Editor’s Note: The following is a week-by-week review of the top stories that took place during the second half of 2010 taken from the pages of the Times Plain Dealer. By Keri Bugenhagen
Published:
July 7 – It was reported that the 117th Annual Mighty Howard County Fair kicked off with solid grandstand entertainment, according to Barnes, who says the economical Pay-One-Price Grandstand Button was more of a hit than ever this past year, having actually sold out. Aside from selling out of buttons, this year marked another first when the Fair Board made the decision to utilize a mobile stage that was set up in the middle of the racetrack. The rented stage allowed concert attendees to choose whether they wanted to stand on the racetrack – an option new this year – or sit in the grandstands for the concerts.
•On the steps of the State Capitol, Governor Chet Culver reminded Iowans that two new highway safety laws would take effect July 1 that affect drivers and passengers. Both laws are aimed at saving lives and preventing serious injuries by curbing two of the most unsafe driving behaviors – texting while driving and not buckling up.
•The Cresco Jaycees held their annual Demo Derby and Fireworks Show at the Howard County Fairgrounds the previous Friday evening.
•Cresco Community Theatre (CCT) was set to present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” on July 8, 9 and 10 at the Cresco Opera House. The two-act musical boasted a hefty cast of more than 50 people, including members of all ages and featuring singers, dancers, princes, princesses, priests, wives and nurses galore.
July 14 – It was announced that Cresco’s sixth-ever All Schools Reunion would take place on July 30, 31 and Aug. 1, 2010. The central location for all planned reunion activities was at the Howard County Fairgrounds, where memorabilia was featured on display, along with information on individual class activities. In addition, an area designated for all military personnel and former military personnel to post names, ranks and dates of service, as the reunion theme was “Honoring and Remembering.’”
•A feature story highlighted the American Legion Riders and the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of veterans and non-veterans who love to ride motorcycles - who also have the utmost respect for those who have risked their lives for America and the freedom enjoyed day by day, the security felt by citizens of this country and the selfless acts of patriotism.
•Mary Foell, daughter of Bill and Laura Foell of Schaller, Iowa and a senior at Iowa State University began work as an intern for the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation for the summer of 2010. “Because I’m interested in agriculture, he’s [Norman Borlaug] one of the people I have heard about a lot, but not a lot of people know about him, so I think the word needs to be spread,” said Foell.
•On July 1, Vince Kappes took over as new commander for the VFW in Cresco. “The VFW in general is actually making more of a headway now, now that things have changed and hopefully for the good. We’re getting more involved with the troops and welcoming soldiers home,” said Kappes. “Actually we have seen a good community response and we would like to see even more people get involved.”
•New administrator Shanna Laughton had recently arrived at Howard Residential Care Facility. Laughton is joined in Cresco by her two sons, Jack and Matthew Litterer, who are 9 and 11, respectively. “They’re excited to be here,” she said. “This is a good move and a good chapter in our lives.”
July 21 – Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA) announced that Jason Passmore had joined the team as Executive Director of Howard County Business and Tourism (HCBT). “I am very excited to join the HCBT and CEDA team and look forward to building relationships in Howard County,” said Passmore. “The incredible businesses and assets the area has to offer will make for an enjoyable opportunity to fulfill a goal to be a great place to work, live, play and grow.”
•It was reported that the Howard County Community Foundation awarded $94,864.75 in grants during an awards ceremony at the Howard County Fair. Funding was awarded to 48 non-profit and government entities in Howard County for worthy projects that enhance the quality of life for the citizens.
•A feature story highlighted Joseph Sir and Brian Smith, co-founders of Hallowed Ground Ministries (HGM), two local friends with a common calling in life: to use their recently established non-profit ministry combined with the sport of hunting as a platform to interact with the community, beginning on a local level. In addition to the new HGM facility, it was announced that the gentlemen were set to move forward with the production of a Christian television show called “Hallowed Ground Outdoors,” meant to further the mens’ mission for community outreach on a nationwide scale.
•It was announced that a new ALCO Store would open in Cresco on Wednesday, July 28, offering a full line of quality merchandise supplied from the 350,000 square foot ALCO distribution center in Abilene, Kan. “We are excited to open our new ALCO store, and we are confident it will meet the needs of shoppers in Cresco and the surrounding community,” commented store manager Patrick Dahlquist.
