10/31/24: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Clay County Fair Association seeks board candidates and members

The Clay County Fair Association is currently searching for eligible candidates to join its board of directors and encourages interested community members to become part of the Clay County Fair Association. This year, the association's annual meeting and election of the board of directors has been moved to Feb. 25, 2025, creating a new opportunity for interested individuals to get involved.

Each year, the association's nominating committee seeks individuals to serve as candidates for election to the board of directors. Eligible candidates must have been a member of the fair association for a minimum of one (1) year prior to their election. The deadline to submit an application to run for the board of directors is Dec. 1. The nominating committee reviews all interested candidates for possible inclusion on the ballot that will be submitted during the fair association's annual meeting in February.

The board of directors plays a critical role in the leadership of the Clay County Fair. Elected Board Members serve three-year terms and help shape the fair's direction by electing the executive committee and approving changes to the fair association's by-laws.

• How to apply

Individuals interested in running for the board of directors can easily access the application at https://claycountyfair.com/about/staff-and-board/ or pick up a paper application at the Clay County Fair Administrative Office located inside the events center. The deadline for submitting applications is Dec. 1.

In addition to seeking candidates for the board of directors, the Clay County Fair Association is also looking for new members to join the fair association.

"There's a misconception that our organization is closed to the public, but the truth is anyone can join – even if they're not from Clay County," Fair Manager Jerome Hertel said in a news release. "We welcome everyone who wants to be part of this community tradition."

Membership is open year-round to individuals and businesses for a one-time fee of $100. Individual members have the right to vote and hold office, while associate members (businesses, organizations, etc.) can attend meetings but cannot vote or hold office. The fair association currently has 841 lifetime members – 786 individual members and 55 associate members.

The Clay County Fair Association's annual meeting, which includes the election of the board of directors and other important business, will take place on Feb. 25, 2025, making this a great time to get involved.

For more information about joining the association or applying for the board of directors, contact the fair administrative offices at (712) 580-3000 or [email protected].

Sara Hoerichs joins ISU Extension and Outreach staff in Clay County

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach welcomes Sara Hoerichs as the new Clay County K-12 Program Educator.

Hoerichs will lead county youth programs including Clover Kids, youth camps and school enrichment, and work alongside Clay County Youth Coordinator Jenna Steffen.

"The Region 2 Team is excited to welcome Sara," said Melissa Lutat, Region 2 regional director with ISU Extension and Outreach. "She proudly displays her passion for making a positive difference in our community, and we are eager to see her thrive."

A Milford resident, Hoerichs has a degree in equine business from Stephens College in Missouri. She previously worked at the Dickinson County Nature Center and served in the US Air Force.

"Some of my favorite jobs have involved working with kids, teaching, and being outside," Hoerichs said. "This role combines all of that. I'm really looking forward to Clover Kids and the other youth programs that Clay County offers."

Hoerichs grew up on Little Sioux Orchard and has always loved livestock, especially goats and horses, so she is excited to incorporate animal activities into some programs. She also enjoys cooking and baking, so those popular youth program offerings will continue.

Hoerichs joins Clay County staff members Michele Hogrefe, office manager and adult program coordinator; Jenna Steffen, county youth coordinator; Kate Tewes, 4-H livestock coordinator; and Kelli Ireland, office assistant.

To connect with Hoerichs and welcome her to Clay County Extension, stop in at 1515 West 18th St. in Spencer, call (712) 262-2264, or email [email protected]. The office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday.

Over 40 units of blood collected

Forty-one units of blood were collected during the drive held in Hartley on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Those blood donations have the ability to save or potentially save the lives of 123 people in need.

LifeServe Blood Center recognizes the donors who achieved milestone donations during the drive: Cynthia Pingel, 1 gallon; Rebecca Stoltz, 3 gallons; John Schierholz, 4 gallons; and Douglas Nagel, 6 gallons. Together these individuals have donated 112 pints of blood, potentially sustaining the lives of over 330 people.

The last drive of 2024 in Hartley will be held Tuesday, Dec. 24, from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Trinity United Church of Christ.

Travel-generated expenditures in O'Brien County total $19 million

The Iowa Tourism Office recently released new data showing tourism-related expenditures in the state reached $7.3 billion in 2023, a 5.1 percent increase over 2022. Travel-generated expenditures in O'Brien County totaled $19 million, an increase of 18.7 percent over the previous year.

