January 4, 2024

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Vol. 159, Issue 1

Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com

One Section email: news@decorahnewspapers.com

TOP- Maverick Fogle, son of Amber and Jake Fogle, springboarded his way into the New Year at Luther College’s Pool.

New Year’s Eve Bash

BOTTOM- Jorgan Lee-Juve, who turned 12 Jan.1, spent her last day as an 11-year-old playing raquetball with brother Magnus.

Jorgan and Magnus are the children of Lars Juve and Anne-Kristi Lee.

More than 700 children and adults gathered December 31 at Luther College Regents Center to celebrate Decorah Parks and Recreation’s 26th Annual New Year’s Eve Bash. The event included pizza, popcorn and desserts, as well as fun activities ranging from open swimming and basketball to a bouncy house and pickle ball. Every child who attended also received a free Luther College t-shirt, granting the child free admission to any of the college’s sporting events from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024. ABOVE- Nine-year-old Sally Scott, a fourth-grader at Carrie Lee Elementary, relaxes by coloring after an evening of fun. Sally is the daughter of David and Allie Scott, and has enjoyed the New Year’s Eve program for the past three years.

Driftless Multimedia photos by Denise Lana

Local program won’t be affected by state’s decision to opt out of federal summer food assistance program

Price One Dollar phone: 563-382-4221

John Cline School: Cumulative trauma adds to district’s dilemma

By Denise Lana The recent sale of land by the City of Decorah to Decorah Community School District is part of a proposed plan for a new elementary school – a plan that has been nearly two decades in the making. John Cline Elementary School (JCE), which was designed by renowned local architect Charles Altfillisch in 1962, has been the focus of much contention among residents.

Many want a new school, while others question why the current building can’t be renovated, saving millions in taxpayer money.

Assessment reveals collective issues In a facility assessment performed on JCE in 2013, numerous issues with the school were observed and documented. According to the report, the school has no single glaring mortal wound wrapped in a tidy bow. The 60-year-old structure has, instead, suffered gradual, cumulative trauma.

Decorah Community School District Superintendent Tim Cronin explained that the school was built quickly after one-room schoolhouses were closed down.

“The community school district had to have a building, and that’s why they built this building,” Cronin explained about JCE. “I would argue this school’s construction is less than our older buildings, the older ones were just built better.”

Keeping that in mind, it might seem the school was behind the power curve from its inception. Constructed in 1962 with annexes added in 1991, the concrete-block-and-brick-veneer structure

In addition to an overwhelming infestation of yellow jackets all around the exterior of the school’s building, interior portions of the entire structure’s ceiling have been colonized by the aggressive and persistent stinging insects. Despite numerous extermination attempts, the insects remain a constant hazard. Continuous use of over-the-counter traps have helped minimize the insects’ presence inside the facility — Pictured is a trap suspended from the ceiling just outside JCE’s kitchen prep room. is thought to be nearly uninsulated in the original portions of the building.

The site surrounding the school was noted in the assessment to be “one of the most unsafe environments in the district,” citing immediate attention due to inadequate parking, lack of lanes for bus and parent pick-up, and the heavy mixture of town traffic, high school student traffic, parents, teachers and elementary school students.

The absence of a separate bus lane

John Cline continued on page 2 One of numerous areas throughout the school building where the floor has settled in inconsistent areas, common signs that the foundation has moved or sustained damage. Without proper intervention, the foundation will continue to deteriorate. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Denise Lana)

By Roz Weis When contacted by Driftless Multimedia last week, Shanna Putnam Dibble said the popular Kids Lunch Club program should not be affected by the state’s recent decision to opt out of the federal summer food assistance program.

Putnam Dibble is coordinator of the local program.

A lack of strong focus on nutrition is one reason why the State of Iowa officials said it will not participate in a federal program that provides food assistance for kids during the summer.

In a recent press release, the State Department of Human Services and Department of Education reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture had been notified that Iowa will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program. Iowa families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals would have been able to receive $40 per child per month to buy food during the summer.

The local, non-profit Kids Lunch Club ensures all children and youth have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. The Decorah-based program is designed to enhance family and community connections and engagement during the summer months.

Last year, the program volunteers provided three Decorah area sites for the nutritious, grab-and-go lunches.

“While very unfortunate (the state’s decision to opt out of the federal program), it should not have a large im-

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pact on Kids Lunch Club since we are community funded,” Putnam Dibble stated.

The Kids Lunch Club is a collaborative program powered by the community. Representatives from the faith community, school district, city, nonprofit and business community created the program.

In explaining the decision to opt out of the federal Summer EBT program, Iowa Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia wrote that “Iowa’s kids need consistent access to nutritionally dense food, and their families need to feel supported to make healthy choices around food and nutrition…

Another benefit card addressed to children is not the way to take on this issue.”

fits Transfer for Children, or Summer EBT, program.

The Summer EBT program was started during the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal government in response to rising food insecurity at the time. It was permanently authorized by the Biden Administration and Congress earlier this year through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The program provides families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals $40 per child per month during the summer to purchase food.

The funds are provided on an EBT card in the child’s name and the federal government has announced its intention that the card must be administered separately from other existing meal or food assistance programs. With few restrictions on food purchases, the Summer EBT program does not have a strong nutrition focus. Participating states are required to cover half of the administrative costs, which would cost an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa.

“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families.

An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood

Visit us online -NEICAC www.decorahnewspapers reports more

State news release Below is the official release from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (dated Dec. 22, 2023): The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Iowa Department of Education recently announced they will continue to support Iowa children eligible for food assistance year-round by enhancing and expanding already existing childhood nutrition programs and have notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that Iowa will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Bene-

Kids Lunch Club continued on page 5

than $486,000 in assistance provided in one year

By Zach Jensen The Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) helped area Iowans with nearly $500,000 from October 2022 through September 2023, and the regional nonprofit asked Winneshiek County for help meeting its goals for the new year.

NEICAC Chief Executive Officer Trisha Wilkins asked the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors for $59,417 Jan. 2, during the supervisors’ regular meeting.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in the past,” Wilkins said in a letter to the supervisors. “We utilize your funding for various agency needs, including non-federal match requirements for programs. These programs benefit clients within our entire service area, in-

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cluding those who live in Winneshiek County. ” According to information Wilkins presented during the meeting, NEICAC provided $486,355 in assistance to 1,178 people in Winneshiek County from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023.

Other business • County Information Technology Director John Lubke reported a challenge has arisen with the company charged with installing the new audio-video system in the Courthouse Annex, where the supervisors meetings are held. Although Supervisors Steve Kelsay and Shirley Vermace remember explaining the need for speakers

Supervisors continued on page 3

2 Decorah Public Opinion Thursday, January 4, 2024

John Cline adds to the congestion on Claiborne Drive on the north side of the site at the drop-off lane entry point. Parents can be seen lined up for over a block to get into the site for pick-up time, affecting traffic coming and going from the high school facility directly north.

As explained by JCE Principal Rick Varney, “It’s dangerous. We’ve controlled it as best we can and we have a pretty good drop-off and pick-up system, but it’s not ideal.”

Traffic and student safety are huge priorities, especially with the possible new school construction, as Cronin elaborated, “We are doing anything and everything we can to separate our traffic and make it safer for our kids and families. We’ve had discussions about having the parking lot being a lot longer, and maybe at the end could be the drop-off and pick-up, and that would get the kids off the street and away from the rest of the drive.”

Ponding on the playground Continuing past the parking lot, the playground is another area of concern. The school’s four-acre footprint is smaller than recommended for an elementary of its size, and the playground areas are extremely small.

“Ideally, if you were going to design a playground, we would want to have them all in one spot where the adults could strategically see all the children at the same time,” Cronin lamented. “If you could reconfigure things, you’d do it differently.”

Compounding the playground issue is standing water.

As JCE School Grounds Supervisor Greg Schaller explained, “Ponding water is usually not a problem, but the drain is over by the tennis courts. The playground area is antiquated, and when it snows and snow piles are created, ponding water is bound to occur.”

Cronin added, “The water ponds and sits, and the leaves were rotting in the water and making a ‘stew.’ People thought there was sewage backing up, but the bad smell was actually the rotting leaves.”

As if small parking lots, dangerous traffic and sewer-smell-

ing pond water wasn’t enough, there is also the continuous issue of pests infesting the building. Yellow jackets were in full force during an unusually-dry summer in Decorah, but they reached almost plague level at JCE. “This school has a lot of wood on the outside, lots of nooks and crannies, and they [yellow jackets] built nests inside the walls,” said Cronin.

“We’ve had them treated regularly, or we’ve tried!” Varney exclaimed. “They were bad everywhere, but this year, they were worse by a factor of ten.”

Climate control Entering the building, there are narrow halls and low ceilings, many only seven feet in some places. Many of the interior rooms don’t have windows to the outside, and the floors are settling throughout the facility, with many of the floors sinking up to one inch in places.

As Varney explained, many of the rooms are “completely interior and landlocked in with no natural light.”

Classrooms have no air circulation and heaters are antiquated. “The district purchased isolators for every classroom as one way to help move the air and circulate,” Cronin expounded.

Schaller said, “A lot of the original rooms have their original heating systems in there,” with Varney adding, “Teachers have to switch a breaker! Most places try to have a climate control in the building, but we have nothing to help regulate climate at all.”

