The big election was yesterday and it was disappointing to me, down right scary. Too many races were way too close when the right has been doing such a good job.
Iowa, the number-one state in the union, led by a Republican governor, has a well-off financial situation. States with Democratic governors are pretty much mismanaged. Thank God Hubbell was defeated.
I hope you remember how nasty they treated Judge Kavanaugh and his family - terrible, but that is what the left is like. That dossier was totally made up of lies, the woman who said Judge Kavanaugh assaulted her in the back seat of a car now admits it was a made-up story. Yet the Democrats and the fake news run with those lies.
Thanks to Lissa Blake for her article on this lovely tribute to Harris Quanrud. Helen’s thoughts about her Uncle Harris brought tears to my eyes.
It is a story that tells so clearly what family members who had a father, son, brother, uncle, husband go off to serve during WWII had to go through. It was touching to hear how the family rallied to be sure that their service hero received letters. I can see Helen’s mother and aunt crying with grief and worry.
Helen’s mom, Harriet, was my mother’s best friend all her life. Harriet was one of the kindest, gentlest people I ever knew. She was compassionate, enjoyed reading poetry aloud and she shared her love with everyone. I can only imagine that her brother, Harris, was like her.
The Standard newspaper dated November 14, 2018, in the letter to the editor concerning “the upside down flag”, the last paragraph, first sentence, reads, in effect, that the only place I see impending horrors is downtown Waukon. That statement is as far from the truth as anything or anyone can get. Please forgive me for my failure for not being more careful about proofreading.
In an effort to change what I wrote last week, we don’t have the severe horrors in Waukon thanks to the vigilance and capabilities of the city police, county sheriff and highway patrol and the assistance of the residents of Waukon and all who enter there. And, last but not least, the prayers sent to Heaven, and our Heavenly Father who answers and gives His protection.
I am horrified by the hate and falsehoods contained in the letter entitled, “The Upside Down Flag” published in the November 14 edition of The Standard. The only thing worse than espousing such blatant racism and anti-gay rhetoric is the fact that it is done in the name of religion. This hate speech has no place in the media. I am shocked and deeply saddened that you would choose to publish it.
While representing a diversity of opinions is good, printing such overt and horrifying hate is inexcusable. Mr. Editor, shame on you for giving this unmitigated hate a voice.
by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 22: Office closed for Thanksgiving
Fall Certification
Unlike previous years, producers are no longer required to report their fall forage acres by December 15 to FSA. These crops can be reported in the spring, by July 15, along with your spring-planted crops. If you do insure any fall forage, make sure you still report this to your crop insurance agent.
A research team led by Iowa State University has solved part of a mystery important to battling the most serious threat to U.S. soybean production, the soybean cyst nematode - a pathogen responsible for more than $1 billion in reduced yields each year in this country alone.
Cyst nematodes are tiny, but powerfully destructive plant pests. The scientists discovered an important mechanism that allows parasitic cyst nematodes to reprogram cells in a host plant to enable their parasitism.
A preview of the team’s findings have been posted online by the prestigious journal, The Plant Cell, at http://www.plantcell.org/content/early/2018/10/18/tpc.18.00570. The full article, “An Effector from the Cyst Nematode Heterodera schachtii Derepresses Host rRNA Genes by Altering Histone Acetylation,” will appear in an upcoming issue.
No arrests made, no charges filed following motor vehicle accident and ensuing search
A recent presence of several Iowa State Patrol vehicles and officers at the residence of Allamakee County Attorney Jill Kistler in Waukon has had the rumor mill operating in high gear. Speculative stories “heard through the grapevine” or posted on social media have run the spectrum - from a drug raid to suicide, and a conspiring cover-up of all of it due to Kistler’s elected position as County Attorney, making the actual turn of events pale in comparison. In an effort to clarify the matter, Kistler has offered a detailed explanation of what she knows in regard to the matter and her thoughts on the local reaction.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors toured several projects following its Tuesday, November 13 meeting, including the Green Valley Bridge, pictured above, which has been completed and is now open to traffic as of last Thursday, November 15. Replacement of the bridge was a cost-share project following recent flooding events, with the State of Iowa providing 80% of the project funding and the City of Waukon and Allamakee County splitting the remaining 20% of the cost. The temporary access, consisting of gravel fill and a culvert located just to the south of the bridge project and used to access neighboring businesses, homes and other buildings during the Green Valley Bridge construction project, will not be maintained and will be removed next spring with the availability of an excavator, according to Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
English Bench Watershed #9 was viewed Tuesday, November 13 by the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors, with Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker and representatives of the Allamakee County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), including LuAnn Rolling, Brianne Wild and Don Elsbernd, also in attendance. Ridenour was notified October 30 about concerns with the watershed including dirt slides (evident in the broken ground near the middle of the above photo) and a leak at the base from an 18-inch overflow pipe (pictured near the pooled water to the right in the above photo) fed by a large pond area not pictured but located to the left of this photo view. State of Iowa experts, including geologists and engineers, will be inspecting the watershed and providing a recommendation prior to further discussion of the matter at the December 3 Board of Supervisors meeting. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Preliminary work is well underway on the Makee Drive paving project just north of Waukon, with grading, widening of the roadway shoulders and other preparation work continuing yet this year and the paving of the roadway scheduled for completion during Summer 2019. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour indicated that the preliminary work being done now will allow for multiple freeze/thaw cycles throughout the winter and spring months to accommodate better settling of the roadway foundation prior to paving. The project involves the paving of a one-mile section of the roadway from its intersection with State Highway 9 east to its intersection with Four Corners Road. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
