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Allan E. “Tommy” Palmer, 90, of rural Monona died Friday, March 25, 2022 at Elkader Care Center. Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 29 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Steve Oden officiating. Burial with military honors was at IOOF Cemetery, Rossville.

Allan “Tommy” Eugene Palmer was born August 26, 1931 in rural Waterville, Allamakee County, the son of Everett and Laura (Flage) Palmer. He was baptized July 4, 1948 and graduated from Waterville High School in 1950.

Allan then entered into the U.S. Air Force in June of 1950, serving for four years. He attended aeronautics school at Hunter AFB in Savannah, GA and Amarillo, TX; Allan was a crew chief on a B47 bomber in Africa and at Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, OH. After being discharged, Allan enrolled at the University of Tulsa in the Spartan School of Aeronautics and worked for American Airlines as a crew chief, flying all around the country as a mechanic troubleshooting airplanes.

Robert L. Lewey, 91, of Sumner died Tuesday evening, March 22, 2022 at Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner. Funeral services for both Bob Lewey (Judy Lewey’s husband) and Neva Nerge (Judy Lewey’s mother who passed away Thursday evening, March 24) were held Tuesday, March 29 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. Tanner Post officiating. Burial was at Lutheran Cemetery of Sumner Township, rural Sumner. Memorials may be made to the family for later designation.

Becker & Son Funeral Home in Sumner assisted the family. Online condolences may be left at www.beckermilnesrettig.com.

Feeling lonely?

You’re not alone. In our country, more than a quarter of adults over age 60 live alone, according to a Pew Research Survey. Of them, 43 percent reported feeling lonely even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a situation which has worsened in the past two years.

Young people are lonely, too. In fact, new Harvard research suggests feelings of social isolation are on the rise and that those hardest hit are older teens and young adults.

Whatever your age, loneliness has significant health consequences. One study found that loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and contributes to early mortality because it puts you at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, and depression.

To the Editor:

Our Veteran organization has many helpful programs for youth, community and our veterans. Our Veteran organization also lobbies for our veteran benefits to get and to keep the benefits that we have.

They also hire Veteran Service Officers that work in some of our medical centers and also in our Veterans Affairs (VA) regional offices that are advocates for our veterans and dependents and fight for their disability claims or survivor benefits as well as help with the appeal process, or act like your attorney in a VA appeal. These service officers are a very important part of getting claims granted.

Without our service organization, we would not be able to have many of the benefits that we do have. We need members to maintain those organizations as well as active members who can help continue to keep these organizations going.

To the Editor:

Yellow River State Forest is our own wonderful, driftless corner of Iowa. A valuable economic resource, with spectacular vistas, great hiking, backpacking and equestrian trails, camping, fishing, birding, mountain biking - whatever you do to escape life and enjoy nature. We have a gem here in Allamakee County that draws visitors from all over the country. They bring much-needed business to our communities.

With all these people and activities, there’s bound to be accidents, mishaps, maybe some not so legal activities. Then there are the spring/summer rainstorms which can cause flash flooding, putting campers along the river in grave danger. Unfortunately, there is no ranger at the forest to attend to these issues.

To the Editor:

The mental health system in the United States is currently in a state of crisis. Consider the following:

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
Mar. 25: Dairy Margin Coverage Program

Manure and Soil Health
by LuAnn Rolling, NRCS District Conservationist
Ruth Blomquist, the Southwest Iowa Soil Health specialist for the NRCS, says she was recently asked  about manure application and soil health. The question was, “Are we doing more harm than good if manure is applied with a high disturbance method like injection or if it is surface applied with incorporation?”  She did some research and found that the answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it depends on multiple factors.

In a recent episode of the Small Farm Sustainability Podcast, Yuko Sato, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach poultry veterinarian and associate professor in Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses avian influenza and how good biosecurity practices can help prevent outbreaks in poultry.

Avian influenza, explains Sato, is a viral disease of poultry and other birds caused by type A influenza virus. There are two primary types of the virus, distinguished by their capacity to cause disease. The first, Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza, results in mild respiratory symptoms. The second, and more concerning, is Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which spreads rapidly through chicken and turkey populations and has a high fatality rate.

Kyler and Anna (Sweeney) Jones of Waterloo announce the birth of their son, Weston Dean Jones, born March 4, 2022 at Allen Hospital in Waterloo. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 ozs. and measured 20-1/2 inches in length at the time of his birth.

Grandparents are Brian and Denise Sweeney of Waukon and Kris and Donna Jones of Ankeny.

Kelly and Cade Holub of Buckingham announce the birth of their daughter, Kayce Nancy Holub, born February 7, 2022 at MercyOne Medical Center in Waterloo. She weighed 7 lbs. 10 ozs. and measured 21 inches in length at the time of her birth.

Grandparents are Robert and the late Nancy Wirkler of Waukon, Andrea Woehlk of Dysart, and Craig and Jeanne Holub of Buckingham.