12/24/20: Community Calendar

Blood drive to be held Dec. 30 in Hartley

LifeServe Blood Center will be conducting a blood drive in Hartley on Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 12:30-5:30 p.m. at the Hartley Community Center, 820 2nd Street NE. New donors are welcome.

Donors are asked to bring a valid form of identification and masks will be required. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided. No walk-ins are accepted at this time. To schedule your blood donation appointment, text LIFESERVE to 999-777, call (800) 287-4903 or visit lifeservebloodcenter.org.

Blood drives scheduled at Spencer Dec. 29 and Jan. 4

Two upcoming blood drives will be conducted by LifeServe Blood Center at Southpark Mall, 901 11th Street SW in Spencer. They will be held Tuesday, Dec. 29 and Monday, Jan. 4, from 12:30-6:30 p.m. each date.

Donors should pre-screen themselves for fever prior to appointments. Masks must be worn for the duration of the appointment. Those without masks will be provided one.

No walk-ins are allowed. Schedule your donation appointment online at lifeservebloodcenter.org or call (800) 287-4903.

Everly Public Library closed until Jan. 5

The Everly Public Library is currently closed. According to Director Amy Byro, the expected opening date is Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021.

There will be no library staff to assist patrons. However, the WiFi will be on and guests may use it from their vehicles or by standing outside the library. The password, if needed, will be posted on the front door of the library.

Holiday hours, closings at local businesses

Several local businesses have announced special holiday hours or closings. See the ads inside for more details.

The Sentinel-News will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The adverstising deadline for the Northwest Iowa Peach is Thursday at 5 p.m., for the next two weeks.

Holiday specials offered at Crazy Bob’s

Crazy Bob’s BBQ in Hartley is having specials on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

See the ad on Page 5 for more details.

CC/E menus

Thursday, Dec. 24-Friday, Jan. 1: No School – Christmas Break.

Food pantry hours at Hope Lutheran

Current hours for the food pantry at Hope Lutheran Church in Everly are Mondays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-5 p.m. Please knock on the church door and food will be brought out to you.

H-M-S menus

Thursday, Dec. 24-Friday, Jan. 1: No School – Christmas Break.

Conservation district offers scholarships

Conservation Districts of Iowa and the O’Brien County Soil and Water Conservation District are offering several scholarship opportunities to high school seniors to help defray college expenses.

Students who are interested in conservation and agriculture are eligible to apply. While this is a wide field and many studies qualify, preference will be given to students pursuing programs of study in conservation.

This application will be dual purpose for both the CDI and O’Brien SWCD. The application is available online at http://www.cdiowa.org and the deadline to submit it to O’Brien County SWCD, 315 S. Rerick Ave., Primghar, IA 51245, is Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.

CDI is a statewide scholarship with three awards: $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000. Winners from each region will receive $500. The first, second and third place awards will be paid directly to the applicant’s school of choice in two equal installments, one upon enrollment at the beginning of the year and second at midterm. The $500 scholarships will be paid directly to the students.

The O’Brien County SWCD scholarship will use the same application, so you only need to apply once. They will be awarding two $500 scholarships, awarded at midterm to the student directly. If you have any questions, please call (712) 957-3835 ext. #3.

Submit your FAFSA now for 2021-22 school year

If you will be enrolled in college next year (fall 2021, spring 2022, summer 2022), you can now complete the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your financial aid eligibility.

You will use your 2019 tax information. Financial aid consists of federal and state grants as well as federal loans and work-study.

The Iowa Last Dollar Scholarship is another reason you should complete the FAFSA now. According to Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, if you are an Iowa resident enrolled in an eligible program you may be eligible for the Iowa Last Dollar funds regardless of your and your parents’ income situation. Visit https://nwicc.edu/future-ready-iowa to see the full list of qualified programs.

If you would like free one-on-one assistance completing your 2021-22 FAFSA, you can set up an individual virtual appointment with an ICAN advisor. To schedule an appointment, call (877) 272-4692 or schedule a visit online on ICAN’s website. On the website you will also find a checklist of items to have available for your appointment.

If you have any questions, please contact NCC’s Financial Aid Office by email or call (800) 352-4907.

Commercial manure applicator training planned Jan. 7

Commercial manure applicators can attend annual training to meet commercial manure applicator certification requirements on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will conduct commercial manure applicator training at 71 locations in Iowa and one in Minnesota. There is no fee for the workshop; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions pre-registration is required. No walk-ins are allowed.

Commercial manure applicators needing to recertify and those wanting to certify for the first time should attend. All currently certified commercial manure applicator licenses will expire on March 1. Those wanting to renew must complete training requirements and submit forms and fees to the DNR prior to March 1, to avoid paying late fees.

The law requires all commercial manure applicators to attend three hours of training annually to meet certification requirements. Businesses that primarily truck or haul manure of any type or from any source are also required to meet certification requirements.

Applicators must preregister by Dec. 28 with the ISU Extension and Outreach county office where they plan to attend training. Training locations in this area include:

• 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. at ISU Extension and Outreach Clay County Office, Spencer; Preregister to (712) 262-2264.

• 9 a.m. at Dickinson County Community Building, Spirit Lake; Preregister to (712) 336-3488.

• 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. at ISU Extension and Outreach O’Brien County Office, Primghar; Preregister to (712) 957-5045.

• 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. at Willow Creek Recreation Area Classroom (5945 Highway 9, Ocheyedan); Preregister to (712) 754-3648.