Drop panel ceilings that line the hallways are stained brown with signs of past roof leaks, and the walls are intermittently etched with cracks.

A sprinkler system would need to be added to bring the facility up to code, but as noted in the 2013 assessment, there is no headspace to run the necessary utilities through the limited space in the ceilings.

The assessment cited that the wall cracks were caused by an issue during construction where the interior load-bearing walls were not put on pylons, like the exterior foundation walls were, and the subfloor is pressing downward. The assessment

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also noted that the walls needed to be repaired from foundation up — emphasizing that the cost of repair would be extremely ineffective and certainly point towards demolition and reconstruction.

Cronin said, “We’ve had a lot of deferred maintenance, but do we really want to spend $200,000 to roof a building we are potentially getting rid of?”

The gym and kitchen The gymnasium in JCE is undersized and over-utilized. In addition to being used for physical education and a general multipurpose room, the gym serves as the daily lunchroom.

“We also have assemblies in here, and we all come in here and sit on the floor,” Varney said.

The 2013 report noted that with the gym “being shared as the lunchroom, it also cuts down on the teaching that can take place in the space and causes the gym to have a vinyl floor to resist the abuse from the lunch program, but is less than ideal for physical education.”

“We used to have a multipurpose room — it was added on in 1993,” said Cronin. “But, five years later, we needed more classrooms, so we put up a wall to make it two classrooms. Now we have no multipurpose room — except for the gymnasium.

If we had more classrooms, we could have kept that multipurpose room and could have lunch and P.E. at the same time.

But, the gym serves as the multipurpose room now. And, the P.E. teacher can’t teach P.E. when the gym is being used for a lunchroom, so that gets taken out of service two or three hours each day.”

Adjacent to the gymnasium/ multipurpose room/lunchroom/ assembly area is a small kitchen where meals cooked at the high school cafeteria across the street are prepped for service to JCE students.

Meals are transported through the main entrance to the school and down main hallways, with meals often staged in the hall near the kitchen entrance due to lack of space in the kitchen area. It doesn’t meet current code from a hood standpoint or oil separation of wastewater, according to the 2013 assessment.

The kitchen also has little-to-no air circulation and the heat permeates the entire hallway and adjoining areas.

Varney added, “This is our warming kitchen — it’s not a full kitchen. We hope to have a new kitchen that would have a lot more space so maybe it wouldn’t be such a hotbox in there.”

Although the school has adequate restrooms for the students, the sewer lines have been a chronic handicap for the facility.

Clogged sewer lines “We have a dip in our main sewer line, so it gets plugged where the main line comes out of the building,” said Schaller.

“We notice when water in the urinals slows down and usually we can get to it before it backs up.”

Coupling the sewer belly issue are tree roots that have penetrated the antiquated cast iron sewer lines and slow things down even further.

“We were hiring auger guys to come in twice a year and get rid of the tree roots,” said Cronin, with Schaller adding, “It became cheaper to buy the auger and do it ourselves.”

School grounds supervisor Greg Schaller (left) and Decorah Community School District Superintendent Dr. Tim Cronin (right) discuss chronic concerns with the playground and drainage issues at JCE. Top concerns include drainage problems resulting in ponding water and sewer-like stench from rotting leaves around the playground area, an elevated chronic infestation of yellow jackets in the school’s heavily-wooded exterior walls, and inadequate space and poor design for the existing play area that makes it difficult for adults to monitor all the children at the same time.

Pictured is the JCE gymnasium in mid-transition as it undergoes one of several daily set changes.

The gym perpetually functions as a PE and recreation area, lunchroom, assembly area, and general multi-purpose gathering space, all within the confines of a single 7-hour school day.

Drop ceilings are commonplace in JCE, and tiles are often removed (as seen in the picture) to help combat damp spaces and water damage caused by roof and drainage issues.

Additionally, the open area shows the lack of requisite space needed to properly install a necessary sprinkler system or run ceiling conduit and ducts for updated HVAC. (The adjacent ceiling tile shows obvious water damage that has been comedically decorated to resemble a popular television puppet) (Driftless Multimedia photos by Denise Lana) Looking at the adult bathrooms is disparaging. One lone, cramped “teacher’s bathroom” is located near the kitchen, with the single toilet the same size as the young student toilets, with a seat height of around 12 inches (versus 17-19 inches for an adult). Directly across the narrow hall from the teacher’s bathroom is the teacher’s workroom/lounge, which is smaller than most bedrooms. With space for a small table that would comfortably seat two teachers, the room is anything but comfortable as the loud hum of a drink machine permeates the small space and fills the air with stifling heat from its compressors. A small space in the back of the room houses several more heat-emitting copy machines.

Cronin made light of the microscopic lounge, joking, “You and a couple of your friends could gather here!”

Compounding the issues of extreme heat and lack of air circulation is the absence of air conditioning in the facility, leading to school closures and early dismissals during periods of extreme weather.

Emergency, security, safety and space Egress doors do not have emergency lights, and parking lot lighting needs to be increased for improved safety and security. There are no interior security cameras in the facility for safety measures.

In addition to the physical issues with the building and grounds, there are other areas of concern that, while not as pressing or dangerous as sink-

ing floors, leaking roofs, backed up sewer lines or air quality hazards, are just as important to the quality of JCE’s education.

According to the 2013 report, many cabinets, storage shelving and furnishings used in many classrooms appear makeshift and salvaged, which is unsafe or inadequate.

Rooms are small, and there are no lockers or cubbies in hallways or rooms. In wintertime, jackets and boots, snow pants and winter gear are kept in tidy piles along walls in classrooms.

Backpacks and personal items add to the tidy piles. Desks with storage areas were gotten rid of to help conserve space in the small rooms, and small table desks and plastic container bins and drawers were utilized to make the most of cramped learning areas.

The 2013 assessment states, “There is no decent space for collaboration outside the classroom or between rooms.” Evident of this issue was seen during the school’s recent Thanksgiving celebration — there was no spacious area where the students could enjoy a meal together, so they ate collectively in a hallway.

Walking into a kindergarten classroom, Varney said, “You put 25 little kids in here, and it pretty much limits you on anything you can do as far as literacy groups, moving around the classroom and so on — there’s not a lot of room. And then you have jackets and boots and stuff taking up room. Some rooms have some natural light and some have windows, but none of them are consistently built.”

Asbestos and more “The architect has been working on this plan for years,” Cronin said. “We have talked a lot about traffic and how could be improved, and how we could have a larger gym closer to Claiborne that could be shared with the high school at night. If we build farther west (from the current JCE location), we open up our ability to access a school off of Heivly and we can look at different ways to separate our traffic and still have the access on Claiborne.”

When the issue of cost is introduced, Cronin stressed that although a remodel could be done cheaper, remodeling with old infrastructure would pose numerous problems.

Schaller agreed, saying, “If you were to try to fix what is here, there would be problems with consistency with concrete and getting the floors back up where they belong, especially behind the walls. Space above the ceiling for sprinkler lines would have to be incorporated, and with no head space above the ceiling, you would have to tear the roof off, or put ducting on the roof. There’s asbestos in this building that we can’t even see, and it would have to be mitigated.”

According to Schaller, who has been with the school since 1999, repairing issues has become an almost full-time job.

“We try to stay on top of any damage, but over time, things kind of end up in bad shape,” Schaller said. “As it ages, it’s like patching a hole but then another hole shows up.”

Luther College hosts Dream Week in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luther College will host “Dream Week” to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 10–19. Events, activities and community outreach are planned throughout the week to remember King’s work and legacy and to examine the state of racism, bias, inequity and injustice in the world.

Dr. Keona K. Ervin, a professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at Bowdoin College and former Luther

assistant professor of history and Africana Studies, will give this year’s Martin Luther King Lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, in the Center for Faith and Life’s Main Hall.

Wednesday, Jan. 10, The F Word: Stories of Forgiveness will open with a gallery reception at 4 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life. The exhibition, which opens as part of Dream Week, will be displayed in the CFL through Jan. 24. The ex-

hibit is a program through The Forgiveness Project and features thought-provoking images and personal narratives exploring forgiveness in the face of atrocity.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall, students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to A Conversation on Racial Healing.

On Thursday, Jan. 18, Luther community members will

read books to area elementary school students about service, leadership, justice, civility and diversity.

There will also be chapel services in the CFL Main Hall, including a service remembering MLK at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, to honor King’s legacy. At 10:30 a.m.

Friday, Jan. 19, the community is welcome to attend a service lamenting racism.

Community discussion on county’s proposed property sale to be held Jan. 4

By Zach Jensen A public discussion on the potential sale of county land in Freeport will be held at 7 p.m., Jan. 4, at the Christian Life Center in Freeport.

Two members of the public, Kevin Lee and former Supervisor John Beard, invited the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors to the open forum during its Dec. 18 regular meeting.

The property, previously referred to as the Iowa Rotocast Plastics (IRP) property sale isn’t in the floodplain, but according to County Planning, Zoning and Flood Plain Administrator Tony Phillips, it is a flood buffer zone. Originally, the county was considering selling the property to IRP, Inc. to be used as the site of the company’s new

solar farm. Recent discussions have revolved around opening the possible sale for bids.

During the Jan. 2 Board of Supervisors meeting, three of the five supervisors voted against making the Freeport event an official public meeting. Supervisors Mark Faldet and Shirley Vermace voiced interest in attending.

