Community News Stories

Cresco, IA | Rushford, MN (8 a.m. Oct. 23, 2019)— MiEnergy Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Trust Board met in September and elected to donate $5,300 to the following local organizations:

• $1,000, St. Lucas Fire Association, Iowa, to support the building of a new fire station.
• $750, Fillmore Central Public Schools, Preston, Minn., for a take home science experiment backpack program.
• $750, St. Charles Public Library, Minn., to help purchase a speaker system.
• $750, Winona County Emergency Management, Winona, Minn., for a winter survival kits for children program.
• $500, Lawler Lions Club, Iowa to support building a new shelter and Croell Park improvements.
• $500, Wykoff Fire Department, Minn., to help purchase road safety equipment.
• $300, Empty Bowls of Harmony, Minn., to purchase event supplies that support Fillmore County food shelves.
• $300, Peace Lutheran Church, Ridgeway, Iowa, to purchase an automatic external defibrillator.
• $250, Mobile Mamma, Cresco, Iowa., to support educational materials for online safety program.
• $200, Decorah Quilts of Valor, Iowa, to purchase fabric for quilts for veterans.

Operation Round Up is funded by donations made by members of MiEnergy Cooperative who voluntarily have their electric bill round up to the next dollar. About 1,800 members currently participate with the average donation being $6 a year per member.

The program is based on the idea that small change adds up. Currently, the program gives away about $10,000 each year to local organizations.

The Operation Round Up Trust Board chooses where the funds get donated and the amount of the donation based on an application process. The trust board members include: John Bronk, of Winona, Minn., president; Janelle Mahr, of Lime Springs, Iowa, vice president; Margaret Knutson, of Houston, Minn., secretary/treasurer; Larry Hafner, of La Crescent, Minn.; Allen Hanson, of Preston, Minn.; Arlene Hegge, of La Crescent, Minn.; Shannon Schmelzer, of Cresco, Iowa; and PerryO Sliwa, Decorah, Iowa.

Donations to Operation Round Up are tax deductible. Organizations receive grants through an application process. The next application deadline is February 15. To learn more about Operation Round Up or to round up your electric bill, visit www.MiEnergy.coop or call 1-800-432-2285.

MiEnergy Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative and is the result of a merger between Hawkeye REC, of Cresco, Iowa and Tri-County Electric Cooperative, of Rushford, Minn. in 2017. It maintains 5,500 miles of power lines covering most of Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties in Minnesota and Chickasaw, Howard and Winneshiek counties in Iowa. The cooperative also serves small pockets bordering those counties. It provides electricity to more than 18,700 members in northeastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. MiEnergy is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

Luther College inauguration weekend kicks off with an “Inaugural Night on the Town”

President Jenifer K. Ward encourages everyone to join in the inauguration celebration Friday night in downtown Decorah

DECORAH, Iowa — “I want you to understand we are your college and you are our town,” said President Jenifer K. Ward at the Decorah Rotary Club in August. Since her arrival, President Ward has been enthusiastic about the partnership between campus and community and the opportunity to grow this important relationship. That’s why the Friday before her inauguration she suggested an “Inaugural Night on the Town” in downtown Decorah. Friday evening, Nov. 1, downtown shops, restaurants and venues will be open for all to enjoy and special entertainment is planned.

“I’m extremely excited for the city of Decorah to be included in the inauguration of President Ward,” said Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski.
This event is designed to embrace the connection between Luther and the Decorah community. Luther is partnering with the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce to make this special night happen. “This is a great opportunity for businesses to participate in something that brings in people from out of town and brings the Luther community downtown to start creating those connections because there could be a lot of power between those two economic drivers,” said Kristina Wiltgen, executive director of the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses I have heard from so far are very excited that people will be pushed into the community rather than isolated on campus and they are excited for this kind of outreach and thinking of President Ward’s.”

