Cancellation of April Monthly Meeting for the Historic Preservation Commission

We regret to inform you that the April Monthly Meeting for the Historic Preservation Commission has been cancelled due to an unforeseen medical emergency that has arisen for one of our scheduled presenters. The presenter was expected to give a presentation on April 8th, and as a result of the medical emergency, we have decided to cancel the meeting.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we will keep you informed of any updates regarding the rescheduling of this presentation or other upcoming events.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Become A Dementia Friend

Decorah Public Library and Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging are partnering to host a one-hour informational session for community members about becoming a Dementia Friend. The program will be held at Decorah Public Library from 3:30-4:30 on Tuesday, April 18. Kristie Wiltgen, Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging Regional Director will introduce participants to the growing movement of people who are helping community members live with dementia.  

Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. Participants in this one-hour session will learn some basics of dementia, what it’s like to live with the disease, and some tips for communicating with people who have dementia. Dementia Friends Iowa is administered by the Northeast Iowa Area on Aging and the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging. 

For more information, please contact Zach Row-Heyveld at Decorah Public Library – zrow-heyveld@decorahlibrary.org or by calling 563.382.3717. 

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Celebrating Generations of Quality Conservation in Winneshiek County

This year the Winneshiek County Conservation Board is excited to celebrate its 65th anniversary! The mission of the Winneshiek County Conservation Board (WCCB) is to provide the public with wide-ranging opportunities for quality outdoor recreation while wisely managing our natural resources and encouraging land stewardship through natural history and environmental education programming. WCCB has met Winneshiek County residents’ significant desire and support for access to greenspace and outdoor recreation by connecting people to the outdoors and keeping the outdoors worth connecting to over the past 65 years. WCCB is an effective organization that will continue its legacy of support for natural resources, recreation, tourism, and education in the county for future generations.

A Legacy of Conservation Achievement
The projects and community partnerships fostered by Winneshiek County Conservation during the past 65 years had a clear, positive impact on the economy, quality of natural resource management, outdoor recreation, and environmental education in Winneshiek County. The Winneshiek County park system started in 1958 with plans for two undeveloped areas that would later become Kendallville Campground and Lake Meyer Park. The original WCCB members included Paul Henzler, Dan Meyer, Floyd Pearson, Loren Rue, and Walter Witt. These board members accepted the task to expand natural resource management and environmental education in Winneshiek County, spurred on by legislation from the Code of Iowa – Chapter 350 that created conservation boards in every county in Iowa and authorized them to form conservation areas to benefit the public.
Winneshiek County Conservation now manages over 20 parks, trails, and wildlife areas that are available for public use and enjoyment. WCCB is part of Iowa’s county park system, a system that is nationally recognized for its impacts on tourism and outdoor recreation. Board Chair Bill Ohde shared, “County parks offer an important middle-ground between small municipal parks, undeveloped state wildlife areas, and the scattered state park system. In Winneshiek County, the county park system offers one of the few public lakes in the Driftless Area (Lake Meyer), recreational trails connecting small communities (Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail), and opportunities for camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and many other recreational activities for people that don’t have an easy alternative or can’t afford other recreational options.”

A Leader in Environmental Education
The Winneshiek County Conservation Board employs one of the top naturalists in the state, Larry Reis, who has won numerous awards for his work and dedication to conserving natural resources in Iowa throughout his lifetime. Over the course of his 40-year career with WCCB, Larry has given an estimated 8,000 programs reaching over 200,000 people (the entire population of Winneshiek County ten times over), ranging in age from preschoolers through the elderly. An avid outdoorsman, Larry specializes in many outdoor skills from hunting and fishing to birdwatching and wildlife photography. Larry has been instrumental in the development of the environmental education program as well as the restoration of Lake Meyer and other Winneshiek County parks to shining examples of diverse ecosystems. Larry says, “It has been very rewarding to work for the Winneshiek County Conservation Board where we’ve been able to protect some of the county’s most valuable natural resources, including prairies, cold-water trout streams, and pristine woodlands. County residents and visitors can now enjoy these natural treasures for all time. We also have a wonderful environmental education program that gives school children and adults many opportunities to learn about and enjoy nature here in Winneshiek County.”
Winneshiek County Conservation Board’s environmental education program started 50 years ago with the construction of the Lake Meyer Nature Center in 1973. Since then, WCCB staff have developed and implemented innovative programming to help children throughout the county learn about fishing, kayaking, biking, cross-country skiing, archery, natural sciences, and more. The Fit Environment program has been picked up by other educators throughout the state and become a model for how to help kids lead healthy lives by teaching them outdoor recreation skills. In recent years, WCCB has even added programming to promote recycling, composting, and waste reduction in the county in partnership with the county’s recycling center and sanitary landfill. WCCB’s staff provides programming through collaboration with local schools, nursing homes, daycares, libraries, and civic organizations. South Winneshiek Schools Superintendent Kris Einck shares, “Winneshiek CCB provides youth programming that is invaluable to our teachers and rural students and their families. They inspire our kids to enjoy active lifestyles and to want to live in Winneshiek County when they grow up.”