“This isn’t a political issue,” Lee said after the meeting. “This is a public safety issue, and it concerns everyone in Freeport, because there is a tremendous liability to the county if they sell it and the buyer moves the creek and builds there. All those homes up Old Stage Road would flood. That stream backs up when the Upper Iowa floods.

If someone builds on that land, where will all that water go?”

Celebrate National Mentoring Month in January

January is National Mentoring Month and Helping Services for Youth & Families (HSYF) is celebrating mentoring friendships and inviting others to engage in their community by becoming involved.

According to a HSYF press release, mentoring has a positive impact on both the youth and the volunteer mentor. The need for positive role models is extremely vital as families deal with the stresses of raising youth in today’s world. There are currently 19 area youth that want a friend to spend time with. One of those youth is six-year-old Evan, who likes to draw, be outside, take things apart and swim. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

Volunteer mentors do not do this alone.

“We, at Helping Services, provide volunteers with the tools and training they need to be successful,” said Colinne McCann, Mentoring Coordinator at Helping Services. “We share activity ideas and provide fun and safe events, making it a rewarding way to volunteer.”

There are many exciting opportunities during the month to celebrate. On Jan. 6, mentors,

mentees, Mentors For A Day, waiting youth and their families will gather for a special group event called “Pets & Potluck”.

At the potluck, from 12 to 1 p.m., at an undetermined location, attendees will enjoy a meal together to celebrate National Mentoring Month. From 1 to 3 p.m., pets and their owners will join in. Participants will move to stations to see, hear about and pet animals like a bearded dragon, show dog, parrot, ferret, bunnies and chicks. Attendees will learn about how to care for each pet.

Proclamations will be signed with the local Boards of Supervisors on Monday, Jan. 8, at 9:30 a.m, in Winneshiek County, 10:30 a.m., in Allamakee, and 1 p.m., in Howard County.

Friends and supporters of mentoring are welcome to attend one or all proclamation signings to share about the impact of mentoring and help declare January National Mentoring Month.

For more information, contact Colinne or Kathy at 563387-1720 or mentoring@helpingservices.org or visit www. helpingservices.org/mentoring for more information.

Supervisors in the audience area of the room, the company has apparently said it didn’t know about the need for speakers in that part of the room and thus didn’t include the audience speakers in the contract.

County Auditor Ben Steines reported that in a conversation with County Attorney Andy Van der Maten, Van der Maten suggested first trying the company’s proposed change order to solve the issue. The supervisors will continue discussion of the issue during its next meeting.

• Bluffton resident Mark Dawley requested that the supervisors reconsider the Bluffton community’s current property lines, because at some point in the past, the lines had been redrawn to reduce the size of Dawley’s property and remove the lot’s well from the property.

The supervisors agreed to hold a public hearing at 10 a.m., Jan. 15, during which it would propose vacating the 11 feet absent from the Dawley land to remedy the issue.

continued from front • The supervisors heard Fiscal Year 2025 budget reports from Sean Snyder of Winneshiek County Emergency Management, Nicole Uthoff from the Department of Human Services, Recycling Supervisor Scott Logsdon and the Winneshiek County Department of Engineering. The Decorah Public Opinion will report on all county budget reports in a future edition.

• The Decorah Public Opinion and the Calmar Courier were named as the county’s official newspapers.

• The county’s holiday schedule, mileage, meal and medical reimbursements and construction evaluation resolution were approved.

• Environmental Specialist Doug Groux was reappointed as the county’s Weed Commissioner.

• The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors will hold its next regular meeting at 9:30 a.m., Jan. 8, at the Courthouse Annex, in Decorah.

Decorah Public Opinion Thursday, January 4, 2024 3

Obituaries Lorene Geiselhart

Lorene Geiselhart, 94, of Calmar, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Barthell O.E.S Home in Decorah.

Lorene Annetta Knutson was born on June 28, 1929, on the family farm near Rake, Lorene Iowa, the Geiselhart youngest of eight children born to Charles and Altha Mills Knutson. She attended school in Rake and graduated in 1946 at age 17.

She then went to Luther College for a one-year teaching certificate and started her teaching career at Postville in 194748. Lorene married James Willis Geiselhart on June 1, 1949, in Rake following their graduation from Luther in 1949. They taught in Galesville, Ill., and Trempealeau, Wis., in 1949-51.

They then moved to Fairmont, Minn., where their union was blessed with four children. In 1958, they moved to Vinton, Iowa, where they both taught.

Jim was the H.S. Business Education instructor, and Lorene taught primary grades at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School from 1959 to 1970. She was an active member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Church in Vinton and volunteered in many professional organizations and participated in

community activities with her children. During that time, she received her BA degree at Iowa State Teachers College in 1965.

In 1970, the family moved to Calmar where Lorene continued teaching second grade at South Winneshiek Community Schools for 25 years until retiring in 1994. Lorene received her masters degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1989 but continued to take classes her whole life. She was also a Student Teacher Supervisor for Luther College from 1971 to 1994. Lorene was honored to be in Who’s Who in American Women twice – once for being an outstanding teacher and once for being a mentor to student teachers. She was retired for one year before she accepted a position of teaching English as a Second Language in an Education College in Nanchong, Sichuan Province, in China for one year. With this experience of a lifetime, she finished her 40-year teaching career.

After China, she began a 20-year friendship with Fred Boettcher. Together they were very active in many volunteer activities for church and community including being leaders of the senior center. In 2007 their work was recognized with the Governor’s State volunteer award presented by Governor Culver. They loved to travel.

Lorene’s love of traveling had

OVCO concert Jan. 7

The Oneota Valley Community Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 7, at the Decorah High School Auditorium. Performances will feature pieces by Handel, Bach and Vivaldi, along with a special guest appearance

by Decorah High School strings students. OVCO online spring auction items will also be available for viewing.

Find tickets at ovcorchestra.org or at the door.

Law Enforcement Decorah Police A theft occurred at 306 College Drive (Kwik Star) Dec. 8.

Decorah Police Officers received camera footage from Kwik Star, and observed an individual taking items and concealing them in their clothes prior to exiting the store. Officers conducted a thorough investigation and identified the individual responsible. On Dec. 28, 2023, Decorah Officers interviewed the individual and a family member Dec. 28. Subsequently, the individual was charged with theft 5th degree (simple misdemeanor) and possession of alcohol by persons under 18.

Decorah Police Officers received a 911 call to the Walmart parking lot Dec. 28 at approximately 7:58 p.m. for an unconscious individual in a vehicle. Upon Officer’s arrival they discovered a male in a vehicle parked in the travel portion of the parking lot. The reporting party and another witness were speaking with the male and stated they did not know what was wrong. WinnMed EMS was dispatched to assist officers. After EMS determined the male was not having a medical event, Officers conducted their investigation. Subsequently, Jerome Charles Allison, 68, of Jackson, Miss., was placed under arrest for operating while under the influence, 1st offense, a serious misdemeanor. He was transported to the Winneshiek County Jail, where he was placed into the jail staff’s custody. Decorah Police Department was assisted in this incident

by WinnMed EMS, Winneshiek County Dispatch, Winneshiek County Jail staff, Walmart Asset Protection, and the reporting party/

The Depot’s Giving Tuesday pledges results in ArtHaus donation

witness.

Decorah Police initiated a traffic stop on Locust Road in Decorah Dec. 29. After investigation the driver, Jade Alice Kraft, 25 of Decorah, was arrested and charged with operating while intoxicated and child endangerment.

Winneshiek Sheriff The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office responded to a driving complaint of a vehicle that was driving erratically and had struck another vehicle at highway speeds on Highway 52 between Ossian and Calmar at 9:44 p.m. Dec. 30.

The striking vehicle did not stop and continued. Deputies located the vehicle, on Highway 52, north of Calmar and attempted to make a traffic stop. The vehicle fled from deputies which led to a pursuit. The vehicle eventually went west bound on Highway 9. With the assistance of the Howard County Sheriff’s Office and Cresco Police Department, stop sticks were deployed. The vehicle continued and was later located unoccupied, on fire and disabled with tire damage on a gravel road north of Kendallville. A short time later a deputy located registered owner, Kaden Brown, age 18, of Castalia, walking on the gravel road. Subsequently, Kaden Brown was arrested and transported to the Winneshiek County Jail for D felony eluding, reckless driving and speeding. This incident remains under investigation with additional charges pending. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office, Cresco Police Department and Harmony Fire Department assisted the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office.

Giving Tuesday 2023 at the Depot Outlet, in Decorah, was a great example of strangers joining together as a community to make big things happen. Hundreds of people donated thousands of items and about 60 staff members and volunteers sorted, priced and stocked items, while close to 450 people shopped and purchased those items on Nov. 28. The Depot Outlet pledged 50 percent of Giving Tuesday’s total sales — resulting in a donation of $2669.32 to ArtHaus. (submitted photo)

her seeing every U.S. state, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Lorene was an active member of the Calmar Lutheran Church in choir, council, circles and “doing days”. She was a 50-year member of AAUW and Delta Kappa Gamma, and a member of NEA, ISEA, Iowa Reading Council, NE Iowa Rosemaling Assn. She was very active in the Calmar Improvement Assn. when they campaigned to build the Calmar swimming pool. Besides volunteering, Lorene enjoyed writing, reading and golfing but she especially loved to be artistic. She was a rosemaler, rug-hooker, and an oil, acrylic and watercolor painter and showed these skills as a 15-year artist in the NE Iowa Art Tour.

