Thursday, September 7, 2023
Vol. 158, Issue 36
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
WinnMed hosts Grand Community Picnic
New staffers at WinnMed welcomed guests to the community picnic Aug. 31. Pictured are Michael D’Netto, M.D., and Hannah Ingalvson, D.O. Hundreds enjoyed the meal under the tents set up on the WinnMed campus.
Bethany Stevens, Family Nurse Practitioner at WinnMed, and daughter Evelyn directed traffic at the event. David Burrett, representing the Decorah Police Department, and young son Henry enjoyed the sack race.
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BEHIND THE BADGE: Officer Trevor Thomas
boys and a girl – and he feels he is where he is meant to be. “My plan is to be in law enforcement until I retire!” he declared. As one of the newest officers with DPD, Thomas has already stepped up to be the department’s training officer and is also the traffic enforcement officer. According to DPD Chief Trish Thein, “In his short tenure, he has already been identified as somebody to take charge! He takes the lead and get things done.” Thomas described himself as a quiet person, calm and level-headed, By Denise Lana and credits that in part to his age and life experiWith only two years of ences. policing experience under “My unit lost two his belt, 36-year-old offimarines while in Iraq,” cer Trevor Thomas jokhe recalled. “At Seed ingly refers to himself as Savers, when some“the new old guy” at the thing would go sideDecorah Police Departways, people would ment. But what he lacks always come find me in police book knowlto fix it.” edge he has more than As training officer, made up for with his life Thomas is responsible experiences. teaching and shaping Thomas, who graduatnew recruits. ed from Crestwood High Thein shared, “He is School in 2005, worked the weight and balance with A&J construction on all officers coming all through high school and into our department, and he a year following. In 2006, he Officer Trevor Thomas is morally and ethically the joined the Marine Corps as an example the new offi cers are trained to mimic.” infantryman, and spent three of the next four years deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, and on the She added, “They ride along with him every shift, USS Nassau with the 24th Marine Expedi- and that speaks volumes about his even keel and tionary Unit. Thomas and wife Sara, a Cresco his character. He sets the bar high, teaching these native, wanted to start a family, so he left the fresh officers how to be good human beings as well Marines after his enlistment and they moved as officers.” When Thomas isn’t training new officers, workback to the area. ing with the community, or setting up a speed trail“Family took priority, and I didn’t want to be er to monitor traffic, he hangs up his utility belt and deployed and gone all the time and away from loves spending time with his wife and three chilmy wife and kids,” Thomas recalled. dren, as well as playing golf, hunting and fishing. Thomas worked at Seed Savers Exchange Thein summed up Thomas’ character best, sayover the next few years as he and Sara settled ing, “He wears many hats well. Coming in with down with their expanding family. But Thomhis life experience has benefits, and there’s only so as said he wasn’t completely content with his much that can be learned from a book! What he has career. learned, he learned through living.” “When I got out of the military, nothing I When asked what the future holds for him, ever did afterwards filled that void of being in Thomas, a self-declared worker-bee, quietly reuniform,” he lamented. plied, “I love getting down in the dirt with everyIn 2021, Thomas decided once again to don body else. I love doing my job, I love the work! I a uniform and make his mark - this time, as an don’t want to fl y through the ranks – I want to stay officer with the Decorah Police Department. He and Sara now have three children – two where I am for a while.”
DHS again named secondVisit us online -best www.decorahnewspapers.com high school in Iowa For the third year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Decorah High School as the second-best high school across Iowa. This marks the fifth consecutive year in the top two spots. Principal Brad Hurst remarked, “This prestigious recognition is not the work of any individual but the result of a collective effort. It honors the achievements and performances of our students, who continual-
ly embrace academic challenges and consistently excel. In addition, significant preparation and pride are invested to ensure that each student at Decorah High School maintains access to a rigorous, world-class education. This monumental task is made possible by the dedication, commitment, and hard work of our entire staff – our teachers, counselors, administrators, office staff, para professionals, custodial staff, nutrition
service staff and bus drivers.” Hurst continued, “We are also immensely grateful to our colleagues across different schools who have been instrumental in establishing and maintaining the foundation of rigorous learning and the high expectations we maintain for our students at Decorah High School.” More information about the ratings can be found at www. usnews.com/education/besthigh-schools/iowa.
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Rylin Sibley paints daisies for Harper Schutte at the WinnMed Grand Community Picnic Aug. 31. Driftless Multimedia photos by Roz Weis)
Brooklyn and Ada Lyon, daughters of Jesse and Megan Lyon, posed for a picture with their mom.
Horn Hollow Road discussion includes potential sale of county property
By Kate Klimesh
Horn Hollow Road has been a topic at several Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors meetings, with requests to retrace and mark the road, leading to discussion of vacation of portions of the road – seemingly not mapped since stagecoach trails shown on the 1856 county plat. The supervisors discussed the issue with County Attorney
Andy Van Der Maaten, who originally suggested the road could be considered abandoned due to lack of maintenance over the past decades. At the Tuesday, Sept. 5, Board of Supervisors Meeting, Jim Wicka was on the agenda to discuss new information and a new proposal. Wicka is the owner of the historic 1869 Horn House and is completing major renovations for its future as an Airbnb. Wicka originally
requested the county formally mark the road and define right of ways in hopes a historic trail could be established near the property with historic markers. Adjacent landowners have also requested vacation of the road by the county. Wicka referenced an email he recently received from Van Der Maaten stating the road was indeed owned by Winneshiek County outright, deeded as such in the 1860s, and not an
easement of prescription as was formerly thought. “You don’t abandon a property just by not maintaining it … you own it unless there’s exclusive act that indicates you don’t own that property anymore.” Wicka noted, “I’m a cash buyer; I’d like to maintain that for historical purposes. You’ve got land - three, four, five acres, worth 30, 40,000 to $50,000 dollars - and I’d like to buy it, maybe other landowners would
too. This is truly a win, win, win for everyone.” Wicka asked the board to reconsider vacation of Horn Hollow Road and consider the sale of the property per formal county land sale processes. Board Chair Dan Langreck noted the board should take a closer look at that, but also cautioned the board members, “We really have to be careful which avenue we can take.” Board member Shirley Ver-
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mace stated, “We’ve not rushed this by any means. If we get into this, we will open a pandora’s box where we open up county land to the highest bidder. I’m not sure we want to do that.” Interim Engineer Nick Rissman added, “This is the first I’ve heard it’s not an easement. I feel it would be best to get it
County property continued on page 3