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Ice fishing shelters must be removed by Feb. 20

DES MOINES – Ice fishing shelters, left unattended, must be removed from state-owned lands and waters, including parking lots and boat ramps by Feb. 20.

Ice fishing shelter owners who camp in a paid campsite within a state park can remain past the February 20 deadline.

Ice fishing shelter owners are encouraged not to wait until the last minute to get their shelter off the ice. If a shelter falls through the ice, the owner is responsible for getting it out of the lake.

From Classroom to Boardroom: OHS Students Solve Business Problems in Innovation Workshop

OSKALOOSA, IOWA — Oskaloosa High School students are tackling real-world business problems through the school’s Innovation Workshop, a hands-on program that partners students with local businesses to find creative solutions to operational challenges.

Fifteen students were selected for the program through teacher nominations, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) participation, and the school’s talented and gifted (TAG) program. Over two days of intensive training, students learned a 9-step process designed to integrate quality tools into a process of gathering data and using interpretation skills to solve problems before being assigned to local Oskaloosa business partners, where they immersed themselves in a specific challenge.

“This is a problem-based approach,” said Jeanne Clark, an Oskaloosa High School teacher and Innovation Workshop instructor. “Students are not just Googling answers. They have to slow down, analyze systems, and dig deeper into complex issues.”

Local businesses Iowa Wood Preservers, Clow Manufacturing, and Musco Sports Lighting opened their doors to the students this year, providing them with hands-on experiences in business operations. For three days, students collaborated with employees, conducted research, and developed potential solutions before presenting their findings.

Junior Lizzie Brummer described the experience as eye-opening.

“I got to see how an actual business functions and the problems they deal with daily,” she said. “It felt pretty cool to be in an office space where people were depending on me for a valuable solution.”

Brummer, who plans to study business management at William Penn University, said the program reinforced her interest in entrepreneurship. “It gave me insight into how businesses operate. Just seeing a little glimpse into the business world was really valuable,” she said.

For senior Xavier Edwards, the process was mentally exhausting, but rewarding.

“We had to do a lot of research, brainstorming, and data gathering. Some questions didn’t have easy answers, and that was frustrating,” he said. “But when we finally found our solution, it felt worth it.”

Edwards and his team initially explored hydrogen-based water solutions, but found the costs to be too high. They pivoted to rainwater collection, a more cost-effective and impactful alternative.

“It wasn’t our first idea, but it was definitely our best idea,” Edwards said. “It had the most efficiency, the biggest impact, and was the most realistic.”

The experience both sharpened students’ analytical skills and provided them with an opportunity to communicate effectively in a professional setting.

“In life, everyone has to present ideas and communicate solutions,” said Matt Larson , office manager at Iowa Wood Preservers. “These students handled themselves professionally. Their ability to present and engage with businesses was impressive.”

Larson noted that the students brought fresh perspectives to a challenge his company had previously considered. “They reminded us to revisit rainwater collection as a viable option,” he said. “They also highlighted small, but important steps, like checking for leaks in our system. Sometimes having an outside perspective is extremely helpful.”

Oskaloosa’s strong business community makes programs like Innovation Workshop possible, according to Clark.

“We have businesses big and small that are excited to collaborate with students,” she said. “Over the years, we’ve worked with Musco, Clow, Mahaska Bottling, and others. The willingness of these companies to engage with students is what makes this program so impactful.”

While many schools focus on classroom-based learning, Innovation Workshop gives students a unique opportunity to apply their education in a professional environment.

“I don’t know of any neighboring districts that have something like this,” Clark said. “It’s special.”

As for the businesses, Larson said he hopes to continue participating in the program.

“As long as we have a good problem for students to solve, we would love to be involved again next year,” he said. “This has been a great experience for everyone.”

For the students, the biggest takeaway was the realization that real-world problem solving is rarely straightforward.

“Brainstorming and problem solving are exhausting,” Edwards said. “But when you push through and find a real solution, it’s worth it.”

Statesmen Come Up Short in Thriller Against Clarke

DUBUQUE — The William Penn men’s basketball team battled down to the wire but fell just short in a 100-96 loss to Clarke in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Monday night.

