April 3, 2025

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Vol. 162, Issue 14 www.decorahleader.com

County attorney preparing to defend Sheriff Marx after Iowa AG demands sheriff recant

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR Iowa’s top prosecutor believes a statement issued in February by Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx regarding what the sheriff called “non-judicially vetted detainers” violated immigration enforcement law. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a lawsuit against Marx and Winneshiek County late on Thursday, March 26, and the Winneshiek County

Attorney’s Office is preparing to defend Marx’s statements in court.

“While we are disappointed and disagree with the attorney general’s conclusion, we remain confident that this issue can be resolved,” the sheriff’s office said in a March 27 statement.

Bird’s office released a report on March 26, saying the sheriff’s Feb. 4 message — which was posted to social media and submitted to area news outlets

Decorah, Iowa 52101 email: editor@decorahleader.com

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phone: 563-382-4221

Decorah School Board divided on expansion of new elementary gym Architects say window for amending design closing Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx

for publication — was at odds with a portion of Iowa Code prohibiting law enforcement from discouraging cooperation with federal immigration authorities. State officials took issue with what Marx’s letter called his “long-time stance on not recognizing detainers.” The sheriff said detainers differ from court ordered warrants, and he sees such detainers as potential violations of the Fourth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, saying “the only

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird

reason detainers are issued is because the federal agency does not have enough information or has not taken the time to obtain a valid judicial warrant.”

Bird’s report said information provided by county officials during her office’s investigation found the sheriff’s office has complied with all 21 detainers it has received from federal

Sheriff Marx continued on page 8

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR Some members of the Decorah School Board feel designs for a larger gymnasium within a new school building expected to replace the district’s John Cline Elementary building may ultimately be problematic.

The expansion of the proposed elementary’s gym would help accommodate middle school and high school events and could be made available to local recreation leagues or other groups, according to school officials. The overall elementary building project is to be funded through a $38 million bond, which was approved by Decorah area residents in November, and the proposed gym expansion would cost an estimated $2.3-$3.1 million, according to school officials. The Decorah School Board voted 4-1 on March 10 in favor of enlarging the gymnasium, and the board revisited the topic during

Public Health administrator speaks out on county’s budget scrutiny

a special meeting on Friday, March 28 — Decorah School Board President Cindy Goodner said she called Friday’s meeting specifically to discuss the gymnasium plans, after a number of community members reached out to the board following last month’s vote.

Nick Hildebrandt with Emergent Architecture said the newest design plans include a 13,000 square-foot gymnasium capable of hosting organized competitions. The gym would feature multiple basketball courts and could potentially seat 1,300 people with room available on the floor for chairs and a scoring table. The gym would also allow attendees to access concessions and restrooms within the elementary school’s commons, and the gym’s locker rooms would provide access to outdoor spaces during other

Decorah School continued on page 12

Pictured (front row, left to right) are Olivia Mount, Blaire Grimes, Ani Anderson, Ruby Courtney, Tessa Bril, Lily Underbakke (back row, left to right) Marta Vogel, Zoey Danielson and Nika Kargalskiy. The girls, all members of the Decorah Basketball Association’s fourth-grade girls team, recently hosted the Stand up to Cancer event.

(Photo by Zach Jensen)

BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors has, since at least 2023, discussed ways to reduce Winneshiek County Public Health’s spending, and Krista Vanden Brink, administrator of the county’s public health office, said she’s tired of it.

“We’ve felt like we’ve been unjustly targeted for two years, and we don’t understand why,” Vanden Brink said. “Public Health isn’t supposed to make money. It’s a county service just like any other county service.

We help people. When did saving money become more important than helping people?”

The board has discussed the topic of public health funding several times just this year. Vanden Brink said her discussions with the supervisors haven’t been enjoyable, and she doubts they’ve been productive.

“It’s often not a good day when I have to talk with the supervisors, because I don’t know how I’m going to be attacked,” she said. “I think a big part of that is that they just don’t understand what we do, and I don’t know how to help them understand, and there might be some who already have their mind made up and aren’t willing to learn. I realize that we have thrown all kinds of numbers at the public and at the supervisors. It’s confusing. I get it. It’s very confusing.”

Vanden Brink estimated the

Price $1.50

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Winneshiek County Public Health Administrator Krista Vanden Brink

INSIDE

Supervisors continue weighing options to reduce Public Health costs PAGE 6 county’s board of supervisors first began probing Winneshiek County Public Health in 2023, when her office wasn’t granted enough funding from the county to pay the staff competitive wages — Vanden Brink said the county capped the staff’s pay at about $27 per hour,

Public Health continued on page 6

‘STANDING UP TO CANCER’

Fourth-grade girls basketball team raises $1,250 to help fight disease, support families

BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER The Iowa Cancer Registry is projecting that the tall-corn state will have the second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in the nation this year. And the Decorah Basketball Association’s fourth-grade girls team has formed another team to help local families offset the costs of battling the disease.

The team of girls held their Stand up to Cancer fundraiser on March 21 at April Bril’s home in Minowa Heights, where they offered face painting and sold various children’s

items, books, arts and crafts items as well as baked goods.

She said the fundraiser was her daughter Tessa’s idea — as a way of honoring friends and family who have been lost to cancer while also helping those who have been diagnosed.

“My brother in law passed away from cancer a year ago,” April Bril said. “My father-inlaw died from cancer when he was only 44, and we have a really close friend who has cancer. A lot of people are affected by it.”

In fact, Kory Courtney, a friend of the Brils family, overcame his cancer, and his daugh-

ter Ruby was one of the young basketballers hosting the recent fundraiser.

Kory Courtney was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in April of 2024, and the family said his prognosis was dim. The cancer had spread to lymph nodes in his pelvis and abdomen, and he said doctors with the Mayo Clinic told him he only had until the mid-to-late summer of this year to live. But, after receiving a second opinion from doctors at the City of Hope Cancer Center and undergoing additional treatments, his cancer is now believed to be in remission.

“Just in the last week is when we got that news,” said Kory, an operations analyst with Decorah Bank and Trust. “So, we’re very happy about that.”

Kory’s wife Amy said her husband’s case is rare, explaining his symptoms didn’t present themselves as they would in most cancers. Whereas many patients might find an out-ofplace mark or lump, Amy said Kory’s symptoms — excruciating pain — came on suddenly and without warning. Kory said

Stand up to Cancer continued on page 13

PHOTOS

2 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

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Smiles shine bright at South Winn prom

Couples savored a moment in the spotlight as they paused for photos during the grand march ahead of South Winneshiek Schools’ spring formal on Saturday. Some stood and smiles, others displayed charming antics and others let their wardrobe choices — such as eye-catching eye-wear — be the star for a moment. ABOVE: Brad Dahl goes for a spin before turning his date Tessa Phillips on the black carpet at South Winn’s prom grand march. INSET TOP: Friends (left to right) Bo Wansgness, Adrian Hageman and Aiden Feickert cradle friend and South Winn prom-goer Kendric Langreck after Saturday’s grand march. INSET BOTTOM: Henry Willey escorted Maddy Jansen, the junior class president, as the pair led off the South Winn grand march Saturday night in front a full gymnasium.

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Savannah O’Reilly sends her date Lukas Weiss spinning at Mikkelson Park in New Hampton before South Winn’s prom Saturday.

RIGHT: Landen Schnuelle and Avery Luzum stop for a moment and pose for a photo during the South Winn prom grand march held Saturday.

South Winn’s Braiden Todd and Decorah student Jaidyn Duvel matched perfectly with the evening’s vintage décor backdrop as they paused for photos during Saturday’s grand march.

Decked out in rose-colored heart glasses, Ray Lienau and Josie Engelhardt strolled through South Winn’s prom grand march.

RIGHT: The Greve family took the opportunity to grab a photo following Saturday’s grand march as South Winn. Pictured are (left to right) Tony, Laura, Eric, Dave and Seth.

Curtain to go up on NWP’s

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

The New Minowa Players production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will open Wednesday, April 9 at the NMP Theatre — 906 South Mill St. in Decorah. The show will run through April 13, with evening performances at 7 p.m., and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 13. Tickets are available online at newminowaplayers.org/tickets, or at the Oneota Community Food Co-op.

ABOVE: “The Tinkers” are played by (from left to right) Violet Hatfield, Lailyn McGrath, Kristina Burroughs, Molly Holkesvik, Doug Nalean Carlson and Kay Cross.

RIGHT: The human world overlaps with a fairy world in which Oberon, played by David Gosch, is king, and Tatania, played by Alison Blake, is queen.

FAR LEFT: The fairies are played

by Tabitha McGrath, Olivia Blake, Clara Garcia-Pras and Marlee Klimesh-Oblander.

(Photos by Roz Weis)

LEFT: Addison Cross shares a scene with Elliana Brodbeck and Phil Royer.

NEWS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

3

Council, engineers discuss Heivly Street Project

BY DENISE LANA STAFF WRITER Decorah’s Heivly Street Project is back on track after city council members and city staff met with project engineers Monday evening to discuss details and hash out options in the project’s designs. The project was halted at the March 17 council meeting after several council members argued there was no need for a 40-foot-wide street at the west end of Heivly, as they felt on-street parking was unnecessary with numerous nearby parking lots. The bid for the improvement project was due to be awarded to Skyline Construction during that same council meeting, but it instead was put on hold pending Monday night’s review.

Council agrees on plan of attack The meeting kicked off with a presentation by Chase Holien of WHKS, the company overseeing the project near the intersection of Heivly Street and College Drive.

Holien explained a traffic study was completed in mid-February, which showed traffic signals should continue to be used at the intersection due to the volume of traffic recorded.

“College drive sees around 9,500 vehicles per day — a pretty high number for a street like that,” Holien said. “Heivly, 4,500 per day — again, that’s a pretty heavily-used street.”

Heavy trucks represented 1 percent of the traffic in the report, which isn’t a large number, according to Holien. But that 1 percent factored into plans for reconfiguring an intersection, he said, noting a large truck needs enough room to turn without driving onto sidewalks or impeding other lanes of traffic.

According to recommended guidelines, a crosswalk across College Drive should include a pedestrian refuge island to allow individuals to pause midway when crossing the road — a similar structure exists near

the intersection of Montgomery Street and Ridgewood Drive.

However, WHKS engineers said an island may not be possible on College Drive, saying tests indicated the island would be at odds with the path turning truck traffic would likely follow. Holien recommended instead a high-visibility crosswalk, which would also include high visibility strobes and audible alerts for visually impaired individuals. Council members generally agreed the crosswalks at the intersection of College and Heivly should be painted a bright green to draw attention.

The left turn lane from Heivly onto College was to be eliminated as part of the renovation plans, and Heivly’s two lanes were to merge into one. But several council members rallied to keep the left turn lane as it is and, with no repercussions to the design plans, Holien assured the council the lane could be kept if a majority supported that decision.

He went on to explain the College Street bridge needs to be repaired at the southern end closest to Heivly, where a large gap in the expansion joint as formed. He explained the slippage could be due to a faulty bracket beneath that portion of the bridge, and he said additional repairs could be required, depending on the bracket’s condition.

Ultimately, the council — with guidance and input from WHKS and the city engineer — agreed on a plan which includes the retention of Heivly’s left turn lane, replacement of the damaged bridge notches, repairs to a damaged barrier railing on the western side of bridge, replacement of bridge approaches and creating a realigned pedestrian crosswalk across College Drive, including crossing signals and push buttons which align with current standards. Part of the project will also include repairs to Fifth Avenue at some time in the future.

The cost is estimated to be around $409,000.

City staff is currently prepar-

ing bid documents, and a public hearing is to be held during the April 7 city council meeting.

City green lights 34-foot street width The city council previously decided to hold off on awarding the bid for the Heivly Street project to Skyline Construction, following a lively debate regarding street widths. The bid is now expected to be awarded during the council’s April 7 meeting.

Current specifications for the project include reducing the width of Heivly Street from 40 feet to 34 feet between College Drive and Mill Street, which would allow parking on one side and create a 10-foot-wide sidewalk/bike path along the north boulevard.

Heivly Street’s width would then expand to 43 feet east of Mill Street to allow for parking on both sides.

Councilmember Steven Zittergruen led the heated charge during the March 17 council meeting, saying the city would be spending money for asphalt it wasn’t using if it expanded the road to 43 feet. At one point, he suggested his fellow council members consider narrowing the street to 25 feet. Before ta-

bling the bid award and discussion, the consensus was leaning towards 31-foot-wide streets.

Lindsay Erdman of Erdman Construction in Decorah explained during Monday’s meeting that wider streets can accommodate larger volumes of runoff.

“If you narrow the street by 6 feet, you will raise the middle to drain both gutters,” Erdman said. “That is going to raise it 2 inches, and all of a sudden it eats up the fall and range and the slopes we are trying to use to make the water go someplace constructive.”

He told the council a width of 34 feet would be manageable.

Russel Novak, owner of Kingpin Entertainment Center located on Heivly, expressed his support for wider streets, saying his building is in the lowest elevation in the area and he battles ponding during rain storms.

“I’m wondering how I’m supposed to get rid of water, we’re already fighting a losing battle,” Novak said. “We need an overflow for all this water — if the water can’t get into the pond at the high school, it’s just gonna sit there if the road is smaller.

As a city, we deserve to give every business owner the best drainage system they deserve.”

this weekend in Decorah

Heivly Street Project continued on page 11

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OPINION

4 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

One small word in Bird’s case against Marx is hard to ignore

Word spread pretty quickly after Iowa Attorney Brenna Bird declared a February Facebook post form our county sheriff violated Iowa law, by outlining his views and expectations

BY SETH concerning non-judicially vetBOYES ted detainers. Bird went on to News Editor file a case late last week against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx, ultimately seeking a district court’s approval to stop state funds from flowing into where he and Bird clashed.

So now the matter will be Winneshiek County. decided by a judge — several You can read more about the million dollars of Winneshiek AG’s decision elsewhere in this County’s state funding hinge on week’s edition, but for the purthat decision.

And it’s a deciposes of this page I’ll summasion which I imagine could take rize by saying Sheriff Marx felt quite some time to make. the detainers were violations of I’m not a lawyer — I don’t the Fourth and Sixth Amendeven play one on TV — but I’ve ment — you know, protection spent more time scribbling in a from unreasonable search and notebook while sitting in the seizure and also rights guarback of a courtroom than the anteed during criminal trials average bear.

And in my expe— indicating he and his office rience, these types of cases — wouldn’t necessarily support those in which legal folks get U.S. Immigration and Customs into the real nitty-gritty and deEnforcement — or other federal bate the precise letter of the law authorities — if they were to try — often end up falling one way and use such a detainer before or the other because of a small getting all their ducks in a row.

And that’s pretty much the point yet important detail. Sort of like

when Wiley Coyote would try to catch that darn Roadrunner by propping up a boulder with a twig.

For example, a northwest Iowa school district was once taken to court after a private citizen took issue with potentially being charged several thousand dollars for the district to fulfill his admittedly-broad request for district emails related to the sale of a school building. The judge ruled the school was almost entirely in the right — almost.

He said the school was allowed to charge reasonable fees under Iowa law, including fees to cover the cost of having the requested records reviewed by an attorney to be sure the district didn’t disclose any confidential student information. But like I said, there was a fly in the ointment. Among the thousands of dollars in fees, the school district had included contributions to IPERS while calculating the value of their employees’ time in retrieving the various records — and including IPERS as part of the cost wasn’t permitted under Iowa law. If I recall, that

error only accounted for a very small percentage of the total fees the district had required before releasing the records, but the judge noted he had no legal leeway to make an acceptation, and the school lost the case.

I bring that up partly to illustrate that I don’t envy Bird’s position. She, much like Sheriff Marx, is often duty-bound to investigate valid complaints alleging violations of the law, yet neither the AG nor the sheriff are given the authority to pronounce judgement or sentencing — that’s a job for the courts (though one could easily argue Bird could have taken other steps to resolve the dispute with Marx without taking the matter all the way to district court in what seemed like something of a hurry). And sometimes even a court’s ruling is largely limited by the specific language of a given law.

Language is important with these things. And I think it’s the language in Bird’s case which might actually give this particular debate a little more elbow room.

DOGE is undermining U.S. security

To protect liberties, protect libraries Dear Editor, Among the many institutions that have played a role in my children’s development, one stands out. Libraries. Reading library books every night after dinner allowed my family to travel the world from our farm in rural Iowa. We learned what it was like to grow up in a city, or at a different time, or through the eyes of a family that didn’t look like ours. We experienced the joy and awe of science, art and imaginary worlds. What started as a dozen books per visit eventually became over 100, valued at over $10,000 a year.

My children became avid readers, critical thinkers and lifelong learners. Reading books cultivated empathy and lit a fire of curiosity. For the immeasurable benefits to my family, I express gratitude to each of the Winneshiek County libraries and the dedicated women who run them: Kay Elsbernd in Fort Atkinson, Vernelle Holthaus in Calmar, Ruth Kuhn in Spillville, Laura Thomas in Ossian and Kristin Torresdal in Decorah.

Alarmingly, legislation that would devastate libraries is live at the statehouse. HF880/SF238 would eliminate access to critical state funding unless libraries revoke their memberships in the Iowa and American Library Associations, key professional organizations that provide a broad range of educational, programming and financial support.

HF521/SF235 would make libraries vulnerable to costly lawsuits and insurance by repealing their exemption for items that were formerly deemed educational in nature and for which the state deemed ‘obscenity.’

Federally, a March 14 executive order calls for the elimination

of the nation’s only agency for libraries, which provides Iowa over $2 million per year.

What is driving these attempts to control and cripple libraries? Not the voting public, which overwhelmingly — greater than 70 percent, across party lines — opposes book bans, recognizes the key role libraries play in communities and expresses confidence in their local library’s decision-making, according to the American Library Association, 2022.

At a fundamental level, libraries represent freedom. All persons have access to knowledge regardless of status or income. Material is chosen for its range of perspectives rather than to impose any particular ideology. As a patron and a parent, I cherish the freedom and own the responsibility to make choices for myself and my family. I ask readers to join me in opposing attempts by the government to choose for us. Benjamin Franklin, the founder of the first public library, believed that a government by and for its people relied on an educated populace. May we support our children by protecting this vision.

How can one support their library? Engage with the resources they offer! Thank the people that work there. Watch ‘Free For All: The Public Library,’ premiering 10 p.m.

Tuesday, April 29 on PBS. Ask state and federal legislators to firmly reject anti-library legislation. Most importantly, vote for people who will protect libraries and liberties. Free people read freely.

