Community News Stories

Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds and Lt Gov Adam Gregg were in our area this week and Josh Blake was able to catch up with Gov Reynolds at Toppling Goliath to discuss new bills she’s signed. To see more details about those bills click the link below.

Decorah Parks and Recreation is partnering with local yoga instructors to offer Free Yoga in the Park Saturdays, 10-11am, June thru August. This program will be held in the green space west of John Cline School. Bring your own mat or towel (limited supply available). No need to register, just show up! For a complete calendar and list of instructors visit https://parks.decorahia.org/. Yoga in the Park is sponsored by Gundersen Health Clinic and Winneshiek Medical Center.

The Allamakee Community School District is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, at a first come, first serve basis, at the site and times as follows:

Waukon Middle School
Mondays-Fridays, June 3rd -June 28th & August 5th -August 16th
Breakfast 8:00am-9:00am
Lunch 11:15am-12:45pm

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Iowa Non-Discrimination Statement:
“It is the policy of this CNP provider not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or religion in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code section 216.6, 216.7, and 216.9. If you have questions or grievances related to compliance with this policy by this CNP Provider, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Grimes State Office building, 400 E. 14th St. Des Moines, IA 50319-1004; phone number 515-281-4121, 800-457-4416; website: https://icrc.iowa.gov/.”

DECORAH, Iowa —Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center, announces it will join museums nationwide in participating in the tenth summer of Blue Star Museums, a program that provides free admission to our nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families this summer.
The 2019 program will begin earlier than in past years, launching on Saturday, May 18, 2019, Armed Forces Day, and ending on Monday, September 2, 2019, Labor Day. Military can find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums nationwide.
“We’ve seen the tremendous impact the Blue Star Museums program brings to our military families, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating a decade of support,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, chief executive officer of Blue Star Families. “Not only are museums fun to explore but are also great for making memories and strengthening military families as a whole.”
“Vesterheim is very pleased to have been a part of this program since its beginning,” Chris Johnson, President/CEO, said. “We continue to welcome active-duty military and their families to explore immigrant history and folk art through the lens of the Norwegian American experience.”

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.

Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.

Vesterheim, the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center, in scenic Decorah, Iowa, showcases the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts, and explores the American immigrant experience. This national treasure includes world-class exhibitions and 12 historic buildings. It is also a center for folk-art education, offering a wide variety of classes in authentic Norwegian folk art every year. For more information on the museum’s exhibitions, classes, events, membership opportunities, and ways to donate, check Vesterheim’s website at vesterheim.org, call (563) 382-9681, or write to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 502 W. Water St., P.O. Box 379, Decorah, IA, 52101-0379.

Daily admission is $5 for ages 4 thru 64; $4 for 65 & up; 3 yrs and under are free. Save money and time by purchasing a season pass or punch pass online and pick it up at the Park-Rec. Office by May 24, or pick it up at the pool starting May 26. Season pass prices go up $5 after June 1. Credit and debit cards are only accepted online. For more information on passes, daily admission prices, pool schedule, and swim classes, go to https://parks.decorahia.org/decorah-municipal-pool.

Sunrise Care Facilities Women’s Facility will be Hosting an Open House on Friday May 17th, 2019. Sharon Lewis, Women’s Health Manager with Sunrise Care, talks about the facility, what they offer to residents and the specifics about the open house!

Saturday May 18th is Passport day in Winneshiek County!

Lisa Grinna, Deputy Recorder and Passport Agent for Winneshiek County explains the details about passport day.

Sautrday May 18, 2019 from 9am to Noon at the Winneshiek County Recorders office!

We have been following the news stories about this baby’s death and the charges that have been filed against his parents in conjunction with his death. If you were looking for a tangible way to help there are some ideas listed below.

https://www.hugebackfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Baby-Sterling?obId=4394568#/obituaryInfo

Obituary for Baby Sterling

Baby Sterling died August 30, 2017, in Alta Vista, Iowa.

Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 8, 2019, at the Alta Vista Municipal Hall. Interment will follow in Zion Cemetery, Alta Vista.

This is an opportunity for anyone touched by Sterling’s life and death to come together and
share. All are welcome to come to this service.

Donations for Baby Sterling may be made to The Chickasaw County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Inc – 910 East Main Street New Hampton, IA 50659, a 501C3 organization dedicated to assisting families with newborns, and families at risk, through the many service providers who already work in our community.

Winneshiek county master Gardeners Plant Sale, May 18th , 2019 from 8 to 11am at the Decorah Farmers Market. Vegetable seedlings, Perennials, Bulbs and more! Your gardening questions answered!!

Proclamation on Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2019

On Peace Officers Memorial Day and throughout Police Week, we express our unending gratitude to our Nation’s law enforcement officers. Those brave men and women selflessly confront danger to protect our families and defend our communities. We also honor those in blue who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. We are especially mindful of the tremendous sacrifices of the 106 heroes who laid down their lives last year while protecting their communities.

My Administration is working on several fronts to enhance the health and safety of our Nation’s law enforcement officers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to promote initiatives that provide funding for bulletproof vests, active shooter training, the National Blue Alert System, and other programs that bolster the physical and mental health of those who protect us. We are making surplus military equipment available to law enforcement agencies. We are implementing the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which I signed into law last year, to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services. And when tragedy does strike, DOJ’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program stands ready and able to assist the families of the fallen and catastrophically injured.

The best way we can support law enforcement is to reduce violence crime. My Administration has secured $50 million in funding for one of the most effective crime prevention strategies in America, the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. This results-based and data-proven initiative is reducing violent crime nationwide by leveraging local law enforcement and community partnerships, along with strategic enforcement efforts, to arrest the most violent criminals in the most violent locations. Through the combined efforts of all levels of law enforcement, violent crime in our country is falling.

Our Nation’s law enforcement officers serve with courage, dedication, and strength. They fearlessly enforce our laws, even at the risk of personal peril, safeguarding our property, our liberty, and our lives. We owe them, and their families, our full and enduring support.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2019, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12 through May 18, 2019, as Police Week. In humble appreciation of our hardworking law enforcement officers, Melania and I will light the White House in blue on May 15. I call upon all Americans to observe Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call on the Governors of the States and Territories and officials of other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag from their homes and businesses on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.

DONALD J. TRUMP