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Wed
23
Apr

Posten, Van Kooten take over editorial duties at The Press


Steve Van Kooten and Audrey Posten are assuming co-editor duties with The Guttenberg Press. (Press photo)

Audrey Posten and Steve Van Kooten have taken over editorial duties for The Guttenberg Press newspaper, joining long-time Press staff Austin Greve and Melissa Spielbauer-Combs. 

Posten is currently editor of the Times-Register, based in Elkader and McGregor. She grew up outside of Prairie du Chien, Wis., and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2013 with degrees in journalism and history. Posten became editor of the North Iowa Times in summer 2013 and has continued in that role through the newspaper’s merger with the Clayton County Register in 2020. 

Wed
23
Apr

Clayton County Sheriff discusses state immigration policy


Clayton County Sheriff Brent Ostrander sat down with reporter Willis Patenaude for an interview about the changing landscape of immigration enforcement, ICE detainers and discussion surrounding Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx.

By Willis Patenaude

The issue of immigration is a controversial and often times contentious one, and the debate surrounding it has strengthened in recent months nationally following a slew of executive actions by President Donald Trump. This includes 27 revived policies from his first term and seven new policies to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, which Trump declared “critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States.”

Wed
23
Apr

City council approves budget; okays train Quiet Zone study

The Guttenberg city council at its monthly meeting on April 13 approved the budget for the coming fiscal year and set a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the current city budget. The new budget features a tax levy of $15.24937 per $1,000 valuation on regular property, a decrease from the current levy of $15.44826. 

A public hearing on a proposed amendment to the current year’s budget was set for May 12 at 6 p.m. The budget is routinely amended each year to reflect unanticipated changes in income and expenditures, as well as transfers between various city funds.

Wed
16
Apr

Ham radio becomes life-long hobby


John Hartmann of Dyersville is a licensed amateur radio operator. He has been involved with the hobby for over 60 years. This is his set-up at home. (Photo by Deirdre Errthum, Dyersville Commercial)

By Deirdre Errthum

Dyersville Commercial

In 1964, John Hartmann of Dyersville began a job with Neil Webster at his TV sales and repair shop in Guttenberg. Little did Hartmann know that this would feed into his passion for electronics and get him started in a hobby that would prove useful for his entire life.

Wed
16
Apr

After months of review, county is bidding out rural trash, recycling services

By Audrey Posten

Clayton County is accepting bids for rural trash and recycling services, and anticipates to have a contract in place by June 1. A scope of services released last week includes both weekly pickup at remote sites in the county as well as collection at the county shop in Elkader. 

Wed
16
Apr

Clayton Ridge School Board approves four-day school week for next year

The Clayton Ridge School District Board of Directors approved a four-day weekly schedule for the 2025-26 school year at their April 10 meeting.

The board’s approval was not unanimous, with T.J. Pierce and President Jessica Bittner voting against the change.

Bittner told the audience, “I think it’s a ‘no’ for now, not a ‘no’ for always. It’s something that I think we could put off for another year.”

Wed
09
Apr

Kuehl-Berns finds value in being involved at a young age


At just 24, Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns is a business owner, Clayton Ridge Drill Team coach and the mayor of Clayton. (Photo submitted)

By Audrey Posten

Service to the community is something Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns saw firsthand growing up in Clayton. Her mom was on city council for much of her childhood and two grandparents—her mom’s dad and her dad’s mom—served too. Her grandma was even mayor at one point. A great-grandfather was also on the school board and city council. 

Was there pressure to get involved at an early age?

Wed
09
Apr

Owners address future of Lakeside Ballroom


The owners of the Lakeside Ballroom are looking for ideas to reinvigorate the historic Guttenberg landmark, which was built in 1927.

By Audrey Posten

The owners of the Lakeside Ballroom are looking for ideas to reinvigorate the historic Guttenberg landmark.

Kyle Selberg and Ron Shorkey, along with a local third partner, took over the Lakeside in December 2021. At the time, said Selberg, they saw it as an opportunity to bring in big bands and live music, “similar to the 1960s and 1970s vibe the Lakeside had.”

Wed
09
Apr

Lower Pool 10 restoration project groundbreaking

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is celebrating the start of the Lower Pool 10 habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project with a groundbreaking ceremony April 22, at 1 p.m. at the North Gazebo in Guttenberg.

The project is in a side channel/island complex on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River navigation channel in Pool 10, immediately upstream from Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg. The site lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Wed
02
Apr

Area collector acquires massive agate specimen


A close look at three polished agate specimens, courtesy of Phil Burgess. Agates are found in this area, primarily in the Mississippi River gravels and the surrounding hills. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)

Large agate specimens that collectively weigh more than 200 pounds. The specimens were found in Chihuahua, Mexico. The two cuts of Mexican Crazy Lace agate were polished after removal. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)

By Phil Burgess

I’ve always had a penchant for collecting agates ever since I was a child. An agate is a colorful, often banded type of rock (not a crystal or a gem) that is composed mostly of twisted, elongated quartz fibers that form a very tough and durable material, usually colored by various mineral impurities. Because of their hardness, they survive the weathering process while the rock formations that they formed disintegrate into the sediment.

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