July 17, 2025

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‘MY STORY IS NOT UNIQUE’ Luther grad sees unexpected loss of visa as opportunity to shine light on others’ struggles

Iowa Attorney General’s visit to Decorah sparks protest

Republicans and Democrats show support for Winneshiek County Sheriff

BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was greeted with protest signs and boos Monday morning in Decorah, as she stopped to tour a local business.

Bird filed a legal case earlier this year against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx after Bird received a complaint from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds regarding a social media post the sheriff authored on Feb. 4, in response to local concerns over poten-

tial immigration enforcement actions. The sheriff’s statement was posted to his office’s Facebook page and submitted to area news outlets for publication. The sheriff said in his statement that he views the use of non-judicially vetted detainers by agencies like the FBI or Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a violation of citizens’ rights under the Fourth and Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Bird’s office contends Marx’s statement is at odds with a portion of Iowa Code which prohibits state employees

TOP- Area residents clustered on the north side of Prosperity Road Monday morning to inform Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird that, when it comes to her lawsuit against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx, enough is enough. BOTTOM- Protesters lined a stretch of Prosperity Road between Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. and Xpedition Archery and booed Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird as she passed. (Photos by Zach Jensen)

AG Bird’s visit

Recent Luther College grad Jaraad Ahmed worked in a lab on campus during the summer of 2024. (Photo submitted)

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR The air was hot and heavy as former Luther student Jaraad Ahmed exited an airport in April this year. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation, he said.

It was one he knew to expect in his home country of Bangladesh. Days earlier, he’d been informed by officials at Luther College – not by the U.S. government – that his status within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System – or SEVIS – had been revoked.

The news came less than two

months before he planned to cross the stage during Luther’s 2025 commencement ceremony. But, as best Ahmed could tell, he only had about 15 days before his student visa would be rendered invalid.

He chose to leave the country within a matter of days.

“Being in community is so strong, and it takes work,” Ahmed said. “Communities are inviting. That’s what a community is, but the ability to put yourself out there and do better for your community is why that status change had me so heartbroken, because I had put my effort – my being – into the people around me. It was because I

cared for these people.”

Officials at Luther College confirmed Ahmed was ultimately able to graduate on time in May – though not in person – and staff at the college feel the community lost one of its best young figures the day Ahmed boarded that April flight and left for Bangladesh.

Learning to be a leader Ahmed completed what he called the equivalent of high school at the Waterford Kamhlaba United World College

Visit us online - www.decorahnewspapers.com continued on page 5

Ahmed continued on page 14

Deputy’s best friend

K-9 deputy McCoy to retire from sheriff’s office after 9.5 years of service

BY ZACH JENSEN STAFF WRITER A key deputy with the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is retiring this month. K-9 deputy McCoy has been active with the sheriff’s office for 9.5 years, and Chief Deputy Steve Nesvik, the dog’s handler, said he will miss working with his four-legged partner.

“Working together as a team has been a very rewarding experience,” Nesvik said. “McCoy was like a human partner.

McCoy came to work with me, we played, trained and worked together — constantly learning from one another.”

McCoy’s predecessor, K-9 deputy Ricky, passed away in November of 2015, after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Hearing that news, 89-year-old Waterloo resident Betty McCoy, whom the sheriff’s office said had no ties to Winneshiek County, covered the county’s cost of purchasing a new K-9 officer. Betty McCoy died in 2016. The county’s new K-9

deputy was named “McCoy” in honor of the generous donation, the sheriff’s office said.

K-9 deputy McCoy, a Belgian Malinois, was born on May 24, 2014, in the Slovak Republic — after which he was transferred to a training facility in Arkansas before

McCoy continued on page 5

“Great rates got us the car.”

“Great service keeps us coming back.”

ABOVE- Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Steve Nesvik with his partner, K-9 deputy McCoy. (Photo submitted) Deputy McCoy, an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois, is retiring this month after serving the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office as Chief Deputy Steve Nesvik’s K-9 partner for the last 9.5 years. (Photo submitted)

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Riders of all ages rode into the horse arena Saturday morning during the Ted Schrandt Memorial Open 4D Barrel Races.

Thrill seekers young and old strapped in and took a spin on the various carnival rides at the Winneshiek County Fair.

Jordan Sims was among the multiple award winners during the swine show.

Members of the Universal PRCA Rodeo stood watchful near the sturdy chutes as riders prepared for the next event the evening of July 9.

Dick Horne, longtime 4-H and FFA supporter, has been judging the pee wee dairy show for decades.

Young competitors strained as they pedaled a miniature tractor during the Kid's Pedal Pull.

Riders held on tightly as horses bucked and kicked during the July 9 rodeo.

Haylee Dahl describes her rabbit.

Tires kicked up dirt and dust as racers roared through the curves of the dirt track July 8.

Calf wrestling competitors leaped from their horses to see who could wrangle a calf to the ground the fastest.

Young exhibitors gave some affection to their animals ahead of the pee wee dairy show during this year’s fair.

Riders momentarily hung upside-down while enjoying the rides along the midway at the Winneshiek County Fair.

Jace Tollefsrud of Decorah led his cow along the path outside the show barn during the livestock auction.

NEWS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

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County fair recognizes supporters, distinguished service honorees The Iowa Department of Transportation plans to reconstruct a portion of Highway 9 in Decorah in early 2026, with work slated to begin near where the highway intersects with Park Street. City officials hope to work in tandem with the DOT to create a pedestrian path between that intersection and Short Street. (Photo by Denise Lana)

COMPILED BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR Officials with the Winneshiek County Fair gave special recognition this year to a number of individuals and organizations which have supported the annual fair.

Ridgeway Feed and Lumber, Viking State Bank and Structural Contractor Integrated — often known as SCI — were named as Friends of the Fair during a ceremony on Tuesday, July 8 in the grandstand.

Fair officials also posthumously named former Winneshiek County Fair Board President Andrew Bakke as a recipient of the fair’s Distinguished Service Award. Bakke, at age 9, became one of the first 4-H participants in Winneshiek County — the organization has now had a local presence for 100 years. He was also the first from Winneshiek County to hold a state-level 4-H office, and he was one of four individuals during that time who were selected to attend a congressional hearing in Washington D.C. on a proposed bill related to additional funding for 4-H activities.

The fair also recognized Jeanett Hansen with a Distinguished Service Award that Tuesday. Organizers said Hansen, herself a former member of the Hesper Helpers 4-H Club, led horse workshops during her junior and senior high days before becoming horse superintendent after graduation in 1974. She returned to that role in 2011, following her own

Highway 9 repaving project may Winneshiek County Fair Board President Mark Steffens (right) congratulated Steve and Donella Darrington as he include construction of pedestrian trail presented them with the fair’s Distinguished Service Award.

(Photo by Seth Boyes)

Gary Sacquitne (left) with the Winneshiek County Fair congratulates Jeanette Hansen (right) after announcing her as a recipient of the fair’s Distinguished Service Award. (Photo

by Seth Boyes) daughter’s graduation, and she continues to serve as horse superintendent and, according to fair organizers. Officials noted she also serves as 4-H Horse Project Coordinator, holding a practice session every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning between mid-May and the fair.

Ron Hemesath accepted the distinguished service award at the Winneshiek County Fair from Donella Darrington. Ron is pictured with his wife Brandi during the presentation Thursday at the swine show arena. (Photo by Roz Weis)

Steve and Donella Darrington were also recipients of the Distinguished Service Award that day. The couple began leading the Hesper Helpers in 1990 and they continue to be involved in club activities 35 years later.

Donella served as youth coordinator with the Iowa State University Extension Office for 18 years, and continued to act as a 4-H Office assistant after retiring in 2010. The couple has also given 20 years of service to the Iowa State Fair, according to Winneshiek County Fair officials, and they also helped establish an endowment fund for the county fair in 2004.

Ron Hemesath was recognized on Thursday, July 10 as this year’s final recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

Fair officials said Hemesath served on the fair board for more than 20 years, several as its president. He and other members of the Winneshiek County Pork Producers have consistently grilled pork chops during both the fair and Decorah’s annual Nordic Fest. He has contributed thousands of hours to the fair doing physical labor in preparation for the fair as well as tearing down afterward. Fair officials said Hemesath was instrumental in the effort to build a new stage and grand stand for fair events, which opened the door to larger musical events during the fair.

Representatives from Ridgeway Feed and Lumber, Viking State Bank and SCI were on hand in the grandstand at the Winneshiek County Fair on July 8 as their organizations were named Friends of the Fair. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

BY DENISE LANA STAFF WRITER The city of Decorah is working on plans for a future sidewalk meant to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety along Highway 9. The path would start near the northwest corner of the highway’s intersection with Short Street and extend west toward the intersection of Highway 9 and Park Street — near two local hotels.

“Right now, there are a lot of people who walk from the hotels to the restaurants. A lot of the time, it’s at night after they arrive at their hotel and are hungry,” Decorah City Engineer John Hjelle said during a July 7 city council meeting. “They have to walk on the side of the road to reach those amenities.”

Hjelle explained the Iowa Department of Transportation will be conducting a full reconstruction of Highway 9 in early 2026. The DOT’s current plan includes improving the clearance under the Pleasant Valley Bridge, an IDOT official said earlier this year. The highway was originally built to design standards, and the height restriction wasn’t an issue in years past, but the highway was resurfaced several times over the years, resulting in a shorter clearance height. Information from previously released by the DOT noted portions of the rock bluffs along the highway may need to be blasted to accommodate future trail extension.

Work on the project is expected to take place between the Park Street intersection and the section of the Trout Run Trail which passes over the

highway. The reconstruction is then to extend past the Pleasant Valley Drive overpass — about a mile to the east.

Hjelle and Decorah City Manager Travis Goedken indicated it may be ideal for the city to work in tandem with the IDOT in order to create a pedestrian and cycling path between the hotels and businesses near the Short Street intersection.

“This is the city’s opportunity to piggyback on IDOT’s project and create a space for a non-motorized connection between Short and Park Streets,” said Hjelle. “I’ve spoken with IDOT about the possibility of bridging financial cost over two years.

This project should cost between $50,000 and $500,000.”

Several members of the Decorah City Council requested the Iowa DOT be petitioned to cover some of the cost. Council member Steven Zittergruen expressed disappointment the Iowa DOT had not originally considered safety improvements, like a pedestrian path, as part of the project’s designs, but he believes everyone will be in favor of the project, adding that the sharing of costs seems appropriate for a project which would potentially benefit many people — not just Decorah residents.

Hjelle also shared concerns about the future design of the Park Street intersection. A traffic signal had considered for the intersection during early discussions, he said, but the idea was shot down. Hjelle emphasized the fact that there are also no dedicated turn lanes in the DOT’s current plans for that stretch of Highway 9 near the

hotels.

“We do not want another issue like we have at Gundersen Clinic, where there is half a turn lane,” Hjelle said.

Council member Emily Neal suggested the public be encouraged to convey their concerns about the turn lanes and pedestrian safety to the DOT, saying the council itself could also apply proverbial pressure. Hjelle said he himself has reached out to the DOT, and he expressed support for area residents to do the same.

“They are aware of my concerns surrounding the Park and Short Street intersections, and I am not looking to muddy their timeline for design and construction,” Hjelle said. “They’ve got a good set of plans for the highway transportation, and I am sure that is their primary goal.”

Hjelle reassured Neal the DOT’s plan included roads with appropriate widths, adding the IDOT is “good at designing those things, and they are well versed in rights of ways and how much change they can do.”

“The IDOT might be good at designing highways, but I don’t think they are good at designing bike paths,” Zittergruen said. “I would like there to be some sort of barrier between the trail users and the highway-I want trail users to not be nervous about fast cars zooming by 20 feet away.”

Bidletting for the Iowa DOT project is slated for January of 2026, with construction starting soon afterward. Although Highway 9 will remain open during the reconstruction, Hjelle said traffic will be limited to two lanes.

Academic Achievements U of I announces spring semester president’s list

More than 1,250 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the president’s list for the 2025 spring semester. Among the honorees were Kendra Bigler of Decorah, Shaun Klimesh of Calmar and Brynn Storhoff of Decorah.

Hawkeye Community College announces spring 2025 Dean’s List

Hawkeye Community College announces the Dean’s List for the spring 2025 semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, an individual must be a full-time student and successfully complete 12 or more credits in the fall or spring semesters with a semester GPA of 3.50 or better. Among the recent honorees were: Cresco — Travis Brace, Shelby Burnikel, Zane Wemark Decorah — Tyler Dintaman, Avery Shelton, Jaden Weis Fort Atkinson — Alison Leibold Ridgeway — Breanna Dvorak Waukon — Sean Bieber, Isaac Cooper, Tanner Marting, Lainey Sweeney

UNI announces spring Dean’s List

The University of Northern Iowa recently announced the students named to the spring 2025 Dean’s List. Among the honorees were: Calmar — Eryn Luzum, CiAnne Robinson Cresco — Ashley Reicks Decorah — Hailey Bohr, Jorja Folkedahl, Landan Folkedahl, Lydia Frank, Grace Gerleman, John Hammel, Lexie Hauber, Dawson Holkesvik

Meyer among MCC’s spring graduates

Marshalltown Community College recently announced Cody Meyer of Calmar was among the students who became alumni during the college’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16. The college said Meyer earned certification in power line advanced skills training and power line basics as well as a diploma as a utility technician.

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OPINION

4 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Of quilts and community Turns out July’s a pretty good time of year to learn about Decorah, especially if you’re in the news business.

You’ve got the county fair — the food, the fun, the livestock, the live shows, the competitions and the community. Then, in pretty short order, you’ve got Nordic Fest — short of the livestock, it reflects the community in many of those same ways. But there are momentary and unexpected gems that occur during both of those staple celebrations that sometimes convey this community’s spirit more than anything that can be listed on a schedule or a flier.

We’re just coming off of fair week as I write this column, so forgive me while I set Nordic Fest by the wayside for a moment (trust me, our staff will be picking it right back up in no time, and you’ll want to brace yourself for a little extra heft in the July 24 edition).

The thing about fairs and festivals — even local ones — is that, no matter how many times you go, there always seems to be aspects you’ve yet to explore. I readily admit I’ve only got one full calendar year of Decorah experiences under my belt at this point, but I’m willing to bet the concept largely holds true across the board.

So, this being my second year helping cover the Winneshiek County Fair, I decided to make good on a suggestion and stop by the livestock auction Saturday morning.

But no one told me about the quilts.

Don’t get me wrong. It was wonderful. So much so that I really haven’t stopped thinking about it since Saturday.

Now, I’m not a quilter. Far

from it. The closest I came was probably when I was part of a

BY SETH small gaggle of children who BOYES used to tear through the church News Editor basement as part of a circuit through the building, and we would duck as we zipped under seems to have become comthe fabric the local quilters had mon in this community. What’s stretched across several frames more, I couldn’t help but notice — we earned some stern words that the auctioneers largely for that once or twice as I recall. knew each bidder or at least the All that to say, I’m not quali- business on whose behalf the fied to comment on the craft or bids were being cast. technique exemplified by any And here’s the important quilter. part — I don’t think those two But I think I’m at least a little things are unrelated. more qualified to comment on A community can’t become the expression of community generous and supportive withsupport I saw skitter around the out its people knowing one show barn Saturday morning at another. And perhaps it’s also the fairgrounds. I might have true that people in a commuknown better if I’d attended the nity can’t truly know one othauction last year, but as it was, er without being generous and I was surprised to hear the auc- supportive. tioneers call out that the bidder I suppose that could be just who won the first quilt had de- one of those Midwest values cided to auction it off again — that is generally accepted but and I was a bit stunned as the often unsaid. Yet, sometimes auctioneer didn’t miss a beat in the unspoken things need to be rattling off numbers while folks voiced — and sometimes that’s in the stands cast a whole new best accomplished through acround of bids. And once again, tion more than literal words. the winner put the quilt up for I’d say those sorts of values bid again. And again. were expressed this past week I’m going to be honest. Since by voices in a barn. They were my self-imposed assignment voiced through an auctioneer’s that morning was to take photos microphone. They were voiced rather than notes, I lost count with every whoop and holler of how many times the quilts that followed a bidder’s raised were auctioned off, and I can’t hand. tell you how much they sold for Like I said, July’s a pretty — though by my estimation, I’d good time of year to learn about say it’s safe to say the combined Decorah. winning bids easily added up to a five-digit total.

Agree with Seth? Think he’s What I loved most about see- got it completely backwards or ing this all transpire was the fact he’s missed the point entirely? that I seemed to be the only one Let your voice be heard. Letters in the barn who wasn’t expect- to the editor may be emailed to ing all this to happen. To put it editor@decorahleader.com or another way, that kind of gen- dropped off at 110 Washington erosity and support for the fair St. Suite 4 in Decorah.

Welcome the stranger

own business (and you had to pass a test to get into the seventh-grade country schools).

You were my queen in calico. I was your bashful, barefoot beau, and you wrote on my slate,“I love you, Joe,” when we were a couple of kids.

The “old school days” weren’t perfect but not far from it, and they worked.

Not long after we moved to Decorah in 1982, one of the committees in our new church asked us to help with resettlement of Hmong refugees that had come to our city, sponsored by the church. We were startled but proud to learn that Iowa’s Republican Gov. Robert Ray had been the only governor to respond to President Ford’s plea to help resettle refugees from the war in Southeast Asia.

This work became deeply meaningful to us. As we learned about their culture, sharing food, music and stories of the country they had been forced to leave, we developed close relationships with many of them that continue to this day. Our children were involved in these activities as well, and as adults they credit that experience as being powerfully influential in their lives.

This year, Vesterheim is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the first organized immigration of Norwegians to the United States. They left their homes too and, like so many immigrants, they wanted what we all want — a safe place to make a home, meaningful work and a chance to pursue dreams.

