02/18/21: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Walleye season now closed at Lakes

The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes closed on Feb. 14. It will reopen on May 1.

These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.

Named to UNL fall Dean's List

Nearly 6,800 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have been named to the Dean's List for the fall semester of the 2020-21 academic year.

Included on the dean's list are Hunter William Dorhout, of Sanborn, senior, College of Engineering, computer engineering; and Johanna Judith Dorhout, of Sanborn, freshman, Explore Center, pre-health.

Students in the College of Engineering must have a minimum grade point of 3.5, while those in the Explore Center who are undeclared, pre-engineering, pre-health and pre-law students must have a 3.6 GPA.

SDSU announces fall dean's list

Nearly 3,200 students have been named to the dean's list for academic excellence after the fall 2020 semester at South Dakota State University in Brookings.

To earn dean's list distinctions in SDSU's colleges, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students with an asterisk received a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Those from this area named to the dean's list are listed below.

Everly: *Anne Elizabeth Dragseth, College of Education and Human Sciences.

Greenville: *Ben Louis Hargens, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Hartley: Reece William Petersen, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Melvin: Ashilyn Rose Hulstein, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Scholarships awarded at NCC

Students at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon were awarded scholarships by the college or the NCC Foundation.

Maryssa Borden, of Primghar, is this year's recipient of the Eilders Endowed Accounting Scholarship. She is currently an Accounting student at NCC.

The $250 scholarship supports the achievement of students enrolled in the Accounting program who show an enthusiasm for the profession.

Todd Klein, of Sanborn, was awarded an Association of General Contractors (AGC) Heavy Equipment Scholarship by the NCC Foundation. Recipients of the $1,250 scholarship must demonstrate good work habits and leadership qualities as evaluated by the heavy equipment faculty; attain high academic achievement as determined by cumulative grade point average in the heavy equipment program; express a desire to seek employment in the heavy equipment field following graduation; and have a good record of class attendance.

Elected VP of state fair board

New and re-elected members of the Iowa State Fair board were selected on Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Iowa Association of Fairs conference and annual meeting.

Delegates who attended the meeting from six geographic districts elected two board members to serve two-year staggered terms on the Iowa State Fair board. One of the directors who was re-elected was Dave Hoffman, of LeMars (northwest).

Board officers for the year include Vice President Darwin Gaudian, of Primghar (northwest).

Calumet native named Iowa Corn marketing director

Grant Menke is the new Director of Market Development for Iowa Corn.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Menke was raised on a corn and soybean farm near Calumet. He currently resides in Ankeny with his wife Susie and their three sons.

In his new position, Menke will focus on growing the demand for Iowa corn through biofuels, livestock, international trade and other key market opportunities.

"It is such an honor to join the Iowa Corn team to grow demand for Iowa corn, both domestically and internationally," said Menke in a news release. "With many key market development opportunities and challenges facing Iowa's corn farmers, particularly in the areas of biofuels, livestock and international trade, I look forward to working together with Iowa Corn's board, staff, membership, and partner organizations to address these matters head-on and make more corn disappear."

Menke comes to Iowa Corn from USDA Rural Development in Iowa where he served as State Director. Prior to USDA, Menke worked as the Policy Director for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and before that held a position in Washington D.C. on the United States Senate Finance Committee staff of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley.

Nutrition Facts label updated

For the first time in 20 years, the Nutrition Facts label found on packaged foods has been significantly updated to make it easier to understand. The new features are intended to help consumers make informed choices about the foods they eat.

The new label began appearing on all food packages Jan. 1. Changes to the food label include the following:

• The serving size is in a large, bold font and serving sizes have been updated to better reflect what people actually eat.

• Calories are now shown in a larger, bolder font to better display this information.

• Added sugars are included under total sugars to help consumers understand how much sugar has been added to the product. Some foods naturally contain sugar, like fruits and dairy. The new label helps you see how much sugar is naturally present and how much is added. Consuming too much added sugar can make it hard to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie recommendations.

• Potassium and Vitamin D are now required on the label because people need to consume more of these nutrients. Vitamins A and C are no longer required on the label, since deficiencies of these vitamins are rare today. Calcium and iron are still required on the label.

NWI fishing report

Iowa Great Lakes are fully iced up with thickness ranging from 17-20 inches. Recent temperatures have created safer ice conditions, allowing the use of some full-sized vehicles. Use caution and check conditions before driving out. Caution – there are still many seams throughout area lakes, as well as a few holes that have developed or iced over on Spirit Lake.