Upcoming Events & Opportunities to Get Involved
Winneshiek County Conservation hosts several public events annually including the Lake Meyer Ice Fishing Derby in February, the Stan Shevik Memorial Family Fishing Clinic in June, activities at the Winneshiek County Fair in July, and the Lake Meyer Campground Trunk or Treat in October. In April, WCCB will also be working with community partners to promote and celebrate Earth Day. All year long, WCCB plans to continue their legacy of bringing people to nature with guided hikes, birdhouse building, kayaking, and more. You can celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Winneshiek County Conservation Board by participating or volunteering at any of these events. Find more information at www.winneshiekwild.com/upcoming-events.

Luther College Center Stage Series presents Gravity & Other Myths: A Simple Space

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, the Luther College Center Stage presents Gravity & Other Myths: A Simple Space in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life.

Gravity & Other Myths is a troupe of acrobats from Adelaide, Australia, who push the boundaries of the contemporary circus genre, creating shows with a focus on human connection and acrobatic virtuosity. A Simple Space is an intimate 60-minute show in which a portion of the audience is seated on stage, surrounding the performers.

“This will be like nothing else the Center Stage Series has presented,” says Kristen Underwood, director of campus programming. “We’ve reconfigured some of the seating in the Center for Faith and Life, so some of the audience is in very close proximity to the acrobats. The athleticism and artistry of the performers is underscored by live percussion and the overall effect is spellbinding.”

A Simple Space is Gravity & Other Myth’s first work, and has been presented more than 1,000 times in 34 different nations.

“This is Cirque du Soleil, with a fistful of grit,” according to one critic from the UK Express.

The highly creative and talented chefs on the Norse Culinary Team invite you to partake in the Center Stage Dinner Series before the show. The dinners feature a multi-course menu to complement each performance. A separate ticket is required. All meals begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Peace Dining Room on the second floor of Dahl Centennial Union.

Additionally, the Luther Book Shop offers “Sip and Shop” before each performance. Present your ticket for a complimentary glass of wine and browse the selection before the show.

Find the dinner menu, and purchase dinner and show tickets online at tickets.luther.edu. Tickets are also available at the CFL Ticket Office, by emailing tickets@luther.edu or by calling (563) 387-1357.

About Luther College

At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

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WED Wins Grant, Brings New EV Charging to County

by Paul Cutting, Energy Planner

Winneshiek Energy District is excited to partner with six Winneshiek County organizations and the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa to bring public-facing electric vehicle charging to downtown Calmar, Northeast Iowa Community College’s Calmar campus, Winneshiek Medical Center, the new Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center, downtown Decorah at the Chamber of Commerce, and Seed Savers Exchange. 

The roughly $45,000 project is being funded, in part, through the support of the Winneshiek County Community Foundation and through financial commitments of all six partnering organizations. The level 2 chargers will be available for public, workplace and fleet charging. 

For the past two years, Winneshiek Energy District has worked with other regional organizations to help plan for an electrified transportation future. Last fall we co-hosted a Get Charged Up! EV Event with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission that brought together local business and government leaders. Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) led a study of the opportunities relating to electric vehicles and tourism. RC&D’s work identified dozens of best-suited locations for charging infrastructure throughout northeast Iowa. In addition, Luther College is finishing work on an economic analysis of the economic benefits of the EV transition as it relates to Northeast Iowa.