The game opened with a back-and-forth exchange before the Statesmen (9-13, 6-12 Heart) seized momentum with a 7-0 run, pulling ahead 18-11. Clarke (4-17, 4-13 Heart) responded with a 10-5 surge to reclaim a 21-20 edge. WPU managed to build a 31-27 lead, but the Pride fought back, sending the Statesmen into halftime trailing 46-44.

Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) led William Penn in the first half with 10 points, while Malique Oates (Sr., Huntsville, Ala., Sports Management) contributed six.

The second half saw more lead changes before Clarke created separation with a 12-3 run, pushing ahead 67-58. WPU kept battling and clawed its way back, using a 16-5 run to trim the deficit to 92-90 in the closing minutes. Despite their efforts, the Statesmen couldn’t overcome Clarke’s late execution, as the Pride held on for the narrow win.

Justin Bradley (Jr., Okinawa, Japan, Biology) led WPU with 17 points, while Roy Jones III (Sr., Pensacola, Fla., Psychology) added 13. Naysean Baisy (Jr., Seattle, Wash., Sports Management) chipped in 12 points, and Williams and Isaac Hoberecht (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo., Business Management) each recorded 10.

William Penn shot an efficient 51.5% from the field, but Clarke was slightly better at 52.1%. The biggest difference came from beyond the arc, where the Pride shot a scorching 60.0%, compared to WPU’s 35.0%. At the free-throw line, the Statesmen held the edge, converting 73.1%, while Clarke managed just 55.0%.

On the boards, WPU outrebounded Clarke 40-34, but the Pride capitalized on their second chances, scoring 16 points off eight offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, the Statesmen turned 11 offensive boards into just nine points. Turnovers proved costly for both teams—Clarke committed 15, leading to 17 WPU points, but the Statesmen had 17 giveaways, which the Pride converted into 18 points.

Dramatic drop in monarch butterfly count nears record 30-year low

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States has dropped to its second-lowest mark in nearly three decades as pesticides, diminishing habitat and climate change take their toll on the beloved pollinator.

Here’s what to know:

The survey began in 1997

Monarch butterflies, known for their distinctive orange-and-black wings, are found across North America. Monarchs in the eastern United States spend their winters in Mexico and are counted by the World Wildlife Fund, which has yet to release data for this year. Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains typically overwinter along the California coast.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has been counting western overwinter populations along the California coast, northern Baja California and inland sites in California and Arizona for the last 28 years. The highest number recorded was 1.2 million in 1997. The organization announced Friday that it counted just 9,119 monarchs in 2024, a decrease of 96% from 233,394 in 2023. The total was the second-lowest since the survey began in 1997. The record-low was 1,901 monarchs in 2020.

The survey noted that a site owned by The Nature Conservancy in Santa Barbara that saw 33,200 monarchs last winter hosted only 198 butterflies this year.

Heat may have doomed western monarchs

Monarchs across the continent face mounting threats, chief among them vanishing milkweed, the host plant for the insect’s caterpillars. The plant has been disappearing before a combination of drought, wildfires, agriculture and urban development, according to Monarch Joint Venture, a group that works to protect monarchs. Pesticides have contaminated much of the remaining plants, according to the Xerces Society.

It’s unclear what caused such a sharp drop-off in the western population in just one year, said Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society. The monarch population is already small, she said, and triple-digit heat in the western states last year may have slowed breeding.

Monarchs suffer when the mercury gets up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) and any temperatures above 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 degrees Celsius) are lethal to the insects, Pelton said. The western states saw a heat wave in July that drove temperatures in some areas well past 100 degrees. Palm Springs, for example, hit a record 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51.1 degrees Celsius) on July 5. Another heat wave cooked northern California in early October, with multiple cities breaking heat records.

Western monarchs’ future looks murky

Pelton said that it’s too early to tell what long-term impact the dramatic losses might have on the overall western monarch population. Insects do have the potential for exponential growth, Pelton said. After bottoming out at 1,901 butterflies in 2020, the population rebounded to 247,246 insects the following year, an increase of nearly 13,000%. The year after that the survey recorded 335,479 monarchs.