She was also interested in genealogy and achieved her goal of complying and publishing a family history book by age 80.

She moved to Barthell OES assisted living in Decorah in 2013 and lived there for four years before moving to Barthell OES nursing home where she lived for six-and-a-half years.

Lorene was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Altha Knutson; one sister, Stella

Naomi Gossman

Naomi A. Gossman, 90, of Cresco, went home to her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, at Evans Memorial Home in Cresco.

Naomi Ann Flatland was born on Oct. 19, 1933, in Highlandville, Iowa, Naomi Gossman to Henry and Norma (Engen) Flatland. At age 10, her family move to rural Cresco. She later dated a neighbor, Herbert Gossman. They shared the same birthdate of Oct.19, so in order to make it an extra special occasion, they were wed on Oct. 19, 1950, at Plymouth Rock Catholic Church.

Naomi and Herb kept their house full of love, laughter and chaos by raising 12 children together. This was great for Naomi, because she could never, ever let her hands be idle. Along with raising a dozen children, she helped Herb on the farm with milking cows and she even drove the tractor. She also kept busy with her quilting and loved playing cards.

Naomi was extremely proud of her large family and was able to watch it grow bigger and bigger over the years.

Naomi is survived by her children: Greg (Betty) of Oak Grove, Minn., Mike of Cresco,

Verlo; her five brothers (and sisters-in-law): Chester (Mary), Lloyd (Alta), Mervin (Beverly), George (Marge), Arthur (Vivian) Knutson; her loving companion, Fred Boettcher; and several nephews and a niece.

Lorene leaves behind an extended and loving family: her beloved sister, Lucille (Jerry) Barnett, West Des Moines; four children: Nancy (Keith) Geiken of Ogden, Iowa, Larry Geiselhart of Calmar, Richard (LeAnn) Geiselhart of Decorah, and Kathleen Doughty of Calmar; six grandchildren: Shane (Kari) Geiselhart of Ankeny, Joshua (Michelle) Geiselhart of Cresco, Brian (Jessica) Geiken of Ankeny, Karen Whaley (Chris Stevenson) of Ankeny, Leif Stockdale, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Alan Stockdale of Las Vegas. Lorene was blessed with 27 children that called her “great-grandma” and four generations of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 18, at the Calmar Lutheran Church with Rev. Daryl Thompson officiating.

Burial will be at a later date in the church cemetery.

Julie Haslerud of Cresco, John (Amy) of Afton, Minn., Cheryl McGinley of Eagle Bend, Minn., Tom of rural Cresco, Pat (Shellie) of Cresco, David (Carri) of Riceville, Laurie Kavitz of Hammond, Wis., Terry (Dawn) of Cresco and Christopher (Amy) of Bryant, Ariz., grandchildren: Jason, Jennifer, Shanda, Caleb, Adam, Jordan, Abigail, Trina, Ragina, Glen, Echo, Nicholas, Mickey, Tyler, Tallen, Tara, Marty, Shelly, Tracy, Suzie, Daniel, Mitchell, Mason, Kirsten, Jay, Hannah, Haley, Hunter, Ashley, Alyssa, Cody, Amanda, Easton, Alivia, Jade, Eli, Judah, Isaiah and Grace; 35 great-grandchildren; and sisters: Bonnie Krogstad of Spring Grove, Minn., Sue (Ed) Fontes of Cresco and Wanda Flatland of rural Cresco.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Herbert; daughter, Marie Konen; sister, Eldie Peterson; brothers, Kenny Flatland and Jesse Flatland; granddaughters, Cierra and Mina; great-granddaughter, Olivia; and sons-in-law, Chuck Haslerud and Roger McGinley.

Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday, Dec. 30, at Notre Dame Parish in Cresco with Father Dan Knipper officiating.

Burial followed at Plymouth Rock Cemetery.

Online condolences may be left at hindtfuneralhomes.com.

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Public Notices ALBERT, JEFFREY R................... 90,952.28 ALBERTS, JULIA A........................ 6,861.00 ARENDT, LUCAS..............................472.50 ARNOLD, ANNALEISSA .............. 2,688.56 ASHBACHER, MICHAEL L. ........5,410.45 AVERHOFF, CADE A .....................3,697.19 BARNESS, EMMA ............................132.75 BAUER, APRIL K ........................... 5,890.50 BAUMLER, GARY .........................2,232.00 BENSON, JERSIE ........................... 1,354.50 BENTLEY, BRIDGET..................... 1,910.56 BOHR, RICKY ANDERA ............ 76,790.87 BOLLINGER, OLIVER .................. 1,662.40 BOLSON, JANAE ..............................798.00 BOROWSKI, LORRAINE L...........4,800.00 BRANDEL, CHARLIE ................... 4,690.13 BRIL, JEREMY S .......................... 99,395.43 BRUCK, MAGGIE ..........................1,690.51 BRUENING, REBECCA E. ............2,274.13 BRUMMEL, OLIVER..................... 2,457.01 BURRETT, DAVID J ..................... 73,641.49 BUTTON, RACHAEL SHAY .......22,467.28 CAREW, PATRICK ............................ 182.25 CAROLAN, JEREMY...................71,915.76 CHILL, NICHOLAS C .................. 37,016.00 COTE, LUKE S ............................ 22,135.70 COTE, MASON...............................4,797.81 CRARY, TRICIA D........................ 40,771.52 DAHLEN, JULIE K.............................. 50.63 DUGGER, AMELIA C .................... 1,116.50 DUHNKE, PATIENCE .......................309.75 ELDRIDGE, NANCY KAY ........... 4,640.21 ELLEDGE, SAMSON ................... 51,807.36 ENG, SAMUEL .................................. 106.38 FAHRENKRUG ROATCH, NANCY .........................................1,961.25 FERGUSON, SAMANTHA ............1,598.51 FOLKEDAHL, LANDAN A ...........2,161.50 FRANZEN, LUKE G.......................... 778.00 FRANZEN, MATTHEW MARK .... 4,712.51 GEIGER, JONATHAN R .............. 54,164.09 GOEDKEN, TRAVIS ..................136,813.58 GOODNER, NATALIE ......................736.00 GOWDY, JANETTE........................2,859.53 GRIMSTAD, MAX..........................1,640.44 GROTH, MANDY BELVA DAWN ...........................80,880.14 GROUX, GAVIN ................................398.00 GUYER, KATHLEEN ...................17,706.04 HADLEY, ROSS W .........................1,050.00 HAGEMAN, DEANA L. ...............41,458.03 HAGENSICK, DEBRA KAY .......45,478.28 HAHN, LOGAN ............................36,274.84 HAHN, WILLIAM ..........................1,558.00 HAMMEL, JOHN............................5,799.38 HAMMEL, THOMAS .....................1,955.00 HARTMAN, ELIZABETH KAY .......140.00 HARTZ, JENNA .................................879.38 HAWLEY-BOURCIER, WILLEM........................................3,101.25 HAWLEY-BOURCIER, BEAU.......3,810.00 HENNING, JODI ................................156.00 HERRMANN, SCOTT J...............87,358.31 HILL, RENEE L ............................ 51,633.55 HJELLE, CLARA ............................ 1,265.65 HJELLE, ERIK J ............................. 3,170.57 HOGENSON, SAMUEL MARTIN ..................... 56,679.08 HOLM, JOHN ALDEN ................. 60,002.72 HOUGEN, DEBORAH ......................622.00

HOVEY, JASON BRUCE ............ 61,980.34 RILEY, MCKENZIE........................... 548.26 Payroll, For 12/8/23 .....................191,470.45 HUEGEL, ERIKA K....................... 6,686.82 ROLLINS, GUNNAR...................... 6,085.12 Bril, Jeremy, Asfpm HUNTER, AIDAN PAUL................ 1,342.00 ROONEY, ELLEN ........................... 2,953.51 Membership Reimbursement ............180.00 IHDE, PHILIP J. ............................ 23,600.00 ROW-HEYVELD, Christopher Miculinich, IHDE, SCOTT ................................. 8,332.51 ZACHARY W. ............................. 61,938.58 Reimbursement For Mla ...................358.89 IHDE, TODD ................................. 85,933.75 RUBIE, JORDAN ............................... 396.00 Deco Bluffs Development, IMOEHL, CODY L........................ 69,970.88 SALTOU, ASHTON ........................2,588.64 Rebateable Tif Payment ................. 3,291.37 IVERSON, GALEN G .......................... 65.00 SAND, KERI ................................. 76,630.67 Kar Auto Group, Rebateable Tif ...... 9,537.05 IVERSON, LILY R. .........................4,897.57 SANDER, DARRON D ................ 69,162.47 Rebound-Hotel, Rebateable Tif ..... 63,261.55 JOHNSON, KIRK E. ....................... 1,200.00 Send letter of application and resume SCHISSEL, RANDAL JOHN ........1,200.00 Winneshiek Co. Development,Discovery JOHNSON, LAUREN B ......................

55.25 SCHISSEL, THEA C .......................2,225.26 Center/Sunflower Campaign ........10,000.00 to Athletic Director, Adam Riley, 100 JONES, BRIAN E............................ 2,587.52 SCHROYER, MARK ALLEN ...........388.62 Hageman, Deana, Reimbursement Rsvp Claiborne Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, by KELLY, KLARA.............................. 4,846.63 Schutte, Mikkel G ...............................161.63 Supplies And Mileage .......................178.28 end of the day on December 28, 2023, KERNDT, SELLUNG, CONNIE R................. 17,573.69 Torresdal, Kristin, Reimbursement For ZACHARY THOMAS ................. 59,034.96 SHAFFER, BLAIR C ....................27,209.81 Treats And Linktree Annual Fee .......103.97 or open until position is filled.

