With over 160 years of experience among (l-r) Sue Schneider, Kathy Begalske, Vic Pavlovec, and Ruth Meyer, Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital in West Union salutes all nurses during National Nurses Week May 6-12. Chris DeBack photos

160 years of experience at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran

By Chris Deback

cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Nurses are the lifeblood of any hospital, doctor’s office, or clinic. 

May 6-12 has been declared National Nurses Week, a week in which area residents can celebrate the hard work and dedication that nurses show their patients each and every day. 

The Fayette County Union recently had the chance to sit down with four nurses who, combined, have over 160 years of experience. Sue Schneider, RN, Surgery Department; Ruth Meyer, LPN, Surgery Department; Kathy Begalske, chief nursing officer; and Vic Pavlovec, Cardio-Pulminary Services director, shared their experiences of working at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital for the last 40 years. 

The West Union City Council is considering banning smoking downtown due to the littering of cigarette butts. Even in locations where cigarette extinguishers/dispensers are available, littering of butts is a problem. Chris DeBack photo

Discuss banning smoking downtown

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com\

The West Union City Council is fed up with seeing cigarette butts all over downtown.

At its regular Monday meeting, May 1, the council discussed different options for curbing the littering of downtown with cigarette butts. 

Kelly Kuboushek, a 2015 graduate of South Winneshiek High School and current student at Loras College, records footage from inside the historic Inwood Ballroom in Spillville for a documentary. The project, titled “The Crown,” was completed by Kuboushek and classmate Jack Sarcone, and it highlights the history of the nearly 100-year-old dance hall. (submitted photo)

'A story that had to be told'

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The Inwood Ballroom in Spillville is a place that is likely familiar to nearly every resident of Winneshiek County and much of northeast Iowa. While most have stepped foot inside the nearly 100-year-old Spillville building for one reason or another at some point in their lives, many younger generations were not around and may not know just how much history lies under the iconic peaked roof.

“I have been going to wedding dances at The Inwood since I was a little girl,” recalled Kelly Kuboushek, a native of the Spillville who helped masterfully produce “The Crown,” a documentary about the age-old ballroom that has withstood the test of time over many generations. 

Officer Matthew Schmelzer, Oelwein PD

Learning from the best

Zakary Kriener

News Writer

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The University of Iowa wrestling program is undeniably one of the best and most successful in the NCAA. With an unprecedented 23 team titles and 82 individual titles among 54 different wrestlers, it would be a fair assessment to say that the Hawkeye athletes and coaches know a thing or two about scoring takedowns. 

In an effort to help better prepare officers to handle any situation in the field, Iowa City, U of I, and Oelwein police departments teamed up with the Iowa grapplers to offer a unique training experiences for their employees, including Oelwein PD Officer Matthew Schmelzer.

“The defensive tactics and maneuvers that we learned are invaluable in our line of work,” said the Ossian native and two-year member of the force. “We learned from the best out there, which was a really cool experience.”

Kyleigh Kriener (front), a 2009 graduate of South Winneshiek High School and an Ossian native, ran the Boston Marathon last week. Running in the 121^st annual event, Kriener runs alongside Katherine Switzer (261), the first woman to ever run the Boston Marathon. (submitted photo)

Running with a purpose

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The official distance of a marathon is 42.195 kilometers (26.219 miles). It takes a special kind of person to conquer such an event, one who is determined, focused, and dedicated. For Ossian native Kyleigh Kriener, running has become a very important part of her life. 

“I ran cross country during my sophomore through senior years of high school,” explained the 2011 South Winneshiek High School alum, who now resides in the greater Boston area. “I didn’t run much my freshman year of college, but I picked it back up during my sophomore year and haven’t stopped since.”

ob Fassbinder has been in the honeybee business for over four decades. In the last five years, he started shipping 2,000 pounds of beeswax to a Vermont company that uses the wax to recreate a reusable alternative to plastic wrap, which Fassbinder proudly displays.  (Chris DeBack photos)

Fassbinder's beeswax creates a buzz

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

The buzz of the honeybee can be heard quite loudly over the summer in rural Elgin.

Bob Fassbinder raises American honeybees at his home in rural Elgin. Many area residents have had the chance to taste the sweet nectar Fassbinder’s bees produce, and others may have helped process the honey as a summer job during high school.

Now in his 41st year in business, Fassbinder has found another use for a byproduct of the bee business: beeswax. 

Bob has been turning the beeswax he collects from his bees into candles and other things for quite some time. However, five years ago he started shipping most of the wax to a Vermont-based business called Bee’s Wrap that uses his wax to make a reusable alternative to plastic wrap. 

Elgin was named a top-three finalist for 2017 River Town of the Year. Mallory Marlatt (pictured), Turkey River Recreational Corridor director, submitted the application to the nonprofit group Iowa River Revival. For its finish in the top three, Elgin will host state decision-makers this July for a float down the Turkey River.  (Chris DeBack photo)

Elgin named a top river town

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Elgin was named a Top Three finalist for 2017 River Town of the Year by the nonprofit group Iowa River Revivals.

“We were just told that we had a really good application” said Mallory Marlatt, Turkey River Recreational Corridor (TRRC) director. 

Marlatt worked with Rhonda Dales, Elgin city clerk, to submit the application in November 2016. Along with the application, the two submitted a four-page resume that highlighted Elgin’s contribution to the region. 

Dorty Yauslin, Hawkeye city clerk, recycles a Coca-Cola can into one of the new blue recycling bins placed around Hawkeye. Hawkeye received six recycling bins from the Keep America Beautiful Dr. Pepper/Snapple Recycle Bin grant program and purchased three others for a total of nine bins. (Chris DeBack photo)

Recycling comes to Hawkeye

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Hawkeye is going green this spring. 

Well, really it’s going blue as the City will be placing blue recycling bins in its parks. 

Dorty Yauslin, Hawkeye city clerk, applied for and was awarded a Keep America Beautiful Dr. Pepper and Snapple Recycle Bin grant in 2016. The city wasn't awarded a specific amount of money, but rather was given six recycling bins with the grant. The City also purchased three recycling bins at $60 apiece for a total of nine bins. 

The North Fayette Valley Community Coalition will host a Resource Fair from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the NFV cafeteria. The main attraction of the fair will be a drug-room display from the Clayton County Community Collaboration Coalition. The drug room displays a typical teen boy’s bedroom, and in it are typical drug paraphernalia that parents expect to see, as well as some new paraphernalia parents may not be aware of. (Submitted photo)

Spotting drugs!

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

If you walked into your child’s bedroom right now, could you spot the drugs he or she is hiding?

Many parents think they are “hip” and know all the tricks of the drug trade, but most would be surprised by how much easier drugs are to conceal than when they were teenagers. Did you know that a can of pop can be used to smoke weed? How about that apple?

The North Fayette Valley Community Coalition (NFVCC) is here to help. It will host a Resource Fair from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the North Fayette Valley High School cafeteria. 

The former Signode building at 611 Pine Street in West Union will be up for auction at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, with starting bid of $100,000.  Jerry Blue photo

Signode to be auctioned off

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

After years on the market, the former Signode building will go up for auction at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 24.

The starting price for the 36,000-square-foot building, located at 611 South Pine Street in West Union, is $100,000. The property features a 3-ton crane available, drive-in door, a dock with dock leveler and shelter, a back-in interior dock, and an enclosed trash-Dumpster area near the compressor room.