The Waukon girls track and field team opened its 2026 season with a pair of indoor meets this past week. A number of Lady Indians competed in the Dickinson Relays at the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls Monday, March 9, before also taking part in the Iowa Association of Track and Field Coaches Indoor Championships on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames Friday, March 13.
The Lady Indians are next scheduled to compete in the Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) Indoor Meet Tuesday, March 24 at Luther College in Decorah. The Indians are then scheduled to open their outdoor season by competing in the Frostbite Open hosted by Sumner-Fredericksburg High School Tuesday, March 31.
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I sent this message to the six members of the U.S. Congressional Delegation from the state of Iowa March 10, 2026. The casual way the words ‘boots on the ground’ and ‘draft’ are communicated in reporting strikes terror in me.
Combatants for a worthy war are daughters, sons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and grandchildren. When senators and representatives believe completely in a war, they can willingly offer their dear ones. The dear ones of every senator, representative and billionaire would be offered up to a worthy war effort.
When a regime believes citizens are less than human, it is easy to speak about boots on the ground and a draft. When the current service men and women are used up, the draft is the next step to supply combatants for a vanity war.
May the U.S. Congressional Delegation be mindful of the way they think, speak and vote.
“Golden Sledgehammer” event marks the official start of the new VMH-Postville Clinic construction project ... The Veterans Memorial Hospital and Clinics held its “Golden Sledgehammer” event for the Postville Clinic on March 12, 2026, marking the official start of construction on the clinic. Approximately 25 people attended the celebration, including donors, representatives of local businesses, members of the hospital’s Board of Directors and Healthcare Foundation, hospital/clinic employees, along with the project’s contractor and architect. Submitted photos.
The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Clinics held its “Golden Sledgehammer” event for the Postville Clinic Thursday, March 12, marking the official start of construction on the clinic. About 25 people attended the celebration, including donors, representatives of local businesses, members of the hospital’s Board of Directors and Healthcare Foundation, hospital/clinic employees, along with the project’s contractor and architect.
The short program included a welcome by Michael Coyle, CEO of VMH. He thanked Dr. McMullan for starting the Postville Medical Clinic and working to make the transition to VMH a smooth one. Also in attendance was Diana Johnson, Assistant Director of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, who was recognized for the organization’s role in selling the building to VMH to allow the clinic expansion. Coyle also thanked the community members whose support helped make the project possible.
VMH Behavioral Health Team ... The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Behavioral Health Team has now expanded from one to three behavioral health providers to help meet the growing demand for mental health care in northeast Iowa. Consultations with, left to right, Angela Taylor, PMHNP; Tara Fink, PMHNP, or Janet Hunter, PMHNP, are available at both the Waukon and Postville Clinic locations with no referral needed. All ages are accepted. To make an appointment for behavioral health care in Postville call 563-864-7221 or in Waukon call 563-568-5530. Submitted photo.
The new Behavioral Health Nurse Practitioners Janet Hunter, PMHNP, and Angela Taylor, PMHNP, joined Tara Fink, PMHNP, last fall in expanding behavioral health care services in northeast Iowa. Both Janet and Angela have many years of nursing experience and have seen the great need for behavioral health care during their careers, which is why they both went back to school to earn their nurse practitioner degrees in behavioral health care.
Both of these new providers now have nearly six months of caring for behavioral health patients in northeast Iowa and continue to rapidly build their practices.
Angela Taylor, PMHNP, spent nearly the last 25 years as a nurse at the Regional Medical Center in Manchester working in a variety of roles. She chose to become a PMHNP to provide a positive impact and improve the quality of life for individuals in the community.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week was recognized last week, March 8-14 at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH). Local Pulmonary Rehabilitation teaches a person to live and breathe better with chronic lung disease. Participation in a pulmonary rehab program can help increase strength, manage shortness of breath, decrease anxiety and depression and implement a consistent at-home exercise program.
Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will sponsor the next Babysitting Seminar Friday, April 3, from 9 am to Noon. Corinne Cook, RN, will be leading this class which will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.
Intended participants are individuals 10 years of age and older who are responsible for their own care after school until their parents come home from work, and individuals who care for other children in or outside of their own home. Girls and boys are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be offering Grandparenting Classes again this spring. Corinne Cook, RN, Babysitting Class instructor, will teach the next Grandparenting Class Saturday, April 11 from 9:30 a.m. until Noon. The class will be held in the hospital’s Large Conference Room.
In these classes, new or soon-to-be grandparents will learn all the new protocols to use when caring for their new grandchild. Some topics covered will include basic baby care, car seat safety, Tylenol/Ibuprofen dosing charts, home safety, poison control information, infant/child CPR, choking and other emergency medical information as well as tips to support parents such as handling the baby blues and postpartum depression. Free-will donations will be accepted to cover the costs of the class.
Blood donations are needed everywhere, even right here in Iowa. The following are interesting facts relating to blood from LifeServe Blood Center who supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with their blood products:
• Every three seconds someone needs blood.
• Blood makes up about eight-percent of a person’s body weight.
• Blood is needed every minute of every day; summer, winter, spring and fall.
• Scheduled surgeries are often canceled around the country due to a lack of blood.
• Donating blood includes a health check for the donor (checking blood pressure, pulse, temperature and hemoglobin) prior to donating.
• There is absolutely no way you can contract any disease from giving blood.
• Blood can be split into different components (red cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate) and used to help different types of patients.
Allamakee County Public Health shares the following Poison Prevention Tips compliments of the Iowa Poison Control Center, in observance of National Poison Prevention Week.
If you think someone has been poisoned, call 1-800-222-1222 right away. Serious poisonings don’t always have early signs. Save the number of your poison control center in your cell phone contacts. Text the word POISON to 797979 to download the business card for poison control to a mobile phone.
Keep medicines and household products in their original containers in a different place than food. Always read the product labels and follow any directions.
Keep household products and medicines locked up. Put them up high and out of sight and reach of young children.
Buy products with child-resistant packaging, but remember, nothing is child-proof.
Never call medicine “candy.” Poisons may look like food or drink. Teach children to ask an adult before tasting anything.
Each March, the Academy’s National Nutrition Month® (NNM®) campaign brings people together to celebrate how informed food choices and healthy habits can fuel better living. The 2026 theme, “Discover the Power of Nutrition,” highlights the everyday impact nutrition has on helping individuals and communities thrive.
Week 3 Focus: Stay Nourished on Any Budget
Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right skills and resources, you can build healthy meals that fit your budget and lifestyle.
• Learn simple cooking and meal-prep skills that make the most of what you have
• Plan meals and shop smart to reduce food waste and save money
• Explore community supports like SNAP, WIC, and local food banks
• Advocate for nutrition programs that help your family and community thrive
Healthy eating is possible at every budget - and small steps can make a big difference.