One aim of this project is to create opportunities for workplace-based EV charging. Being able to charge at work alleviates a few challenges of the EV transition. First, with ranges of EV’s somewhat less than their internal combustion engine equivalents, workplace charging lessens concerns of range anxiety, which is frequently cited as a key obstacle for consumer EV adoption. Workplace charging also provides options for renters and students who might not otherwise have charging options at home. Until fast charging becomes commercially available at gas stations and other public places throughout northeast Iowa, projects such as these will meet an important need.

This project also serves as an exciting opportunity for partnering organizations to explore how they might electrify their respective vehicle fleets in the future. Some categories of institutional fleet vehicles, like those used for deliveries, tend to be used in predictable ways and pair well with workplace-based charging where workers charge personal vehicles during the work day and fleet vehicles overnight.

Local Celebrities, Secret Identities: Earth Energy: The Power of Crystals and Gemstones in the Crater and Beyond

Title – Earth Energy: The Power of Crystals and Gemstones in the Crater and Beyond

Decorah Public Library is continuing a monthly program series called “Local Celebrities, Secret Identities” designed to highlight interesting work being done by members of the community. The April program in the series is called “Earth Energy: The Power of Crystals and Gemstones in the Crater and Beyond” and is presented by Keri Bodensteiner. The program will take place in the event room at Pulpit Rock Brewery on April 11 at 7 PM. 

Join local business owner, Keri Bodensteiner for an evening program as she shares her passion and knowledge around mystical and spiritual earth energy that inspired the opening of her new store, Magic Morpho. Keri will share information about the history and study of crystal energies, including how they have been used in the past and how people use them today. She will bring her favorite specimens and discuss the characteristics and benefits of each. Join us to indulge your curiosity and explore the earth’s treasures! 

For more information about this presentation or the series, please contact Zach Row-Heyveld at Decorah Public Library – zrow-heyveld@decorahlibrary.org or by calling 563.382.3717. 

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The Electric Monopoly’s Company Store

by Andy Johnson, Executive Director

Editor’s note: since this article was written, the Iowa Legislature passed SF 198. The other bills, including the opportunity to study these issues and bring better legislation next session, remain alive.

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?

Another day older and a deeper in debt

Saint Peter don’t you call me ‘cause I can’t go

I owe my soul to the company store.

Tennessee Ernie Ford may have topped the charts in 1955 with Sixteen Tons, but Merle Travis wrote the song based on real life in the coal mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. 

According to Travis, the first two lines of the chorus came from his brother, and the last two from his father; both were miners. 

Just as Big Coal indebted Kentucky miners to the company store, so now MidAmerican Energy (and parent Berkshire Hathaway) is indebting Iowa’s hard-working ratepayers to the company store of investor profits.

There is great moral hazard in the state granting monopoly control of the power sector to a single company, with over 680,000 captive Iowa customers. There is even greater moral hazard in that company pressuring politicians into removing the last remaining pillars of public oversight, accountability, and transparency of that state granted monopoly behemoth.

Legislators: MidAmerican rate increases are coming one way or another. Do you really want to write a blank check of “deregulation” to a power monopoly with no competition and over 680,000 captive Iowa customers? Maybe it’s time to stop and think, to do the work first, and revisit these issues in the future.

The Illusion of a Squeaky Clean Utility

MidAmerican Energy has been very effective at promoting the illusion that it’s serving Iowa ratepayers by keeping rates down and advancing rapidly towards 100% renewables.

In reality, MidAmerican’s business decisions have been and continue to be designed to maximize benefits to out-of-state investors, while running up ratepayer debt at the company store for coming generations of hard-working Iowans. 

Yes, they’ve built a great deal of wind energy and that’s mostly good for Iowa. But they’ve also been rigging the system to maximize tax benefits and perpetually guaranteed profits to investors, even as built-in rate pressures mount and ratepayers may be in for sticker shock in coming years. 

MidAmerican also appears hell-bent on running a large fleet of uneconomical coal plants for decades into the future, at outrageously high cost and health/environmental impact to ratepayers but at quite a nice profit to Berkshire investors, who also own the coal trains. 

But MidAmerican’s chickens are coming home to roost, and the company is desperately seeking a bailout from legislators to protect their wealth extraction business model from public accountability. 