“This is bad news,” Pelton said of the 2024 population drop. “But we have seen incredible recovery. this doesn’t mean we’re not going to have western monarchs. It’s hopefully a wake-up call that a bad year can set them back pretty significantly.”

Federal officials working on protections

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in December 2024 that it was working to list monarchs as threatened, a move that would prohibit anyone from killing, transporting them or making changes that would render their property permanently unusable for the species, such as eradicating all milkweed from the land. The listing also would protect 4,395 acres (1,779 hectares) in seven coastal California counties that serve as overwinter sites for western monarchs.

A public comment period on the proposal is set to end in March. The agency has until December to officially list the monarch as threatened if officials decide to move forward.

Earthjustice, an environmental law firm, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency in December 2024 to mandate testing pesticide effects on insects such as bees, moths and butterflies.

January in Iowa was near top ten in least amount of snow

By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

The rumbling sound of snowblowers at work was rare in January. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says there just wasn’t much snow anywhere.

“We’re in a snow drought across the state, anywhere from 14 to 22, inches below average for this season, we had about two inches of snowfall in January, a little over six inches below average. Near the top ten least snowy January is on record,” Glisan says. Glisan says there wasn’t much precipitation of any kind for most of January.
“We were working on the second driest January in 153 years of records, and the rainfall event across southern Iowa to end the month actually boosted the average a little over three-tenths of an inch across the state, seven-tenths of an inch below average,” he says.

The top of the state had the biggest deficit. “The northern third of the state, driest January on record,” Glisan says. The statewide average puts us right around the 15th driest, again, out of 153 years of records.” Glisan says the dry January creates a situation that could be a problem is the snow picks up the rest of the winter.
“A lack of snow pack through the season has allowed a frost depth down to about 22 inches in central Iowa. That has implications if we do get a snowpack on the ground,” Glisan says. Glisan says if we do get snow the deeper frost will take longer to thaw and more of the water will run off instead of sinking into the soil.

Glisan says January had some ups and downs, but the overall temperature wasn’t too out of normal. “We’re about a degree below average. We came in about eighteen-point-four (18.4) degrees, preliminarily, so not exceedingly warm, not exceedingly cold. We did have a cold snap during the middle of the month, and then warmed up towards the end. So when you get that roller coaster type activity, it basically averages out,” he says.

Glisan says early indications are for a colder and wetter February.

Mahaska County Board of Supervisors Approves Plans for 1st Phase of SE Connector Project

By Sam Parsons

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met this morning and approved the final plans for the first phase of the southeast connector project. The project would create a connection between Highway 63 and Highway 23 southeast of Oskaloosa, and it has been in the works for several years.

County Engineer Andrew McGuire explained that the first phase of the project would be primarily focused on grading. April 15 is the anticipated letting date, and McGuire said that construction could start by sometime in May, pending contract availability. If all goes according to plan, substantial completion of the grading would be expected by mid November.

The final plans for phase 1 were approved unanimously by the board. McGuire said that the second phase will involve the remainder of the paving along with some work on turn lanes for the two highways involved.

The board also approved a 28E agreement with the city of Eddyville for police protection services for the next fiscal year, and they approved resolutions for financial support of the Area 15 Regional Planning Commission and the Regional Planning Affiliation.

The next regular meeting for the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for February 17.

Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, handlers say, predicting 6 more weeks of wintry weather

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday and predicted six more weeks of wintry weather, his top-hatted handlers announced to a raucus, record-sized crowd at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania.

Phil was welcomed with chants of “Phil, Phil, Phil,” and pulled from a hatch on his tree stump shortly after sunrise before a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club read from a scroll in which he boasted: “Only I know — you can’t trust A.I.”

The woodchuck’s weather forecast is an annual ritual that goes back more than a century in western Pennsylvania, with far older roots in European folklore, but it took Bill Murray’s 1993 “Groundhog Day” movie to transform the event into what it is today, with tens of thousands of revelers at the scene and imitators scattered around the United States and beyond.

When Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that is said to usher in an early spring. When he does see it, there will be six more weeks of winter.

The crowd was treated to a fireworks show, confetti and live music that ranged from the Ramones to “Pennsylvania Polka” as they awaited sunrise and Phil’s emergence. Gov. Josh Shapiro, local and state elected officials and a pair of pageant winners were among the dignitaries at the scene.