Center Lake: Caution – winter aeration system is currently in use. Ice thickness is around 16.5 inches.

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

East Okoboji Lake: Ice conditions vary across the lake with averages around 17 inches or more. The walleye season closed on Feb. 14. 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, fair.

Ingham Lake: Caution, winter aeration system is currently in use. Ice thickness is around 16 inches with two major open holes caused by geese and the lake aeration unit. Yellow perch, fair. Anglers are catching larger yellow perch, but with low frequency. Some good-sized perch have been seen recently.

Lake Pahoja: Bluegill, fair. Use small jigs tipped with waxworms. Black crappie, fair. Try small jigs tipped with waxworms.

Lost Island Lake: Caution – winter aeration system is currently running on the north east side near the nature center. Ice thickness is 12-15 inches. A good amount of fishing pressure has been seen recently. Yellow perch, good. Walleye, fair.

Minnewashta Lake: Ice thickness varies around 18 inches. Bluegill, good. Lots of 4- to 6-inch fish are being caught. Black crappie, good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Caution – winter aeration system is currently in use. Ice conditions are around 12 inches, but can be variable. Use caution; a side-by-side went through the ice the last week of December.

Spirit Lake: Ice thickness across the lake is around 17 or more inches. Caution – holes created by small springs have developed or iced over recently. The walleye season closed Feb. 14. Yellow perch, fair. Perch fishing has been tough, but once you find them, many quality 9- to 10.5-inchers have been caught.

Trumbull Lake: Ice thickness is around 11 inches with an open hole on the north end caused by geese.

West Okoboji Lake: Ice thickness varies, starting around 17 inches. Caution – there are many seams across the lake. The walleye season closed Feb. 14. Panfishing has been spotty in many of the bays where many anglers have been able to sight fish in around 10 feet of water along weed lines. Yellow perch, fair. Bluegill, good.

Iowa Department of Revenue offers help for tax time

With tax filing season upon us, the Iowa Department of Revenue is reminding Iowans of the many resources available that can assist taxpayers with filing their tax return.

The department began processing returns at the same time as the IRS on Feb. 12. This is because Iowa taxpayers are required to provide their federal return with their Iowa return. Iowa income tax returns are due on April 30.

The department's website (tax.iowa.gov) is a good starting point to find tax forms and answers to all kinds of tax questions. Filing Made Easy explains the filing process in three simple steps and includes information on how to file, avoiding common mistakes and details regarding the status of a refund. Additionally, the Tax Guidance section has been improved to allow taxpayers and tax professionals the ability to easily search for tax guidance.

Last year, the department announced goals to process refunds in 30 days and to shorten wait times of customer calls. Refunds averaged 30 days or less throughout the tax season and phone call wait times decreased. Continuing to improve the customer experience remains a top priority with the Department.

While the walk-in help desk is not open due to COVID-19, there are several ways to contact the department by visiting the website.

January precip, temperatures higher than average

While January is usually the driest month of the year, last month saw above-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures across the state, according to the latest water summary update by the Iowa DNR.

Temperatures averaged 4 degrees above normal for the month, with 1.27 inches of precipitation, 0.35 inches above normal. However, abnormal dryness and drought conditions remained generally unchanged through January. Under the snow, the shallow soils are dry enough that there is the potential for drought issues later this spring.

Staff from the Iowa DNR, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey will provide current information and projections for potential drought conditions in Iowa March 4 during an online meeting from 1-3 p.m. Additional meeting information is available at http://www.iowadnr.gov/WaterSummaryUpdate.

Temperatures in January were unseasonably warm, on average 23.6 degrees or 4.2 degrees above normal. Northwest Iowa experienced the warmest conditions, where positive departures of up to 7 degrees were reported in the monthly averages. Stations in eastern Iowa reported average temperatures 1-3 degrees warmer than normal.

Streamflow conditions across most of the state remain normal. Flows in the Des Moines River basin continue to be below normal.

DNR to review hunting and trapping seasons; mull possible rule changes

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will host a virtual meeting on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m, to review the recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested and time allows.

Those who attend this meeting will be allowed to listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from DNR staff. Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as the department works through the rules process.

The meeting is open to the public and replaces the series of meetings held across the state. This online platform has a limit of 1,000 attendees and attendees must sign up to attend. Visit http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting to learn how to register for the Zoom meeting.

Comments collected will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

The DNR will hold an additional virtual meeting if there is a need.

Any person participating in the public meeting and has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at (515) 725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service (800) 735-7942, or [email protected], and advise of specific needs.