05/23/24: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Justin Moore coming to the 2024 Clay Co. Fair

The Clay County Fair officials last week announced Justin Moore with a special guest to be announced later as part of the SRG Concert Series on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Multi-Platinum hitmaker Justin Moore has built a loyal following over the past decade with his traditional country sound and captivating live shows. The Arkansas native just notched his 12th No. 1 with “You, Me, and Whiskey,” a smoldering duet with Priscilla Block. Over his 10-plus year career, Moore’s No. 1 hits have included “Point at You,” “Lettin’ The Night Roll,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” “Small Town USA,” and “Till My Last Day.”

Moore has earned multiple ACM, ACA, People’s Choice, and ACC Awards nominations, as well as an ACM Award win. In addition to multiple festivals, headline shows, and select direct-support dates, Moore has also been busy hosting his Justin Moore Podcast sponsored by Bobcat with tour manager JR, interviewing guests such as Oscar award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey; country stars Tracy Lawrence, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert; wrestling champion Diamond Dallas Page and ESPN’s Marty Smith.

Moore joins Kansas, Trace Adkins, The Mavericks, Blues Traveler and Third Eye Blind as part of the SRG Concert Series this year. The Clay County Fair runs Sept. 7-15.

Drought conditions improve across Iowa

Consistent above-normal rainfall in April improved overall drought conditions across the state, leading to increased river and stream levels, according to the latest water summary update by the Iowa DNR.

April’s preliminary statewide precipitation was 4.16 inches, or 0.49 inches above normal. At the end of April, Iowa’s Drought Plan showed overall drought conditions have improved statewide, with areas of northeast and southern Iowa continuing to carry a “drought watch” designation. For the first time in nearly two years, no areas in Iowa carry an “extreme drought” designation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Recent rainfall amounts indicate conditions may continue to improve throughout the spring.

April showed an average statewide temperature just over two degrees above normal. Five of the last seven months have been wetter than normal, resulting in improved streamflow and soil moisture, and reduction of drought coverage in Iowa.

While the recent rainfall has led to an improvement in drought conditions, areas of the state continue to carry drought designations due to long-standing significant precipitation shortages over the past year. Some parts of Iowa have precipitation deficits nearly seven inches below normal, and the state has now seen 209 consecutive weeks of dryness or drought conditions.

“April is normally a wet month, so a wetter-than-normal April is certainly welcome,” said Tim Hall, the DNR’s Hydrology Resources Coordinator, in a news release. “Four years of drought will not be eliminated in just a month or two, but progress is being seen. We are in the critical months for water resources in Iowa, and a wetter than normal trend is encouraging.”

May through August normally brings half of the annual rainfall to the state, so the next few months are critical to long-term water resources in Iowa, Hall said.

Graduates from Kirkwood

The 2024 Kirkwood Community College commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 11, in Cedar Rapids. Locally, Kaley Pearson, of Hartley, graduated with an Associate of Science degree.

Named to Dean's List at BVU

More than 500 students were named to the spring 2024 Dean's List at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. The Dean's List recognizes full-time students achieving a 3.5-grade point average or higher for the semester.

The following area students were included.

Everly: Christian Voss.

Hartley: Brittney Ponte and Halle Van Beek.

Melvin: Dayana Bueso.

Irene Mendoza named to SNHU Dean's List

Irene Mendoza, of Sanborn, has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Winter 2024 Dean's List. The winter terms run from January to May.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.50-3.699 for the reporting term are named to the Dean's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired eight-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring and summer.

New members named to NCC Foundation Board

The Northwest Iowa Community College Foundation Board has welcomed three new members, all of whom were approved for their first term which began in January 2024.

Katie Morgan, of Archer, is an attorney and owns Morgan Law PLC in addition to serving as the O'Brien County Attorney. Sarah Loerts, of Ocheyedan, is the Director of Senior Living Services at Heartwood Heights in Sibley. Sherrie Zeutenhorst, of Sheldon, has previously worked as a principal at the Sheldon Community School District and currently serves as a counselor at the district.

