Construction began on “The Centre” on Thursday, Feb. 4, a new community center located off Canoe Road just outside Elgin. Lowell Lyngaas, who is funding construction of the project, expects “The Centre” to be open this fall.  

Construction begins on The Centre

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Construction began on Race America Inc.’s new building, The Centre, on Thursday, Feb. 4, off Canoe Road just outside the city limits of Elgin.

The 30-acre complex, being built by former Valley cross country coach Lowell Lyngaas of rural Postville, will feature a large community center, a 1-1/2 mile to 2-mile winding walking/running trail, a shower/bathroom complex, and a pond, on which ice hockey could be played in the winter.

Marissa Bouska landed an internship at Soho Press in New York City this semester, where her time is spent editing copy, proofreading manuscripts and reading unsolicited submissions. Marissa, daughter of Mike and Rhonda Bouska of Hawkeye, is a junior at Coe College.

Hawkeye gal lands coveted internship in NYC

Janell Bradley

Contributing Writer

North Fayette High School grad Marissa Bouska has always loved to read. And over the years, her influences have been many.

From the childhood book “Barnyard Dance” by Sandra Boynton to “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier as a student in teacher Mary Straate’s ninth-grade English classes, Bouska saw her world open to numerous possibilities through reading and the comprehension of what she read.

Nikki Goldsmith (left) and SuEllen Shaffer enjoy a recent adult coloring activity at Fayette Community Library. Looking on is library director Linda Adams. (Janell Bradley photo)

'Color Me Calm' activity relieves stress

Janell Bradley

Contributing Writer

Most people expect their library to be a resource of reading and audio material, but who knew it could also help with kicking the nicotine habit?

That was the added benefit of a recent series of gatherings at Fayette Community Library, where a “Color Me Calm” program was initiated.

Library director Linda Adams said many libraries have begun offering programs in which participants use colored pencils to shade preprinted images. The designs vary from woodland fairies to mandalas (geometric patterns) to animals and flowers.

Imparting some wisdom to Colton Blue (right), one of his student bowlers on the NFV bowling team, is Chris DeBack. DeBack was born with mitral valve stenosis and coarctation of the aorta, but he hasn’t let his heart condition interfere with achieving his goals in life.

Matters of the heart

Brian Smith
Contributing Writer
bsmith@fayettepublishing.com

Living with a heart condition is something that Chris DeBack has been used to all of his life. The 25-year-old native New Yorker works as a news and feature writer for Fayette County Newspapers. He was born with mitral valve stenosis, a heart problem in which the mitral valve of the heart doesn’t open as wide as it should. DeBack was also born with a condition known as coarctation of the aorta, which is a narrowing of the large blood vessel that branches off the heart and delivers oxygenated blood to the body.

Fayette County Maintenance Shop forum Ken Lerch (right) gives a tour of the current county facility to Gerald Miller and Dan Kirchmann (l-r) during an open house for the proposed new Fayette County Maintenance Complex on Monday afternoon. 

New County Shop up for vote March 1

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

The proposed new Fayette County Secondary Roads Department Maintenance Complex has been a hot-button issue since it was introduced a year ago.

Some, especially those who live on rural roads, believe that the money could be used for other projects, such as road improvement and bridge maintenance.

Therese Suzuki

Suzuki resigns as principal at DeSales

Therese Suzuki has officially resigned from her position as principal at DeSales School. The move was effective Friday, Feb. 5, for the former administrator.

Suzuki began her role as principal of the Catholic school in August at the start of the 2015-16 school year.

The DeSales school board had no comment on the reason for Suzuki’s resignation.

The board held a closed meeting Monday night in Ossian to determine how best to replace Suzuki in the near term.

Church officials were not able to be reached for comment on the future of the administrative role at DeSales. 

South Winneshiek student RaeAnn Klimesh, a senior cross country and track athlete, was recently announced as the recipient of one of the state’s most prestigious scholarships, the E. Wayne Cooley Scholarship. The scholarship, established in memory of the former Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) executive director, is a $15,000 scholarship that is given to only one girl all throughout Iowa who displays excellent character not only in athletics, but also in the classroom, her school, and her community. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Klimesh awarded prestigious Cooley Scholarship

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

Klimesh awarded prestigious Cooley Scholarship

By Zakary Kriener

The E. Wayne Cooley Scholarship, plain and simple, is one of the most prestigious scholarships in the state of Iowa. Established in 1993 as a tribute to E. Wayne Cooley, former Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) executive director of nearly 50 years, the award is given to an Iowa girl who exhibits excellent character on the playing field, in the classroom, in her school, and in her community.

The recipient reflects discipline, perseverance, character, citizenship, and leadership – all values that personified the life and expectations of E. Wayne Cooley.

This year, 97 girls were taken into consideration for the $15,000 scholarship. Each Iowa high school is limited to one nomination of a girl who meets a strict criteria of educational- and athletic-based requirements.

South Winneshiek senior RaeAnn Klimesh was one of the nearly 100 Iowa nominees for the prestigious scholarship, who after being nominated by athletic director Bruce Gullickson, later found out that she was one of the six finalists for the scholarship.

Zach Schroeder enjoys his visit with his pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Ian Law, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Schroeder was about to undergo a stress test to see how his heart performs under physical stress. 

Heart defect can't keep Zach Schroeder down

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Life isn’t fair. That is what parents tell their teenage sons and daughters all the time, but for children with heart defects like rural Elgin teen Zach Schroeder, life truly isn’t very fair.

The North Fayette Valley freshman was born with a single ventricle and transposition of the greater arteries. The doctors didn’t test for heart defects when he was born, but during his first five months of life, all the signs were there.

Lloyd and Adeline Meier of Clermont enjoy an afternoon out early in their relationship. (Submitted photo)

A Valentine's Day love story

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Valentine’s Day will always hold a special place in the heart of Lloyd and Adeline Meier. That was the day  in 1950 that Lloyd asked Adeline to marry him.

Sixty-five years later, the couple are still fond of that spectacular day. It was like any other for the couple at that time. They had met at a spring banking group meeting. Lloyd worked as a bookkeeper at the bank in Guttenberg, while Adeline carried the same job title for a bank in Strawberry Point.

Hog roast on tap again

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

At its regular monthly meeting on Monday, Feb. 8, the Fayette County Fair Board discussed hosting a hog roast fundraiser again this year.

The group discussed a tentative date of June 25 and considered doing away with the live auction, because in the past Fair Board members noticed the crowd fizzling out as the live auction got underway.

The Fair Board is hoping to attract close to 600 people to the event and will more than likely earmark the proceeds for a specific item, area or project at the fair.