Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Hope Lutheran Church's fifth graders (left to right) Will Schipper, Lyla Steuben and Brynlee Follon pose with Pastor Dan Taylor as the trio had the honor of receiving their First Communion during last week's Maundy Thursday service.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church's fifth graders enjoyed their First Communion last Thursday during the Maundy Thursday service. Brody Essing, Kate Holtz and Hallie Fletcher were given a certificate and their own chalice as a keepsake from the BLC Milestone Ministry Team, which welcomed the children to the Lord's table for communion.
Members of the Clay County Countrymen 4-H Club gathered Saturday to put on an Easter egg hunt at Everly Community Park. Children ages 10 and under were invited to scour the grounds during the contest, which was co-hosted by the Everly Lions Club.
Easter Sunday brought with it a special performance at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hartley. Former Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn band director Ron Arndt was on hand to play trumpet during three songs: "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today," "He's Risen, He's Risen," and "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." While Arndt is well-known locally by former students, he's also known by many people throughout the region for his musical talents playing in area bands.
Local educators awarded grant for a community project
The Clay Central/Everly Education Association was awarded a $500 Community Outreach Grant from the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) for the CC/E MAV BackPack Program, which provides nutritious food for students and families in need.
The ISEA established community outreach grants to collaborate and create opportunities for community service or school projects. Grants are available to members of the ISEA.
Members of the CC/E Education Association, working with Royal Community Action and the Everly & Royal Lions Club, assembles and distributes backpacks for students to take home every week.
"The ISEA is proud to partner with the Clay Central/Everly Education Association in this effort," said Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, in a news release. "Anytime we can help our members go above and beyond with an important project like this, we are all in."
Free events to feature suicide survivor
Seasons Center for Behavioral Health will host two free events on Friday, May 12, featuring keynote speaker and Golden Gate Bridge suicide survivor, Kevin Hines. Both events will take place at King's Pointe Resort in Storm Lake.
Hines' story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder to love the life we have. He is a multi award-winning filmmaker and bestselling author as well as an award-winning global suicide prevention and mental health advocate.
When he was nine months old, Hines was adopted by a family in San Francisco. At the age of 10 he was put on medication to help control his epileptic seizures. After being taken off the medication years later, he began experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Two years after being officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he attempted to take his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. He is now one of only 36 people who have survived that 220-foot jump. Since that fateful day, Hines has dedicated his life to spreading a message of hope and openly discussing mental health, oftentimes becoming a bridge between people who have made similar attempts and their parents, siblings, children, spouses and friends.
Healthcare providers, faith leaders and human service providers are encouraged to attend the daytime session from 10 a.m.-noon. During this presentation, Hines will focus on suicide prevention, wellness, stress, brain fitness, family issues, caregiving, youth trauma, resilience and recovery. Attendees will be empowered to embrace their own brain health and normalize the conversation around mental health.
The general public is encouraged to attend the evening session from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Hines will discuss his process for wellness, resilience and recovery. He will discuss the importance of maintaining wellness for everyone, not just those with a diagnosed mental illness. Attendees will come away with knowledge of how to build their own toolkit for maintaining their mental wellness, as well as the wellness of their loved ones.
"Kevin Hines is a remarkable speaker with a very inspiring story," said Sarah Heinrichs-Wurm, Grants Project Administrator at Seasons Center, in a news release. "He offers a powerful connection of hope and courage between life and death for people caught in the pain of living with serious mental illness, difficult life circumstances, and more."
To register for the daytime session, please visit https://bit.ly/3XVKmHX. Social Work, LMHC, LMFT, Nursing, Foster/Adoptive and Substance Use Disorder Counselor CEUs will be available. To register for the evening session, please visit https://bit.ly/409kUjp.
March is first below normal precipitation month of 2023
After four months in a row of above normal precipitation, totals for March came in lower than normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update by the Iowa DNR.
Precipitation for March was 1.49 inches, 0.5 inches below normal. As a result, streamflows have been impacted and the western part of the state is now in "Drought Watch" as defined by Iowa's new Drought Plan.
While precipitation was below normal for most of the state, over the past 90 days precipitation has been above normal, thanks to wetter than normal conditions from November through February. It should be noted that "Drought Watch" is the least severe of the IDP designations, and should serve as a reminder for Iowans to be attentive to conditions. Normal April rainfall should be adequate to restore these two drought regions to normal conditions.
Lakes opening up across NWI
Ice conditions are still OK for foot traffic in a few areas; finding a safe way to get on the ice may be difficult as shorelines and some bays are starting to open up. The weather forecast calls for much warmer weather; expect ice conditions to quickly diminish. Open water season is coming soon.
The walleye season on the Iowa Great Lakes is closed until May 6.
East Okoboji Lake: Ice conditions are OK in some areas; access can be hard to find.
Black crappie, good. Try small jigs tipped with a minnow or tube jig and bobber. Bluegill, good. Use tube jigs, plastics, or other small jigs. Northern pike, good. Tip-ups are working well. Yellow perch, fair. Minnows are working well; some sorting may be needed.
Ingham Lake: A large portion of the lake is open.
Walleye, fair.
Lost Island Lake: Ice conditions are very poor.
Black crappie, good. Walleye, good.
Minnewashta Lake: Large portions of the lake are starting to open up.
Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair.
Silver Lake (Dickinson): A large portion of the lake is open; ice conditions should continue to diminish.
Walleye, fair.
Spirit Lake: A few areas, like Anglers Bay, can still be fished safely on foot; most lake access is diminished.
Black crappie, good. Yellow perch, good: Use small jigs tipped with a minnow. Sorting may be needed.
West Okoboji Lake: Lake access is heavily diminished; if you are able to safely get on the ice, much of the ice is still safe for foot traffic.
Black crappie, fair. Try small jigs tipped with a minnow. Bluegill, fair. Use tube jigs, plastics, or other small jigs. Yellow perch, fair. Try small jigs tipped with a minnow. Sorting may be needed.
Walleye netting season starts for Iowa DNR fish hatcheries
The late night, annual walleye collection has begun at Clear Lake, Rathbun Reservoir and Storm Lake, with collection efforts soon to follow at the Iowa Great Lakes.
Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau will set gillnets at night in traditional areas looking for walleyes that are ready to spawn.
This time of year, hatcheries operate into the wee hours of the morning as local staff bring in the nightly haul well past midnight. As fish "ripen," the eggs are removed from the walleyes and the fish are returned to the lake where they were caught to make room for the next night's catch.
The goal is to collect enough fish to hatch 162 million walleye fry that will supply Iowa lakes and fish hatcheries.
The Clear Lake, Rathbun, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake fish hatcheries are open and ready for visitors. Contact the individual hatchery you intend to visit for visitor hours.
Spirit Lake Hatchery filling with northern pike
Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources placed fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake on April 9 to start collecting northern pike. Northern pike spawn in sloughs and shallow vegetated areas around the Iowa Great Lakes prior to ice leaving the lakes.
A total of 257 adult northern pike were collected in one night. The fish were transported to the Spirit Lake Hatchery. The broodstock produced over 2.4 million eggs, which are currently being incubated in special jars that allow fresh water to flow over the eggs and supply oxygen.
In less than two weeks, the fry will hatch and be stocked into Iowa's shallow lakes.
The Spirit Lake Hatchery is open to the public. Starting Friday, April 14, hours of operation will be 8 a.m.-8 p.m., seven days a week, through April 30.
