Do you have or know someone in a nursing home? Are they allowing any type of visits?
I agree that we need to take COVID-19 seriously. In the beginning, it was necessary to lock down nursing homes. However, we cannot lock people up for five months, plus how much longer and merely say, “We’re doing this for your safety.”
Long-term isolation is detrimental to everyone, especially the elderly. The elderly are at a high risk for physical and mental decline if forced to live in isolation away from those who are most important to them.
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season – No MCM work on CRP acres
May 26 - August 28: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Signup
July 15: Crop Certification
September 30: PLC Yield Update
Nominations Open for the 2020 County Committee Elections
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages all eligible farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Allamakee County Committee election nomination process. The 2020 election is in LAA-2 which includes producers in Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview townships.
FSA’s county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs.
Wally Mahr, an organic farmer near Dorchester, fabricated the seeder, pictured above and below, for the interseeding of crops to prevent erosion and improve soil health. Submitted photos.
Submitted by Eric Novey, Project Coordinator, SWCD
A local organic farmer is reducing erosion and improving soil health on cropland he farms near Dorchester. He tried interseeding into growing corn for the first time this year.
Wally Mahr said he hopes to reduce erosion, suppress weeds, and improve his soil health by interseeding. Mahr got the idea to try interseeding into growing corn from attending meetings with a group of local organic farmers. With the help of some online research he fabricated his own seeder.
It was constructed from a used Lilliston rotary cultivator he purchased in western Minnesota for $800. It required about $3,000 in maintenance to update its worn bearings. Then he located a used Gandy air seeder box for $3,500. After adding a drive wheel, it was ready for use.
Following the first two weeks of July that combined for a double-digit increase in confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 - with 15 new cases reported from July 1-13, Allamakee County was originally reported by the State of Iowa as having just one new case confirmed during this past week, July 14-20, on the State’s daily website update at www.coronavirus.iowa.gov.
However, a late Monday, July 20 update from the Allamakee County Public Health Department reported notification of another new case being confirmed that day. Prior to that Monday, July 20 update by Allamakee County Public Health, the single new confirmed case for the previous week was reported Thursday, July 16 and was a midpoint blemish between four days prior and four days following where no new confirmed cases had been reported for Allamakee County.
Allamakee County Freedom Rock now in place ... A large boulder was placed by crews from Bruening Rock Products early Friday morning, July 17 in the Waukon City Park to serve as the canvas for Allamakee County’s Freedom Rock to be painted by famed artist Ray “Bubba” Sorenson in mid-August. After several years of organizing and the last couple years spent searching for a suitable rock, this large piece of Iowa’s geographic history soon to honor Allamakee County Veterans’ history was found in a Mason City quarry and hauled to its new home in Allamakee County by Caledonia Haulers, with driver Ken Mark of Waukon also donating his time to haul the rock. The rock will become part of Sorenson’s Freedom Rock Tour in all 99 Iowa counties that serves to both honor America’s Veterans and also promote tourism in Iowa, with plans to further enhance the area surrounding the rock with suitable landscaping and other aspects honoring Allamakee County Veterans and promoting additional area attractions. Noticeable in the background of the above photo, one of the most honorable aspects of the Allamakee County Freedom Rock location is its proximity to Oakland Cemetery just across the State Highway 9/76 entrance into Waukon, where many such area veterans these Freedom Rocks are designed to honor now lie in rest following their contributions to this nation’s freedoms, and where the Waukon Memorial Day program is held each year. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
“Canvas” for Iowa artist Bubba Sorenson arrives at Waukon City Park, painting to begin in August
After years of waiting, this year marks Allamakee County’s turn to get its Freedom Rock as part of an overall honoring and tourism idea formulated by Iowa artist Ray Sorenson.
Back in 1999, Ray Sorensen (better known as Bubba) painted his first Freedom Rock in Menlo, which is located in Adair County in Iowa. He was encouraged to continue with the project, which really took off after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Sorenson decided to paint 99 Freedom Rocks across the state of Iowa - one for each county. As he was traveling from county to county painting the rocks, he came up with the idea to work with the State of Iowa to create a tourism draw with the rocks by promoting the “Freedom Rock” Tour.