Now in 2025, as we face another refugee crisis, I hope we will follow the example of Bob Ray. I hope we will reject the fear and hate projected by our current national administration. I hope we will welcome the stranger with a “love your neighbor” attitude which so many claim as part of their faith tradition.

John Carver Decorah

Sue and Lyle Otte Decorah

Ol’ school days School days, school days, dear old golden rule days.

Reading and ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, taught to the tune of a hick’ry stick.

The old days had a teacher who could bargain, no laws on what could be discussed in classrooms, no banned books, no AEA concerns. Funding went to the public schools, not the private ones. The DEI hadn’t been invented yet, and no one had heard of gendering.

And the legislature minded its

Echoes of the Past Anglers rejoice over new trout fishing spot

BY ROZ WEIS STAFF WRITER Northeast Iowa has long been a popular trout fishing area, boasting multiple miles of streams and spring-fed fishable waters. Back in 1945, negotiations were ongoing for various locations to provide ample opportunities for trout fishing enthusiasts. It was in the summer of that year that months of negotiations by the Winneshiek County Fish and Game Protective Association paid off.

Hot off the presses came the announcement that options for state purchase were approved on 240 acres along Big Sandy Creek in Pleasant Township.

The area was described by one observer as surpassing the Rocky Mountains for beauty as a trout-fishing site.

Here are a few other headlines from that era:

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YEARS AGO: 1945 Decorah Farmers’ Ice Cave Creamery has the finest butter. It’s the real thing. …The supply of Coca-Cola in Decorah may soon be affected by the further curtailment to the supply of sugar after July 1st due to the manufacturer of the popular drink not compromising with the use of substitutes. …The area manpower director here says that men are needed for urgent work in the Panama Canal Zone. The urgent call is also being issued for men to work in the Pearl Harbor and West Coast navy yards and for others to work in the new Des Moines tire plant. …Mrs. Mamie Gunderson had the misfortune of falling and breaking a bone in her leg the other morning while crossing between the drug store and

Becker Hardware in Ossian. She is now recuperating at her home. … Fred Biermann was elected president of the Winneshiek County Saddle Club at its organizational meeting at the Decorah State Bank the other evening. W.F. Renaas was named first vice president and Cleo Cahill of Ossian is the second vice president. Frank Germann of Decorah is the new treasurer. All persons in the county interested in membership may enroll by sending $2 dues to Germann. Members of the “activities” committee include Melford Woldum, Will Slayback and Helmer Hovden. Trail rides to nearby towns and parks in the county are planned for late summer and fall. A small cinder track in the infield at the fairgrounds may soon be built to train saddle horses and riders. …Fifty champion cowboys and cowgirls, 100 wild horses, 30 Texas longhorn steers and Brahma bulls and much more await audiences at the Adams Rodeo and Thrill Show this month at the fairgrounds in Decorah. The show features Don Smothers in a thrilling 158bus jump over four cars. Thrilling rodeo events are promised as well. Tickets range in price from 50 cents to $1.

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YEARS AGO: 1955 Deputy Sheriff Bob Hitesman has investigated a break-in at a local tavern. Thieves gained entrance through a rear door. Although they were apparently looking for cash, the owner said no money had been left in the cash register overnight. Merchandise stolen included a dozen cigarette lighters, one electric shaver and several cartons of cigarettes. …A 44-minute power failure

was reported throughout Decorah after a storm the other night. …Swimmers of the area are encouraged to follow rules to prevent drowning: never swim alone; wait on hour after meals to swim; don’t swim after vigorous exercise or tiring work; swim close to shore; and don’t venture into deep waters. Small children should only swim in waters under the supervision of trained lifeguards.

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YEARS AGO: 1965 – The Rev. Daniel Hemesath, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Hemesath of near Calmar, was ordained a priest of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America June 12 in Maryknoll, New York. …Back in 1965, two local boys earned the coveted Eagle Scout Award – Scouting’s highest award. Kenneth Munkel and Gregory Schrubbe were the honorees that year. The two young men were juniors at Ossian De Sales High School, and they began scouting as Cub Scouts at the age of 8. The newspaper article back in that era goes on to mention the boys were very active in school and local activities, and that they had attended a Scout Jamboree at Valley Forge. Greg was once the Decorah Newspaper Boy of the Year award winner. …About 1,000 people attended the open house at the new Ossian Senior Hospice. Visitors during the afternoon inspected the progress being made by the workmen. Additional contributions are still needed to complete the new home. …Transportation to the Decorah swimming pool is being offered again this summer for youngsters from southern Winneshiek County. Buses will transport youngsters for about

8 weeks during the summer months. Red Cross swimming lessons will be offered at no charge at the pool this summer. The bus rides are provided courtesy of the town of Ossian and the South Winneshiek Community school district.

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YEARS AGO: 1975 – Keith Ellingson, a 1975 graduate of Decorah High School, had quite a week recently. He won two local golf tournaments. …From the society pages of 1975: Mr. and Mrs. Denton Marsh of Decorah announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Holly Frances Marsh, to Arnold D. Larson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Larson of Decorah. …Floyd Sollien is the new president of the Decorah Rotary Club. …Work is progressing on two new tennis courts in the city.

The courts will be surrounded by a fence. All that is left to do is the surface coating and lines, which should be completed in a couple of weeks. Work on the lighting is in progress and should be completed about the same time as the courts. Tennis players will have to stay off the courts for about a week after the final coating.

40

YEARS AGO: 1985 - Vandals celebrated the July 4 holiday by shooting up some businesses and automobiles in nearby Ossian and Spillville. Investigation continues into the weekend occurrences, which included parked cars being fired on with several rounds from what is believed to be a .22-caliber gun. Big windows at the Citizens’ Savings Bank were shot out and bullet holes were found in the side of

Dunnings Spring This vintage postcard from the newspaper archives is from the road to Dunnings Spring in Decorah. A postmark indicated the year of 1906. a nearby building. …The 1985 Winneshiek County Fair (scheduled in early August) will host a demolition derby. First place winner will be awarded $300 and a trophy.

Contact Fair Secretary Gary Svenson for more information.

30

YEARS AGO: 1995 – The Winneshiek County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Association has new officers. Brett Willey of Castalia is president; Val Boice of Decorah is vice president; Judy Ott of Fort Atkinson is secretary; and Barb Cook of Frankville will serve as treasurer. …The Iowa State Fair Singers and Jazz Band will bring their traveling show to the Winneshiek County Fair this year. The group spends the summer months on the Luther campus, preparing for their shows across Iowa. …The 1995 Winneshiek County Fair Queen is Jennessa Sbiral. Jennifer Casterton was crowned fair princess.

20

YEARS AGO: 2005 – Joyce Nesvik, Elaine Knutson and Linda Schissel were among the prize winners in the best baked chocolate chip cookie contest at the Winneshiek County Fair. …The NICC Child Development Center will soon be accepting infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The center is lo-

cated on the Calmar campus. …The Winneshiek County Supervisors met last week and accepted a low propane bid from Hovey LP Gas for $1.098 per gallon, effective Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006. …The Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band, an elite ensemble of 36 Iowa high school musicians, will bring their show to the area on Friday, July 15. The ensemble is a project of Luther College in Decorah. The group travels across Iowa during the summer months, performing more than 30 shows. Their final performances of the season are at the Iowa State Fair. …The Superb Strawberry Dessert contest at the county fair this year was sponsored

by Dianne’s Hilltop Berries.

Michelle Einck won first place honors and Diane Young took home second place.

10

YEARS AGO: 2015 – Decorah’s Cory Farley, a Nashville musician, was among the headliners at the Winneshiek County Fair recently. …Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity is building its next house in Calmar. Construction will begin this fall. …The 2015 Winneshiek County Fair Queen is Ashley Kurash. Fair Princess this year is Nicole Schmitt.

NEWS/OBITUARIES

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

McCoy continued from front traveling to the North Iowa K-9 facility in Fort Dodge, where he met deputy Nesvik.

The two have been partners since 2016, Nesvik said, and McCoy is specialized in narcotic detection, article/evidence recovery, tracking, apprehension and patrol work.

“McCoy was a dependable partner,” Nesvik said. “We executed a lot of vehicle searches, search warrants, traffic stops and did public events and tracked missing persons and suspects. He also assisted with several drug seizures. He knew his job well and loved doing it. Overall, McCoy was very dependable and a great investigative resource. He also was a great asset to the community.”

McCoy, now 11-years-old, is “a kindhearted but strong and independent patrol dog,” Nesvik said, noting he and McCoy enjoyed many conversations during the countless hours they were together in Nesvik’s patrol car.

“McCoy loved coming to work,” Nesvik said. “He was always exited, and he knew when I got my uniform on that it was time to go to work. A lot of times, he was the first one to squad car.”

Nesvik said, when McCoy isn’t working, he loves attention, playing fetch and watching COPS on TV. “He gets excited — with his ears up and some head tilts — when the K-9 units arrive on scene in those episodes,” Nesvik said.

McCoy will spend his retire-

June 23, 1945 - July 9, 2025

The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office extended a special thanks to everyone who assisted with K-9 deputy McCoy over nearly a decade of service, including the McCoy family, North Iowa K-9, the American Legion Riders, Thorton Feed and Grain, Decorah Veterinary Clinic, Dogs for Law Enforcement, United States Police Canine Association, Code Blue K-9 and numerous businesses, organizations and individuals who have continued to support and donate to the K-9 fund over the years.

Gary L. Leiran, 80, of Waukon and formerly of Frankville and Decorah, died Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon surrounded by family and friends.

Gary Lee Gary Lieran Leiran was born June 23, 1945, in Waukon to Edwin T. and June (Landro) Leiran and graduated from Waukon High School. Growing up, Gary was a pinsetter at the Waukon Bowling Alley.

He helped his dad at the family-owned gas station as well as helped haul milk on his dad’s route. On July 26, 1964, Gary married his high school sweetheart, Caryl Kostman.

They started their life together in Waukon, living in a few

AG Bird’s visit continued from front from discouraging immigration enforcement actions, while Marx’s defense teams argues the sheriff has a right to criticize federal immigration officials, noting the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office has complied with every detainer request it has received from ICE since November of 2018.

Bird initially instructed the sheriff’s office to remove the posted statement and replace it with a statement prepared by Bird’s office. County officials proposed alternative language, which they said Bird’s office did not accept, and Bird is now pursuing a court decision which would withhold state funds from Winneshiek County, as outlined by Iowa law.

A hearing to consider whether the case should be dismissed was previously scheduled to take place Friday, but a request to reschedule the hearing was filed July 8 in order “to allow the parties to continue further discussions to resolve the case,” according to court documents. The hearing is now scheduled for Friday, Sept. 12 in Des Moines.

Bird, who announced her bid for re-election on July 2, took a break from her usual duties on Monday to touch base with officials and businesses in Allamakee, Fayette and Winneshiek counties.

Iowa’s top prosecutor arrived at Xpedition Archery at about 10:15 a.m. Monday for a tour of the business’s facilities. A group of close to 100 people, consisting of both the county’s major political parties, lined the approach to the property that morning, holding signs expressing their displeasure with Bird as her vehicle passed. Decorah Republican Thomas Hansen said members of the local GOP — who gathered on the curb opposite the local Democrats — chose not to boo the AG, adding “the Democrats’ whole idea here is to make Brenna Bird look bad for the election.”

Hansen said he and the Win-

Gary Lieran

Special thanks

ment as a family dog, according to his partner, and he will continue to be spoiled and loved by the Nesvik family.

“It will be different working without McCoy, as he has been my partner for the last 9.5 years,” Nesvik said. “We have been through a lot together over those years. I will miss working with him. However with McCoy being older and having done a great job for the sheriff’s office, we feel that he deserves to enjoy some retirement years.

I can’t name a better best friend than McCoy.” The sheriff’s office won’t be devoid of a K-9 deputy following McCoy’s retirement. Winneshiek County Sheriff’s deputy Logan Hopp will continue to work with K-9 deputy Drago.

neshiek County Republicans attended the protest to show support for Marx and for the United States Constitution.

“We’re hoping to let Brenna Bird know that this has gone on long enough,” Hansen said, referring to the lawsuit. “The only sticking point seems to be whether Dan will sign an apology or not, and I think that’s a very silly issue to stand on. It’s gone on long enough, and it needs to get over with. I think there will be an amicable solution.”

Others who attended Monday’s protest indicated they agreed with Marx’s original criticism of specific immigration enforcement actions.

“I’m here to support Dan Marx and his not-arbitrarily detaining or arresting people of color,” said Decorah Democrat Stephen Nelson. “If ICE brings an official document, he says he’s willing to help with that.

There has to be a warrant for the arrest of the individual. He’s on the right side of the issue. We’re Americans, and we try to do the right thing.”

Mary Marx, the sheriff’s wife, also attended Monday’s protest, saying she and her husband have been moved by the county’s show of support. She shared a message of unity while standing along Prosperity Road Monday morning.

“My purpose here today is to show unified support from the citizens of Winneshiek County and beyond our borders that we support our constitutional rights, and we support Dan’s position on this issue,” she said. “I am deeply thankful for everyone here today and for those who are here in spirit but couldn’t make it. We have been humbled by the support — from both sides of the aisle — that we’ve received from the people of Winneshiek County. This issue has unified us in a way that we never expected.”

The Iowa Attorney General’s office and Xpedition Archery chose not to provide comment for this article.

5

other locations until settling in Decorah and eventually rural Frankville. Gary was a member of the Decorah JayCees and IOOF of Decorah. He spent 16 years with the Decorah Fire Department holding various positions and was also a member of the Frankville Fire Department. His special interests included golfing, bowling, fishing, dancing at sock hops, riding his motorcycle and driving his cars, especially his GTO’s. Gary was always ready for a card game. He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, playing Santa at Christmas time and of course, he enjoyed cooking with a passion and loved making people happy with his cooking.

Gary was a meatcutter at Red Owl in Waukon, on the east coast in Connecticut, Rochester, Minnesota and Iowa City. He was a small business

owner of Decorah Wholesale.

Gary was co-owner/operator of restaurants including The Lunch Box in Waukon, A & W and Family Table Restaurant in Decorah. He was a supervisor at Kwik Star in Lansing and Carlson’s Asphalt Plant. In his later years, he co-owned/ operated The Old Store in Frankville and a small candy route in the northeast Iowa.

More recently, Gary and his special friend Diane (Leiran) Rathbun enjoyed short day-trip car rides, spending time together and eating out at the local restaurants.

Gary is survived by his children: LeAnn (Brian) Carlson of Cedar Rapids, Garre “Marti” (Angela) Leiran of Frankville, Kelli (Steve) McKee of Harpers Ferry, James (Marife) Leiran of Pella, and Amanda (Darryl) Patmon of San Diego, California; 19 grandchildren;

nine great-grandchildren; eight brothers and sisters; and many nieces and nephews.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Caryl; mother and father-in-law; and brothers and sisters-in-law.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 23 at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon with Pastor Cathy Jurgens officiating.

Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery in Waukon. Special urn bearer is great-grandson Trevor Howard. Honorary urn bearers are Gary’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 22 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon.

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

and Cyril farmed in Union Prairie Township in rural Waukon, where they raised beef cattle, hogs, sheep and crops. She loved working on the farm, especially driving tractor, doing the field work, and caring for the animals.

Shirley was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church where she was very active in the ladies’ groups. She was a member of the Red Hat Society and was very active in the neighborhood bible study group. Shirley enjoyed taking care of her yard and working with her plants and flowers. She also enjoyed bowling and belonged to a bowling league. Above all, Shirley loved spending time with her family and pets, cherishing the mo-

ments they spent together.

Survivors include her husband, Cyril of Waukon; daughters: Jackie (Steve Lapham) Larkin of Ridgeway, Judy (Tom) Kemp of Decorah and Dani (Jason) Jones of Mauston, Wisconsin; five grandchildren: Ian (Rachel) Kemp, Jordan (Richard Jones) Kemp, Cyrilla (Chad Lechtenberg) Meyer, Max Kemp and Tashina Meyer; seven great-grandchildren: Adelina Meyer, Lester Erickson IIII, Maci Kemp, Leo Gooder, Cora Lechtenberg, Alayna Kemp and Judelyn Gooder; brother-in-law, Emmett Larkin; and many nieces and nephews.

S he is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Merrill Bev

Gruber; granddaughter, Coletta Meyer; and son-in-law, Albert Meyer.

Funeral services were held Saturday, July 12, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial followed in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Honorary casketbearers were Jordan Kemp, Cyrilla Meyer and Tashina Meyer. Casketbearers were Ian and Max Kemp, Richard Jones, Chad Lechtenberg, Dan Lyons and Kenny Baumler.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

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

Shirley Larkin

Dec. 7, 1935 - July 8, 2025 Shirley Larkin, 89, of Waukon, died Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon.

Shirley Jean Larkin was born Dec. 7, 1935, in Waukon, the daughter of Merrill Henry and Leone Eunice (Ba- Shirley Larkin con) Gruber. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon, attended rural Eells Country School and graduated from Waukon High School in 1954.

On Feb. 27, 1960, she married Cyril Larkin at St. Mary’s Hanover in rural Waukon. Shirley

Warren & Shirley Wise

The family of Warren and Shirley Wise are saddened to announce their passings.

Warren passed away on Dec. 31, 2024, from dementia, and Shirley on April 17, 2025, from pancreatic cancer. Both passed at home.

They both grew up in Decorah and married on Aug. 4, 1956, in Nashaua, at The Little Brown Church. They later relocated to Cedar Rapids where they raised their two sons, Wesley and Wayne. The couple shared 68 years together.

Warren and Shirley are survived by their son, Wes; grand-

daughter, Katie (Tom); and great-grandchildren, Sam and Claire.

They were preceded in death by their son, Wayne in 2009, their parents and other family.

Per their wishes, Warren and Shirley were cremated and will be interred together at Canoe Ridge Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials may be made to American Cancer society or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at iowacremation.com under “Obituaries”.

