News Center newsletter

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 16 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.     

This month’s meeting will introduce some of the new medical providers that VMH has welcomed recently.  Hannah (Gesing) Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner at the Waukon and Postville VMH Clinics, and Janet Hunter is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

from Iowa Insurance Division

Every fall, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to review and change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from October 15 to December 7.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and Medicare Advantage Plan costs, benefits, drug formularies and provider networks can change each year. Comparing and evaluating options can help individuals find better coverage and even save money - but navigating options can feel overwhelming and stressful. With so many Medicare beneficiaries under pressure to make choices about their 2026 enrollment in a short period of time, scammers are ready to take advantage of their uncertainty.

USDA Offers Options for Signing and Sharing Documents Online
Farmers and ranchers working with USDA’s Farm Service Agency or Natural Resources Conservation Service can now sign and share documents online in just a few clicks. By using Box or OneSpan, producers can digitally complete business transactions without leaving their homes or agricultural operations. Both services are free, secure, and available for multiple FSA and NRCS programs.

Box is a secure, cloud-based site where FSA or NRCS documents can be managed and shared. Producers who choose to use Box can create a username and password to access their secure Box account, where documents can be downloaded, printed, manually signed, scanned, uploaded, and shared digitally with Service Center staff. This service is available to any FSA or NRCS customer with access to a mobile device or computer with printer connectivity.

De-Su Angus of rural New Albin ranked as largest in registering the most Angus beef cattle in Iowa with the American Angus Association® during fiscal year 2025, which ended September 30, according to information provided by Mark McCully, Association Chief Executive Officer.

Association members across the nation in 2025 registered 309,926 head of Angus cattle. “Angus breeders lead the way in innovation and genetic progress, giving their commercial cattlemen customers an advantage in the marketplace, McCully said. “The diversity of the breed means that cattlemen across the country can find the right genetics - no matter their breeding objective.”

To the Editor:

At the core of the government shutdown is the cost of healthcare insurance. Millions of Americans will see their health care insurance premiums skyrocket because Republicans refuse to extend the health insurance tax subsidies. Without subsidies, insurance premiums will double or even quadruple (Kaiser Family Foundation) for people who purchase insurance from the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace, making insurance unaffordable.

To prevent the explosion of health insurance costs, Democrats will not vote for the Republicans’ partisan budget bill which excludes health insurance subsidies. Republicans wholeheartedly supported $1.1 trillion tax cuts for billionaires, but refuse health insurance tax subsidies for everyday Americans.

Funeral services for 73-year-old William John Larkin of Jacksonville. FL will be held Tuesday, October 21 at St. Mary’s Hanover Church, rural Waukon at 11 a.m., with visitation beginning at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral. The burial with military honors will take place in Hanover cemetery immediately following the funeral mass.

William (Bill) Larkin, born September 26, 1951, in Dubuque, was the eldest of nine children of John and Rose Larkin from Dorchester. Bill passed away August 20, 2025, in Jacksonville, FL. His full obituary was published in the September 3, 2025 edition of The Standard.
 

Betty Decker, 84, of Waukon passed away Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m. at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon with Rev. Cathy Jurgens officiating. Burial will be held in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Friday, October 24 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon.

Betty had a generous spirit; to continue her giving, the family requests in lieu of flowers please make donations to the Waukon Fire Department, Veterans Memorial Hospital, Oakland Cemetery, Zion United Church of Christ, all in Waukon, or a charity of your choice.

Betty Jane (Brinker) Decker, was born May 25, 1941, to Elmer and Ruby (Renk) Brinker. Betty was baptized and confirmed at St. Luke’s Church in Eitzen, MN. She received her early education in Eitzen and Dorchester and graduated from Waukon High School in the Class of 1959.

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office reports that Tuesday, September 30 at 10:39 a.m., the Allamakee County Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting that portions of a hillside involving heavy rocks had slid down into a house in the rural Harpers Ferry area and a male resident of the home was unable to be located.

Emergency personnel responded to the 1100 block of Red Oak Road north of Harpers Ferry in rural Allamakee County. Upon arrival, first responders located Michael Dan Stok, age 76, of Harpers Ferry inside the residence, and verified that he had been struck by a large rock as it crashed through the back wall of the home, causing fatal injuries and resulting in Stok being pronounced deceased at the scene.

Everyone is invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation this Wednesday evening, October 8 in sharing their Christian faith with other students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 14th year and will open to the public at 6:30 p.m., with the event scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field that October 8 evening, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of inclement weather.

Main Street Lansing, in conjunction with the Lansing Lions Club, the City of Lansing, the Light the Way Committee and other community organizations and businesses, is planning a Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Farewell Celebration scheduled for this Saturday, October 11, prior to the upcoming closure and demolition of the Black Hawk Bridge. A variety of community events are being planned throughout the day this Saturday, with that day culminating in a Memorial Party at T.J. Hunter’s throughout the afternoon and a Last Lighting of the Bridge Party at Shep’s Patio along the riverfront of the waters over which the Black Hawk Bridge has spanned for nearly a century.