10-22 NEWS

The Decorah city council will meet in a work session tonight. The topics of discussion will include community visioning and economic development tools. The work session will begin at five-15 at city hall.

The Winneshiek county board of supervisors will look to set a public hearing on a UTV ordinance at its meeting today. A group met with the board this summer to present a proposed oridnance to allow ATV and UTV usage on certain gravel roads. The board will also hear a financial presentation from Winneshiek Medical Center representatives. The board will also discuss road and zoning matters. The meeting will begin at nine-30 at the courthouse annex building in Decorah.

An Ossian man was arrested last Thursday in connection to a federal drug investigation. The Winneshiek county sheriff’s department says 25 year old Chase Heying was arrested on a warrant with the original charges of two counts of felony conspiracy to deliver herion and failure to affix a drug tax stamp. Authorities say another arrest warrant has been issued in the case. On June sixth of 2017, authorities arrested Kaleb and Cole Breitsprecher of Ossian after a federal search warrant was executed.

Decorah street department crews will be picking up leaves curbside in wards one and two in Decorah this week. The pickup in those parts of town will run through Friday of this week. Leaves can be dropped off anytime at the street department shop on Railroad avenue. The city’s yard waste disposal site on Trout Run Road is also available for leaf disposal weekdays from eight a.m. until three p.m. and Saturdays from eight a.m. until noon.

Iowa’s unemployment rate in September stayed at 2.5-percent – unchanged from August. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson Cory Kelly says only Hawaii has a lower jobless rate, which rose to 2.2-percent last month.
Kelly
This is the lowest the unemployment rate in Iowa has been since of May of 2000.

10-21 NEWS

A free public screening of a Ken Burns’ directed documentary on the Mayo Clinic will be held tonight on the Luther College campus. The Mayo Clinic: Faith-Hope-Science will be screened in Olin room 102 on the Luther College campus beginning at seven p.m. The documentary blends historical narrative with patient stories including interviews with the Dalai Lama and the late senator John McCain.

Decorah street department crews will be picking up leaves along curbside in Ward one and two this week. The curbside pickup will run from Monday through Friday in those parts of town this week. Any Decorah resident can drop off leaves anytime at the Decorah street department shop on Railroad Avenue. Leaves can also be dropped off at the Decorah yard waste disposal site on Trout Run Road from eight a.m. until three p.m. weekdays and eight a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

A discussion on Luther College’s history related to key radicalized moments in our nation’s history will be held this week. Luther college alumna Maggie Steinberg Hagen examined Luther’s history during historic moments as a senior project. Hagen will lead a discussion on the subject Thursday at seven p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall on the Luther campus. The discussion is free and open to the public.

This time of year is when Iowa pork producers see a large inventory of hogs, as consumers cut back on backyard barbecues. The latest reports show a record number of hogs. Greg Hora of Fort Dodge, president of the Iowa Pork Producers, says despite recent trade tariffs that hurt prices, producers remain optimistic the world wants U-S pork as sow herds expand in Iowa and elsewhere.

Hora

Hora says new trade agreements have recently been signed between the U-S and Mexico, Canada and Japan, while Hora hopes an agreement with China can soon be reached. The fifth largest buyer of American pork is South Korea.

Three Decorah organizations have received grants from the Mi-Energy (my-energy) cooperation’s Round Up Trust. The Decorah Elks Charitable Foundation has received a five hundred dollar grant to support a camp for children in foster care. The Sunflower Child Development Center will receive a five hundred dollar grant to purchase new playground equipment. And a two hundred dollar grant will be given to the Quilts of Valor organization to help with the cost of shipping quilts to volunteer long-arm quilters.

10-20 NEWS

Decorah police are investigating a burglary reported to authorities Thursday morning. Police say a large amount of construction equipment and tools were stolen from a construction trailer parked in the Downing addition near Shagbark Lane and Aspen Lane Road during the overnight hours of Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Anyone with information is asked to contact Decorah police.