Jodi Enos-Berlage Ridgeway

As DOGE slashes U.S. foreign aid, it jeopardizes our national security and harms vulnerable communities. I used to work for the federal government and saw this through my work at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which has been gutted and destroyed by DOGE. I would think DOGE should understand how this is bad business. Think of foreign aid as marketing — we’re providing services to help communities abroad handle the struggles of their poor governments and difficult circumstances for two main reasons — one, because the United States is the most powerful country in the world and, with that power, comes the responsibility to care for those who are less fortunate. Second, when we aren’t in the poor backroads of resource-rich Africa, China is. China is saddling poor African countries with huge debt to build infrastructure so China can take their resourc-

es and build military bases. Removing U.S. foreign aid opens the way for Chinese interests to gain traction, eventually resulting in the need for the U.S. to manufacture more bullets and bombs to defend our interests in the future. Think about how much we’re spending to fight Houthis; our billion-dollar aircraft carriers sending advanced fighter jets against their hundred-dollar trucks. Honestly, foreign aid is cheap. Caring for others abroad is cheap. It’s an easy investment to build U.S. market share and simply the right thing to do.

DOGE isn’t making the government more efficient. It’s saving pennies now to spend billions more in defense down the road as we allow others to suffer needlessly without our support.

Alyssa Jackson Decorah

“The sheriff knows (and) is aware that ICE detainers are not all ‘violations of our Fourth Amendment protection against warrantless search, seizure and arrest, and our Sixth Amendment right to due process,’” Bird wrote in her case last week.

Maybe that same little word stuck at you to you too, dear reader — “all.”

Those three little words have scratched against my brain at several points this week. The AG could have chosen to simply say in absolute terms that ICE detainers are not violations of those two amendments. She didn’t. She chose to say that not all of them are — in my line of work, we call that hedging our language.

And again, I’m no lawyer, but those who have passed the bar exam tend to choose their words very carefully. Bird’s addition of a qualifier in that particular phrase could be taken as an indication the AG knows or even agrees that, while not every single ICE detainer amounts to a constitutional violation, some might indeed do so, just

as the sheriff said.

On top of that, some of the other documents filed by Bird’s office show Marx was already aware wrongfully detaining individuals could expose the county to other legal liabilities, and those filings show he was also aware “different federal circuit courts have addressed this issue in different ways.”

Add to that the fact that Bird admits Marx has complied with all 21 detainers his office has received since November of 2018, and I’d say it’s highly unlikely our county sheriff suddenly decided to change how he and his deputies perform their duties as of Feb. 4, 2025.

Perhaps the court will see things the same way.

Some thoughts following Iowa AG’s statement on Sheriff Marx

A matter of $6,000

Attorney General Bird via a press release: “Any reports of sanctuary counties or sheriffs will be investigated. Our investigation into Winneshiek County found that the sheriff is violating the law, and we are giving the sheriff a chance to fix the problem. Failure to do so means that his county may lose all state funding.”

Extortion is the act of obtaining money, property or something of value through the use of threats or coercion. It involves threatening harm to the victim or their property to compel them to comply with demands. This crime can occur in various forms, including threats of physical harm, damage to reputation or financial loss. The legality of the demand does not matter; if threats are used, it constitutes extortion.

Kevin Lee Freeport

Agree with Seth? Think he’s got it completely backwards or he’s missed the point entirely?

Let your voice be heard. Letters to the editor may be emailed to editor@decorahleader.com or dropped off at 110 Washington St. Suite 4 in Decorah.

To the editor: I heard that Sen. Grassley accepted $6,000 from Elon Musk.

I phoned Grassley’s office. A man answered and I asked if Grassley accepted $6,000 from Elon Musk. He said he could not speak to it. I said that by not speaking to it, Grassley probably did accept $6,000 from Elon Musk.

Why would Musk consider giving Grassley $6,000?

President Trump said during his presidential campaign that he would not change Social Security. President Trump won’t change Social Security, but Congress could change it. The White House announced that they want the changes to Social Security to be completed in two weeks. Why would Musk even consider giving Sen. Grassley $6,000?

Is it to buy votes?

Laurie Worcester Decorah

‘We are better than this’ E Pluribus Unum?

When the familiar motto “E Pluribus Unum” first appeared on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, it expressed a bold and confident declaration of national identity. Presently, however, the motto is beginning to look more like a question than a statement. Indeed, the central and critical question of our time is whether or not the pluralistic union envisioned by our nation’s founders can long endure. A fair share of Americans now appears to believe that a “pluralistic union” amounts to an oxymoron, suggesting that diversity prevents unity. Another fair share of Americans strongly disagrees, insisting that the process of homogenizing American culture has already put the country on a path toward a repressive form of illiberal oligarchy. All of which leaves the country mired in an escalating culture war between aggressive mono-cultural forces on the right and terrified multi-cultural forces on the left. At stake is what some have called “the soul of the nation.”

The culture war at hand is not focused on a single issue, like gun safety legislation or voter ID requirements. Difficult as these issues might be, they have become small parts of a broad range of fundamental issues facing the nation, to include language inclusion, free speech, social media, re-

ligion, race relations, gender issues, reproductive rights, education, environmental issues and even to include questions about the most viable form of governance. The challenge now facing all Americans is to rise above the many issues and to pay serious attention to the one issue that will determine how all the particular issues will be resolved; that is: What is the best form of government?

The founders gave us a liberal democracy, and left us with the struggles to preserve and perfect it. Now the wisdom of their legacy is being challenged. The basic question is whether or not liberal democracy should be preserved. What, after all, is liberal democracy?

Is it working? Can it be fixed?

What are the alternatives? Monarchy? Autocracy? Aristocracy? Oligarchy? Theocracy? Are any of these more viable than liberal democracy? And why, or why not? Local conversations about these questions might not determine much on a national scale, but they will sharpen our attitudes and reactions to events unfolding beyond the sphere of our immediate influence. And that, in itself, is enough to make serious conversations valuable.

Loyal Rue Decorah

I have always believed that if someone is being bullied, I should not stand by and do nothing. Which is why I write this letter. Regardless of a person’s politics, I hope we are all appalled when bullying is being used by elected officials.

We have courts that serve as recourse if you believe an illegal act has occurred and elections that serve the public when we disagree with elected officials.

The Iowa Attorney General is trying to get the Winneshiek County Sheriff to sign a letter that she wrote and pretend that he wrote it. In addition she required that he take down a

Facebook post wherein he made it clear that he would, “expect his deputies to obey all federal, state local and constitutional requirements as they serve the people of Winneshiek County.” If he did not comply with her demands, she would keep money that rightfully belonged to the people of Winneshiek County. This is nothing short of a person in power using that power to fit a political agenda.

We are better than this. If we aren’t, we should strive to be.

Karen Tjossem Decorah

Decorah Leader

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DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Beverly Christen

Aug. 6, 1938 - March 24, 2025 Beverly Christen died Monday, March 24, 2025, at Wellington Place in Decorah, surrounded by her loving family.

Beverly Louise Halverson was born Aug. 6, 1938, in the house across Beverly the road from Christen Canoe Ridge Lutheran Church in northern Winneshiek County. She was the second of five children born to Norman and Irene (Teslow) Halverson.

As a young girl, Bev loved spending time with her grandparents on the Teslow farm in Glenwood Township. She received her education in Decorah schools, where she was a cheerleader and named Homecoming Queen of her senior class in 1956. On Aug. 30, 1958, she was united in marriage to Elliott Christen at First Lutheran Church in Decorah. To this union, two children were born: Kyle and Jana.

Elliott’s teaching and coaching career took them to stops in Austin, Minnesota, Northwood-Kensett, Iowa, and to Newton, Iowa, in 1963 where Bev first began her career as an administrative assistant at the Jasper County Mental Health Center. In 1970, the family moved home to Decorah where Elliott continued his teaching, coaching and administration duties in Decorah schools. Bev also resumed her job at the Northeast Iowa Mental Health Center which spanned 27 years; she retired in 1999.

Bev dedicated much of her

life as a volunteer at many places and events that were near and dear to her. She was recently recognized for her 4,000 hours of service to the hospital auxiliary at Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital, now WinnMed, often manning the information desk and gift shop. Bev took on numerous roles at First Lutheran Church, including church council member, Sunday school teacher, greeter, assisting in the church office when needed, and served many years at the Saturday evening meals there during Nordic Fest. Bev’s Norwegian heritage was very important to her and she loved Nordic Fest, serving multiple terms on the Board of Directors, working numerous store-front food demonstrations and specializing in Norwegian sweets and desserts. She sold fest programs and buttons for years, as well. In 2005, Bev and Elliott were honored as Grand Marshalls of the Parade, and in 2013 she was named the Nordic Fest Skal (flag) recipient. Bev was one of the original volunteers at the Decorah Food Pantry and also worked the information desk at the Winneshiek County Tourism Center. She enjoyed baking, travelling, and was proud to attend her grandson Carson’s wedding in Milwaukee in January.

Bev is survived by her husband of 66 years, Elliott, of Decorah; son, Kyle (Laura) of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Jana (Kevin) Albers of Decorah; two grandchildren: Carson (Katie) Christen of Muskego, Wisconsin, and Jennifer (Shannon) Welton of Palo; great-grandchildren, Brooklyn and Maddux Welton of Palo; two sis-

ters: Phyllis Doubek of Ossian and Harriet Hovey of Decorah; nieces: Paulette Doubek of Spillville, Janet Monroe of Ossian, Sandy Runkel of Shoreview, Minnesota, Jody Kuennen of Festina, Lisa Christen of Plymouth, Minnesota, and Kari Richards of Rochester, Minnesota; and nephew, Kevin Hovey of Decorah. Bev is also survived by her special friend, Glenda Wuest of Decorah.

Bev was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers in infancy, Curtis and Robert Halverson; father and mother-in-law, Ernest and Mildred Christen; four brothers-in-law: Jan Christen, Dean Christen, Paul Doubek and Orlin Hovey; and niece, Julie Doubek.

Above all, Bev loved people and truly looked for the good in them. After moving into Wellington Place, Bev was asked if she was interested in playing cards or doing puzzles, and she replied, “No, I just like to visit.”

And visit she did, bringing happiness and raising the spirits of many residents. But then again, she did that her whole life, no matter where she was or who she met. When you get to heaven and aren’t sure where to go, stop by the information desk. Most likely, Bev will be working there.

In accordance with Bev’s wishes, memorials may be written to the family and mailed to Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water St., Decorah, IA 52101.

Donations will be made to: The Medical Expense Fund for Janet Monroe (Bev’s niece), Winn Med Auxiliary, Winn Med Hospice, First Lutheran Church, Wellington Place or Winneshiek County Celebration of Life.

was treasured by many, including a quilt that now hangs in the vestibule of Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church. At the time of her passing, she was in the process of opening her own shop and trademarking a custom yarn brand, with wool provided

by Scott Ness – a testament to her unwavering creativity and ambition.

A devoted member of Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church, Bev served as church secretary for a decade and as treasurer for several years. She also contributed to the women’s group and taught Sunday school when time allowed.

Bev is survived by her husband, Allan; children: Dawn (Darrin “Buddy”) Ham, Bryan Beardmore, Michelle (Robert) Shaw, Rebecca Schuster, Eric (friend Casey) Bakkum, David (Bricia Miranda) Vowell, Paul Bakkum, Alisha Bakkum and Sarah Greene; brothers: Martin, Bill and Brian; several aunts and extended family; her beloved grandchildren: Claudia Whitedog, Theodore Whitedog, Tobin Herzenach, Ethan Vowell, Jacob Vowell, Ava Schuster and Jaxton Bakkum; and great-grandson, William Whitedog (son of Claudia).

She was preceded in death by her parents; second husband, Terry Beardmore; her twins, Ethan and Rosemary Beardmore; grandson, Orrin Schuster; and brother, Bob Wolfe.

Urnbearers are Jacob Vowell and Ava Schuster.

Memorial services were held Wednesday, April 2 at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon with pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials

may be directed to the family for distribution to causes close to Bev’s heart or given in her memory to a charity of your choosing.

Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals. com.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Beverly Bakkum

Dec. 17, 1962 - March 20, 2025 Beverly S. Bakkum, 62, of Decorah, died Thursday, March 20, 2025, at home.

Beverly Sue (Wolfe) Bakkum was born on Dec. 17, 1962, in Glendale, California to Fred and Sandy (YoBeverly chum) Wolfe.

Bakkum After graduating from high school in Ohio, she attended Kent State for a brief time before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1980. She served honorably for eight years, achieving the rank of sergeant. During her service, she met and married John Vowell. Though their time together was short, it was a chapter in her journey. Before leaving the military, she met Terry Beardmore, and together they made a home in Allamakee County until his passing from a heart attack in 1996. Years later, in a moment she believed was divinely guided, Allan Bakkum entered her life. They married on Sept. 24, 1999, and remained devoted to one another until her final breath on March 20, 2025.

Bev had a lifelong love of learning. In 2002, she earned her B.A. in Accounting from Luther College, leading to positions at Wapsie Produce, Reiser Implement and Kerr Electric. Though she was skilled in numbers, her true passion lay in fiber arts – knitting, crocheting and quilting were the threads that wove joy into her life. Her license plate said it all: “SEWNUTS”. A Master Knitter, she taught classes at the Blue Heron Knittery in Decorah, sharing her expertise and love for the craft. Her work

Service Notice BARTON PAUL PHILLIPS, 81, of Fredericksburg and formerly from Fort Atkinson, died Sunday, March 30, 2025, at Aase Haugen Senior Living in Decorah. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 3 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson. Burial will be held at the St. John’s Cemetery with military honors. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the church Thursday.

5

Texan involved in Minnesota ATM theft now faces local vehicle theft charges

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR A Texas man was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail last week on charges related to the alleged theft of a vehicle from Spillville. The truck in question is believed to have been used to pull an ATM off its base during an early morning robbery which took place Saturday, Jan. 11 in Leroy, Minnesota — about 35 miles northwest of Spillville.

Court documents accuse 22-year-old Markell Deshawn Kinney of Houston, Texas, of stealing a truck at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 from Albertson Auto Center in Spillville. Court documents filed by authorities in Mower County said staff at the dealership confirmed the Ford was on the lot at the end of the business day on Jan. 10 — the truck was believed to have been used to rob the ATM in Leroy sometime before 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 11.

While investigating the theft of the truck in Spillville, Winneshiek County investigators also learned of three additional vehicles in Calmar which had been broken into and showed evidence of damage to their ignition systems. Staff at the Spillville dealership later found two additional vehicles on their lot with similar damage — Winneshiek County authorities ultimately charged Kinney with first-degree theft and five counts of third-degree criminal mischief.

Video footage obtained by the Calmar Police Department captured at least two individuals — one of whom investigators believe to be Kinney — buying gasoline at approximately 12:15 a.m. Jan. 10 from a convenience store near the location of one of the vehicles which was damaged.

The Mower County Sheriff’s Office was called several hours later to First State Bank in Leroy after a witness re-

Markell Deshawn Kinney ported being awoken by a loud noise and seeing a light-colored truck, which the witness said appeared to have run into the bank’s drive-through ATM. A Mower County Sheriff’s deputy later reviewed the bank’s security footage, which showed the truck “with what appeared to be a newer log chain attached to the rear.” Court documents said three individuals in dark clothing and white face masks exited the vehicle and used pry bars to remove the front of the ATM before “hooking the chain on and ripping the ATM off the concrete.” The thieves were captured on camera taking the cash out of the ATM — bank staff told investigators the machine likely contained between $20,000 and $50,000. The ATM itself was valued at more than $35,000.

A Mower County deputy reported seeing a dark SUV and light pickup truck approximately 10 minutes later at a location court documents described as being a 12-minute drive from the bank in Leroy — pieces of the Leroy ATM were later found near the intersection of State Line Road and 760th Avenue.

The deputy attempted to stop the two vehicles, which both turned south toward the Iowa-Minnesota border before splitting up — the SUV turned south onto Rampart Avenue,

while the truck continued east on State Line Road. Court documents noted the truck was heading toward an unpaved portion of State Line Road, and the deputy lost sight of the vehicle due to billowing dust, but the truck was soon located resting on its roof near the intersection of State Line Road and 680th Avenue — about a mile after the pavement ended.

The deputy reported seeing a male — later identified as Kinney — “crawling out of the passenger side window.” The deputy ordered Kinney to halt, but court documents said the 22-year-old “stumbled behind the truck” and it was unclear to the deputy if Kinney had fled to the north or hidden behind the vehicle. Law enforcement was unable to locate the suspect at that time, but authorities did discover papers from the Spillville dealership, as well as an iPhone near the overturned Ford. Law enforcement later received a report of a man fitting Kinney’s description walking along a road near the city of Stacyville across the state line — and about 1.25 miles from where the Ford overturned. Court documents said deputies with the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office initially detained Kinney.

Investigators also found several items of dark clothing to the south, which court documents said were consistent with those worn by the thieves.

Minnesota court records filed on March 21, show the 22-yearold pleaded guilty to theft, property damage and fleeing in a motor vehicle. He was served with a Winneshiek County arrest warrant four days later at the Mower County Jail. He was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 5 p.m. the same afternoon, and he remains in custody a $20,000 cash bond.

A hearing regarding Kinney’s bond amount is currently scheduled for Monday, April 7.

Law Enforcement Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office Markell Kinney, age 22, was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 on an arrest/bench warrant and was held on a $20,000 cash bond.

Eric Lensing, age 50, of Decorah was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 10:10 p.m.

Tuesday, March 25 on charges of reckless driving, eluding and two counts of failure to obey a stop sign/yield right of way.

A criminal complaint said a deputy observed Lensing fail to yield at a stop sign near the intersection of Highland Drive and Locust Road around 7:24 p.m. that day and attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued on and the deputy noted he pursued Lensing for approximately 6 miles, at times reaching speeds of more than 60 mph in zones with a 25 mph limit. Lensing eventually turned on the vehicle’s hazard lights, stopped outside a residence and allegedly claimed he “had been called by a friend for a child that was unresponsive, and came to administer CPR.” The deputy’s report noted the patient in question had arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes before the pursuit began.

EM EntErprisE MEdia

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office executed an arrest warrant for 41-year-old Dustin J. Severson of St. Lucas at approximately 8:53 a.m. Wednesday, March 26. Fayette County authorities said Severson was wanted in Winneshiek County for violation of his probation.

He was initially transported to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office before being released to the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Severson was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 10:15 a.m. the same day.

Nathaniel Coleman, age 28, was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 12:45 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26 to serve two consecutive days.

Ashley Erickson, age 30, of Waukon was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 27 on the charge of violation of a no contact order. A criminal complaint said a Winneshiek County Sheriff’s deputy was performing a welfare check at a residence in the 1200 block of 107th Avenue in Castalia that day and was informed Erickson might be present in violation of a valid no contact order.

Dalton Sande, age 29, was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 6:55 a.m. Friday,

March 28 to serve 30 consecutive days.

David Isreal Lopez Hernandez, age 25, of Lawler was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 1:05 a.m. Saturday, March 29 on the charge of operating while intoxicated — first offense. Information from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said the 25-year-old was located asleep in a running vehicle at the Engen Express in Ridgeway around 11:30 p.m.

