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Wild-Harvested Mushroom Certification Classes Set for Spring

Posted on by Sam Parsons

AMES, Iowa – Mushroom gatherers who wish to sell wild-harvested mushrooms can attend one of two certification workshops to be held in March and April.

The certification is a requirement for those selling any of eight state-regulated mushrooms in Iowa, and participants will learn how to distinguish those eight from look-alikes that could potentially be poisonous.

Anyone with an interest in mushrooms and selling mushrooms can attend the workshop, according Chelsea Harbach, plant disease diagnostician with Iowa State University’s Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic.

“Certification is a requirement for selling any of these eight mushrooms in Iowa, but others can benefit by improving their knowledge of Iowa mushrooms and how to distinguish one mushroom from another,” said Harbach.

People can be poisoned by eating misidentified mushrooms, according to Harbach.

The common names of mushrooms that require certification to sell are morel, oyster, chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, chanterelles, bear’s head tooth/lion’s mane, pheasant back, and black trumpet.

The in-person workshops will be held March 25 and April 15, from 2-5 p.m. on the Iowa State University campus, inside room 1302 of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building (1302 ATRB).

Iowans who have not been certified to sell morel mushrooms for three or more years much recertify this year. Registration is open to out-of-state individuals who hunt and sell in Iowa, but keep in mind local certification may be required to sell in your home state.

Participants will receive a copy of the Safe Mushroom Foraging guide, an 80-page field guide published by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, that contains important information about mushrooms found throughout Iowa.

Registration is $60 and can be done online. For the March 25 workshop, register by March 18; for the April 15 workshop, register by April 8.

For more information, contact Chelsea Harbach at pidc@iastate.edu

Pella School Board Hears Update on Early Childhood Center Construction, Reviews Culture Survey Results

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Pella Community School Board met last night and received an update on the status of their Early Childhood Center from DCI Construction. Structural masonry is expected to be completed within a couple of weeks and foundational work is still ongoing.

The board also reviewed the results from their Cultural Survey from HumanEx. The survey was conducted among faculty and staff to receive feedback from their perspective. Superintendent Greg Ebeling said that this survey has been conducted yearly for several years, with this year’s survey seeing the highest level of participation to date. Among the results reviewed from the survey, 70.52% of respondents reported being both highly satisfied and highly engaged with their job and culture. That number has dipped from the mid-to-upper 70s since before COVID. Some differences were observed between different buildings within the district; Ebeling said that the plan was to meet in February with employees of the various buildings to come up with an action plan to address some of those differences.

The next meeting for the Pella Community School Board will be held on January 23.

Osky Splits Doubleheader at Newton

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa girls and boys basketball teams suited up for another conference twin bill on Friday; this time, they hit the road to face the Newton Cardinals.

Osky’s girls found themselves in a physical, low-scoring affair to start the night. Both teams played aggressive defense, but in the first half, the officials let the teams play, and as such, the half ended with just 38 combined points as the Cardinals led 20-18.

The atmosphere shifted in the second half when the physical nature of the game began to be legislated with a more hands-on approach. In a short span during the third quarter, Cardinal point Sophia Reynolds, the team’s leader in points, assists, and steals, racked up several personal fouls and found herself with 4 midway through the period. At the start of the 4th, the Indians were still down 25-24, but the opportunity was there for them to take the lead.

They took the opportunity and ran with it. Shots that weren’t falling for the Indians in the first half began to do so in the second, as junior wing Lydia Van Veldhuizen, who was held scoreless in the first half, caught fire with 9 points, most of which came in the fourth quarter. Things went from bad to worse for the Cardinals when Reynolds fouled out, and their remaining players continued to play aggressive defense to no avail; Indians senior Presley Blommers was sent to the free throw line on four different occasions, all in the fourth quarter, and drained all 8 of her free throw attempts. The Indians scored 23 points in the fourth after scoring just 24 in their first three quarters and won convincingly on the scoreboard, 47-33.

