On February 8, Drew Douglas Wiskow-Davis, 25 of St. Charles, appeared before District Court Judge Matthew J. Opat. Wiskow-Davis is charged with six felonies; two counts of Theft - Take/Use Transfer Movable Property - No Consent, two counts of Financial Transaction Card Fraud - Sell Two or More, and two counts of Receiving Stolen Property. One Theft and one Receiving Stolen … [Read more...]
Three CUP applications recommended for approval
The Fillmore County Planning Commission held public hearings on three conditional use permit applications during their February 18 meeting. •Timothy Lawstuen applied for a CUP for a private campground in section 4, Fountain Township. The application is for seven camp sites. Currently, there are six campers being used just by family members. One of the six campers is used by … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central to continue with four-period days in 2021-22
At the February 23 Fillmore Central School Board meeting, Superintendent Heath Olstad asked the board if they would like to continue with the four-period days at the high school in the upcoming school year or change back to eight-period days. For the last seven or eight years, the high school had operated with eight periods in their school day, but that was switched to four … [Read more...]
Chatfield discusses benefits of strategic planning
At the February 22 meeting of the Chatfield City Council, the potential benefits of working with a consultant to better identify longer-term goals, along with a work plan, was discussed at length. A proposal from HueLife was under consideration at a cost of $6,500 for consultant services. City Clerk Joel Young said they could hire a facilitator to help them identify a clear … [Read more...]
Houston Schools begin superintendent search
At their regular February 18 meeting, the Houston School Board discussed the work done so far on the superintendent job description. Mimi Carlson and Board chair Tom Stilin met with Superintendent Krin Abraham to pare down the superintendent duties. Abraham had taken on additional duties over the years which could and should be assigned to others. Acting Board chair Mimi … [Read more...]
Rushford approves seeking deputy clerk/accounting
At the February 22 meeting, the Rushford City Council tackled just a few items of business, but one could spell some relief for city staffing. Following a retirement of Deputy Clerk Louane Davidson at city hall last year, administrative staff was shifted. Julianne Frick was moved into the position with utility, but the city never filled the positions fully. Rather than fill a … [Read more...]
Houston County employee Lucas Onstad hired as the county assessor
On February 23, Chairperson Robert Burns called the Houston County Board of Commissioners regular meeting to order at 9 a.m. Commissioners present include Dewey Severson, Eric Johnson, Teresa Walter, and Greg Myhre. COVID-19 update Houston County Public Health Director John Pugleasa emphasized that the COVID-19 community clinics are “community effort, it is gratifying to be … [Read more...]
Kingsland School Board approves the 2021-2022 school calendar
The Kingsland Public Schools regular school board meeting was called to order on Thursday, February 19 at 6 p.m. by Chairwoman Jackie Horsman. Board members present included Gwen Howard, Pamela Freet, Maranda Emig, and Kyle Rader. Board member Natasha Howard was absent. Staff present included James Hecimovich, superintendent/7-12 principal; Scott Klavetter, PK-6 principal; and … [Read more...]
Secretariat 1 changed a young veterinarian’s trajectory
It does not come as a surprise that veterinarian, Dr. John Bengfort, is a wealth of knowledge. What is a surprise is that he has a wealth of interesting stories to tell. Dr. John Bengfort grew up on the family farm in northeast Iowa around Ossian and Postville. The family raised dairy cattle and hogs but no horses. After high school, Bengfort, a Vietnam veteran, served in the … [Read more...]
Horse lover for life
Kari Johnson fell in love with horses when she was about five years old, and still loves them. According to her, it was her dad’s fault; Dad had a buddy whose daughter had a horse, and he insisted that Kari needed one too! When her dad brought home her first pony, Kari fell head over heels for it. Kari was the youngest of five kids; none of the other kids was into horses at … [Read more...]