Tyson Thoreson is a Photography artist from Holstein. Thoreson was born in Ida Grove and went to school in Holstein. He started being fascinated with storms in high school. He and his dad would sit outside and watch the storms. He became kind of a storm-chaser then. Thoreson recalls his prom night of 2011,
“It was the day the tornado hit Mapleton. They tried to lock down the school and keep everyone in. I went out and got in my vehicle and drove to Mapleton to watch the storm. I got there and realized I did not know what I was doing. I remember driving away.”
Sales receipts from the Ida County Fair livestock auction on July 24 totaled $515,035.87. That figure was up significantly from last year’s total of $389,295.11. The total number of animals sold was 395, similar to last year’s total of 392. This year, there were 135 hogs, 131 cattle (44 pens of three), 46 individual cattle, 71 sheep, and 12 chickens.
Lorna Steenbock celebrated her retirement last Friday, after 24 years of service as the Ida County Auditor at the courthouse in Ida Grove. Steenbock had these words to say,
“I appreciate all the support over the years. It has been a new adventure every day.”
NET Broadband, a collaboration between Evertek and North West REC, invites Holstein town and rural residents to an Open House to learn about the Fiber Internet Project slated to start early this fall, and complete in 2024.
Zachary Z. Zoul, Owner of Zoul Properties, announced that it has further expanded its Iowa operations by acquiring the Somerset Apartments in Holstein, Iowa effective Aug. 1, 2023.
The Somerset Apartments consist of 25 one-bedroom apartments, all of which have been renovated in the recent past. The property has been renamed “Woodland Park Apartments.”
Situated just north of Holstein is Boling Seeds, a Pioneer agency owned by Brock and Darci Boling. The Bolings, along with employee Grant Stracke, have a wide variety of products to offer. Brock discussed some of the seeds and services they provide.
“We’re a representative for Pioneer seed brands,” said Boling, “and we sell corn, soybean, alfalfa, and some small seeds like grass, oats, and rye. We treat soybeans for our own customers and some others. We also do agronomy support and crop scouting.”
The Holstein Betterment Alliance will have a Farm-to-Table Dinner Thursday, Aug. 10 with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The event features hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, an upscale meal, auction and live music and takes place at 2nd Street, downtown Holstein with tickets on sale at Agnew-Soseman Insurance Agency and Farm Bureau and by calling 712-330-6191. Proceeds will go toward Holstein beautification and completion of the North Main Street Community Park.
Lorna Steenbock is grateful to many people as she steps down after 24 years of service as the Ida County Auditor. Steenbock shared a little of her background prior to becoming Auditor in 1999.
“Little did I know,” she said, “that when I graduated from Schleswig High School in 1974, and later graduated from Spencer School of Business, and then was employed in the office of Farmland Foods in Denison for 13 years, and later worked part-time for Northwest REC - that I would be the Ida County Auditor.”
It’s no secret that recent years have been tough on small businesses and on newspapers. A bipartisan bill, the Community News & Small Business Support Act, that has been introduced in Congress would offer relief to both newspapers and local businesses. For too many newspapers, help can’t come soon enough. Economic challenges have resulted in too many communities seeing their local newspapers being forced to lay off staff, cut back on publication days or — worse yet — close. On average, two newspapers are closing each week.
Brent Wolfswinkel, owner of Brentwood Roofing & Construction in Cherokee, enjoys helping homeowners keep their houses in good shape. He gave a brief description of what his business has to offer.
“We focus on roofing,” he said, “and that includes asphalt shingles, steel roof (barn steel), and flat roof membranes that we do on commercial and residential buildings. Locally, we do some general construction. In the winter, we do some siding and continue with steel roofs.”