The boys game, on the other hand, was handled by the Cardinals from the tip. Blessed with a remarkable amount of experience and team leadership (the Cardinals have 13 seniors on their roster), Newton was able to control both ends of the floor throughout the night. Senior forward Cole Plowman was the centerpiece in the beginning as the Cardinals funneled passes to him in the low post and he accounted for 17 of the Cardinals’ 34 first half points. The Cardinals forced a slew of turnovers on defense in the first half as well, staking a 34-12 lead.

From there, it was time for Newton to hit cruise control. The Indians were able to see some offensive improvement in the second half with better shooting led by junior Aidan Scholes, but the Cardinals never let them back in the game. The final score was 61-39 in favor of the Cardinals to split the doubleheader.

The Osky girls (4-5) will travel to PCM on Monday. The boys (1-8) will host Grinnell on Tuesday.

Girls stats

Boys stats

Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1.1 billion after no winner

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a big winner. No one hit all six numbers and won the estimated $940 million jackpot, pushing the lottery prize to an estimated $1.1 billion ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night. The numbers drawn late Friday were: 3, 20, 46, 59, 63 and gold Mega Ball 13. The prize is now the third-largest in U.S. history. There have been 24 drawings without a jackpot winner. The winless streak is largely due to the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million. The new estimated prize is for a winner who chooses an annuity paid annually over 29 years. Grand prize winners usually take the cash option, which for Tuesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $568.7 million.

Iowa’s U.S. House delegation finally sworn into office

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The four Republicans from Iowa who were elected to serve in the U.S. House were sworn into office at about a quarter ’til one on Saturday morning.

The four Iowans supported Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker throughout last week as McCarthy negotiated and made concessions to try to win the support of 20 House Republican hold-outs. First district Congresswoman Marianette Miller-Meeks of LeClaire recorded a video early Saturday, after a 15th and successful vote for speaker had concluded.

“Tonight, we elected Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. It was a messy process, but it was transparent, out in the open,” Miller-Meeks said. “…Now, let’s get on to doing the work of the people and get this country back on track.”

Second district Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said in a written statement that McCarthy will be “an incredible speaker” and ensure House Republicans deliver on a “historic agenda.” Fourth district Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull said he’s encouraged by the deals McCarthy struck this past week that will keep “massive spending bills” from being passed in the U.S. House.

Third district Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant, taking the oath for his first term in office, said in a written statement that he’ll “follow through and executive on tough requirements.”

Annual North Mahaska Audit Report Released

Posted on by Sam Parsons

NEW SHARON — Van Maanen, Sietstra, Meyer & Nikkel, PC, Certified Public Accountants released an audit report on the North Mahaska Community School District, in New Sharon, on Friday.

North Mahaska’s revenues totaled $10,116,939 for the year ended June 30, 2022, a 10.5 percent increase from the prior year. Expenses for the District operations for the year ended June 30, 2022 totaled $8,130,711, a 7.4 percent decrease from the prior year. The increase in revenues is due primarily to an increase in Federal grants. The decrease in expenses is due primarily to less spending on construction projects.

Van Maanen, Sietstra, Meyer & Nikkel, PC reported four findings related to the receipt and expenditure of taxpayer funds. They are found on pages 62 through 64 of the full report. The findings address issues such as segregation of duties, and certified enrollment variances. The auditors provided the district with recommendations to address each of the findings.

Both findings discussed above which relate to North Mahaska are repeated from the prior year. The school district’s board of education has a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the school district’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible care” a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.

It should be noted that these findings are not uncommon in smaller governmental entities and many times are cited on an annual basis.

A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of the State of Iowa’s website at https://auditor.iowa.gov/audit-reports.

Cover Crop Workshop to be Held at Boender Farm near Oskaloosa January 24

Posted on by Sam Parsons

AMES, Iowa—Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop workshop on Tuesday, January 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Steve Boender’s Farm near Oskaloosa. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners including, reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil. When paired with no-tillage additional benefits include increased water infiltration and reduced erosion during heavy rain events.