Warren and Shirley Wise

Service Notices LEONARD KUBOUSHEK, 90, of Spillville, died Saturday, July 12, 2025, at his home surrounded by family. Mass of Christian Burial was held Wednesday, July 16 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Spillville with Rev. Henry Huber presiding. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

ROBERT HENNING, 92 of Ossian, died Friday, July 11, 2025, at Ossian Care Center in Ossian. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 17 at Ossian Lutheran Church, 305 Jessie St., Ossian,

with Pastor David Lenth presiding. Burial will be in Salem UCC Cemetery with full military rites. Visitation was held from 10 a.m. until the time of service MERLIN FALDET, 90, of Decorah, died Friday, July 11, 2025, at Wellington Place in Decorah. Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Canoe Ridge Lutheran Church, 1316 Canoe Ridge Road, Decorah, with Rev. Matthew Rossler presiding. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with full military rites. Visitation will be held from 9-11

a.m. Saturday, July 19 at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E Water St., Decorah, Iowa.

CAROL BLEGEN, 81, of rural Decorah, died Sunday, June 29, 2025, at her home after her courageous battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m.

Monday, July 21 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1638 Big Canoe Road in Decorah with Rev. Randy Kittelson presiding. A private burial will be at the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 2-5 p.m.

Sunday, July 20 at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water St., Decorah.

Law Enforcement Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office Dylan Sweet, age 26, of Decorah turned himself in to authorities at 8:05 a.m. Monday, July 7 at the Winneshiek County Jail, where he was booked on an arrest warrant for violation of pre-trial supervision.

A Dorchester woman was uninjured after a rollover last week north of Decorah. Information from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said 41 year old Amanda Rae Schuttemeier was driving a 2019 Volkswagon Atlas at approximately 10:40 p.m. Thursday, July 10 near the intersection of Quarry Hill Road and Whitetail Road. The vehicle was negotiating a curve to the right and left the roadway before rolling into a steep ditch, according to the sheriff’s report. No injuries were reported. Damage to the Volkswagon was estimated at $15,000.

Shelia Berger, age 55, of Riceville turned herself in to authorities

at 3:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 9 at the Winneshiek County Jail, where she was arrested and booked on a warrant for failure to provide finger prints as ordered.

A young passenger reported a possible head pain following a collision last week in southern Decorah. Information from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said 39-year-old Erin Ann Tieskoetter of Ossian was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse south along Division Street at approximately 4:10 p.m. Saturday, July 12 when a 2018 Ford Explorer driven by 35-year old Ashley Morgan Floy of Decorah failed to yield the right of way and entered the road near the intersection of Centrum Drive. The occupants of the Traverse reported no injuries, as did Floy. A minor female in the Explorer complained of head pain, according to the sheriff’s report, and was transported to the hospital. Floy was cited for failure to yield the right of way. Dam-

age to the Explorer was estimated at $8,000. Damage to the Traverse was estimated at $7,000.

Jordan Adam Gerard Schaller, age 29, of Decorah was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 5:50 p.m. Saturday, July 12 on the charge of operating while intoxicated — first offense. He was booked into the jail again at 3:40 p.m. Monday, July 14 on charges of assault on a peace officer while displaying a firearm, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, assault while participating in a felony and second-degree harassment. Information from the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a home on Ranch Road that afternoon to conduct a welfare check after Schaller allegedly “made concerning comments to a friend.” Law enforcement was initially told the 29-year-old was not at the residence, and “a few moments later, Schaller appeared armed with a 20-gauge shotgun

walking across the lawn towards the deputy,” according to information from the sheriff’s office. The deputy directed Schaller to drop the shotgun, but Schaller “discharged the gun several times into the ground and refused to comply with the deputy’s command.” Additional deputies responded, and a K-9 unit was released, disarming Schaller and bringing the shotgun to deputies. Information from the sheriff’s office said the incident was resolved without injury to any party.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Decorah Police Department, Winneshiek County Emergency Management and the Winneshiek County Attorney’s Office. The case remains under investigation, and additional charges may be pending, according to the sheriff’s office.

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

COMMUNITY

6 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Rokusek to present on Czech astronomical clock during St. Lucas stop

Songwriters attract about 100 during Lawn Chair Night

Two-and-a-half-year-old Vivian Levinson and her mother Heather Levinson of Decorah enjoyed milder weather and music during Lawn Chair Night on July 10 in downtown Decorah.

Thursday’s songwriters attracted the largest crowd for a Lawn Chair Night so far this year, with about 100 people attending. (Photo by Zach Jensen)

Nordic Dancers and Orchestra next on Lawn Chair Night schedule Decorah’s Lawn Chair concert series continues Thursday, July 17, with a performance by the Nordic Dancers and Orchestra at 7 p.m. in front of the Winneshiek County Courthouse.

The downtown streets host musical performances each Thursday night from June through August. Those attending the Thursday night concerts are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair or blanket, pick up some food from nearby eateries and enjoy the weekly entertainment options.

The series continues: July 24: Happy Nordic Fest – live music all weekend (visit nordicfest.com for a full schedule) July 31: Mike Munson at 6 p.m. on Washington Street Aug. 7: Blake Shaw at 6 p.m. on Washington Street Aug. 13: Special performance

by Driftless Wind Ensemble at 7 p.m. on the Vesterheim Museum patio Aug. 14: The Bird Hunters at

by the Cedar River, North America’s only Orloj—a Praguestyle astronomical clock— stands in front of the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library. Unveiled in 2024 for the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library’s 50th

Decorah Mayor signs monarch pledge to support pollinator habitat

File photo 6 p.m. on Washington Street Aug. 21: Jason Walsmith at 6 p.m. on Washington Street Aug. 28: A welcome back to

Kristen Larsen-Schmidt father F.A.Schmidt was one of the founders of Luther College and was also one of the first pastors of Decorah Lutheran — a role later filled by his son Otto Schmidt. His grandfather Orville Schmidt grew up in Decorah.

Larsen-Schmidt attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul and was ordained Aug. 3, 2002. Her first call was to First Lutheran in Mahnomen, Minnesota, located on the White Earth Indian

health beauty D I R EC TO R Y

Photo submitted

Luther College concert featuring Driftless Jazz at 6 p.m. on Washington Street

Decorah’s Mayor Borowski made the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge earlier this summer to support monarch butterfly habitats within the city. Officials said the Decorah Butterfly Garden, Miller Park prairie re-establishment and the Porter House gar-

dens are a few local examples of how Decorah is demonstrating its pledge to conserve monarch habitat. Most recently, the Decorah Butterfly Garden became a habitat registered with Monarch Watch, stating the site provides critical resources for monarchs

Reservation. In 2009, she became an associate pastor at Calvary Lutheran in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with a focus on new member integration, outreach, women’s ministry and strengthening ministry to young families.

In January of 2019, she took a position as chaplain with Hospice of the Red River Valley, working with people of all spiritual affiliations — and those with no affiliation — during the challenging time of COVID. She also fulfilled a role supply preaching.

Larsen-Schmidt most recently served as interim pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Thompson, North Dakota, for 2.5 years.

She and her husband enjoy running, hiking and biking and are delighting in all the trails of the Oneota Valley around Decorah.

This summer, Winneshiek County Conservation hosted second grade teacher Brenna Ramstad through the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program. Ramstad currently teaches in the South Winneshiek Community School District at the elementary and middle school in Ossian.

The Iowa STEM Externships Program employs educators to work alongside other professionals in the STEM field. The program allows teachers to see STEM used in other industries and to build partnerships with organizations outside the school building. Teachers then bring their real-world summer experiences into the classroom to show students how the skills they learn in school are essential to their future careers.

Ramstad worked alongside Winneshiek County Conservation Board staff to support environmental education for area

Photo submitted youth. She created active and passive programs for the public to participate in at various parks and events. The majority of this experience was done through nature-based Discovery Camps

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throughout their annual life cycle. Learn more about Decorah’s efforts to support, create and educate monarch habitats through the National Wildlife Federation, at mayorsmonarchportal.nwf.org/Signatories.

County conservation hosts Ramstad during STEM teacher externship

Peace of Mind

305 Montgomery Street, Decorah

anniversary, the clocktower is modeled after the Prague astronomical clock built in 1410.

The renovated clock tower includes an astrolabe with both astronomical and timekeeping functions. All components were manufactured out of steel by the SPEL Company in Prague, and the symbols are gilded with 24-karat gold.

The tower houses 12 figurines sculpted by Andrej Harsany of Bratislava, Slovakia. Each is approximately 4 feet tall and is positioned on two carousels.

Every hour, the figures rotate in sync with music written

by Czech composers Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana.

The figurines represent various immigrant stories, including figures such as a farmer, coal miner and meatpacker, symbolizing groups which settled in Cedar Rapids from Czechia, Slovakia, Moravia and other regions.

Photo submitted

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church welcomes Larsen-Schmidt

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Decorah recently welcomed Pastor Kristen Larsen-Schmidt, who was installed as pastor at Good Shepherd on Sunday, June 22. She and her husband Brian, an elementary teacher, daughter Gracia, a 2025 graduate from St. Olaf College, and son Micah, who will be a sophomore at St. Olaf College this fall, recently moved to Decorah.

Larsen-Schmidt received her undergraduate degree from Luther College, majoring in English and philosophy. She spent a year with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, serving as activity coordinator with previously unsheltered adults in inner-city Chicago, where she met her husband, who was also serving in LVC. They married a year later in 1997.

Brian Larsen-Schmidt also has ties to the Decorah community. His great, great, grand-

Cecelia Rokusek, CEO of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, will give a presentation on the Czech Astronomical Clock and Tower, which is located in Cedar Rapids, from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 at the German American Museum in St. Lucas.

Rokusek was instrumental in the renovation of the clock tower and the installation of the new astronomical clock. She will be accompanied by Robert Petrik, former board member of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. This event is jointly sponsored by the Czech Heritage Partnership of Protivin and the German American Museum of St. Lucas. Ken Zajicek, president of the Czech Heritage Partnership will introduce the speaker. The presentation will be followed by refreshments and pastries as well as discussions.

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for students in grades one through nine. Organizers said Ramstad regularly used collaboration, communication and creativity along with technology and learning standards to make these lessons and activities successful. Winneshiek County Conservation programs, including those Ramstad developed this summer, are offered to all local educators for free at winneshiekwild.com/resources.

Organizers expect the programs and relationships built over the summer will help Ramstad bring more hands-on education to her second grade classroom starting in the 20252026 school year. Her students will pilot a unit connecting the current science standards to reducing environmental impacts with Iowa-based content.

For more information about the Iowa STEM Externships Program visit educate.iowa. gov/iowa-stem/stem-teacher-externships.

PHOTOS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

7

Henry Willey of Ossian checked his card one last time as he prepared to lead his animal into the show barn during the livestock auction Saturday morning at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

Quilters unite for annual outdoor show Quilt enthusiasts proudly displayed their prize quilts on July 10 during the sixth annual “Airing of the Quilts” drive-by quilt show in Decorah. Quilted works are hung outside numerous local residences for the public to view at their leisure. The show is sponsored

by Decorah Area Quilters and the NorthEast Iowa Quilters’ Guild. (Photos by Roz Weis)

Young participants mingled as the livestock auction got underway Saturday morning at the Winneshiek County Fair. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

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the crossroads of northeast Iowa C.M. & St. Paul Train Depot pictured in the early 1900s in Calmar.

Celebrates

Saturday, July 19

Schedule of events

‘It feels so much more real to me.’

TIME IN A BOTTLE

Brown’s research hobby reinvigorates Calmar connection

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR Some families know plenty about their Norwegian heritage.

For others, the specifics aren’t always as clear after a few generations. But when Karla Brown of Calmar discovered her great great grandfather’s name in a book she’d owned for years but never read, cracking the cover ignited an infatuation with her family’s past.

The book was titled “Life Histories of the Descendants of Peder and Gjertrud Sandager,” and it was written by a descendant of Thore Skotland — an older brother of Brown’s great great grandfather. Skotland is said to be the first settler in Calmar, which is celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding on Saturday, July 19.

Brown said, after her discovery, she quickly became fixated on the story of her family’s immigration from Norway and resettlement in the Midwest.

“One of the themes that is with me a lot is the courage that they had to face the unknown, because they were so early on in Norwegian migration,” Brown said.

The arrival Thore Skotland was the son of Peder Hansen Sandager — a well-known bear hunter in Norway. Though born a Sandager, Skotland took up a new surname

Then Now

which referenced the farm he owned — a tradition at that time, according to Brown. He crossed the Atlantic to continue farming in the United States in May of 1848. The voyage lasted approximately three months.

Skotland made the trip with his wife and two children, and his next child was born shortly after their arrival in northwest Iowa.

The family had planned to settle on land near Chicago, according to Brown, but they found the area was too swampy. Instead Skotland and his family stayed in Jefferson Prairie — a Norwegian settlement in southern Wisconsin — for approximately two years.

Brown said many immigrants from Norway chose to join such settlements during that era.

“It’s like they almost served as orientation centers, because you kind of got acclimated, and you learned things like how to build a house out of a dugout on a hill and that sort of thing,” Brown said.

She went on to say Norwegian immigrants were often insulated in many senses.

“The Norwegians settled with people like themselves because, with Norway being so mountainous, they really didn’t mix,” Brown said. “There were cities, yes. But in the rural areas, you only knew your own dialect, your own dress style, how things were where you grew up.

Many of the early immigrants in Calmar were from the Ringerike

Happy 175th, Calmar!

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area of Norway. So, when they got here, they really often were like ‘Let’s get people just like us from where we were.”

While Skotland’s family was living in Jefferson Prairie, a Norwegian minister named Claus L. Clausen from Rock Prairie, Wisconsin, put out a call encouraging Norwegian immigrants to gather in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, saying he planned to lead a group to the first Norwegian settlement in Iowa.

He didn’t show up, Brown said.

Clausen did eventually lead a group across the Mississippi River approximately three years later, according to Brown, but Skotland, his family and their inlaws didn’t wait that long. They headed for Winneshiek County, which Brown said was at that time occupied by a number of early English settlers and possibly a few military personnel who had remained in the area after the native Ho-Chunk people were removed by the government as western settlements expanded.

“He and his brother-in-law struck claims, but then they went to look around later and came back and somebody had stolen their claims,” Brown said.

Brown said Skotland’s original claim was located in what is now Springfield township, and after discovering the interlopers, he headed west toward what would ultimately become the city of Calmar. His youngest sister Eli and his brother Endre — Brown’s great great grandfather — boarded a ship which left for the U.S. on May 13, 1850, from Drammen, Norway. Both of Skotland’s siblings were less than 30 years old, and the ship arrived in New York on Aug. 5 that year. They arrived in Winneshiek County that October. Ultimately, all but one of Skotland’s siblings would leave Norway for

the United States.

The family lived as a group in an underground dugout their first winter, according to Brown. She said it was common at that time for settlers and pioneers to live in simple dwellings for a time as they focused on planting and harvesting crops during the first few years. She said the shelters were cozy in the winter and cool in the summer, but life was not easy for the family in those days.

“The hardships they went through and survived were just unbelievable,” Brown said.

Family records said three of Skotland’s own siblings had died — likely of disease — in a matter of days several years before he himself was even born. And, after settling near Calmar, Skotland often walked to the city of McGregor on the Mississippi River — some 40 miles away — to purchase groceries, which he would then carry home on his back. Brown has even discovered accounts saying Skotland sold his own coat in order to purchase flour — which suppliers in McGregor didn’t always have in stock — during one such trip.

Endre constructed his own dugout a year later, and they lived in the dugouts for approximately five years, according to Brown. In 1856 Rev. U.V Koren — the first Lutheran pastor ordained in Norway to be called west of the Mississippi — officiated a wedding at the dugout, joining Gunhild Sandager and Elef Flaskerud. Brown has visited the site to see the structure in which her family likely lived.

“I think about them all the time,” she said. “If I’m ever having a bad day, I think ‘Oh, quit complaining, you never had to live in an underground dugout for a winter.’”

Putting down roots Brown grew up in Calmar

HAPPY 175TH ANNIVERSARY

Calmar!

Calmar was first settled by Thore P. Skotland and his family in the spring of 1850

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A look back at Calmar Bottling Works

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR

Thore Skotland’s younger brother Endre (pictured) is the great great grandfather of Calmar’s Karla Weselmann Brown, who found a passion for researching her family history after discovering family names in a genealogy she read in 2017.

(Photo submitted)

Pictured are Thore Skotland (left) and his wife’s brother Ellerf Land (right). Skotland was said to have sold his coat to buy flour at one point, and local historians believe the fur coat in the photograph may be that which is referenced in the family lore. (Photo submitted) and attended Calmar Lutheran Church. She has since learned at least nine of the church’s 11 founding members have ties to the Sandager family, and others were likely friends of the family — possibly dating back to their days in Norway, Brown said.

Skotland himself helped incorporate Calmar in 1858 along with J.J. Haug and others, according to Brown’s research.

And Skotland’s friendship with Rev. Koren would go on to have influence in forming some community staples of other nearby communities like Decorah.

Using the surname Pederson,

referencing his father, Skotland was one of three who incorporated Luther College in Decorah — the others being Rev. Hermann Preus and Gulbrand Lommen, according to Brown’s research.

She also found an address given during Calmar’s 150th celebration which made reference to Skotland’s contributions, saying “Koren had secured an option on the land that is now the Luther campus. Skotland put up the money to buy it.”

“Had they not come, and had Koren not come, probably Luther College would never have ended up here,” Brown said,

noting there had been talk of relocating the college after a fire destroyed the college’s Main building in 1889. “And if Luther College wasn’t here, Vesterheim wouldn’t be here, because that collection started up at Luther College.”

As Brown’s research obsession continued, she uncovered photos of her ancestors and even read letters and postcards her great great aunt had written during a visit to Norway in 1908 — traveling by boat meant a 10-week roundtrip. She said the mementos of the past continue to give her a sense that her relatives are with her every day, and she indicated her quest to learn more about her own family has instilled in her a greater sense of community.

