News Center newsletter

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will not hold a regular meeting during the month of December. They will begin holding their regular monthly meetings again in January.

For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

KJ and Ashley Medberry of Waterville announce the birth of their daughter, Braeley RaeAnn Medberry, born November 17, 2022 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. 6 ozs. and measured 21-1/2 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins siblings, Ava (10), Carleigh (6), Tucker (4) and Ledger (2).

Grandparents are Russ Medberry of Wadena and Dave and Melissa Fish of Waukon. Great-grandparents are Arnold Gibbs of West Union, John and Lois Adam of Waukon, and Dave and Charlotte Fish of Waterville. Great-great-grandparents are Dolores Fish of Rossville and Mary Ann Duffy of Waukon.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

Farm Loan Presence in Allamakee County
The USDA/FSA Farm Loan team will have a Loan Officer in our office every Tuesday during normal business hours (8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). If you would like to visit with the loan officer, feel free to call or stop in.

2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Program
Sign-up for the 2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Program began October 17 and runs through December 9. Signup is voluntary unless you locked in coverage at the initial signup. A decision tool has been created and can be found at https://dairymarkets.org. This tool provides forecasted estimates of feed and milk prices through 2023, historical analysis of the program for the past 5 years, and remaining 2022 projections.  

Research from Iowa State University shows periodically projecting randomly moving, dot-sized laser lights on the floor of broiler pens stimulates birds’ predatory instincts and encourages them to be more active. This is especially important as broilers approach market weight and become more sedentary, which can negatively impact their quality of life.

Elizabeth Bobeck, associate professor of animal science, and Anna Johnson, professor of animal behavior and welfare, partnered with Signify, a livestock lighting company, to create a second-generation novel laser device for this research. With support from the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, USDA and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture, they conducted a study to assess how these devices influence animal behavior.

To the Editor:

This should have been part of my last letter, but it got too long. RINO (Republican in Name Only) Mike Pence is not telling the truth, he knows Trump would never approve a riot. I think and believe it was a few bad Democrats that ignited the riot.

The January 6 trial is a fiasco, as was the Russian collusion. The Democrats spent two million dollars producing the fake document, and the disgusting FBI and CIA lied about it. Congress spent millions of our tax dollars on the January 6 Kangaroo Court. No wonder the approval of Congress is near 10%, and that’s sad.

Donald J. Trump is a proven, get-things-done person who did more good in four years, and he will do it again. RINOs Pence and Cheney will disappear, and good riddance. If Gov. DeSantis would help Trump, we would have a red swing.

We sure need better management in Washington. We are 30 trillion dollars in debt. That is very bad management on both sides. I really despise RINOs.

The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train returns to the rails this season on its first cross-continent tour in three years, following virtual concerts in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The 24th Annual Holiday Train is again raising money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CP network, making its way through northeast Iowa Wednesday, December 7 with stops in Guttenberg, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN. Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott, who will present a half-hour show at each location.

The Allamakee Ecumenical Choir will present its 46th Annual Candlelight Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols Service this Sunday, December 11 at 7 p.m. The service will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, located at 8 Fifth Street SW in Waukon.

Local clergy will be reading the lessons. The carols will be sung by the congregation with organ accompaniment. Choral numbers will be presented by the Ecumenical Men’s Choir (also known as the Heartland Barbershop and Gospel Singers). Music will also be provided by the St. John’s Handbell Choirs, Waukon High School Brass Quintet, pianist Kristie Roeder, and Baritone Horn Soloist Shauna Johnsen. The program is under the direction of James Bieber, who is assisted by his daughter, Sarah Bieber, Waukon Middle and High School Choral Director.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday, November 30 in special session to address a short agenda of matters relating to the rescinding of a motion appointing a temporary Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Board of Trustees and the discussion and consideration of appointing permanent VMH Board of Trustees members.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, December 5 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of water meter replacement charges, a presentation relating to electric vehicles and an update relating to the Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Plan.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Department Reports with Water and Sewer Superintendent Jim Cooper providing an update. Cooper advised that the water meter replacement and installation process is moving forward. He also discussed a water treatment process taking place at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Council member Arvid Hatlan made note of positive feedback that he has received relating to the professionalism of the contractor performing the water meter installations in Waukon.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will be offering another program to the public in the meeting room of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street, Waukon Thursday, December 15 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Dan Davis, a marine archaeologist and professor in the Department of History at Luther College, will give a public talk entitled “Finding American MIAs in Underwater Environments,” and will detail his efforts to locate, document and recover American service members from submerged aircraft from World War II. The talk will focus on past and current projects, as well as the technologies being used to locate and identify human remains. Dr. Davis is a former U.S.