Friday, March 28. A criminal complaint said “the vehicle was still in drive and the defendant’s foot was on the brake.” The complaint went on to say Lopez Hernandez’s blood alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit to operate a vehicle in Iowa. A separate complaint charged the 25-yearold with driving without a valid license.

Juan Mejia-Lorenzo, age 28, was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 3:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 29 to serve a year in prison. Mejia-Lorenzo had previously been sentenced in March of 2024 to two year of probation after being convicted of operating while intoxicated — second offense — and he was arrested by Howard County law enforcement in Novem-

the

ber of 2024 for operating while intoxicated — third offense.

Authorities recommended his probation be revoked, which a court agreed to in a filing dated Jan. 28, 2025.

An Ackley man was cited for failure to maintain control following a rollover along Middle Ossian Road. A report from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said 19-year-old Aaron James Sudtelgte was driving a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado south along the road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, March 30 and lost control near a curve before entering the east ditch, rolling onto its top and tearing down a panel fence. The sheriff’s report said tire marks in the gravel “indicated (a) careless style of driving to which the driver admitted,” and said a deputy reported the smell of alcohol on the teen’s breath. Sudtelgte reported a possible minor head injury but declined medical attention. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $8,500, and damage to the fence was estimated at $750.

All people listed may face charges and should be presumed innocent until their case is reviewed through the legal process.

CONTACT US! 563-382-4221 110 Washington St., Suite 4 Decorah

NEWS

6 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY,APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Supervisors continue weighing options to reduce Public Health costs FY26 county tax levies to decrease

bled until the board’s April 7 meeting.

BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER The county’s supervisors are homing in on a decision regarding Winneshiek County Public Health’s future.

The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors continued its ongoing discussion of the topic during its regular meeting Monday morning. Supervisor Steve Kelsay said he would prefer public health services to be provided through an agreement between WinnMed, Gundersen Clinic and the county. Kelsay reiterated a previous report provided to the board by Winneshiek County Public Health Administrator Krista Vanden Brink said Clayton County and Fayette County both have agreements with Gundersen to provide public health services to their respective residents.

“I talked with one of the board members from Fayette County, and he said that system has worked out very well for them,” Kelsay told the board Monday.

“You can see that they have a total expenditure of $122,000 compared to our $481,000. If there is success in those two counties, we owe it to our populous to pursue and find out why or what are the possible savings we can make.”

Both Howard and Allamakee counties use their own hospitals, Kelsay added, noting he feels the county would be doing a disservice to its taxpayers if it didn’t explore all options.

He went on to say the county’s public health board should be responsible for looking into such options.

“We can assist them, but I think we need to direct them in that process,” Kelsay said.

Supervisor Shirley Vermace noted there are a number of unknowns at the state level regarding the future of public health services.

“We have a lot of services offered through our public health, and I really don’t want our community to lose in this whole conversation,” Vermace said. “Let’s all keep that (in mind) as we go

Supervisor Steve Kelsay said Winneshiek County Public Health’s offering free and confidential AIDS testing to Luther College students, who may already have health insurance, is one example of non-required public health services which county taxpayers might find wasteful.

(Photo by Zach Jensen) through this process and think about who we are as a county, what we offer as a county, who we take care of as a county, where our ethics and morals lie and make sure we cover everybody. I’m not saying we can’t look at partnerships and combinations, but let’s not lose what we have already in this county.”

Supervisors Board Chair Dan Langreck agreed with Kelsay’s proposal to direct the county health board to explore options for public health services.

“There are services that are being provided that are not necessarily a service that the state requires,” Kelsay said. “That may be all fine and good, but we also have to justify to our public that … $300,000-$400,000 difference in our cost versus other surrounding counties … so we do the best service for our citizens that we can. If we have services that are not required, they’re a desire or a want, but they aren’t necessarily something that we are required to provide.”

Vermace said surrounding counties don’t provide all the same services Winneshiek County Public Health offers, referring back to a chart previously provided by Vanden Brink.

“And, we don’t provide some services they do, because we’re uncertified now,” added Super-

visor Board vice chair Mark Vick, who sits on the Public Health Board.

Vermace said she doesn’t believe the services the county could arrange for through WinnMed would be equal to the services currently provided by the county’s public health office, noting WinnMed is a for-profit hospital. Supervisor Mark Faldet felt the county should consider all the numbers more closely, citing staffing differences and noting Vanden Brinkn’s report showed that, after a recent 25 percent cut, Chickasaw County Public Health’s budget became approximately equal to Winneshiek County Public Health’s budget.

“They got 12 employees, and we’ve got eight, and our budget’s higher than theirs,” Vick said.

Kelsay went on to say he believes funding non-required public health services can be wasteful.

“I’ll use the example that Krista gave us of providing AIDS testing at Luther College,” he said. “Every student at Luther College is required to have health insurance. And, there’s a clinic at Luther College staffed by WinnMed with support staff. Krista did not want the students that (needed) insurance billed. There are ex-

cess services that we’re providing that are not something that I think the public would be really happy with, because everyone is looking at their tax bill. Everyone is worried about what it’s costing them to write two checks every year, and it’s our job to justify it.”

Vermace clarified sexually transmitted infection testing for Luther’s students is confidential when provided through Winneshiek County Public Health.

She said, if STI testing weren’t confidential, some students might be deterred from being tested, which could increase the spreada of STI’s on the college campus and in the local community.

“It’s an essential piece of public health,” Vermace said.

Vick agreed with a voice from the gallery, calling for the students to be responsible for their own actions.

“They’re (not) the county’s problem,” Vick said. “Stand up, take responsibility for yourself and pay for it.”

Kelsay cited a portion of Iowa Code in saying, if private services are provided by public health, “they are to charge appropriate rates for them, and we haven’t been.”

No action was taken during Monday’s meeting, and further discussion of the topic was ta-

FY26 tax levies approved The countywide tax levy rates for Fiscal Year 2026 will be lowered by 4 cents per $1,000 of valuation. County Auditor Ben Steines shared the new tax levy information during this week’s board of supervisors meeting, adding that rural levy rates are also decreasing by 6 cents per $1,000 of valuation.

“Due to constraints included in House File 718 and Senate File 2442, the levy rates for the General Fund and rural fund are reduced,” Steines said in a report he prepared. “This does not affect the General Supplemental Fund.”

Steines’ information said FY26’s valuation increase of 3.33 percent in the general fund will result in a 1 percent reduction in valuation from FY25.

The rural valuation increase of 3.41 percent also equals a 1 percent reduction.

Increases in valuation are expected to generate $153,506 in new county funds during FY26, Steines’ report said.

“The General Basic and Rural Services levies are limited by law and how much we can levy, and with the current law, it makes us lower it a little bit each year,” Steines said. “The General Supplemental Fund is not limited by amount but is limited by use — it can only be used for very specific things.

We have one of the lowest Rural Fund levies in the area. The bottom line is our levy is going down some.”

The supervisors unanimously approved the FY26 property tax levies and a public hearing for the FY26 county budget is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. April 28 in the courthouse annex.

In other business: • The supervisors passed a resolution authorizing and approving an amended and restated loan and disbursement agreement and general obligation sewer improvement bond for Festina’s sewer project, which was completed in November of 2024. Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines said all the bills have been paid, all the financing is done and a significant portion of the original loan was forgiven, requiring

the county to approve a new repayment program. While the loan is in the county’s name, Festina residents pay for the loan through their monthly sewer bills.

• The FY26 support agreement between the county and Solutions Management Group, which provides some of the county’s computer software, was approved.

• Personnel with Riverview Center rural services discussed the nonprofit agency’s work to help survivors of sexual assault and abuse before asking the supervisors to sign a document proclaiming April as Sexual Awareness Month. The proclamation was unanimously approved.

• The supervisors discussed the county’s pay matrix, noting some county personnel are working 35 hours per week but are paid using the same pay matrix as employees working 40 hours per week.

• County road crews will be transition from working five eight-hour days each week to working four 10-hour days each week. County Engineer Michael Kueny secured Thursday, April 17 as holiday for the workers.

• The county received 10 applications for the position of roads superintendent. The position was vacated by Jeff Kuboushek, who left the position to become the county’s new recycling supervisor. The county will award the position during the April 7 supervisors meeting.

• Kueny reported several of the county’s bridges are in need of repair, including Bridge 320 on Pleasant View Road, Bridge 202 on 135th Street, West of Fort Atkinson, Bridge 249 at the intersection of 312th Avenue and 200th Street east of Protivin and Bridge 67 just south of the intersection of Clay Hill Road and River Road.

• Kueny reported the county’s Secondary Roads Department had more than 10 percent of its staff leave their positions for better opportunities within the past year — not including retirements. Kueny added that all four “were great employees.”

The next meeting of the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, April 7 in the courthouse annex.

Public Health continued from front which she described as “quite a bit less than what they could get in other venues.” She said, as a result of that decision, the local public health office lost most of its staff, which she said subsequently caused the agency to become decertified by Medicaid in June of 2024. Vanden Brink said becoming decertified meant Winneshiek County Public Health could no longer bill Medicaid, Medicare or the Veterans Administration for its services — forcing about 30 county residents to seek help elsewhere. The shift decreased Public Health’s net cost to taxpayers from about $740,000 in Fiscal Year 2025 down to $481,642 the next fiscal year.

The topic of public health costs returned to the board of supervisors’ agenda on Feb. 17, 2025, when board co-chair Mark Vick, who sits on the Winneshiek County Board of Health, reported the county’s budget for public health services during Fiscal Year 2026 included approximately $225,000 to provide home health care to approximately 14 residents unable to leave their home. In more recent meetings, Vick has said that dollar figure cover the care of about 12 county residents, and during the March 24 board of supervisors meeting, Vick said that total cost was closer to $341,000 for 13 county residents.

Vanden Brink said those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“Our staff wear multiple hats

by providing both home care and public health services,” she said.

Vanden Brink explained many of the county’s homebound clients don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare for a number of reasons, but they also don’t need a nurse.

“They just need someone to give them take a bath — change their soiled sheets,” she said.

Vanden Brink went on to say her staff performs other duties to help clients stay in their homes and prevent them from requiring medical care, which she said would be more costly for taxpayers.

“They need someone to do the observing,” she said. “Is this medication working correctly? Are you having any side effects? We’re able to ask those questions and find out and monitor if people are taking their medications. If they end up with wounds because they’re not being bathed, that’s going to be an increase in services and costs for the healthcare system.

These people are already on a zero-pay schedule. If we stop caring for them, maybe Medicare will kick in for a few days, but then what? We, as taxpayers, will pay for their care either way. It’s $10,000 per month at a nursing home. That’s a whole lot more expensive than just going in and taking care of these people in their homes.”

Nine months into FY25, Winneshiek County Public Heath estimates its services have cost county taxpayers $233,705 —

about $11.90 per county resident in FY25 or $1.32 per county resident each month.

Vanden Brink said that $233,705 has covered far more than home health services.

Other services, such as vision screenings, “Stop the Bleed” training, immunizations, sharps disposal, testing for sexually transmitted infections, communicable disease investigations, custodial duties and the office’s loan closet — which temporarily provides items such as wheelchairs to individuals following medical procedures — have also been covered by the $1.32 county residents have paid each month during the current fiscal year, Vanden Brink said.

The county board of supervisors have also scrutinized the total net cost of services in Winneshiek County versus those of surrounding counties. Information from the Winneshiek County Auditor’s Office lists the local public health office’s total net cost for the upcoming fiscal year at $481,642 — about $10,000 more than Chickasaw County and up to $300,000 more than Howard, Allamakee, Clayton and Fayette counties.

“When I took a look at the information at the end of February, it was about $50,000 year-to-date for our homemaker and our home care aide, including their mileage, to provide home health services for those shut-in clients,” she said. “So, we’re not using $233,000 just for home care. That is inaccurate. I think what (Vick’s) doing

is taking that budgeted number and dividing it by the 12 people, but that is not the way to figure it. I know what he’s doing, and I know he thinks that’s accurate, but that’s not how it works, because there is so much that goes into it — like training, breaks, lunch, travel time.”

Vanden Brink went on to say it would seem cold-hearted to deem a monthly cost of $1.32 as too steep when weighed against the well-being of Winneshiek County residents in need of care.

“It’s like they’re saying the people we help don’t matter to them, and they don’t even know who receives our services,” she said. “Their next door neighbor could be a client of ours.”

Vanden Brink said, if funding is cut for those 12 home-bound county residents, they will likely result in higher costs to taxpayers in the immediate future.

“There is no other agency that will take care of them,” she said. “If we cut home health care out of our budget, those people will either need to immediately go to a nursing home, which will cost taxpayers even more every month. Or, they’re going to have to fend for themselves, and what happens when you don’t have regular care is that their condition is going to deteriorate. They’re either not going to take their medications, or they’re not going to take them correctly, and that’s going to cause so many other issues.

Also, if they try to bathe themselves, and they fall and get in-

jured, or if they just don’t take care of themselves, they may end up hospitalized, and that’s going to cost the taxpayers a lot more than just taking care of them in the first place. They may need to call 911, which will increase costs for emergency medical services.”

Vanden Brink said some of the clients’ health challenges may prevent them from calling 911 if an emergency arises, while others may be physically able to make the call but lack the self-awareness to determine when they’re experiencing an emergency — she indicated both situations increase the potential of the client dying if the Winneshiek County cuts home health services from its budget.

Vanden Brink also noted the services her office provides are also available to the general public in the event they become sick or injured.

“Nobody has a crystal ball to predict when injury or illness are going to happen,” she said.

“You could be fine one day, and the next day, you could be in a car crash. Or suddenly you’re very weak and ill for whatever reason, and it takes time to find out what’s going on, and if we’re not your first call when that happens, we’re the second call. Also, a lot of people don’t know about our loan closet until they have a loved one who’s having hip or knee surgery, and there’s nobody else around who loans out the equipment they need during their recovery.”

And it is that communal ap-

proach which Vanden Brink tries to use as her guide — she cited the words of C. Everett Koop, who served under President Ronald Reagan as the 13th United States Surgeon General and was quoted as saying, “Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time.”

Vanden Brink expressed frustration with the idea the county’s residents in need of public health services might lose access to them due to funding cuts.

“We are very tired of this conversation,” Vanden Brink said. “It should be a slam dunk that we provide services to people who need the service. These people are important. Everybody we serve is a special person to somebody. Every person matters, so we treat them like they matter. We take care of them like you would take care of your own grandparents or somebody else that you care about. We establish those very personal relationships with people. We see them when they’re most vulnerable. We’re bathing them, changing their soiled bedding and clothing, taking out their waste and we’re not judging them at all. They need us, and we’re there to fulfill that need. We’re not just here for the people who don’t have money.

We’re here for every body that lives in Winneshiek County. We are here for all of you.”

NEWS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Second defendant pleads guilty to November drug charge

Sheriff’s office hires Imoehl as deputy

The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office recently hired deputy Cody Imoehl. Imoehl was raised between Ossian and Castalia.

He graduated from South Winneshiek High School in 2011. Imoehl then attended Iowa Lakes Community College and studied motorcycle technology. In 2021, he was hired by the Decorah Police Department and graduated in the 302nd class of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy at Camp Dodge Military Base in Johnston.

Imoehl has been a member of the Ossian Fire Department since 2017. Imoehl was also an EMT for the Ossian Ambulance. In his free time, he enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time with his wife Jacinda and their children. (Photo submitted)

Decorah woman to serve two days in jail, one year on probation

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR A Decorah woman arrested in November during a drug investigation has been sentenced after pleading guilty to possession of marijuana.

Lexus Briann Six was one of nine individuals taken into custody the day before Thanksgiving in 2024. A court agreed to suspend all but two days of the 26-year-olds’ year-long jail sentence — the minimum prison sentence, according to court documents — and she is to be given credit for time she has already served. Six was also ordered to serve a one-year period of probation and pay a $430 fine.

Court records indicate the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office had been following a pattern of possible drug sales in the area dating back as early as February of 2023. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office later became aware a suspected dealer, 21-year-old Ckaiden Dean Nelson-Coonradt of Elmore, Minnesota, was in Calmar the afternoon of Nov. 27, 2024, and law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the SUV Nelson-Coonradt was driving.

A search of the vehicle revealed about 300 grams of bud marijuana, 200 grams of THC wax and more than 100 THC cartridges. Nelson-Coonradt was also found to be in possession of almost $1,200 in cash. Court documents said at least one resident there “made admissions to purchasing the drugs from the defendant, Ckaiden Coonradt, and had been purchasing from Coonradt for approximately one year.” Nelson-Coonradt was charged with two counts of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and possession of a controlled substance. A passenger in the vehicle, 26-year-old Tyler James Westcott of West Union, was also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and possession of a controlled substance.

Investigators executed a separate search several hours later at a residence in the 2200 block of Highway 9 — court records listed the rural residence as Six’s home. Law enforcement found approximately 2 pounds of marijuana inside the house as well as other THC products in the basement of the building, according to court documents.

Criminal complaints filed against multiple occupants of the home said authorities found “a child’s sippy cup and children’s toys on the floor” near

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Sheriff Marx continued from front Lexus Briann Six

the drugs and “nine juvenile children were located in the residence at the time.” One resident was “located in the basement, holding one of his two children under the age of 3,” according to court documents, and another occupant’s wallet was found in the basement “with his identification out, which appeared to be used to cut the product.”

Six was charged with possession of marijuana — first offense — and she initially pleaded not guilty in December. However, a March 25 filing indicated the 26-year-old had reached a plea agreement with prosectors, and a judge agreed to the proposed sentence the same day. Six is required to begin serving her sentence within 60 days of the court’s March 25 decision.

Court documents showed a total of six other occupants at the Decorah residence were charged with drug-related offenses following the November search.

Authorities also charged 31-year-old Zachary Alan Sorenson of Decorah with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and failure to affix a drug tax stamp as well as child endangerment and gathering where marijuana is being used — later court filings indicated Sorenson had paid Nelson-Coonradt approximately $7,780 between November of 2023 and June of 2024. Separate filings said 26-year-old Luke D. Price of Decorah was charged with possession of a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and child endangerment, while two other individuals — 29-yearold Ashleigh Ann Sorenson of Decorah and 25-year-old Tyler John Dozark of Decorah — were each charged with possession of a controlled substance.

In addition, 28-year-old Jacob Wayne Willitts and 26-year-old Devan Patrick Forbes of Manchester were both charged with possession of a controlled substance and failure to affix a drug tax stamp.

Willitts pleaded guilty in February to the charges against him, after the court deemed him a habitual offender. He was ordered to serve five years on probation. Most of the cases against the remaining seven defendants are currently scheduled to go to trial in June or July — Nelson-Coonradt’s case is scheduled for an Aug. 16 trial date — and each has so far maintained a plea of not guilty.