July 28 – Early the previous Saturday morning, residents in Cresco were surprised to wake up to storm damage along Highway 9 West heading east, roughly in a scattered line from about H&S to Beadle Park. Rachel and Mike Gooder, owners of the Plantpeddler in Cresco were among those surprised by the damage they found, after much of the glass in the greenhouse roof had been shattered by the storm.
That same Saturday morning, other businesses and residents sustained damage as well. Trees were uprooted next to A&W/Long John Silver’s and two of the restaurant’s outdoor picnic tables were damaged after being lifted up into the sky and crashing to the ground. Trees were also uprooted in various places along Highway 9 West and at Beadle Park, and at Culligan Water Conditioning their sign was snapped off.
In addition, H&S Motors sustained plenty of damage after their roof had been torn off – peeled back like a sardine can.
•Local dairy farmer Dennis Ferrie was featured in a story after he made a rather rare discovery – one of his dairy cows had given birth to triplets. “I didn’t really believe it at first because you just don’t expect it,” he said.
While it may seem like Ferrie really hit the jackpot as far as calves goes, he had said that he just hopes that the two “then” recently born heifers are fertile. “Usually whenever you have a male that comes with the heifers, they can’t produce. We won’t know until they’re bigger,” he explained, joking that he did purchase a lottery ticket, “…but that didn’t quite pan out either.”
•U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin aide Linda Lucy and local resident Carmen Schacht were featured in an article as proponents of the Americans with Disabilities Act and in honor of its 20th birthday. In 1990, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin wrote and acted as chief sponsor of the nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities.
Aug. 4 – On Saturday, July 31, many community members joined with the Cresco American Legion and the VFW in honoring the rededication of the Howard County All Wars Memorial. Presenting the ceremony was Command Sergeant Major Dee Hosek.
•Also on Saturday, July 31, the first of two speakers addressing the crowd of classmates during the 2010 All Schools Reunion Program was 1960 Cresco High School graduate Ken Buhr, Ph.D., of Gainesville, Florida. Buhr is an emeritus faculty member of the University of Florida’s Agronomy Department. The story behind the speech he gave that day ran on the front page of the TPD on Aug. 4.
Amidst all of the anecdotes pertaining to Buhr’s speech that day, he left the crowd with something that Dr. Norman Borlaug had been concerned about: “...if you forget everything about my presentation today, remember this number...2-1-6-0-0-0.”
This is the number of people being added to “Spaceship Earth” on a daily basis. “This is the number of births minus the number of deaths, daily” he said. “Global population continues to grow at the rate of about 79 million people per year.”
That is the amount of people who will need to find jobs, food, clothing, housing and so forth. “When Norman Borlaug was born in 1914, do you know what the population was then, approximately? 1.6 billion,” said Buhr. “What’s the population now? It’s increased more than four-fold, at 6.9 billion. And Norman passed away just this past September. During his lifetime, population on Spaceship Earth has increased four-fold. Demographers are telling us that we have to increase yields – double the yields by 2050. Are we going to be able to do that? I hope so. There are some people that believe we can.”
•It was reported that hundreds of people enjoyed the fun-filled weekend during the 2010 All Schools Reunion, according to Committee members Suzanne Ollendick (Class of ’60), Ruth Lueck (Class of ’61) and Barb Prochaska (Class of ’61). A number of events, such as the Saturday afternoon barbecue and evening dance, along with Sunday morning’s Flight Breakfast were well attended. “We are thrilled beyond words,” expressed Ollendick.
•On Thursday, July 29, the Howard County Board of Conservation Department hosted an informational meeting pertaining to the Vernon Springs Dam project that had been underway. The meeting was held at the Prairie’s Edge Nature Center and well attended by the general public and project officials.
Aug. 11 – Former Gov. Terry Branstad (R) visited Suzy-Z-Q’s in Cresco the previous week with State Auditor David Vaudt (R), who announced his endorsement for Branstad’s bid for re-election last May. The pair brought with them a prepared presentation highlighting budget woes currently faced by the state. As the November election was looming just around the corner, the campaign had come to town as part of Branstad and Vaudt’s “Truth and Budgeting Tour.”
