01/07/20: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Blood donors step up to help save over 90 lives

Hartley area blood donors who participated in the drive on Dec. 30 saved over 93 local lives.

In addition to collecting regular blood products, LifeServe Blood Center is helping COVID-19 patients that are in the hospital with a product called Convalescent Plasma (CCP). This product helps with the recovery of COVID-19 patients that are not doing well. The only way LifeServe can get CCP is through donors who have recovered from COVID-19 and carry the antibodies in their plasma.

Four convalescent plasma units were collected during the Hartley blood drive. This helped potentially save 16 COVID-19 patients that are in the hospital.

LifeServe Blood Center encourages area residents to sign up for the next blood drive in Hartley. Call (800) 287-4903 or visit http://www.lifeservebloodcenter.org.

O’Brien County Farm Bureau honored for excellence

The O’Brien County Farm Bureau has been designated a 2020 Outstanding County Farm Bureau by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF).

This award is given to Farm Bureaus that participate in year-round activities focused on sharing the story of today’s agriculture, communicating with elected officials to highlight the importance of rural issues and supporting local communities in times of need.

“Despite a challenging year, county Farm Bureaus statewide have continued to demonstrate leadership and a commitment to Iowa Farm Bureau’s mission of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families and their communities,” said IFBF President Craig Hill in a news release.

The O’Brien County Farm Bureau currently has 1,160 members. If you want to learn more, contact the office in Primghar at (712) 957-2535.

Morningside College Dean’s List for 2020 fall semester

Morningside College recently announced the 402 students named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2020-21 academic year.

The Dean’s List recognizes Morningside College students who achieve a 3.67 grade point average or better and complete at least 12 credits of coursework with no grade below a “C-.”

Included on the list from Hartley were Trever J. Dodd and Thomas R. Heetland.

Ice fishing heating up across NWI

Dog Creek (Lake): Fishing has been fair to good.

East Okoboji Lake: The walleye season is open. Ice conditions vary across the lake with around 8 inches with some bad spots that have frozen over in recent weeks; ATV use is not recommended.

Bluegill, good. Easily catch lots of bluegill; a lot of sorting may be needed with many 7.5- to 9-inch fish. Yellow perch, fair. Black crappie, good.

Minnewashta Lake: Bluegill, good. Lots of 4- to 6-inch fish are being caught. Black crappie, good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Ice conditions are around 8.5 inches, but are highly variable. Use extreme caution; a side-by-side went through the ice last week. Walleye, fair.

Spirit Lake: The walleye season is open. Ice conditions vary across the lake with 5-10 inches. Be wary out on the main basin with areas that have more recently frozen over; venturing out on an ATV is not recommended. Yellow perch, fair. Perch fishing has been tough, but once you find them, many quality 9- to 10.5-inchers have been caught. Walleye, fair. Walleye bite has been tough, but anglers have been able to limit out.

West Okoboji Lake: The walleye season is open. West Okoboji was the last lake to fully ice up on Dec. 25. Ice conditions vary with 4-6 inches in the bays. Be wary out on the main basin as there are areas that have more recently frozen over; venturing far out is not recommended. Panfishing has been good in many of the bays where many anglers have been able to sight fish. Yellow perch, fair. Bluegill, good.

O’Brien County Tourism launches new website

O’Brien County Tourism has a new website at http://www.tourobriencounty.org. The committee has been working hard to incorporate the tourism portion of the O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation website, http://www.obriencounty.com, with new information and tools for exploring O’Brien County. This new website has been constructed to tie in with other O’Brien County Tourism resources, using a cohesive design that will support brand recognition.

The new website features a list of day trips that will provide hours of exploration and activities. Another component of http://www.tourobriencounty.org is information on the See You Outside Tours. This section includes four previous O’Brien County Tourism tours that were revised earlier this year to provide opportunities for people to get outside while maintaining social distancing. They are self-guided tours that can be enjoyed throughout the year. In the Favorite Places section, you will find mini interviews with O’Brien County residents who submitted pictures of their favorite places and answered questions about O’Brien County.

More can be found at http://www.tourobriencounty.org, including the official O’Brien County Tourism map with a download link and links to the O’Brien County Conservation website and events calendar. The O’Brien County Tourism Committee encourages you to check out the new website and like their Facebook Page: Tour O’Brien County.

For additional information on O’Brien County Tourism, contact Kiana Johnson, O’Brien County Economic Development, at (712) 957-1313 or e-mail [email protected].

Elderbridge receives grant to improve connections

Elderbridge Area Agency on Aging provides programs, services and information designed to help older adults, caregivers and those with disabilities remain independent and in their homes as long as possible. Elderbridge serves 29 counties, including Clay, Dickinson, O’Brien and Osceola.

A project to improve connections with individuals and participating agencies is funded through the Administration on Community Living Grant Critical Relief Funds for COVID-19 Pandemic Response. The grant from the Iowa Department on Aging to Elderbridge funds a collaborative effort between partner organizations across the state, including Area Agencies on Aging, the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa, Iowa Compass, Easter Seals Iowa, Access 2 Independence, CHP Community, OneIowa and the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

There are three main goals for this grant.

The first is to build and enhance the website for the Aging and Disability Resource Center and provide real-time chat features to connect individuals to resources. Secondly, Easter Seals will use part of this grant to expand access to assistive technology and assistive devices across the state. They will train and provide older adults, individuals with disabilities and family caregivers on how to use the devices that they are able to loan out to their customer base.

Finally, the University of Iowa Center for Disability and Development will establish a network education and training system for cross-training of the ADRC network partners.

Main objectives to be achieved include reworking the lifelonglinks.org website to enhance statewide access to Iowa’s Aging and Disability network of information/referral and assessment services to mitigate social isolation, safely access supports and services, as well as programs including falls prevention and evidence-based initiatives.

Call Elderbridge for assistance with information, services and referral for older adults, their caregivers and adults with disabilities at (800) 243-0678.