Rivals, Inc., a screen-printing, embroidery, and dye sublimation shop, will open its doors at a new downtown Ossian location on Friday, March 27. Heidi Bohr of Ossian is a co-owner of the business, which formed in 2013. The store will offer a wide variety of South Winneshiek, DeSales, C.F.S., and other area school merchandise, along with a line of Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa college apparel. Bohr and her staff also take custom orders. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Rivals, Inc. set to open Ossian doors

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

School spirit is one of the greatest assets to the people of small-town northeast Iowa. Whether it be cheering for the South Winn Warriors at a Friday night football game, or rooting on the Hawkeyes, Cyclones, or Panthers, Rivals, Inc. has got you covered for all seasons.

The screen-printing, embroidery, and dye sublimation shop is set to open its doors at a brand-new downtown Ossian location.

“I am looking forward to being able to work more closely with the community to help meet its needs,” shared co-owner Heidi Bohr.

T.J. Schissel of Calmar will take over duties as landfill director of the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill on April 1. The county-owned landfill serves Clayton, Howard, and Winneshiek counties; Fillmore County, Minn.; and the city of Postville. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Schissel to assume landfill director duties

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill, which serves Winneshiek, Howard, and Clayton counties; Fillmore County, Minn.; and the city of Postville, will have a new director as of April 1.

The Winneshiek County board of supervisors selected T.J. Schissel of Calmar after receiving a recommendation from the Winneshiek County Area Solid Waste Agency.

Miss Elgin nominations due Friday

The Elgin Community Betterment Club is currently seeking candidates for Miss Elgin 2015. Candidates must have an Elgin address, be between 16 and 21 years of age (by August) and not be married or have children.

This year’s Miss Elgin will be judged at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 11. The winner will be announced following all candidate interviews.

Individuals interested in becoming Miss Elgin are asked to send an autobiography and photo to Stephanie Hermen at shermen02@hotmail.com, mail to 806 Switch Street, Elgin, IA 52141, or drop off at Elgin State Bank to the attention of Abbie Peterson.

The deadline to submit an autobiography and a photo is Friday, March 27. They will be published in the local newspapers on April 1.

Nalla Billmeyer of Clermont is getting plenty of support from her family during her recovery process after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The Billmeyer family includes (front) Trevor; (back) Allan, Jessica, and Nalla.

Nalla's road to recovery

Brian Smith
Contributing Writer

            Make no mistake about it, Nalla Billmeyer and her parents have a challenging journey ahead of them. It is a journey they did not expect to take and one they certainly would like to have avoided altogether. Unfortunately, Clermont residents Allan and Jessica Billmeyer were not given a choice in the matter. On Jan. 28 their daughter, Nalla, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Since then, their lives have been a whirlwind of doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy treatments, spinal taps, and white blood cell counts.

            “We first became aware of a problem when Nalla had some really high fevers, and we couldn’t figure out what was causing them. We took her to LaCrosse, and they ran some tests. When it was discovered that she had ALL, they started her on treatments right away,” related Jessica, who has seen her little girl go through a great deal over the last several weeks.

            Their initial visit to LaCrosse lasted for 10 days and was rough on everyone. Allan and Jessica had been married just over eight months when they found themselves living through what must have seemed like a nightmare. The change in their daughter was heartbreaking.

            “Nalla went from being a happy-go-lucky 2-year-old to a cancer patient struggling through chemotherapy treatments. There was a three week period where she went without smiling, laughing, or playing; all she could do was lay on the floor or sit on the couch and cry,” recalled Allan, who has witnessed the transformation firsthand.

Katie Hemry, is one of the seven women who was put through the certified nurse’s aide course by Maple Crest Manor last fall. Since, she and her peers have approached their new careers full of enthusiasm. Katie is seen here with one of the residents she cares for, Peggy Pagel. (Megan Mohlis photo)

Creating opportunities at Maple Crest Manor

Megan Mohlis
Contributing Writer

Last spring, Maple Crest Manor in Fayette began to prepare for the summer staff change. With Fayette the home to Upper Iowa University, the trend of college students working during the school year and leaving for the summer was nothing new. However, the high school students were usually there to take over the vacant spots. However, this time something was proving to be different. The applications weren’t coming in as they had in years prior, and after several months of stressed scheduling, the administrative staff decided something needed to be done.

                 After doing some preliminary research, it was found that there seemed to be an interest in the community to obtain CNA certification but an inability to complete the necessary education for various reasons. With this, they contacted Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) to see if there would be a way to set up a class in which clinicals, which are similar to on-the-job training, could be completed at Maple Crest so those interested in working there would gain a basic knowledge of the facility before beginning.

Good Samaritan Society-West Union employees Mark Borcherding and Tessa Burgin are pictured in front of the area where a 752-foot exercise trail is proposed for construction. The proposed concrete or asphalt-surfaced trail would connect the local Good Samaritan Center with Cedar Court Apartments, pictured in the upper right. (Janell Bradley photo)

A 'glowing' start to Good Sam project

Janell Bradley
Contributing Writer

A 5K Glow Run/Walk on Saturday, April 18, will kick off the fundraising for construction of an exercise/fitness trail on property just east of Good Samaritan Society in West Union.

