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Wednesday, September 19, the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an individual attempting to solicit nude photographs of young females in the area through the social media app “Snapchat”. The suspect reportedly initiates contact through the messaging feature on the “Snapchat” app and gives a false name that the potential victim may know through social media, such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, and requests the potential victim to send nude photographs of themselves through the “Snapchat” app. This suspect has attempted contact with numerous potential victims in the area. The “Snapchat” account being used is dylan3404dj and the suspect is using the names Chris or Dylan. This activity is being directed toward high school-aged persons. This incident is under investigation by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office and Waukon Police Department.

by Lissa Blake

Guilty as charged.
That was the verdict handed down Thursday, September 13 in the Second Degree Murder case of the State of Iowa versus John Michael Quanrude of Waukon. Quanrude, age 32, was convicted of shooting his stepfather and roommate, 60-year-old Dean Russell of Waukon, the afternoon of April 16 of this year in the home the two shared at 49 Jean Road in the Parkview Trailer Court in Waukon.

Prosecuting the case were Allamakee County Attorney Jill Kistler and Susan Krisko, assistant attorney general for the State of Iowa. Quanrude was defended by Scott J. Nelson of the Iowa State Defender’s Office located in Dubuque. The case was tried by District Judge John Bauercamper in the large courtroom of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital together with Elliott Jewelers of Waukon will be hosting the 14th annual Women’s Health Day wellness event and luncheon Tuesday, September 25 at the Waukon Banquet Center. All ages are invited to attend this educational event, beginning at 11 a.m. with a wellness fair offering a variety of health tests and information, and a salad luncheon and program held from Noon to 1 p.m.

Tickets are available at Veterans Memorial Hospital and Elliott Jewelers in Waukon. Tickets will also be available at the door, until the event is sold out. The proceeds from this event will be used to renovate the outpatient treatment room at the hospital.

Allamakee County voters well in line with overall approval percentage

Despite just four percent turn-out, voters in the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) district gave their approval for the continuation of a $39 million bond levy in a special election held Tuesday, September 11. With vote totals considered unofficial until results are canvassed, the measure was approved with 84.16 percent of the votes cast. Following the official canvas, the results will be certified by the county boards of supervisors.

 Bruce Ferguson of San Diego, CA created this “Star Trail” photo and submitted it to The Standard for publication consideration. Ferguson and his two brothers and their families, all from the San Diego, CA area, were visiting their parents who live in La Crosse, WI and the entire family rented a houseboat from S&S Houseboat Rentals in Lansing to “cruise the Mississippi for a few days” in late August. Ferguson explained that the images used to create this photo were taken while the boat was anchored at the sand bar in the main channel of the Mississippi River where the family spent its final night on the houseboat, just to the north of the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing seen in the photo’s bottom right corner. Ferguson said he used a Canon 70D digital camera and a timer set up on a tripod to take photos every 15 seconds for a couple of hours around midnight. He then used Photoshop to merge the photos together to create the time lapse effect of the “Star Trail” image above.

A 12-person jury has found John Quanrude of Waukon guilty of Second Degree Murder in the April 2018 shooting death of Dean Russell of Waukon. In a trial that started Monday, September 10 in the Allamakee County Courthouse, the jury deliberated for just one hour before returning that guilty verdict Thursday, September 13. Quanrude is now scheduled to be sentenced October 1. Further details about the trial and guilty verdict will be published in the September 19 edition of The Standard.

Once teammates in nearly every football game they’ve ever played, the 2014 Waukon High School graduate pair of Parker Hesse and Marcus Weymiller will be taking the field on opposing teams this Saturday for the first time since they were in elementary school.

“I believe the last time we actually faced off on the football field was in a YSF (Youth Sports Foundation) scrimmage in fifth grade,” Hesse shared. “Other than that, the only other time we played against one another was fourth grade flag football, and on the playground.”

Waukon High School 1991 graduate Shawna (Kerndt) Stringham involved in flood rescues

(Editor’s Note: The following article was first published in the “Warden Wire” section of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [WDNR]website [dnr.wi.gov]. It is being reprinted here with permission from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Among those featured in the article is WDNR Warden Shawna Stringham, who is the former Shawna Kerndt and a 1991 graduate of Waukon High School.)

by Joanne M. Haas/WDNR Bureau of Law Enforcement

WDNR (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) wardens equipped with boats, training and a lot of guts rescued residents and pets from flooded Vernon County homes Tuesday night (August 28) when the Kickapoo River roared into La Farge and Viola with a fury and force that unearthed buildings, fuel tanks, electric lines and more.

The FFA chapters at both Waukon and Kee High Schools each brought home top state of Iowa honors in their respective Career Development Events (CDE) held in conjunction with the Youth Dairy Classic in Manchester Saturday, September 8. Both chapters will now advance to compete in their respective events at the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, IN in October.

The Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School won the Iowa FFA Dairy Cattle CDE, being crowned the Iowa Champion FFA Dairy Cattle Team among 18 total teams and 63 individuals competing. Team members include Kaylee Gibbs, Grace Howe, Cayla Nolting and Faith Palmer.

The Lansing FFA Chapter at Kee High School won the Iowa FFA Milk Quality & Products CDE and was crowned the Iowa Champion FFA Milk Quality & Products Team among 15 teams and 52 individuals competing. Team members include Peter Boland, Brooke Stanley, Charles Stendel and Rachel Walleser.

by Brianne Eilers

The Oil Springs School restoration project in Harpers Ferry is nearing completion. For the past three years, volunteers from various entities such as the Harpers Ferry Area Historical Society (HFAHS), the Harpers Ferry Booster Club, City of Harpers Ferry, Allamakee Historical Preservation Society and many other businesses, groups and individuals in the Harpers Ferry area or with ties to the area have come together to donate time, talents, money and artifacts to this project.

The finishing touches were slated to be completed in August, with a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, September 8 beginning at 10 a.m. The programming for that day begins with a ribbon cutting and flag raising ceremony. The 48-star American flag will be raised, as it was the one flying when the school was in operation. There will also be presentations at the school, now located on Vine Street in Harpers Ferry.