•Command Sergeant Major Dee Neubauer Hosek (Notre Dame ‘86), the second of two speakers at the 2010 All Schools Reunion Program held Saturday, July 31 was featured in an article pertaining to the speech she gave that day.
Hosek told the crowd that she had been asked to talk about what she learned at Cresco’s Notre Dame that assisted her in life. “I think the most important things I learned here were from my dad, humor and don’t be judgmental and from my mom, patience,” she said. “These were of course reinforced at school and all have served me well in the military.”
In addition to her repertoire of learning, Hosek cautioned the crowd that small towns can often be much like the military. “We tend to judge people quickly and it is sometimes difficult to change one’s opinion,” she said. “I have learned there are always two sides to every story and just as Mom and Dad said it is not my place to judge.”
Being nonjudgmental is especially important in dealing with veterans she said, “As you can see, the transition from military to civilian life appears to be an easy one, but you may never know what they have actually been through.”
•Local residents were noticing some construction work along Highway 9 East, near Cresco Motel – it was a project that aimed to aesthetically enhance the bicycle trail that flows through town, but also to make the trail safer.
Gary Gooder of Alum-Line, Inc. in Cresco and also a member of the Prairie Springs Recreational Trail Committee said, “This was an almost $20,000 project, so we’re using a lot of our existing funds that we had from donations. It is still part of our ‘Pave the Way’ project, which I think is really important because this is what we kind of call our final phase of having a nice entrance for our bikers coming into Cresco.”
Aug. 18 – In a follow-up story that was first reported in the Oct. 7, 2009 edition of the TPD, property owners in Howard County had received notice of an equalization order for agricultural, commercial and residential property located within the county. The order, issued by the Iowa Department of Revenue in September 2009, indicated a final percentage adjustment as proposed by the Iowa Director of Revenue to the 2009 valuations of real property in Howard County.
Howard County Assessor Tom Mullen had said taxes were up because the budgets were up. “If our valuation would have stayed the same, the levies would have gone up to pay for that,” he said. “Really, the valuation isn’t the whole picture even though the budget entities then capture that value because there was a 9 percent order on residential, 8 percent on commercial and 59.32 percent on agricultural.”
•In a move to make the Regional Health Services of Howard County Board of Trustees “more diverse,” members approved a motion to expand from five board trustees to seven at the July monthly meeting.
In a split vote, the motion was made by Jeffery Mason and passed with a 3-2 count. Voting “yes” on the measure were Mason, Allen Moudry and Gerald Ferrie, while voting “no” were Linda McConnell and Connie McGrane.
•In conjunction with Danny Meyer of Meyer Builders of Decorah, Shawn Saltou of MIDWEST Drafting & Design in Cresco announced that he was in the midst of constructing a Design Show Home to educate clients, homeowners and homebuilders on the concepts behind building science.
•It was reported that Lime Springs Sweet Corn Days is considered a summer staple for Lime Springs residents, Howard County residents and beyond. The celebration, which was in its 29th year, offered a plethora of free events to all who wanted to take advantage of a weekend long community-based celebration.
•The Howard-Winneshiek school board announced that they had participated, in 2010, in the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) legislative policy process by talking about the impact of state policy on the district and voting on legislative resolutions for the next legislative session. Each school board prioritizes up to five resolutions.
Aug. 25 – Brenna Findley, Republican nominee for attorney general, took time out of her busy campaign schedule to visit the TPD and to address some key issues currently faced by the State of Iowa.
“The reason I’m running is because I care about Iowa and I want to do something to make a difference,” she announced. “We have a lot of problems right now as a state and I see some opportunities to do some good things.”
• The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) had elected three new members to its Board of Directors, expanding grassroots and independent ethanol representation to the national advocacy association. Cresco-area resident Dave Sovereign was one of the three new members; currently representing Golden Grain Energy, a 100 mgy farmer-owned ethanol plant in Mason City, Iowa, on the ACE Board. Sovereign is Chairman of the Board at Golden Grain, and also serves on the Board of Absolute Energy, a locally owned 100 mgy ethanol plant near Lyle, Minnesota. “It will be a pleasure to work as a member of the ACE Board to ensure that ethanol continues to deliver vital economic, environmental, and energy security benefits to the U.S.,” Sovereign said.
•Protivin Czech Days had marked its 32nd year the previous weekend. There was plenty to eat and many people agreed that “it’s all about the food.”
