Mary Foxwell of rural Elgin runs in place in the pool at the Northeast Iowa Wellness Center in Postville to complete the running portion of the Indoor Ironman Challenge. She does this because walking on a treadmill causes her back pain.  (Chris DeBack photo)

Foxwell completes Indoor Ironman Challenge

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

The Ironman Triathlon is a grueling race that has contestants swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run 26.2 miles in that order without stopping. 

This endurance race tests even the most physically fit men and women. While Mary Foxwell of rural Elgin won’t be participating in an Ironman Triathlon anytime soon, she is the latest to complete the Indoor Ironman Challenge at the Northeast Iowa Wellness Center in Postville. What makes Foxwell’s accomplishment unique is her uphill battle with back issues that she has had to overcome to reach this point. 

Foxwell’s back issues started approximately 12 years ago when she was living in Monona. She was on the Monona ambulance crew and had just gotten home from a call. While she was taking a shower she slipped.

T’s Brick City Pub is set to open on Saturday, March 2, in Clermont. The new craft beer pub is owned by Tanya Tysland (right) and managed by Whitney Guyer (left). It will feature craft beer and wine from a number of Iowa breweries including the popular Toppling Goliath in Decorah, SingleSpeed Brewing in Waterloo, and Eagles Landing Winery in Marquette. (LeAnn Larson photo)

Bringing big city amenities to small town Iowa

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

T’s Brick City Pub will be bringing Clermont some of Iowa’s finest craft brews and wine.

Owner Tanya Tysland wants to make Clermont a tourist attraction, and noted that having a craft brew pub is just one more business to help make that happen. She stayed with the “Brick City” theme of her other business, T’s Brick City Spa, because she likes the history surrounding Clermont’s nickname, “The Brick City.” 

“We are trying to make Clermont a tourist town, and it is easy for people to remember to come to the Brick City,” she said. “Traveling throughout the U.S. and seven different countries, having a place with good craft beer on tap and some good wines is something that people look for in a tourist town.”

Opening on Saturday, March 2, those visiting the local craft brew pub will find six beers on tap, all from Iowa brewing companies including Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Millstream Brewing Company in Amana, Backpocket Brewing in Coralville, Singlespeed Brewing in Waterloo, Exile Brewing Company in Des Moines, and ReUnion Brewery in Coralville.

NFV proposes school makeup dates

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Mother nature hasn’t been kind to northeast Iowa this winter, which has led to a large amount of snow days in many school districts. 

In fact, including Monday, Feb. 25, North Fayette Valley has had 12 snow days, which accounts for approximately 88.75 hours of school missed. Remember, the NFV school calendar is based on hours of school not days of school. With only 44.2 extra hours built into the calendar as a buffer to winter weather, NFV students are going to have to make up for missed time. 

When Lisa Eberhart was about to head back to work after having lunch at home, she discovered her clock and slid off the wall. Upon further investigation she noticed a crack in the wall, a bowed out window, and insulation that had fallen out, along with the fact that her home’s roof had collapsed due to heavy snow.  (Zak Kriener Photo)

Roof collapse displaces WU residents

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Heavy snow caused a roof to collapse on Friday morning, Feb. 22, at 101 Carpenter Street in West Union.

Lisa Eberhart came home for lunch and just before she was going to go back to work, she noticed that her clock had slid off the wall. This is when she discovered that something wasn’t quite right with her home. 

County set to begin revaluation process on residential property

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Beginning this summer, Fayette County will go through the process to reassess all residential property within its borders, which includes all urban residential, rural residential, and dwellings on ag, in terms of a property’s assessed value.

Ali Manson, Fayette County Assessor, noted that this is something the Iowa Department of Revenue would like to see take place every 10 years, but has never been in done in Fayette County. She said that Clayton County completed a reassessment of its residential property in 2016 and that Bremer County is on a 10-year cycle, as well. The last time a mass reappraisal of property took place was in 1995, but was done in house in the Assessor’s Office and didn’t include everyone like this project will. Fayette County is contracting with Vanguard Appraisals in Cedar Rapids to complete the project. 