Self-employed New York gingerbread artist Jon Lovitch has attended the event for 33 years.

“I like the cold, you know, and this is probably the best and biggest midwinter party in the entire world,” Lovitch said in Punxsutawney. “And it’s just a really good time.”

Phil has predicted a longer winter far more often than an early spring, and one effort to track his accuracy concluded he was right less than half the time. What six more weeks of winter means is subjective.

Tom Dunkel, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says there are two types of people who make the trek to Gobbler’s Knob: the faithful seeking to validate their beliefs and the doubters who want to confirm their skepticism.

Phil communicated his forecast to Dunkel through “Groundhog-ese” with the help of a special cane that Dunkel has inherited as the club’s leader. It’s not as if he speaks in English words.

“He’ll like wink, he’ll purr, he’ll chatter, he’ll — you know — nod,” Dunkel said.

Attendance is free but it cost $5 to take a bus and avoid a 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) trek from the middle of town to the stage where the prediction was made, some 80 miles (123 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh. The need for so many buses is why the local schools, where the sports mascot is the Chucks, close when Groundhog Day falls on a weekday.

Keith Post, his wife and a friend have watched the “Groundhog Day” movie in each of the past five years and decided this was the time to make the trip from Ohio to witness the event.

“We booked rooms almost a year in advance and we’re here,” Post said. “We’re doing it.”

A new welcome center opened four years ago and the club is working on an elaborate second living space for Phil and family so they can split time between Gobbler’s Knob and Phil’s longtime home at the town library. The club also put up large video screens and more powerful speakers this year to help attendees in the back of the crowd follow the proceedings.

“It’s a holiday where you don’t really owe anyone anything,” said A.J. Dereume, who among the club’s 15-member inner circle serves as Phil’s handler and held him up to loud cheers on Sunday. “You’re grasping onto the belief, you know, in something that’s just fun to believe in.”

Jackie Handley agreed a year ago to visit Punxsutawney for the first time to help a friend check off an item on their bucket list. They were ready for the subfreezing temperatures.

“It’s once in a lifetime — we’re probably not going to come back. And we have tons of warm clothes,” said Handley, who lives in Falls Church, Virginia.

After the forecast was made, club members and Phil posed for photos with people from the crowd.

Phil has a wife, Punxsutawney Phyllis, and two pups born this spring, Shadow and Sunny, although his family did not join him on stage for the big event. The groundhog family eats fruits and vegetables, get daily visits from Dereume and sees a veterinarian at least once a year.

The club’s lore is that Phil is the same woodchuck who has been issuing weather forecasts for the past century, thanks to an “elixir of life” that keeps him immortal.

“There’s only one Phil, and it’s not something that can be handed down,” Dunkel said. “Just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, there’s only one.”

There have been Groundhog Day events in at least 28 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. In Pennsylvania, groundhogs predicted more winter Sunday in Mount Joy, Dover, York, Lebanon County and Lancaster County’s Manheim Township. But at the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge in Quarryville, Octoraro Orphie was said to predict spring is on the way.

In Georgia, about 50 miles (81 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta in Jackson, a groundhog named “General Beauregard Lee” saw his shadow, his handlers declared, meaning six more weeks of winter. It was said that Shubenacadie Sam at a wildlife park in Nova Scotia, Canada, also saw her shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.

Sinclair says moratorium on new Iowa casinos a ‘jump ball’ in Senate

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A five-year moratorium on new state-licensed casinos easily passed the Iowa House yesterday, but Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair suggests its chances in the Senate are far different.

“Honestly, I’d say the prospect of a moratorium is basically a jump ball in the senate,” she said. “…I don’t know. I’ve tried to do a soft vote count. I can’t honestly tell you where the senate will land.”

Sinclair indicates a provision tucked in the bill that makes the moratorium retroactive to January 1st of this year means there’s no rush to approve the bill before February 6. That’s when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to decide whether to grant a state license for a casino in Cedar Rapids.

Sinclair said the bill that passed the House on a 68-31 vote yesterday will be sent to the Senate State Government Committee next week for review.

