Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Ryan Berends received the 4-H Preservation and Restoration Award for his welded "Welcome" yard decoration and plant stand made from historic farm equipment pieces.
New preschool playground equipment was installed this week at Clay Central/Everly Elementary in the Nature Learning Center. The school board this spring agreed to move forward with the purchase, which will greatly improve outside amenities for the district's youngest students. According to previous board discussion, the Nature Learning Center had become outdated and hard to maintain. Many of the untreated wood fixtures had rotted and weed management had become an annual headache. The new setup was purchased from Boland Recreation, of Marshalltown, at a price tag of $58,950. The existing sandbox, playhouse and stage will remain in place.
Christian Voss receives academic award
Christian Voss, of Everly, received the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award. The award was given to nine Buena Vista University business students and nine science students for the 2024 academic year.
The awards, which range up to $10,000, were created by two separate $750,000 endowments from the foundations established by Dr. Harold Walter Siebens and named after the long-time advisor and counsel to Siebens and the foundations. The endowments support annual awards for up to three pre-qualified, academically high-performing BVU business and science students in each of the second, third and fourth years of school.
These awards often help students offset the personal costs associated with completing an internship or experiential learning initiative, providing them with opportunities they otherwise would not be able to experience.
Ryan Berends honored for 4-H historic project at Clay County Fair
The Romanzo A. Coates Questers Club, of Spencer, recently recognized and honored Ryan Berends with the 4-H Preservation and Restoration Award during the 2024 Clay County Fair. The award is the county version of the Quester's state-level award presented during the Iowa State Fair each year.
The local award honored Berends, who is a member of the Clay County Countrymen 4-H Club. For the honor he received a certificate of recognition, a ribbon, a $25 cash prize from the local group, and a $25 donation in which Berends was asked to designate a museum or historical society of his choosing. His historic donation will be given to the Everly Heritage Museum.
"There are several 4-H'ers in our community each year who share a passion for historic preservation. This is the Questers' mission: 'Keeping history alive by supporting preservation, restoration and education.' We hope this award will continue to spur young people along in their passion to preserve history," said Romanzo A. Coates Questers President Karen Cretsinger, in a news release.
Berends, who is the son of Jon and Nicole Berends of Everly, is a sophomore at Spencer High School. He received the award for his historic preservation efforts for his welded "Welcome" yard decoration and plant stand made from historic farm equipment pieces.
"Ryan's welded plant stand showed a lot of initiative with both craftsmanship and historic preservation. It was displayed in the 4-H Building during the Clay County Fair this year," Cretsinger said.
Criteria for the award required participants' projects to follow Clay County 4-H criteria. It may serve as a historic restoration or preservation item or an educational piece. It should include a written report telling the history of the item, including the process to restore the piece or research the information. Pictures of a restoration or educational project should be included in the report. Judging included consideration for the quality of workmanship in preserving and restoring the item and explanations of the written report detailing the process.
All 4-H classes qualified for the Questers Award and all qualifying Clay County 4-H projects that met the standard for the award were judged by members of the Romanzo A. Coates Questers Club, who are also antique/history enthusiasts.
Everly farm sweeps Iowa State Fair Babydoll Sheep Show
Maggie Schoelerman, of Everly, took top honors in the Babydoll Sheep show judged at the 2024 Iowa State Fair. She was awarded the Champion Ram and Ewe banners and first place in the Premier Exhibitor contest.
Results for Schoeleman's exhibits at the state fair include:
Babydoll Southdown: January Ram Lamb, first place; February Ram Lamb, second; March & After Ram Lamb, first; Color Ram Lamb-All Ages, first and second; Pair of Ram Lambs, first; Yearling Ewe, first and second; Color Yearling Ewe, first and second. Pair of Yearling Ewes, first; January Ewe Lamb, first and second; February Ewe Lamb, fourth; Color Ewe Lamb-All Ages, third and sixth; Pair of Ewe Lambs, first; Pair of Lambs, first; Young Flock, first; and Flock, first.
Avera@Home of Spencer Hospital listed in Top 20 percent nationally
When it comes to hospice care, quality and compassion are paramount. Avera@Home of Spencer Hospital excels in both areas, as evidenced by its latest recognition.
Avera@Home of Spencer Hospital recently received notification that its services are being recognized by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) as a "Superior Performer" for achieving an overall caregiver and family satisfaction score that ranked in the Top 20 percent of all eligible SHP clients for the 2023 calendar year.
"It's incredibly fulfilling to see our team's dedication to providing personalized end-of-life care recognized," said Alana Clark, director of Avera@Home of Spencer Hospital, in a news release. "Our focus is always on delivering compassionate and individualized support to each patient and their loved ones."
The SHP Best award program celebrates hospice providers who consistently deliver high-quality care. The 2023 recipients were identified based on their overall scores from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice survey, which evaluated more than 1,000 hospice providers.
"Our hospice team's dedication to excellence is truly commendable," said Spencer Hospital President Brenda Tiefenthaler. "The use of the CAHPS survey scores, which are also utilized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ensures an objective and rigorous assessment. It's wonderful to see our team's exceptional care receive national recognition."
NWI fishing report
Water levels are at or below crest. Water temperatures are in the upper 60s and low 70s. Water temperatures have slowly been decreasing with the cooler nights. Bass and panfish bite has continued to be good on most lakes.
East Okoboji Lake: Lake level is just below crest.
Black crappie, good. Bluegill, good. Many bluegill seen, easily catchable around functional docks. 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 seen; sorting most likely needed.
Silver Lake (Dickinson): Lake level is below crest. Lake outlet boards broken during high water this summer have been replaced. Lake is experiencing an algae bloom.
Walleye, good. Bite hit-or-miss, but very good when bite is on.
Spirit Lake: Lake level is below crest.
Black crappie, good. Anglers finding quality-size crappie; biting on almost anything. Bluegill, good.