KJOME, JOANN ............................. 2,401.88 SKRADE, ANNALISE B .....................39.38 Yaneff, Nick, Reimbursement ..........1,534.00 KNOKE, JOSEPH C........................ 3,558.75 SKRADE, DANIEL B ........................205.63 Accujet, Sewer Cleanig .................... 2,530.76 KOLLASCH, LUCY ....................... 2,265.38 SMITH, HOGAN.............................3,875.64 Ace Hardware, Supplies...................... 314.00 KRIEG, ANNIKA ............................... 105.00 SMITH, LILLLIAN ............................847.89 Acentek, Fees ...................................... 270.00 $5,000 SIGN-ON BONUS KRUSE, ANDREW ....................... 78,864.01 SMITH, MASON........................... 15,448.78 Airespring, Services ............................ 276.55 KUEHNER, REID ........................... 3,693.44 SMUTZLER, for anDAVID .................... 61,801.01 Alliant Energy, Electric Bills ......... 23,459.01 looking FULL-TIME We are KUENNEN, JESSE .......................

87,601.51 SOVERN, KERITH A ...................49,862.06 Amazon Capital Services, Supplies . 1,215.86 KUENNEN, NOLAN J .................. 49,852.26 SPARRGROVE, TRAVIS ALAN .... 1,885.63 Anderson Wilmarth Van Der Maatten, KUENNEN, TREVOR ....................... 652.00 SPILDE, CRAIG..............................9,936.80 Legal Services ................................ 8,359.00 KURTH, WILLIAM ........................... 270.00 STATON, ISABELLE .........................227.50 Arthaus, Program Expenses ................ 630.00 LABELLE, JAMESON ................... 1,300.53 STOWE, HALEY ................................. 17.00 At&T Mobility National Accounts, LAFRENTZ, CAEL......................... 1,275.02 SWANSON, GREGORY C............68,916.98 Fd Cell Phone...................................... 45.35 LAMB, JAMES D. ......................... 9,727.50 SWINBURN, EMILY ......................... 478.51 Baker & Taylor, Books ................... 2,089.64 LARSON, ERIN VALERIA .......... 28,179.20 SYVERSON, CORY A ................. 58,969.03 Beyond Trust, Remote Support Lic .3,124.56 LEE BROWN, LINNEA R ...................29.25 TEBBENHOFF, CLAIRE A ............... 559.00 Black Hills Energy, Services ...............122.46 LEUENBERGER, JESSE ................ 5,971.00 TERRONES, ANDREW J ............. 57,995.99 Bodensteiner Implement, Services......208.07 LIEN, LISA.........................................401.50 THEIN, PATRICIA ........................46,888.47 Bremer, Louann, Cleaning ............... 1,003.96 E-mail resume to LILLEGRAVEN, MCKINLEY SHEA 18.00 THEISMANN, BRITTANY N ...... 12,678.75 Bruening Rock Products, Materials . 2,621.54 lbenzing@wellingtonplacedecorah.com or LINDMARK, BARRETT .....................99.00 THOMAS, TREVOR J ..................67,945.37 Bsn Sports, Softballs ............................. 90.02 LINDMARK, PEYTON C..................709.06 THOMPSON, DYLIN ........................656.00 Casper Plbg & Htg Inc, Services ..... 2,295.56 call 563-382-9691 for details Wellington Place in beautiful scenic Decorah Iowa, LOVESTUEN, LYLA .........................306.00 THOMPSON, SYDNEY ....................480.00 Chris A Storlie, Electric Bill ............... 150.30 LOVSTUEN, ANYA L ....................5,057.89 is looking for an Overnight TORRESDAL, Charge Nurse to join our KRISTIN C..........72,914.65 Christopher Miculinich, Excellent Salary, LUCAS, DONALD K......................4,041.00 TWETEN, JASERA ............................676.00 Mileage Reimbursement ....................56.46 team of professionals. Hours are 6 pm - 6 am.

LUDEKING, VAN GUNDY, DUSTIN J .............78,423.43 Compass Minerals, Road Salt ........ 15,663.87 401k, Vacation JOSHUA ARTHUR .....................67,520.44 Starting wage: $28 up toKROL, $39.50!

VANDE SCOTT D. ..........58,091.69 Country Garden, Porch Pots ............... 200.00 LUSE, STEPHEN L.........................1,200.00 VANDENBRINK, STEVEN ...........3,974.29 Croell Inc, Concrete .........................1,102.13 & Sick Time LUZUM, LAUREN ......................... 1,198.31 VILARDO, NOAH .............................516.00 Dakota Supply Group, 2479 River Road, Decorah, IA 1-4-JP-12 MAHR, BARBARA .............................26.00 WALTER, ADAM ............................ 1,362.56 Cutting Edges ................................ 9,521.50 MATHIS, TERA L ......................... 50,248.88 White, Jenny A ......................................70.00 Dalco, Supplies ...................................212.29 MAUDERER, MARVIN D ................ 720.00 WHITE, LESLIE ...........................43,079.76 Darold Berger Masonry, Services ....1,451.50 MCARTOR, MALLORY............... 53,116.87 WILSON,at: RENAE..............................688.00 Decorah Comm School, Icn Internet ..140.77 Apply online MCLELLAN, YANEFF, ERICA H ............................ 256.50 Decorah Electric, Generator......... 269,104.93 CHRISTOPHER ALBERT ...........65,592.3 YANEFF, NICHOLAS P ...............72,795.34 www.wellingtonplacedecorah.com/careers Decorah Tire Service, Tire Disposal ..... 59.00 MEYER, COREY ..........................36,177.14 YOUNG, JON E. ..........................71,638.53 Decorah Volunteer Fire Department, MEYER, EVAN M ........................

47,794.60 YTZEN, ADAM L .........................74,612.94 Or call Leah Benzing at 563-382-9691 Touch A Truck ..................................... 68.94 MILLIGAN, COLE P .................... 63,596.53 ZEGLER-EVANS, SAMUEL.............502.50 Dog Waste Depot, Supplies................. 217.97 MOEN, BLAKE ............................ 58,362.76 EOE ZITTERGRUEN, STEVEN............. 1,100.00 Don’s Truck Sales, -codeMOEN, JUDY M ............................... 114.75 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion Brine Equipment - Truck Kit .........6,324.00 MUNN, RACHAEL.........................4,612.50 January 4, 2024 Drake Folkedahl.

MYHRE, DENNIS ........................34,040.00 Alley Approaches .......................... 5,770.00 NALEAN-CARLSON, AIDAN .........429.75 Driftless Multimedia, Media ............... 411.80 December 18, 2023 NALL, SOPHIA.............................10,836.00 Driveway Specialist, Patching .......30,160.00 Join our facilities team and help maintain Seed Savers Exchange’s The regular meeting was called to order by NEAL, EMILY A .............................1,050.00 Erdman Engineering, Services ......... 7,546.15 Mayor Borowski at 5:45 PM. NELSON, KEVIN L .....................59,671.85 facilities, grounds, and equipment. In the winter months, this Fair Manufacturing, The meeting was held at the Decorah NESS, CHRISTOPHER.................59,174.34 Clutch Valve Body ............................802.33 position helps in our Seed House with order fulfillment duties.

Council Chambers and electronically.

NEUZIL, ANN................................. 5,256.23 Falck Concrete Construction, The meeting was opened with the Pledge NIMROD, ANDREW ....................78,990.62 Sidewalk ........................................... 570.00 of Allegiance.

NIMROD, JACOB G ..........................396.50 Fareway Stores, Program Supplies .......35.49 Member present: Randy Schissel, Emily NJUS, MICHAEL ...............................312.50 Fisk Farm And Home, Supplies .........646.61 Neal, Kirsten Olson, Steve Luse, Steven ZitNUMEDAHL, PETER J ............... 61,059.34 Fuse Technic, Services ........................ 300.00 tergruen, Ross Hadley, and Kirk Johnson OBERBROECKLING, RIANN L ...... 564.00 Galls Llc, Uniform/Supplies ...............418.85 City Clerk, Keri Sand, performed the ODE, JEFFERY ALLEN ..............63,706.19 Gundersen Health System, To apply, please email a cover letter, résumé, and the contact swearing in of the two new council members, O’HARA, MICHAEL ....................91,741.66 Random Drug/Alcohol Testing ...........76.00 Christopher Miculinich and Brent Parker OLSON, ANDREW .........................3,014.94 Heiman Fire Equipment, Services ...... 234.40 information for three references to jobs@seedsavers.org.

Consent agenda was presented.

