09/30/21: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Community Calendars distributed

2021-22 Community Calendars featuring events from Hartley, Melvin and May City were distributed on Monday. They are free to the public courtesy of the businesses listed.

Volunteers needed to deliver meals

Community Memorial Health Center is looking for volunteers to help deliver Meals on Wheels to local residents. If interested, call Linda at (712) 728-2428.

H-M-S Seamless Summer Option

The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District has elected to participate in the Seamless Summer Option, which is made possible by waivers from the USDA.

Free meals will be provided to all children and Applications for Free and Reduced Price School Meals/Milk will not be necessary to participate in Seamless Summer Option. Applications for Free and Reduced Price School Meals will be available from the school, as an application may be needed for other benefits such as P-EBT. The income eligibility guidelines and all other information can be obtained by contacting the school.

Free meals will be provided during the 2021-22 school year at the sites and times as follows:

• H-M-S High School: Breakfast start time, 7:45 a.m.; lunch time, 12-1 p.m.

• H-M-S Elementary: Breakfast start time, 7:45 a.m.; lunch time, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• H-M-S Middle School: Breakfast start time, 7:45 a.m.; lunch time, 11:40 a.m.-1 p.m.

NWI fishing report

Offshore fishing for bass has been very good lately. The panfish/perch bite has been excellent. Area lake levels are low, making launching and loading boats more difficult. The forecast calls for highs in the 70’s and 80’s, but lows in the 50’s at night. Lake temperatures have been slowly cooling down and are in the 60s at night.

East Okoboji Lake: The water temperature was 66 degrees last Thursday. Many anglers have had success with slip bobbers/spoons and vertical jigging and drop shot fishing. A great bluegill/crappie/yellow bass bite can be found trolling weed lines. Many anglers have observed high catch rates with a lot of sorting.

Black crappie, fair. Crappie are hard to target specifically, but can be caught mixed with other panfish. The bite has improved in and around docks and hoists. Bluegill, good. Bluegill are biting like crazy. Leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup work well. Pumpkinseed, good. Fun and easier to catch from most docks. Use a small hook, bobber and piece of worm.

Lost Island Lake: Anglers report they have started to catch yellow bass in shallow water among the vegetation. Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair. Walleye, fair. Yellow bass, fair. Yellow perch, fair.

Minnewashta Lake: Panfishing has been good for anglers trolling weed lines. Vertical jigging is improving. Black crappie, fair. A nice crappie bite can be found with a little movement around the lake. Bluegill, fair. Pumpkinseed, good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Walleye, fair. Try using slip bobbers and finding weed lines.

Spirit Lake: The water temperature was 64 degrees last Thursday. The water has been clearing up; using lighter line works best. Use lead core and tadpole baits.

Black crappie, fair. Try tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies in deeper water. Bluegill, fair. Use tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies in deeper water. Walleye, good. Bite is hit-or-miss at dusk, but the day bite is improving. Many anglers have started to fish in shallower water with slip bobbers along weed edges. Yellow perch, fair. Best bite is morning till 11 a.m. and mid-afternoon. Depths vary depending on the time of day. Move often to find fish – schools are smaller and sporadic.

West Okoboji Lake: The water temperature was 66 degrees last Thursday. Many anglers have been most successful with trolling, but jigging and casting has also been very good. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Offshore fishing for bass has been great.

Black crappie, good. Crappie have been very picky lately, but can be easily caught if you aren’t afraid to switch things up. Can also be caught frequently while picking through other panfish or have been found around weed edges. Bluegill, good. Bluegill are biting like crazy with fish up to 10-inches seen. Try fishing in 15-20 and up to 40 feet of water. Jigging, casting and slip bobbers work well. Try trolling with twister tails and ripple shads. Walleye, fair. Walleye have been hard to target, but many anglers have been catching them while fishing for other species.

Postcards sent to 50,000 Iowans to help them register to vote

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office is mailing a postcard to approximately 50,000 Iowans who are eligible to vote, but not registered. The postcard includes instructions on how to register and a QR code the recipient can use to register to vote online.

The mailing coincides with National Voter Registration Month, which is celebrated every year in September. The postcards should have arrived in mailboxes around Sept. 28, which is recognized as National Voter Registration Day.

“Around 90 percent of Iowans are registered to vote. I want to hit 100 percent and this mailing will help us get there,” Secretary Pate said in a news release. “Voting is a civic duty and the best way to make your voice heard.”

The mailing to eligible but unregistered Iowans is conducted annually by Pate’s office.

Iowa is one of 31 states enrolled in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Participation in ERIC helps Iowa election officials improve the accuracy of the voter rolls, register more eligible citizens, reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the voting process.

More than 500,000 Iowans have registered to vote since Pate took office in January 2015.

NCC ranks No. 5 for best graduation rates

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon was ranked No. 5 for two-year colleges with the best three-year graduation rates by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The rankings were released in the Aug. 20, 2021 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Almanac Report. NCC was the fifth-best two-year public college in the nation for graduation rates of first-time, full-time degree or certificate seeking students who entered in the fall of 2016 and completed an associate degree or earned a certificate at the same institution within 150 percent of the normal time to completion for that program. Students pursuing two-year degrees, for example, counted as graduating if they had completed the program in three years (by Aug. 31, 2019).

NCC was listed as fifth with 240 students in the cohort. Of them, 150 completed their programs within 150 percent of expected time and there was an overall completion rate of 68.85 percent. Nearly 27 percent completed less than two-year programs and 42.1 percent completed two-year programs. Finally, 9.6 percent transferred to another institution before completion and 1.7 percent are still enrolled at NCC.

“Being recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education is a nice validation for the excellent work that the faculty and staff at Northwest Iowa Community College are providing our students,” said President Dr. John Hartog, III, in a news release.

NCC was the only Iowa community college listed for best graduation rates in the report. There were 851 community colleges nationwide that were reviewed for this data set. The overall almanac reported on 15 data sets ranging from best graduation rates, tuition and fees to enrollment.