Special entertainment and activities are planned for the occasion. All events are open to the public with no charge for admission:

• 6–7:30 p.m. – Open mic event at West Music (126 East Water), performers are welcome to stop in and sing or play
• 7:30 p.m. – Luther a capella groups Beautiful Mess, Bromatic Progression, Fermata Nowhere and Undeclared perform at Impact Coffee (101 West Water)
• 7:30 p.m. – Luther Ballroom and Swing Club, demonstrations and lessons at the Lingonberry Event Center (218 West Water)
• 7:30–9:30 p.m. – Free tours of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the gift shop will also be open
• 9 p.m. – Live music with the Bigmouth Buffalo String Band, which consists of current students and alumni including Colin Cosgrove, Jeffrey Lackmann and Nick Vande Krol, at the Courtyard and Cellar (421 West Water)

A full list of business remaining open for the event can be found at luther.edu/inauguration/schedule/Decorah.

Luther College is home to more than 1,900 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Unique Preparation for NMP’s Alice in Wonderland

How do 45 children get ready for the upcoming New Minowa Players show Alice in Wonderland? There are the usual things like practicing lines, entrances, where to stand, and song lyrics that are part of any show. These young people are pulling out the stops to create wonderful performances at NMP’s Theatre in Decorah on October 23-27.
The unique ways this cast has been involved include drawing, painting, and working on costumes. The children have created artwork using crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Several of the cast’s artwork is on the show posters being displayed by many area businesses.

On Saturday, October 5 many of the cast enjoyed painting the set using their own ideas of what Alice’s world should be like. The painters enjoyed talking about what they wanted to paint, then carrying through with the idea while sometimes getting paint on themselves.

Two children, Link Dallenbach-Durbin and Ruth Kueny have been working with Lara Martensen-Burrell, Maxx Madcap, Emily Young Jonnson, Angela Kueny, Lindsey Harmon-Wood, and Shannon Dallenbuch-Durbin as part of the costume crew. They have discussed how to work with fur, create cards, and how outlandish the Mad Hatter’s hat should be.

Everyone’s hard work will be seen at their performances on October 23 at 6:30 p.m., October 24-26 at 7:00 p.m. and October 27 at 2:00 p.m. at NMP’s Theatre.

Due to very brisk ticket sales, a limited number of tickets will be sold one hour prior to each performance at the theatre, 906 S. Mill Street, Decorah.

Show sponsors include: Decorah Bank and Trust, Family Table Restaurant, Iroc Web Design Services, Pizza Ranch, RocketDog Books, Rockweiler Appliance & TV, Rick and Sheryl Scheffert, Sogo Snacks, and Singing Hammers Construction.

Mark your calendars now and start making plans to explore and shop the 22nd Annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour!!

Visit 30+ locations over 3-days for the behind the scenes look of 50+ artists’ processes and their newest works. You’ll also enjoy the beautiful scenery as you drive through quaint small towns and the breathtaking countryside of the Driftless Region of Northeast Iowa.

Open 10am-5pm each day! October 11, 12 and 13!!!

Join the Winneshiek County 4-H Endowment at the Friends of 4-H Gala on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Wild Woods Event Center in Ossian.

Social hour will begin at 5:30 pm with live music provided by Steve Schroeder. Dinner will be served at 7:00 pm by our 4-H County Council members and a Dessert Auction will follow the dinner. Sharing some of their 4-H memories will be Dennis Blumhagen of Ossian and Marian Rovang Rude of Decorah.

Tickets are $50 and tables of 8 may be reserved. Call the Winneshiek County Extension office at 563-382-2949 for tickets and dinner choices. This is a wonderful evening to reconnect with friends and family and support the 4-H program. All proceeds support the Winneshiek County 4-H Endowment.