Dismantling Public Accountability

Two important pieces of regulatory oversight help keep behemoth monopolies like MidAmerican honest. The company is working hard to kill both, this session, at the People’s House.

SF 198 would take all teeth out of a mandatory bi-annual regulatory exercise called an emissions plan and budget (EPB) docket. These dockets look at emissions of fossil fuel plants, but also, importantly, at the economics of those plants and their benefits and costs to ratepayers. The bill has passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate.

MidAmerican has been fighting tooth and nail in a current EPB docket to keep the true economics of their Iowa coal plants secret. They just lost in court, and the company’s own studies show those plants are an increasingly costly burden on Iowa ratepayers (though likely highly profitable to Berkshire investors).

SF 198 would effectively kill the ability of regulators to hold MidAmerican accountable, and indebt Iowa ratepayers to the uneconomical MidAmerican coal plants for at least another generation.

Rate dockets are another critical piece of regulatory oversight that keeps monopoly, investor-owned utilities at least partially accountable. 

When an investor-owned utility wants to raise rates on Iowans, they need to come before the Iowa Utilities Board, lift the hood on books and operations, and prove the case for both an overall revenue increase, and a fair distribution of that increase between classes of ratepayers.

MidAmerican hasn’t lifted that hood in a decade, and is due for a rate case in coming years. So the company is promoting SSB 1173 that would – under the guise of “flexible” or “innovative” rate-making – allow it to skirt the existing rate docket process and instead, offer preferential rates to favored customers on a case-by-case basis, with less transparency and oversight.

The Iowa Legislature should know the factual impact to ratepayers before allowing MidAmerican Energy to feed at the public trough of pro-monopoly deregulation. 

Or Better Yet, Dismantling the Company Store

Iowa’s regulation of investor-owned utilities isn’t perfect, but it sure as heck isn’t in need of MidAmerican’s proposed fixes.

It could be improved, though. HF 617 asks the Iowa Utilities Board to conduct a participatory study of “code provisions and ratemaking procedures” that best serve customers. Legislators should press pause on SF 198 and SSB 1173, do the work together with the IUB to truly understand the potential impact of the monopoly utility lobbying campaigns, and return to the issues in the future if necessary.

The study bill should be enlarged to include Integrated Resource Planning (IRP). Most states utilize common-sense IRP to ensure that monopoly utility investments are actually in the long-term best interests of ratepayers and the state’s grid, rather than simply maximizing profits to investors.

When combined with a requirement for all-source competitive sourcing and performance incentive mechanisms, a robust IRP process brings not only greater accountability, but also greater competitive pressure to monopoly utilities. It’s no wonder MidAmerican/Berkshire pulled out all stops to block an IRP bill this session (SSB 1059), and to promote their own bills to dismantle existing accountability mechanisms.

Iowa legislators have a clear choice this session. They can ignore moral hazard and allow MidAmerican and Alliant lobbyists and investors to short-circuit public accountability, or they can protect the rights and freedoms of Iowa ratepayers and communities from the growing power of the electric monopoly company store. 

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IPCC Releases Major Climate Change Report

by Andy Johnson, Executive Director

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released its AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. It is represents the best science in the world, and it is sobering. Good coverage including enlightening graphics can be found at The ConversationWorld Resources InstituteCNBC, and elsewhere. There’s no sugar-coating the conclusions:

“Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people. …Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”

Also, “Policies and laws addressing mitigation have consistently expanded since AR5. Global GHG emissions in 2030 implied by nationally determined contributions (NDCs) announced by October 2021 make it likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century and make it harder to limit warming below 2°C.”

This is true, and yet major policies have been adopted even since 2021. The Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. is the most significant climate and clean energy legislation in our history, and is already accelerating change. Globally, renewable energy is being built faster than predicted, solar will produce more power than coal by 2027, and over half of electricity production will be carbon-free this decade.

Decades ago, Donella Meadows said “we have just enough time, starting now”. While we are losing the race against time, we are also rapidly gaining ground. Your Energy District is working hard to lead local implementation, and advocate for ever stronger policy. Join us, vote, share the IPCC report with policymakers and your networks, and THANK YOU to all those doing their part and leading the way.

