The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, January 3 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.
The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous. Many Iowans are encouraged to make donating blood on a regular basis their New Year’s resolution this year.
Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 7, and they will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the hospital’s Large Conference Room.
The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions. Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department are available with each session as well.
Memorials were received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Mary Ellen McMillan by Dave and Sandy Lyons, John and Lorna Kerndt, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Jim and Patty Clarke, Lillian Larson, Diane Regan, Don and DiAnne Haler, Bev Krambeer and Carly Trautsch.
Memorials were also received in memory of Alvina Sickels by Ron and Nancy Adam.
Memorials and donations are greatly appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. The Foundation is a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA 52172.
by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 1: Office closed for New Years Day
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program
USDA Market Facilitation Program
USDA launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP).
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer MFP to provide payments to corn (fresh and processed), cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean (fresh and processed), wheat, shelled almond, and fresh sweet cherry producers. An announcement about further payments will be made in the coming months, if warranted.
Amy Powell started working to help 4-H’ers throughout Iowa understand the basics of animal care when she came to Iowa State University in 2014. To find out how those youth acquire information about animal care Powell set up focus groups with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach professionals, volunteers and parents in five Iowa counties. She found that there were no guidelines in place for acquiring and disseminating information about animal care.
Powell, a 4-H animal science program specialist in Iowa State University’s animal science department, coordinates curriculum and activities for more than 16,000 youth enrolled in Iowa’s 4-H animal science projects, FFA and ag-focused classrooms. To make animal care information available Powell decided to create an interactive video series called “Animal University”. To help fund the project the Iowa Pork Producers Association gave $325,000 and the Iowa Beef Industry Council gave $100,000.
A new technology for cleansing nutrients from water leaving Iowa’s tile-drained fields began with two Iowa State University researchers brainstorming after a professional meeting. Their “back of the napkin” discussion in 2010 led to development of saturated riparian buffers, a new conservation practice that is rapidly gaining interest in Iowa and far beyond.
The challenge they were addressing - how to make traditional riparian conservation buffers more effective at reducing nutrient pollution - has since become a major research focus for Tom Isenhart, professor of natural resources ecology and management, and Dan Jaynes, a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment on campus and affiliate professor of agronomy.
Congratulations to the one supervisor who recognizes that remote camping will always be remote camping. It was that way when the tents were there, and no amount of pressure should ever try to normalize an area that is not normal. Traffic count can be faked. Where does the traffic go at the end of a one-mile ribbon? Does it end at the end of the rainbow, or at the end of the other one-mile strip - the field of dreams?
When getting my hair cut recently, my beautician commented that she noticed a couple of black hairs - that I must be getting ready for my next life. November 21, when I picked up my mail, I said, “Oh, my first hate mail!” It turned out it was a thank you note.
It did my heart good to see Matt Brandt call out the editor for printing what he thought was hate speech. I thought now that the elections are over, some of the political narrative could well be toned down.
Hopefully you visited a small business on this year’s ninth annual Small Business Saturday November 24. If you did, your efforts and those of many others made a big impact.
This year’s total reported spending of those who said they shopped at independent retailers and restaurants reached a record high of $17.8 billion, according to the 2018 Small Business Consumer Insights Survey from American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB.) That makes it clear that Small Business Saturday and your support of it makes a big difference in sales that help small businesses prosper and grow. Since 2010, the study reports estimated sales at $103 billion.
Snow and ice buildup on natural gas meters can create a safety hazard and even cut off the flow of natural gas to heating equipment and other appliances. To avoid trouble, one can gently remove snow and ice from on and around the meter with their hands or a broom. Gas meters and regulators are durable and designed with the weather in mind, but a coating of ice or snow could cause a loss of service and become a critical safety issue. If at all possible, remove the snow before it has a chance to freeze.