OLSON, KIRSTEN J .......................1,150.00 Ia Floodplain & Stormwater Mgt, a. Minutes of the December 4, 2023, OLSON, LILLIAN ............................. 713.25 Ifsma Membership ..............................40.00 Please include the name of the position you are applying Meeting ONSAGER, MICHAEL L ...............5,378.54 Impact Coffee, Program Expense ......... 50.00 b. Claims O’REILLY, SAVANNAH.................1,610.20 Impact7G, Mitigation Banking ........... 380.00 for in the subject line of your email. c. Reappointment of Bill Courtney to ZonOSTLIE, THOMAS .........................2,968.25 Imwca, ing Board of Adjustment PANKOW, JONATHAN ................ 63,373.20 23-24 Work Comp Premium .......... 8,164.00 You may also contact Peggy Miller at 563.387.5653. d. Resolution 3418 Setting Public Hearing PANKOW, MARA ...........................2,447.50 Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, on Amending Section 17.120.015 and ChapPARKER, BRENNA A ....................6,469.66 Training ...............................................25.00 Seed Savers Exchange is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ter 17.140 Related to Decorah Floodplain PARKER, BRENT DEAN ............ 14,766.57 Decorah Boy Scouts Troop 66 pick-up John Deere Financial, Shop Supplies.. 222.50 Full benefi ts, sign-on bonus, shift bonus District and Floodplain Management PATTISON, KYLE .......................... 2,408.27 Kanopy, Film Database ....................... 176.00 Annual meal plan e. Renewal of Class C Retail Alcohol LiPATTON, MIRIAM .........................1,317.50 and free employee Karin Sassaman, Supplies ...................600.00 cense with Outdoor Service and Catering for JESSICA...........................3,910.51 Keystone Laboratories, Starting Wage: $30-$41.50RAABE, Rebound Winneshiek LLC REDENIUS, MYA V .......................1,194.14 Water Analysis ..................................156.50 Olson made a motion to approve the conRHODES, NATHAN J........................ 458.00 Kirchner Collision, Services ............... 372.00 sent agenda as presented, Neal seconded the RILEY, CARTER ................................958.00 Kwik Trip, Fuel ................................1,727.38 To learn more about us visit motion. Roll call vote. All voting ayes. MoLaura Gillespie, tion carried.

Cleaning November 2023 ..............1,733.00 www.wellingtonplacedecorah.com/careers Mayor Borowski opened the public hearLeon’s Auto & Truck Repair, ing on amending Section 17.16.030 related to Services ............................................. 600.50 or call at 563-382-9691 and ask for Leah. accessory buildings at 5:53 PM. No public Malcom Enterprises, Garbage .............468.50 We look forward to meeting you! comment.

Mayor Borowski closed the public Mcdonald Supply/Div Of Hajoca, Miscellaneous EOE hearing at 5:54 PM. Schissel made a motion Parts.....................................................36.92 -codeReplace your roof with the best to approve the first reading of an ordinance Mi Energy Cooperative, amending Section 17.16.030 related to accesElectric Bills...................................2,076.26 Have trees looking and longest lasting material sory buildings. Zittergruen seconded the moMidwest Patch/Hi-Viz Safety, to the curb by steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three tion. Roll call vote. All voting ayes. Motion Clothing.............................................237.00 This position will manage all operational aspects of the Lillian Goldman Mike Martinek, styles and multiple colors available. carried.

Hadley made a motion to approve ResoHawkeye Bldg Automation Services 170.00 Visitors Center (LGVC). This encompasses researching and buying new Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limit- lution 3419 which approves a local match for Mississippi Welders Co. Inc, Services 100.89 BRIC Scoping merchandise, supervising LGVC staff, and answering visitor questions about Mower Power, Parts/Supplies ...............82.50 on ed Time Offer 50% off installation Funds through the FEMA Hazard MitiNapa, Shop Supplies ........................... 568.40 Seed Savers Exchange, its mission, and Heritage Farm property. At least 1 gation Assistance Program.

The estimated + Additional 10% off install (for National Mississippi River Museum, SATURDAY to the city would be $114,000 over fisProgram .............................................612.80 weekend day is required from March-October. military, health workers & 1st re- cost cal years 2025 and 2026. Olson seconded the Northeast Iowa Task Force, sponders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: motion. Roll call vote. All voting ayes.

October Jag 2023 ........................... 2,880.26 Motion carried.

Olson Explosives, Fuel .................... 3,541.90 1-855-974-5952 Luse made a motion to approve ResoluOverdrive, Books Audio .................. 2,350.01 Please remove lights, tion 3420 adopting FY 25 Airport Capital ImPeak Software Systems, provement Program which is required by the Annual Software Renewal..............3,715.10 tinsel & decorations FAA and IDOT on a yearly basis for projects Perry Novak Electric, Services ........8,798.53 to be eligible for their grant funding. Olson To apply, please email a cover letter, résumé, and the contact Petty Cash, Postage ................................. 9.60 seconded the motion. Roll call vote. All votPitney Bowes, Lease Payment ..............81.30 Assist with housekeeping, laundry, For Rent: 2-bedroom apartment. information for three references to jobs@seedsavers.org. ing ayes. Motion carried. and meal service. Postmaster, Post Office Box Rent .......152.00 for allowing Decorah Schissel made a motion to approve the Quadient Finance, Postage ............... 1,000.00 We can provide you with the training you need to 1-stall garage. NP/NS. Available Aase Haugen Senior Living Facility site plan Randy’s Auto Parts, Parts/Supplies ..1,243.40 Please include the name of the position you are applying Boy Scouts Troop 66 this position. soon. $725/month. 563-380-6712.succeed with theatfollowing contingencies: Ricoh, Services ...................................136.46 contact Leah Benzing atsubject 563-382-9691 to serve our community for in the line of your email.

1. Plans show removal of an existing waRiver City Paving, Alley Patching ......228.99 51-4-JP-9 Starting wage: $12.50 ter valve, staff wants it to remain in place.

Samuelson, Riley, Graphic Design .....495.00 lbenzing@wellingtonplacedecorah.com You may also contact Peggy Miller at 563.387.5653.

2. A landscaping plan is being developed, Sandry Fire Supply, Structure Boots ... 501.50 should be submitted to the city when comSkyline Const. Inc, Apply online at: Seed Savers Exchange an Equal• Opportunity Employer. pleted.

79 River Road, Decorah, IAis52101 EOE Sidewalk/Patch............................. 31,020.13 CHICKASAW COUNTY REAL ESTATE FOR SALE 3.

A trail easement exists on the north side Skyline Landscaping, Snow Removal ..80.00 www.wellingtonplacedecorah.com/careers of the site through a proposed detention pond.

Spahn & Rose Lumber, Lath................. 23.02 With trail development unlikely, the easement Stanard & Associates, Test .................... 69.00 Or call Leah Benzing at 563-382-9691 WINNESHIEK COUNTY IOWA should be terminated if other easement work Steve’s Car Care Center, Wash .............70.50 is done. Updated #1 - 38 Acres, 36-97-12 Jackson Township EOE with a sidewalk easement Storey Kenworthy, Office Supplies..... 577.84 is accepting applications for the position of is now shown on the property, an easement -codeStreicher’s, Equipment/Uniforms .... 2,646.00 agreement would be needed. #2 - 64 Acres, 01-96-12 Jackson Township Sunbelt Rentals, Ev Charger ...............718.86 4. A stormwater management plan is T-Bock’s Sports Bar & Grill, Bid form/registration and information packets available at required. The applicant needs to obtain an Employee Appreciation Party ........ 1,138.80 NPDES The Wall Street Journal, Subscription. 659.88 JOB SUMMARY: This job consists of various advanced network and sysElwood, O’Donohoe, Braun & White, 101 N. Locust, New General Permit No. 2 from the IDNR and Tollefson, Jim, Janitorial Services ..... 140.00 tems administration functions involving enterprise level hardware, softHampton, IA. Bids and letter of credit due to Elwood Law Firm provide a copy to the City; and shall submit Traffic And Transportation Products Ltd, ware and applications. The position will administer, manage, document a copy of the record drawings of stormwater Camera System ............................ 31,950.00 no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, January 19, 2024. Auction practices within 30 days after construction is Transunoin Rick & Alternative Data, and support the more complex portions of the Information Technology at Chickasaw Event Center, 301 N. Water St., New Hampton, completed.

Transunion Tlo .................................... 75.00 systems and ensure optimal system performance and end-user efficiency.

Hadley seconded the motion. Roll call IA on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 9:00 am. Only registered Truck Country Of Iowa, Services .... 5,150.24 vote. All voting Ayes. Motion carried.

True North Companies ...........Life Insurance, bidders allowed into the auction. Further bidding will follow to REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE: Extensive knowledge and technical skills foMayor Borowski announced that there are For Fd Members................................ 518.70 determine if a contract can be agreed upon. Bid forms and openings on the Telecommunications Board cused on installing, configuring, and monitoring enterprise level networks Ubben Building Supplies, and the Human Rights Commission. The city Staking Supplies................................ 557.50 packets also availble online by calling 641-228-8054 or emailing and associated equipment. Experience operating and managing computwill be accepting applications until filled.

Unity Point Clinic, Lab Fees................. 42.00 a request to charlescity@elwoodlawfirm.com. er networks, servers, workstations, and mobile devices. Includes experiMeeting adjourned at 6:22 PM Uw-Madison, Keri Sand Continuing Ed Registration...............247.50 ence working in virtualization, Windows server environments, firewalls, For further questions, contact City Clerk-Finance Officer Verizon Wireless, VPNs, switches, access points, mobile routers, databases, and MS365 Monday, December 18, 2023 Claims October - November 23 ................. 1,536.40 Judith O’Donohoe at 641-228-8054.