This workshop aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops to maintain yields during the transition to a higher residue system of cover crops. Additionally, the workshop offers the opportunity to learn more about taking cover crops to the next level for soil health through grazing and relay cropping with soybeans.

Rebecca Vittetoe, Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist, will share research data on utilizing winter and summer annual forages. Ross Evelsizer, Northeast Iowa RC&D, and Alex Shaffer, Iowa Soybean Association, are partnering on relay cropping cereal rye and soybeans trials and will highlight how to successfully manage the system. A panel of local farmers will share how they are using cover crops in their operations and how they have addressed the challenges of changing their management. Myriam Lafreniere-Landry, Muchakinock Creek Watershed Coordinator, and Joy Van Wyngarden, South Skunk Watershed Coordinator, will provide project updates and share opportunities for participation.

The workshop will be held in a heated shop at the Boender Farm, 2052 275th St, Oskaloosa, IA 52577. The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, though we require reservations to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu.  Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.

Pella Wellness Consortium to Present Lyndsey Fennelly

Posted on by Sam Parsons

PELLA — The Pella Wellness Consortium is pleased to welcome Lyndsey Fennelly, a motivational speaker, former standout Iowa State University basketball player and successful businesswoman, to a conversation about her mental health journey at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, at Central College Graham Conference Center.

The event is open to the public and includes a resource fair with local organizations and businesses sharing information about mental health services from 6:30 – 7 p.m. and 7:45-8:15 p.m. Light refreshments are available. An American Sign Language interpreter will be on site.

The former All-American basketball player is a passionate advocate for mental health education and care. Fennelly will share her own struggles with mental health and how she has learned to live it.

“The Pella Wellness Consortium wanted to launch the new year focused on mental health,” says Kristi Leonard, chair of the Pella Wellness Consortium and assistant dean of students at Central. “We must acknowledge that health and wellness programs include mental health. Lyndsey has a wonderful and compassionate journey that she will share.”

Fennelly graduated from ISU with a bachelor’s degree in sport management. She continued to coach basketball and teach basketball skills. She is a mother of two children and is married to Iowa State assistant basketball coach Billy Fennelly.

She has served as the color commentator for Mediacom Connections, a cable television company that broadcasts Iowa State’s women’s basketball team’s home games. She is with the All-Iowa Attack program as a skills trainer, while serving as the color analyst for the Iowa State women’s basketball road games. She continues to provide leadership, counsel, training and speaking opportunities to organizations, teams and programs.

The Pella Wellness Consortium hosts events open to the public to increase awareness about health and wellness concerns facing local residents. Fennelly’s program is sponsored by the Pella Community Foundation, Vermeer Charitable Foundation and Central’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

Iowa woman believed to be oldest person in US dies at 115

Posted on by Sam Parsons

LAKE CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman who was believed to be the oldest living person in the U.S. has died at the age of 115. Lampe & Powers Funeral Home in Lake City confirms that Bessie Laurena Hendricks, of Lake City, died Tuesday at the Shady Oaks Care Center. Hendricks celebrated her 115th birthday at the home on Nov. 7 and was listed last year by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group as the country’s oldest living person until her death. Born in 1907, Hendricks was alive to witness news of the sinking of the Titanic, World War I and II, the Great Depression and both the Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemics.

DNR Releases Water Summary Update for 2022

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES — 2022 ended on a good note, with December’s precipitation above normal.  While the precipitation numbers for November and December were encouraging, the state of Iowa saw its third year in a row of drought conditions. Wetter fall months have been common over the past few years, but despite recent wet months, precipitation deficits for the year are more than 8 inches. Streamflow, soil moisture, and shallow groundwater conditions are showing some improvement, but more rainfall is needed.

“The above-normal moisture in the last months of 2022 is good news, but the deficits for the year are still significant. We need more moisture throughout the winter and spring months to make a significant impact on drought conditions in Iowa,” said Tim Hall, Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ coordinator of hydrology resources. “January is the driest month of the year, but over the last four days we have received nearly the entire month’s worth of moisture – which is encouraging.”

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

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