What Is the Storm Lake Times Pilot?

Updated

The Storm Lake Times Pilot (stormlake.com) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning local newspaper serving Storm Lake, Iowa, and the surrounding Buena Vista County communities. It publishes local, state, and national news alongside sports, obituaries, opinion, entertainment listings, and community announcements, and it offers both a print edition and an e-edition behind a subscription.

What the Site Covers

The homepage organizes content into clearly labeled sections, which gives a good picture of what a reader can expect:

Section What you'll find
News Local news, Iowa news, national news, police blotter and court files
Sports Schedules and game coverage for area schools
Obituaries Death notices and remembrance pieces
Opinion Columns and letters to the editor
Family & Friends Anniversaries, births, birthdays, engagements, weddings
Entertainment Community calendar, documentary calendar, "What's Eating Iowa?"
Public Notices Official notices published by the paper
E-edition Digital replica of the print paper

The paper also runs a sister title, the Cherokee Chronicle Times, which appears in the site header.

The Kind of Reporting It Does

Coverage is hyper-local and community-focused. Recent front-page items illustrate the range:

  • Local institutions: "University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook announces 2027 retirement"
  • Local politics: "Lahn: polls 'manufactured' for Democrats," reporting on a Buena Vista County Republicans event ahead of midterms
  • Local government and accountability: a story on the City of Storm Lake declining to say whether it will renegotiate rates with a law firm after a judge found the lawyers' billing rates unreasonably high
  • Community life: an Oktoberfest that drew 300 people to the Cobblestone, a helicopter delivering a game ball to a Sioux Central football game, and an oxygen bar set up at Buena Vista University during midterms
  • Local development: "Ándale set to open at former Buffalo Ridge Café" and a $20,000 state grant to the City of Alta for a Rural Housing Readiness Assessment

If you want to know what's happening in and around Storm Lake — school sports, city hall, obituaries, church and club events — this is the paper that covers it.

Reading It: Print, E-Edition, and Subscription

The Times Pilot describes itself as a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper and presents both a print product and an e-edition. A "Subscribe" link appears in the site navigation and footer, pointing to stormlake.com/subscribe/. The site does not state pricing on the pages reviewed, so check the subscribe page for current rates and terms rather than assuming access is free.

Beyond reading, the site is set up for reader submissions. The navigation lists forms for:

  • Anniversary, birth, birthday, engagement, wedding, and obituary announcements
  • Letters to the editor
  • News tips ("Report news")
  • Customer service: change of address, delivery issues, vacation stop

That makes the site a practical entry point not just for consuming news but for getting an announcement or letter into the paper.

When This Site Is the Right Source

Use stormlake.com when you need:

  • Local news and public records for Storm Lake and Buena Vista County, including police and court items
  • School sports schedules and results for area teams
  • Obituaries and funeral information for local residents
  • Community event listings such as Halloween happenings or Día de los Muertos observances
  • A channel to submit a wedding, engagement, birth, or anniversary announcement, or a letter to the editor

For statewide or national coverage, the paper carries Iowa and national news sections, but its distinct value is the local reporting you won't find in larger outlets. If your interest is a neighboring community, note that the Cherokee Chronicle Times is also part of the same operation.