•Luther College student Hanna Beckman had started working with a computer Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program for mapping purposes through an internship with the City of Cresco. She had been commuting to Cresco two days per week throughout the summer months. “I take a [Global Positioning System] GPS unit and I go around marking whatever the City wants me to mark, from fire hydrants to water valves to waterlines,” she explained. “I make it so that what’s out there in the real world is now on the computer.”
Sept. 1 – Two public hearings were held during the regular monthly Board of Education Meeting on the evening of Monday, Aug. 23. The first hearing at 6:30 p.m. regarded discussion and action pertaining to the Request For Qualification (RFQ) of an architect to be chosen for the Lime Springs/Chester Learning Center/Tornado Safe Room (LSLC) Project.
•As fall was almost here and area children had gone back to school, farmers were gearing up for the harvest season. Thus local roadways were seeing an influx in traffic and Kurt Kriener, vice president of the Howard County Farm Bureau, would remind drivers to “play it safe” on the roadways as crop harvesting commences.
Indeed, collisions with farm vehicles peak during fall harvest, according to Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, and once October hits, nearly twice as many collisions are reported as opposed to any other month.
•This year would mark the third consecutive year in which the CROP Hunger Walk took place in conjunction with the Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest celebrated annually in Cresco.
Sept. 8 – It was reported that several volunteers were assisting with restoration efforts at the boyhood home of Dr. Norman Borlaug, concentrating on repainting some of the original farm structures on the property located southwest of Cresco, just outside of Protivin.
•Iowans had begun to hear about the looming threat of the emerald ash borer, also referred to as “The Green Menace.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), this metallic green insect is an invasive beetle native to China and eastern Asia that is specifically destructive to all varieties of ash trees and it is only a matter of time before the tree pest penetrates northeast Iowa.
Sept. 15 – On Wednesday, Sept. 8 Iowa Congressman Tom Latham (R) held a listening town hall meeting at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) in Cresco, where he took questions from local constituents and listened to their concerns.
During the meeting, Congressman Latham said the country’s unemployment rate was not supposed to rise above 8 percent due to the stimulus – but it had shifted up to about 9.6 as of September 2010. Up until mid-September, Latham had said, most of the impact that the country would have due to the bill has come and gone. “As far as relying on stimulus spending to create more jobs in the future, I don’t think anyone believes that is the case,” he said.
•In the previous weekend Mabel had celebrated its 58th Annual Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days. The celebration marks the oldest steam engine show in Minnesota and celebrated rural America.
Sept. 22 – It was announced that there would be plenty of family-friendly fun for the upcoming weekend’s Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest, which ran from Friday, Sept. 24 thru Sunday, Sept. 26 in downtown Cresco.
•The 34th annual frontier rendezvous was to be held on the military post grounds of Fort Atkinson from Sept. 25-26. Re-enactors dressed in 1840s time-period costume will take part in historical, educational and entertaining events.
•Jordan Meltzer and David Polansky, co-owners of Per Capita Entertainment, were gearing up to put on the second annual Recessionfest, located at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds in Decorah. The two-day event showcased a laundry list of musical performances at recession-based prices.
•For a few hours and a few miles, friends and neighbors would be coming together on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 26 for the Howard County CROP Hunger Walk.
•In celebration of the First Amendment and the right to read, the American Library Association sponsored Banned Books Week 2010, which ran from Sept. 25 through Oct. 2.
Sept. 29 – It was reported that on Friday, Sept. 24 Jack Thomson, charter member of the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation, opened a ceremony in Beadle Park, speaking into a microphone on a breezy and overcast opening day of Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest 2010. The opening ceremony came with the purpose of paying homage to Dr. Borlaug, who is credited with saving billions of lives from the horrors of starvation.
•Crestwood High School’s 2010 homecoming week was announced, beginning the upcoming Sunday with several activities, including the coronation of king and queen and a community pep rally. This year’s homecoming court included: Daniel Allison, Candice Bohr, Kirscha Faldet, Reed Faldet, Ryan Hagen, Brandon Kerian, Amanda Mast, Meghan McAllister, Dan Miller, Jessica Pira, Ryan Pitz and Taylor Vrieze.
The following week, it was reported that Amanda Mast and Daniel Allison were crowned 2010 Crestwood High School Homecoming Queen and King during coronation Sunday evening.
