Thursday, July 25, 2024
Vol. 159, Issue 30 www.decorahnewspapers.com
Decorah, Iowa 52101 email: news@decorahnewspapers.com
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2024 Nordic Fest to be packed with food, fun and traditions to plan the event — this year, the annual festival is embracing the theme “Uff Da!” “Uff Da” is a common American Scandinavian phrase and is uttered frequently by Deocrah locals. The duo-syllabic idiom is similar to the English exclamation “ah” or “oh” and is sometimes translated as “Oh, for gosh sakes.”
BY ROZ WEIS STAFF WRITER
A blend of Scandinavian foods, dancing, entertainment and fun for all ages is expected to make for a winning combination at the 2024 Nordic Fest opening Thursday, July 25 in Decorah. Each year since 1967, more than 10,000 visitors flock to Decorah during the last full weekend of July to embrace all things Scandinavian during Nordic Fest. The Nordic Fest Board of Directors has geared up for the celebration, meeting regularly throughout the past year
The 2024 Nordic Fest Board is a group of area volunteers whom organizers say love bringing the annual event to community members and the thousands of visitors who join in the local celebration of all things Scandinavian. Pictured, l-r, front- Sam Boeke, Christopher Miculinich, Martha Griesheimer, Brian Solberg. Middle- Linda Wolfs, Ivy Riggs, Marcie Dodd, Ariana Cervantes, Chris Hicks, Andi Hemesath, Dave Anderson. Back- Alyssa Ritter, Chivonne Marlow, Steve Wilke, Sarah Brandt, Nathan Todd and Jessica Rilling. (Photo courtesy Chip Peterson)
Planning and Zoning Commission votes 4-2 against Ridgeway biodigester project Supervisors schedule public hearing for Aug. 5 BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER The Winneshiek County Planning and Zoning Commission voted July 16 against a rezoning request for a proposed biodigester near Ridgeway. Novilla Renewable Natural Gas submitted the application, and the proposed facility woudl be located on land owned by Craig Bohr and Deb Storlie — specifically, the area near the intersection of 275th Street and Iowa Highway 9. In the split vote, commission members Mary Hoffman and Donna Rasmussen voted to support the company’s rezoning request to change the land’s use
from A-1 agricultural to M-2 industrial, while Commission Chair Wendy Stevens, John Berlage, Melissa O’Rourke and DJ Friest voted against it. Commissioner Dave Meyer was absent. The matter now moves to the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors for further approval — the board of supervisors has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed biodigester for 10:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 5 in the courthouse annex. The primary complaint of the naysayers was that the planning and zoning commission members weren’t given enough time to research the proposal. The county’s zoning ordinance states “a decision must be made
within 30 days of the application date or be automatically approved,” according to the minutes from the July 16 meeting. The application for rezoning was made on June 19, and a public hearing on the issue was held July 9, during the Planning and Zoning Commission’s next regular meeting. Discussion on the project lasted nearly three hours that night, and the decision was tabled until the special July 16 meeting. The commission “decided it couldn’t wait to take action,” the meeting’s minutes said. The commission was instructed by Planning and Zoning Administrator Tony Phillips to not discuss the project with anyone
between the public hearing and the decision date, saying by law the commission’s decision needed to be based on information presented during the July 9 public hearing and any research the individual commission members may have conducted independently. However, Novilla co-CEO Mark Hill felt some of the reasons commission members gave for voting against the project contradicted information shared during the public hearing, and he felt some concerns seemed be misplaced. “The purpose of rezoning
Biodigester vote continued on page 5
Fest organizers Seasoned fest-goers and first-timers alike will notice scores of events at this year’s Nordic Fest while browsing the official program. Organizers say the various happenings in this year’s lineup showcase Decorah’s dedication to its Scandinavian heritage. Thursday’s opening ceremonies will feature the parade of flags, the singing of the Norwegian National Anthem “Ja, vi elsker dette landet” — or “Yes, we love this country” —
Nordic Fest
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Luther announces staff cuts as part of strategic plan for the future BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR Officials with Luther College say some staff changes are on the near horizon as part of a multi-year strategic plan aimed at ensuring the Decorah institution is able to meet the needs of the next generation. Luther College President Jenifer Ward said in a July 16 statement that some staff would be added to the college, others would be changed or consolidated and what she called a limited number of others would be eliminated. Luther employs approximately 460 staff members, and last week’s announcement said the college plans to eliminate eight non-instructive positions
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— less than 3 percent of the 271 Luther employees who fall into that category. The college also plans to eliminate 20 positions which are currently unfilled. The changes are part of Luther’s Strategic Framework for 20232025 and will take affect Aug. 1. “The strategic staffing plan will help ensure that Luther College continues to fulfill its mission and strategic objectives, build on recent momentum, better meet the needs of a new generation of students and go forward with a renewed focus on financial sustainability,” Ward said.
Luther cuts continued on page 10
Former Iowa National Guard medical unit trains near Pulpit Rock Decorah BY SETH BOYES Some specifics changed as the weeks and months passed, but NEWS EDITOR woman pleads Decorah was eventually selected as the location for this year’s The distinct profi les of milnot guilty training. He and Hickenbottom itary trucks and the dozens arrived on site the previous day of uniformed National Guard sexually and worked out the final details members milling about near of the training event — Deroy Pulpit Rock were enough to abusing teen draw some concern from passsaid Decorah’s hills and bluffs BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR A former Decorah resident pleaded not guilty this week after being accused of sexually abusing a teen earlier this year. Courtney Rae Turner was charged with two counts of third-degree Courtney Rae sexual abuse Turner in mid-January. The 30-year-old is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy — identified
Abuse continued on page 10
ersby Monday morning. But, despite the energetic shouts echoing from the hillsides, the situation was a simulated one. Iowa’s 294th Medical Company Area Support unit from the city of Washington was conducting a training exercise near the local landmark. Staff Sgt. Matthew Hickenbottom said the 294th’s main goal that morning was learning to properly move a patient. He explained the terrain in the Washington area — about 140-miles south of Decorah — is relatively flat, making such training relatively easy. He said officials wanted to train the 294th in areas without much even footing — like that found in Decorah. “When you’re on a steep incline or decline that’s unsteady with rocky terrain, and when you can’t have four people on
Members of Iowa’s 294th Medical Company Area Support unit lugged a simulated patient across the grass and toward a hypothetical exit point within Decorah’s Will Baker Park near Pulpit Rock. The National Guard unit made the trip to Decorah to train among the area’s hills and bluffs. (Photo by Seth Boyes) it based on the narrowness of the trail — and now, instead of moving 10 feet, it’s 100 meters — that has a real-world application when things get real and difficult,” Hickenbottom said.
“Our goal is to simulate adverse conditions as much as possible so that, if you’re not in adverse conditions, it’s that much easier — or if you are in adverse conditions, you’re more prepared
for it.” The unit takes part in training events each year, and First Lt. Ethan Deroy said he and others began planning Monday’s exercise approximately a year ago.
were the perfect terrain for the exercise. A total of more than 50 members of the 294th were divided into eight teams, each of them using a litter — a piece of equipment similar to a stretcher — to transport a medical dummy along the winding trails in Will Baker Park near Pulpit Rock. They then transferred the mock patient to a sked — a flexible and durable piece of equipment which can be used to drag a patient along the ground. They were then tasked with sliding the secured mannequin down the steep hillside — one which locals often use for wintertime sledding, and which the 294th dubbed the “skedding hill” — before pulling the combined weight of the sked and the
Guard training
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