Credit Card Fees, government tenants. Proficiency in administering AD services, including Voltmer, Traffic Signal Repair ............ 405.00 Fees For December 2023 ..................

404.77 W.S. Darley, Car Fire Blanket.......... 3,415.58 user management, group policies, domain, DHCP, and DNS controllers.

Wallace Holland Kast, A diverse skill set for managing, maintaining, and securing an organizaDiversion Channel ......................... 6,839.30 tion’s IT infrastructure, including backups, computer policies, emergency Winn Co Recorder, Recording Fees....282.00 Winn Co. San. Landfill, Deer ................22.50 preparedness planning, and cyber incident response. The ability to work Wise Welding And Fabrication .......... Repair, outside of normal business hours is required.

Dump Truck ......................................250.00 For Sale: ‘06 Dodge Grand CaraZiegler, Services............................... 7,877.11 Additional information available at van. 7-passengers, very nice conRevenue To Date December 15, 2023 • Some Over Night General Fund............................. 5,066,799.25 www.winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov/jobs dition and reliable. Good tires.

Local Option Sales Tax ................598,897.87 • Returning Daily to Cedar Rapids Please send applications to jlubke@co.winneshiek.ia.us Road Use Fund............................. 460,265.54 Recent checkup. 319-427-3593.

• Steady Income/100% Paid Benefits Employee Benefits ....................... 912,539.73

by January 31, 2024 | An EOE employer 1-2-JP-pd-4 Hotel/Motel .................................. 228,552.39 • Company Training Ssmid.............................................. 13,595.88 Park Special Gifts ............................ 7,358.46 Library Special Gifts ........................ 6,554.15 Street Equip Fund ............................ 9,538.18 www.jensentransport.com Debt Service Fund........................638,669.75 Special Projects ............................ 106,007.95 Water Utility Fund ....................... 671,851.76 Call Tim Jensen for an Interview today: Sewer Utility Fund ....................... 628,742.39 EOE 1-800-772-1734 Enterprise Project Interest ................ 7,666.30 Metronet .........................................62,251.50 Forest Utility .................................. 52,632.51 Storm Sewer Utility ....................... 94,077.99 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion January 4, 2024

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IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF CLINTON JAMES FRANA, DECEASED. PROBATE NO. ESPR 016262 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Clinton James Frana, Deceased, who died on or about December 20, 2023: You are hereby notified that on December 27, 2023, the Last Will and Testament of Clinton James Frana, deceased, bearing date of November 14, 2023, was admitted to probate in the above-named Court and that Darryl L. Frana was appointed Executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

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

Dated December 27, 2023.

Darryl L. Frana, Executor of Estate 1753 Peppy Place Rd. Decorah, IA 52101 William J. Shafer, ICIS#L AT007218 Attorney for Executor Shafer & Shafer Law Office, PLLC 23 Allamakee St. Waukon, IA 52172 Date of second publication: January 11, 2024 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion January 4 & 11, 2024

IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF LORENE GEISELHART, DECEASED PROBATE NO. ESPR 016261 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Lorene Geiselhart, Deceased, who died on or about December 9, 2023: You are hereby notified that on December 22, 2023, the Last Will and Testament of Lorene Geiselhart, deceased, bearing date of Nancy Geiken, was admitted to probate in the above-named Court and that Nancy Geiken was appointed Executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

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

Dated December 22, 2023.

Nancy Geiken, Executor of Estate 859 230th Street Ogden, IA 50212 Andrew P. Nelson, ICIS#: AT0005669 Attorney for Executor Meyer, Lorentzen & Nelson P.O. Box 126 Decorah, IA 52101 Date of second publication: January 11, 2024 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion January 4 & 11, 2024 IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF MILFRED O. NELSON, DECEASED. PROBATE NO. ESPR 016263 NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Milfred O. Nelson, Deceased, who died on or about July 22, 2021: You are hereby notified that on December 29, 2023, the Last Will and Testament of Milfred O. Nelson, deceased, bearing date of January 25, 2018, was admitted to probate in the above-named Court and that Mark Nelson and Ronald Nelson have been appointed Co-Executors of the estate. Any action to set aside the Will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the Will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

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

Dated December 29, 2023.

Mark Nelson, Co-Executor of Estate 2156 Middle Ossian Rd. Decorah, IA 52101 Ronald Nelson, Co-Executor of Estate 3150 state Hwy. 9 Ridgeway, IA 52165 Andrew P. Nelson, ICIS#: AT0005669 Attorney for Co-Executors Meyer, Lorentzen & Nelson 101 ½ E. Water Street, P.O. Box 126 Decorah, IA 52101 Date of second publication: January 11, 2024 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion January 4 & 11, 2024

obesity has become an epidemic” stated Governor Reynolds.

“HHS and the Department of Education have well-established programs in place that leverage partnerships with community-based providers and schools who understand the needs of the families they serve.

If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.”

“No child should go hungry, least of all in Iowa, but the Summer EBT Program fails to address the barriers that exist to healthy and nutritional foods.

Iowa’s kids need consistent access to nutritionally dense food, and their families need to feel supported to make healthy

choices around food and nutrition. Another benefit card addressed to children is not the way to take on this issue,” said HHS Director Kelly Garcia.

“The Iowa Department of Education remains committed to supporting students with healthy meals and food options.

We are already leveraging family-focused, community-based solutions to support child nutrition and well-being in the summer, and we look forward to expanding these existing partnerships,” said McKenzie Snow, Iowa Department of Education Director.

Last summer, more than 1.6 million meals and snacks were served to children 18 and younger throughout Iowa as part of the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option program.

Funded through the USDA

and administered by the Iowa Department of Education, each of the 500-plus meal sites in low-income areas across Iowa are run by local sponsors to ensure children can get nutritious meals during the summer at no cost in a safe and supervised environment. Sites are located in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, libraries, apartment complexes, churches and migrant centers. Many sites also offer enrichment opportunities for children such as reading, physical activity or nutrition education.

Additionally, Iowa HHS administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) year-round, providing benefits to supplement food budgets of needy families. Of

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continued from front isting programming currently being offered by state agencies and are exploring new opportunities to address family well-being and children’s health in Iowa.

Decorah Community School District (DCSD) Superintendent Tim Cronin said there is no way to track the EBT cards distributed locally in past years.

“We don’t have any way to track the EBT cards as we do not give them out,” he said.

“We do get questions and calls and we refer them on to the state people.”

He disclosed the number of qualified students who could have applied for EBT cards last year. He said a total of 360 District students qualified for the free and reduced lunch program.

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the 132,000 Iowa households currently enrolled in SNAP, 41.5 percent have children in the home. Despite this, HHS data shows a decline in SNAP enrollment since 2020, down from over 150,000 households to 132,000 for 2024.

Six regional food banks and 1,200 non-profit organizations, including food pantries and meal sites, also provide food assistance and childhood nutrition programs across all 99 counties in Iowa.

At the same time, childhood obesity and other diet related health problems are increasing.

Almost 16 percent of children in Iowa ages 10 to 17 are obese and Iowa is in the top ten states for high school age obesity.

HHS and the Department of Education will continue ex-

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TRUST NOTICE IN THE MATTER OF THE TRUST: THE WIEDEMAN FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST To all persons regarding John Wiedeman, deceased, who died on or about December 1, 2023. You are hereby notified that the trustees listed below are the trustees of The Wiedeman Family Revocable Trust dated on April 24, 2018. Any action to contest the validity of the trust must be brought in the District Court of Winneshiek County, Iowa, within the later to occur of four (4) months from the date of second publication of this notice or thirty (30) days from the date of mailing this notice to the spouse of the decedent settlor, and to all heirs of the decedent settlor whose identities are reasonably ascertainable.

Any suit not filed within this period shall be forever barred.

Notice is further given that any person or entity possessing a claim against the trust must mail proof of the claim to the trustee at the address listed below via certified mail, return receipt requested, by the later to occur of four (4) months from the second publication of this notice or thirty (30) days from the date of mailing this notice if required or the claim shall be forever barred unless paid or otherwise satisfied.

Dated on December 22nd, 2023 Bruce Wiedeman 27 High School Greene, IA 50636 Jean Tweten 3459 US Hwy 52 Decorah, IA 52101 Joseph P. Braun #AT0001120 ELWOOD, O’DONOHOE, BRAUN & WHITE, LLP 217 North Elm Street PO Box 377 Cresco, Iowa 52136-0377 Attorney for Trustee Date of second publication: January 4, 2024 Decorah (Iowa) Public Opinion December 28, 2023 and January 4, 2024

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New Hampton

Coming up in varsity sports

Jan. 4 – SW b wr at UIC duals (West Union), 4 p.m.; Dec b swim at Vinton-Shellsburg, 4:30 p.m.; Dec g/b wr vs. Waverly-Shell Rock, 6:15 p.m.; NH-TV g/b wr at Crestwood, 6:15 p.m.; SW g bb vs. Lanesboro, 7:30 p.m.; TV b bb at Riceville, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 – Dec bowl vs. Charles City, 4 p.m.; SW g wr at Central Elkader tnmt., 4:30 p.m.; SW g/b bb vs. Clayton Ridge, 6:15 p.m.; TV g/b bb at Kee, 6:15 p.m.; Dec g/b bb vs. Waverly-Shell Rock, 6:45 p.m.