The NCC Foundation Board is comprised of 18 members, 14 of whom represent each public school district in NCC's service territory, two members from the NCC Board of Trustees, and multiple retired NCC presidents. The mission of the Northwest Iowa Community College Foundation is to attract and manage financial resources, enhance awareness of the college, and to support access to lifelong learning opportunities.

Top 5 ranking for NCC online program by Forbes Advisor

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon has been ranked fifth in the nation by Forbes Advisor in its 2024 evaluation of online management certificate programs. This accolade highlights NCC's excellence in hybrid learning (online and on campus) and its commitment to providing accessible, quality education.

The Management Supervision Certificate at NCC, integral to the Associate of Applied Science in Business Management degree, features a hybrid learning model that includes essential business management courses fully accessible online.

Forbes Advisor's rankings were derived from a comprehensive analysis of program credibility, affordability, student outcomes and student experience at accredited, nonprofit U.S. colleges.

"We are thrilled to be recognized by Forbes Advisor as one of the top institutions for online management education. This ranking reaffirms our commitment to providing a high-quality, accessible education that equips our students for leadership roles in the business world," said Executive Dean of Student and Academic Services Leah Murphy.

Elderbridge celebrates 50 years of services to older adults

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Elderbridge Area Agency on Aging. Elderbridge has experienced many changes throughout the last 50 years, but its mission to advocate for and empower older adults, caregivers and those with disabilities to pursue independent healthy lives has remained the same.

Established in 1973 under the Older Americans Act, Elderbridge covered a 14-county region and was part of North Iowa Community College (NIACC) in cooperation with Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) campuses.

The first director of Elderbridge was Charles Andrews. In 1976, the Carroll area joined and merged to form a 20-county service area. Then in 2013, Northwest Aging Association merged with Elderbridge which brought about the expansion of services into 29 counties. Shelly Sindt became CEO of Elderbridge in 2017 after sharing the role with Donell Doering for three years.

Sindt remains CEO of Elderbridge and the agency currently has 35 staff within four office locations. Services and programs offered within Elderbridge have continued to expand and staff provides excellent coordination of information and services. Elderbridge is proud of the work they do and the consumers they have the privilege to work with.

Elderbridge is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the upcoming months. Events will also spotlight important activities related to older adults' and caregivers' needs and contributions.

NWI fishing report

Area water temperatures are slowly rising to the upper 50s to lower 60s. Most area lakes are above crest. Courtesy docks are in place. The walleye season is open on the Iowa Great Lakes.

East Okoboji Lake: Lake level is five inches above crest.

Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair. Largemouth bass, fair. Fish are starting to be in and around docks. Yellow perch, fair. Sorting will most likely be needed.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Walleye, good. Bite has been hit-or-miss, but has been very good when the bite is on.

Food pantries receive donations from pork producers

Pork producers across Iowa donated more than $43,000 worth of pork to local food pantries during the past few months. It was done in conjunction with the Pork in the Pantry program, organized by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA).

Locally, food pantries in O’Brien and Clay counties were benefactors.

Now in its second year, Pork in the Pantry provides funding of up to $1,000 to each county pork producer organization that participates. Counties are responsible for purchasing the pork and donating it, and IPPA reimburses them. This year, 38 county producer organizations participated in Pork in the Pantry.

Along with donating much-needed protein to local food pantries, many county producer organizations purchased the pork from local vendors. So not only is Pork in the Pantry helping those in need, the program is also supporting local businesses. Food pantries are frequently short of meat products, so this is a great way to get nutritious protein into the diets of food-insecure Iowans.

The $43,000 worth of pork will provide an estimated 55,000 servings of protein for Iowans who are facing food insecurity. Last year’s Pork in the Pantry program resulted in more than $40,000 worth of pork being donated to local food pantries.

2023 high school graduation rates released

The Iowa Department of Education last week announced a graduation rate of 87.5 percent for Iowa’s class of 2023.

Lower than graduation rates reported in previous years, the 2023 rate was calculated using a newly-corrected code after the department identified an error in the legacy calculation code that had been used for at least 10 years to determine the state’s four- and five-year graduation rates.

