Community News

With its headquarters in Waukon, Mosaic in Northern Iowa has promoted Crystal Kurth as its new Program Manager. Kurth has worked for Mosaic for a total of 15 years, starting back in 2002 when the entity was called Martin Luther Homes and was a part of the merger with Mosaic.

She left Mosaic in 2008 and came back in 2014, remaining there ever since. Prior to her promotion to Program Manager, she has held many positions in her time with Mosaic, including Direct Support Associate, Associate Direct Support Manager, and Program Coordinator/Support Service Specialist.

She has certification in Autism from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. She also holds a strong interest in learning more about Dementia, especially Dementia in those with Intellectual Disabilities. She has attended many classes, training and conferences regarding her qualifications for this role.

The City of Waukon is updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This plan serves to guide the continual improvement of the community’s parks, open space, facilities, and bicycle and pedestrian areas.

As part of that update, the Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department is offering a Parks Master Plan Survey so members of the general public can provide their input into the future of the City of Waukon Parks and Recreation facilities and amenities. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and asks questions regarding park usage, thoughts on current facilities and programs available, and suggestions for improvements or additions to current facilities or programs, among other items.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a pair of regular sessions within less than a week of one another this past week due to the New Year’s Day holiday being observed on the board’s regular meeting day, Monday, January 2. Coverage of both the board’s Tuesday, January 3 and Monday, January 9 regular sessions appears below.

JANUARY 3
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors began 2023 with its annual reorganizational meeting in regular session Tuesday, January 3 following the Monday, January 2 closure of the Allamakee County Courthouse due to the New Year’s Day holiday observance. Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer called the meeting to order with Dan Byrnes being appointed Board of Supervisors Chairperson and Mark Reiser being appointed Chairperson Pro-Tem for 2023, with Supervisor Dennis Keatley also present at the meeting.

A pair of area U.S. Military Veterans were recently honored with Quilts of Valor presentations in recognition of service to their country. Pictured in the photo above, Vietnam era U.S. Marine Veteran Joe Baxter (left in photo) of rural New Albin stands with Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander Ralph Nelson after receiving his Quilt of Valor in mid-December from local Quilts of Valor representative Arlis Myhre.

Pictured in the photo below, Paul Horsfall, Sr. of Lansing received his Quilt of Valor December 30 from local Quilts of Valor representative Eileen Smith (standing in photo). Horsfall served his country during the Korean War, from 1953-1955. Submitted photos.
 

Allamakee County’s Corner of Hope Growing Project celebrated its 17th year in 2022. Since its beginning in 2005 and through present day, the group has donated $563,921 to Growing Hope Globally, formerly Foods Resource Bank.

A few years after the project started in 2005, local brothers Jan, Joe and Jerry Sweeney (pictured in the photo above, left to right) have generously allowed the Corner of Hope group to use 20 acres of Sweeney land each year to grow crops, with the money raised going to Growing Hope Globally. For well over a decade, the Sweeney plot has been an integral part of the Corner of Hope Growing Project. The crops have alternated over the years between corn, beans and hay.

Kaytie and Mason Berns of Waukon are the parents of the First Baby of 2023 born at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI. Sylvie Berns was born Sunday, January 1 at 3:06 p.m., and she weighed 6 lbs., 13.5 ozs. Photo courtesy of Mayo Clinic Health System.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday, December 27 to address a short agenda of matters following the Monday, December 26 closure of the County Courthouse in observance of the Christmas holiday, with Monday being the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting date.

Chairperson Larry Schellhammer called the meeting to order with Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Mark Reiser in attendance. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

January is National Mentoring Month. Helping Services for Youth & Families is celebrating mentoring friendships and inviting others to engage in their community with the theme “Mentoring is simple! Become a mentor.”

Mentoring has a positive impact on youth and the volunteer mentor. The need for positive role models is extremely vital as families deal with the stresses of raising youth in today’s world. There are currently 17 area youth that want a friend to spend time with. One of those kids is Bill. He is 14 years old and likes to swim, bike and go to parks. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

Volunteer mentors do not do this alone. Colinne McCann, Mentoring Coordinator at Helping Services shares, “We, at Helping Services, provide you with the tools and training you need to be successful. We share activity ideas and provide fun and safe events, making it a simple process to mentor.”

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing held their annual Sunday School Christmas Pageant December 18. The young people gave a live performance of the nativity story and they also starred in creative short films that were a part of the event. One such film featured the magi going shopping for baby Jesus in Horsfall’s Lansing Variety Store. Another film includes a Lansing Police Officer pulling over the shepherds because they are speeding to Bethlehem. The  pageant can be viewed at the church website: LansingLutherans.org. Pictured above, left to right, Sylvie Pierce, Ardyn Pierce, Jack Schweitzer, Isla Henkes, Sebastian Bell, Alyssa Bell (holding Scarlett Bell), Samara Bell, Arthur Whitlach, Westen Murray, Henrik Whitlatch (baby in the manger), Zoahii Rosas, Eloisa Whitlatch, Paxton St. Mary, Sienna St. Mary, Izzy Hammell.
 

by Brianne Grimstad

The month of November ended on a very high financial note at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. “We had one of our best gross patient revenue months ever,” VMH Administrator Michael Coyle noted.

The hospital ended the month with a gross patient revenue of $4,451,829, compared to $3,556,036 last November, an increase of $895,793. “We were so busy in November, and December is busy as well,” Coyle said.

The hospital ended the month with a profit of $76,611, compared to $25,257 in November 2021, an increase of $51,354. The largest expenses were salaries and supplies, which is normal. There were a few other contracts that were higher than last year, but Coyle said the revenue supports that.