“I don’t believe there is any fast tracking that we can do,” Sinclair said, “that we would do.”

The Senate Local Government Committee passed its own version of a casino moratorium yesterday, but Sinclair said that bill also will be referred to the State Government Committee. The pace will allow for an important “philosophical conversation,” Sinclair said.

“This isn’t a Republican versus Democrat issue. This is an Iowa issue and the question is: Are there enough casinos in the state or are there not?,” Sinclair said. “The quetion is: Should we allow those established boards and commissions to do the job they were appointed to do or do we not?”

North Mahaska Secures Conference Sweep over Lynnville-Sully

Girls Game

NEW SHARON – North Mahaska took advantage of 15 steals and a defensive stand to upend the Lynnville-Sully Hawks 53-42 Friday. The Warhawks are now one game away from the South Iowa Cedar League title. They can secure the crown Tuesday with a victory at Colfax-Mingo.

North Mahaska was able to gain a big advantage, 21-11, in the first quarter. The ploy has played out in many NM games this season. The teams played even with LS outscoring the Warhawks 7-5 in the second. The first quarter lead was enough as NM outscored the Hawks 27-24 in the second half.

Sydney Andersen led NM in scoring with 10 points. Breckyn Schilling and Regan Grewe each hit for nine and Nataliya Linder added eight. Kayla Readshaw scored seven.

Aly Steil had five rebounds, and five assists and Linder collected six rebounds and garnered three steals.

North Mahaska shot 38 percent from the floor and 33 percent from the arc. They added 10-for-17 at the free throw line.

No stats were available for Lynnville-Sully at press time.

Boys Game

North Mahaska broke away from a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter Friday allowing the Warhawks to run past Lynnville-Sully 76-62. For three periods the two teams traded blows. NM led by four after the first period but could not increase it by halftime. Both teams scored 23 points in the third setting up the finale.

North Mahaska rang in 13 3-pointers and was 5-for-10 at the foul line. The Warhawks turned the ball over six times and recorded just five steals. They continued to share the ball well recording 20 assists.

For the second game in a row Lucas Nunnikhoven led the team in scoring with 19 points. Gabe Hora added 17, Asher DeBoef 16 and Adrian Smith 10. Dane VanMersbergen came off the bench with six.

The Warhawks grabbed 28 rebounds with Hora and DeBoef snagging six and Jack Kelderman had five. Hora led in assists with six. Smith blocked two shots and Kelderman blocked one and doled out four assists.

No stats were available for Lynnville-Sully at press time. North Mahaska will close out the South Iowa Cedar League season at Colfax-Mingo on Tuesday.

Under 2 Months Remaining for Chamber Scholarship Applications

OSKALOOSA — High school seniors living in Mahaska County and attending any high school are eligible to apply now for a Chamber Scholarship sponsored by the Mahaska Chamber & Development Group. Information is available from one’s school counselor or the web at https://www.mahaskachamber.org/resources/scholarships/ where you will find a link to the fillable form. Scholarships are sponsored by area businesses and industries. Last year $25,750 was distributed to 22 students.

The application requests information such as participation in school and community activities and a short essay. Be prepared with a PDF of your transcript. Online applications and school transcripts are due no later than Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
“Area businesses and individuals are encouraged to contribute to the Chamber Scholars program to provide deserving students with financial support as they pursue their academic and career goals. This program would not be possible without the generous contributions we receive annually from local business leaders and individuals. We encourage more community members to get involved, as this program continues to strengthen the partnership between education and community,” Morgan McClendon stated. “Another way to contribute to this special program is by participating in the annual Chamber Golf outing on Friday, May 9. Teams of four and hole sponsorships raise additional funds for the Chamber Scholars program.”
The Chamber Scholars program, now in its 29th year, continues to partner with the “52577 Scholarship.” Contributions to the program are tax deductible and can be made in any amount. If one chooses to donate $1,000 it will be awarded this year. If one wants to contribute to the perpetual scholarship fund through “52577”, any amount may be donated to be used in future years.
For further information to apply or to contribute to the fund contact the Mahaska Chamber at 641.672.2591 or email [email protected]

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