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As of Monday, October 12, Winneshiek Medical Center (WMC) in Decorah is hosting a Test Iowa site for people in northeast Iowa. Winneshiek Medical Center staff will administer the COVID-19 tests on behalf of Test Iowa.

Test Iowa is a statewide initiative to expand COVID-19 testing, with sites/clinics available across the state. Local clinic sites are partnerships between the State of Iowa and local health care providers to increase access to testing in their communities. Local clinics operate and staff the test sites. The State provides testing supplies and processes the samples through the State Hygienic Lab.

This week, Iowa Democrats will continue the Early Vote Express, a multi-stop, statewide bus tour from now through Election Day aimed at laying out the choices in this election and encouraging Iowans to make a plan and vote early. The Early Vote Express will make stops at college campuses, libraries, and other satellite voting locations throughout the state to distribute voter education materials and discuss the importance of voting. Early voting in Iowa started Monday, October 5 and runs through Election Day November 3. Iowans can make a plan to vote at iwillvote.com/IA. The tour will be making its way through northeast Iowa according to the following schedule Tuesday, October 13:

Decorah Early Vote Express Stop — 9:00 AM WHERE: 2042 State Highway 9, Decorah, IA 52101 WHO: Lauren Dillon, Biden for President Iowa State Director

Beginning Monday, October 12, Winneshiek Medical Center (WMC) in Decorah will become a Test Iowa site for people in northeast Iowa.
Test Iowa is a statewide initiative to expand COVID-19 testing, with sites/clinics available across the state. Local clinic sites are partnerships between the State of Iowa and local health care providers to increase access to testing in their communities. Local clinics operate and staff the test sites. The state provides testing supplies and processes the samples through the State Hygienic Lab.
Any Iowan can visit www.testiowa.com to complete the short online assessment and schedule an appointment for testing. For Iowans wanting to be tested at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah, the website will direct them to call 563-382-1505 (the Test Iowa dedicated line at WMC) or 563-382-2911 to schedule their appointment.

Tuesday, November 3 is scheduled as the General Election to determine which candidates will be elected by voters to leadership positions at the national, state and local levels of government. Although polling sites will be open at eight different locations that Election Day for in-person voting, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a strong demand for absentee voting again for this General Election, as it had for the Primary Election held earlier this year.

INFORMED CHOICES - EARLIER
Absentee voting was able to begin Monday, October 5 and the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office was able to begin mailing out requested absentee ballots that day as well, with Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer reporting that her office has received nearly 2,800 requests for absentee ballots for the upcoming General Election.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon offers a COVID-19 Phone Line for triage every Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Anyone with questions about COVID-19 is encouraged to call the hospital at 563-568-3411 during those hours and request the COVID line to speak one-on-one to a nurse about symptoms and testing options. The nurse then triages the caller based on the wide variety of information that is collected during the visit.

Members of the Kee High School Homecoming Court for this week’s 2020 celebration of the event include the King and Queen candidates from the Senior class pictured above, as well as the underclassman attendants pictured below. Pictured above are, left to right: Front row - Senior Class Homecoming Queen candidates Jada Mitchell, Macy Manning, Emily Darling and Jazmyne Pace; Back row - Senior Class Homecoming King candidates Will Mooney, Chris Wagner, Clayton Little and Hunter McKee. Pictured at left, front to back and left to right, are: Freshman Attendants Kaylee Hawes and Andrew Kolsrud, Sophomore Attendants Brooklyn Bakewell and Jacob Rolfs, and Junior Attendants Laurel Scott and Thomas Rethwisch. Details of this week's Homecoming events at Kee High School, along with celebratory pages, can be found on Pages 14A and 15A inside the September 30, 2020 print edition and e-edition of the Standard. Photos courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook.

Due to COVID-19 there has been more “push” by organizations to get voters to vote Absentee by mail.

The Allamakee County Auditors office mailed the first Absentee Ballot Request form in late July. Other organizations, such as The Center for Voter Information, the Republican and/or Democratic Party of Iowa, and the Iowa Secretary of State have all mailed the same form to voters.  Voters who have already returned one Absentee Request Form do not need to return another form. Duplicate forms are simply attached to the first request received and only one ballot is mailed.

Students from Waukon High School will join thousands of other youth and any others who may be interested on athletic fields across the nation Wednesday, October 7 to share their Christian faith with fellow students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its ninth year and will start at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field next Wednesday evening. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.

Featured speaker for this year’s Fields of Faith event in Waukon will be Carl Fruechte, head football coach for Caledonia High School in Caledonia, MN who not only coaches the program with the longest active win streak in the nation at 67 games that include five consecutive State Championships but who also has a passion to share his message of faith with anyone who will listen.

Founder Katie O’Regan of Waukon already looking ahead to 2021

Rosalie Essex: How much do you need?
Mickey Moran: Well, let me see. First of all, we’re going to use a barn that some actors used last summer and turned it into an outdoor theater. I figured if we all pitched in together - that is, for the scenery and the costumes and everything - it would run us about $287.
Rosalie Essex: Have you got it yet?
Mickey Moran: No.
Rosalie Essex: Well, you have now.
(From the 1939 film “Babes in Arms,” starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and directed by Busby Berkeley.)

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The classic Hollywood trope - parodied through the years by the phrase, Hey, kids; let’s put on a show! - of pulling together some talented people and, on a shoestring budget, producing a show in benefit of a cause, has its roots in the 1939 film starring Andy Rooney and Judy Garland, “Babes in Arms.”

The Allamakee County Freedom Rock was unveiled in a ceremony at the Waukon City Park Friday, September 11 as a tribute to the many Veterans of the local community both past and present. Fundraising is currently underway to cover the cost of the Freedom Rock and future costs for landscaping and further development of the Freedom Rock location.

Waukon State Bank recently contributed $5,000 to the Allamakee County Freedom Rock project. Pictured above, left to right, are Ardie Kuhse, who completed the application process for the Allamakee County Freedom Rock, receiving the donation from Waukon State Bank President Gail Prestemon and Vice President Justin Sweeney.