Its no secret that snowmobiling is one of the most popular pastimes for many throughout the Midwest. Each year, thousands of Iowa riders take to the ditches and trails on their sleds to enjoy the snow, but for many, the process that goes into providing those trails and keeping them in top condition is one that often goes overlooked. That’s where snowmobile clubs like southern Winneshiek and northern Fayette’s Trails Unlimited comes into play.
Due to rapidly melting snows and forecasted rains, Fayette County Secondary Roads Department is requesting that heavy equipment and large vehicles avoid gravel roads until conditions improve. Drivers of all vehicles should use extreme caution when on gravel roads as conditions are rapidly deteriorating, making travel hazardous in many areas.
Cindy Gibbs (center) was looking for ways to keep her dairy calves warm during this particularly harsh winter. After looking at purchasing some calf coats, the talented seamstress decided to make her own. This plan soon led to a valuable bonding experience with some of her 15 grandchildren as they worked together to design their own personalized calf coats with Grandma Gibbs. Some of the ‘designers’ are (back, l-r) Ian, Mariesa, Isaiah, Ethan and Kendra.
It has been a particularly harsh winter for all, with record-breaking snowfalls and temperatures plunging to well below zero throughout the Midwest.
While it is a struggle to get through the intensity of the winter, we can hunker down in our homes to try and keep as warm as possible. This is not so true for thousands of cattle throughout the countryside.
Amy Cummings had never suffered from kidney issues prior to being diagnosed with the chromophobe renal cell carcinoma that resulted in a tumor the size of a football growing on her kidney. Her team of urologists decided to remove the kidney entirely, a scary process for the young mother, but one made easier with the support of her two sons, Hunter and Reed and husband Tim. Pictured (l-r) Hunter Cummings, Amy Cummings, Tim Cummings and Reed Cummings.
There were few symptoms for the Clermont woman prior to her diagnosis, and that, said Cummings, was one of the scariest parts of the entire process.
The newest member of the Fayette Fire Department is Linnie Magnuson.
Magnuson is a native of southern Missouri, who moved to Waterloo with her mother when she was 15. She graduated from Waterloo’s East High School in 2005 before attending Hawkeye Community College.
After college, she moved back to Missouri for a couple of years before returning to Iowa. She met her husband, Kane, and the couple decided to start a painting business called Inside and Out Painting in Fayette.
“We chose Fayette because it is a great, quiet, clean place to raise a family that’s in a good school district,” Magnuson explained.
You’re never too old to have a slumber party.
That’s the mantra women in the North High Class of 1972 took five years ago when they started a weekend get away at Moonlight Stitching Studio & Sisters Retreat in West Union. The party, which was just for women in the class of 1972, was so successful the first year it became an annual event with 12 to 14 women attending each year. The retreat also featured a luncheon with parents, family members, and others.
While the women had enjoyed gathering at Moonlight Stitching in West Union, it was suggested at the 2018 retreat that they should get out of the cold of Iowa and visit some of their classmates in Florida sun. Thus planning began on Turtle Time 2019, the name the women came up with for the trip.
What treasures could be hiding in your attic?
The Fayette County Historical Society received a donation of local significance on Wednesday, March 13, from Justin Scott of Denver.
Scott donated an address book that belonged to former West Union resident Pearl Paige, that dated back to the early 1900s. Along with the address book were a number of family pictures that belonged to her late son Fred Pettlon of Manchester and an old flipbook that showcased pictures of Upper Iowa University.
Scott came into possession of these items in 2015 when his sister called him after discovering a number of items that were being thrown away along the side of the road in Manchester. Scott, a history buff, was intrigued and had his sister pick up the boxes of items so that he could go through them.
Winter fire hydrant etiquette . . . keep them clear!
The year has gotten off to a furious start in terms of snow totals. With record amounts of snowfall hitting much of the Midwest, it is now more important than ever to make sure that the area surrounding fire hydrants is properly cleared out and accessible for emergency response personnel.
Holien went on to say that this winter has been one of the worst that he can recall over the past several decades, he has been impressed by the public’s response in making sure that their hydrants are accessible.
At its meeting on Feb. 18, the Northeast Iowa Community College Board of Trustees approved a $9.99M issuance of General Obligation School Bonds to provide funding for the College’s first phase of construction and renovation projects.
The school bonds were issued for the purposes approved by voters in a Sept. 11, 2018, special election for the continuation of a $39 million bond levy.