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Luther College in Decorah will host an astronomy observing session Friday, Mar. 4 from 7:30-9 p.m. at Valders Hall of Science. Jeff Wilkerson, professor of physics, will lead the session.

Saturn will again be a highlight of the observing session. While the orientation of the planet is not as favorable as it was last year, the rings can still be seen quite distinctly in the telescopes.

Thursday, March 17, a job fair will be held at the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Center, from 1 to 4 p.m. The Dairy Center is located south of Calmar on highway 150 just south of the NICC Campus. The theme of the job fair is “Putting the Pieces Together”.

Grafting is a useful skill for the gardener who wants more. You can reproduce a favorite old apple tree or “topwork” an established tree to make a five-in-one. You can also “construct” an apple tree that will only grow eight to ten feet tall.

To learn more about grafting, attend the Iowa State University Extension Pruning & Grafting Apple Trees Workshop Saturday, Apr. 2 in Cresco. Participants will receive two dwarfing apple rootstocks they will graft to a popular apple variety. Extension staff will provide all the training and materials.

As of March 1, Iowans can obtain a free copy of their credit reports compiled by each of the three national credit reporting bureaus. A new law entitles individuals to one free copy of the report every twelve months. This is a great opportunity - and it can help stop identity theft.

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday morning, Feb. 28, wading through a handful of agenda items, several of them quite lengthy. The first of those items of lengthy discussion was a presentation by the steering committee heading up the project to bring to reality a satellite center for Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), a building addition to the existing Waukon Senior High School campus to make a grades 7-12 center, and a Community Wellness Center on the current high school campus.

Aquila has awarded the Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) an economic development grant. The “Allamakee Laborshed” project grant for $750 is part of the Aquila economic development infrastructure program. This program is designed to help individual communities attract new business and encourage expansion by companies already located in the area.

Iowa State University Extension is joining with area dairy producers to showcase low-cost parlors built in the last several years in northeast Iowa.

Randy Buddenburg and family will be hosting part of the tour March 9 at their farm at 10:30 a.m. The Buddenburgs have a three-year old double-9 parallel parlor. The farm is located on Hwy 9 between Waukon and Decorah at 1340 State Highway 9.

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a lengthy session Tuesday, Feb. 22 due to the President’s Day holiday Monday, Feb. 21. There were several items on the agenda that generated discussion. The item which covered concerns from the Historical Preservation Committee was deleted from the agenda.

A total of 169 students graduated from Northeast Iowa Community College’s Calmar and Peosta Campuses at the end of the 2004 fall/winterim semester.

Those graduates included the following individuals from the local area:

Brian Beneke of New Albin has been named to the Dean's List at American Institute of Business (AIB) College of Business for the 2004 Fall Quarter. AIB award recipients were honored at a reception at the college January 22.

Beneke is a 2004 graduate of Waukon High School. He is majoring in Accounting and Financial Services at AIB.