News Center newsletter

Cullen and Denise Becker of Lansing announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their daughter, Jennifer Becker, to Austin Signor, son of Trish Signor of Clive and Tom and Vicki Signor of Norwalk. The couple plans to exchange vows April 7, 2017 in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

The bride is originally from Lansing and will be graduating from medical school May 26 of this year and will then begin her pediatric residency after returning from a two-week honeymoon in Italy.

The groom is originally from Des Moines and is a Managing Director, External Wholesaler at Destra Capital Investments.

The couple resides in Chicago IL.

Jeremy Smerud and Johanna Dunlevy of Des Moines announce the birth of their daughter, Audrey Denise Smerud, born January 9, 2017 in Des Moines. She weighed 6 lbs. 7-1/2 ozs. and measured 18-1/2 inches in length at the time of her birth.

Grandparents are John Dunlevy of Lansing, Tony and Frederica Trunkel of Mesa, AZ, and Cullen and Denise Becker of Lansing. Gerry Grant of Kansas City, MO is a great-grandfather.

John and Jennifer Kottman of Luana announce the birth of their daughter, Aurora Skye Kottman, born January 17, 2017 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 ozs. and measured 19 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins a sister, Paige Lillian Rose (2-1/2).

Della L. Cowell of Luana is a great-grandparent.
 

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I think I am suffering SAD... seasonal affective disorder.

As of today, Jan. 23, we are experiencing another day without sunshine, one of a long stretch of such days. It hasn’t been cold, and in fact we have succeeded in getting rid of almost all the ice and snow... finally! But the forecast says we will see it replaced by the middle of this week.

So SAD continues.

Recent stories about the closing of Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus, the “Greatest Show on Earth”, caused me to reflect on a long-ago experience.

When I was about 11, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Elsie invited my mother and me to go with them to see the circus in La Crosse. Joe had spent a lot of time in La Crosse getting treatment for a medical condition, and so knew the city pretty well.

To the Editor:

I live along Highway 9 outside of Waukon and I am totally astonished at the amount of trash and garbage that appears along the highway at times, from the airport hill out to the recycling site on the highway. There has been anything from articles of clothing, broken kid’s toys, an ironing board, a small dresser, construction debris and some with nails, cardboard, blankets, pillows, a cement finish broom, styrofoam coolers, empty beer cartons, chunks of wood, a box of very used pots and pans, bags of unknown trash and the usual Christmas trees.

Come on people, if you know you loaded it and it isn’t there when you reach the recycling site or wherever you are going, it means you lost the trash or stuff along the way. I know many people utilize the site but if you lose your trash along the way, stop and pick it up. Tying it down or weighing it down will help, especially on windy days. I have stopped to remove stuff from the roadway so it doesn’t get hit.

To the Editor:

It has come to my attention recently that another pie eating contest event was scheduled this year in Waukon January 29 to benefit “local veterans”. My understanding is that an individual associated with a veterans organization in Wisconsin organized last year’s and this year’s event.

In reviewing one of the Pie Championship flyers, the winners from last year were listed. However, there was no report of how much money was raised or specifically where the money went.

Also interesting is the fact (and, not an “alternative fact”) that our local veterans groups have not been involved.  Weren’t local veterans designated to receive the benefits?

Admittedly, I don’t know where the veteran responsible for organizing the Pie Eating Championships actually lives, and I don’t care.  However, without reports or records, I cannot help but wonder who is actually benefiting from these events.

Allamakee County will host a Seed Treatment Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators, Wednesday, February 22. The program will be shown at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP).

The local attendance site is Allamakee County Extension, 218 7th Ave SE, Suite #102. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the course runs from 9 to 11 a.m. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach office in Allamakee County by phoning 563-568-6345.

The course will provide continuing instruction credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 4 and 10. Topics to be covered include safe handling and storage of seed treatment products and treated seed; laws and regulations; personal protective equipment; and pests, pest management, and pesticides.

The Iowa Agricultural Development Division will be hosting a free Beginning Farmer Workshop Tuesday, February 14 at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning about beginning farmer programs in Iowa.

The agenda includes an overview of USDA-Farm Service Agency and Iowa Finance Authority Beginning Farmer Programs as well as an Ag lender panel discussion which will cover how to enhance relationships with Ag lenders, tips for preparing financial statements, cash flows and loan applications as well as how to improve a credit score.

The Beginning Farmer Workshop will be held Tuesday, February 14 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Center, Room 115. The event is free, but registration is required at IowaFinanceAuthority.gov/IADD.
 

The Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University (ISUEO) Extension and Outreach are teaming up to provide training for pork producers and others who need certification in Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) and Transporter Quality Insurance® (TQA®). Programs have been scheduled for Wednesday, February 15 in Elkader, according to ISUEO swine specialist Mark Storlie.

“The programs will be held at the Freedom Bank’s Community Room, 210 South Main Street, in Elkader.  TQA® session will begin at 12:30 pm and the PQA Plus® session will start at 3 pm” Storlie said “Attend one program or both, but pre-registration is required.”

To preregister, contact the Clayton County Extension office at 563-245-1451.  Questions may be directed to Mark Storlie by phone at 563-425-3331 or mstorlie@iastate.edu.

The Kee boys basketball team remained at home this past week, but had all of its action end up in the final two days of the week due to winter weather early in the week. In back-to-back nights of competition to end the week, the Hawks fell to North Fayette Valley, 81-58, Thursday, January 26 in a game rescheduled from January 17, before also allowing Postville to take home a 52-42 Kee defeat late in another Upper Iowa Conference match-up Friday, January 27.

Now holding a 2-13 overall record, 2-10 in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) play, the Hawks were also scheduled to host Starmont Tuesday, January 24, but had that game postponed to Monday, January 30 because of winter weather. Kee was then scheduled to play at West Central Tuesday, January 31 before hosting Turkey Valley Friday, February 3 and then wrapping up its regular season with back-to-back road games at Houston, MN Thursday, February 9 and at Coulee Christian Friday, February 10.