The Department’s Information and Analysis Services team discovered that mobile students who transferred between districts and later dropped out had been inadvertently removed from the student cohort rather than included as non-graduates. As a result, graduation rates for the previous 10 years were calculated and reported at a higher than actual rate. Education leaders were informed about the error, which has now been corrected.

Using the corrected code, the department of education reports that Iowa’s four-year high school graduation rate for the graduating Class of 2023 is 87.5 percent, up 0.1 percent from the corrected rate for the graduating Class of 2022.

Iowa’s four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2023 is consistent with the national standard and its neighboring states. Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota recently reported 2023 graduation rates below Iowa’s at 83.3 percent, 87.2 percent and 84.1 percent, respectively. Illinois’ reported Class of 2023 graduation rate was 87.6 percent. Among neighboring states, only Missouri and Wisconsin reported Class of 2023 graduation rates meaningfully above Iowa’s, at 89.9 percent and 90.5 percent, respectively.

Corrected four-year graduation rates for the graduating classes of 2021 and 2022 dropped slightly from what were originally reported. The corrected four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2022 is 87.4 percent, down 2.5 percentage points from what was previously announced last year. For the graduating Class of 2021, the corrected rate is 87.8 percent, down 2.4 percentage points from what was announced in 2022.

Iowa’s corrected five-year graduation rate – which reflects students who were part of a graduating class but took an extra year to finish high school – was 89.7 percent for the Class of 2022, and 90.1 percent for the Class of 2021. The five-year graduation rate for the Class of 2023 will not be available until spring 2025.

Iowa’s annual dropout rate was not impacted by the code error and reflects the percent of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out of school during a single year. The annual dropout rate was 3.02 percent for the 2022-23 school year, which represents 4,718 students in grades 9-12. This is down slightly from the 3.04 percent annual dropout rate for the 2021-22 school year.

Candidates sought for Elderbridge Advisory Council

Elderbridge Agency on Aging is seeking for individuals to serve on its Advisory Council. Counties where vacancies exist include Dickinson, O’Brien and Osceola.

Elderbridge Agency on Aging is an Area Agency on Aging in north central, northwest and central Iowa, currently serving a 29-county region. The agency provides information, guidance and assistance in finding services for older adults, caregivers and individuals with disabilities.

Advisory Council members’ dedication and leadership are vital to the agency’s mission and vision for the communities it serves. Members should be committed to attending and participating in all advisory meetings. They are held quarterly in February, May, August and October, on the fourth Wednesday of the month either via conference call or in person. The Advisory Council will advise the area agency on aging or matters related to older people.

Each candidate for a position on the Advisory Council will receive an application, bylaws, and job description to complete and submit to the Board Governance Committee. Your application and credentials will be reviewed before submitting a recommendation to the full board.

Anyone interested in being an Advisory Council member is asked to contact Amy Simpson at Elderbridge Agency on Aging at (800) 243-0678.

Help stop aquatic hitchhikers

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is reminding all boaters and anglers to “Clean, Drain, and Dry” their boats and equipment this Memorial Day weekend to protect Iowa lakes and rivers from aquatic hitchhikers.

Aquatic invasive species, everything from zebra mussels to Eurasian watermilfoil, move from one waterbody to another by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets and on other equipment used in the water. They often grow quickly and spread fast when brought to another lake or stream due to lack of natural controls.

Aquatic invasive species can create serious problems for Iowa waters by reducing native species and making lakes and rivers unusable for boaters, anglers and swimmers.

Clean, Drain, Dry is a simple three-step process that boaters need to follow every time they move from one body of water to another.

• CLEAN any plants, animals, or mud from your boat and equipment before you leave a waterbody.

• DRAIN water from all equipment (motor, live well, bilge, transom well, bait bucket) before you leave a waterbody.

• DRY anything that comes into contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, boots, clothing, dogs). Before you move to another waterbody either: Spray your boat and trailer with hot or high-pressure water; or Dry your boat and equipment for at least five days.