“I feel so much more grounded, especially living back here,” she said. “It feels so much more real to me.”

Winneshiek County has been home to several bottling companies and breweries since its early days, including the Calmar Bottling Works.

Social pages in local newspapers noted the bottling works was being covered with siding made from galvanized iron in April of 1906. A man named Adolph Gunderson purchased the business from Paul Killsby in 1908, according to the March 18, 1925, edition of the Decorah Journal.

The newspaper said the output of the Calmar Bottling Works was more than 1,000 cases each month around that time, and the company had recorded approximately $17,000 of business in 1907 — more than $500,000 in today’s dollars, according to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The bottling works is a modern and sanitary shop in every respect,” the Journal said. “They are equipped with all of the latest bottle washing and bottling machines, and use the most popular flavors.”

The company changed hands again in 1931, when R.E. Bernhardt became proprietor of the business. New equipment was installed in 1934, and Bernhardt penned a brief piece for the Decorah Journal in 1935. He wrote that the bottling plant had “gone further than the pure food law requires,” adding the public displayed an ever-increasing de-

mand for the company’s carbonated beverages.

“This plant at Calmar is a credit to any community,” Bernhardt wrote, before extending an open invitation for the public to visit the bottle works.

“Years of experience in the production of high grade beverages make it possible for this concern to produce a brand that is far above the average, in fact one that has a distinctive and attractive flavor that cannot be found in the average brand.”

The Calmar Bottling works was distributing Gettelman’s Beer to a total of six northeast Iowa counties that year, according to archives of the Decorah Journal. The business had also doubled its “pop business” from 1934 to 1935, according to the Journal. Frank Frana purchased the company in December of the following year, according to archives of the Ossian Bee, and he continued to operate it until the mid-1950s. Archives of the Calmar Courier indicated Fra-

y r a s r e v i n An

Calmar!

na Beer Distributing was established during that time, and that branch of the company continued under the leadership of Frana’s grandsons into the 1990s. The same archives said Frana’s grandchildren had been responsible for building the Frana Opera House in 1915 and the Frana Theatre.

In 1950, the company’s advertisements were offering beers like Schmidt’s City Club, Potosi, Edelweis and KB in addition to soft drinks such as Mason’s Old Fashion Root Beer, Vess Cola, lemonade and “all fruit flavors.”

By 1978, local advertisements were listing Calmar Bottling Works pop bottles among antique items available for purchase during local auctions.

201 W. Main St., Calmar 563-562-3583

HAPPY 175TH

AUTO | HOME | FARM | HEALTH

The reverse side of a glass bottle bearing the markings of the Calmar Bottling Works guaranteed customers the contents included only “items as are necessary to perfect each respective flavor for which this bottle is used.”

Celebrate Calmar!

Happy 175th Anniversary

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CALMAR

Serving Northeast Iowa for Over 30 Years!

A Family Owned and Operated Business.

Happy 175th, Calmar!

Since 1979

The city of Calmar will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the its founding on Saturday, July 19. Organizers plan to offer a number of activities in recognition of the community’s milestone.

The day is to begin with a 5K run/walk sponsored by the Calmar/Springfield Luther League Christians in Action. Registration will start at 8 a.m. at the depot near the intersection of Washington Street and Maryville Street. The run will begin at 8:30 a.m. A pancake breakfast sponsored by Fidelity Bank and Trust will be offered from 9-11 a.m. at 106 South Washington St. And a pickleball court will be dedicated at 9 a.m. at 605 West Clay Street. A pickleball tournament will be held there from 9 a.m. to noon.

Those participating in the day’s car and tractor show may begin registering at 10 a.m. along West Clark Street, and the show itself will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.

Bingo, sponsored by Calmar Lutheran Church, will be offered from 11 a.m. to noon in the tent at 106 South Washington Street. The games are to be followed by the crowning of Little Miss Calmar, which is scheduled to take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the same location.

Those seeking some afternoon competition may sign up for the bags tournament at 12:30 p.m. at 303 West Main St. The tournament, sponsored by the South Winneshiek Recreation Department, will take place from 1-4 p.m.

The tournament will feature two divisions — social and competitive.

Social entries will cost $30, and winners will be awarded t-shirts. Competitive entries may enter for a $75 fee, and cash prizes will be awarded. Additional entertainment is scheduled from 1-5 p.m. in the parking lot of The Horseshoe.

The Toe Tappers are expected to take the stage from 1:30-4:30 p.m. under the tent on South Washington Street, and young attendees may enjoy games, balloon art and face painting from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at 118 West Main Street before snacking on free watermelon at 2:30 p.m. near the Washington Street tent.

Youngsters may also register for the kids pedal pull at 2:30 p.m. near the library on South Washington Street — the pull will begin at 3 p.m., giving competitors plenty of time to rest up before the day’s 5 p.m. parade. The procession will begin on Clark Street near the west end and head east toward Calmar Manufacturing.

The night will end with the musical stylings of Angus Khan, an AC/DC tribute band, from 9 p.m. to midnight in the parking lot of Whiskey Grove.

History enthusiasts will also have the chance to hear from local resident Karla Brown from 10:30-11:15 a.m. Sunday, July 20 at Calmar Lutheran Church. Brown will be giving a presentation entitled “The Pioneering Sandagers from Norway: First Settlers and Founders of Calmar.”

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Anniversary CALMAR Honoring 175 years of rich history and a bright, vibrant future!

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The 2025 Winnesheik County Fair Queen and Princess were crowned Tuesday, July 8. Last year’s royalty joined the group, as did the 2024 Iowa State Fair Queen. Pictured are (left to right) 2024 Fair Princess Addison Wicklund, 2024 Fair Queen Annika Schmelzer, 2025 Fair Queen candidates Lyla Lovestuen, Karlee Bullerman, Lauren Holthaus, Jerikah Dodd, Isabella Koenig, Karlie Einck and Rylee Averhoff with 2024 Iowa State Fair Queen Elli Blackford. Averhoff was crowned the 2025 Fair Queen, while Einck was chosen as this year’s fair princess. (Photo submitted) Ye Olde Opera House presents 2025 Summer Musical

TOP RIGHT- Whitney Williams earned recognition during the Winneshiek County Fair and her entry in the meat goat livestock competition was named the supreme champion. (Photo by Becky Walz) RIGHT- The sheep Samantha Williams exhibited in the breeding ewe competition during the Winneshiek County Fair was selected as the contest’s supreme champion. (Photo by Becky Walz)

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Baylor Ihrke, age 2, from Chatfield, Minnesota, cuddled, loved and petted every animal she could Thursday, July 10 at the Winneshiek County Fair’s petting zoo.

Although the chicks eluded her clutches at first, Baylor’s tenacity paid off as she was able to catch and snuggle with a chicken. (Photo by Denise Lana)

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11

Community briefs Winn-Dems to hold annual book sale July 19

The Winneshiek County Democrats plan to hold their annual used book sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 19 at StoryPeople — 113 East Water St. in Decorah. The sale will be held in conjunction with other downtown businesses participating in Ridiculous Day. A wide assortment of books, including children’s books, CDs and DVDs will be available for purchase for a free will donation. All proceeds from the sale will support local candidates and causes as well as ongoing work to promote democratic principles and uphold the Constitution. Those seeking to donate books, CDs or DVDs for the sale may drop them off at Blue Heron Knittery — 300 West Water St. in Decorah, during the store’s regular business hours or from 4-6 p.m.

Friday, July 18 at StoryPeople.

Organizers ask that donations not include encyclopedias, textbooks or magazines.

Multiple blood drives planned for next month

LifeServe Blood Center announced several blood drives are to be held in Winneshiek County next month. The Calmar/Spillville/Ossian Community Blood Drive will take place from 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 200 North East St. in Calmar. The Fort Atkinson Community Blood Drive will be held from 12:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11 at 303 Third St. NW in Fort Atkinson. The Decorah Community Blood Drive is scheduled for 12:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 at 1111 Montgomery St. in Decorah.

Friluftsliv Family Hike to the Crater Center planned for next week

The public is invited to join Winneshiek County Conservation for the Friluftsliv Family Hike at 10 a.m. Friday, July 25 at Van Peenen Park. Participants will meet at the main entrance to Van Peenen Park off of Quarry Hill Road in Decorah and take a 1.7 mile round-trip hike along Huginn Trail loop to the Decorah Crater “point of impact” marker. Along the walk, organizers will share information on the Decorah Impact Crater and its creatures. “Friluftsliv,” a Norwegian term meaning “outdoor life,” is a style of outdoor living which encourages harmony with nature and enjoyment of the outdoors in a responsible and respectful way. No registration is required for this event, and all ages are welcome. The trails are unpaved and may be muddy with slight inclines. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather. In case of severe weather, the hike will be cancelled. Visit winneshiekwild.com for updates. To learn more about the Decorah Crater visit visitdecorah.com/ decorah-impact-crater.

Iowa Mock Trial Courtroom Journalist Competition to be held this spring

The Iowa Mock Trial Courtroom Journalist Competition is returning both statewide and nationally in Des Moines next spring.

Participating students will attend a mock trial and write a news piece according to what they see. Organizers said the goal of the event is for students to write a fair and informative piece, and they will be graded on the clarity of the article, how newsworthy and relevant their piece is as well as how engaging the story is for a reader.

In order to register for the

Iowa Mock Trial Courtroom Journalist Competition, students must be current high school students and must register two weeks before the competition.

The state competition will be held on March 27-28 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, while the national high school mock trial championship will be held during May 7-9. For more information on the state-level Iowa Mock Trial Courtroom Journalist Competition visit iowabar.org/?pg=CourtroomJournalistCompetition.

For more information on the national competition, visit nationalmocktrial.org.

nities and sign up, visit nordicfest.com/volunteer or email nordicfestia@gmail.com.

A dozen veterans to be honored with Quilts of Valor

A group of 12 veterans will be awarded Quilts of Valor at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 26 at the Carrie Lee Elementary School Auditorium. The program recognizes area veterans by gifting them quilts crafted by volunteers. Recipients at the upcoming event are to include Suzanne Boeke, Tyler Buck, Joe Bushman, Jay Courtney, Kyle Fischer, John Gipp, Richard Hammel, Roger Hammel, Justin Johnson, Leo Macal, Tim Moon and Todd Moon.

Eckblad to present during Lions Club meeting Fang-stastic The Decorah Lions Club will be meeting at 6:15 p.m.

Tuesday, July 22 at the All Vets Club in Decorah. Lions Club member Jim Eckblad will be presenting a program entitled “A Basketball Story.” The Decorah Lions Club meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. For more information or a membership application, contact Lions Club member Brad Schwartz by email at beschwartz@salamander.com, or text 563-419-4020.

NMW to hold auditions for ‘An Illiad’

The New Minowa Players will be holding auditions for the upcoming production of “An Illiad.” The production will feature a lone figure onstage as a storyteller, and organizers with the New Minowa Players are looking for a cast of two individuals to alternate performance nights later this year. All individuals age 18 and older are welcome to audition, regardless of gender identity or expression. Auditions will take place from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, July 19 and from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 20 at the New Minowa Players Theatre — 906 South Mill St. in Decorah. The production is scheduled to run Nov. 6-9. The playhouse will also be auditioning for it’s production of “Band Geeks” at 7 p.m. Aug. 7, 8 and 9 as well as 2 p.m. Aug. 10.

Nordic Fest seeking volunteers for 2025 celebration

Decorah’s annual Nordic Fest celebration is just around the corner, and organizers are calling on community members to volunteer during this year’s celebration. Organizers said, while many area non-profits organize their own volunteers for various food booths and activities, the Nordic Fest Board of Directors specifically seeks volunteers for key areas they oversee — The Lefse Booth, The Beverage Garden and Nordic Fest Headquarters - selling merchandise and welcoming visitors. The board is also seeking extra hands to help with physical management, moving various items during the fest’s activities and events. Organizers said there are a wide variety of opportunities available to suit all ages, abilities and schedules.

“We truly rely on the generosity of volunteers to bring Nordic Fest to life,” said Cole Steffen, 2025 president of the Nordic Fest Board of Directors.

“It’s a great way to connect with others, celebrate our community’s heritage, and have a lot of fun in the process.”

This year’s festival will take place July 24-26, 2025, in downtown Decorah. Volunteers may sign up for multiple time slots or roles, depending on their interests and availability.

Community groups, families and individuals are all welcome to participate.

To view volunteer opportu-

movie night planned at Robey Memorial Library

As the final month of summer begins, Robey Memorial Library in Waukon invites adult community members to a free showing of the vampire cult classic “The Lost Boys.”

Directed by Joel Schumacher and released in 1987, this fang-tastic movie features some of the most iconic actors of that era — such as Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland — as well as a soundtrack boasting the likes of INXS, Lou Gramm and more. The film is rated R for moderately graphic violence and language.

Snacks and drinks will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own. The same goes for seating. Alcohol and smoking are prohibited on library property. Showing will take place on Friday, Aug. 1 at the library — 401 First Ave. NW in Waukon. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the movie will begin at 8 p.m. No registration is required. For more information call 563-568-4424.

Classes on tai chi for arthritis and fall prevention to be offered

Tai chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention is a gentle exercise which helps improve strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility. It’s a relaxing form of movement that comes from Chinese martial arts, and it’s perfect for older adults. This type of exercise is proven to reduce the risk of falls.

Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging will be offering tai chi classes in Decorah from Aug. 4 through Oct. 2. Classes will be geared toward relieving arthritis and preventing falls among the senior population. The classes will be held from 10-10:45 a.m. at the Aase Haugen’s Vennehjem Independent Living Community — 1102 Nordic Dr. in Decorah — every Monday and Thursday.

For those aged 60 and older, the suggested contribution is $4 per class. For anyone under 60, the fee is $4 per class. Space is limited, and participants are asked to register by July 28 by calling Hallie Evans at 563277-6014 or emailing hevans@ nei3a.org.

‘Make Good Trouble’ event planned for Thursday Organizers with Northeast Iowa Indivisible and 50501 invite the public to participate in a “Make Good Trouble” protest starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 17 near Water Street Park in Decorah. The day coincides with the anniversary of U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ passing. Organizers said “Good Trouble Lives On” events are to be part of a national day of nonviolent action and a continuation of the non-violent Civil Rights movement Lewis and others helped lead. The event is non-partisan and all are welcome.

Mollie B stops at Eastern Star Nursing Home

Mollie B, a musician with the Busta Band, took time out of her schedule on Tuesday, July 8 to visit Eastern Star Nursing Home in Decorah and perform for 30 minutes after performing with her band at the Winneshiek County Fair. She then spent time meeting residents from the nursing home, tenants from assisted living, as well as community members, family members and others who came to hear her perform at Eastern Star. Before leaving, Mollie B asked to meet nursing home resident Orbell Hall who is 104 years old and is a big fan. Hall had told staff at the home many times the day before that, “Hell or High Water, I am going to see Mollie B.” She spent time conversing with Mollie B, talking about attending the Mabel School District while she was growing up, and Hall expressed her appreciativeness for Mollie B taking time out of her schedule. The musican also signed Hall’s visitor book. Pictured above are Mollie B and Orbell Hall. (Photos submitted)

Box Social proceeds to support new swine show facility at fairgrounds Proceeds from the 2025 Silent Box Social have been designated to help create a facility in memory of the late Lewis Lechtenberg and support the future of Winneshiek County’s swine shows.

The Box Social is an event which has been held for many years. The event is hosted by many community organizations and Winneshiek County Royalty from various industries, and each year’s proceeds are allocated for improvements or other efforts for the future of the Winneshiek County Fair.

Last year, during the 2024 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction, the Bushman Family and S and C Organic Farms collaborated to donate two hogs at the auction to kickstart fundraising efforts for the current hog facilities on the fairgrounds. The donation of hogs and additional giving from businesses and families yeilded approximately $75,000 to begin the planning process in memory of Lewis Lechtenberg.

Lechtenberg was the 7-yearold son of Karla and Justin Lechtenberg of Calmar and the brother to Brinley, Eloise and William. He passed away from brain cancer on June 29, 2024. Organizers described Lechtenberg as an exceptionally special boy who brought life and love to a room as soon as

he entered. He had endless energy and had an adventurous, happy personality, according to organizers, and he was quick to make new friends and always had a smile on his face — living by the motto Brave, Strong and Happy. Lechtenberg had a passion for the fair, according to organizers, and he was excited to someday show at the Winneshiek County Fair.

“We believe this facility will serve as a lasting tribute to Lewis’ love of agriculture and youth development. We look forward to making this vision a reality for generations to come,” Justin and Karla Lechtenberg said.

Officials said pens in the cur-

rent swine facilities are in constant need of repair, boards are worn thin or chewed through and posts within the building itself show signs of rot. The facility’s wash racks have become obsolete as well, according to organizers, while flooring is cracked and rainfall often saturates animal pens. The new facility is expected to serve as a multi-purpose space for storage and rental, and officials plan to update electrical and water systems as well as ceiling fans.

Current drawings and proposals are to be submitted to the Winneshiek County Fair Board for review and discussion.

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Congratulations to Happier at Home - Northeast, IA on joining the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce! Pictured is owner Andrea Scott, Director of Staff Development Penny Vagts and employee Nicole Bohr along with Chamber Ambassadors Nic Wilz, Dallas Steffen, Joe Hammel, Joanie Rollins, Marcia Madrigal, Adam Baker, Tade Kerndt, Heather Benzing, Tara McConnell and Cindy Hoyme.

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IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT, IN AND FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY (JUVENILE DIVISION) IN THE INTEREST OF L.F. A Child.