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officials — though Bird’s report indicated her office was still awaiting formal confirmation of that fact from officials with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement as of the report’s release. The report also said written policies adopted by the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office in November of 2018 comply with state law.

Marx noted in a Feb. 14 letter to Bird that a number of federal courts had differed in their approaches to address what he called “potential liability exposure stemming from incarceration of detainees without court ordered warrants.” Marx’s letter to Bird specified his office previously worked with local judicial officials to include language in his office’s conditions of release to address such concerns. Marx’s statement also indicated his office would “make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt” such enforcement actions if sought by federal agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

I expect my deputies to obey all federal, state, local and constitutional requirements as they serve the people of Winneshiek County,” Marx wrote in his letter to Bird. “When my deputies work with another state, local or federal law enforcement agencies, it is my expectation that those agencies will also obey the law and protect the constitutional rights of those people that we are expected to serve. This does not mean that we will not cooperate with ICE or other agencies in the lawful execution of their duties. I acknowledge that some of the language I used in the letter could have been clearer on this point, as I believe portions of the letter have been misinterpreted and taken out of context. However, it is my belief that all law enforcement officials have an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner that is beyond reproach and sets an example for the general public. I do not believe law enforcement officials should have to choose between upholding their sworn duty to the Constitution and following the state statute.”

The Iowa Attorney General’s report argued Marx’s statements on the nature of such detainers were false and “discouraged cooperation with federal immigration authorities.” Bird gave the sheriff until 5 p.m. the same day her findings were released to remove the February post and issue a separate statement Bird’s office included in that day’s report.

“Iowa law makes clear that there are no sanctuary counties,” Bird said in a statement. “Any reports of sanctuary counties or sheriffs will be investigated.

Our investigation into Winneshiek County found that the sheriff is violating the law, and we are giving the sheriff a chance to fix the problem. Failure to do so means that his county may lose all state funding.”Winneshiek County received approximately $7.5 million in state funding during the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to information from the Iowa State Association of Counties. Winneshiek County Attorney Andy Van Der Maaten said Bird’s office was allowed 40 days to complete its investigation into Marx’s statement — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds submitted a complaint to Bird’s office on Feb. 5, and Bird released her office’s findings on the last day of that 40-day window, according to Van Der Maaten. The county attorney said he and other local officials were informed of the attorney general’s proposed remedy and deadline the same day of the announcement.

“There was not a great deal of time to address an issue that is of pretty substantial importance to the county as a whole,” Van Der Maaten said.

The social media post in question was still visible the morning of March 27, but the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement later that afternoon saying, “to demonstrate good faith, we chose to take the post down.”

Van Der Maaten said county officials had proposed Marx’s Feb. 14 letter to the attorney general’s office as an alternate remedial statement, but Bird’s office rejected the idea – Van Der Maaten confirmed local officials had been in contact with Bird’s office on March 26 to discuss the proposal.”

“They have chosen to stand by their proposal, we’ve chosen to stand by ours, and we’re a ways apart,” Van Der Maaten said the next morning, adding discussions were ongoing at that time. Van Der Maaten said, with the state investigation complete, Bird’s office was able to file a lawsuit which could potentially stop state dollars from flowing to Winneshiek County — an option Bird pursued the afternoon her office’s report was released — but Van Der Maaten said the court itself will ultimately decide whether the county’s state funding should be suspended. Van Der Maaten said he feels there are a number of issues which will need to be addressed in court concerning the attorney general’s investigation and what he called Bird’s perception Sheriff Marx’s statement violated Iowa Code.

“We are intending to move forward and defend Dan’s statements and try to rectify this matter so we can put it behind us,” Van Der Maaten said.

Iowa AG’s office proposes specific language as remedy

An investigation by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office recently concluded a statement issued by Winneshiek County Sheriff Marx on Feb. 4 violated state law, and the attorney general’s office said on March 26 the alleged violation may be resolved if the sheriff were to delete the Feb. 4 post and issue a separate statement which substantially aligns with a statement provided by Bird’s office. Winneshiek County Attorney Andy Van Der Maaten said county officials proposed their own version of a remedial statement soon after being informed of Bird’s findings and proposed remedy, but the county’s language was rejected by the state attorney general’s office. Marx’s original statement and Bird’s proposed statement are included below.

Sheriff Marx’s original statement - Feb. 4, 2025 People of Winneshiek County, With the recent news, chatter and happenings surrounding federal agents from three letter agencies including ICE, FBI and others, I have fielded a fair number of concerns about their tactics and questions regarding the level of involvement or role the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office would play during such a visit or operation. Given what we have seen from these agencies, I share your mistrust and many of your concerns with the legitimacy of how these federal agents conduct business. Hopefully, the following helps clear things up as to my position and the role of my office in these situations.

The elected sheriff (sheriff’s office) serves as the chief law enforcement officer/peace officer of each respective county. You can (and should) always contact us, or the respective sheriff’s office of the county you are in, to help navigate these situations should you find yourself or others in an encounter with any federal agents. We are always willing to assist with verifying credentials and the legitimacy of any paperwork federal agents should have to make certain your rights are not being abused.

Our sole oath and allegiance are to the Constitution and the protection of an individual’s rights. Therefore, if the fed’s actions and paperwork are within constitutional parameters (such as proper and valid judicial warrants/court orders) we will assist if needed or requested to ensure their actions are carried out professionally and in the least intrusive fashion possible. If their actions or paperwork are not within constitutional parameters (such as non-judicially vetted “detainers,” which are very different than warrants and are simply an unconstitutional “request” from ICE or other three letter federal agency to arrest or hold someone), then we will make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt their actions from moving forward.

The only reason detainers are issued is because the federal agency does not have enough information or has not taken the time to obtain a valid judicial warrant. Simply put, they are not sure they are detaining the right person and need more time to figure it out. For the person who could be held erroneously (or determined to be someone other than who ICE is seeking), there is a gross violation of rights at hand. Specifically, these detainers are violations of our 4th Amendment protection against warrantless search, seizure and arrest, and our 6th Amendment right to due process.

You may say, “Those who entered our country illegally are not US citizens and, therefore, are not afforded constitutional rights!” But what if the person being held is a US citizen who happens to have the same name or shares other similarities with the subject of the detainer? Are you willing to sit in jail or a federal prison on an unconstitutional detainer with no right to due process until ICE clears your name? Or, if it were you or a loved one falsely arrested and/or detained, would you feel differently?

My office’s actions and involvement will solely be based on constitutional standards. They will not be based on opinions, politics or emotions.

Bottom line – due to my long-time stance on not recognizing detainers, I have acquired two labels from opposing political parties – both intended to negatively impact my reputation as sheriff. The first is “Sanctuary Sheriff” and the second is “Constitutional Sheriff.” Regardless of labels that others impose on me, I am uninterested in political agendas or propaganda stunts by either side. My job is to be fair, impartial, just and constitutional. Period. That is what I have done and will continue to do.

Thank you for your continued trust and confidence in me and my office to protect and defend your rights and freedoms.

Respectfully, Sheriff Dan Marx Attorney General Bird proposed statement - March 26, 2025 People of Winneshiek County, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office fully complies with all state and federal law. We cooperate with ICE, FBI and others under both state and federal law. Iowa law requires full and complete cooperation with federal immigration authorities. We follow that law. We will always comply with ICE detainers and, at least since Nov. 26, 2018, we have done so. This post serves as formal revocation of my earlier Feb. 4, 2025, post.

Since we adopted our official policy that we will comply with ICE detainers, we have complied with all 21 ICE detainers that ICE has made with our office. We will continue to comply with every ICE detainer request made in Winneshiek County.

On Feb. 4, I posted a message on Facebook that implied we would not fully comply with state and federal law. I have deleted that message, which I disavow. It was wrong. It made many incorrect statements regarding my office’s policies on ICE detainers. This message explaining that the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office has always complied with every single ICE detainer made and will continue to comply, as required by both state and federal law, replaces that message.

My office has a long-time stance on recognizing and complying with ICE detainers. We will continue to do so.

Respectfully, Sheriff Dan Marx

COMMUNITY

8 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY,APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Community briefs Public invited to Cherry Grove Cowboy Church

The public is invited to attend Cherry Grove Cowboy Church on Sunday, April 6. Music will begin at 5:30 p.m. and service will begin at 6 p.m. Cowboy Church is nondenominational, and the services include a mix of country, Christian Country, cowboy and southern gospel as well as bluegrass music. Musicians interested in performing may contact Cindy Seabright at seabright.cindy@gmail.com or 507-272-1682 one week prior to the first Sunday-of-the-month service. Cherry Grove United Methodist Church is located at 18183 160th St. in the small community of Cherry Grove, in the rural area of Spring Valley, Minnesota. Cherry Grove Church is accessible to those with disabilities.

Babysitting seminar to be held at VMH

Veterans Memorial Hospital will sponsor a babysitting seminar from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 18. The class will be held in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The seminar is intended for 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. Topics to be covered include fire and personal safety, accident prevention and emergency actions, nutritious snacks and basic care of children. Participants may register for $10, and registration is required by April 14. Registration may be completed by calling the hospital at 563-568-3411. Participants should enter the hospital through the lower level loading dock entrance near the MRI trailer on the east side of the hospital, along the golf course.

For more information, contact Corinne Cook, registered nurse and instructor, at 568-3411.

Public invited to Decorah community forum

Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski and Decorah Sustainability Commission Chair Jim Martin Schramm plan on convening a community forum from 5-6 p.m. Thursday, April 10 in the Decorah City Council Chambers. The first portion of the hour-long meeting will provide an opportunity for members of the Decorah community to meet the new President of Luther College Brad Chamberlain.

Chamberlain will share remarks about Luther’s relationship with the city of Decorah and the key initiatives his administration will pursue in the years ahead.

The second portion of the community forum will feature a presentation by Regional Planner Michelle Barness, who serves with the Decorah Sustainability Commission and the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission. She has been engaged in discussions with local child care providers about the state of child care as well as needs and opportunities for the future. Human resource managers from many of Decorah’s largest employers have been invited to attend, and the meeting is open to the public.

Scouts to offer pancake supper

Decorah Boy Scout Troop 66 will hold a pancake supper from 5-7 p.m. Sunday, April 6 at Sabin Family Table in Decorah. The menu will include pancakes, sausage, eggs, milk and hot chocolate.

LifeServe planning local blood drives

LifeServe Blood Center will host a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Monday, April 7 at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Regular blood donors may donate blood as often as every 56 days. One single blood donation can save the lives of up to three sick or injured hospital patients.

Donors are encouraged to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of fluids at least four hours prior to donating. Donors should also bring proper identification, such as a donor card or a driver’s license. Donors must complete a health history questionnaire and screening interview, and donors may also receive a brief health check by trained staff, which includes checking blood pressure, pulse, temperature and blood iron levels. The donation process itself takes around 10 minutes to complete, and donors may relax and enjoy refreshments for 10-15 minutes before leaving. Appointments are preferred. Blood drives are held the first Monday of the month in Waukon. To schedule an appointment, call the LifeServe Blood Center at 800-2874903. LifeServe is also planning to host a blood drive from 12:305:30 p.m. May 22 at Stone Ridge Community Church in Decorah — 1111 Montegomery St.

Decorah Public Library to host ‘Wilderman’s Treetop Tales’

The public is invited to explore art, poetry and song with author and musician Chad Elliott. Participants may sing, dance and laugh along during the interactive children’s concert at 10 a.m. April 12 at Decorah Public Library. Elliott’s “Wilderman’s Treetop Tales” is a collection of the artists whimsical lyrics and paintings. The book is designed for readers ages 3-10 and contains both heartwarming and giggle-worthy poetry, accompanied

by Elliott’s own illustrations. Elliott has been performing original songs for 20 years and is a winner of the Woody Guthrie Song contest, and he brings 10 of the lyrics from the book to life in the companion music album of the same name.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required, and space is limited. For more information or to register, call Decorah Public Library at 563-382-3717 or visit decorahlibrary.org.

Decorah Area Quilters to meet

The Decorah Area Quilters will hold their eighth meeting of the year at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at ArtHaus in Decorah. After a welcome and introductions, members will be encouraged to share a bit about their projects during a show-and-tell period.

The program for the evening will be Trash-to-Cash — an event during which quilters bring fabric, unfinished projects or quilting gadgets they once loved but no longer use. Other quilters may purchase those same items for their own use. Books and patterns should be held until the group’s autumn Trash-to-Cash event. Finished projects may be shown at a future meeting. The Decorah Area Quilters meet the second Tuesday of each month.

The cost is $2 per meeting or $5 for the entire year. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Mike Ellingsen at 507602-0322 or Jarret Johnson at 563-419-6952.

Public invited to ‘Songs of Power, Peace and Protest’

The public is invited to join Liz Rog from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 24 at the Center for Belonging Folk School in Decorah for “Songs of Power, Peace and Protest.” All voices and ages arewelcome, and no experience is needed. Visit centerforbelonging. earth to learn more and register

by May 10.

RSC project to host public event, recruit 2025 participants

Local landowners and farmers are invited to learn about the Regenerating Soil and Community Project from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 9 at the Shirley Baker Commons on Luther College’s campus — 720 Luther Dr. in Decorah. A second session will be held from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, April 10 at the same location. The public is welcome to attend either session. The project, which organizers described as a partnership between Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Northeast Iowa RC&D, local watershed coordinators and Luther College, provided a number of resources to the 2024 cohort, including free soil sampling and testing, educational sessions and workshops, technical expertise and financial support for conservation plans. The RSC team is currently recruiting participants for its 2025 cohort. Attendees of next week’s meeting may meet members of the 2024 cohort as well as learn about project activities and outcomes.

If interested in joining the 2025 cohort, contact Jodi Enos-Berlage at enosbejo@luther.edu or Sophia Campbell at sophia. campbell@dnr.iowa.gov. For more information, visit winneshiekswcd.org.

Neubauer to speak on recycling, composting

The Decorah Senior Citizens Hospitality Center’s monthly program will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 11 at 806 River St. in Decorah. The public is invited to attend an informative presentation on waste management in Winneshiek County. Attendees will learn how to properly recycle, reduce waste and make the most of composting to benefit both the environment and the community. Evan Neubauer with Winneshiek Recycling will discuss local recycling guidelines, composting techniques and the operations of the landfill.

Refreshments and fellowship will follow the presentation.

Registration open for Red Oak Outdoor School summer camp

Summer Camp registration is open now for kids ages 5-16 at Red Oak Outdoor School in rural Decorah. “Into The Woods Summer Camps” are meant to support youth and deepen their sense of place through earthbased skills, ecological awareness practices and connection with one another on the land.

Days are centered around play and exploration, building relationships through games, and other activities. For more information or to register, visit redoakoutdoorschool.com.

Winneshiek County Pheasants Forever banquet to be held Saturday The Winneshiek County chapter of Pheasants Forever will hold its annual banquet Saturday, April 5 at Pinters. Doors will open at 5 p.m.that day, supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. and auctions will follow. Organizers said the event is a funding mechanism for the land management, conservation work and cost share efforts the group will carry out during the next year. More than 400 people are expected to attend the event, which includes a prime rib supper catered by U2BBQ, games for youth and adults, and number of live and silent auctions featuring local art, guns, kayaks, furniture and custom-crafted items.

All of the money raised at the banquet event will help fund local land projects.

Plantings supported by the chapter include native grasses and forb — or flower — addon mixes. Organizers said these modifications also extend the season for pollinators, increase diversity and improve habitat for all wildlife species. The plantings also establish deep roots, which allows them to hold the soil well as an effective means to slow water, bolstering water quality and flood water management.

2025 marks the 39th year for the local chapter, and for the first time, the registration for the annual banquet is available online. Attendees can visit the online portal at events.pheasantsforever.org and enter “Winneshiek County” in the search bar or contact a Pheasants Forever board director. The event is open to all members of the public who wish to support the local chapter and their work to conserve wildlife through habitat improvement, public awareness and land management programs.

Pheasant mount by Nick Burras (Photo submitted)

Norway’s first female foreign minister announced as Luther’s 2025 commencement speaker Ine Eriksen Søreide, the first woman to serve as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will give Luther College’s 2025 commencement address at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 25, at the college’s Carlson Stadium.

“As we enter into a year of commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the first organized Norwegian migration to America, we are excited to welcome a veteran member of the Norwegian government to speak to our graduates,” said Luther College President Brad Chamberlain. “Ine Eriksen Søreide brings to us a unique perspective on the value of community on the world stage from her time in roles as Norway’s

Photo submitted Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

Eriksen Søreide is the chair of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. She served as Norway’s Minister

of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that position, Eriksen Søreide was the minister of defense from 2013 to 2017. She chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense from 2009 to 2013 and the Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs from 2005 to 2009.

Born in Strømmen, Norway, Eriksen Søreide received her law degree from the University of Tromsø. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 2001.

No tickets are required for the outdoor commencement ceremony. The event will be livestreamed. For more information, visit commencement. luther.edu.

Grief support group to meet at VMH

A grief support group will hold its monthly meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss whether it be death, divorce, illness or other grief. The public is welcome to attend and bring a friend. The grief support meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 pm at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Photo submitted

DuTrac donates to local food bank DuTrac Community Credit Union and its employees “Shared the Love” by ordering more than 1,700 Valentine treats for co-workers, raising more than $2,600 for local food banks in the communities DuTrac serves.

DuTrac’s Decorah office

donated $350 to the Decorah Community Food Pantry to help with their mission of serving thousands and thousands of clients who need food and other essentials. The Decorah Community Food Pantry is almost entirely volunteer-driven — with more than 100 people involved — and the pantry op-

erates with a low overhead.

“DuTrac is proud of its staff in raising these funds and supporting organizations that help our neighbors in need have access to nutritional food and basic supplies,” said DuTrac President and CEO Andrew Hawkinson.

COMMUNITY

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

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Decorah FFA presents awards during annual program The 88th annual Decorah FFA Awards Program was held Monday, March 24 in the Decorah High School Auditorium.

An estimated 250 guests attended, including parents, family members, community sponsors, business leaders and members.

The 2024-2025 officer team presented Greenhand FFA Degrees and Chapter FFA degrees.

This year’s 18 Greenhand FFA Degree recipients included Brock Anfinson, Allison Bigler, Dylan Brincks, Brooks Courtney, Brooks Dodd, Colton Elsbernd, Ethan Hill, Natalie Holthaus, Izabella Kos, Ella Mann, Zander McConnell, Brandi Nehls, Kayden Osborne, Landyn Quandahl, Jordyn Roberg, Daric Sheffield, Taylor Sloan-Dahl and Bentley Smith.