Driving a snowplow is a thankless, dangerous job, but someone has to do it. It isn’t easy trying to figure out where the road is on a snow covered gravel or blacktop, especially when visibility is low due to continued snowfall. Dan Woods was busy clearing snow from Ivy Road in rural Fayette during his first round in the snowplow on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 20, after four inches of snow had blanketed the West Union area. Woods wants to remind people not to follow closely behind a snowplow, as it is easy for a car to get lost in the plow’s blind spot. (Chris DeBack photo) 

Keeping travelers safe: one road at a time

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

It’s a thankless job. It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it. 

Every winter, city, county, and state employees put their lives on the line when they step into their trucks to plow snow so that the traveling public has clear roads to drive on. 

Fayette County Newspapers spent an hour riding with Fayette County employee Dan Woods of West Union on Wednesday morning, Feb. 20, to see what it takes to clear a roadway after approximately four inches of snow blanketed the area overnight and more continued to fall. 

On this particular morning, Woods was jumping into his county snowplow at 7 a.m. to start his first round on the roads. He noted that his start time all depends on the weather, as his day could start as early as 5 a.m. if the snow had quit by then. 

Ossian Public Library librarian of 17 years Jude Zweibohmer is set to retire from her duties in March. Over her years in the role, Zweibohmer has helped the local library grow and develop, including the expansion of the computer section. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Closing the book on a 17-year career

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

For Ossian’s Jude Zweibohmer, it’s been a great experience serving as the librarian for the Ossian Public Library for 17 years. On March 22, the longtime librarian will check out for the final time as she bookends a long career.

“The thing that I have enjoyed the most about my time here at the library is the interactions,” said Zweibohmer, who began working at the library in 2002. “I enjoy being able to interact with people of all ages. I like being able to help young children all the way up to senior citizens.”

Zweibohmer went on to say that throughout the years, she has overseen many changes and advances at the local library.

The Lightning Legends, which is South Winneshiek High School’s First Tech Challenge (FTC) team, is made up of (l-r) Scarlett Gansen (freshman), Brady Jaster (freshman), Carter Meyer (senior), and Rachel Meyer (seventh grade). (submitted photo)

Lightning Legends heading to State FTC

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The 2018-2019 South Winneshiek FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, the Lightning Legends, is on a mission. Led by senior Carter Meyer, freshmen Brady Jaster and Scarlett Gansen, and seventh-grader Rachel Meyer, the team has its sights set on the Iowa State competition, which will be held this weekend in Coralville.

“We were a finalist in the second qualifying match at the Super Qualifier, which was held in Sioux City,” explained co-coach John Erickson, who is joined by fellow coach Kristy Meyer in helping teach the young students. “We are technically called the coaches, but the team does a pretty good job of planning and building on its own.”

While the official challenges for the season were not released until September, construction of the robot, which is named “The Beast 2.0, began over the summer.

Elgin Homecoming to feature musical revue produced by local talent

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Elgin Homecoming 2019 is scheduled for Friday, June 28, through Sunday, June 30, and it will be here before you know it. 

Throughout the next couple of months, keep an eye on the Elgin Echo as we will be previewing different events that will take during the Homecoming celebration. The Homecoming theme is “Small Town USA — These are our Roots.”

Former Detroit Lions athletic trainer Kent Falb kneels down next to an unconscious Reggie Brown during the final game of the 1997 regular season against New York Jets. Brown wasn’t breathing after suffering a spinal cord injury, so Falb and the other medical personnel took off his helmet and began giving CPR. The medical staff saved his life. Falb was the head athletic trainer of the Detroit Lions for 32 years. Bob Brodbeck Photo

Falb finally steps away from the profession he loved

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

On March 1, Kent Falb will finally step away from professional football.  

While the Elgin native hasn’t been directly involved with the National Football League (NFL) since he retired as the head athletic trainer for the Detroit Lions in 1999, he continued to work from the sidelines as an executive assistant in the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society. 

“As an executive assistant, I did all the meeting planning, some travel planning, and some of the programing,” said Falb. “Right now, I am working about 45 hours per week on a meeting to be held in Indianapolis in late February. That will be my last meeting. I coordinate all that for a president who is an athletic trainer in the NFL but doesn’t have the time to do it. It has been a great experience, but it is time to pass the torch onto someone else.” 

Falb will finally walk away from a profession that had a profound impact on his life. Ever since he was 12 years old, Falb knew he wanted to be an athletic trainer.