JUVENILE NO. JVJV002028 NOTICE OF ADJUDICATORY HEARING [CHILD IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE] TO: Putative Father YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Petition alleging that the child named above is a child in need of assistance has been filed in the office of the clerk of juvenile court for the above-captioned county. A true copy of the Petition is attached hereto and made a part hereof.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Court has entered an Order setting an ADJUDICATORY HEARING (CINA) and a Temporary Removal Hearing on the merits of the Petition on August 6, 2025 at 1:30 pm, in the designated Juvenile Courtroom of the Winneshiek County Courthouse in Decorah, Iowa.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the child must be represented by an attorney and guardian ad litem, which may be the same person. The Court has appointed an attorney and guardian ad litem to represent the child.

If the parent has or will retain an attorney to represent the child as attorney and guardian ad litem, that attorney should be notified immediately. If the child is then represented by counsel retained by the parents and the Court determines there is a conflict of interest between the child and his parent, guardian or custodian and that retained counsel could not properly represent the child as a result of the conflict, the Court shall appoint other counsel to represent the child and set a hearing to determine payment for attorney fees to be assessed to the parent.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that a parent, guardian or custodian in a child in need of assistance proceeding has the right to be represented by counsel at all hearings subsequent to the filing of a Petition. If you wish to privately retain counsel, you should immediately notify the attorney of these proceedings. If you desire representation but you cannot afford to hire and attorney, you should immediately contact the Clerk of the abovenamed Court and request from and file with the Clerk an Application for Appointment of Counsel and Financial Statement. If you are determined to be indigent, the Court may appoint counsel for you at minimal or no cost to you.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that upon your request, the Clerk shall issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of papers at the adjudicatory hearing.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the adjudicatory hearing may take place without your presence if you fail to appear after reasonable notification. If you wish to state your views to the Court, you must appear in person or by attorney or the Court may rule against you.

YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that in the event the Court places a child in foster care, the child’s parent or guardian may be liable for all or a portion of the cost of foster care. Foster care includes all out-of-home placements except the State Training School at Eldora, the State Juvenile Home at Toledo, or the Mental Health Institute at Independence. The Iowa Department of Human Services will notify you of the amount of any recommended parental liability for the cost of foster care and there exists an administrative procedure if you object.

If you need assistance to participate in Court due to a disability, call the disability coordinator at (319)833-3332. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call Relay Iowa TTY (1-800-735-2942). Disability Coordinators cannot provide legal advice.

THIS CASE HAS BEEN FILED IN A COUNTY THAT USES ELECTRONIC FILING. You must register to eFile through the Iowa Judicial Branch website at https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile and obtain a log in and password for filing and viewing documents in your case and for receiving service and notices from the court.

• For general rules and information on electronic filing, refer to the Iowa Court Rules Chapter 16 Pertaining to the Use of the Electronic Document Management System, available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.

• For court rules on the Protection of Personal Privacy in court filings, refer to Division VI of the Iowa Court Rules Chapter 16.

• If you are unable to proceed electronically, you must receive permission from the court to file in paper. Contact the clerk of court in the county where the petition was filed for more information on being excused from electronic filing.

Iowa Judicial Branch Case No. JVJV002028 County Winneshiek You must file your Appearance and Answer on the Iowa Judicial Branch eFile System, unless the attached Petition and Original Notice contains a hearing date for your appearance, or unless the court has excused you from filing electronically (see Iowa Court Rule 16.302).

Register for the eFile System at www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile to file and view documents in your case and to receive notices from the court.

For general rules and information on electronic filing, refer to the Iowa Rules of Electronic Procedure in chapter 16 of the Iowa Court Rules at www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ ACO/CourtRulesCourtRu/16.pdf.

Court filings are public documents and may contain personal information that should always be kept confidential. For the rules on protecting personal information, refer to Division VI of chapter 16 of the Iowa Court Rules and to the Iowa Judicial Branch website at www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/ representing-yourself/protect-personal-information/.

Scheduled Hearing: If you need assistance to participate in court due to a disability, call the disability access coordinator at (319) 833-3332. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call Relay Iowa TTY (1-800-735-2942). For more information, see www.iowacourts.gov/forthe-public/ada/. Disability access coordinators cannot provide legal advice.

Date Issued 07/01/2025 08:48:07 AM District Clerk of Court or/by Clerk’s Designee of Winneshiek County /s/ Sarah Trimble Decorah (Iowa) Leader July 17, 24 & 31, 2025 DECORAH CSD Employee Name .................Earnings Amount ABBEY, KRISTEN..........................8,261.60 ADAMS, EUGENE .......................78,384.72 ADAMS, RYAN .............................. 2,392.50 ALBERS, CYNTHIA ...................... 3,099.18 ALBERS, JUSTIN ....................... 127,210.00 ALBERTS, JAMES ....................... 19,354.35 AMDAHL, SAMANTHA................ 5,476.70 AMUNDSON, MATTHEW........... 58,882.10 AMUNDSON, TAYLOR ............... 52,878.40 ANDERSON, MATTHEW ..............4,728.00 ASKELSON, LESTER ....................2,105.74 AUSTIN, JEFFREY.........................3,099.55 BAHR, LEISHA ............................22,475.38 BARNES, CALEB.........................16,519.29 BARNES, LISA ...............................6,825.32 BARTH, DEAN ............................. 24,572.30 BARTH, KEVIN ............................ 19,558.55 BECKMAN, DEAN ......................82,585.50 BEEBOUT, LYDIA.............................435.00 BENNETT, ELISE ........................53,125.66 BENZING, DENNIS .................... 20,784.22 BERGAN, JOHANNA ................... 2,837.00 BERLAND, LARRY ....................12,293.50 BERNS, RILEY ..............................2,166.00 BIEDERMANN, LAURIE ................ 911.28 BLAKE, SARA ............................. 48,418.42 BLANCHARD, DEANNE ................ 986.37 BLIVEN, DUSTIN ....................... 76,588.39 BOCKMAN, DANA ................... 111,972.00 BODENSTEINER, BETH ............59,881.97 BOHACH, ADAM ........................61,368.88 BOHR, MONTANA ........................9,471.91 BOLAND, JAMES .........................4,233.66 BORGSTAHL, CYNTHIA ............. 9,405.70 BORSHEIM, LYNNETTE ............ 23,153.91 BOUSKA, CASEY .......................72,593.40 BOUSKA, MACKYNZI ...............51,744.75 BOYD, JILL .................................. 72,463.56 BOYLEN, SCOTT ........................ 69,912.94 BREITENBACH-DIRKS, RACHEL.....................................22,508.72 BRUENING, KEITH ...................... 5,043.00 BRUENING, MICHAEL ................4,097.00 BRUESS, ERIKA ..........................47,262.57 BRUVOLD, JONI .........................63,812.42 BRUVOLD, PAUL ...............................56.25 BRUVOLD, SUSANNE ................. 1,710.00 BRYNSAAS, SARAH ................... 67,117.40 BULLERMAN, BRIAN ................. 4,870.56 BURRAS, LORI ............................. 2,392.50 BURRETT, KIRSTEN .................. 47,805.62 CANNADY-BAUMANN, ELIZABETH ..............................69,258.75 CANTINE, JENNIFER.................... 9,302.66

CANTON, LINDA ............................. 504.00 CARLSON, ANDREA ....................1,020.80 CARLSON, FREDERIC ............... 42,663.42 CARLSON, JONATHAN ............. 65,872.93 CARLSON, SARAH ....................59,616.80 CAROLAN, NORMA.................... 12,285.45 CARTER, KEVIN ......................... 52,322.17 CARVER, ASHLEY ....................... 3,828.30 CARVER, RAY ..................................725.00 CASTERTON, AUDREY ............... 3,829.85 CASTERTON, KATIE ..................52,517.73 CASTERTON, MICHAEL ............ 44,188.80 CASTERTON, SARAH ................. 76,139.64 CHRISTOPHER, DEANN ............22,432.40 CHRISTOPHER, SARAH ............45,064.00 CHYLE, CHLOE .......................... 13,717.61 CLARK, MYCHELLE ....................... 127.50 CODY, MATTHEW .......................77,419.91 CODY, NICOLE ........................... 72,289.24 CONWAY, MARIE ........................79,921.20 COOK, DENISE ........................... 66,221.16 CORNELIUS, BRIGITTE .............. 2,950.72 COURTNEY, AMY........................58,998.29 COURTNEY, BLAKE .................... 1,576.00 CRONIN, TIMOTHY .................184,730.00 DAHLEN, JULIE ........................... 1,953.76 DAHLEN, PATRICIA ........................656.25 DAMBEK, PAMELA ...................66,216.90 DANIELSON, AMY .....................15,889.04 DARLING, ASHLEY ...................46,736.34 DARLING, PAULETTE ............... 15,750.34 DARNELL, PAIGE ........................ 1,139.00 DAWLEY, DANIAL ....................... 2,911.60 DAYWITT, JEAN ......................... 23,675.75 DEHNING, DON .......................... 41,074.45 DEJONG, FELECIA ..................... 59,824.58 DELANEY, JOHANNA ................ 49,518.36 DELAROSA, JENNIFER ............. 66,653.76 DELAROSA, RICARDO ............... 6,867.26 DEMSKY, BRUCE ............................ 435.00 DIETZENBACH, CATHERINE 115,240.00 DIMMER, MARIA .........................9,296.36 DODD, MARCIE ......................... 67,829.86 DOTZENROD, KEVIN ................ 21,196.25 DREW, GREGORY ...................... 11,224.50 DUDA, DANIEL ............................3,903.30 DUGGER, SUSAN ....................... 22,301.24 DUNT, JOHN ................................ 73,076.80 DUTCHER, ERIK ......................... 50,490.88 EGGLAND, CHAUNCY .............. 30,385.82 EHRIE, BYRON ........................... 18,335.85 EHRIE, ORABEL .........................22,160.25 EICKERT, FRED .......................... 10,652.82 EINCK, CLARISSA ..................... 65,744.95 EINCK, WADE ............................... 2,010.00 ELLIOTT, CHAD ......................... 46,051.27 ELSBERND, ERIC ............................ 579.06 ELSBERND, NANCY .................... 6,770.62 ELSBERND, SARAH .................. 78,066.20 EMERY, DARLENE .......................4,335.00 ENGELHART SAND, CAROLE .18,605.24 ERICKSON, JULIE ........................ 5,270.22 FAIRCHILD, GARY ..................... 32,091.40 FALCK, JANET............................. 59,934.32 FARLEY, KELLY .........................64,419.47 FENSKE, JOSHUA ...................... 52,664.51 FINANGER, HANS .....................46,748.50 FJELSTUL, ANN ........................... 5,800.00 FOELS, LOREN ........................... 18,711.40 FOGLE, AMBER .......................... 19,480.79 FOLKEDAHL, STEPHANIE .......27,725.42 FOLKERTS, MELANIE ................. 4,640.00 FONER, AMARA ........................... 9,565.44 FORDE, DAVID ........................... 38,863.74 FOX, LIZABETH ......................... 87,984.80 FOX, ROBERT ...............................6,670.00 FRANA, PATRICIA ...................... 14,387.24 FRANTSVOG, CHRISTOFFER .. 18,185.88 FREILINGER, BRIAN ...................... 390.00 FRETHAM, JOHN ....................... 56,184.04 FRITZ, ELIZABETH ..................... 4,640.00 FROMM, DAVID ...........................4,738.70 FROMM, SARAH ........................ 19,316.03 FROMM, ZACHARY ................... 67,415.46 FULLHART, DOREEN ................. 52,868.64 FULSAAS, RONALD ..................21,932.65 GAPINSKI, KELLI ......................47,792.36 GATES, MEGAN ......................... 56,184.20 GAUL, KAREN .................................873.75 GEENEN, SONYA .......................22,762.39 GEHLING, DAVID ........................... 459.00 GERK, KATELYN .......................... 4,452.26 GIBBS, AUDREY ........................ 11,588.89 GIESE, JULIE ............................... 56,077.92 GIPP, JAN ....................................... 4,277.50 GJERE, PATRICIA ......................... 5,803.70 GLOCK, KERRY ..........................51,178.38 GOEDKEN, JULIE ....................... 50,309.43 GORDON, SHAWN ................... 112,148.96 GREVE, LAURA .......................... 26,150.80 GRIMSTAD, JOSEPH .......................897.67 GRIMSTAD, PADRIN ................... 9,207.50 GROUWS, DAVID ....................... 20,513.29 GULRUD, DENISE ......................51,734.73 HACKMAN, LEE ALLEN ............. 7,711.10 HADLEY, CHRISTOPHER ......... 53,297.31 HAEMKER, SUSAN ....................10,222.50 HAGEMAN, PAIGE .....................58,832.88 HAHN, AMANDA ....................... 69,115.31 HAHN LARSON, EMILY ............ 11,155.80 HALDERSON, ABBY .................. 24,558.67 HALSE, ALEXANDRA ................. 7,034.19 HALWEG, ALYSSA ..................... 59,881.97 HALWEG, JESSE .........................71,372.45 HANSEN, ANTHONY ...................2,143.00 HANSMEIER, DAVID ................. 42,666.29 HARDY, PHILIP .............................6,588.00 HARRIS, VICTORIA ..................... 2,478.28 HARVEY, PEGGY ..........................9,136.80 HAYES, TIMOTHY ..................... 86,307.09 HEADINGTON, ANNIKA ............. 2,837.00 HEADINGTON, LYNN ................. 1,612.50 HEICK, JAMES ............................ 41,570.88 HEMESATH, LINDA .....................6,090.00 HEMESATH, WANDA ......................108.76 HENDRICKSON, LOREN ........... 11,740.02 HENNINGS, CAYLA ..................... 1,522.50 HENRY, DEBRA ..........................40,680.60 HENRY, JEAN .............................. 20,624.66 HEXOM-BECK, ANDREA ............... 867.45 HIMEGARNER, SAMANTHA ..... 5,285.40 HINES, JOHN ...............................53,833.04 HIRKA, NICHOLAS ....................58,878.95 HLUBEK, ROBERT ....................... 1,962.00 HOBBS, CHARLES .......................5,510.00 HOGAN, DANA ........................... 85,243.59 HOGAN, RYAN ........................... 80,214.78 HOLKESVIK, MOLLY ................ 87,856.18 HOLLENBECK, RICHARD .......... 3,852.00 HOLTHAUS, GINA ...................... 78,147.40 HOLTHAUS, TONYA .....................1,460.15 HORTON, SHANNON .................61,834.50 HOSTING, ALAN ..........................2,332.00 HOUSELOG, KELLIE ................... 2,563.45 HOVEY, CARRIE ............................. 674.40 HOYME, DEBRA .........................22,646.15 HOYME, JACQUELINE .............51,404.57 HRDLICKA, MAUREEN .............21,626.14 HUINKER, AMANDA .................70,839.73 HUNTER, MELISSA ................... 22,022.80 HURST, BRAD ........................... 143,905.00 IHDE, ISABEL ............................... 4,457.00 INGVALSON, LARRY .................22,405.25 IVERSON, RANDY ............................ 54.00 JACOBS, DANYCE .....................63,296.87 JAEGER, ROGER ..........................6,147.00 JENS, LYCIA ..................................1,653.78 JESSON, GREG .............................2,920.45 JEVNE, JULIE ................................ 9,536.25 JOENS, AMY......................................435.00 JOENS, JEFFREY ........................40,650.79 JOHANNINGMEIER, ROBERT ..10,050.17 JOHANSEN, BRADLEY .............85,832.96 JOHNSON, CARMEN ................. 64,800.71 JOHNSON, KELLY ...................... 55,522.74 JOHNSON, KERRY .....................18,616.70 JOHNSON, KIRK .........................23,062.40 JOHNSON, KURTIS .................... 60,933.74 KAUFFMAN, CARRIE ............... 60,840.92 KEMP, JUDY ................................ 21,153.80 KEPHART, CHELSEY .................20,689.59 KINSON, DAWN ......................... 19,884.70 KIRKEBERG, LINDA ................. 25,993.23 KIRKEBY, ERIC ..........................47,585.83 KLOTZBACH, KAREN ............... 69,030.63 KNAACK, ANDREA ...................72,135.34 KNAACK, ISAAC ............................940.50 KNAACK, WESLEY ................... 73,689.18 KNIGHT, STACY ......................... 68,770.86 KNOX, ASHLEY ............................3,448.40 KNUTSON, KRISTI ..........................333.76 KNUTSON, ROGER ......................... 145.00 KOCH, JONATHON .................... 48,611.36 KOHLS, CASEY ..........................13,026.35 KORSNESS, NICOLLE ...............23,613.60 KOWITZ, SARAH ....................... 48,454.50 KRAMMEN, CHRISTOPHER ...... 9,612.11 KREGEL, RONNIE ...................... 14,120.63 KRIEG, ANNIKA .........................47,017.14 KRUSE, DANYELLE .................. 46,375.00 KUBOUSHEK, ALLISON ...........17,940.65 KUBOUSHEK, KYLE ...................1,034.35 KUEMPEL, MATTHEW .............. 81,910.05 KUENNEN, THOMAS ..................4,958.69 KUHN, KAREN ............................65,239.23 LABELLE, ANGELA ...................31,996.23 LANGLAND, RHONDA ............... 9,576.62 LANSING, SUE ...........................25,949.61 LARSON, BROOKLYN ................. 2,433.00 LARSON, JENNIFER ..................13,158.20 LARSON, STEVEN ..................... 76,995.18 LAURSEN, REGINALD ................8,350.82 LEEPS, DEANN ........................... 23,004.37 LEIBOLD, MICHELLE .................3,089.80 LEITZ, MARIA ..............................9,704.78 LIEN, PATRICIA ............................... 285.00 LIPPE, MADYSEN ........................1,208.00 LORE, CHARLES .......................... 2,250.00 LORE, ELAINE ............................ 13,159.15 LOVSTUEN, ALLYSEN .............. 76,060.43 LOW, JESSICA ............................. 19,912.06 LOWERY, KRISANN .................. 28,034.35 LUBKE, KIMBERLY ................... 16,625.50