The Decorah FFA awarded 21 Chapter FFA Degrees. This year’s recipients included Hadley Alexander, Andrew Carolan, Kale Christopher, Michael Clement, Brinlee Courtney, Madelynn Dahl, Dominick Duffield, William Hahn, Noah Heiselman, Aiden Helgerson, Braden Hemesath, Tristan Hunter, Jackson Irwin, William Kruse, Mara Lovstuen, Gabe Monroe, Karter Orris, Ryan Rocksvold, Isabella Schnitzler, John Toby Schnitzler and Peyton Schultz.

Eden Scheidel awarded leadership awards to members who successfully served as leaders within the chapter as an officer and/or a committee chairperson.

Members receiving leadership pins for completing their first year of service included Hadley Alexander, Rylee Averhoff, Karlee Bullerman, Andrew Carolan, Brinlee Courtney, Madelynn Dahl, Jerikah Dodd, Karlie Einck, Logan Frye, Lauren Holthaus, Mara Lovstuen, Gabe Monroe, Annika Schmelzer and Jordan Sims. Members recognized for more than two years of leadership service to the chapter included Kiele Eberling, Lyla Lovstuen, Eden Scheidel, Derek Tieskoetter, Kamryn Werges and Thea Zidlicky.

Thea Zidlicky and Karlie Einck introduced members who had perfect meeting attendance this past year. These members included Allison Bigler, Brooks Dodd, Colton Elsbernd, Izabella Kos, Taylor Sloan-Dahl, Andrew Carolan, Mara Lovstuen,

Jerikah Dodd, Karlie Einck, Nick Farley, Lauren Holthaus, Lyla Lovstuen, Eden Scheidel, Annika Schmelzer, Jordan Sims, Derek Tieskoetter and Kamryn Werges.

Madelynn Dahl and Brinlee Courtney presented scholarship pins and certificates to all of the Decorah FFA members who made the honor roll this past year. Members receiving this honor and a pin included Allison Bigler, Dylan Brincks, Brooks Dodd, Colton Elsbernd, Logan Frye, Jacob Hageman, Aiden Helgerson, Natalie Holthaus, Izabella Kos, Blaine Leidahl, Mara Lovstuen, Landyn Quandahl, Jordyn Roberg, Isabella Schnitzler, Daric Sheffield, Taylor Sloan-Dahl and Bentley Smith.

Members receiving a scholarship certificate for being on the honor roll multiple years included Hadley Alexander, Rylee Averhoff, Ryan Bigler, Henry Brynsaas, Karlee Bullerman, Andrew Carolan, Kale Christopher, Brinlee Courtney, Madelynn Dahl, Jerikah Dodd, Kiele Eberling, Nick Farley, William Hahn, Austin Helgerson, Lauren Holthaus, Tristan Hunter, Jackson Irwin, William Kruse, Lyla Lovstuen, Gabe Monroe, Karter Orris, Eden Scheidel, Annika Schmelzer, Peyton Schultz, Jordan Sims and Jake Teslow.

Rylee Averhoff presented the Academic Achievement Awards, which are awarded from the Iowa FFA Association and are presented to seniors who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, have been an active member for at least three years and have an active SAE. Recipients who received a certificate and a medal include Austin Helgerson and Jordan Sims.

Gabe Monroe presented the top 10 fruit sales awards after announcing the chapter had sold a total of $59,416 worth of fruit.

Members receiving fruit sales awards include — in descending order – Jordan Sims, Taylor Sloan-Dahl, Karlie Einck, Karlee Bullerman, Rylee Averhoff, Brinlee Courtney, Peyton Schultz, Gabe Monroe, Allison Bigler and Bentley Smith.

The Decorah FFA Letter was presented by Lauren Holthaus.

In order to letter, members must be an active member in FFA.

This year 24 members lettered in FFA. These members included Rylee Averhoff, Andrew Carolan, Brinlee Courtney, Madelynn Dahl, Jerikah Dodd, Kiele Eberling, Karlie Einck, Logan Frye, William Hahn, Austin Helgerson, Blaine Leidahl, Rashell Lippe, Mara Lovstuen, Lyla Lovstuen, Ella Mann, Gabe Monroe, Hunter Quandahl, Eden Scheidel, Annika Schmelzer, Elora Schnitzler, Jordan Sims, Derek Tieskoetter, Kamryn Werges and Thea Zidlicky.

Each FFA member is required to keep records on either a job placement, agribusiness ownership or a livestock or crop project. Members then submit their record books for evaluation.

Hadley Alexander announced the top record books for each class, which included senior Kiele Eberling, junior Eden Scheidel, sophomore Gabe Monroe and freshman Allison Bigler.

Jerikah Dodd presented the Star Greenhand award to Natalie Holthaus. She also presented the Star Chapter Farmer award to Kamryn Werges, the Star Chapter Placement award to Lyla Lovstuen and the Star Chapter Agribusiness to Eden Scheidel.

Lyla Lovstuen congratulated this year’s proficiency award winners — Hadley Alexander (Ag Services), Thea Zidlicky (Beef Production Placement), Brinlee Courtney (Dairy Production Entrepreneurship), Ryan Bigler (Dairy Production Placement), Noah Heiselman (Diversified Ag Production), Kiele Eberling (Diversified Livestock Production), Rylee Averhoff (Goat Production), Andrew Carolan (Grain Production), Eden Scheidel (Poultry Production), Karlie Einck (Sheep Production), Kamryn Werges (Small Animal Production) and Jordan Sims (Swine Production Entrepreneurship).

Eden Scheidel, Brinlee Courtney, Lyla Lovstuen and Gabe Monroe thanked the senior class for all their leadership over the years and congratulated them on all their accomplishments.

This year’s 2025 Decorah FFA seniors who were recognized include Kiele Eberling, Logan Frye, William Hahn, Austin Helgerson, Blaine

Decorah FFA members receiving the Chapter FFA Degree included (front row, left to right) Hadley Alexander, Madelynn Dahl, Andrew Carolan, Peyton Schultz, (second row, left to right) Michael Clement, Aiden Helgerson, Mara Lovstuen, Isabella Schnitzler, (third row, left to right) Brinlee Courtney, Jackson Irwin, Braden Hemesath, Noah Heiselman, (fourth row left to right) Tristan Hunter, Gabe Monroe, John Toby Schnitzler and Dominick Duffield. Absent were Kale Christopher, William Hahn, William Kruse, Karter Orris and Ryan Rocksvold.

(Photos submitted)

2025 Decorah FFA Letter recipients included (front row, left to right) Madelynn Dahl, Lyla Lovstuen (second row, left to right) Kamryn Werges, Derek Tieskoetter, Thea Zidlicky, Annika Schmelzer, Jordan Sims, (third row, left to right) Andrew Carolan, Karlie Einck, Austin Helgerson, Mara Lovstuen, Eden Scheidel, (fourth row, left to right) Rylee Averhoff, Brinlee Courtney, Jerikah Dodd, Kiele Eberling, Logan Frye and Gabe Monroe. Absent were William Hahn, Blaine Leidahl, Rashell Lippe, Ella Mann, Hunter Quandahl and Elora Schnitzler.

Leidahl, Rashell Lippe, Ella Mann, Hunter Quandahl, Elora Schnitzler, Jordan Sims, Derek Tieskoetter, and Kamryn Werges.

Annika Schmelzer presented the Star FFA Alumni and Supporters award to Mason and Jaden Falck as well as Keagen Einck. Kiele Eberling then recognized the 2025 Friends of Agriculture Award recipient David Forde.

The 2024-2025 Chapter officers presented an Honorary FFA Degree to Nick and Allysen Lovstuen. The honorary membership is for any farmers, school superintendents, principals, members of boards of

education, chapter advisors, teachers, staff members in agricultural education, business people and others who help to advance agricultural education as well as the FFA and who have rendered outstanding service. They may be elected to honorary membership by a majority vote of the members present at any regular meeting or convention.

Attendees heard from special guest speaker Creed Monroe, an alumnus of the Decorah FFA chapter and current Iowa FFA Northeast State vice president.

He shared a message about the impact of FFA and agricultural education, highlighting the

leadership and career opportunities available to students. He encouraged members to stay involved and challenged others to take advantage of the many opportunities FFA has to offer.

The chapter’s new officers were also installed during the event. The 2025-26 officers include President Gabe Monroe, Vice President Annika Schmelzer, Secretary Karlie Einck, Treasurer Lauren Holthaus, Reporter Jerikah Dodd, Sentinel Brinlee Courtney and Assistant Officer Rylee Averhoff. The officer team performed the closing ceremonies and concluded the banquet with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Turkey Valley FFA hosts annual banquet The Turkey Valley FFA Chapter hosted their annual banquet Saturday March 22.

Many students were recognized for their work in the community and in the classroom.

The 2025-2026 officer team was installed at the end of

the banquet. The officer team chosen was President Hunter Kruse, Vice President Nicholas Bernhard, Secretary Hazel Nieman, Treasurer Eli Holthaus, Reporters Jocelynn DeSloover and Kendall Kuennen and Sentinel Wyatt Maklenburg.

The Turkey Valley FFA recently installed its new officer team. Pictured from (left to right) are Treasurer Eli Holthaus, President Hunter Kruse, Vice President Nicholas Bernhard, Co-Reporters Jocelynn DeSloover and Kendall Kuennen, Sentinel Wyatt Maklenburg and Secretary Hazel Nieman.

(Photo submitted)

Weldon to speak on ‘Creature’ novel Winneshiek County Development and Tourism receives Depot grant Decorah author Amy Weldon will give an author presentation and Q&A session followed by a book signing at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10 in Pulpit Rock Brewing Company’s events room — 207 College Dr. in Decorah. The event is invited to this free event, sponsored by the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, with support from Pulpit Rock Brewing and Dragonfly Books.

In Weldon’s book “Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein,” the lines between artist and creation blur as Mary Shelley’s own life mirrors the haunting tale she

penned at age 19. From the tragic loss of her children to the struggle of forging a career in a world that dismissed women’s voices, Shelley’s journey unfolds alongside that of her most famous character—the Creature—who follows her as a shadow, a conscience and an unexpected companion.

Blending historical realism with literary magic, the novel reimagines the birth of Frankenstein and the woman who, in bringing monsters to life, learned to face her own.

Weldon is a professor and head of the English department at Luther College, where she also co-directs the biennial

Luther College Writers Festival. Raised on an Alabama farm, she holds a B.A. in English and journalism from Auburn University and a Ph.D. in nineteenth-century British literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This event is part of Dragonfly Books and the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation’s author event series, which brings writers of all genres to northeast Iowa to lead in conversations about literature and writing. To learn more about this event and other events with Dragonfly Books, visit dragonflybooks.com.

Winneshiek County Development and Tourism has been awarded grant funding from The Depot Outlet to support the production of a professional video highlighting the Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center Resiliency Project. The video is expected tell the story of the child care facility’s innovative initiative, showcasing Winneshiek County’s promotion of renewable energy and community preparedness.

The Sunflower Resiliency Project is a partnership between WCDT, Perry Novak Electric,

the Iowa Energy Office and the Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center. The project features a state-of-theart emergency shelter within the new Sunflower building, integrating a 210kW roof-mounted solar array, 60kW battery storage, a backup interface and a Generac generator. The shelter provides a safe, climate-controlled space for families during power grid failures, ensuring residents have access to warmth, cooling and basic comforts in the event of an extended outage.

“This video project is a unique way to educate the community on the importance of renewable energy and investing in safety,” said Stephanie Fromm, WCDT director. “It will not only promote our county’s efforts but also serve as a model for other regions looking to invest in resilience and sustainability.”

For more information about the Sunflower Resiliency Project or the video storytelling initiative, contact Fromm at director@winneshiekdevelopment. org.

PUBLIC NOTICES/CLASSIFIEDS

10 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S LEVY AND SALE State of Iowa Winneshiek County ss.

Iowa District Court Court Case # EQCV026980 Winneshiek County Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank PLAINTIFF vs Phoenix Corp, Brian R Connell, Sarah L Connell, and Parties in Possession DEFENDANT (Judgment Debtor) Special Execution As a result of the judgment rendered in the above referenced court case, an execution was issued by the court to the Sheriff of this county. The execution ordered the sale of defendant’s real estate to satisfy the judgment. The property to be sold is Lot 3 of The Three Cubs Subdivision, which is located in Lot 1 of 2 in the Fractional Northwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter and in Lot 1 in the Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter and in Lot 1 in the Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 6, Township 98 North, Range 8 West of the 5th P.M., in Winneshiek County, Iowa, subject to all Easements and Agreements of record with a commonly known address of 2756 Iawinn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101.

The described property will be offered for sale at public auction for cash only as follows: Date of Sale: May 13, 2025 Time of Sale: 10 a.m.

Place of Sale: Winneshiek County Courthouse Redemption: After the sale of real estate, defendant may redeem the property within One Year.

Property exemption: Certain money or property may be exempt. Contact your attorney promptly to review specific provisions of the law and file appropriate notice, if acceptable.

Judgment amount - $737,167.33; Costs $16,028.93; Accruing Costs – Plus; Interest $161,306.67; Attorney – Samuel J. Gray (319) 366-7641; Date – January 29, 2025; Sheriff – Dan Marx, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Deputy Andrew Hageman.

Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3 & 10, 2025

IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ARLENE E. STENDEL DECEASED PROBATE NO. ESPR 016381 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Arlene E. Stendel, Deceased, who died on or about January 28, 2025: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that on the 26th day of March, 2025, the Last Will and Testament of Arlene E. Stendel, deceased, bearing date of December 9, 2002, was admitted to probate in the abovenamed Court and that Pam Buddenberg was appointed executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

Notice is further given that all persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned, and creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the Clerk of the abovenamed district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated, for allowance, and unless so filed by the later to occur of four months from the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid) a claim is thereafter forever barred.

Dated this 27th day of March, 2025.

Pam Buddenberg Executor of Estate 1394 135th Street Castalia, IA 52133 Daniel L. Fretheim ANDERSON, WILMARTH, VAN DER MAATEN, FRETHEIM, EVELSIZER OLSON, NOBLE, LYNCH & ZAHASKY 212 Winnebago P.O. Box 450 Decorah, IA 52101 (563) 382-2959 Email: dan.fretheim@andersonlawdecorah.com Date of second publication: April 10, 2025 Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3 & 10, 2025

IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BARBARA C. JIRAK DECEASED PROBATE NO. ESPR 016382 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Barbara C. Jirak, Deceased, who died on or about March 10, 2025: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that on the 27th day of March, 2025, the Last Will and Testament of Barbara C. Jirak, deceased, bearing date of April 26, 2013 and First Codicil dated September 2, 2016, was admitted to probate in the abovenamed Court and that Jerome T. Jirak was appointed executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

Notice is further given that all persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned, and

creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the Clerk of the abovenamed district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated, for allowance, and unless so filed by the later to occur of four months from the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid) a claim is thereafter forever barred.

Dated this 28th day of March, 2025.

Jerome T. Jirak Executor of Estate 1348 County Road V64 Waucoma, IA 52171 Jana Evelsizer Olson ANDERSON, WILMARTH, VAN DER MAATEN, FRETHEIM, EVELSIZER OLSON, NOBLE, LYNCH & ZAHASKY 212 Winnebago P.O. Box 450 Decorah, IA 52101 (563) 382-2959 Email: jana.olson@andersonlawdecorah.com Date of second publication: April 10, 2025 Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3 & 10, 2025

IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF MARGARET STEFFEN DECEASED PROBATE NO. ESPR 016383 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Margaret Steffen, Deceased, who died on or about March 23, 2025: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that on the 28th day of March, 2025, the Last Will and Testament of Margaret Steffen, deceased, bearing date of December 8, 1983, was admitted to probate in the abovenamed Court and that Connie Knight was appointed executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

Notice is further given that all persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned, and creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the Clerk of the abovenamed district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated, for allowance, and unless so filed by the later to occur of four months from the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid) a claim is thereafter forever barred.

Dated this 28th day of March, 2025.

Connie Knight Executor of Estate 1411 Elmhurst Avenue Humboldt, IA 50548 Jana Evelsizer Olson ANDERSON, WILMARTH, VAN DER MAATEN, FRETHEIM, EVELSIZER OLSON, NOBLE, LYNCH & ZAHASKY 212 Winnebago P.O. Box 450 Decorah, IA 52101 (563) 382-2959 Email: jana.olson@andersonlawdecorah.com Date of second publication: April 10, 2025 Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3 & 10, 2025

RIDGEWAY CITY COUNCIL MINUTES-March 26, 2025 The Ridgeway City Council met in special session March 26, 2025, at the Ridgeway Community Center, at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Schnur calling the meeting to order. Council persons present were: Linderbaum, Hauber, Engelhardt, Novotny and Schnur. Absent: None.

Engelhardt made a Motion to approve the consent agenda, minutes, and claims, seconded by Schnur. All aye. Nay: none. Motion carried.

A discussion was held regarding the City summer event, June 14, 2025. It is established that there will be entertainment, food, a beer garden, a ball tournament, a car show and shine and DJ, and a bean bag tournament.

The Turkey River Culture Center (the former Ridgeway Elementary building) will have the Toe Tappers, a flea market, and the wood carving museum will be open. More ideas were discussed to have that day, but are not definite yet.

The next City summer event planning meeting will be April 16, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Ridgeway Community Center.

The next City Council meeting will be April 1, 2025, at 5:45 p.m. at the Ridgeway Community Center, and the second meeting on April 1, 2025, will be at 6:20 p.m. at the Ridgeway Community Center.

Linderbaum made a Motion to adjourn, seconded by Hauber. All aye. Nay: none. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned.

Sharla Berns City Clerk Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) in the Conference Room at 305 Montgomery, Decorah, Iowa, at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025.

The purpose of this hearing is to discuss NEICAC’s applications to the Iowa Department of Transportation for financial assistance for the Fiscal Year 2026, as follows: • NEICAC will request state transit assistance and federal transit assistance to support operations, amounting to approximately $433,113 and $657,493, respectively.

• NEICAC will request approval to increase the general fare box rate by $0.50 per trip for In-town, $0.25 per mile for Rural rides. In-County rides will increase $1.00 • NEICAC will request federal transit assistance for capital equipment purchases.

If approved, these funds will be matched with local dollars for bus replacements on an 85% federal / 15% local basis, determined by the specific procurement. The request includes: • Two (2) LD ADA Buses – 138” Wheelbase (Replacements) • Federal Share: $263,670 • Local Share: $39,550 These projects will not have a significant environmental impact, and no people or businesses will be displaced. The projects comply with the Statewide Transit Improvement Program.

Public Participation Any interested person or agency is invited to attend this hearing and speak for or against the funding application. Written comments will be accepted at 305 Montgomery, Decorah, IA 52101, through the date and time of the hearing.

For additional information, contact Ken Wohlford, Transportation Director, at (563) 387-4928 during business hours.

