News Center newsletter

Iowa Falls Alden High School senior Jackson Kelsey graduated Sunday, May 22 with summa cum laude honors. His parents are Sara and Kent Kelsey of Iowa Falls, and his grandparents are Debbie and Pastor Ken Kimball of rural Waterville.

Along with earning his Iowa Falls Alden High School diploma with highest honors, Kelsey is a member of the North Central Conference All-Academic Team and received recognition as Top Senior in Language Arts, Foreign Language and Social Studies, among other scholarships and awards. He will be attending Grinnell College  in Grinnell on a Founder’s Scholarship.
 

Thornton Manor would like to invite anyone who has (or who knows of someone who has) an old-fashioned car or fun motorcycle to participate in Thornton Manor’s First Annual Father’s Day Fun Parade scheduled for Friday, June 17. Participants can call Karen at Thornton Manor to confirm they are going to participate, or for more information, at 563-538-4236.

Parade will start at 10 a.m. Friday, June 17. Staff will be outside Thornton Manor to direct the traffic and set up the parade line.

All residents and staff who want to watch the parade will be seated safely outside the front of Thornton Manor. In the case of a rainy day, the parade will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date, which will be announced.
 

Get hooked on fishing during free fishing weekend June 3-5. Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license this Friday through Sunday, June 3, 4 and 5 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place.

“A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau. “You’ll be reeling in fish and making new memories in no time!”

Free fishing weekend is a great time to learn how to fish, take family members fishing, or introduce a friend to fishing. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond.

Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local.

The first program in Ferryville, WI’s popular Chautauqua Summer Series is scheduled to be held Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Ferryville’s Village Hall. The hall is located along Hwy. 35, Wisconsin’s Great River Road Scenic Byway, at the south end of the village.

The program for the June 8 presentation will be “Lock and Dam #9” and will be presented by Jay Grimsled and Brian Sipos. They will explain the history, the purpose, and the importance of the lock and dam system to the Mississippi River. Many drive by the Lynxville Lock and Dam frequently, and this June 8 Chautauqua program will provide an opportunity to learn more about it. They will provide information and answer any questions those in attendance might have.

The Waukon baseball team put together some late-inning rally excitement on a couple occasions in its opening week of four games, but ultimately came away with a 1-3 start to the season. That lone win came in the Tribe’s season opener at Clayton Ridge, 10-0, Monday, May 23 and was followed by the first of those rallies that came up just a bit short in a 5-4 home loss to North Fayette Valley Tuesday, May 24. The Indians wrapped up the week with a home Northeast Iowa Conference doubleheader with Waverly-Shell Rock, having another rally be full denied in game one, a 9-5 defeat in eight innings, before also suffering a 6-1 loss.

The Kee softball team got its 2022 season underway with a four-game slate this past week, being able to put one of those four games in the win column. A pair of home match-ups against area Class 3A opponents resulted in a split for the Lady Hawks, as they opened the season with an 11-0 loss in five innings to Crestwood Monday, May 23 but posted a 4-2 win over Waukon Friday, May 27. The Kee girls then played in the Jesup Softball Classic Saturday, May 28, falling in a pair of contests, 6-3 to Springville and 12-4 to Sumner-Fredericksburg.

Following an initial week of just one game that started the 2022 season off with a loss, the Kee baseball team’s schedule and momentum picked up considerably this past week as the Hawks played a full slate of eight games and pushed every one of them to the win column. Kee’s undefeated week included home doubleheader sweeps of Decorah Monday, May 23, 7-2 and 11-6, and Turkey Valley Tuesday, May 24, 6-0 and 7-3, before a road doubleheader sweep at MFL/MarMac Thursday, May 26, 8-2 and 20-4. The Hawks then swept through a pair of Class 1A foes at their own Shooky Fink Tournament in New Albin Saturday, May 28, blasting Wapsie Valley by a 14-0 count in five innings and doing similarly to Alburnett, 8-0, to complete their undefeated week of competition and improve Kee’s season record to 8-1 overall with a 4-0 start to its Upper Iowa Conference schedule.

Dar loved to travel the world; she had lots of vacations, and what sights she has seen. She has been in over 35 countries.

She wanted to let you know she has taken her last trip. She received a call, “one of a lifetime” and one she can’t refuse. She won’t be returning from this trip, but this trip comes with spectacular accommodations. She will have a reunion with family and friends that she hasn’t seen in a long time. What a celebration this will be!

Darlene “Dar” Janice (Larson) Klein, 79, of Waukon died Thursday, May 26, 2022 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon of gastric cancer. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, June 2 at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon. Friends may call prior to services 8-11 a.m. at the church. Instead of flowers, Dar would hope that you will do an unexpected act of kindness for someone in her name. At Dar’s request, family will host a Drinks With Dar celebration in Harpers Ferry at a later date.

Nancy Knutson, age 45, of Bloomington, WI passed away Monday, May 16, 2022 in La Crosse, WI due to health complications. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 4 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Cornerstone Church in Prairie du Chien, WI.

Nancy was born February 8, 1977 in Waukon to Marsha (Ewing) and Daryl Frana. She graduated from Waukon High School in 1995.

Nancy was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother and aunt. She loved spending quality time with Maysen, her nieces and nephews, and spoiling her two granddaughters. She loved cooking, spending time with family, friends, working, reading books, watching movies, and going to garage sales and secondhand stores. Nancy especially loved to joke around and make people laugh.

We regret to announce the passing of Therese Marie Hegeman, 72, from Waukon Thursday, May 19, 2022. In spite of her energetic and youthful spirit, Therese endured a long illness. She will be missed dearly.

The immediate family gathered Wednesday, May 25 in Des Moines to remember her life, with her ashes to be scattered at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests charitable donations be made.

Therese was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Betty; her sisters, Jeannie and Mary Anne; and her brothers, Blake and Bill. She is survived by her daughters, Alexandra Nelsen and Vanessa Nelsen; her brother, Jim; her sister, Katherine; and her extended family and friends.