Additional data from the Tourism Economics study shows travel-generated state and local tax receipts at $1.1 billion. Tourism in Iowa also supported 70,954 jobs. The tourism industry employs 164 people in O'Brien County.

"O'Brien County Tourism has been working hard since 1998 to promote the unique sites and activities we have in our county. It is exciting to see the committee's hard work pay off in such concrete numbers," said Kiana Johnson, O'Brien County Economic Development Corporation executive director and facilitator of O'Brien County Tourism, in a news release.

The entire report is available at traveliowa.com.

The Iowa Tourism Office, part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, works closely with community partners, attractions and events to promote the state's beautifully vast scenery and unique history.

O'Brien County Tourism falls under the umbrella of OCEDC and is devoted to promoting tourism and improving quality of life within the county. For additional information, contact Johnson at (712) 957-1313 or e-mail [email protected].

Local burn bans remain in effect until further notice

Residents in O'Brien, Clay and Osceola counties are advised that open burning bans are in effect until further notice.

The bans were ordered earlier this month due to dry, windy conditions. According to the orders, "open burning constitutes a danger to life or property" during periods of extended dryness. The prohibitions may only be rescinded after local officials notify the state fire marshal that conditions have eased.

Those who violate the ban will be subjected to a simple misdemeanor charge. The order does not prohibit a supervised, controlled burn that has been issued a permit by the fire chief of the fire district where the burn will take place, the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, properly supervised landfills, or the burning of trash in incinerators or trash burners made of metal, concrete, masonry or heavy one-inch wire mesh with no openings greater than one square inch.

Fifty-seven counties had burn bans as of Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Iowa, only Dickinson, Buena Vista, Pocahontas and Ida counties did not have orders in place.

Seek heating assistance before moratorium begins

With parts of the state having already experienced temperatures falling below freezing, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) reminds electric and natural gas customers who may be struggling to pay utility bills to make payment arrangements with their provider before the annual winter moratorium on service disconnections begins Friday, Nov. 1.

Iowa's winter moratorium law prevents utilities from disconnecting customers' electric or natural gas utility service for nonpayment between Nov. 1 and April 30, when that service is used for home heating.

Limited financial energy assistance in Iowa is available through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The annual application period runs from Nov. 1, 2024-April 30, 2025. Households with a resident 60 years or older, those who are disabled and those in crisis are eligible to apply now.

LIHEAP is a federally-funded program designed to help low-income homeowners and renters pay a portion of their primary home heating costs through a one-time payment made directly to the utility or heating fuel vendor.

The program is administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and individuals can apply through their local community action agency. During fiscal year 2023, Iowa provided 82,904 households with LIHEAP funding to assist with a portion of their heating costs. For the 2024-2025 heating season, HHS anticipates Iowa's LIHEAP funding will be approximately $52 million, which may change based on a final budget passed by Congress.

Although qualified applicants cannot be disconnected during the annual winter moratorium, the IUC urges all LIHEAP-certified customers to continue paying toward their energy bills through the winter to avoid accumulating high debt and face potential utility service disconnection after April 1. Customers currently disconnected must contact their utility provider to make payment arrangements to restore service.

NCC programs ranked high by online source

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon has been recognized for excellence in higher education with five nationally top-ranked programs in Intelligent.com's 2025 rankings.

Intelligent.com, a resource for online and on-campus program rankings, has ranked the following NCC programs as among the best nationally for 2025:

• Best Two-Year Online Agriculture Degree Programs – No. 1.

• Best Online Associate in Psychology Degree Programs – No. 9.

• Best Online Community Colleges & Trade Schools – No. 13.

• Best Online Health Information Technology (HIT) Degree Programs – No. 23.

• Best Online Medical Coding Degree Programs – No. 31.

In many of these listings, NCC is the only Iowa college included in the top rankings.

"This list features some of the best online programs at top colleges nationwide. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution, either public or private, with a high standard of academic quality for postsecondary education," Intelligent.com noted in a press release. "We evaluated each school's program on admission, retention and graduation rates, as well as tuition costs, faculty, reputation and the resources provided for online students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0-100."

To create the 2025 rankings, Intelligent.com pulled the most current information from U.S. News & World Report, BestColleges.com and other pertinent ranking sites. Additionally, data was sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the National Center of Education Statistics' College Navigator, College Board and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All data underwent multiple quality assurance checks before publication.