Accessibility All NEICAC public hearings are open to individuals regardless of disability. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in this public hearing should contact the NEICAC office at (563) 382-8436 at least two days prior to the hearing.

Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3, 2025

Board Minutes March 24, 2025 The Board of Supervisors met at 9:30am March 24, 2025 with Kelsay, Vick, Langreck, Vermace, and Faldet present. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was recited, and the meeting was called to order.

Mark and Andrea Ondrashek met with the Board to discuss the necessity and concerns they have with the proposed Neste Valley Campground. They will meet with Barb Schroeder and the Conservation Board.

Mike Shimak, County Engineer’s Office, met with the Board to discuss road projects.

Moved by Vick and seconded by Faldet to approve the consent agenda which includes the minutes of the last meeting, the claims filed with the Board, the liquor license for Festina Community Center, and to accept and file the monthly report of the VA Commission. Motion carried unanimously.

Moved by Vick and seconded by Kelsay to certify the Cost Allocation report prepared

by Cost Advisory Services. Motion carried unanimously.

Moved by Vermace and seconded by Faldet to appoint Martin Arndt the General Relief Director for Winneshiek County. Motion carried unanimously.

Moved by Faldet and seconded by Kelsay to appoint Greg Vanney to the Historic Preservation Commission for the remainder of the term vacated by Jamie Hanson. Motion carried unanimously.

Andy Van Der Maaten, County Attorney, met with the Board to discuss county issues.

Moved by Vick and seconded by Faldet to adjourn to 9:30am Monday, March 31, 2025.

Motion carried unanimously.

ATTEST Benjamin D Steines, County Auditor Daniel Langreck, Chair Board of Supervisors Claims 03-24-2025 General Basic Fund AireSpring, Telephone Service ......... 416.59 Allamakee Co Solid Waste, Bale Purchase ................................ 437.05 Allamakee-Clayton Electric, Utility.............................................232.43 Alliant Energy, Utilities ..................1745.36 Amazon Capital Services, Supplies .........................................318.90 Anderson Law Office, Legal Services ............................... 325.00 Beaver Creek Graphix, Supplies ...... 242.64 Black Hills Energy, Natural Gas Service ..................... 6630.15 John Burke, Transport ........................30.00 Calmar Courier, Publications ...........247.50 CDW Gov’t, Software ......................319.50 Cen Tec Cast Metal Products, Markers..........................................362.52 CenturyLink, Telephone Service ......785.56 Column Software PBC, Publications ...................................343.03 Copyland, Printing............................336.00 Culligan, Services.............................121.79 Decorah Ace Hardware, Supplies.......17.98 Decorah Auto Center Inc, Services .......................................1924.70 Decorah Community Schools, Services .........................................187.70 Decorah Leader, Publications ...........264.00 Decorah Tire Service, Services ..........49.02 DecorahNews.com, Advertising .......192.00 Erdman Engineering, Services ....... 4031.00 Mark Faldet, Reimbursement ........... 715.06 Farmers Union Co-op, Supplies .......216.00 Galls, LLC, Supplies ........................566.47 Christina Goeden, Reimbursement... 129.88 Hacker Nelson & Co, Audit ......... 36150.00 Hageman Cleaning, Services............150.00 Hawkeye Sanitation, Inc, Services ... 100.00 Healthcare First, Services ................. 111.02 Hovden Oil Co, Fuel ........................184.80 Huber’s Store, Supplies ......................25.44

ICIT Treasurer, Registration ........... 1275.00 Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, Registration ................................... 375.00 IROC Web Design Services, Services ...........................................32.00 ISOSWO Treasurer, Registration ..... 460.00 ISSDA, Registration .........................125.00 John Deere Financial, Supplies ........ 206.53 Steve Kelsay, Reimbursement .......... 876.00 Keltek Incorporated, Equipment .... 4026.93 Kwik Trip Inc, Fuel .......................... 729.81 Legislative Services Agency, Publications ................................... 160.00 Leon’s Auto Repair, Services ........... 311.50 LetterWerks Sign City, LLC, Supplies ......................................... 263.85 Level’n Up Construction LLC, Services ....................................... 1130.00 Lynch Dallas, P.C., Legal Services... 175.00 Anna Mark M.D., Services............... 150.00 Martin Bros. Distributing, Supplies ....................................... 1123.88 Mediacom, Services ......................... 315.38 Hanna Meyer, Reimbursement ......... 129.80 Microbac Laboratories, Inc., Services ........................................... 42.50 Midwest Computer Brokers, Inc., Services ......................................... 100.00 MiEnergy Cooperative, Utilities ...... 810.16 MWSCO, Services ........................... 274.60 NE IA Comm Action, Services....... 4083.52 Petty Cash, Miscellaneous.................. 60.72 Quadient Fiance USA, Inc., Postage......................................... 2000.00 Racom Corporation, Equipment ....... 149.50 Ricoh USA Inc, Maintenance Agreement ................ 700.41 Sanitation Resources, Inc, Services.... 63.50 Schilling Supply Company, Supplies .........................................580.67 Barb Schroeder, Reimbursement ......160.08 Jayne Schultz, Reimbursement......... 446.68 Corey Sims, Services........................ 402.50 Spahn & Rose Lumber Co, Materials ........................................ 102.59 Steve’s Car Care, Services.................... 9.00 Storey Kenworthy, Supplies ........... 3812.99 Superior Building Centers, Materials .......................................... 26.72 Sutton Electric, Services................. 1297.50 Truck Country of Iowa, Services......106.30 Uline, Supplies ............................... 1103.98 US Cellular, Cell Service .................262.87 Verizon Wireless, Cell Service .........639.64 Shirley Vermace, Reimbursement ....657.48 Vestis, Services .................................141.90 Morgan Walsh, Reimbursment ...........75.00 Sherman Watts, Reimbursement ......359.36 Ryan Wiltgen, Reimbursement .........206.25 WinnMed, Services ..........................682.60 Wright Way Computers, LLC, Services .........................................100.85 Zero9 Holsters, Supplies ..................156.75 General Supplemental Fund Decorah Leader, Publications .............95.38 Dubuque County Sheriff, Sheriff Fees......................................33.00 Eileen Kipp, Election Worker........... 217.50 Water Testing Grant Fund State Hygienic Laboratory, Services .........................................300.00 Rural Services Basic Fund Bruce Adams, Meeting ....................... 50.00 Arden Auna, Meeting .........................50.00 Daniel Beard, Meeting ....................... 50.00 Bruce Bergsgaard, Meeting ................ 50.00 Daryl Bosma, Meeting ....................... 50.00 Dan Dietzenbach, Meeting ................. 50.00 Garrett Hackman, Meeting ................. 50.00 Thomas Hansen, Meeting ................... 50.00 Davis Hanson, Meeting ......................50.00 IOWWA, Renewal ............................ 174.00 Ross Kurash, Meeting ........................50.00 Kwik Trip Inc, Fuel ............................71.78 Roger Nelson, Meeting.......................50.00 Dave Nienhaus, Meeting ....................50.00

Kenneth Nordheim, Meeting .............. 50.00 Jeff Ode, Meeting ...............................50.00 Mikkel Paulson, Meeting ................... 50.00 Jason Ryan, Meeting .......................... 50.00 Jeff Ryan, Meeting ............................. 50.00 Carl Schmitt, Meeting ........................ 50.00 Ron Stika, Meeting ............................. 50.00 Don Stromseth, Meeting..................... 50.00 Verizon Wireless, Cell Service ........... 31.42 J Wayne Wicks, Meeting .................... 50.00 Jean Wieman, Meeting .......................50.00 Winn Co Landfill, Fees...................1233.96 Ethan Wise, Meeting .......................... 50.00 Sawyer Wise, Meeting........................50.00 Secondary Road Fund Agvantage FS Inc, Propane ..........23200.16 Alliant Energy, Utilities ......................22.37 Anderson Law Office, Legal Services ...............................600.00 Becker Hardware, Inc., Supplies ........23.98 Black Hills Energy, Natural Gas Service ..................... 1014.53 Bruening Rock Prod, Materials .... 39178.77 Calmar Courier, Publications ............. 30.00 City of Ridgeway, Utilities ................. 29.26 Cresco Shopper Inc, Advertising ...... 168.00 Cresco Times Plain Dealer, Publications ..................................... 57.00 Diamond Mowers LLC, Parts .......... 311.73 Dultmeier Sales LLC, Parts .............. 257.09 Eurofins Environmental Testing, Services ........................................... 79.50 Farmers Union Co-op, Supplies .........86.62 Fillmore County Journal, Publications ..................................... 75.68 Gateway Hotel, Lodging ..................146.72 Hovden Oil Co, Fuel ..........................99.55 Huber’s Store, Supplies ......................66.96 ICEOO District II, Fees ...................... 80.00 Iowa DOT, Payment ...........................50.00 Iowa Prison Industries, Signs ...........173.00 John Deere Financial, Supplies ........269.56 Kirchner Collision, Parts ................ 1725.00 Michael Kueny, Reimbursement ...... 112.93 Martin Equipment of IA/IL, Inc, Supplies ...................................221400.00 Marv Smith Electric, LLC, Services ..................................... 16265.56 MiEnergy Cooperative, Utilities .... 1159.55 MWSCO, Supplies ........................... 160.76 Oakley Fertilizer, Inc, Materials ...12207.81 Racom Corporation, Services .............28.84 Shuck-Briston Inc., Services .......... 1680.45 The Union, Publications ................... 240.00 Verizon Wireless, Cell Service ......... 528.22 Winn Co Landfill, Fees.........................2.28 WinnMed, Services ..........................270.00 Ziegler Inc, Services ....................... 2941.86 Co Conserv Capital Improv Fund Bear Creek Archeology, Services .....500.00 County Assessor Agency Fund Verizon Wireless, Cell Service ........... 62.83 E911 Surcharge Fund Black Hills Energy, Natural Gas Service ......................... 47.66 CenturyLink, E911 Service ................ 52.38 MiEnergy Cooperative, Utilities ...... 782.62 Racom Corporation, Equipment .....8272.20 Emergency Management Comm Dick Buss & Associates, Services ....................................... 1500.00 Mainstay Systems of Iowa LLC, Services ......................................... 531.00 Verizon Wireless, Cell Service ........... 40.01 Festina Sewer Sinking Fund Winn Co Treasurer, Services ..........1331.00 Winneshiek Co Health Ins Fund Midwest Group Benefits, Health Insurance ........................ 16154.91 Midwest Group Benefits, Fees ......... 945.00 Wellmark, Insurance ...................134997.07 Grand Total .................................582708.85 Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3, 2025

SATURDAY, APRIL 5 - 9 a.m. MENNENGA’S SPRING MACHINERY CONSIGNMENT AUCTION 2 miles west of Clarksville, IA on C-33 at 26483 180th St. For additional information contact Calvin Mennenga 319-240-5510 or Allen Freerks 319-961-1224.

Decorah Community School Board Special School Board Meeting Minutes Central Administration Office Friday, March 28, 2025 12:00 p.m. (noon) Present: President Cindy Goodner, Directors: Brad Darling, Ron Fadness, Carole Sand via Zoom, Aaron Zander. Superintendent Dr. Tim Cronin, Director of Business Services Cathy Dietzenbach, Staff, News Media, and Guests. Absent: Board Secretary Darlene Woodhouse.

President Goodner called to order the special school board meeting at 12:00 p.m. (noon).

Director Zander read the mission statement.

Motion: Director Fadness moved, seconded by Director Darling to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried by all voting aye.

Motion: Director Fadness moved, seconded by Director Darling to approve the purchase of 2 Propane School Buses for $150,608 each for a total of $301,216.00.

Motion carried by all voting aye.

Nick Hildebrandt (architect) and Patty Spowart from Emergent Architecture, Megan Prestebak from Miron Construction (Construction Manager At Risk (CmaR) and Tom Foldes from KEDBluestone were in attendance virtually. Nick Hildebrant brought up the schematic design of the new elementary building and went over the schedule. Emergent is researching the feasibility of using geothermal and a company will be on site to take soil samples. The board asked questions about the gym, and a conversation was held on how to meet the physical education needs of students in the larger gym space.

Megan Prestebak virtually left the meeting at 1:06 p.m. Ron Fadness physically left the meeting at 1:16 p.m. Security and school safety were discussed.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:28 p.m.

Cindy Goodner, Board President Cathy Dietzenbach, Board Secretary ProTem Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENT The annual meeting of the

Burr Oak Cemetery Association will be held Monday, April 7th, 2025 at the Burr Oak Methodist Church at 7:00 pm.

All lot owners are encouraged to attend.

AUCTION FOR SALE renovated home for sale CALENDAR Newly in Freeport/Decorah 4 bed/2

annual FOOD meeting ONEOTA COMMUNITY

bath. 960 sq. ft. + 600 sq. ft. finished basement, 0.35 acre lot. Call or text 563-794-0260” 14-2-LD-8

COOPErative decorah, iowa

of the membership

For Sale: Outdoor firepit firewood. Pickup load delivered $80. You pick-up $60, 1/2 load $40. Call or text Dan 940-7450895. 14-6-L-pd-1

Thursday, April 17

7 pm @ Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. (event space) 207 College Drive, Decorah

SUNDAY, APRIL 6 - 10 a.m. Large Coin Auction.

Community Center, Protivin, Iowa. Shindelar Auction Service, LLC. Protivin, Ia 563569-8235. www.auctionsgo. com

All member/owners of the cooperative are welcome to attend.

The meeting will include presentations by Oneota Co-op General Manager Nate Furler & Oneota Co-op Board President Piper Wood.

Oneota Co-op will welcome three new board members at this time & thank those board members whose service has concluded.

Light refreshments will be served.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 1:00 p.m. Online Only Real Estate & Personal Property Auction. Rollin K. Isenberger Estate, Keith Isenberger, Executor, 3013 North Winn Rd, Decorah, IA. Sweeney Auction Service. www. sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563-568-2464.

13-4-L-1

NOTICE In the Matter of the Judicial Magistrate Appointing Commission For Winneshiek County The Winneshiek County Magistrate Appointing Commission will meet on May 19, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Winneshiek County Courthouse, in the District Courtroom, for the purpose of appointing one magistrate for Winneshiek County for the term beginning August 1, 2025, and ending July 31, 2029.

All applicants must be personally present for interviews on that date.

1. The magistrate must be a resident of Winnehiek County or a resident of a county contiguous to this county during the term of office and does not qualify for appointment if at the time of appointment the applicant will have reached age seventy-two (72).

2. A magistrate shall be an attorney licensed to practice law in Iowa, except for magistrates who have held office since April 1, 2009.

3. To qualify for appointment, one must file a certified application on the forms approved by the Iowa Supreme Court. The application forms may be obtained from the office of the clerk of district court between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The completed application forms (with letter of interest and resume of qualifications attached) must be returned by email to: Benita Gossman, Clerk of Court Email address: benita.gossman@iowacourts.gov By 4:00 p.m. on May 12, 2025 4. The present salary for a Judicial Magistrate is $45,484.00 per year.

5. The magistrate shall work in other counties of the district as assigned by the chief judge for the orderly administration of justice pursuant to Code of Iowa Section 602.6404.

A magistrate is also subject to Code of Iowa Section 602.6108. The magistrate may be required to handle mental commitment hearings pursuant to Code of Iowa Chapters 125 and 229.

6. The person appointed shall attend the annual school of instruction for magistrates.

7. For information on judicial magistrate appointments, jurisdiction and procedures, see Iowa Code sections 602.6403 through 602.6405.

Decorah (Iowa) Leader April 3 & 10, 2025

14-1-L-17

FOR RENT

GARAGE SALE

House for rent in Waukon. 3 bedroom, 2 bath. $810/month plus utilities. Deposit, application and references required. NS/NP. Call 563-568-1789 or 563-568-2845.

13-4-LD-9

Save the Date, May 3, for Decorah's Citywide Garage Sale.

Watch for details in the Decorah Leader.

REGIONAL ADVERTISING Miscellaneous Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 1-855-954-5087 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

Miscellaneous Does your basement or crawl space need some attention? Call Thrasher Foundation Repair! A permanent solution for waterproofing, failing foundations, sinking concrete and nasty crawl spaces. FREE Inspection & Same Day Estimate. $250 off ANY project with code GET250.

Call 1-866-554-1730 Miscellaneous Safe Step. North America’s #1 WalkIn Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today!

Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-844-376-4154

Stay Safe From Shingles 1 in 3 people will get shingles. Prevention is possible.

Shingles can cause a painful skin rash and lead to serious health problems, such as long-term nerve pain and vision loss. Shingles stays dormant in your nervous system after you recover from chickenpox. Your risk of shingles increases with age.

The shingles vaccine is the best way to protect against the virus and its complications.

The shingles vaccine is recommended for: • Adults 50 and older.

• Adults 19 and older with weakened immune systems.

Ask your healthcare provider about the shingles vaccine.

Source: cdc.gov

2/25

CLASSIFIEDS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

11

Schmitt named recipient of Steffens Scholarship Autumn Schmitt, daughter of Greg and Sara Schmitt of rural Waucoma, has been named this year’s recipient of the Erbie and Gerry Steffens Memorial Scholarship.

Schmitt is currently a freshman at Iowa State University, where she is majoring in genetics with a minor in animal science. During her 4-H and FFA career, she served in numerous leadership positions including State 4-H Council, 4-H County Council as well as president of her local 4-H club and vice president of her FFA Chapter. Autumn has received numerous local 4-H honors including the AK-SAR-BEN

Award, I Dare You Award, Senior Volunteer Award and Lamp of Knowledge Award as well as serving as a delegate to the National 4-H Congress. In FFA, Schmitt was recognized as a Chapter Scholar from 2021-2024 and was a recipient of the Iowa Farmer Degree.

At the county fair, Schmitt exhibited various species including dairy, horse, broiler chickens, rabbits and meat goat projects. Schmitt earned Champion Showmanship honors in meat goats at both the senior and collegiate levels.

Schmitt also competed in state level 4-H events, such as extemporaneous speaking, edu-

cational presentation, clothing selection and Share-The-Fun. Schmitt was a member of National Honor Society and was the chief editor of the school newspaper as well as an active member of the student government, band, choir and speech while maintaining an cumulative grade point average of 3.98. Schmitt also served as a youth representative on the Winneshiek County Fair Board and was Winneshiek County Fair Princess. After college graduation, Schmitt plans to go into the field of dairy genetics.

Photo submitted

Autumn Schmitt

Heivly Street Project continued from page 3

Luther College to welcome famed guidebook author Rick Steves Luther College recently announced Rick Steves, a popular public television host, best-selling guidebook author and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel, will be speaking at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27 at the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. Tickets are on sale now through the Luther Ticket Office and online at tickets.luther. edu.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Steves to campus this spring,” said Maren Johnson, director of the Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies and associate professor of Nordic Studies. “His life’s work has focused on the power of human connection through travel.

