06/09/22: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Awarded scholarships by ILCC Foundation

The Iowa Lakes Community College Foundation has awarded scholarships to nearly 350 students to help pay for college. Scholarships awarded by the foundation are funded by Iowa Lakes alumni, community members and businesses to provide students with the chance to overcome financial obstacles as they pursue a quality education at Iowa Lakes Community College and beyond.

During this year's selection process, students will receive at least one scholarship from 102 different scholarship funds. The total dollar amount of scholarships is $709,958, which averages $2,045 per student.

The following area students were selected to receive a portion of the awarded scholarship monies.

Everly: Justina Cherry, Presidential Scholarship; Taisya Newcomer, Bookstore Emmetsburg Campus and High School Dual Credit; Anthony Quail, Alumni Dependent.

Royal: Ethan Stevens, High School Dual Credit.

Locals graduate from ISU

Iowa State University recently held spring commencement exercises for the Class of 2022. Local students receiving their degrees included: Abigail Decker, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Hartley; Claire Christensen, Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Royal.

Named to spring dean's list at SDSU

South Dakota State University in Brookings has announced the undergraduate students who have been named to the dean's list for the spring 2022 semester.

Students from this area named to the dean's list are all enrolled in SDSU's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Everly: Alexander Jorgensen, Ty Schoelerman and Zachary Schoelerman.

Greenville: Ben Hargens and Austin Vanderhoff.

Melvin: Ashilyn Hulstein.

Chad Salaets named to USF spring dean's list

Chad Salaets, of Hartley, was named to the spring 2022 dean's list at the University of Sioux Falls.

Salaets, who is majoring in Medical Laboratory Science and Chemistry, was among more than 600 students named to the dean's list. To qualify, students must earn a term GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.

Olivia Grooters serves as 4-H summer assistant

With a busy summer on the docket in O'Brien County, the local Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office is excited to welcome 4-H alumna Olivia Grooters as their summer assistant.

Grooters is a past O'Brien County 4-H member who is currently studying animal science and ag education at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. Originally from Sanborn, Grooters is the daughter of David and April Grooters and older sister to Morgan.

"My favorite part about 4-H is the opportunities that the organization opens," Grooters said. "It can open many new doors and help kids discover new talents that they may not know they possess."

In her new summer role, Grooters will help local staff in preparing for and hosting the O'Brien County Fair as well as assist with local summer camps and other Extension programs.

"The thing that interested me most about this job was getting to interact with many people that have a 4-H background," Grooters said. "I am excited to learn more about the behind the scenes of the O'Brien County Fair, and I am looking forward to getting to interact with 4-H and FFA members and seeing their projects at fair."

Grooters joins local O'Brien County staff members Marsha Rehder, Kate Stewart and Kiley Biedenfeld. She started in her role mid-May and will continue through mid-August.

NCC campus closed Fridays during summer

The main campus of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon will be closed on Fridays during the Summer Term 2022, which concludes on Aug. 12. The main campus will be open Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The Lifelong Learning & Recreation Center has started summer hours and is open Monday-Friday from 5 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m.-7 p.m.

NWI fishing report

Courtesy docks are in place. Most area lake temperatures are in the 60s. Water clarity is fairly good on most area lakes. Bass and panfish are moving to shallower water from the basins, making shore and dock fishing easier.

East Okoboji Lake: Lake temperature is in the upper 60s. The water level is 5 inches over crest. There has been a fairly good crappie and bluegill bite recently. Fish are moving shallower, making for great shoreline fishing. Trolling has been working very well.

Black crappie, good. Bluegill, good. Walleye, fair. Try spinners, crankbaits and long and shallow shad raps. Yellow bass, fair.

Lost Island Lake: Many anglers have been successful; some sorting may be needed depending on which species you are targeting. Black crappie, good. Walleye, fair. Yellow perch, fair.

Minnewashta Lake: Bluegill and crappie fishing has been good; some sorting may be needed.

Black crappie, good. Bluegill, good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): The late afternoon bite has been good. Walleye, fair. Try spinners, crankbaits and long and shallow shad raps.

Spirit Lake: Water temperature was in the mid-60s last Thursday. The lake is 15 inches below crest, making launching boats more difficult. Courtesy docks are in place. The walleye season is open.

Black crappie, fair. Use a tube jig and bobber. Bluegill, fair. Walleye, fair. Try spinners, crankbaits and long and shallow shad raps. Yellow perch, fair.

West Okoboji Lake: Water temperature was in the lower 60s last Thursday. The water level is 5 inches over crest. The panfish bite has been good around docks and hoists; many species of fish are starting to move in shallower.The walleye season is open.

Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair. Largemouth bass, fair. Smallmouth bass, fair.

Consider how many hours something will cost

Creating a spending plan often focuses on balancing money coming in and going out of the household.

Carol Ehlers, an Extension human sciences specialist, offers another approach: Besides looking at the dollars, also consider the hours.

"When we look at dollars, if we have $3,000 in monthly income, then we only have $3,000 to spend, save and share," said Ehlers, who specializes in family wellbeing. "Saving includes goals we are working toward, like retirement, children's education, a vacation or a kitchen remodel. But we also need to set aside money for those bills that only come up a few times a year, like auto insurance or property taxes, so we have the money available when that bill comes due."

Often, people do not know how much they really spend, especially the out-of-pocket expenditures like eating out or the quick stop before work for a cup of coffee.

"This type of spending can really add up to more than we realize. For example, a soda pop at $1.60 each day adds up to $584 in a year. Tracking where our money goes for a month or two gives us real numbers to work with in a spending plan," Ehlers said.

Here's another way to put together a realistic spending plan. Rather than focus solely on the dollars before spending money, also think in terms of hours worked.

"Budgeting based on hours worked means figuring out how many hours we would have to work to pay for an expense," Ehlers said. "We work hard for our money and our money only goes so far. When we consider hours worked and pause before spending, we gain more information to decide what works for our budget."

Iowans can get help with setting up a budget. Free financial education consultations are available to all Iowa residents from Extension human sciences specialists. Contact Iowa Concern at (800) 447-1985 and ask for free financial education consultations.

Family finance information also is available from Extension's MoneyTip$ blog (https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/moneytips/).