The Decorah school district needs bus drivers.

Haluska

Superintendent Mike Haluska says persons need a CDL and need to take an 18 hour school transportation course to be eligible. Haluska says interested persons can contact the central administration office.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will host meetings in Decorah and Cresco next week regarding chronic wasting disease. Cresco meetings will be held Tuesday from two until three-30 and six-30 until eight p.m. at the Expo Center on the Howard County Fairgrounds. A Decorah meeting will be held Wednesday from six-30 until eight p.m. at the Luther College Valders Hall of Science Room 206. DNR officials say Winneshiek and Howard counties are part of an enhanced chronic wasting disease focus. The DNR is encouraging hunters who harvest a deer to provide a tissue sample.

The Saint Benedict Parish in Decorah will hold a mass of dedication for their new addition and renovated sanctuary Saturday. The mass of dedication will be held at four p.m. Archbishop Michael Jackels will be the celebrant for the mass and the new altar and new addition will be blessed. The mass will be followed by an open house from six until nine p.m. with refreshments and appetizers being served.

Luther College will host a National Eating Disorder Association Walk event (Saturday). Check in for the walk will begin at nine-30, followed by the opening ceremony at ten a.m. in the parking lot by the Decorah municipal swimming pool. Money raised at the event will fund education about eating disorders, prevention and support, as well as advocacy and research initiatives. Persons can register the day of the event.

Most Iowans have already fired up their furnaces during the nippy fall days of late, and the experts say there’s an ample supply of natural gas to keep us warm through the winter. Dean Foreman, chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute, says natural gas and oil set record production levels in recent months, even though challenges in the industry are rising.

Foreman

Foreman says it’s translating to a wealth of natural gas supplies and a dropping demand.

10-19 NEWS

The Decorah school district is providing the public the opportunity to give its two cents on the district’s superintendent search. District residents can go to the district website and fill out a survey regarding the desired qualifications for a new superintendent. The survey is anonymous unless an individual provides their name voluntarily. The survey will be on the district website through October 31st. Current superintendent Mike Haluska will retire at the end of the academic year.

The interim Decorah-North Winneshiek school board has come up with an agreement in principle to allow students in a new Decorah school district to attend classes at Mabel-Canton for up to five years. The issue was discussed in a meeting Wednesday night. Board president Ron Fadness says the agreement allows students that have been attending Mabel-Canton to finish school there. Fadness says the agreement will need to be formally approved at a future meeting. Fadness says there are currently 14 students attending class from the current North Winneshiek and one from the current Decorah district currently attending Mabel-Canton. Fadness says 15 students in the lower grades have also expressed interest in attending Mabel-Canton.

A Lime Springs man is accused of drunkenly threatening to kill law enforcement. Authorities say 22 year old Dalton Lee Mulhern Meyer is charged with assault on peace officers, interference with official acts and public intoxication after an incident early last Saturday morning. Osage police say they were contacted after Meyer was picked up in a cab and refused to tell the driver where he wanted to go. After the driver dropped him off at the Super eight motel, he turned to the police who followed the cab and threatened and kicked the officer, according to authorities.

Luther College sustainability will begin a series of hikes and walks in the natural areas of the Luther campus (Friday). Hikes will take place (October 19th), October 26th and November ninth from four-15 until five-15. The walks are free and open to the public.

10-18 NEWS

Decorah schools superintendent Mike Haluska says progress is being made in talks with the city regarding a downtown area location for a potential new elementary school.

Haluska

A task force consisting of two school board members, two city council members and various other city and school district officials was formed to study the issue last spring. Haluska says the group will meet again on October 30th. He says with the schedules of the individuals involved, it’s sometimes difficult to get a date in which all members can meet at the same time.