•During Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest, 15 young ladies competed for the title of Little Miss Cresco 2010. The winner was announced at the Crestwood High School football stadium just prior to the varsity football game versus Decorah. 2010’s Miss Congeniality was Alison Butikofer. Meanwhile, Little Miss Cresco was Kristen Reicks. Others who competed for the titles included: Brooklyn Ferrie, Destiny Hodges, Kayla Hruska, Josie Johnson, Noel Lloyd, Sarah Mashek, Annie Mast, Kyra McIntyre, Emily Reinhart, Taylor Shelton, Ashley Voves, Marisa Wendel and Kaylee Worple.
Oct. 6 – What started as a “shucking” contest rapidly turned into a “chucking” contest Sunday afternoon at the residence of Pastors Phil and Ginny Olson of Ridgeway, as Crestwood High School FFA members competed against the Luther College wrestling team to find out who could more quickly harvest corn. After a brief outdoor prayer service and a lunch featuring fresh hamburgers off the grill, the 15-minute hand-picking corn contest commenced.
•The music of the “Piano Man,” Billy Joel, was announced as the theme for this year’s Marching Cadets, standing 69 strong, proud and dedicated to their goals; successful competition, fluid teamwork and perfection. The Crestwood Marching Band, under the direction of Jason Dobbs, had shown up, done their best and gone home proud in two competitions this past fall.
Oct. 13 – Two candidates were announced to be running for the Howard County Board of Supervisors, District 2 position in the General Election that was set for Nov. 2, 2010: Incumbent Don Burnikel (D) faced Dale Kreitzer (R) for the seat.
•The Northeast Iowa Community Action Transit is the designated Regional Public Transit System was highlighted in a feature story. NEICAC Transit provides transportation to the rural northeastern corner of Iowa via a fleet of 52 vehicles, most of which are ADA handicapped accessible.
•Neighbors in the North Ridge Malek and Houdek Addition, along and near 8th Street East in Cresco, had awoken to a hefty dose of vandalism in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 4. Calls began coming into the Cresco Police Department at approximately 2:30 a.m. that day with complaints ranging from spray-painted graffiti and break-ins to repositioned automobiles and stolen property.
Oct. 20 – A benefit would be held for Pam McAllister on Saturday, Oct. 23 at the Heritage Events Center in Cresco. McAllister was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in November of 2008. Since that time, she had been undergoing intense chemotherapy treatments, but the medical expenses had far exceeded the insurance coverage and would continue to accrue as she began further treatment.
•Rev. Phillip Olson and Rev. Ginny Olson, pastors of Ridgeway Lutheran Parish, announced they were moving to Waverly, where Pastor Phil had accepted the call to serve as interim senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church.
•Notre Dame students held a tree planting ceremony on the north side of the new school addition on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The whole school took part in planting three crimson king maple trees. The trees are in memory of two people who passed away during the last school year: Tim Newton, brother of second grade teacher, Mrs. Sheila Slifka, and Denise Neumann, sister of retired Notre Dame teacher, Mrs. Stephanie Thomson.
The third tree was in memory of US Army Spec. Christopher Opat, who was killed this past summer in Iraq while in service to his country. Chris went to school through his elementary years at Notre Dame. His dad, Leslie Opat, lives in the Cresco area.
•It was announced that Tanning Unlimited had officially opened. Located at 128 N. Elm St., the facility offers three different tanning beds with three different levels of tanning, where customers can choose between top-rated Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Ergoline tanning models.
Oct. 27 – The Cresco City Council gathered for a regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 18. Prior to business that evening, Mayor Mark Bohle thanked Police Chief Mark Kissinger for providing the City Council with information pertaining to the recent vandalism in and near the Malek and Houdek Addition.
Chief Kissinger had stated that 21 of the police reports were classified as burglaries due to illegal entry inside the properties. The other four were classified as criminal mischief.
•As the 2010 General Election was winding closer, two opposing candidates running for U.S. Congress in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District found their way to Cresco on Monday, Oct. 25. Both candidates, incumbent Tom Latham (R) and challenger Bill Maske (D) arrived that morning in their campaign vehicles, parking on opposite sides of Main Street for a time.
•On Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, Howard-Winneshiek Community School District (HWCSD) received official notification that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had granted conditional approval of its grant application for a Tornado Safe Room to be located in the Spring Ahead Learning Center.
