Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Charles Andregg by Mary Ann Hager, Lollie Hirth, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, and Mary Ann Andregg; in memory of Mark Miller by Dr. David and Suzanne Hahn, Eric and Stephanie Palmer, Lollie Hirth and the Gundersen Health System; in memory of Ann Haney by Ernie and Donnalee Osland; in memory of Keith Schroeder by Patsy Kerndt and Chuck and Lois Votsmier; and in memory of Theresa McCormick and her daughters Julie Christensen and Lora Frana by Jim and Karen McCormick.
Memorials were also received in memory of Evelyn Burke by Mavis Berns, Dan and Sue Cahoon, William and Ella Collins, Michael and Heather Hanson, Daniel O’Meara and the O’Meara Family, Clinton and McKayla Rethamel and Gary and Janis Schulte.
Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering the next recertification course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMS, etc.) Thursday, December 2, beginning at 5 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.
There is a small fee to attend this class and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask, if they have one. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them as a BLS Healthcare Provider for a two-year period.
Pre-registration plus a minimum of three participants is required for the class to be held. All participants will be required to physically distance during the class and wear a mask. They will also be screened at the hospital main entrance when they enter the building.
Rachael Marie Gannon, originally of Coralville and currently residing in Decorah, and Aaron Thomas Palmer of Waukon announce their engagement and upcoming wedding scheduled to take place January 22, 2022 at Village Creek Bible Camp in rural Lansing.
The bride-elect is the daughter of Mike and Denise Gannon of Coralville and is a 2008 graduate of West High School in Iowa City and a 2012 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) with a degree in elementary and middle-level math and science education. She is currently employed as the Assistant Vice President and Branch Lending Manager at FreedomBank in Decorah.
The groom-elect is the son of Greg and Marlene Palmer of Waukon and is a 2005 graduate of Waukon High School and a 2009 graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business. He is currently employed as the Territory Sales Manager for northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota at STgenetics.
Clinton and McKayla Rethamel of Waukon announce the birth of their daughter, Charlee Mae Rethamel, born November 3, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 ozs. and measured 19-1/2 inches in length at the time of her birth.
Grandparents are Kent and Rhonda Stock of Waukon and Bob and Jeri Rethamel of New Hampton. Wanda Rogers of Fredericksburg is a great-grandparent.
Dan and Shelby Iseli of Waukon announce the birth of their daughter, Haddie Mae Iseli, born November 8, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 ozs. and measured 18 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins a sister, Paisley (3).
Grandparents are Joel and Teresa Sommer and Arthur and Lori Iseli, all of Waukon. Great-grandparents are Jerry and Judy Sommer, Darlene Oesterle, and John and Mary Iseli, all of Waukon, and Donna and Dale Bodensteiner of Ossian.
Fiber installation ... A contractor working on the fiber optic installation project in northern Allamakee County gets, literally, down in the trenches to help complete the installation. Allamakee Clayton REC has laid more than 140 miles of fiber optic network during its recent local projects on the west edge of Waukon and in northern Allamakee County. Submitted photo.
Rock solid effort ... When rock is encountered where fiber is being installed, the rock saw is brought out to help make a path. Pictured above, a West Union Trenching employee uses the saw to cut a path through the solid rock in an Allamakee County roadway to make room for the Allamakee-Clayton REC fiber to be placed. Submitted photo.
by Stephanie Kelley
Fiber optic internet is fast. Really fast. Using a download speed calculator, it means that what takes dial-up internet over 331 days, downloads with fiber in 34 seconds. That’s one movie in HD (high-definition). That’s 4.0 GB (gigabytes) of data. It’s easy to get confused when talking about the internet. Isn’t it all just WiFi? Actually, it’s not. WiFi, or wireless internet, is simply another type of internet, like dial-up, like fiber optics. Except that wireless travels through air with high energy radio waves, dial-up sends electrons through copper wire, and fiber optic internet is light traveling through glass.
The 30th annual Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Christmas Fantasy will be held this weekend. The theme will be “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which is fitting for an outdoor Fantasy.
A drive-through of lighted displays will be out in front of the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon for anyone wanting to drive through or walk through evenings during the event, which will be held Thursday-Monday, November 18-22. The grounds will be open from 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday nights and from 4-7 p.m. Monday night. The format of the event was changed again this year to keep the event COVID-safe.
Silent Auction items will be displayed inside the Pavilion for anyone who would like to walk through the display of numerous items. Bidding for all the Silent Auction items will be done entirely online this year. Photos with descriptions of each item will be entered into the online auction website, which is hosted by Sweeney Auction Service.
Ribbon cutting ceremony at Lansing Office Works ... Left to right: Mary Palmborg, Main Street Lansing Promotions Committee member; Congresswoman Ashley Hinson; Paul Baldwin; Maryann Baldwin, Founder/Owner, Lansing Office Works; Ian Zahren, Kee High School Innovation Lab Class and Vocal Music Instructor; Eric Dregne, Executive Team Member, Rural Ideas Network; Elizabeth Loberg, Founder, Wood Media LLC and Lansing Office Works tenant; Bruce Palmborg, President, Main Street Lansing Board of Directors; Ellen Modersohn; Andy Kelleher, Executive Director, Main Street Lansing and Lansing Office Works tenant; Val Reinke, Executive Director, Allamakee County Economic Development; Andrew Boddicker, Lansing Office Works member. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
by Julie Berg-Raymond
Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa, 1st) visited Lansing Wednesday, November 10, when Main Street Lansing held a ribbon cutting event for Lansing Office Works at its newly-opened location at 274 Main Street.
Lansing Office Works, which opened September 20, is a co-working space that offers a collaborative office environment for remote workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs. Amenities include high-speed wireless internet access, private meeting spaces, a breakroom/kitchen area, common areas, and virtual business coaching.
Following a tour of the premises, Hinson spoke with attendees about post-pandemic changes and challenges in the workforce. Hinson said people have been forced to re-assess what they really value - including how they want to work. “We’ve got to be reactive to the ‘new normal,’” she said.
In honor and appreciation of their service and sacrifices, the Waukon Patriot Quilters awarded quilts to local veterans at a Veterans Day ceremony held Thursday, November 11 at the Sweeney Shelter in the Waukon City Park near the Allamakee County Freedom Rock. Pictured above at the quilt presentations are, left to right: Front row - Charles Byrnes, Wayne Howe, Gus Berger; Back row - Norman Borcherding, Kelli McGriff, Dick Hermanson, Kenneth Mark, Norman Peterson. Jean Brink had also received her quilt the previous week, as noted in the November 10 edition of The Standard. Submitted photo.