A Cresco woman has entered a guilty plea to charges of aggravated misdemeanor child endangerment. Court records says 28 year old Monica Flores entered the plea Tuesday in Winneshiek county district court. Flores was charged after a criminal complaint was filed saying her daughter was found to have major bruising on her body and appeared to be malnourished. Flores is facing two years in prison on the charges.

The North Winneshiek school board discussed offering an early retirement incentive at its meeting this week. Superintendent Tim Dugger says the board discussed the pros and cons of offering the incentive but took no action on the idea.

Winneshiek county conservation, with assistance from Northeast Iowa R-C and D, has received a grant to acquire a 45-acre parcel of land southwest of Decorah. Winneshiek county conservation representatives say the REAP, or Resource Enhancement and Protection, grant will purchase the Dry Run Greenbelt. Conservation executive director Barbara Schroeder says the parcel will be a central part of the Dry Run Trail, an eight-mile trail under development that will connect the Trout Run Trail in Decorah to the Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail that runs between Calmar and Cresco, ultimately creating 40 miles of connected paved trails in Winneshiek County Conservation.

The Interim Decorah-North Winneshiek school board will meet again tonight. The board will discuss the possibilities of families that live near the Minnesota border sending their students to Mabel-Canton under a reorganized Decorah school district. The meeting will begin at six p.m. at the Central Administration office.

10-17 NEWS

A Frankville woman has been arrested on a warrant for the violation of a no-contact order. The Winneshiek county sheriff’s department says 43 year old Teresa Forbes was taken into custody Monday night.

The weather continues to make it tough for farmers to get into their fields to harvest beans and corn. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

Danielson voicer

The Iowa Department of Public Health is recommending you get a flu shot as soon as possible to be sure you are protected. Department Medical Director Doctor Caitlin Pedati says it’s too early to try and predict how bad this flu season may be.

Pedati

The flu season usually starts to hit full steam at the end of October or in early November. The I-D-P-H says there were 272 flu-related deaths in Iowa during last year’s flu season.

The proposed housing project in an area adjacent to the Decorah Business Park appears to be moving forward, with some City Council reservations. At Monday night’s regular meeting, the council approved the second reading of an ordinance to rezone two parcels to Multiple Family Residential by a 6 to 1 vote, with Randy Schissel the lone “no” vote. The request is from Echo Development and property owner Randy Olson of Decorah. The council then voted 4 to 3 against a request to designate the area as part of the Decorah Housing Urban Revitalization Area. Council members Ross Hadley, Dan Bellrichard, Andy Carlson and Randy Schissel opposed the request, which will go back to the Economic Development Committee for further discussion. They have voiced concerns about the amount of Tax Abatement Echo Development is hoping for.

The interim Decorah-North Winneshiek school board will meet tonight. The board will also a potential agreement which would allow students near the Minnesota border to attend Mabel-Canton schools under a newly formed Decorah school district. The board will also discuss a potential early retirement incentive. The meeting will begin at six at the central administration office.

10-16 NEWS

THE CITY OF DECORAH HAS BEEN GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO HIRE A FULL-TIME CITY ENGINEER. CURRENTLY, THE CITY CONTRACTS WITH ERDMAN ENGINEERING. CITY MANAGER CHAD BIRD SAYS THE POSITION WOULD COST THE CITY BETWEEN 80 AND 95 THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT THE DUTIES COULD INCLUDE MANAGEMENT OF THE STREET DEPARTMENT AND TAKING OVER ZONING TASKS. OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS, THE CITY HAS PAID OUT AN AVERAGE OF OVER $300 THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES. BIRD SAYS SOME OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS MAY STILL REQUIRE OUTSIDE ENGINEERING, BUT HE SAYS THE CITY SHOULD PROCEED, “THE SOONER THE BETTER”. THE VOTE TO PROCEED WAS UNANIMOUS.

