For the past three years, Brenna Mammen has run in and out of the volleyball court to play the back line. For the past three years, she has gotten down to the ground to dig out balls spiked in hopes of a point for the opponent. This year, she joined an exclusive club, the 500 Digs Club.
    "I was a little nervous going into the game because I only needed a few more digs to reach 500," said Brenna, a senior at MVAOCOU and 4-year varsity member of the Ram volleyball team. "I was very excited and lucky to be surrounded by the best team!"
    The 500th dig, in which the player passes the ball to the front line usually from a serve or spike, happened on September 16th against West Monona in a triangular with Westwood and West Monona. Mammen said that she was aware that she was close to hitting the milestone.
    "Brenna has been an outstanding leader for our volleyball team this season, setting the tone with her work ethic, calm presence, and strong communication," commented Head Coach Makenzie Smith. "As a senior, she's mentored younger players and brought consistency to every match. She recently hit a major milestone — 500 career digs — highlighting her grit and impact on the court."
    Brenna definitely does show grit on the court, getting down for some pretty hard hit spikes and being willing to dive to keep the ball off the ground. She has a little advice to any girl considering playing volleyball.
    "I would encourage everyone to go out and play volleyball, it is competitive and fun," she exclaimed.
    "Brenna leads by example, always putting the team first and pushing everyone to be better," added Smith. "We (the coaching staff) hope the best for Brenna after volleyball season!"
    Brenna is the daughter of Kristin and Dennis Paterson and Heath Mammen. She and her teammates will be playing Wednesday, October 22nd in the postseason in Treynor. Best of luck to them all.

    Come and play Bingo at Cord Memorial Library in Danbury on October 29th from 2 to 4 PM. Bring a non-perishable item for each game you want to play.

    The Ida Grove Skate Palace will be keeping the skates in the shelves on Sunday. Instead, vendors and crafters will be filling the rink with shopping opportunities. The doors will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
    A variety of soups along with cinnamon rolls and drinks will also be available for a free will donation.
    Door prizes and raffles will also be held.
    Please consider shopping at Skate Palace on Sunday.

    The parishioners at St. John's United Methodist Church in Mapleton will be serving supper next Wednesday. From 5:00 - 7:00, supporters can pick up smoked pork chops, scalloped potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, and apple crisp for only $15.
    This year the supper is only available as a drive thru option. Questions? Contact Tena at 712-840-0043.

    R.K. Bliss Extension Award – Named for the Director of Extension who served from 1912-46, the award recognizes the outstanding achievement of an Extension staff member for developing and implementing or continuing an Extension education program was given to Carol Huneycutt Ehlers, of Storm Lake, Iowa at the 2025 Iowa State University Faculty and Saff Awards Ceremony, September 24, 2025 in Ames.
    With a 38-year Extension County and Area Field Specialist career; Ehlers first was a 4-H and Youth educator in Kansas and Northwest Iowa to currently a 12-county Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach Family Wellbeing Educator. Connecting Iowans with evidence-informed programs Ehlers was honored for building and maintaining campus-to-community partnerships with content competency and expertise. She is an Extension and Outreach educator for region 6, serving county extension services in Woodbury, Plymouth and Monona County.
    As a pandemic program response Ehlers co-wrote the Money Smart series which continues as a statewide financial literacy priority program. Her outstanding program implementation grew 40 new partnerships with virtual, hybrid and in-person deliveries ranging from Corrections facilities, Social service agencies to Community Colleges. Since 2020, she has reached over 600 Iowans with 39 statewide and local deliveries. Evaluations show significant financial literacy skills growth with 89 percent reporting action steps implementation.
    Ehlers led Iowa's 4-H Workforce Development agricultural food science initiative and USDA: Workforce Preparation National Initiative – and Iowa's North Central states national team representative concerning workforce issues for 12 years. Recognized nationally by USDA; secured $78,000 in grant funds for teaching, research and extension program efforts with Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture; reaching 651 NW youth grades 3-10 with technology camps and 110 4-7th graders and 13 adult volunteers receiving 24 hours in food science training with trained adults contributing $ 9,500 in volunteer time.
    Ehlers' Educator, family wellbeing, Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach accomplishments include the following:
•    Leading Iowa's 4-H Workforce Development agricultural food science initiative and U.S. Department of Agriculture Workforce Preparation national initiative, securing $78,000 in grants and reaching hundreds of youth and volunteers with food science training.
•    Co-authoring the statewide Money Smart series during the pandemic, creating 40 new partnerships and delivering financial education to 600 Iowans.
•    Co-instructor for the course, "Small Change: Building Financial Security for Educators," updating content and supporting educator license renewal.
•    Training 122 social service professionals nationally in the "Your Money, Your Goals for Professionals" course.
•    Initiating and developing a 4-H Consumer Decision-Making Contest across 15 counties, engaging 480 youth and adults through hands-on decision-making stations and strong community partnerships.
•    Responding to the 2017 Equifax cybersecurity data breach by developing consumer response seminars and national publications.