Thursday evening, July 16, leaders from the Waukon community and Allamakee County were invited by Hy-Vee and Dollar Fresh officials to a “sneak-peek” ribbon cutting event at the new Dollar Fresh store that held its grand opening for the public the very next morning, Friday, July 17 in the former Shopko store location in southwest Waukon. Pictured above at that ribbon cutting are a number of those community and county leaders standing with Dollar Fresh Waukon store manager Matt Kundert as he cuts the ribbon, along with Hy-Vee District Director Jeremy Low and members of the Waukon store’s management team.
This treasure is for trash ... Pictured above is one of the new waste receptacles created by Waukon High School students under the direction of Industrial Technology instructor Caleb Ferring during the 2019-2020 school year. Ten such receptacles have been placed throughout Waukon’s downtown community and were the result of a community enhancement project included within the curriculum of the new Allamakee Welding Academy under Ferring’s guidance. Submitted photo.
Real-life learning experience ... Waukon High School students accepted into the Allamakee Welding Academy under the instruction of Caleb Ferring were instrumental in all aspects of creating the new waste receptacles recently placed throughout the downtown community in Waukon. From creating the initial design and an initial proposal to present to the Waukon City Council for consideration, to cutting all the necessary pieces and the decorative designs into those pieces, to welding all those pieces together to create the final product, the students (some of whom are pictured in surrounding photos above and below) not only helped out the community that houses their high school but also gained some real-life experience in seeing the project through from its conception to the finished product. Submitted photos.
by Joe Moses
The town of Waukon has seen several improvements to its downtown business district recently. Among those is the 2019 Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) Street and Sidewalk Project, which prompted the replacement of the previous waste receptacles placed in the downtown area following the installation of new decorative light poles.
In conjunction with that project, Director Ardie Kuhse with Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) approached the Waukon City Council with a suggestion to replace the previous waste receptacles that became obsolete with the newly installed decorative light poles now in place downtown.
Kuhse presented several concepts and estimates from a variety of manufacturers to the council. With the City of Waukon on board, Kuhse worked with Street Superintendent Keith Burrett on the style and design that would be both attractive and practical for the street department crew to maintain and empty.
Public readings part of 2020 Bible Reading Marathon ... Although a majority of the 2020 Allamakee County Bible Reading Marathon was conducted privately by individuals due to COVID-19 restrictions, a pair of public reading offerings were held during the four-week event. Pictured above is a July 11 public reading held in Lansing and sponsored by Center Baptist Church of rural Lansing. A July 14 public reading also took place on the lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon to close out this year’s marathon event. Submitted photo.
The 2020 Allamakee County Bible Reading Marathon came to a successful conclusion Tuesday, July 14, with the completed reading of Scripture, Genesis through Revelation, and a public reading on the Allamakee County Courthouse lawn in Waukon.
Over 70 individuals, in addition to various groups, participated by using the Signup Genius website or the TracPhone number set up for the event. A total of 156 segments of Scripture, each taking approximately 30 minutes to read, were available over the course of four weeks during the marathon event, many of them read by those individuals or groups in their own private settings due to COVID-19 guidelines during this year’s event.
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday night, July 20. Personnel matters approved under the consent agenda included After School Program staff, Brenda Good as a substitute bus driver, Rachel Adney and Amber Adney as co-volleyball coaches, 2020-2021 Mentors, fall sports volunteers and the resignation of paraprofessional Mariah Fogt. Also approved under the consent agenda was renewal of the Backpack Program for 2020-2021, the Free and Reduced School Meals policy and the MidAmerica HRA Service Agreement update.
The Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, has announced its policy for free and reduced price meals for children unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and the Afterschool Care Snack Program.
State and Local school officials have adopted the family size and income criteria for determining eligibility as printed in the chart accompanying this article.
Households may be eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits one of four ways listed below.