LUDEKING, ALLEN ...................53,482.18 LUTKENHAUS, CAROL ............47,063.01 LUZUM, JEANNE ......................... 4,352.50 LYON, JESSE ...............................64,320.45 MADRIGAL, JON........................ 36,603.88 MAHER, TRACY ...........................8,894.60 MAKI, AMANDA ........................61,133.49 MARSO, ALYSSA ........................42,846.42 MARTIN, LORI .............................. 5,485.55 MARTIN, MIKENNA .................. 18,890.22 MARX, NANCY ................................. 60.00 MARX, STEVEN ........................... 2,079.00 MASSMAN, JORDAN ................... 1,958.50 MAXA, CYNTHIA .......................20,230.49 MCARTOR, MALLORY ................4,097.00 MCCABE, DEAN ......................... 25,203.10 MCCAFFREY, DANIEL ................9,500.97 MCCANDLESS, MICHAEL .............389.80 MCCONNELL, LAURA ............... 11,680.48 MCCONNELL, RITA ..................... 6,017.00 MCDONOUGH, TODD ....................580.00 MCGEE, KENNA ........................... 2,837.00 MCINTYRE, PAULA ...................40,230.59 MCKERCHER, GARY ......................290.00 MCKNIGHT, LYRA ..................... 25,879.81 MCKONE, JESSICA .....................20,291.01 MCNEIL, CHRISTEL ....................1,718.56 MEIRICK, LEE .............................. 3,152.00 MEYER, LEAH .............................. 2,145.08 MOELLER, CATHERINE ........... 46,571.18 MOEN, BLAKE ............................. 5,988.00 MOEN, JUDY ...............................47,072.24 MONREAL, MICHELLE ............. 73,831.65 MORAN, RYLEY ..............................580.00 MOSBACH, SAVANNA .............. 40,324.09 MUELLER, TIMOTHY ............... 23,950.55 MUNN, RACHAEL ........................1,971.32 MURPHY, GREGORY .................17,812.08 NELSON, JOAN .............................4,123.56 NELSON, ROGER ......................... 1,453.02 NESTEBY, MICHELLE ...............69,648.92 NESTEBY, STEVEN ....................32,257.70 NEWHOUSE, BEAU ........................ 819.18 NEWHOUSE, REBECCA .............. 3,230.50 NICHOLS, PAUL ...........................2,232.33 NIKKEL, KASEY ........................50,416.74 NIMROD, CARRIE ......................46,943.93 NIMROD, CRISTY ......................75,631.43 NIMROD, JACOB ........................99,544.00 NOBLE, BETHANY .................... 59,812.92 NOWACK, SARAH ..................... 76,938.66 NUMEDAHL, MARGARET .......58,894.60 ODE, JEFF ...................................... 2,475.00 OFTEDAHL, KALEA .................... 2,521.00 OFTEDAHL, KATHARINE ......... 70,576.39 OHARA, KARI .............................76,091.80 OLSON, MAKENZIE ....................3,481.14 ONSAGER, RONALD .................24,931.25 OTTO, ALAINA ...........................40,218.92 PAHL, MARGARET ....................14,286.65 PANKOW, JAMES ......................... 1,232.50 PANOS, JACQUELYN ................. 68,866.71 PEAKE, CATHERINE ...................1,377.65 PEDERSEN, TERESA ....................1,377.50 PETERSBURG, WAYNE .............13,944.02 PETERSEN, MIKA ...................... 59,375.16 PETERSON, SARA ...................... 73,535.28 PETERSON, STEVEN ................. 11,579.20 PHILLIPS, LORI .......................... 25,596.43 PIPHO, AMY ................................75,036.70 PITT, MHARI ................................. 3,239.55 POPPEN, DOUGLAS ..................... 1,450.00 POST, WILLIAM ........................... 3,939.50 PRONSCHINSKE, AUSTIN .......... 4,147.50 PRONSCHINSKE, CHRISTOPHER ........................ 63,369.00 PUTNAM DIBBLE, SHANNA .... 75,804.24 QUANDAHL, SELINA ................ 43,783.07 QUANDAHL, SHANNON .......... 81,568.66 RADLOFF, STEPHANIE .............17,278.23 RATASHAK-VOGEL, ELIZABETH ................................1,740.00 RAUSCH, JASON ........................ 81,826.72 REAGAN, KENDALL .................42,459.60 REDENIUS, GRACE ................... 46,413.14 REDENIUS, JUSTIN ..................... 7,302.44 REED, CARRIE ........................... 59,784.31 REINHARDT, JACOB ................... 4,097.00 REINHARDT, MEGAN ............... 47,512.69 REISER, BRAYDEN ...................... 2,837.00 REMMEN, CAROLIN ................. 56,762.84 RHODES, MARK ......................... 73,971.14 RICHERT, JOYCE ........................69,261.28 RIEHLE, SHANE ................................ 54.00 RILEY, ADAM ...........................125,694.00 RILEY, JESSICA .......................... 32,301.63 ROFFMAN, KELLEN ....................4,043.48 ROFFMAN, KRISTINE ............... 48,150.00 ROLLINGER, JOEL .....................19,982.86 ROLLINGER, JONI ....................... 3,201.19 ROLLINS, GUNNAR .....................6,965.00 ROSEL, JULIE ............................. 20,720.63 RUE, HEIDI .................................. 33,297.88 RYAN, ALYSSA .............................8,189.74 RYAN, JUDE .....................................840.00 RYAN, NATASHA ........................ 16,455.55 SADLER, ADDISON ................... 51,316.77 SAMUELSON, JERRY ................ 24,207.85 SANDER, DARRON ...........................82.50 SANDER, SUE .............................25,641.00 SASSAMAN, KARIN .................... 4,548.18 SCHACHERER, SARAH ............. 38,163.44 SCHISSEL, LARA ......................... 8,086.42 SCHLAKE, AMY ...........................5,484.00 SCHROYER, CARLEY ............... 17,326.08 SCHWARTZ, BRETTA ................ 40,546.84 SCHWEIZER, DAWN ....................3,806.86 SEEMAN, MICHAELA ............... 59,972.95 SHEA, DULFEL ................................ 362.50 SHEARER, ZACHARY .................5,043.00 SHEDINGER, CHRISTINA .........21,815.98 SHERMAN, ISAAC ............................54.00 SHUBATT, ELIJAH ....................... 7,389.32 SIKKINK, TONI ...........................23,419.59 SKAIM HENZLER, LUANE ......... 8,749.64 SLESSOR, MEGAN ..................... 65,268.25 SLIFKA, KEITH ................................ 290.00 SMITH, ASHLEY .........................19,081.92 SMITH, CARA ............................. 63,485.87 SMITH, KRISTA ..........................43,631.00 SMITH, VICKIE ............................. 7,921.93 SMORSTAD, KENDRA ............... 18,200.31 SNELL-ANDERSON, HEIDI ......47,141.14 SOLBERG, BRIAN ........................ 5,673.00 SOLBERG, DENISE .................... 23,193.20 SOLBERG, KEATON .................... 2,143.00 SPILDE, BRENDA ....................... 22,228.18 SPILDE, MARK ............................. 9,468.92 STAMMEYER, ELLICE ..............24,425.50 STANLEY, BROOKE ..................... 1,192.90 STEINES, KEAGAN ......................1,177.80 STEINES, STEPHANIE ............... 75,122.21 STELLO, JOSHUA .......................20,242.45 STEVEN, MATTHEW ................. 40,243.92 STILLE, BRANDON ..................... 2,332.00 STOCK, KAREN ..........................63,987.85 STOCK, LEE ................................77,196.40 STOEN, ERIK ................................ 4,497.13 STORHOFF, BRIGIT ...................81,721.40 STORTS, LORAN .......................... 8,826.00 STORTZ, THERESA ....................66,228.00 STRAUBE, LOREN ....................... 1,957.50 STRICKLER, JULIE ...................... 7,019.71 SUHR, AMY ...................................4,640.00 SULLIVAN, PAMELA ................. 21,840.00 SYVERSON, CORA....................... 3,014.80 SYVERSON, MARGARET ......... 42,529.18 SYVERSON, RANDALL ............ 47,626.29 TANGEN, JESSICA ..................... 28,647.59 TANGEN, MICHAEL ..................74,735.55 TEKIPPE, DEBRA ............................ 712.60 TESLOW HAYES, SAVANNAH ...9,951.96 THIESSE, KALEB ............................ 725.00 THOMPSON, JENNIFER ............21,004.40 THOMPSON, JERALD ..................5,451.15 THOMPSON, JORDAN ................. 5,358.00 THOMPSON, MARCIA ............... 19,470.62 TIESKOETTER, SHANNON ......73,960.53 TREANGEN, DARYL ....................8,447.60 TREWIN, KAREN ......................... 5,043.00 TREWIN, PATRICK .....................84,750.06 TUNNICLIFF JOHNSON, BONNIE .................................... 36,766.00 TWEDT, GABRIEL ......................66,147.90 TWEDT, RICKY ........................... 13,411.50 TWEDT, SUSANNE .................... 20,490.70 TYLER, RYAN ............................... 2,837.00 UHLENHAKE, JESSICA ............. 57,117.06 UHLENHAKE, REBECCA .......... 24,641.23 UNDERBAKKE, KIM ................. 21,942.23 UNDERWOOD, KRISTEN ............ 5,988.00 VANDE KROL, KRISTIN ........... 24,948.18 VARGAS, KARLA ....................... 23,431.77 VARNEY, RICK ......................... 135,359.00 VINCENT, CARRIE .......................8,448.33 VOTE, MASON ............................. 2,334.00 WADSWORTH, MARIE ................... 441.31 WAHLBERG, BETH .................... 22,624.83 WAHLBERG, THOMAS ................ 3,911.82 WALTER, LAURIE ........................1,891.00 WASKOW, BRIAN ...................... 58,261.32 WEBB, AMANDA .........................3,152.00 WEMARK, DARCY ...................... 3,335.00 WEMARK-MALANAPHY, KIMBERLY ............................... 24,674.83 WESELMANN, SHARON ...........24,706.40 WESTBY, BRIAN ........................ 20,327.05 WESTBY, KAREN ....................... 26,112.87 WIEPERT, JOSHUA ....................... 2,994.00 WIESELER, MASON .................... 3,990.00 WILDMAN, OLGA ...................... 12,160.59 WILKER, BRETT ........................ 69,921.77 WILKERSON HARDY, PAYTEN .....................................16,796.40 WILKINS, ROBIN ....................... 24,774.10 WILKINS, TAYLORJANE ..........19,216.10 WILLIAMS, STACY ....................64,164.80 WITHERS, JAXON ........................2,837.00 WITZKE, LISA ............................. 68,915.86 WOLTZEN, BREANN ...................1,480.20 WOODHOUSE, DARLENE .........74,645.00 WOODHOUSE, KATHERINE ....47,442.07 WOODS, TATIANNA .................. 14,813.26

YAHR, ERVIN .............................. 31,837.58 ZBORNIK, SARAH ..................... 27,941.97 ZIDLICKY, JACLYN ................... 20,578.10 ZWANZIGER, ALEC ................... 43,380.00 Total ........................................ 14,116,351.99 Decorah (Iowa) Leader July 17, 2025 City of Spillville – Council Meeting Minutes Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Time: 6:00 PM Location: Spillville City Hall Call to Order: Mayor Wermers called the regular council meeting to order at 6:00 PM. Roll Call: Present: Council Members Kelsay, Taylor, Straube, and Schmitt Absent: Council Member Backes Consent Agenda: Motion by Schmitt, seconded by Taylor to approve the consent agenda. Voice vote: Ayes – unanimous. Nayes – none. Motion carried.

Library Board Appointment: Motion by Schmitt, seconded by Straube to appoint Lalanya Bodenbender to fill the vacancy on the Library Board. Voice vote: Ayes – unanimous. Nayes – none. Motion carried.

Project Updates: • Discussed progress on the street and water improvement projects.

• Reviewed the signed contract with Bacon Concrete on Water Project.

Ordinance No. 6-5-12 – Sewer Rate Amendment: • Motion by Taylor, seconded by Schmitt to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 6-5-12, amending provisions pertaining to sewer rates in the 2017 City Code.

Voice vote: Ayes – unanimous. Nayes – none. Motion carried.

• Motion by Kelsay, seconded by Straube to waive the second and third readings.

Voice vote: Ayes – unanimous. Nayes – none. Motion carried.

• Motion by Taylor, seconded by Schmitt to adopt Ordinance No. 6-5-12. Roll call vote: Schmitt, Straube, Taylor, Kelsay – Ayes. Absent: Backes. Nayes – none. Motion carried.

Other Business: • Discussed the Water Tower Demolition Project (not included in the current water project). Marc Ruden from Origin Design will lead this project.

• Council reviewed and agreed to move forward with annexation efforts.

• Discussed the potential installation of bathrooms at the Campground/Park and will explore grant funding options.

• Completed a 90-day employee performance review.

Adjournment: Motion by Kelsay, seconded by Taylor to adjourn. Voice vote: Ayes – unanimous. Nayes – none. Meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM. Attest: Lynette Andera, City Clerk Spillville - Claims to Pay Type, Date, Num, Name, Memo.....Amount Check, 06/06/2025, US CELLULAR, Alarm Autodialer/Cell Phone .......-177.30 Check, 06/06/2025, CITIZENS SAVINGS BANK, Bank Charges ....................-25.00 Check, 06/09/2025, QUILL CORPORATION, Library Office Supplies ........................................-314.96 Check, 06/11/2025, , VISA, Intuit Software Renewal ...............-999.00 Check, 06/16/2025, CITIZENS SAVINGS BANK, Water & Sewer Fees ..........-19.40 06/16/2025, CITIZENS SAVINGS BANK, Bank Charges................................-100.00 Check, 06/19/2025, ALLIANT, Electricity ..................................-2,349.20 Check, 06/20/2025, MEDIACOM, Increase in Billing - Clock Internet Access ..-10.00 Check, 07/01/2025, FARR SIDE, THE Refund on Liquor license - Cancelled Midyear ..........................................-89.38 Check, 07/01/2025, JERALD ANDERA Bandstand & Extra Planters & Bily Clocks Inv 506052 & Inv 506078.................................-1,152.20 Check, 07/01/2025, IOWA LEAGUE OF CITIES, DUES, Inv105872 .............-477.00 Check, 07/01/2025, DRIFTLESS SECURITY, Clocks Security System – Final Pmt - Inv 000483.................-964.92 Check, 07/01/2025, Crystal Arrow Towels – Souvenirs .....................................-54.00 Check, 07/01/2025, GREEN REPAIR Lawn Mower Parts: PTO Clutch & Blakes (3) .......................................-97.75 Check, 07/01/2025, Origin Design, Inv. 81976 Water Engineering - Rebidding, Engineering Fees, DNR Permit Renewal ...................................-10,502.41 Check, 07/01/2025, DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP, Client Matter 44656600007 - Inv 4087329 .................-3,580.00 Check, 07/01/2025, USA BLUEBOOK Inv 723288 Nitrate & Chlorine Testers and Supplies ..............................-1,528.92 Check, 07/01/2025, CITIZENS SAVINGS BANK, Lock Box ...........................-17.00 Check, 07/01/2025, SHIMEK SANITATION............, Shimek Sanitation Contract .....................................-3,231.18 Check, 07/01/2025, CENTURYLINK – LUMEN, Library Telephones .........-85.66 Check, 07/01/2025, ALLIANT, Electricity .....................................-106.54 Check, 07/01/2025, ALLIANT, Electricity ..................................-2,521.74 Check, 07/01/2025, BADGER METER Water Maintenance & Fix Network Serv.

Unit - Inv 80199615 .......................-62.10 Check, 07/01/2025, VISA, June Stmt ...................................-1,750.71 Check, 07/01/2025, Winneshiek Co Historic Preservation Comm Clocks Staff Souvenirs ........................................-54.00 Check, 07/01/2025, CopyLand.Brochures – Clocks - Inv 9055 .........................-486.62 Check, 07/01/2025, Turkey River - Tom Straube, Weed Control - Sewer Lagoon ..........................................-300.00 Check, 07/01/2025, PENFIELD BOOKS Clocks Souvenirs Inv 30415.........-271.98 Check, 07/01/2025, Microbac Laboratories, Inc, Water & Sewer Testing ..........-264.00 Check, 07/01/2025, JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL, Shop Supplies .......-158.32 Check, 07/01/2025, US CELLULAR Alarm Autodialer/Cell Phone .......-177.63 Check, 07/01/2025, DRIFTLESS SECURITY, Library Alarm - Inv 000395R-0008 ............................................-70.00 Check, 07/01/2025, DRIFTLESS SECURITY, Bily Clock Alarm – Inv 000524-R-0001 ........................-50.00 Check, 07/01/2025, Decorah Leader, Publications ....................................-97.89 Check, 07/01/2025, MEDIACOM, Clocks Internet Access .................-116.04 Check, 07/01/2025, GIGFIRE, Internet Service ............................................-70.00 Check, 07/01/2025, OmniSite .1/2 year - 24 Hour reporting on the New Water Tank 6-3-25 - 12-31-25 ................-146.99 Check, 07/01/2025, The Standard Visitor Guide .................................-90.00 Check, 07/01/2025, Turkey River - Tom Straube, Spray Park & Lagoon ..........................................-225.00 Check, 06/30/2025, Reed Backes, Payroll ............................................-92.35 Check, 06/30/2025, Lynette Andera, Payroll .......................................-1,781.22 Check, 06/30/2025, Lalanya Bodenbender, Payroll ..........................................-392.48 Check, 06/30/2025, Susanna Virgina Craft, Payroll .......................................-1,452.99 Check, 06/30/2025, Sandra Elsbernd, Payroll ..........................................-434.14 Check, 06/30/2025, Shirley Francis, Payroll ..........................................-267.31 Check, 06/30/2025, Kathy Geising, Payroll ..........................................-878.33 Check, 06/30/2025, Steven Kelsay, Payroll ..........................................-110.82 Check, 06/30/2025, Sharon Kleve, Payroll ..........................................-193.64 Check, 06/30/2025, Patricia Kivachek, Payroll ............................................-32.40 Check, 06/30/2025, Luke Kruckman, Payroll ..........................................-327.84 Check, 06/30/2025, Ruth Kuhn, Payroll ..........................................-806.33 Check, 06/30/2025, Joane Kulish, Payroll .......................................-1,021.15 Check, 06/30/2025, Sharon Mashek, Payroll ............................................-90.37 Check, 06/30/2025, Larry Phillips, Payroll .......................................-5,885.26 Check, 06/30/2025, Violet Schmelzerr, Payroll ..........................................-235.49 Check, 06/30/2025, Darrell Schmidtt, Payroll ..........................................-110.82 Check, 06/30/2025, Lori Shatek, Payroll ..........................................-188.23 Check, 06/30/2025, Thomas Straube, Payroll ............................................-92.35 Check, 06/30/2025, John Taylor, Payroll ............................................-92.35 Check, 06/30/2025, Linda Thompson, Payroll ..........................................-216.87 Check, 06/30/2025, Abigail Wagner, Payroll ..........................................-422.89 Check, 06/30/2025, Paul Wermers, Payroll ..........................................-184.52 07/01/2025, Total Bills ...............-48,104.99 Decorah (Iowa) Leader July 17, 2025

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DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

13

Trio of Luther College students to empower youth in TimorLeste and Bangladesh through Projects for Peace grants booked into the Winneshiek Coun-

Law Enforcement Iowa State Patrol Herson Santiago Sagche Coyan, age 28, of Postville was charged with operating while intoxicated — first offense — at approximately 6:28 a.m. Monday, July 14 near the intersection of Frankville Road and 190th Street. He was later cited for failure to maintain control, failure to provide proof of financial liability and no valid drivers license.