THE DECORAH CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED MOVING FORWARD ON PLANS TO PLACE SIDEWALKS IN THE BRUENING SUBDIVISION. AT MONDAY NIGHTS MEETING THE COUNCIL VOTED 6 TO 1 TO ENGAGE THE SERVICES OF MCCLURE ENGINEERING TO PUT TOGETHER A PLAN DESIGN.
COST OF THE SIDEWALKS IS EXPECTED TO RUN $450 THOUSAND FOR ONE SIDE OF SUBDIVISION STREETS, WITH HOMEOWNERS ON BOTH SIDES SHARING THE ASSESSMENT. BECAUSE OF THE WIDTH OF THE STREETS, A CONCEPT CALLED CALIFORNIA SIDEWALKS IS BEING CONSIDERED. THAT CONCEPT CALLS FOR SIDEWALKS TO BE PLACED ADJACENT TO THE CURB. ONE ISSUE TO BE RESOLVED IS SNOW REMOVAL, SINCE MORE SNOW WOULD END UP ON THE SIDEWALKS AFTER PLOWS CLEAR THE STREET. THE LONE “NO” COUNCIL VOTE CAME FROM ANDY CARLSON.

Should the city of Decorah hire a full-time engineer? The issue will be discussed at tonight’s Decorah city council meeting. The city currently contracts for engineering services with Lindsay Erdmann. Potentially hiring a city engineer was recently discussed by the personnel committee of the council. A new sidewalk plan for the Bruening addition will also be discussed and the council will also receive an update from Decorah area chamber of commerce executive director Kristina Wiltgen. The meeting will begin at five-45 at city hall

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has approved a contract for improvements to Lake Meyer Park near Calmar. The Winneshiek county conservation board says the DNR will pay 75 percent of the costs for the construction of the sediment retention basin. The project falls under the DNR’s lake restoration program. DNR officials say the goal of Lake Meyer’s inclusion in the Lake Restoration program is to improve the lake’s water quality.

The snowfall Decorah received Sunday was the earliest snow on record in Decorah. Decorah weather statistician Richard Bernatz says the previous earliest snowfall in Decorah was October 17th, 1952.

Between international trade troubles and the continued rain that’s hampering the harvest, many Iowa farmers are getting stressed. Tammy Jacobs, a coordinator with the Iowa Concern Hotline, says they’ve seen a slow but steady increase in the number of calls from farmers in recent months, with a ten-percent spike in July alone. Jacobs says the pressure of the harvest can ratchet up nerves.

Jacobs

Jacobs says Commodity prices remain low and demand for some grains is dipping due to trade disputes. Also, some areas of Iowa have seen rain almost daily for two weeks straight. It’s created muddy fields and flooding in some areas and farmers are rightfully concerned about their crops.

10-15 NEWS

15 items will go before the Decorah city council for its meeting tonight. The council will consider hiring a full-time city engineer. The issue was discussed in a recent meeting of the personnel meeting committee. The city currently contracts engineering services with Lindsay Erdmann. The council will hold the second reading of an ordinance to rezone a property in the Decorah business park for an apartment complex. The council will also discuss sidewalks in the Bruening addition. The meeting will begin at five-45 at city hall.

A variety of issues will go before the Winneshiek county supervisors at its meeting today. County engineer Lee Bjerke will meet with the board to discuss winter road maintenance, a bid for a bridge and an amended DOT budget. The board will also discuss conservation matters, appointments to the compensation commission for condemnation and will hold a department heads meeting. The meeting will begin at nine-30 at the courthouse annex building in Decorah.

Decorah street department crews will be picking up leaves along curb sides in wards four and five this week. The ward four and five pickup will run through Friday of the week. City officials say leaves can be dropped off anytime at the street department shop on railroad avenue. The city’s yard waste disposal site, located on Trout Run Road, is also available for leaf disposal from eight a.m. until three p.m. weekdays and eight a.m. until noon Saturdays.

This in from the Winneshiek county engineer’s office. County engineer Lee Bjerke says county road B-33 will be closed near the intersection of county road V-64 for culvert work beginning today. Bjerke says the work is expected to last two days.

