News Center newsletter

Christine (Chrissy) Marie Hammel, age 48, of Lansing passed away Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse, WI surrounded by family. A family graveside service will be held at Gethsemane Cemetery, Lansing before a “Celebration of Life” Saturday, December 16. We will celebrate this amazing woman Saturday, December 16 at the Driftless Center, 1944 Columbus Road, Lansing, from 4-7 p.m.

May 2, 1969, a baby girl was born to Donald and Linda (Halverson) Hammel. The doctors said she wouldn’t live but a few days. She defied them. And when she was a sweet little girl, the doctors said she wouldn’t live to see adulthood. She laughed at them. And she grew to be a strong, smart, witty woman who loved her family more than anything.

Helen L. Wagner, 91, of Waukon died Friday, December 8, 2017 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 13 at 11 a.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Bill Odermann officiating. Burial of ashes will be in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, December 12 at Martin Funeral Home.

Helen Louise Wagner was born May 1, 1926 on her parents’ farm in rural McGregor, the daughter of Frank and Lillian (Cords) Dahlstrom. She attended rural schools and graduated from McGregor High School.

March 22, 1947, Helen married Urban Leander Wagner in Waterloo; years later they divorced. They lived in both Waterloo and Elkader for a short time before settling in Waukon. Helen worked various jobs, including waitressing at Leiran’s restaurant (now the Waukon Inn). In her younger years, she loved dancing with Urban and liked dressing up for Halloween. Helen also enjoyed reading, sewing and cooking.

Tanner Patrick Walker, 21, of Luana, formerly of Postville, died December 4, 2017 at Floyd County Medical Center, Charles City. Funeral Services were held Saturday, December 9 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville with Rev. Lynn Noel as the Officiant. Burial followed at Postville Cemetery, Postville. Memorials in Tanner's name may be made to Postville Dollars for Scholars.

Tanner was born August 11, 1996 to Patrick and Denise (Bugenhagen) Walker at Mayo Health in La Crosse, WI. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Postville.

Tanner graduated from Postville High School in 2014 and attended Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, where he was enrolled in the lineman program. After lineman school, Tanner worked for North Central Line Setters in Alta. He was currently at Missouri Valley Apprenticeship, working for MJ Electric since June of 2017.

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas

Fall Forage Certification
Make sure you stop in and certify all forage and fall seeded crops by December 15! This includes all hay and pasture acres you are planning on cropping for the 2018 crop year. Also any cover crops that were seeded this fall will need to be reported. If reported after the December 15 deadline a $46 late-filed fee per farm can be assessed. 

The upcoming Driftless Region Beef Conference will showcase utilization of cover crops for feed by Midwest beef producers, according to Denise Schwab, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The conference will be held January 25-26, 2018, at the Grand River Conference Center in Dubuque.

“Cover crops have great potential to reduce erosion, improve soil health and protect water quality,” Schwab said.

“They also have the potential to produce high quality cattle feed if managed correctly. Our conference will feature several speakers presenting information on the value of cover crops in our diverse Midwestern farms.”

Jim Johnson from the Noble Research Institute will discuss how cover crops and cattle can improve soil health, and Morgan Hayes from the University of Kentucky will talk about how cover crops can be a compatible with manure application.

Iowa Ag Secretary also highlighted support for long-term water quality funding in meeting with Gov. Reynolds

Monday, November 27, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey requested an additional $150,000 for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Animal Industry Bureau to provide additional support for preparations for and potentially responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak. Northey also requested continued funding to support the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program and the Agriculture Drainage Well Closure Program.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that the news media have a tendency to draw out a story ad infinitum.

Recent charges by women of sexual improprieties against a couple of prominent men have resulted in formation of an organization called, I think, “Me Too!” It’s for women who have similar charges against men, and the result has been a steady growth in the number of accusers and accused.

The fact that those things have happened comes, I am sure, as no surprise to anyone familiar with the world of the important in relationship to the less important.

To the Editor:

I am against the closing of the Waterville Elementary School. The reasons for closing Waterville Elementary have been eloquently expressed in print by the Allamakee Community School Board.

However, some of the facts and figures presented by the school board do not seem to add up. For instance, even if the Waterville students do take 30-40 field trips per year, some of the trips are paid for by entities other than the school district. Therefore, I question the amount the board quoted in print.

When discussions were held regarding moving the Waterville sixth graders to Waukon, a school board member is on record as stating the move was not going to result in the closure of Waterville Elementary. Really?

To the Editor:

Mental Illnesses have long had a place among the most controversial topics in society, from causations to treatments to public policy and perceptions. Half of all adults have experienced a mental illness at some point during their lives, and the most common form of mental illness—”depression”—is even the leading cause of disability in the United States. From popular culture to face-eating cannibalism to mass shootings, mental illness permeates mass media like no other time in history.

From 5000 B.C., the time of the first known treatment of mental illness, people have been searching for reasons to explain why mental illness exists. In early societies, it was speculated that demonic possession was the explanation for mental illnesses, and many cultures still believe that mental illness reflects a wrong doing on the part of the family or individual.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Monona Clinic opened its doors in mid September with Dr. Andrea Venteicher as the sole medical provider. The Monona Clinic has now announced that Krista Begalske, ARNP, Nurse Practitioner, has joined the practice and has begun seeing patients at the clinic as well.

Krista is originally from the St. Olaf area and attended Central Community High School in Elkader. She went on to study nursing at Allen College in Waterloo. She continued on and achieved her nurse practitioner degree and license and has been working at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo for the last few years. Krista, her husband, Eric, and their young son recently moved back to northeast Iowa so Krista could begin practicing family medicine at the Monona Clinic.