Local News

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

On Jan. 28, MFL MarMac finally got to hold the second part of this year’s cancer awareness event, after it was postponed due to weather earlier in January. 

During a morning assembly, students—dressed in a variety of awareness colors—listened to choir director Jaydeane Berns, who had melanoma when she was in her 20s, speak about her experience. 

“As of next month, I’ll be a 26-year survivor thanks to early detection,” she told those gathered, noting that she discovered an irregular mole, which prompted her to get checked out.

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

At a special meeting Jan. 25, the McGregor Council voted unanimously to deny a request by Trilogy Partners, LLC, to re-zone the former Holiday Shores Motel property from W1-waterfront commercial to W2-waterfront mixed use, in order to build condominiums at the location.

The meeting, which also included a public hearing, was the latest step in the process, after McGregor’s planning and zoning commission, in December, recommended the council deny the request and work with Trilogy to develop a mixed use plan for the location, to include condominiums and short-term lodging.

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

Five McGregor groups—the library, art center, park board, museum and chamber of commerce—shared their yearly updates and budgets with the McGregor Council at its Jan. 20 regular meeting. Some notable information included:

Library—Last fiscal year, from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, the McGregor Public Library had 11,724 visits to the library, with over 16,500 items borrowed. Over 1,000 kids took advantage of the library’s 94 children’s programs, while over 500 adults attended 95 adult programs. Computer usage reached nearly 2,000, and, as a Wi-Fi hotspot, the library has also become a popular destination for residents and tourists to use their laptops and other devices. 

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

Marquette’s Driftless Area Wetlands Centre has a new director. Alicia Mullarkey recently took over the position, bringing a wealth of outdoor knowledge.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors,” said Mullarkey, an Iowa native who grew up south of Des Moines. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science fields. While pursuing her master’s, she studied invasive plants. She’s served with AmeriCorps, working in state parks, and interned with the Missouri Department of Conservation, where she studied rare plants. Mullarkey said she most recently worked for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in the biology department. She managed the nature preserve, most notably focusing on prairies.