Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, announced Friday that a total of $20,634,955 has been secured for 156 rural energy projects in 62 Iowa counties, including three Chickasaw County projects.
    The funds will be used to assist farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems and in making energy-efficiency improvements to their operations.
    Farmers Mill Inc. will receive a $49,972 grant and a loan for the same amount for its project to replace an inefficient energy  grain drying system. High Point Ltd. will receive a $50,000 grant and a $100,000 loan to purchase and install a kilowatt wind turbine. Ron Maher of Chickasaw County was awarded a $10,169 grant to replace an outdated grain dryer with a new, highly efficient grain dryer, which projects more than a 36 percent energy savings.

A storm-related accident one year ago that killed two young Springfield children on a family camping trip has led Quad-City area communities to change their storm-siren activation policies. The cities will sound their emergency sirens not only for funnel clouds, but also for winds of 70 mph or more and storms producing golf ball-size hail.

    Riley Gossling of Alta Vista was awarded the highest level of Boy Scouts, the rank of Eagle Scout.
    He celebrated this accomplishment Saturday, July 11, at the site of his Eagle Scout project, the handicap accessible fishing dock at the New Hampton Municipal Airport Lake.
    The dock is in memory of his uncle, Tom Hurd, an avid sportsman who was also confined to a wheelchair.
    “My brother was a paraplegic who loved to hunt and fish. Riley wanted to do something special in his memory. I have heard a lot of people say they have used it,” said his mother.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica wall goes on display

    The Wall That Heals, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) traveling exhibit, will be on display July 18-19 at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Cresco. Featherlite Trailers and VFW Post 4561 are sponsoring the event, which is open to the public from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
    The Wall That Heals is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a mobile museum housed within a Featherlite trailer. It was redesigned this spring by Featherlite and unveiled March 26 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The renovation of the 45-foot trailer features new exhibits designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates of New York City, the largest interpretive museum design firm in the world.

     Area tractor enthusiasts are getting ready for the 11th annual the Northeast Iowa Power Show Aug. 8-9 at the Fredericksburg Industrial Park. This year’s feature tractor is Case and the tractor featured on the collector’s button is a 1916 Case steam tractor. There were only 50 of these made, so it is a rare item. The owner is Randy Schwerin of Sumner.

All the following events for July 12-16 will be at the Big Four Fairgrounds in Nashua

The Wednesday night storm damage in Chickasaw County will be visible throughout the growing season, as many, many acres of crops were destroyed north of Lawler by the hail, wind and rain that moved through late that evening.

The Fredericksburg Dairy Days annual celebration was June 9-10. This year's theme was "Milk: The 8th Wonder of the World.

The Federicksburg Dairy Days begins Tuesday and runs through Wednesday. The two parades are at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, on Main Street.

    Iowa State University Extension staff recently started checking alfalfa fields for relative feed value (RFV) using the Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality (PEAQ) sampling method.
    Several Chickasaw County fields will be checked every Monday and Thursday until the fields are harvested. PEAQ is a research-based procedure to help alfalfa producers estimate the timing of their first harvest based on forage quality goals. The first alfalfa cutting is typically the largest harvest of the season and therefore of great economic importance to alfalfa and livestock producers.

    Area farmers will have the opportunity to hear the latest information on corn and soybean issues plus a water quality discussion from Extension specialists on Thursday, June 18, during the 2009 Northeast Iowa Agricultural Education Association Spring Field Day at the research farm just west of Nashua.
    Displays and a ‘Dutch-treat” will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. and the programs will proceed from 1:30-4:30 p.m. All Northeast Iowa producers are invited to participate.
    This year’s featured speakers include:

New Hampton

Parade begins at 10 a.m.
Program 10:20 a.m. at the New Hampton Cemetery

Veterans and parade participants are to assemble for lineup at 9:30 a.m. in the New Hampton Electric parking lot. The Firing Squad and Color Guard Squad will wear blue trousers, white short-sleeve shirts, caps and ties. All veterans are encouraged to participate in the parade. Parade transportation will be available.
Parade Route: Starts at New Hampton Electric, goes west on Spring Street to Walnut, turn south one block to Hamilton, west to Maple, south on Maple to cemetery.

     Cannons blasted, kettles boiled and music filled the air at The Old Bradford Pioneer Village Museum’s first Civil War re-enactment, "The Battle of Old Bradford," held this weekend on the museum grounds near Nashua. Approximately 150 re-enactors from across the Midwest took part in the historical event. The event included Civil War song performances, a fashion show and luncheon, realistic battles, a pancake breakfast and church service.

    The American Red Cross was at Turkey Valley on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, for the 33rd annual blood drive sponsored by the Turkey Valley Education Association.
    TVEA Blood Drive coordinators were Patty O’Hollearn and Nancy Cuvelier, RN. Committee members included Angela Balk and Christie Schmitt. Former TVEA member Pat Lynch volunteered to oversee the blood drive.
    This year’s blood drive collected 112 pints of blood from 124 potential donors. Fifty-seven of the donors were Turkey Valley students. Three donors gave two units of red blood cells through an automated collection process called haemonetics.

    It was a short but action-packed 45-minute city council meeting Monday, May 4. Board members swiftly and efficiently came to resolutions and passed items without much deliberation.
    The item which had the most involvement was the Lincoln Street Culvert Project. It was decided that the project would be done in July when the creek will likely be at its lowest point; however, the willow tree in close proximity could come out at any time before then.
    Adjacent property owner, Dick Schnorenberg, pointed out his concerns over a clogged delta area which he attributed to the flood.
    “There are two truckloads […of sand/silt] in the right of way which directly affects my drainage,” said  Schnorenberg.