PIVO Brewery recognized for brewing excellence at world’s largest commercial beer competition.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a gold and bronze medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on October 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Gold Medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Old Balltown Dark Chocolate Milk Stout. This beer has deep and complex dark chocolate flavors blended with salted caramel. It is aged on bourbon barrels for several months to mellow the flavors and add some vanilla and bourbon accents from the oak barrel.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Historic Beer category for its Decorah Nordic Gruit. This traditional Scandinavian style of beer is brewed with no bittering hops. Juniper berries, rosemary, bay leaf, black walnuts and toasted caraway seed are the Nordic style beer flavorings that make this a truely unique beer.

PIVO Brewery is a 15 barrel microbrewery located in Calmar, Iowa that strives to make a large variety of different beers and ciders. Their brewery taproom in Calmar has 40 taps that are typically serving over 35 different PIVO made beverages. They are the only brewery in Iowa co-located with a commercial art studio (Blepta Studios) that teaches classes and produces art for sale. PIVO Brewery is currently building an event center onto their brewery that will have a 350 person seating capacity. Craig and Sara Neuzil of Calmar are the owners of PIVO Brewery and Blepta Studios.

Sunil Khanna, M.D. returns to Winneshiek Medical Center to provide ophthalmology care

Winneshiek Medical Center is pleased to welcome back Mayo Clinic Ophthalmologist Sunil Khanna, M.D. Dr. Khanna provided outreach care at WMC from 2011-2017, and has resumed cataract surgeries and eye injections twice per month at Winneshiek Medical Center. Pre- and post-surgical visits are coordinated through Oneota Valley Family Eye Care in Decorah.

Dr. Khanna earned his medical degree from the School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Kansas City. He completed his residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Talk to your doctor or ophthalmologist about receiving Mayo Clinic specialty care locally, or call 563-382-2911 and ask to speak to the Same Day Services department to learn more.

For over 20 years, volunteer counselors through the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) have helped Winneshiek County residents understand their Medicare benefits by:

• Checking a client’s current Part D or Medicare Advantage plan to make sure drugs are covered at the lowest cost and with the least amount of restrictions
• Reviewing a client’s employer coverage and comparing it to other Medicare options
• Checking to see if clients are eligible for Part D “Extra Help”
• Providing education to help clients understand options if not currently on a drug plan
• Offering regular “Welcome to Medicare” seminars for people beginning Medicare benefits

Winneshiek Medical Center is pleased to welcome two new volunteer counselors to the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP): Karen McLean and Dale Dougherty.

McLean, also a WMC Trustee, retired from Des Moines University in 2017, where she served as Provost since 2009. From 1983 – 2009, she held various administrative and academic positions for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse College of Science and Health. McLean holds a Ph.D. in exercise science, M.S. in adult fitness and cardiac rehab and B.S. is in physical therapy. She is also a graduate of the American Council on Education institute for New Chief Academic Officers and the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education Management Development Program.

Dougherty earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business from Upper Iowa University, and while serving in the army, earned his Masters in Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. He served active duty from 1969-1979, and then joined the Iowa National Guard in Waterloo, serving there until 1998. During that time, Dougherty also worked for Farm Service in the southeast Minnesota region. In 1989, he began flying EMS helicopter for Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. In 1992, Gundersen Health System began an EMS helicopter service, and Dougherty became their first pilot. He served as a Gundersen EMS pilot until his retirement in January 2019.

They join Dave Sweet, who has served as a SHIIP counselor for 15 years; Jim Sims, who has served for seven years.

Open Enrollment, October 15-December 7
Every year Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans announce their changes for the next year, and Iowans on Medicare can decide if they want to change plans from October 15 to December 7. Any change you make will be effective January 1, 2020.

Plans can change their coverage and costs from year to year, so comparing plans during the open enrollment is critical.

Local Medicare Part D Help
To help you compare plans for 2020 during the open enrollment period, volunteer SHIIP counselors are available by appointment at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah by calling 563-387-3036.
Anyone with questions about Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans can contact SHIIP, a free, confidential service of the state of Iowa. Call 1-800-351-4664 (TTY1-800-735-2942), go to www.therightcalliowa.gov or e-mail shiip@iid.iowa.gov.