Mark Borcherding, Environmental Services director at Good Sam, explained he was mowing the lawn on the nine-acre property when he began brainstorming ideas as to how some of the vacant space might be put to better use.

It's hoped that a 752-foot exercise trail will some day wind from the east entrance of Good Sam down the gradually sloping lawn to the 12-unit Cedar Court Apartments.

A Grammy-, ACM-, and CMA-nominated artist, Eric Paslay will be the featured concert entertainment at the 2015 Fayette County Fair. Paslay will also be joined on the grandstand stage by Confederate Railroad and Matthew Kane during the Saturday, Aug. 8, concert. (Courtesy photo) 

Country stars to shine at the Fayette County Fair

The Fayette County Agricultural Society has announced that Eric Paslay with special guests Confederate Railroad and Matthew Kane will be the featured concert entertainment at the 2015 Fayette County Fair.

The Saturday, Aug. 8, event is the first large concert for the Fayette County Fair in many years.  Ag Society Board President Ryan Sparrgrove said he's planning on a big Saturday night at this year’s Fair. 

"Our vision is to offer great family entertainment for all ages that keeps people wanting to come back.  We've been missing the concert piece for many years now,” explained Sparrgrove.

South Winneshiek junior Trygve Lien recently traveled to the state Capitol to meet with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey (pictured) and Chuck Gipp, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Lien prepared a proposal for the U.S. Farm Bill, which he presented during his visit to Des Moines. The FFA vice president is ready to take the next step toward developing the proposal, which he hopes to present to U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley. (submitted photo)

SW's Lien presents farm bill proposal

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

South Winneshiek junior Trygve Lien recently traveled to the state Capitol in Des Moines to meet with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Chuck Gipp, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  During his March 3 visit, Lien presented a proposal that he created for a future U.S. Farm Bill.

The South Winn FFA vice-president noted that many area farmers do not practice proper land stewardship.

“A lot of farmers do not take soil samples of their fields,” stated Lien. “They are still going by ‘what was good enough for my father is good enough for me.’”

Lien pointed out that this no longer works and that producers need to realize that if they do not take care of the soil, future generations will have no chance to plant crops and/or trees.

The young agriculture enthusiast suggested that farmers need to learn responsible nutrient management through soil sampling.

Lien’s research states that many co-ops offer soil sampling, but it is a “one size fits all” approach, which results in too much fertilizer in certain areas of a field and insufficient amounts in others.

Natives of a Calmar farm, brothers Matthew and Brian Hemesath (l-r) have built reputations as two of the best-regarded designers in the New York City entertainment community. The sons of Phil and Carol Hemesath state that the hard work involved with the entertainment industry can involve just as many long hours and hard work as life on a farm entails. (submitted photo)

Trading in barn lights for stage lights

Zakary Kriener

News Writer

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

Farmers, teachers, engineers, and healthcare workers. These are just a few of the common career paths that many local students choose to follow upon graduating from South Winneshiek High School.

Brian and Matthew Hemesath, brothers who grew up on a dairy farm between Ossian and Calmar, decided to break that mold, pursuing careers as costume designers which has led them to New York City.

“I love the fast pace and crazy situations I find myself in,” noted younger brother Matthew. “One day I am filming on an NYC bus for ‘Saturday Night Live’ with Justin Timberlake, and the next I am in a rainy shipyard with Keanu Reeves working on ‘John Wick.’”

The brothers started at the same dairy farm in northeast Iowa and eventually arrived at the same career, but followed their own paths in getting there.

Clermont City Council approves purchase of fire truck

Megan Mohlis
Contributing Writer

Monday night brought some exciting news for the city of Clermont, first of which was the approval for the purchase of a fire truck. According to Randy Wiedenhoff, councilmember and Clermont fire chief, the Clermont Fire Department has been in search of a truck for some time in order to haul equipment that is currently being left behind during fire calls.

                  “We’ve got water rescue gear, we’ve got a grain bin tube, and we have high-angle rope and rescue stuff that sits on our floor,” shared Councilmember and fellow fireman Bruce Lehmann.

                 “If you happen to go to a scene and they don’t tell us exactly what’s going on, then we don’t have that gear with us and somebody’s got to go back and get it. This way, we can take it with us, and this also has a way of getting at least four, maybe even six or seven, more people out to a fire scene,” continued Wiedenhoff.

                 With several of the firemen having ventured to Omaha to see the truck in person last week, the pros and cons were discussed with firsthand knowledge of the vehicle. In the end it was decided that with the funds already set aside, it would be a positive purchase for the Clermont community. With that, Wiedenhoff moved to buy the 1991 International Rescue Unit for $20,000; the motion was agreed upon unanimously.