A criminal complaint said a state trooper found Sagch Coyan’s vehicle on its side in the southbound ditch, and three men were exiting the vehicle — the men identified Sagch Coyan as the driver. The 28-year-old’s blood alcohol concentration was determined to be over the legal limit to operate a vehicle in Iowa. He was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 7:40 a.m. the same day.

Decorah Police Department Magan Danielle Durnan, age 31, of Clermont was charged with failure to obey a traffic control device, possession of a controlled substance — first offense — and operating while under the influence — first offense — at approximately 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 9 in the area of East Water Street in Decorah. Criminal complaints said Durnan turned onto Water Street while a traffic light was red, and an officer smelled marijuana after stopping the vehicle. A K-9 unit indicated the presence of a controlled substance, and officers discovered marijuana in a backpack. She was

ty Jail at 12:45 a.m. Thursday, July 10.

Rien Ross Crawford, age 22, of Mabel, Minnesota, was charged with public intoxication at approximately 11:54 p.m. Friday, July 11 in the 900 block of East Main Street in Decorah. A criminal complaint said Crawford was allegedly involved in a minor disturbance at a beer garden at the county fair and had been physically removed by a fair board member. A preliminary breath test indicated Crawford’s blood alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit to operate a vehicle in Iowa. He was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 12:10 a.m. Saturday, July 12.

Waylon James Martin, age 19, of West Union was charged with public intoxication at approximately 12:38 a.m. Saturday, July 12 in the 900 block of Ridgewood Drive in Decorah. A criminal complaint said the Decorah Police Department was informed Martin was sitting on the side of the road with an open container of “mostly-consumed alcohol.” He was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 12:45 a.m. the same day.

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

Academic Achievements MiEnergy Cooperative awards $80,000 in scholarships MiEnergy Cooperative awarded $80,000 in scholarships to 80 area high school students who exemplify commitment to their local community. The scholarships are funded through unclaimed capital credits which would otherwise be turned over to the state. This year’s 2025 MiEnergy Cooperative Community Service Scholarship winners are:

Jason White; Addison Wicklund, child of Chris and Melissa Wicklund

A group of three Luther College students, Jose Eliano Da Silva, Kim Anh Thy Nguyen and Resana Zayan, received two grants through Projects for Peace. The global program partners with educational institutions to identify and support what organizers called young peace-builders. The $10,000 grants will fund the students’ community-centered projects, which are focused on empowering youth in Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.

Da Silva and Nguyen’s project, “Empowering Timorese Youth through Enhanced Education: Building a Future of Change and Progress,” focuses on education, leadership training and civic engagement for high school students living in rural areas.

“We want to give young people the skills and opportunities they need to become active leaders in their communities and help shape a more inclusive and peaceful future for Timor-Leste,” the students wrote in their proposal. “We believe that empowering youth is a central pillar in creating a peaceful society, as young people are key agents of change and progress.”

In August, Da Silva and Nguyen will host a seven-day training camp for 40 Timorese youth from eight high schools across six municipalities.

“I’ll focus on overall project coordination, logistics and linking the sessions to broader peace-building goals, while Kim will support the imple-

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mentation of leadership and well-being sessions, and help ensure the training is accessible and engaging for all participants,” Da Silva said.

The training camp will have additional support from Timor-Leste Youth for Peace, a grassroots nonprofit organization which promotes peace and social justice.

“Partnering with Timor-Leste Youth for Peace felt like a natural step,” Da Silva said.

“We share the same belief that young people are not just the future, but also the present agents of peace and transformation in Timor-Leste.”

After the camp, students will continue to collaborate with Timor-Leste Youth for Peace and use their summer training in their schools and local communities.

Nguyen, a senior from Vietnam, will travel to Timor-Leste for the first time this summer.

“As a nursing major, Kim brings valuable insight into health-related challenges facing young people, particularly in rural areas,” Da Silva said.

Da Silva, a junior majoring in economics and international studies at Luther, indicated the project is deeply personal.

“Growing up in Timor-Leste, I witnessed firsthand the inequalities faced by the youth,” Da Silva said. “I want to create a space where the youth can develop leadership skills, learn about their rights and feel empowered to drive change in their communities. This project will help them to realize the power they have to build peace.”

Zayan’s project, “Empowering Education and Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” focuses on rebuilding the Chengi Ideal School and creating a sustainable education system for the Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“This funding will enable the restoration of vital facilities destroyed during the flood, train Indigenous teachers in essential subjects, restore dorm facilities

for students coming from remote areas, and provide opportunities for cultural enrichment and physical activities,” Zayan wrote in her proposal.

Zayan’s inspiration for the project stemmed from a conversation she had with a high school friend from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“When I started thinking about the impact I wanted this project to have, I asked her, ‘What’s most urgently needed right now?’ Without hesitation, she told me about Chengi Ideal School, which had recently been hit hard by the floods,” Zayan said.

With help from her friend, Zayan contacted the school to learn more about their struggles.

“They sent us photos of students sitting in flooded classrooms, with water covering the floors and soaking through the infrastructure,” she said. “The school had already been trying to secure funding to rebuild but hadn’t found any support.

That’s when I knew this was the right place to focus our efforts.”

The short-term goals of the project are to repair classrooms, establish a library, provide wifi connectivity and upgrade an existing dormitory with a kitchen.

The project’s long-term goals are to establish a sustainable education system for Indigenous children by enhancing teacher training, improve dormitory facilities to boost student retention and provided transportation for students from remote areas.

“The need is connected to the broader challenge of providing education to a marginalized population already facing the impacts of climate vulnerability,” Zayan said.

Zayan is a senior majoring in visual communication at Luther. This summer, she will facilitate her project remotely.

“Having this project recognized feels like a powerful step toward shedding light on a region that’s been in the shadows for too long,” she said. “This recognition gives me hope that

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Jose Eliano Da Silva people are ready to listen and stand in solidarity with communities that have been excluded for far too long.”

Since 2007, Luther students have initiated and led 24 different summer Projects for Peace programs globally. In total, 39 Luther students have been awarded this prestigious grant to spread sustainable peace around the world.

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14 | DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | EDITOR@DECORAHLEADER.COM | 563-382-4221

Iowa, Wisconsin plan for existing Lansing bridge demolition this fall

File Photo Taylor Geiger spends some time with her sister Lydia’s chicken Thursday before the 4-H/FFA Poultry Show. (Photo by Samantha Ludeking)

Johnathan Bean learned some show techniques from his 4-H buddies at the Winneshiek County Fair. (Photo by Roz Weis)

Brinlee Courtney is pictured with her show animal and her cousin Cormac Courtney Friday at the Winneshiek County Fair. (Photo by Becky Walz)

The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation are proceeding with a revised plan for the construction of the new Iowa 9/WIS 82 bridge over the Mississippi River between Lansing, Iowa, and Crawford County, Wisconsin. DOT officials said the revised plan requires closure and demolition of the existing bridge in the fall of 2025 to ensure that the new bridge can be safely constructed and opened as planned in 2027.

Project engineers reached the decision after additional analyses and extensive discussions between both state DOTs as well as the project’s contractor. Officials with the DOTs said they recognize the impact the demolition of the bridge will have on area communities, and they said the plan is meant to ensure safety for motorists, construction workers, rail traffic and Mississippi River traffic.

The new bridge is being constructed alongside the existing bridge — also known as the Black Hawk Bridge. The Iowa DOT, WisDOT and the con-

tractor have determined future construction stages may pose a risk to the safety of the existing bridge. This fall, the agencies will close the existing bridge to traffic. Crews will then demolish and remove the old structure so that full construction can continue to meet the planned 2027 opening for the new bridge.

Since construction began in late 2023, project engineers have temporarily closed the existing bridge twice. The first closure occurred in early 2024 due to observed displacement, and the bridge was then re-opened after limited stabilizing work was complete. The second closure occurred in May 2025 due to sensor-detected movement, and the bridge was reopened following a detailed inspection and engineering analysis.

The project team is investigating opportunities for alternative river crossings to support businesses, institutions and individuals in Iowa and Wisconsin. Options may include restoration of the water taxi

service offered during previous closures or other options, and both states will maintain viable roadway detours. The nearest crossing is U.S. 18 connecting McGregor, Iowa, to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

The exact closure date will be determined later this year.

Planned closures and alternative services will be announced through the project website, the project Facebook page, local media, on variable message signs on either end of the bridge and through 511 Iowa.

The Iowa DOT and WisDOT project teams say they are also communicating closely with government officials and other stakeholders in the affected communities.

For more information on the construction of the new Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing as well as updates on the existing bridge status, go to iowadot. gov/lansingbridge.

Individuals may also sign up to receive e-mail updates via the Facebook pagefacebook.com/LansingBridge.

Ahmed continued from front of Southern Africa – part of a sisterhood of nearly 20 institutions worldwide – in November of 2020. He said receiving his diploma from a United World College resulted in scholarship offers from several U.S. colleges, most of which were private liberal arts colleges. Luther College in Decorah was among those which extended financial assistance to Ahmed. The now 23-year-old said Luther’s offer, coupled with other philanthropic funds he was expected to receive, essentially covered his tuition fees, leaving him to pay for only travel expenses and other costs.

He arrived on Luther’s campus in late September of 2021, as he attempted to settle into a community of roughly 7,000 people – compared to the 21.3 million people who live in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, all within an area which could fit inside the borders of Winneshiek County.

Ahmed said, before he attended Luther, he considered himself a role model to his younger brothers, but he did not see himself as a community leader.

“I knew who I was in that smaller familial sphere of being someone who is engaged and always thinking about others and trying to live their life in a way that sets an example for others to follow,” he said. “And then, when I came to Luther, this sort of hard-core, tight-knit community sort of catalyzed that in me.

I found myself in spaces where I never thought I would be.”

He aided fellow students as a chemistry lab assistant in 2022, and became a research intern at the college the next year before being selected as a research assistant in 2024.

“As a lab assistant, Jaraad gained confidence in his own lab skills as he helped his peers and helped the faculty with tasks to maintain the labs,” said Molly Wilker, an associate chemistry professor and director of undergraduate research at Luther College. “Both the chemistry faculty and other

chemistry students appreciated Jaraad and got to know him better through his work for the chemistry department over the past four years.”

Victoria Christman, director of Luther’s Center for Global Learning, described Ahmed as an individual of incredible character and integrity.

“He cares deeply about his community, and is passionate in fighting for the issues that affect it,” Christman said. “He was always a central figure in conversations to improve campus life.

Last fall, Jaraad took a class with me entitled ‘Cultivating Peace: Methods of Dialogue.’

This is well outside his scientific academic program, but he wanted to learn tools of religious, political and racial coexistence that are vital to all areas of life in the modern world. He is a multi-dimensional person, who cares deeply about social justice and community service.”

Ahmed also served as president of Luther College’s Student Senate between 2023 and 2024, at one point briefly presenting his goals as the new student president to the Decorah City Council. And he also served on the college’s Presidential Search Committee while Luther worked to find a successor for outgoing President Jenifer K. Ward last year.

The college ultimately selected former Luther College Provost Brad Chamberlain as Ward’s successor – marking the first time in more than a century that the college has selected an internal staff member to serve as its next president.

“Jaraad (leaving) is an enormous loss to Luther, to Decorah, and frankly, to the U.S.,” Christman said. “He was a student senate president, a leader in all respects and is someone with an extremely bright future ahead of him. During his almost-four years in the U.S., he greatly enriched our community, and it is we who lose out by forcing him to leave and continue his education and life elsewhere.”

Breaking the news Christman said Luther was aware the federal government had cancelled the SEVIS records of approximately 5,500 students around the country in March and April of this year.

“They provided no detailed explanations for the terminations and didn’t notify the students or the academic institutions,” Christman said. “As soon as we realized that this was happening, offices like ours started to keep a very close eye on our SEVIS records, and that was how I first discovered that Jaraad’s record was impacted.”

Ahmed said he was completing a study-away program, working with the Boys and Girls Club in Washington D.C., when he received an email from Christman around April 7, alerting him to the change in his status.

“It was heartbreaking to have to break that news to Jaraad,” Christman said. “He responded with tremendous maturity but was, of course, devastated. Thankfully, he was just a few weeks from graduation, and everyone at the college, from the president to his professors, was determined to provide as much support as possible, and to enable him to graduate on time.”

Ahmed said he and his partner had been keeping up on reports of similar happenings around the U.S., which he said left them mentally and emotionally on edge at times.

“I was in the midst of deciding whether I wanted to stay in the U.S. because of all the changes that were happening, and then after finding out, I was like ‘This is the nail in the coffin,’” he said. “I was obviously devastated. I was really excited to be at the graduation ceremony. I worked hard throughout my four years of college — I actually have not had any graduation ceremonies until now, because my high school one got cancelled due to COVID. There’s a lot of journeys happening with a lot of friends, and

this was supposed to be the culmination. That was what really sort of made me sad about the whole thing.”

But he said the situation has shown him his own ability to adapt under pressure, saying he was able to more fully appreciate what ultimately became his final week in the United States as he exchanged open-ended goodbyes with many of his friends.

“I do have my breakdowns every now and then, but I think I handled it pretty well,” he said. “And that’s what I’m really proud of myself for. There were people around me who were sort of mourning me like I was dead — like I was passing away — when I was literally getting on a plane flight back home. I think being able to have that sort of emotional capacity to help people grieve something that they’ve lost and I’ve lost in a way that’s conducive to the situation, I think that’s what I really pride myself on – being able to do so at that time.”

Ahmed wrote in one of his college essays the next month that “effectively, I have been uninvited from the United States of America, but I could not help but feel erased from ever having contributed to the community I had formed there.”

He landed in Dhaka around 10 a.m. April 11.

The college mailed his cap and gown to him in Bangladesh, along with letters and notes from faculty and staff, conveying messages of support.

“Jaraad brings energy and enthusiasm to any group, so his presence was missed when he left our Luther community,” Wilker said. “His absence was acutely acknowledged by the chemistry department faculty and his chemistry major peers, especially the seniors during graduation and end-of-year celebrations in May. The students in my research group became close colleagues as they worked together full-time on a collaborative project. My other research students prepared

Jaraad Ahmed previously emceed Luther College’s annual International Students and Allies Association Fashion Show.

(Photo submitted) a final presentation about their research work in May, and they were disappointed that Jaraad was not able to be present for the final presentation of their combined results.”

Shedding light on others’ struggles Ahmed is currently working for Unilever as a customer development trainee – a position he described as part of sales management and one which he said is relatively prestigious in Bangladesh for a recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Yet, it’s not his ideal position, he said. The recent alum hopes to find work related to socio-political happenings, where he might potentially partner with non-governmental organizations and incorporate his knowledge of biochemistry.

He said he also wants to pursue a post-graduate degree somewhere in the northern hemisphere, but he doesn’t foresee himself retuning to the United States in the near future.

He said he had previously paid almost $500 to apply for an optional practical training, which he said might have extended his F-1 visa and allowed him to work in the U.S., but he is unsure if that application re-

mained valid after his SEVIS status changed in April.

“I don’t know what the process would be for me to come back,” he said.

Still, he hopes sharing his own story will help shed light on similar situations international students across the country are currently facing. He went on to say he feels communities cannot develop in a silo, and he stressed the importance of diversity within communities, citing northeast Iowa cities like Postville.

He said, while hundreds upon thousands of international students have found themselves struggling with situations spurred by government policies over many years, he feels the issue has become more public under the current Trump Administration.

“People, when they come in, they transform a space, and I think people should have the ability to do that without facing the challenges that come with nationalism and border control and identity politics,” Ahmed said. “I think, if I were to talk to someone who may have agreed with my SEVIS status being revoked, I think I would just want them to get to know me. And I think that’s what all of this comes down to. My story is not unique.”

SPORTS

DECORAH LEADER | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025 | WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM | SPORTS EDITOR BECKY WALZ | BECKY.WALZ@DECORAHLEADER.COM

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Thrillers continued from page 16

Senior Nolan Sabelka dives safely back to first base under the Kee tag Saturday night. (Photo by Becky Walz) South Winn’s Adrienne Winings (above) squared up to bunt early in last week’s district contest at North Butler, garnering a hit in her final game as a Warrior. Throwing four innings was southpaw Aubree Gesing (right). (Photos courtesy of Tina Hageman)

Bearcats spoil SW’s postseason hopes BECKY WALZ SPORTS EDITOR

A slow night offensively was the demise for the South Winn softball team Wednesday, July 9, as the Warriors fell to North Butler 5-1 in the second round of regional action.