Cutline: To help clients with Medicare questions, including comparing plans for 2020 during the open enrollment period, volunteer SHIIP counselors are available by appointment at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah by calling 563-387-3036. Pictured left-right: Dave Sweet, Karen McLean, Jim Sims and Dale Dougherty.

Winneshiek Medical Center welcomes two new emergency physicians:
Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D.

Winneshiek Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Health System are pleased to welcome Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D. to the emergency department at Winneshiek Medical Center.

Dr. Cooper graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency from San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC). Dr. Cooper has spent the last four years at Irwin Army Community Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas, with two of those years being the chief of the Emergency Department and EMS medical director for Fort Riley EMS and Fire Department.

Dr. Cooper shares, “My wife and I are both originally from Iowa. We chose to relocate our family to Decorah to be closer to home. Winneshiek Medical Center was the type of emergency practice I was looking for and the Driftless region’s atmosphere shared our interests. We are an outdoors family— hunting, fishing, golfing, hiking, anything outdoors, really, is something we look forward to exploring in the region.” Dr. Cooper is excited to build relationships with his patients in a smaller community to give them the medical attention they need and deserve.

Dr. Sandy Clayton received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Missouri and completed her residency from Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Clayton comes to Winneshiek Medical Center from Irwin Army Community Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas. She was an active duty Army Emergency Medicine physician for four years following her residency, and for two of those years, she served as the chief of urgent care.

Dr. Clayton says, “I became interested in Winneshiek Medical Center for their strong connection to Mayo Clinic Health System. I also enjoy working in a community emergency department; the staff are fantastic and they take a team approach to patient care. And Decorah! We fell in love with the town. It’s a small town feel, but with plenty to do. I have four children— ages 8, 5, 2 and 1— they keep me busy on my time off and we really enjoy experiencing what this great town has to offer.”

Winneshiek Medical Center emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a team of Mayo Clinic Health System physicians, who are supported by a highly-trained and committed ancillary health care staff. For more information visit www.winmedical.org/emergency-services.

Photo cutline: Winneshiek Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Health System are pleased to welcome Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D. to the emergency department at Winneshiek Medical Center. Winneshiek Medical Center emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a team of Mayo Clinic Health System physicians, who are supported by a highly-trained and committed ancillary health care staff.

When emergencies happen, who do emergency responders call when they need help? In Winneshiek County, we are fortunate to not only have a fantastic group of emergency responders across the county, but we also have shared countywide resources. In a day when everything costs a lot of money, one way to try and be fiscally responsible is to avoid duplicating resources; this is especially true in a county our size. In Winneshiek County we have several top-notch resources, to name a few: the Decorah Fire Department drone, the Calmar Fire Department drone and the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office K-9 McCoy (see attached picture).

“The fire department drone(s) and their pilots have assisted area fire departments, law enforcement organizations, and emergency management agencies on search and rescue, drug task force call-outs, and damage assessment missions” said Coordinator Sean Snyder. Without this local resource, we as emergency responders would need to rely on surrounding counties or state-level resources, which could be several hours away.

The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office K-9 McCoy is a resource that has been used by the Sheriff’s Office, Decorah Police Department, Calmar Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol. “Without the generosity of the public, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office would have had a hard time affording such a valuable countywide asset; we cannot thank everyone enough. Sharing resources allows us to be better equipped to respond to emergencies without additional cost to the tax payers,” said Sheriff Dan Marx.
Snyder added, “Winneshiek County has some of the best emergency responders in the state and by utilizing shared countywide resource management, getting the appropriate resource to the scene, for me, is as easy as making the request.”

Pictured from Left to Right.
Decorah Fire Engineer Zach Kerndt, Lieutenant Steve Nesvik with K9 McCoy and Calmar Fire Chief Aaron Brincks.