations on a family farm has earned a $5,000 donation for a local organization. Kari DeMoss was named one of two winners of Lallemand Plant Care’s 2026 Hometown Roots Contest. She selected Newell Library Friends to receive the $5,000 donation. DeMoss was raised on a family farm, and her winning photograph captures a moment between