Local COVID-19 positivity rates remain high

O’Brien County’s COVID-19 positivity rate increased this week, but its ranking among 98 other Iowa counties still dropped one spot from No. 10 to No. 11.

According to Iowa’s coronavirus update page Tuesday night, the number of positive tests returned in O’Brien County over the last 14 days was 15.9 percent, ranking No. 11 in Iowa. Lyon, Sioux, Osceola and Plymouth counties were Nos. 1-4, respectively, while Clay County was No. 29 with a 10.4 positivity rate.

The total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 remained the same over the past week in O’Brien County (9) and Clay County (4). Overall, O’Brien County has had 407 total confirmed coronavirus cases since March and 211 recoveries, while Clay County has had 343 cases and 236 recoveries.

The COVID-19 outbreak at Prairie View Campus in Sanborn did not change during the past week. According to state data, the facility has had 29 confirmed cases and 18 recoveries.

Statewide, there have been 88,235 positive cases, 67,509 recoveries and 1,341 deaths. Iowa’s positivity rate was 8.8 percent as of Tuesday night.

National 4-H Week to be celebrated

Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H.

The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, “Opportunity4All,” is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America.

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivating confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries.

Local 4-H clubs across northwest Iowa will observe National 4-H Week by taking part in a number of events throughout their communities.

To learn what events are planned in Clay County, contact Isabel Dehrkoop, County Youth Coordinator, at (712) 262-2264 or dehrkoop@iastate.edu.

Contact Sarah Fiddelke, County Youth Coordinator for O’Brien County, at (712) 957-5045 or sfiddelk@iastate.edu to discover events planned by local 4-H clubs.

H-M-S enrolled in Summer Food Service Program

The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided on a first come, first serve basis at all three attendance centers.

Contact the school for more information.

Windy Dagel named to BVU summer Dean’s List

Windy Dagel, of Sanborn, was named to the Summer 2020 Dean’s List at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. Dagel was among more than 130 students named to the list this semester.

The Dean’s List recognizes full-time students achieving a 3.5 grade point average or higher for the semester.

UI Class of 2024 sets academic benchmark

The incoming undergraduate class at the University of Iowa has again topped previous records in achievement with a higher cumulative high school grade-point average (GPA), at 3.78, than any previous class.

The Class of 2024 is composed of 4,530 students, 456 fewer than last year. A decrease in enrollment was anticipated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 58 percent of the students (2,612) are Iowa residents, representing 95 of 99 counties. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at Iowa is 22,405.

Incoming undergraduates from this area are listed by hometown, classification and college enrolled. All are graduates of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School.

Hartley: Jonathan Diaz, Undergraduate-First Year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Sanborn: Samuel Haack, Undergraduate-First Year, Tippie College of Business. Payton Kamradt, Undergraduate-First Year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Gracie Meyers, Undergraduate-First Year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Everly: Savanna Handy, Undergraduate-Second Year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Slight decline in fall enrollment at NCC

Enrollments at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon are down slightly for the fall of 2020, at 1,666. This represents about a 6 percent decrease from the record-breaking enrollment in the fall of 2019 when the headcount was 1,777.

According to Dr. John Hartog, Vice President for Academics & Student Services, numbers of new students at NCC are up by just over 3.50 percent over last year, and the fall class is the fourth-largest incoming class overall.

This year’s enrollment represents an 86 percent overall increase since the fall of 2000, when NCC had 897 students.

Clover Kids returns in take-home format for K-3 youth

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Clay County is excited to again be offering the Clover Kids program to kindergarten through third grade youth at Clay Central/Everly, Spencer, Sacred Heart and Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran schools.

In order to follow guidance for social distancing, the program will be done in a once-a-month take-home format for the months of October through December. In December, the program will be re-evaluated and a decision will be made for the remaining months of the school year as to whether to continue take-home kits or return to afterschool programming.

According to Sarah Dirks, Clay County In-School and Adult Human Sciences Program Coordinator, take-home bags will be provided to each registered Clover Kid. Youth will pick up the take-home bags at school and then they can do the hands-on activities from their own home.

The purpose of Clover Kids is to foster the development of life skills by providing a unique, age-appropriate educational opportunity with hands-on activities related to science, technology, engineering, math, literacy, health and wellness, communication, art, teamwork and more.

There is no charge to participate in the program. Each month’s packets will be delivered to all schools in Clay County with participating Clover Kids.

For more information and/or to register, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/clay/clover-kids, or contact Dirks at (712) 262-2264 or sdirks@iastate.edu.

Grants available to rural fire departments to help battle wildfires

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry - Fire Program, working in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, has grant money available for Iowa’s rural fire departments to help battle wildfires.

The grants offer funding assistance for wildfire suppression equipment, slide-in units, hoses, nozzles, adapters, portable tanks and pumps, personal protective equipment and communications equipment. Additionally, if a fire department has a special need that can be tied directly to wildfire suppression, this grant allows for such special requests.

The grant provides 50 percent reimbursement for wildland fire equipment with a maximum reimbursement grant of $3,500 per department. The 2020 Volunteer Fire Assistance grant applications are due on Oct. 15.

Gail Kantak, DNR state wildland fire supervisor, reminds fire departments to send her a Wildland Fire Report whenever they respond to a wildland fire or provide assistance to a prescribed or controlled wildland fire.

“Departments actively returning these reports can receive priority points in the Volunteer Fire Assistance grant application scoring process,” she said.

All Iowa volunteer fire departments were mailed information about the 2020 Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant. The grant application package and the Wildland Fire Report form are available online by visiting http://www.iowadnr.gov/fire.