As the grandson of Norwegian immigrants, his message and life’s work align with Luther’s commitment to study away and global education.”

Steves’ lecture, titled “Travel with a Norwegian Sensibility,” will reflect on his own heritage and the importance of continued connections across a global society. Steves will share photos, stories and insights from more than 50 years of traveling outside of the United States.

Steves was 14 years old when his parents, Dick and June Steves, took him to visit his relatives in Norway.

“Visiting the house of my great-great-grandmother ’s birth, I imagined the courage it must have taken to leave Norway and her entire family for America a century ago,” Steves wrote in “How Travel Pried Open My Hometown Blinders.”

As the first U.S. college founded by Norwegian immigrants, Luther officials said the college is proud to host this event as part of a yearlong commemoration of the first organized migration from Norway to North America 200 years ago.

“As Luther commemorates the bicentennial of Norwegian immigration to North America, Mr. Steves’ visit will be a great kick off to reinforce the power of human connection in the global society,” Johnson said.

included during the project’s first phase. Decorah City Manager Travis Goedken said, if designs for the project’s second phase were finalized, the city would address the utilities accordingly. However, without finalized plans for the next leg of the improvements, Goedken said the city expects to cover exposed utilities with temporary asphalt — coming at a cost of about $10,000.

City Engineer John Hjelle has completed several preliminary designs for the intersection near city hall, where Claiborne Drive, River Street and Heivly Street meet. Work on that intersection is slated to be addressed as part of the project’s second phase. Hjelle shared his designs Decorah Community Monday night and potentially Schools 2024-2025 save $10,000 if the city counNEEDS: cil could come to a consensus on phase two designs before Heivly Street is paved later Elementary this year. Hjelle’s plans for the Paraeducator intersection include either an (John Cline) updated four-way intersection Support person to teachers working with children 1:1 or in a group setting. or a traffic circle, a solution he “They are what work from a safety standpoint,” said City Engineer John Hjelle, talking about traffi c circles and roundabouts at Monday’s meeting.

Displayed behind Hjelle is his concept said has been suggested for that Send letter of application and resume location over the past 15 years. for a traffic circle/round about at Heivly/River/Claiborne. The darker ring of the circle is an to Principal Rick Varney, 101 Claiborne area where larger vehicles can mount to make the turn.

(Photo by Denise Lana) “A circular intersection is Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, or email rick. safer for pedestrians and may varney@decorah.school by end of the day on April 11, 2025, or open until result in a slight uptick in minor position is filled. collisions,” Hjelle said. “But The Decorah Community School District it dramatically decreases the is an EEO/AA employer chance of major accidents from HELP WANTED 14-2-LD-12 occurring.”

The roundabout would be small enough to accommodate buses and larger vehicles, ac$1,000 SIGNING BONUS cording to Hjelle.

“There would be a 30-foot radius on bus turns,” he explained.

“On water street, there is usualBONUS ly a 15-to-20-foot radius turn.”

Enjoy working outside and looking Hjelle added that the roundDecorah, IA • 563-382-2953 for a change? We provide on the Firefly Reliability, a sister company of Hovden Oil in Ridgeway, IA, is about would not pose any probwww.olsonexplosives.com job training! Class A or B CDL expanding its team as it continues to grow and take on new and exciting info@olsonexp.com lems with winter snow removal. desirable. No CDL, no problem, we and looking opportunities. We are currently hiring for a Traveling Service Technician who will help you get one.

“IntheWisconsin and MinnesoEqual Opportunity Employer vide on have: orta, B CDL they are able to remove the 9-8-DL-12 roblem, snow we just fine, so I would as• Basic understanding of hand and power tools one. sume snow removal wouldn’t • Ability to work in a variety of environments 382-2953 be hindered,” said Hjelle.

• Willingness to travel – up to 75% ves.com $1,000 SIGNING BONUS • Valid Driver’s License comHjelle explained there would NOW HIRING likely a need for some public • Flexibility in work schedules mployer education regarding pedestrian • Mechanical or industrial experience a plus safety near the proposed trafSECONDARY ROAD DEPARTMENT Full Benefits Package including, health and dental insurance, HSA, 401k fic feature, but told the council with employer match, PTO and more!

Winneshiek County Secondary belooking accepting applications Chris Poole with the Iowa DeEnjoy working Roads outsidewill and for the position of “Equipment Operator I” for the Secondary Road Decorah, IA • 563-382-2953 for a change?

We provide on the partment of Transportation said Questions? Contact Kala, kala@hovdenoil.com, 563-737-2709 Department until 4:00 p.m. Monday, April 7, 2025 or until the position www.olsonexplosives.com job training! Class A or B CDL state officials place roundabouts is filled at the office of the Winneshiek County Engineer, 201 W. Main, Visit our website, fireflyreliability.com/careers, to apply today! info@olsonexp.com desirable.

No CDL, no problem, we near schools to increase safety.

Decorah, IA 52101. will help you get one.

Equal Opportunity Employer “There is a learning curve,” 9-8-DL-12 Applications and job description are available at the Hjelle said. “A roundabout is Engineers Office and www.winneshiekcounty.org/jobs.html what works from a safety standEOE 13-3-LD-12 point.”

Winneshiek County Courthouse, 201 W. Main St., Decorah • 563-382-5085 The city engineer went on to BONUS $1,000 SIGNING www.winneshiekcounty.org say a 10-foot sidewalk could be added to the intersection applicants for Tired of losing miles and money and continue along Seeking Claiborne by waiting to load and unload?

Full Time Mechanic position.

Drive, with the potential to exThis dedicated run is what you Decorah, IA • 563-382-2953 $1,000 SIGNING BONUS tend toward Decorah’s elemenare looking for! Minimal wait www.olsonexplosives.com tary and high school. times and high miles await you. info@olsonexp.com Home every weekend.

Hjelle also showed the city Equal Opportunity Employer Apply at Olson Explosives, Inc. council a rendering of a more -code1837 Trout Run Rd, Decorah traditional intersection he deDedicated Classwww.olsonexp.com B CDL daily run between Decorah signed with angles as close to info@olsonexp.com and Cannon Falls. Complete and very competitive 90-degrees as possible. He said Equal Opportunity Employer compensation-codeand benefit package. the difference in cost between the two options was negligible.

“The numbers come out the Decorah, IA • 563-382-2953 same — costs are virtually www.olsonexplosives.com identical,” Hjelle said. “There’s info@olsonexp.com not a significant difference as Equal Opportunity Employer far as cost in options.”

The council took no action on 12-tf-DL-12 the city’s options for the intersection.

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12 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Winneshiek County Community Foundation distributes grants to local nonprofits The Winneshiek County Community Foundation held its 2025 grant awards celebration on March 27 at Luther College, announcing the distribution of $160,519 as part of its 2025 grant cycle. The funds will support 19 projects serving Winneshiek County and surrounding communities.

This year’s recipients include: Arts and culture • ArtHaus Inc - ArtHaus Tech Lab improvements - $14,172.21 • Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum - Burr Oak Mercantile Restoration - $8,000 • Winneshiek County Historical Society - technology updates and additions - $4,360.88 Community betterment • City of Decorah Parks and Rec - Dunning’s Spring Park steps - $3,961.20 • City of Fort Atkinson Community Center Park improvements - $12,000 • City of Waucoma - New Waucoma Fire Station - $10,000 • Civic Improvement Association - bathroom updates $6,000 • Decorah Volunteer Fire Dept. Association - personnel safety visibility - $6,000 • Fort Atkinson Firefighter’s Association - 2025 safety gear - $9,827 • Protivin Firefighters Inc. -

wild land fire response apparatus - $10,000 Education and youth development • Decorah Community School District Business Education - hardware/software upgrade - $16,900 • Decorah Community School District Elementary - books for young learners - $10,130 • Toys Go ‘Round Lending Library - updating S.T.E.A.M. and large motor toy collection - $3,450 Health • Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, Inc. - NEIBH Drop-In Youth Center - $12,867.72 • WinnMed Foundation Transforming Tomorrow - clinic expansion - $11,850 Human service • Allamakee New Beginnings - Iowa Food Hub - cold storage expansion for local foods - $5,000 • Northeast Iowa Community Action - NEICAC crisis assistance program - $10,000 • Northeast Iowa Food Bank - feeding communities - $3,000 • Riverview Center Inc. Winneshiek County Sexual Assault Crisis Response - $3,000 Decisions on grant awards are determined by a local committee, which consists of volunteers from Winneshiek County.

Representatives of organizations receiving grants from the Winneshiek County Community Foundation gather for the grant awards celebration on Thursday, March 27. WCCF grants, totaling $160,519.01, went to 19 projects serving Winneshiek County. (Photos submitted) Committee members include chair Lilly Jensen, Jean Boyer, Charles Crain, Tracy Dostal, Terry Haindfield, Chelsey Kephart, Terry Linderbaum, Keith Newhouse, Mae Schmitt and Warren Shuros. WCCF funds established by donors contributing to the discretionary grant process include the Dick Guilgot and Barb Sokol Fund, the Elwin and Helen Farwell Memorial Fund and an anonymous Winneshiek County Endowment Fund. Grants are awarded through a competitive grant process and given to projects in the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare, health and human service. Grant applicants must be

Winneshiek County Community Foundation committee members who attended the ceremony were (left to right) Terry Haindfield, Tracy Dostal, Terry Linderbaum, Chelsey Kephart, Charles Crain, Keith Newhouse, Warren Shuros and Lilly Jensen. a 501(c)(3) designated organization or government entity serving Winneshiek County in order to be considered for fund-

ing. The 2026 grant cycle opens Nov. 15, 2025, with an application deadline of Jan. 15, 2026.

The grant guidelines and ap-

plication can be found at www. winneshiekccf.org.

Decorah School

Urban forestry awards continued from front recognize local dedication athletic competitions, such as tennis.

However, Decorah School to trees and outreach Board member Aaron Zander Every year, the Urban Forestry Awards luncheon recognizes cities, college campuses and utilities which demonstrate a variety of dedication to the importance of trees in their respective communities. Awards will be presented April 3 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A full list of award winners follows.

Tree City USA Award To qualify for the Tree City USA award, a city must have either a city forester or an active city tree board as well as a tree ordinance. The city must also spend at least $2 per capita annually on its community forestry program and have a tree planting and maintenance plan.

The award recipients are Adel, Ames, Arnolds Park, Atlantic, Belle Plaine, Bettendorf, Bondurant, Boone, Burlington, Carlisle, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Clarinda, Clarksville, Clinton, Clive, Coralville, Council Bluffs, Cresco, Decorah, Denver, Des Moines, DeWitt, Dubuque, Dysart, Fort Dodge, Greene, Grimes, Grundy Center, Hampton, Hiawatha, Hillsboro, Hopkinton, Hudson, Huxley, Indianola, Iowa City, Jefferson, Johnston, Livermore, Luxemburg, Manchester, Maquoketa, Marion, Marquette, Marshalltown, Mason City, Maxwell, Mt Vernon, Muscatine, Nevada, Newton, North Liberty, Odebolt, Oelwein, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Red Oak, Sioux City, Spencer, Story City, Tipton, Urbandale, Van Horne, Washington, Waterloo, Waverly, Webster City, West Des Moines and Winterset.

Tree City USA Growth Award To qualify for the Tree City USA Growth award, cities must provide education and public relations, partnerships, along with planning and management as well as tree planting and maintenance in their community.

The award recipients —

which were also recipients of the Tree City USA award — are Ames, Arnolds Park, Bettendorf, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Coralville, Decorah, Denver, Des Moines, Dysart, Grundy Center, Hampton, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Johnston, Marion, Marquette, Mason City, Oelwein, Polk City, Story City, Waverly, West Des Moines and Winterset.

Tree City of the World To receive recognition as a Tree City of the World, a town or city must meet five core standards — responsibility for the care of trees, official policy which governs the management of forests and trees, updated inventory or assessment, a dedicated annual budget for the routine implementation of the tree management plan and an annual celebration of trees.

Burlington, Decorah and Des Moines are this year’s award recipients.

Tree Campus USA Award To qualify for the Tree Campus USA award, a college or university must have a campus Tree Advisory Committee, a tree care plan, a tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, an annual Arbor Day observance and a service-learning project to engage the student body.

The award recipients are Clarke University, Divine Word College, Drake University, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa State University, Kirkwood Community College, Simpson College, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and William Penn University.

Tree Line USA Award To qualify for the Tree Line USA award, a utility must meet five minimum requirements, including quality tree care, annual worker training, tree planting and public education, a treebased energy conservation program and an annual Arbor Day celebration.

The award recipients are Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Waverly Utilities.

— who cast the lone dissenting vote during the board’s March 10 meeting — called the expansion plans monumental, adding the current gymnasium inside John Cline Elementary is about 2,400 square-feet by his estimation. He argued too large a gymnasium space in the new building would make it difficult for staff to be heard and gather young students during physical education classes.

“The worst thing we could do is build a space that is the same as we currently have,” Zander said. “I don’t want to do that, but this is like colossal. We’re talking about a gym that’s bigger than every elementary classroom on that first floor put together. This is a mammoth space.”

Decorah School Board member Carole Sand also indicated John Cline’s physical education instructor had expressed concerns regarding potential issues an overly large gymnasium might create for students with developmental needs. Zander said he believes the proposed expansion of the gymnasium is not what the public voted for when area residents approved the $38 million bond for the elementary school project.

“We passed the bond to build an elementary school, and what I see us doing is building a varsity athletic complex that happens to have an elementary school built around it,” he said.

“I think we’re missing the point on what the bond was passed to do, which was to build an elementary school.”

Hildebrandt said most of the elementary projects he and his firm have worked on have included gymnasiums measuring approximately two to three times the size of John Cline Elementary’s gym.

“They don’t want to build a gym smaller than the size of one basketball court,” Hildebrandt said, noting most school districts also factor for necessarily athletic storage spaces. “One basketball court is about 94-by50 for the court itself, so that’s about 5,000 square feet, and then you have to have enough space around it to be able to have it be a basketball court, so

Members of the Decorah School Board viewed updated designs for the district’s new elementary building, featuring an expanded gymnasium capable of hosting large sporting events. Board member Aaron Zander (far right) voiced his opposition to the plan on Friday, citing concerns with student use and safety. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

that is probably in the 6,000 to 7,000 square foot range.”

Hildebrant noted removable partitions, adjustable basketball hoops and other features could be installed in the new building’s gymnasium to address some of Zander’s concerns, but Zander proposed the board consider amending the design and adding a second smaller gym space for the students who will attend the new elementary — the proposed building is expected to house the district’s pre-kindergarten through second-grade students. Zander also put forward the idea of moving the drafted competition-sized gym space closer to Decorah’s High School — which stands on the opposite side of Claiborne Drive — and keeping the larger gym structurally separate from the elementary building.

Zander went on to say he found plans with a large centralized gym in the elementary building to be at odds with guidance issued to schools following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 26 people dead.

“This gym can’t be centrally located, and I understand that’s going to change the footprint — I understand that’s going to change the architecture and the work that’s already been done — but we’ve got to think worst-case scenario, not Decorah-nice scenario, because the worst case could happen,” Zander said. “This gym needs to be separate.”

Megan Prestebak with Miron Construction, told the school board constructing an unattached gymnasium would likely exceed the $3.1 million cost of an attached gym. Patty Spoward with Emergent Architecture also indicated a separate com-

petition-sized gym space would require a certain number of restrooms to be added to meet building code standards — she indicated the initial expansion plans met that benchmark by factoring for the restrooms off the elementary’s commons area. In addition, Hildebrandt explained the placement of the gymnasium on the south side of the new elementary building would provide greater natural light for the students — school officials noted during public tours of John Cline last year that some of the aging elementary’s classrooms received no natural light during the school day.

Specifically, Hildebrandt said the new elementary’s library, music classroom and other instructional spaces would have scenic views of the bluffs on the opposite side of the Upper Iowa River.

“It felt wrong to take a 100foot long windowless gymnasium and put it on the north side and then have all those faces stare at the back of the buildings on Water Street,” Hildebrandt said. “That was really a key design aspect as we were laying this out.”

Hildebrandt went on to discuss options for increasing safety during public events, saying gates and locks could prevent access to classroom corridors after hours. But Zander questioned how such safety measures would be effective if community groups or students from outside the elementary building are allowed access to the gym during the school day. Sand indicated similar safety measures have been put in place at Decorah’s Middle School and Carrie Lee Elementary without creating major impediments for staff, but she too foresaw the current design of

the new elementary building’s gymnasium as potentially problematic.

“I feel like I’m regretting that I did not do my due diligence on really looking at the big picture before we did that vote, and I think that there are some real issues here with having the gymnasium in the middle of the building,” Sand said.

Decorah School Board member Ron Fadness took the opposite stance, saying many community members — such as area sports clubs as well as parents concerned about the scheduling of Decorah athletic events — have been requesting additional gym space for years.

Fadness went on to say he saw no problems within the newest proposed design.

“To say that a space is too big seems illogical to me when we can make it smaller,” Fadness said. “I still think we would be a penny wise and a pound foolish not to do this, and I continue to think that this is an important thing to do for the community.”

The board took no action on the matter Friday, but Hildebrand said early in the meeting that the window for making major design changes was already narrow and would grow increasingly smaller in the coming weeks. He said his firm plans to begin hosting a series of meetings with staff members at Decorah Schools this week, which he said will ultimately help guide specifics of the project — everything from major facets like lighting and mechanical systems all the way down to classroom finishings, he said.

Hildebrandt told the board he plans to learn about the physical education needs within the district as part of those meetings.

COMMUNITY

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

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DHS Family, Career and Community Leaders of America members compete at State conference The newly-formed Family, Career and Community Leaders of America organization from Decorah High School recently traveled to Cedar Rapids to attend the State Leadership Conference, which took place March 23-25. The students participated in contest events and leadership sessions. Two students placed third in the state in their events.

Brody Darling entered the Iowa Event Pride of Iowa, in which contestants were required to highlight Iowa ingredients. He prepared lefse

pulled pork burritos with corn slaw and au jus. Asmere Jensen also won third place in her event, Iowa Event Food Truck. Her mock food truck was named Birria Bliss, and she prepared birria tacos.

Other FCCLA members who participated included Brooklyn Anderson, who entered in the Iowa Event Food Truck competition. She named her food truck The Somber Bayou and prepared beignets with homemade chocolate sauce. Emma Neebel and Miranda Teepe also partici-

pated in the Iowa Event Food Truck.

Their truck was called Doughy Pastries, and they partnered to prepare Quarkkäulchen, a German potato and cheese pancake.

“We went into the experience not knowing what to expect, but we came away with new knowledge, confidence and a vision for the future,” FCCLA advisor Doreen Fullhart said. “The FCCLA organization opened our eyes to many new possibilities, including scholarship and community service opportunities.”