Luther College awards inaugural Joy Tlou Memorial Award

Mychal with his (L-R) father, stepfather, and mother.

Luther College has awarded the inaugural Joy Tlou Memorial Award to Mychal Shed ’23. 

The Joy Tlou Memorial Award is a new award at Luther established by Hla Tlou in memory of her brother, Bonolo Joy Tlou ’86. It is awarded to students whose character, leadership, and participation in the campus community enhance the quality of campus life and encourage a “community of joy.”

“I am so honored, grateful, and blessed to be the recipient of this award and scholarship as it has reminded me that my joy and genuine love for the people and community of Luther College is appreciated and will always be remembered as pure,” said Shed. 

Shed will graduate with the class of 2023 with a degree in psychology. He is the son of Maya Sample and Marcus Shed and is from Teague, Texas. Shed is a member of the Luther men’s basketball team and was voted team captain. Additionally, he is the president of the Black Student Union and serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Luther’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He also works in the Admissions Office as a Lead Student Ambassador and is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization.

“As a community leader here at Luther, the organizations and people I have been blessed enough to serve and share my joy with have expressed their gratitude on a number of occasions,” said Shed. “As the Black Student Union president, I have had members reach out to me personally and thank me for helping make our organization inclusive and respectful to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, beliefs, sexual or cultural differences.”

Shed chose Luther because of the opportunity to be involved in a diverse, inclusive, proactive and genuine community, and to make connections with people of all denominations, life experiences and ethnic backgrounds. 

When asked, “What joy can you bring to the campus community?” Shed replied, “I have come to realize that happiness and joy are two completely different things. There is a quote that states, ‘Happiness requires happy circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, sticks around. It doesn’t get chased off by trouble.’ My joy sticks around because it’s bigger than me. I have a very simple, yet meaningful ‘joy triune’–my faith, my family and my passion in life, which is serving others.”

After graduating from Luther, Shed will be attending the University of Chicago this fall as he has been accepted into the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice in pursuit of obtaining his master’s degree in social work.


About Bonolo “Joy” Tlou

Joy Tlou was born in Gwanda, Zimbabwe in 1963. He moved to Decorah with his mom and sisters when he was two years old to join his father who was a student at Luther College. Joy attended elementary school in Decorah; junior high school in Glencoe, Illinois; and graduated high school in Blacksburg, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Luther College in 1986. No matter where Joy went, he was loved by everyone and was a friend to anyone. 

In addition to working as a college administrator, Joy was an artist who made beautiful pottery, a singer and musician, a cook who hosted dinners for no other reason than to bring people together. He enjoyed fishing, skiing, telling jokes and simply being in the company of friends and family.

About The Joy Tlou Memorial Award

The Joy Tlou Memorial Award shall be awarded to students, with or without a demonstrated need for financial assistance, whose character, leadership, and participation in the campus community enhance the quality of campus life and encourage a “community of joy.” The $3,000 award is managed through both an application and nomination process. In addition to meeting the criteria above, the following questions are addressed through the application or nomination: 1) What gifts do you have to share; 2) What joy can you bring to the campus community; and 3) What will you do to be like Joy?

About Luther College

At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

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Rhymes With Decorah Podcast: Rhymes With… Spring 2023 – Aryn Henning Nichols!

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Welcome to Spring 2023! 

The “Spring 2023” Issue of Inspire(d) is out on stands (and online) now! The amazing Aryn Henning Nichols and I always enjoy running down the new issues, kibitzing in general, and laughing about whatever we can (because, gee-gosh-golly we could all use a good laugh.) 

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Our featured theme of “You Are Here” ties in nicely to cover artist, and MIBA Independent Book Store Map creator Kevin Cannon’s artwork and our feature story on all things Independent Book Sellers (have we mentioned we LOVE book stores?!) 

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The stoke is real for spring around HQ – read Aryn’s entire editors letter by clicking here, and thanks for listening to the show! If you have ideas for other folks you’d like to hear on “Rhymes With…” feel free to drop Benji a message here. 

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“Rhymes With Decorah” is a companion project of Inspire(d) Media.

Original music heard in this podcast performed and recorded by Nick Zielinski of Decorah. Find him on Instagram, Patreon, TikTok and more @indicative_of_drumming

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