Jan. 6 – Dec g wr at Anamosa tnmt., 9:30 a.m.; Dec b wr at Crestwood, 10 a.m.; SW b wr at Tripoli tnmt., 10 a.m.; NH-TV g wr at Denver tnmt., 10 a.m.; Dec b swim at Waterloo West, 12:30 p.m.

Sports Editor: Becky Walz

•

PAGE 6

THURSDAY

JANUARY 4, 2024

DECORAH, SOUTH WINNESHIEK, TURKEY VALLEY

up 17 points to go with a trio of rebounds and three steals, while Sydney Thompson added nine points, four boards and four steals. Adding seven points and 11 rebounds was Brynn Storhoff, with Gabby Dixon putting in the final five points.

Decorah welcomes Waverly-Shell Rock Friday, Jan. 5, at 6:45 p.m.

MFL MM 7 12 4 12 35 Decorah 12 19 28 8 67 Scoring – Yazmeen Whitsitt 29; Claire Storhoff 17; Sydney Thompson 9; Brynn Storhoff 7; Gabby Dixon 5 Rebounds – B. Storhoff 11; Thompson 4; Whitsitt 3; C. Storhoff 3; Dixon 2; Clara Hjelle 1; Assists – Whitsitt 7; Thompson 2; B. Storhoff 1; C. Storhoff 1; Steals – Whitsitt 7; Thompson 4; C. Storhoff 3; B. Storhoff 2; Dixon 1; Blocks – Whitsitt 1

sports@decorahnewspapers.com

•

563-382-4221

Meyer, Jansen take fourth at Osage

Vikes kick off year with win

Picking up where they left off in 2023, the Vikings won their eighth straight game Tuesday.

The Decorah girls basketball team (9-3, 4-0 NEIC) defeated MFL MarMac (8-4, 8-0 UIC) at home in non-conference action 67-35.

Decorah took control early on, holding a 12-7 advantage at the first-quarter break. That lead was extended to 31-19 in the second quarter. The Viking defense was unyielding in the third, giving up just four points as Decorah put up 28 points to put the game away. The Bulldogs scored 12 in the fourth but couldn’t get the game in hand.

Five Vikings got in the scorers’ book, led by Yazmeen Whitsitt with 29 points, seven assists, seven steals and three rebounds. Claire Storhoff put

•

Osage tnmt. team scores 1. Cedar Falls 201; 2. Southeast Polk 196; 3. Bettendorf 182; 4.

Osage 154; 5. East Buchanan 129; 6. Lewis Central 124; 7. Mason City 92; 8. Clear Lake 85; 8. Humboldt 85; 10. Nevada 78; 11. Alburnett 62; 12. NH/TV 59; 13. Waukon 54; 14.

Central Elkader 49; 15. South Winn 43; 16. Emmetsburg 37; 17. Saint Ansgar 30; 18. Don Bosco 26; 19.

Eagle Grove 24; 20. AP-GC 18; 21.

Nashua-Plainfield 12

Yazmeen Whitsitt brings the ball across the timeline in a recent Viking home game.

Tuesday, the senior put up 29 points to lead Decorah to a win. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Members of the Decorah varsity boys’ basketball squad for the 2023-24 campaign are (front, l-r) Kaiden Quandahl, Trey McCain, Matthew Bockman, Andrew Rhodes, Jackson Pipho, Zach Driscoll; (back) Jameson LaBelle, Coach Reinhardt, Coach McCain, Louis Bucksa, Carter Dlhy, Cael LaFrentz, Ben Bockman, Noah Milburn, Coach Carlson, Domenik Smith and Coach Wiepert. Not pictured are Gavin Groux and Caleb Krieg. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)

Kicking off the new year the South Winn girls’ wrestling team competed in a tournament at Osage Tuesday, finishing with 43 points in 15th place.

Taking the top spot in the team standings was Cedar Falls who accumulated 201 points, with Southeast Polk a close second with 196.

Kaydn Meyer and Maddy Jansen came away with the top finishes for the Warriors, both bringing home fourth place.

At 125 pounds, Meyer rolled over Mason City’s Makayla Lukes in 3:26 to advance to the quarterfinals where she outlasted Addie Nelson of Southeast Polk to win by a 6-5 decision.

In the semifinals, Eagle Grove’s Jaymie Anderson managed to turn Meyer in 2:39 to push the Warrior into the consolation bracket. A fall in 3:13 over Taylor Moser of Central put Meyer in the match for third place in a rematch against Nelson of Southeast Polk. This time it was Nelson getting the decision 8-1.

Jansen threw her first round opponent, Ellie Reints of Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center, in 1:56 before dropping a 7-4 decision to Mason City’s Kallie Gibbons in the quarterfinals. Moving over to the backside of the 135-pound bracket, Jansen pinned Morgan Strief of Bettendorf in 1:34, then earned

a 10-2 major decision over Annaliese Arciniega of Osage.

The Warrior sophomore then squared off with Gibbons of Mason City once again for third place, falling by an 8-5 decision.

In junior varsity action, Grace Zweibohmer finished second at 135 pounds, pinning teammate McKenna Looby in the quarterfinals in 3:35, then throwing Humboldt’s Emilie Schriber in 2:32. In the finals, Maya Swarts of Cedar Falls got the fall in 1:30.

South Winn will be back in tournament action at Central Elkader Friday, Jan. 5, at 4:30 p.m.

Individual results 105 – Isabelle Goltz, DNP Rd. 1 – LBF in 1:27 to Mia Kurth (Waukon); Cons. rd. 1 – WBF in 1:47 over Allison Sauer (Southeast Polk); Cons. rd. 2 – LBF in 1:32 to Claire Dieleman (Humboldt) 120 – Sophia Dvorak, DNP Rd. 1 – LBF in 0:42 to Apryl Halsor (Cedar Falls); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 1:17 to Kara Knipper (East Buchanan) 125 – Kaydn Meyer, 4th place Rd. 1 – WBF in 3:26 over Makayla

Lukes (Mason City); Quarters – won 6-5 dec. over Addie Nelson (Southeast Polk); Semis – LBF in 2:39 to Jaymie Anderson (Eagle Grove); Cons. rd. 3 – WBF in 3:13 over Taylor Moser (Central Elkader); 3rd place – lost 8-1 dec. to Addie Nelson (Southeast Polk) 130 – Abby Wagner, 8th place Quarters – LBF in 0:50 to Lexy Peterson (Bettendorf); Cons. rd. 2 – LBF in 3:46 to Claire Weydert (Humboldt); Cons. rd. 3 – WBF in 0:48 over Ella Knutson (NH/TV); 7th place – LBF in 5:06 to Jobie Conway (Cedar Falls) 135 – Maddy Jansen, 4th place Rd. 1 – WBF in 1:56 over Ellie Reints (AP-GC); Quarters – lost 7-4 dec. to Kallie Gibbons (Mason City); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 1:34 over Morgan Strief (Bettendorf); Cons. rd. 3 – won 10-2 maj. dec. over Annaliese Arciniega (Osage); 3rd place – lost 8-5 dec. to Kallie Gibbons (Mason City) 145 – Ellie Knutson, DNP Rd. 1 – WBF in 1:06 over Charlotte Smith (Bettendorf); Quarters – LBF in 1:48 to Alexis Stelle (Southeast Polk); Cons. rd. 2 – LBF in 2:55 to Ava Bossom (Waukon); Cons. rd. 3 – lost by injury default to Clara Shogren (Southeast Polk) 135 JV – McKenna Looby, 7th place Quarters – LBF in 3:35 to Grace Zweibohmer (South Winn); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 2:53 to Genesis Pickar (Osage); 7th place - bye 135 JV – Grace Zweibohmer, 2nd place Quarters – WBF in 3:35 over McKenna Looby (South Winn); Semis – WBF in 2:32 over Emilie Schriber (Humboldt); Final – LBF in 1:30 to Maya Swarts (Cedar Falls)

Senior Kaydn Meyer was one of two Warriors to take fourth at the Osage tournament Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Tami Brincks)

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[Where the NEWS is] driftless Donning junior varsity jerseys for the Decorah boys’ basketball team this season are (front, l-r) Peyton Webb, Keaton Nalean-Carlson, Louis Bucksa, Tanner Caddell, Trevor Kuennen, Jackson Pipho; (back) Jameson LaBelle, Domenik Smith, Caden Malanaphy, Carter Dlhy, Noah Milburn, Luke Franzen, Reid Berns, Kaden Tarwater and Hector Vargas Escobar. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)

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Echoes of the Past 20 Years Sports Coverage Decorah, South Winn & Turkey Valley

Freshmen taking to the hardwood in 2023-24 for the Decorah boys’ basketball program are (front, l-r) Thomas Davis, Liam Huang, Blake Pattison, Caden Hubka, Drake Phillips, Bryson Wemark, Elliot Berland, Jack DeLaRosa; (back) Parker Low, Gabe Monroe, Landan Gjere, Garrett Henry, Coach Wiepert, Carter Riley, Karter Orris, Lawrence Christman and Austin Bina. Not pictured are Tyler Shaw and Andrew Marcum. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr) LEFT: Decorah cheerleaders for the 2023-24 season include (l-r) Sierra Jump-Gerleman, Lyla Lovstuen, Ava Bahr, Jenna Johnson and Karlee Bullerman. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr) EDITOR’S NOTE: The Decorah boys’ varsity basketball photo was previously published with the names of the junior varsity members. Driftless Multimedia regrets the error.

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