North Butler (16-12) went on to lose to Beckman Catholic 5-4 in the regional semifinals.

South Winn finished the season at .500 overall at 19-19 as the Upper Iowa Conference runner-up with a 14-2 mark.

The Warriors struck first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by senior duo Adrienne Winings and Britney Hageman set up the lone SW run for Bailey Kuennen, who doubled with a hit that went to the right field fence. South Winn had the bases loaded with just one out when Chloe Wiltgen took first on a fielder’s choice. Consecutive put-outs by the Bearcats ended the Warrior scoring threat.

North Butler put two runners on the basepaths in the

bottom of the opening frame but couldn’t capitalize before going down in order during the second and third. The Bearcats got on the board in the fourth, plating three runs on two outs before the Warriors closed out the stanza. The home team added two more in the fifth, which was enough to end South Winn’s season.

Aubree Gesing took the loss.

In four innings, she gave up three earned runs on seven hits and struck out one. In relief, Kuennen allowed two hits and struck out three.

The Warriors had six hits including Kuennen’s double. Singling were Abby Wagner, Winings, Hageman, Caylie Adam and Izzy Kuboushek.

The Warriors graduate six seniors — Kuboushek, Hageman, Wagner, Adam, Winings and Alyssa Timp.

SOUTH WINN 1, NORTH BUTLER Aubree Gesing (LP) – 4IP, 3R, 7H, 1K; Bailey Kuennen (RP) – 2IP, 2R, 2H, 1BB, 3K 2B – Kuennen 1; 1B – Abby Wagner 1; Adrienne Winings 1; Britney Hageman 1; Caylie Adam 1; Izzy Kuboushek 1; SB – Winings 1

start to finish with Braiden Todd going the distance for South Winn and Jordan Cota and Dalton Mudderman splitting the pitching for Kee. Kee struck first with a run in the bottom of the third inning scoring on a sacrifice bunt. The Warriors had opportunities early, getting the leadoff player on base in each of the first three innings but failed to get a runner past second base and come up with a timely hit. A late run by Kee in the sixth inning proved to be a big run as South Winn made things interesting in the seventh inning, plating a run by Gavin Thuente after he led off the inning with a hit by pitch.

Kee would surrender the final two outs to secure the district title.

“I was really pleased with how our guys competed and put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win. Both Cota and Mudderman are all state level type pitchers and they really challenged us when we had opportunities, and we unfortunately were a hit away several times from plating some runs. We

wish Kee the best of luck with the rest of their postseason run,” said coach Smith. “There was a lot of growth by our group from the start to the finish of the season. Thanks to Nolan Sabelka for his senior leadership and helping this young group throughout the season. We really appreciate the continued support by the South Winn community for our program.”

Todd struck out nine in his six innings on the mound. Leading the Warriors at the plate was Sabelka with his 2-for-3 performance. Jamie Zweibahmer had South Winn’s only other hit.

SOUTH WINN 8, NASHUA-PLAINFIELD 7 Hayden Tieskoetter (WP) – 3IP, 5R, 4H, 3BB, 3K; Carver Wenthold (SP) – 4IP, 2R, 2H, 2BB, 3K 2B – Sid Hesse 1; 1B – Hesse 2; Wenthold 2; Nolan Sabelka 1; Braiden Todd 1; Jordan Einck 1; William Timp 1; RBI – Sabelka 2; Hesse 2; J. Einck 1; Wenthold 1; SB – Sabelka 1; Eric Greve 1; J. Einck 1; Wenthold 1 SOUTH WINN 1, KEE 2 Todd (LP) – 6IP, 2R, 8H, 2BB, 9K 1B – Sabelka 2; Jamie Zweibahmer 1; SB – Sabelka 1

Warrior first baseman slaps the tag on the Kee runner on his way to the bag for an out. (Photo by Becky Walz)

Trojans fall yet again to ninth-ranked Kee High in district play

By Kelly Terpstra sports@nhtrib.com The Turkey Valley Trojan baseball team can expect to face conference rival Kee High on a relatively consistent basis in the postseason.

They did yet again last week Tuesday in the district semifinals at Shooky Fink Field in New Albin. The ninth-ranked Hawks – winners of the Upper Iowa Conference – used a dominant pitching performance to shut out TV by a score of 6-0.

It was the fourth time this

season Kee (31-10) defeated the Trojans after winning by regular season results of 14-3, 13-1 and 8-2 on June 30.

“It’s never the way you want to end. The kids fought to the last out,” said coach Dan Stepan, who wrapped up his 23rd year as Trojan head coach.

Turkey Valley has been knocked out of the postseason five of the last seven seasons by Kee and Stepan said since 2012 there have only been two other times TV has not been slotted in Kee High’s district.

“We end up always play-

ABOVE: Turkey Valley’s Hunter Kruse (left) and Logan Busta catch a Kee runner between third and home during last week’s district semifinal game.

RIGHT: Mitchell Kriener stepped up to the plate for the as the designated hitter for the Trojans. (Photos courtesy of Leah Kruse)

ing them,” said Stepan. “Since we’ve been in Class 1A since 2012, I think twice we went a different direction. We went down to Janesville one year and went to Jesup one year. Other than that we’re stuck up in this direction.”

Kee High – at least on the mound – was in fine form during its first postseason game of the summer as it threw its top two pitchers against the Trojans in seniors Jordan Cota and Dalton Mudderman.

TV sophomore Jayden Rausch – who still leads Class 1A

Fun run at the fair

in walks with 34 – led off the game with a single. He was left stranded at first after Cota induced a strikeout and two popups on the infield to eliminate the threat. Rausch walked in the third with two outs but did not advance past that base. TV junior Alex Hanson started the fifth with a single, but two K’s and a pop-up to second saw that rally stall.

“We struck out over 100 times just looking at this year.

It’s something to work on in the offseason,” said Stepan.

Kee’s Trey Cota slapped a two-RBI double in the third to help the Hawks vault out to a 4-0 lead after three complete innings.

Turkey Valley sophomore Cale Langreck worked five innings and gave up five earned runs. Langreck struck out two and did not issue a free pass.

“Cale gave us a chance to win. He gave us a puncher’s chance to win the ball game.

We forced them to put some hits together,” said Stepan. “We played really good defense. We just didn’t score enough.”

Turkey Valley did not commit an error in the district contest, while Kee had one error.

“We made them earn anything, and we really didn’t give up that huge inning. But against a good team like that with 30 wins, we knew we were going to have to score some runs, and we just didn’t get that part done,” said Stepan.

TURKEY VALLEY 0, KEE 6 Cale Langreck (LP) – 5IP, 5R, 8H, 3BB; Alex Hanson (RP) – 1IP, 1R, 2K 1B – Jayden Rausch 1; Hanson 1

The 32nd annual Winneshiek County Fair Fun Run was held early Saturday morning. ABOVE- Jesse and Megan Lyon along with their family ran in the Winneshiek County Fair Fun Run Saturday.

LEFT- The top finisher in the threequarter-mile run at the Winneshiek County Fair Fun Run was Judah Mutsane with a time of 3.56. (Photos by Roz Weis)

SPORTS 16

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DECORAH LEADER

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THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025

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WWW.DECORAHLEADER.COM

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SPORTS EDITOR BECKY WALZ

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BECKY.WALZ@DECORAHLEADER.COM

Decorah Vikings stunned in postseason opener

Warrior catcher Braiden Todd finishes the rundown as a tags the Nashua-Plainfield player during last week’s district semifinal game in Calmar. Joining Todd in the action were (l-r) Hayden Tieskoetter, Jamie Zweibahmer, Carver Wenthold and Nolan Sabelka. (Photo by Becky Walz) Decorah senior Kaden Alstad gets ready to turn a double play as the Maquoketa player slides into second base during Saturday’s substate game. (Photo by Becky Walz) BECKY WALZ SPORTS EDITOR Picking up a win in the final regular season game and winning the final Northeast Iowa Conference title, the Decorah baseball team looked poised to make a run into the postseason. Playing the role of the spoilers on Saturday, were the Maquoketa Cardinals.

“This loss certainly doesn’t define this group or the season they put together. I believe this group far exceeded most people’s expectations. 23 win season — No. 2 seed in a very difficult Class 3A district and winning the last Northeast Iowa Conference title in a dominant fashion,” said coach Alec Zwanziger. “This group played hard, played together and just found ways to win.

This senior class will be greatly missed. They certainly left the program better than they found it. Looking ahead, we have some pretty dang good ball players at all levels in the program. The future is bright for Decorah baseball.”

The Vikings wrapped up the 2025 campaign with a 23-8 overall record and went undefeated in the NEIC at 16-0.

Decorah graduates seven seniors — Caleb Krieg, Brayden Wemark, Kaden Alstad, Nick Lowery, Bryce Elsbernd, Cash Riehle and Austin Helgerson.

Regular season finale Hosting Waterloo West (533) Tuesday, July 8, the Vikings held off a late scoring surge by the Wahawks to win 7-5.

Decorah plated six of its runs in the opening frame thanks in part to a trio of doubles by leadoff batter Kasen Tyler, Kaden Alstad and Brayden Wemark.

Trevor Kuennen mixed in a single, with Gavin Knutson and Caden Hubka receiving walks and Cash Riehle’s free base after he was hit by a pitch. It took until the fifth for Waterloo West to push a run across home plate.

The Vikings countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning as Cain Monreal-Rice walked and later scored on a sac fly by Tyler. The Wahawks closed the game in the sixth inning, scoring four times before Decorah finished the game in the top of the seventh.

Wemark threw for three innings to record the win with four Ks. C. Riehle, Ethan Kuennen and Alstad threw in relief.

At the plate, Tyler was 2-for3 with a double and drove in three runs, while T. Kuennen collected two hits.

One and done Originally scheduled to be played Friday night, heavy rain forced the Vikings to postpone the Class 4A substate game with Maquoketa (8-27) until midday Saturday with little offense by either squad. The Cardinals did just enough late in the contest to keep their season alive 2-0.

“Obviously this is not how we were wanting to end our season. But in postseason baseball, you can’t afford to have a bad day. Unfortunately, we had a bad day,” said coach Zwanziger. “Senior Brayden Wemark did an outstanding job on the mound for us just like he’s done all season. He certainly gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively all game long.”

A pitcher’s duel from the start, baserunners were limited for both teams. Through the first four frames, Decorah had just three baserunners as Trevor Kuennen rapped out a double and was left stranded at third base in the second. An error in the third frame allowed Caden Hubka to reach first base and Alstad opened up the fourth inning with a single.

In the fourth stanza, back-toback singles by the Cardinals led to the lone runs of the game.

Each squad had just three hits with Viking junior T. Kuennen going 2-for-3 with a double.

Wemark shouldered the loss in his six innings of work, striking out six. C. Riehle threw the final frame in relief.

DECORAH 7, W’LOO WEST 5 Brayden Wemark (WP) – 3IP, 4K; Kaden Alstad (RP) – 1IP, 1BB, 2K; Cash Riehle (RP) – 2-1/3IP, 1R, 3H, 1BB; Ethan Kuennen (RP) – 2/3IP, 4R, 1H, 4BB, 1K 2B – Alstad 1; Gavin Knutson 1; Wemark 1; 1B – Trevor Kuennen 2; Kasen Tyler 1; RBI – Tyler 3; Alstad 1; C. Riehle 1; Cain Monreal-Rice 1; Wemark 1 DECORAH 0, MAQUOKETA 2 Wemark (LP) – 6IP, 2R, 3H, 6K; C. Riehle (RP) – 1IP, 1BB, 1K 2B – T. Kuennen 1; 1B – Alstad 1; T. Kuennen 1

Thrillers in postseason for Warriors, drop district final BECKY WALZ SPORTS EDITOR Excitement filled the stands around the Warrior baseball diamond and at Shooky Fink field Saturday in New Albin as the South Winn baseball team reached the district title game for their eighth straight season.

In the end, the Warriors’ fourth straight state appearance wasn’t in the cards as they fell to Upper Iowa Conference champion Kee Saturday.

South Winn ended the season with an overall mark of 19-14 and was third in the league at 13-5.

Final home game Taking on Nashua-Plainfield (5-16) Tuesday, July 8 at home in the district semifinal likely gave fans a few more gray hairs as it took a bottom of the seventh double by eighth-grader Sid Hesse to give the Warriors the 8-7 victory.

The two teams exchanged runs in the first inning and then, after the Huskies scored a run in the top of the second, the Warriors erupted for a big inning, scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning. Both teams added additional runs in the middle of the game to take the score to 6-3

heading into the seventh inning.

After the Warriors recorded the first out of the seventh inning, the Huskies put up four runs to take a 7-6 lead and put the Warriors on the brink of elimination. Faced with another tough spot similar to the first district game with Ed-Co, South Winn found a way to compete and get their cleats on base.

Eric Greve led off the inning, drawing a walk and forcing the starting pitcher for the Huskies out of the game based upon his

Carver Wenthold went four innings on the hill for South Winn striking out a trio of Nashua-Plainfield batters in the district semifinal last week. (Photo by Becky Walz)

More photos from the Decorah and South Winn baseball games will be posted online with the stories.

competed, especially in the top of the seventh inning. We had some opportunities early to score some insurance runs, and that almost came back to haunt us. Our guys were in the ride mindset heading into that bottom of the seventh, and Eric and Jordan finding a way on base was a big part which led to the big time clutch hit by Sid to win it,” said coach Alex Smith.

Carver Wenthold started the game on the hill with Hayden Tieskoetter earning the win from the mound in the final three frames. Each pitcher struck out three.

South Winn had nine hits in the contest, led by Hesse who was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Wenthold also had two hits and drove in a run, while Sabelka had a hit and two RBIs. Close district final After losing three games to Kee in the regular season, the Warriors looked to play the role of spoiler to the top district seed in New Albin Saturday during the district final but came up short 2-1.

It was a pitcher’s dual from

Thrillers

continued on page 15

Vikings shut out by Charles City BECKY WALZ SPORTS EDITOR The season came to an end for the Decorah softball team last week in the first round of the Class 4A regional playoffs.

The Vikings tangled with Charles City, falling to the Comets for the third time in a week.

Decorah finishes even for the season with a 15-15 mark, and they went 6-6 in the Northeast Iowa Conference to finish third.

“We thank our two seniors for all of the time and dedication they have put into the Decorah softball program.

Although the season has ended, this team has much to be proud of and a bright future ahead. We are looking forward to seeing more growth from our current players and excited to see the younger players step up into new roles. We thank

Clara Hjelle sends the ball into play at the Charles City softball diamond Thursday, July 10 in the Vikings regional contest with the Comets. (Photo by John Burbridge/Charles City Press) our parents and fans for all of your support throughout the season,” said coach Jill Boyd.

Cash Riehle threw one inning of relief from the hill Saturday wrapping up his career in a Decorah Vikings uniform. (Photo

by Becky Walz)

pitch count total. Jordan Einck was be hit by a pitch in the next at bat to put the winning run on base. Greve and Einck would double steal with an out to get both into scoring position, and Hesse, who scored the winning run in the postseason opener Saturday (July 5), came through in the clutch, driving home the two runs to walk off the win for the Warriors.

“This was a back and forth game, and I give Nashua-Plainfield a lot of credit for how they

Decorah shortstop Jasera Tweten reigns in a pop fly during last week’s regional action at Charles City. (Photo

by John Burbridge/Charles City Press)

Final NEIC game It was a slow night for the Vikings offensively Tuesday, July 8, as they hosted Charles City (17-15, 9-3 NEIC) for the final time during Northeast Iowa Conference action. Decorah was shut out in the twinbill 6-0 and 10-0.

The Vikings couldn’t get the offensive mojo rolling in game one. Charles City put up a lone run in the first before tacking on three in the second and two in fourth. Decorah had just one hit in the contest by Clara Hjelle who twirled the distance.

Hjelle gave up four earned runs on 11 hits and one walk tangled between nine strikeouts.

Ending the nightcap in five frames, the visitors used a six-run second frame to kick

start their offensive onslaught.

The Comets added one in the fourth and three in the fifth.

Hjelle tagged the ball twice for singles along with Liz Bucksa who knocked out a hit. Three Vikes were in the pitcher’s circle including Dylin Thompson, Jasera Tweten and Hadley Alexander.

Decorah had just one hit in the contest by Lauren Luzum in the first frame. The junior was the only baserunner for the Vikes as she walked in the fourth while the remainder of the line-up fell.

Hjelle struck out three and gave up two earned runs on eight hits for the loss.

Playoff time Squaring off against Charles City for the third time in three days, the Vikings were hoping for a better outcome; however, the Comets shut out Decorah once again 8-0 in the Class 4A regional contest in Charles City.

The Comets jumped on the board with four runs in the first and added another in the second. The Vikings kept the home team scoreless in the third but gave up two in the fourth and one in the fifth.

NEIC GAMES DECORAH 0, CHARLES CITY 6 Clara Hjelle (LP) – 7IP, 6R, 11H, 1BB, 9K 1B – Hjelle 1; SB – Liz Bucksa 1 DECORAH 0, CHARLES CITY 10 Dylin Thompson (LP) – 1-2/3IP, 6R, 4H, 3BB; Jasera Tweten (RP) – 2-1/3IP, 1R, 2H, 3K; Hadley Alexander (RP) – 1IP, 3R, 3H, 1BB 1B – Hjelle 2; Bucksa 1 REGIONAL GAME DECORAH 0, CHARLES CITY 8 Hjelle (LP) – 4-2/3IP, 8R, 8H, 3K 1B – Lauren Luzum 1