Nov. 3 – After a statewide drawn-out budget battle that began roughly a year ago, the Howard County and Chickasaw County Clerk of Court Offices had announced that the offices would succumb to reduced office hours.
Damian Baltes, Howard and Chickasaw County Clerk of Court commented, “We’re just struggling to keep up” – an issue similarly experienced in many clerk of court offices across the state of Iowa.
•Mayor Mark Bohle and the Cresco City Council announced that they would like to know what residents think about the future of the Cresco community. Therefore, they asked for assistance from residents of Cresco, inviting them to attend a Strategic Planning Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Cresco Bank & Trust Community Room.
•Forty-five Crestwood students would be performing in the musical “Oliver!” on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.
Nov. 10 – It was a night for remembering and honoring local veterans during the Patriotic Veterans Day Banquet held Nov. 6 at the Expo Center in Cresco. More than 200 guests were in attendance, showing a great deal of pride and support for those who are serving and have served in the United States military. This year’s event was held in special recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
•VFW Post 4561 invited the public to a Welcome Home Ceremony for Marine Corps Corporal Joshua Nelson at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010 – Veteran’s Day – at the Howard County Courthouse Square in Cresco.
•The race for the Howard County District 2 Supervisor seat was close during General Election day on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010. However, incumbent Don Burnikel (D) won with 600 votes to Dale Kreitzer’s (R) 535.
•The Cresco City Council held a regular Monday night meeting on Nov. 1 at City Hall. Observing the meeting were members of local Boy Scout Troop 63 who attended as one of the requirements in earning the Citizen in the Community Merit Badge.
Nov. 17 – Thursday, Nov. 11 was a full day for members of the American Legion Post 135 and VFW Post 4561 as they spent the day educating the community about Veterans Day.
•On Wednesday, Nov. 10 the City of Cresco held the first Public Forum regarding Cresco’s Strategic Planning Process. The event was held in the Cresco Bank & Trust Community Room and was well attended by community members. Contracted by the City, Municipal Consultant Patrick Callahan, of Snyder & Associates, was present to direct the meeting.
•On Saturday Nov. 6, 2010, more than 200 community members gathered at the Expo Center located in the Howard County Fair Grounds in an effort to pay homage to those who have served and are serving in the United States Military; this during the 4th Annual Patriotic Veterans Day Banquet. The evening was filled with good food, heartfelt emotion, patriotic music and powerful speakers, along with special acknowledgement for local veterans and service personnel. This year’s event, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4561, was held in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
Nov. 24 – If was announced that on Jan. 1, 2011, significant changes to Iowa weapons permit law would take effect. Under the new law, Iowa sheriffs must issue weapons carry permits to applicants who meet certain criteria. This is a departure from current law, which grants Iowa sheriffs extremely broad discretion in issuing weapons carry permits.
•A Benefit Supper and Dance was set for Saturday, Nov. 27 at the Expo Center in the Howard County Fairgrounds for former area carpenter Rick O’Brien, who recently suffered a devastating accident at work that had left him permanently disabled.
•Cresco residents Linda and Ernie Thompson were set to hold an Open House and Ribbon Cutting for their recently opened Bed & Breakfast, known as the “Converse House.” Deemed a place of “Casual Elegance,” the Converse House offers a warm and inviting atmosphere that aims to provide visitors with the “freedom to enjoy small town hospitality at a leisurely pace.”
•In September 2010, Spring Ahead Learning Center had kicked off its Korn for Kids program. As of November, the program had raised an amazing $12,127.14 by contributions from six area grain producers. Five grain producers donated corn through A&K Feed and Grain: Larry Broadwater, Dave and Ruthie Fritcher, Gary and JoAnne Larson, Joe and Jane Truka, and Dennis and Velma Rice. Ron and Marilyn Reis donated corn through Winneshiek Cooperative.
Dec. 1 – A Louisburg, Kan. teenager led local authorities on a high-speed pursuit in the previous week. Multiple charges were filed against 18-year-old Joel Bryce Hood, Jr., according to the Howard County and Winneshiek County Sheriff Departments. Howard County Sheriff Mike Miner said the suspect took many chances with endangering the public in his attempt to outrun law enforcement officers. “We’re pretty lucky that the individual didn’t hurt somebody in town when he came through here, or hurt somebody on the roads while he was traveling,” he said.