    Every fall, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to review and change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from October 15 to December 7.
    Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and Medicare Advantage Plan costs, benefits, drug formularies and provider networks can change each year. Comparing and evaluating options can help individuals find better coverage and even save money - but navigating options can feel overwhelming and stressful. With so many Medicare beneficiaries under pressure to make choices about their 2026 enrollment in a short period of time, scammers are ready to take advantage of their uncertainty.
    Medicare fraud has ballooned to an estimated $100 billion each year, which impacts the Medicare Trust Fund and funding for beneficiary services. Below are some common red flags Medicare beneficiaries can look out for to protect themselves and Medicare from scammers:
    Callers claiming to be from Medicare, asking to confirm a Medicare number. Medicare will never call a beneficiary asking for personal information – hang up immediately!
    Unsolicited text messages or phone calls offering assistance with plan comparisons – especially those that put pressure to make an enrollment right away or offer gifts to enroll in a plan.
    Anyone who says they need a beneficiary's Medicare number, Social Security number or bank information to run a plan comparison. This information can be used to enroll a beneficiary in a plan without their permission. Remember, for a plan comparison, only a person's age and county of residence is needed.
    Before enrolling in a plan, Medicare beneficiaries should make sure they understand what the plan covers, whether their providers are in network, if their prescriptions are covered and benefits offered. Medicare beneficiaries receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in September from their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan. This is a summary of any changes in the plan's cost, coverage and service area that will take effect on January 1 of the next year. Some beneficiaries will receive notice that their plan is ending, and they will need to find a new plan during the Open Enrollment Period. This is a critical time to read all mail from your plan, provider or Medicare to stay informed of possible changes.
    If the Part D or MA plan has not been cancelled and a Medicare beneficiary is happy with current coverage after reviewing plan changes and options for the year ahead, no action is necessary during Open Enrollment. They will automatically be re-enrolled for the following year.
    Plan options for the year ahead can be found at Medicare.gov/plan-compare. Through the Medicare website, Medicare beneficiaries can see and compare plan options available in their zip code in 2026, even incorporating their specific prescriptions and pharmacies. "Navigating the Open Enrollment Period can seem daunting, but you don't have to do it alone," said Kristin Griffith, Director of the Iowa Insurance Division's Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). "We have well-trained and certified SHIIP-SMP counselors across the state equipped to help you with this process."
    Free, confidential, and unbiased SHIIP-SMP Medicare counseling is provided as a service through the Iowa Insurance Division. Iowans seeking assistance can visit shiip.iowa.gov to find a counselor in their county or find additional information on how to compare plans at shiip.iowa.gov/medicare-open-enrollment-period. The SHIIP-SMP consumer help line at 1-800-351-4664 can also answer general Medicare questions and provide phone numbers for local SHIIP/SMP sites in Iowa. Locally, SHIIP counseling can be found at Horn Memorial Hospital.
    Help from Medicare is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays, at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.