LEFT- Asmere Jensen showed off her birria tacos as part of the Iowa Event Food Truck competition.

BELOW- Brody Darling prepared lefse pulled pork burritos with corn slaw and au jus during competition at the State Leadership Conference,

Pictured are (left to right) Miranda Teepe, Emma Neebel, Brooklyn, Anderson, Brody Darling and Asmere Jensen. (Photos submitted)

Stand up to Cancer continued from front something was clearly wrong, and he was undergoing surgery within 24 hours.

“We didn’t have time to sit down and think about the severity of what was happening, because we were in survival mode,” he said. “We didn’t process it until about a month later, when things settled down and the pain was under control.”

Ruby was in school when she found out her father had been admitted into the hospital.

“Someone came and got me, saying my mother needed me, and I knew it was something about my dad, because he was in so much pain that morning,” she said.

Amy said her family was fortunate to have many relatives in the area during her husband’s treatment.

“For our kids, life was business as usual for them,” she said.

“They wanted to go to school, because they had friends and adults there that they enjoy. So, we would be away, getting help for Kory and our kids were able to do what they usually do. That helped us, because we didn’t need to worry about them or what they’re giving up. Things were interrupted, but comfort was found in knowing some things were still continuing like usual.”

As a way of helping his own children understand his illness, Kory told them about his cancer and his symptoms as well as the side effects and various forms of available treatment.

Ruby said seeing her dad come home with a temporary colostomy bag and catheter was unexpected.

“When he came home, I was like, ‘You have so much on you,’” Ruby said.

The family said they also felt supported during their time of need by the people in and around Decorah.

“We had a tremendous outpouring of support from the community,” Kory said. “Cards, cash, gift cards, gas cards, food.

but Kory politely declined the offer, saying he would prefer the funds be given someone else, noting he’s now in remission.

“I’m sure not everyone gets that, so it was important to me that they use the money they raised to help others,” Kory said.

The Step up to Cancer event

raised $1,250 in funds, which the girls divided among the Cancer Research Institute, CancerCare, City of Hope and several specific families. April said her daughter decided to accept free-will donations during the fundraiser.

“I think that was really nice, because then, we’re not putting a price on anything — you have

Pictured (from left to right) are Kory, Ruby, Charly, Amy and Sawyer Courtney. The family donned their “Save the Butts” t-shirts, which were sold as a fundraiser to help them offset the costs associated with Kory’s stage 4 colorectal cancer. (Photo submitted) the ability to choose, and people chose to be really generous — especially knowing it’s going to a good cause,” April said.

Young Tessa and Ruby agreed they would like to make the

Decorah fourth-grade basketballer Blaire Grimes paints her teammate Ruby Courtney’s face during the Stand up to Cancer fundraiser. (Photo by Zach Jensen) We received enough gift cards to pay for gas the entire year, which was very helpful.”

Kory’s sisters also helped by starting the “Save the Butts” campaign, selling t-shirts inscribed with the phrase — a reference to the location of their brother’s cancer.

“That turned out to be an amazing fundraiser,” Kory said.

“They raised a lot with that, and it was so helpful.”

at New Minowa Players Theatre 906 S. Mill St., Decorah

Tickets available online, at Oneota Community Food Co-op or at the door one hour before each performance

Scan QR code for tickets or visit

newminowaplayers.org/tickets Sponsors: Copyland; Decorah Bank & Trust; Gallery of Tops; IROC Web Design Services; Bill Musser, Otter Dreaming, Cleo, Paige & Aurora; JoAn & Steven Nelson; Carl Peterson; Pizza Ranch; Martin & Marco Refsal; Sabin Family Table Restaurant; Rick & Sheryl Scheffert; and Singing Hammers Construction

GARAGE SALE SATURDAY, MAY 3

Suggested sale hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A $25 fee goes towards the publication of a city map showing the location of the garage sales within city limits and a listing of 25 words or less of the items for sale. Sales outside the city limits will receive a listing of 25 words or less and have their address printed near the map indicating the direction of the sale.

Milestone

Map and listing will be published in the Decorah Leader May 1.

Please return the form, along with $25 to Decorah Leader, 110 Washington St., Suite 4, Decorah, IA 52101 OR Call 563-382-4221 or EMAIL: classifieds@decorahnewspapers.com

ALL ADS MUST BE PAID BEFORE PUBLICATION DATE

Register by Noon on FRIDAY, APRIL 25 to be on the map!

DECORAH CITYWIDE GARAGE SALE Mail this form along with the $25.00 fee to: Decorah Leader, P.O. Box 350, Decorah, IA 52101

ADULTS: $15 CHILDREN: $5

APRIL 9-12 | 7:00PM APRIL 13 | 2:00PM

ple who don’t have the money for all the (procedures),” Ruby said. “And, we — all of us girls — wanted to show that we are willing to help you if you need help.”

DECORAH’S CITYWIDE

April Bril offered to support the Courtney family by using some of the money raised during their daughters’ recent Stand up to Cancer fundraiser,

TICKETS (12 and under)

fundraiser an annual happening and continue growing the event to raise more money to support cancer research and local families affected by cancer.

“It’s important to help peo-

90th birthday card shower Caroline (Holthaus) Schildmeyer will celebrate her 90th birthday on April 6, 2025.

Send cards and well wishes to Caroline at 1389B Co. Rd. W42, Ossian, IA 52161.

25 words or less description:

___________________________ ___________________________

Name: _____________________________________

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Address: ___________________________________

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ecora Questions? Call 563-382-4221

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SPORTS 14

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DECORAH LEADER

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

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WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM

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SPORTS EDITOR BECKY WALZ

Vikings bid farewell to indoor track season at NEIC

Brylee Hanson blasted out of the starting blocks in the 200-meter dash at Luther College last week during the NEIC indoor meet. (Photo by Becky Walz) The Decorah track and field teams wrapped up their competition on indoor tracks Tuesday, March 25 with the Northeast Iowa Conference indoor meet at Luther College.

While no team scores were kept, both squads saw victory on the track and in field events.

The boys picked up 10 first place finishes with the first coming in the shot put. William Hahn heaved the weight 50 feet, 1.25 inches, besting his teammate Luke Franzen by nearly 4 feet. Franzen was the runner-up.

Davis Walter picked up the top spot in the 400-meter dash, circumnavigating the indoor oval twice in 55.12 seconds, just ahead of fellow Viking Ray Hayek. It was Garrett See and Grant Zilka going 1-2 in the 1600-meter run. See posted the winning time of 4:40.25, edging Zilka’s 4:40.84 time for the win. Davis Coppola and D’Mitry Lesser also finished first and

second in the 3200-meter run. It was a time of 10:29.41 for Coppola, while Lesser finished the race in 10:30.21.

Decorah harriers also swept the two hurdle events. Ashton Saltou traversed the 36-inch hurdles in the 55-meter race in 8.63 for gold, while Josh Adam cleared the 39-inch hurdles in 8.03 seconds in the 55-meter race.

All four relays also came out on top. In the 4x200 relay, it was Landon Quandahl, Adam, Saltou and Webb teaming up for the win in 1:34.62. In 3:37.62, the 4x400 quartet of Quandahl, Mason Avila, Max Grimstad and Trevor Kuennen broke the tape. The winning 4x800 time of 8:45.27 was posted by Decorah’s Stemper, Bill Fullhart, Clarence Nimrod and Thomas Hammel.

It was eight gold players for the Decorah girls. Renae Wilson cleared the high jump bar at 5 feet, 2 inches to be crowned the indoor champion. The junior later added the 55-meter hurdle title to her night.

Audrey Essa was also a twotime individual champion, winning both the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes. In the short event, the sophomore sprinted down the track in 7.49 seconds for the win and broke the tape in 26.69 seconds during the 200-meter event. Taking home the 800-meter title was Raelyn Newhouse in 2:38.77.

Three of the Vikings’ four relays claimed gold. In the 4x200 relay it was Stella Pole, McKenzie Riley, Cassandra Stammeyer and Ava Holthaus teaming up for the winning time of 1:51.50.

Riley, Essa, Pole and Wilson combined their talents for the 4x400, stopping the clock first at 4:20.08. In 10:31.99, it was Newhouse, Eva Hurley, Olivia Volkmann and Lillian Olson winning the 4x800.

Boys results High jump – 2. Peyton Webb 5’10”; 6. Parker Low 5’4”; 10.

Thomas Davis 5’2” Long jump – 4. Dakota VanGundy

Lauren Luzum gets set to heave the shot put during the event at the NEIC indoor meet held at Luther College last week. (Photo by Becky Walz)

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BECKY.WALZ@DECORAHLEADER.COM

Coming up in area varsity sports April 3 – Dec g soc at Dubuque Hempstead, 4:15 p.m.; Dec b tr at Waukon, 4:30 p.m.; Dec b soc vs. Cedar Falls, 6:30 p.m.

April 4 – TV g/b tr at North Fayette Valley, 4:30 p.m.

April 5 – Dec g ten at Columbus Catholic tnmt., 9 a.m.; Dec g tr at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 10 a.m.; Dec b soc at Hudson tnmt., 10:50 a.m.

April 7 – Dec b golf vs. Waukon (Silvercrest), 4 p.m.; Dec g ten vs.

Osage, 4:30 p.m.; Dec b ten at Winona Cotter, 4:30 p.m.; Dec/SW b tr at Decorah, 4:30 p.m.

April 8 – SW golf vs. Clayton Ridge/North Fayette Valley (Fayette), 1 p.m.; Dec g golf at Waukon, 4 p.m.; Dec g ten at Oelwein, 4 p.m.; Dec b ten vs. Independence, 4 p.m.; Dec g tr at Dubuque Senior, 4 p.m.; SW g tr at Jesup, 4:30 p.m.; TV g tr at Postville, 4:30 p.m.; TV b tr at Ed-Co, 4:30 p.m.; Dec b soc at Waverly-Shell Rock, 5 p.m.; Dec g soc vs. Hudson, 6 p.m.

April 10 – Dec b golf host tnmt. (Oneota), 1 p.m.; Dec g golf at Winona Senior, 2 p.m.; SW/TV b tr at Postville, 4:30 p.m.; Dec b tr at Waverly-Shell Rock, 5 p.m.; Dec/SW/TV g tr at Decorah, 5 p.m.; Dec b soc vs. Dubuque Senior, 6:30 p.m.

Bockman on Kirkwood’s NJCAA Division II title team

Clearing the bar at 5 feet, 10 inches earned Peyton Webb the second spot in the field. (Photo by Becky Walz)

Ben Bockman, a 2024 graduate of Decorah High School was a member of the Kirkwood team that recently won the NJCAA Division II men’s basketball championship.

The Eagles were the No. 3 seed in the tournament and knocked off No. 4 Parkland in the final game, 55-54, to win the fourth national title in program history. The Eagles finished the season with a 33-3 overall record.

Bockman, a two-time all-state honoree in Ben Bockman high school, contributed to the Eagles’ success, playing in 28 games, averaging 6.3 minutes a game, putting up 98 total points as he hit 45.9 percent from behind the arc (28-61) and was 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. The former Viking also tallied 20 total rebounds, nine steals and five assists.

Weather cancellation The South Winn and Turkey Valley boys and girls track teams were to compete at the Sumner-Fredericksburg Frost Bite Open Tuesday; however, the prediction of strong storms in the area and low temperatures, forced the meet to be cancelled and the event will not be rescheduled.

Live Healthy Iowa Kids track meet May 20 in Decorah

Lillian Olson (left) took the baton from Olivia Volkmann and anchored the Vikes’ 4x800 relay to victory. Other members of the relay were Raelyn Newhouse and Eva Hurley. (Photo

by Becky Walz)

Girls results High jump – 1. Renae Wilson 5’2”; 5. Brylee Hanson 4’4” Long jump – 8. Camryn Elster 14’3.5”; 9. Ava Holthaus 14’1”; 10.

Jerikah Dodd 13’11.5” Shot put – 5. Lauren Luzum 34’8.25”; 6. Grace Tangen 34’5.75”; 8. Margaret Hahn 31’5.5”; 12. Kate Pattison 29’10.25”; 15. Liz Bucksa 28’4.5” 55m – 1. Audrey Essa 7.49; 4.

Cassandra Stammeyer 7.74; 12.

Natalie Goodner 8.27; 19. Jayden Lundtvedt 8.53; 24. Emily Myers 8.70; 26. Eden Scheidel 8.76; 26.

Jenna Leuenberger 8.76; 29. Ava Steine 8.83; 32. Poppy Bellrichard 8.93 200m – 1. Essa 26.69; 12.

Kennady Riehle 31.70; 14.

Leuenberger 31.91; 15. Brylee Hanson 32.05; 17. Willow Blair 32.53 400m – 3. Jerikah Dodd 1:09.15; 5. Addison Quandahl 1:12.49; 6. Brinlee Courtney 1:13.46; 10.

Bellrichard 1:19.77 800m – 1. Raelyn Newhouse 2:38.77; 4. Natalie Stevens 2:53.04; 6. Lillian Dahlen 3:09.63 1500m – 2. Lily Sandhorst 5:28.05; 3. Riley Christopher 5:38.29; 6. Olivia Rissman 5:51.63 3000m – 2. Brinlee Courtney 12:39.33; 3. Natalie Stevens 12:46.86; 5. Grace Blikre 13:16.24 55m hurdles – 1. Renae Wilson 8.80; 4. Kelby Kerndt 9.93; 7.

Kennady Riehle 10.10; 8. Addisyn Ivy 10.29; 16. Camryn Elster 10.58; 17. Harlie Larson 10.67; 19. Eden Scheidel 10.83; 26. Lyla Lovstuen 11.56; 27. Emily Myers 11.69 4x200 – 1. Stella Pole, McKenzie Riley, Stammeyer, Ava Holthaus, 1:51.50; 4. Caylee Malanaphy, Ella Stille, Kerndt, Eden Northup, 1:56.32; 8. Elster, Lovstuen, Laylah Schissel, Larson, 2:02.43 4x400 – 1. Riley, Essa, Pole, Wilson, 4:20.08; 4. Northup, Hurley, Lillian Olson, Olivia Volkmann, 4:37.62 4x800 – 1. Raelyn Newhouse, Eva Hurley, Olivia Volkmann, Lillian Olson, 10:31.99; 4. Simone Downing, Camryn Quandahl, Lauren Holthaus, Taya Snitker, 11:49.83 Distance medley – 4. Stille, Ivy, Goodner, Lauren Holthaus, 5:01.19; 5. Lundtvedt, Malanaphy, Rachel Spilde-Maki, Downing, 5:05.55; 6.

Blair, Hanson, Deborah Hougen, Christopher, 5:006.26

Iowa boat registrations expire April 30

Iowans will register more than 220,000 boats before April 30, when current boat registrations expire. Boat registrations are good for three years. Registration fees support boater education and safety, water trails, navigation enforcement and aquatic invasive species.

Boat owners may bring their current registration to any Iowa county recorder’s office when they renew. Nonresidents who register their boat in Iowa must go to the county where the boat is primarily used.

Owners who are registering a boat they purchased from a private seller in their own name should bring the signed registration. Make sure the title is signed over, if applicable.

Only boats displaying a current registration decal are allowed to operate on Iowa waters.

Learn more about how to register a boat on the DNR website at iowadnr.gov/things-do/boating/registration.

Lenten Special

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18’6.5”; 15. Kellen O’Gara 15’8”; 16.

Lucas Wymer 15’0” Shot put – 1. William Hahn 50’1.25”; 2. Luke Franzen 46’2.75”; 7. Cash Riehle 38’11.5”; 13. Mason Vote 37’7.5”; 15. Thatcher Brown 37’5.75” 55m – 7. Davis Walter 6.99; 8.

Dakota VanGundy 7.03; 9. Trevor Kuennen 7.09; 17. Griffin Brauer 7.22; 23. Carson Bohner 7.51; 23.

Kaden Tarwater 7.51; 26. Owen Larson 7.61; 27. Drake Phillips 7.62; 28. Lucas Wymer 7.94 200m – 4. Grant Remington 24.46; 8. Max Grimstad 25.28; 16.

Kellen O’Gara 27.24 400m – 1. Walter 55.12; 2. Ray Hayek 56.51; 4. Parker Low 57.82 800m – 2. Thomas Hammel 2:03.05; 4. Bill Fullhart 2:03.84; 5.

Grant Zilka 2:04.13; 6. Landyn Hook 2:20.05 1600m – 1. Garrett See 4:40.25; 2. Grant Zilka 4:40.84; 4. Landyn Hook 5:04.86 3200m – 1. Davis Coppola 10:29.41; 2.

D’Mitry Lesser 10:30.21; 4. Esteban Fernandez 11:52.88 55m hurdles (36”) – 1. Ashton Saltou 8.63; 9. Brayden Miculinich 9.55; 12. Kyan Oftedahl 10.08; 13.

Thomas Davis 10.23 55m hurdles (39”) – 1. Josh Adam 8.03; 3. Carter Riley 9.64 4x200 – 1. Landon Quandahl, Adam, Saltou, Webb, 1:34.62; 5.

Gavin Knutson, Mason Avila, Archer Sims, Jace Buddenberg, 1:39.91; 8. Phillips, Tarwater, Miculinich, Larson, 1:43.80 4x400 – 1. Quandahl, Avila, Grimstad, Trevor Kuennen, 3:37.62; 4. Kyle Pattison, Ray Hayek, Riley, Zander McConnell, 3:52.40 4x800 – 1. Mitchell Stemper, Bill Fullhart, Clarence Nimrod, Thomas Hammel, 8:45.27; 4. Camden Kerner, Dylan Brincks, Gavin Wilkins, Weston Cote, 11:00.12 Distance medley – 1.

Remington, Kyle Pattison, Stemper, See, 3:47.42; 3. Buddenberg, Knutson, Sims, Nimrod, 4:11.93

The Live Healthy Iowa Kids track meet is a free event which will be held Tuesday, May 20, 4:30 p.m., at the Decorah High School Track. Preregistration is strongly encouraged, but late registration will be taken beginning at 4 p.m. near the track entrance on the day of the event. Online registration opens Monday, April 7 at app.racereach.com/campaign/px_MRrBRXxwJhig1742821924305426436 The only participation restriction is age, and participants should list their age as of Dec. 31, 2025.

Categories are as follows: Born in 2017-2018 (7 & 8 y/o); Born in 2015-2016 (9 & 10 y/o); Born in 2013-2014 (11&12 y/o); Born in 2011-2012 (13 & 14 y/o); 6 and unders can participate, but do not attend the state meet.

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Grant Zilka (1) leads fellow Vikings Garrett See (2) and Landyn Hook (5) down the back stretch in the 1600-meter run at the NEIC indoor meet. (Photo by Becky Walz)

More photos of the Decorah athletes from the indoor NEIC meet can be found online with the story at www.decorahleader.com

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