Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
2024 O'Brien County Fair Royalty candidates Judging for the 2024 O'Brien County Fair Royalty was held on Sunday, June 2 at Grace Lutheran Church in Primghar. This year's candidates, pictured from left to right: Caden Wittrock, Makenna Hofmeyer, Kierstyn Sandy, Paisley Tesch and MaKenna Wallin. Coronation will be held Monday, July 22 at 8 p.m., at the Wayne Maass Memorial Stage on the fairgrounds in Primghar. A recognition of past fair royalty will also take place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the O'Brien County Fair.
ILCC awards over $800,000 in fall 2024 scholarships
With more than 150 scholarships available and a high average award, students planning to attend Iowa Lakes Community College can overcome financial obstacles and receive a quality education. For the 2024 fall term, the Iowa Lakes Community College Foundation awarded 574 scholarships to 342 students, totaling $807,215.25 to date.
The recipients will each receive one or more scholarships with an average per student award of approximately $2,814 from 83 scholarship funds funded by community members and businesses.
Local recipients are listed below.
Everly: Justina Cherry, HG Albee Accounting Specialist.
Hartley: Marilyn Duncan, Adult Learner-Emmetsburg Campus.
NWI fishing report
Due to flooding, all lakes in Dickinson County are under a 5 mph no wake ordinance until further notice. Many ramps and access docks are still under water. Use caution; many lakes have floating debris. Area water temperatures are in the mid-70s. Water levels are well above crest and have flooded some lower level areas. The walleye season is open on the Iowa Great Lakes.
East Okoboji Lake: Lake level is 3.6 feet above crest. The Highway 9 and Hattie Elston boat ramps are the only functional boat ramps. The walleye season is open.
Black crappie, good. Bluegill, good. Lots of bluegill have been seen in shallower waters; many fish are on beds. Largemouth bass, fair. Bass are a little ways off shore; you can still find some around docks and other structures. Yellow perch, good. Many perch have been seen; sorting will most likely be needed.
Ingham Lake: Walleye, fair: Anglers have been successful morning and afternoon.
Silver Lake (Dickinson): Lake level is 1.5 feet over crest. The lake is under a 5 mph no wake ordinance until further notice. Walleye, good. Bite has been hit-or-miss, but has been very good when the bite is on.
Spirit Lake: Lake level is 1.9 feet over crest. All major boat ramps are available; most courtesy are out of the water.
Black crappie, good. Anglers are finding quality-size crappie; they are biting on almost anything. Bluegill, fair. Walleye, good. Anglers are catching quality-sized walleye. Evening bite is best with leech and bobber from shore or crankbaits and slip bobbers by boat. Yellow perch, good. Sorting may be needed.
West Okoboji Lake: Lake level is 3.6 feet above crest. The Emerson Bay boat ramp is the only functional access.
Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, good. Pumpkinseed, good. Walleye, fair. Yellow perch, fair. Sorting may be needed.
New Extension Regional Director for area counties
Melissa Lutat is the regional director for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach serving Dickinson, Emmet, Clay and Palo Alto counties. She begins the position July 31.
As regional director, Lutat will provide administrative leadership to county Extension office staff and guidance to county Extension councils.
Lutat has over 30 years of service in leadership, including 20 years of experience in education. She most recently served as a career coach consultant and adjunct faculty instructor at Iowa Lakes Community College. She also has served ILCC as coordinator for the Pathways for Academic Career and Employment and GAP programs, as well as coordinator for the Career Resource Center.
She is a retired master sergeant with the United States Air Force. Her 22 years of military service included four years as commandant of the James M. McCoy Airman Leadership School, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. During that time she led the school to be No. 1 of 74 community colleges of the Air Force campuses.
"Melissa is a high-performance leader dedicated to creating and sustaining a positive culture and climate for success. Her abilities are an excellent fit for the role of a regional director," said Extension Assistant Vice President Andrea Welchans, in a news release.
Lutat received her Doctor of Education degree from Capella University, Minn., her Master of Public Administration from Bellevue University, Neb., and her Bachelor of Management from National American University, S.D. She also holds three associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force, Air University in Alabama.
Iowans encouraged to report wild turkey sightings
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is looking for help with its annual wild turkey production survey. During the months of July and August wild turkey sightings are recorded to estimate this year's nesting rates and nest success.
Participation is easy – just note the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male – males have beards on their breast – and if and how many poults (baby turkeys) were present. The survey is available online at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Turkey-Hunting/Wild-Turkey-Survey. There is a guide on documenting wild turkey broods on the survey webpage, that provides tips on how to determine males from females, and different flock scenarios with poults of different ages.
Annual population surveys conducted by the DNR are an important component of managing the wild turkey. Turkey populations can fluctuate annually across all regions of the state. All participation is appreciated.
