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Rose Larkin, 94, formerly of Dorchester, passed away at Thornton Manor in Lansing Thursday, January 16, 2025. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 22 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at Hanover with burial in the church cemetery. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family.

Ralph J. Bakewell, age 82, of Onalaska, WI passed away Sunday, January 5, 2025 at his home. Funeral service was held Tuesday, January 14 at Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home in Onalaska, WI. Burial followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery located in La Crosse, WI.

A full obituary will appear in the January 22 edition of The Standard. You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.

by Lissa Blake

Most parents place their highest priority on finding someone they trust to care for their children while they work.

But in Iowa, statistics show that child care providers are one of the lowest-paid professions in the state, making it difficult to not only find the quality of child care desired by parents, but in many cases even the quantity of child care needed.

“We need to move the needle on this,” said Val Reinke, executive director, Allamakee County Economic Development, in regard to the availability, accessibility and affordability of child care.

Reinke explained that state and local initiatives, such as the Wage Enhancement Program (WEP), are really helping to attract and maintain qualified child care workers in the county, but much more needs to be done. She said in retaining Allamakee County families, access to child care is a “huge piece of the puzzle.”

Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff announce that the First Baby of the Year born at the hospital for 2025 is Zion Jo Sanders, son of Trevyn Sanders and Cheyenne Decorah Strasser of Waukon. Zion was born Saturday, January 4 at 4:43 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 21 inches long at the time of his birth.

He joins three siblings at home: Ezra, age 9; Zane, age 7; and Royal, age 6. Katy Maker was the provider assisting with the delivery.

Grandparents are Kelly Sanders of Waukon, Amanda McCloud of Sparta, WI, and Robert Bonner and Raliegh Decorah, both of La Crosse, WI. Great-grandparents are Jim and Dee Von Haden of Tomah, WI and Marilyn Amundson of West Salem, WI.

by Brianne Grimstad

January 1, 2025 marked the 100th anniversary of Palmer Abstract, Inc. serving Allamakee County for abstracting and related needs. The year 2025 also is the beginning of the fourth generation of being owned by the same family, as Elizabeth Palmer Montet became the C.E.O. of the company, taking over from her dad, Joe Palmer.

The business was founded as Palmer Abstract Company by C.A. “Charlie” Palmer January 1, 1925, when he took ownership of the business and records of two of Allamakee County’s earliest abstractors, E.M. Hancock and S.R. Thompson. Prior to being an abstracter, Palmer was the Allamakee County Auditor from 1921 to 1925 and later a member of the 51st Session of the Iowa General Assembly. He operated Palmer Abstract Company until 1953, when he was appointed as the Postmaster for Waukon and sold the business to his son, A.V. “Verle” Palmer.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, January 13 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of the Allamakee County Childcare Coalition funding request, consideration of appointing Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Investigators, and the consideration of setting a date for a Public Hearing relating to the grading and paving of a one-mile portion of Four Corners Road.

The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Dennis Keatley and Tom Clark present. The amended meeting minutes from Monday, January 6 were approved to include a correction relating to the appointment of Lori Egan to the Planning and Zoning Commission which was incorrectly listed as a two-year appointment and has been corrected to reflect a three-year appointment.

by Joe Moses

U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa’s Second Congressional District toured Ziegler CAT’s Postville location Friday afternoon, January 10 as part of her annual 22-County Tour. Hinson toured the current Ziegler CAT facility and learned more about Ziegler CAT’s expansion and ongoing facility construction north of Postville in addition to answering questions from Ziegler CAT employees during her visit to Allamakee County.

January is National Mentoring Month, and Youth Mentoring at Helping Services For Youth & Families is celebrating National Mentoring Month by honoring mentoring friendships and inviting others to get involved in their community by becoming involved in mentoring. January is the perfect time to expand quality mentoring friendships and opportunities connecting more of the local community’s youth with caring adults.

Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing youth with the tools to make positive choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid negative behaviors. In turn, these youth are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college; 81% more likely to report participating in sports or extracurricular activities; 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities; and more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team. Pictured above are some of the area mentors and the youth they mentor.

To help address a critical shortage of rural veterinarians identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) has established a Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program to attract and retain veterinarians in rural Iowa.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program will award four individuals who practice, or will practice, veterinary medicine in Iowa up to $25,000 in loan repayment incentives. IFBF will begin accepting applications in March 2025.

In 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law to create the Rural Iowa Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program to address the critical veterinarian shortages in rural Iowa communities. IFBF was one of several partners who led the push for that piece of legislation.

by Christine Hensley
Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation Board Member

For many families, the plan of how to pay for college is uncertain. And trying to figure out that plan can be intimidating.

But college can be within reach, even for those with modest incomes, as long as saving begins early. Reasonable, small monthly savings, if started when kids are young, can benefit from compound interest and earnings. And those regular contributions add up over time.

Now is a good time to start saving for a child’s education or examine savings to date. By putting away as much as possible now, even $25 or $50 a month, parents can expand college options for kids and reduce their future debt burden, helping them as they begin their careers and lives after graduation.