The North Winneshiek school board will discuss an early retirement plan at its meeting tonight. The board also hear from the school budget review committee and will hear from Saint Benedict’s school principal Steve Haluska. The meeting will begin at four-30 at city hall.

10-14 NEWS

The Decorah street department will be picking up leaves curbside in wards four and five this week. The curbside pickup in that part of town will run Monday through Friday. Leaves can be dropped off anytime at the street department shop on Railroad Avenue. The city’s yard waste disposal site located on Trout Run Road is also available for leaf disposal. That site is open from eight a.m. until three p.m. Monday through Friday and eight a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

The monthly meeting of the North Winneshiek school board will be held tomorrow afternoon. The board will discuss an early retirement plan and hear from the school budget review committee. The meeting will begin at four-30 at the school library.

The Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival will be held this week. The event will be held Thursday from four until seven at the Upper Iowa University Recreation Center in Fayette. The goals of the festival are to promote, inspire and engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities and to introduce students and parents to STEM careers. The festival is free and open to the public.

Iowa’s unemployment rate is so low there are too many jobs and not enough people – a problem that might be mitigated if employers made better use of the talents and skills of people with disabilities. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, with the theme, “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.” Brooke Lovelace with the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council says Iowa’s low unemployment rate is good news for the state’s economy, but when filling positions, employers often overlook skilled workers in their own communities.

Lovelace

The Midwest in general has lower unemployment and higher job-opening rates than the rest of the country, and people with disabilities have a significantly higher unemployment rate than the overall population.

Luther Serves Day will be held next Saturday. Luther College Student Congregation volunteers will participate in the annual event assisting Decorah residents with yard work, light housework and other fall chores. There is no charge for the services, but donations will be accepted. All donated will be put towards the ELCA Disaster response ministry for Hurricane Florence victims. Persons can sign up for the services by contacting the College Ministries office at 387-1050.

10-13 NEWS

The Northeast Iowa Studio Artists will be held this weekend.

Ellickson

Tour organizer Glen Ellickson says the tour will feature 51 artists in 37 locations, all within 40 miles of Decorah. The tour will run 10 a.m. from five p.m. through Sunday.

Will students that live near the Iowa-Minnesota border be allowed to attend class at Mabel-Canton in a reorganized Decorah school district? The question will be discussed next week in a meeting of the interim Decorah-North Winneshiek school board. The board will also discuss a potential early retirement option and a North Winneshiek tower lease agreement. The meeting will be held Wednesday night at six at the Central administration office in Decorah.

The Winneshiek Medical Center foundation has announced details of its 2018 annual fund. Medical Center representatives say this year’s fund will support upgrading its mammography machine to 3D imaging. The goal of the annual drive is to raise 85-thousand dollars. More information about the Winneshiek Medical Center foundation is available at win-medical-dot-org

Women Empowered Incorporated is a newly formed non-profit organization. The group will hold its inaugural event Monday. The group’s mission is to support women in business, family, community, health and in their personal life. Monday’s meet-up will feature Mary Jorgensen discussing the balance between life, work and family. The event will be held at the Lingonberry at 218 West Water Street from six-30 until eight p.m.

The Oneota Historic Future Alliance will hold another open house this weekend. The event will be held (Saturday) and Sunday from nine a.m. until noon at 2395 highway nine west. The open house will include the sale of dimensional lumber, maple flooring, trim boards and some bricks from the former East Side school building.

Many Iowa growers will be storing — not selling — their soybeans this harvest season, given low commodity prices and troubles with international trade. Iowa State University Extension ag engineer Kris Kohl (COAL) recommends farmers cool down the storage bin and make sure the moisture level isn’t too high when the beans are harvested.

Kohl

Some growers might want to take their soybeans to a commercial elevator and run them through a corn dryer, but he says the risk of fire is far too great.