•During World War II – in the year 1941, to be exact – current Cresco Care Center resident Walter Harwood, 91, met and fell in love with current Maryland resident Pansy Vaccaro, 98. Through the passage of many years, the long-lost lovers would never forget the passion they felt for one another, thus finally becoming engaged last month.
•The M & M Lounge, located south of the Howard County Courthouse, has served area residents for decades. Still, a change in ownership, along with recent renovations, was announced to have increased customer traffic and now highlights the artwork of local painter Ron Riehle.
Dec. 8 – Jeffrey Heil, Northland Securities vice president of public finance, was on hand Tuesday, Nov. 30 to assist the Howard County Board of Supervisors in approving resolutions to accept the receipt of the bids as well as the sale of $5,100,000 general obligation bonds series 2010A, also citing that Howard County would receive an “A+” rating from Standard and Poor’s. “The key is that the county has been run well,” announced Heil. “You have an A+ rating and it just puts a positive aspect on your whole community.”
•The Howard-Winneshiek Community School District recently hosted a group of superintendents who are involved in their own professional development called the Superintendents’ Network. In effect, walkthroughs were conducted within the Crestwood K-8 and high school buildings, where superintendents observed several individual classrooms in search of evidence of “differentiated instruction” in the students’ reading achievement.
•In 1947, Cresco resident Paul Haight, 90, joined the Cresco Kiwanis Club and he has been a mainstay with the organization ever since. While Haight recalled innumerable community-based projects that the non-profit group has been involved with over the years, he recently spoke during a Kiwanis meeting about the project he remembers the most during his time as a member - the building of Evans Memorial Home in Cresco.
•Seniors Rachel Frana and Daniel Allison were announced as this year’s Head Lady and Head Lord at the Crestwood High School vocal department’s 32nd Annual Madrigal Dinner, to be held Saturday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m. The pair earned the honor after having achieved the most choir letter points in the senior class this year.
Dec. 15 – The Cresco area braced for a blizzard over the previous weekend, receiving about 9.50 inches of snow; meanwhile Elma reportedly received 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) out of La Crosse, Wis.
•A new Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm recently opened in Cresco, operating out of Kowalke Law Office at 712 Second Street SE, Suite B. Johnson & Goddard, LLC, is operated by Lloyd D. Johnson, CPA, and Eric F. Goddard.
•How-Winn Superintendent Anderson discussed the district’s restructuring professional development process. The district is in the process of restructuring the teachers’ professional development to improve student achievement in reading comprehension.
Dec. 22 – It was reported that each fall, Crestwood Elementary School students set out to sell items to family and friends through a fundraising company called the “Chip Shoppe,” which offers a line of frozen products such as soups, breads, pizzas, cookie doughs and cheesecakes. This fundraising endeavor raises money to pay for field trips and special activities for students throughout the school year, activities that are not paid for through the school district’s General Fund. This year the endeavor raised a more than $22,000 profit.
•Locals recalled their favorite holiday memories as it seems that everyone has a vivid holiday memory, whether it’s opening intricately wrapped Christmas presents under the brightly lit Christmas tree, sipping hot apple cider by the fireplace, meeting Santa Claus for the first time or driving around town to look at the lighted holiday decorations.
•The December blizzard that struck the area on the 11th and 12th of this month brought hardships to travelers, emergency workers and county and state road maintenance workers, as well as a myriad of others. CARE, a small group dedicated to helping families in Howard County, still set out to bring Christmas to many local families.
Dec. 29 – Dexter Lensing was featured in a story highlighting his return home from military service in Iraq.
•It was reported that Cresco resident Ernie Martin had become a very rare member of the “10-gallon-club” after donating his 80th pint of blood on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Martin has been giving blood since 1963.
•A very good response was announced in relation to the 2010 Jingle in Your Pocket promotion, as 3,500 entries were filled out and brought back to the Chamber, meaning that a minimum of $175,000 was spent in Cresco this past holiday season.
•Because of the success of this past year’s raffle, the year 2011 will be special for one Cresco resident and charter member of VFW Post 4561, as WWII Veteran Richard Zak will be headed on an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. where he will get to experience the WWII Memorial for the first time.
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