Community News

by Lissa Blake

Waukon native Paul Osterholm has shared his kidney donation story as part of a book that became available in late April of this year and also climbed to Best Seller status on Amazon just a few days following its release. Osterholm will be returning to his native hometown Saturday, May 29 with the woman he shares that story with and - as of October 2018 - also shared one of his kidneys with for a book donation presentation and signing event at Robey Memorial Library.

“Because of Organ Donation: A Collection of Inspiring Stories Celebrating the Gift of Life” is a collection of 25 organ donation stories from a variety of individuals, including NASCAR Cup driver Joey Gase telling his late mother’s story, with a forward written by Bill Ryan, President and CEO of Transplant Games of America and the Transplant Life Foundation.

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will be hosting Main Street Story Walk in June featuring the children’s story “The Things I Can Do” by Jeff Mack. During the month of June families are encouraged to read this story at selected businesses as they stroll the downtown area. When joining in the fun, participants are reminded to practice social distancing and to be careful crossing the downtown streets for the safety and health of all. Seven selected businesses have a portion of the story posted in the front window of their establishment for viewing from the sidewalk. Each stop along the story walk will direct participants to the next location. Selected businesses are located on West Main Street, Spring Avenue and Rossville Road and are labeled and numbered on the above map at the following locations: 1. WAX by Amber; 2. Howards Home Furnishings;  3. Teslow’s Formal Wear;  4. KNEI Radio;  5. J Nails & Spa;  6. Mirror Images;  7. State Farm Insurance. Submitted image.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, May 17 to address a full agenda of items including discussion of a Trees Forever contribution and tree replacement program, an extra assessment from Town & Country Sanitation relating to increased recycling costs and discussion of actions to be taken against Aveka Nutra Processing.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved forward into the Buddy Poppies Proclamation with Mayor Pat Stone reading aloud that May 28-29 is recognized as American Legion Auxiliary Buddy Poppy Days. Stone encouraged residents to support this cause by wearing a memorial poppy in honor of the sacrifices of the men and women who have risked their lives in defense of this nation’s freedoms.

The Waukon Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations from community residents for awards to be distributed later this year in a manner to be determined by COVID-19 pandemic guidelines. Those awards include Business of the Year and Person of the Year honors within the Waukon community, and award nominations are due to the Waukon Chamber of Commerce by June 1 of this year.

The Chamber will bestow those honors upon the best nominated candidate fitting the following award criteria:

Business of the Year
The Business of the Year Award, presented by the Waukon Chamber of Commerce, is given each year to a business that offers high-quality products or services, demonstrates strong ethical standards, exhibits leadership with its employees and clients and within its industry, and is active in the community. The award winner must be in business for at least five years, locally owned or a locally-owned franchise, and an active member of the community.

Madelyn Helgerson, daughter of Eric and Janelle Helgerson of Lansing, has been selected as the Iowa Girls State Citizen for the June 21-24 event. Helgerson is a junior at Waukon High School and was selected by Unit #722, American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Harpers Ferry.

The 2021 Iowa Girls State Session will be held virtually this year June 21-24. America Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Iowa Girls State is one of the premier programs sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary and was started by a dream of four women over 75 years ago in hopes of teaching young women about the political process. Girls State is a “learning by doing” program, which takes the girls through the entire political process.

The Waukon Chamber of Commerce and business owners in Waukon want to make the local shopping experience and gift giving a little bit easier, creating a new Waukon Dollars program.

Waukon Dollars are gift certificates available in $5, $10 and $20 increments (as shown in the accompanying photos) and are accepted at multiple merchants in Waukon, including restaurants and shopping locations. The purpose of Waukon Dollars is to continue to support and grow the local economy in Waukon. Each Waukon Dollar certificate features an aerial photo of the downtown Waukon area, along with its monetary denomination.

Waukon Dollars may be exchanged for goods and/or services (just like cash) at participating businesses in Waukon. Waukon Dollars are not redeemable for cash, and if lost or stolen, Waukon Dollars cannot be replaced. Waukon Dollars expire one year after their issue date.

Tuesday, May 4, the Waukon Police Department and Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office located a juvenile in Waukon who had been reported as missing since April 21. As a result of the juvenile being located, 30-year-old Samantha Jo Hampton of Waukon was arrested and charged with harboring a runaway against the wishes of a parent, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. The juvenile had been found safe with Hampton in a vehicle at her residence.

In January of this year, that same juvenile was also reported missing and after being found safe, two other Waukon adults and one juvenile were also arrested and charged with the same crime. They are still awaiting an August trial on those charges after pleading not guilty, according to court documents.

Hampton was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Monday, May 10 at the Allamakee County Courthouse. A criminal charge is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 

Sunflower Child Development Center with assistance from Winneshiek County Development and Tourism (WCDT) will be constructing a new Child Development and Discovery Center in Decorah in 2022. In March, the project was awarded a $760,000 Child Care Challenge-Investing in Iowa’s Childcare grant from the Iowa Department of Human Services, one of the largest such awards in the state.

WCDT Executive Director Stephanie Fromm recently announced a capital campaign to raise $4 million dollars in private contributions to help fund the project. According to Fromm, the Sunflower Board and staff have been working with WCDT for over two years to plan the new facility.

At the Iowa Tourism Conference held April 28 in Des Moines, the Byways of Iowa Foundation was honored with the Iowa Tourism Award for Outstanding Marketing Collaboration in a Rural Setting for their “Byways of Iowa Public Art Initiative”.

“These awards are a great opportunity to recognize our industry partners for their perseverance in the face of a pandemic,” said State Tourism Manager Amy Zeigler. “We celebrate their innovations in safely delivering memorable experiences to Iowa travelers.” Awards, divided into metro and rural distinctions, were made in 13 categories.