News Center newsletter

Mary E. McCabe, 66, of Waukon died Sunday, August 20, 2017 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Thursday, August 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, August 23 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, where there will be a 3:30 p.m. scripture service.

Mary Ellen McCabe was born March 12, 1951 at the hospital in Waukon, the daughter of William Peter and Helen Jeannette (Waters) Dixon. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary’s Hanover Catholic Church. June 6, 1969, she graduated from St. Patrick High School in Waukon and May 24, 1970, Mary received her diploma in general clerical from Northeast Area One in Calmar.

Dorothy Y. Goettel, 92, of Harpers Ferry died Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Funeral services were held Saturday, August 19 at First Baptist Church in Waukon with Pastor Duane Smith officiating. Burial was at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lansing.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the godly"- Ps. 116:15.

Dorothy Yvonne Goettel was born April 11, 1925 in Lansing, the daughter of Leonard L. and Myrtle M. (Wendel) Sandry. She grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from Lansing High School in 1942. She worked at the Lansing Button Factory following school.

June 1, 1945, Dorothy married John Daniel Goettel at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Lansing. Together they farmed on the Goettel Family Farm in Lafayette Township where they raised their family, milked cows, and raised beef cattle, hogs and crops.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I noted here a few weeks back that newspaper headlines are most often written by somebody other than the person who wrote the story, and so can frequently be misleading.
Case in point.

The headline said student-athletes at Iowa voiced concerns in a survey, and the lede said the concerns were about bullying and hazing. It wasn’t until the eighth paragraph, on the jump page, after a sub-head, that we learned that fewer than eight percent (7.73) of those surveyed had concerns. The proper headline should have been that over 92% of those surveyed had no concerns. In fact, there was a hint of that earlier in the story when it was reported that “UI athletes on average are pretty happy with their athletic experiences.”

A little later on, it was noted that six percent reported verbal abuse and only one percent sexual abuse, hardly alarming statistics.

The Gospel Message of Jesus Christ Offers an Alternative

This past week we marked the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over the past several weeks, tensions with North Korea are rising. As our nation’s leaders warn North Korea about the North Korean missile program, their leaders have responded by threatening to have a plan for launching missiles “close to Guam”. We as a planet stand again at the brink of the use of nuclear weapons.

And it may not be the leaders of North Korea or our nation who cause the spark which leads to the launching of missiles. One analyst speculated that some “rogue element” such as a military maneuver of an ally gone wrong could escalate into a conflict involving weapons of mass destruction.

We can’t afford to be at the brink. We need to back up several steps from the brink, employing diplomacy and other peaceful means towards a new kind of coexisting.

To the Editor:

Seven years ago the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative launched the “start somewhere” walk as an opportunity to engage Iowans to join us in making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. Since 2011, hundreds of thousands of Iowans have walked on the first Wednesday of October and we’ve seen a growing increase in making Iowa communities more walkable. Communities are adopting complete street policies, hiring staff dedicated to incorporating walking, biking and transit in transportation plans and launching walking school buses so kids can walk or bike safely to school.

This year the Healthiest State is reminding Iowans to care for their own health by walking every day by kicking off the Walk more-Connect more campaign in partnership with Walk more-Connect more-NE Iowa.

On October 4 we are challenging Iowans to “get your walk on” so it’s appropriate that we would kick off the challenge with the Corn Days Family Fun Walk/Run in Waukon!

To the Editor:

I’m sure that Waukon is full of individual stories about RAGBRAI weekend. Here’s one more:

Because this weekend also included the Waukon Men’s Golf Tournament starting early Saturday morning and we had six participants staying at our house, we had not volunteered to work at RAGBRAI. A lady knocked at our door early Friday afternoon. She was driving the route as her husband, age 72 and participating in his 23rd ride, was scheduled to stay in the library with 45 others. She asked if she could pay us to let him have a shower.

We were happy to take them both in and provide air mattresses for them on our porch. They were a delightful couple from Clinton and joined our group for dinner and breakfast. They left us with a thank you note and $40.

It seems that a 62-year-old cousin, whom I had never met, was also biking across the state. She is a lawyer in international relations, living in Washington D.C. She also joined us for dinner.

To the Editor:

Friday, July 28 most of us were fortunate to experience the phenomenon of RAGBRAI. Some were part of the core group that took a leadership role on a planning committee, some hosted folks in their yards or homes, and close to 500 of you stepped forward to volunteer in some capacity Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday of RAGBRAI Waukon.

Add on to that all the good citizens of Allamakee County who helped their church or non-profit with dinners large enough to feed the RAGBRAI masses and we have nothing short of a total community effort to welcome and house these bicycle enthusiasts. I don’t think any of us thought that many people could ride into our lives and back out in just 24 hours.

To the Editor:

What is it about owls? The animal has suddenly become one of the hardest working marketing images in the U.S.  Owl images on TV sell eyeglasses, cold medicine and are now trip advisors.

Don’t get me wrong. I get the wise old owl thing of big eyes and the rotating heads. I especially enjoy seeing those rare white owls we are fortunate enough to see occasionally in this area. It was awesome to have seen a snowy owl a couple years ago near Effigy Mounds.

However, here’s the owl’s real claim to fame: they can fly virtually silently and eat about 80 pounds of mice per year! As a cat fan, I have thought about that as my feline friends thunder through our house pretending to see a mouse, which is usually a figment of their own imagination.

Gary and Ramona Ward of Waukon will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary August 19. They have four daughters, including Tracy (Dave) Ryan, Denise Ward, Sheryl (Rick) Way and Janice (Jason) Bloxham. The couple also has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Cards and well wishes may be sent to 606 Second St. SW Apt. D-13, Waukon, IA 52172. The couple requests no gifts.

James and Debra (Cetin) Rixen of Waukon are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They were married August 20, 1977 at Mater Christi Catholic Church in North Riverside, IL.

Their children include Molly (Jarod) Haberichter of New Hampton, Jordan (Erin) Rixen of Bennet, NE and Jonathan (Jenny) Rixen of St. Paul, MN. Their grandchildren include Kayden and Korine Haberichter, Flynn, Fletcher and Elin Rixen, and Cael, Kiera and Isla Rixen.

In honor of the occasion, cards and well wishes may be sent to: 250 Fourth Street SE, Waukon, IA 52172. The couple requests no gifts.