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Wed
19
Jul

State Auditor Rob Sand visits Waukon on his Townhall Tour


State Auditor visits Waukon ... State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand (pictured in the center of the photo above) visited Waukon Friday, July 14 as part of his annual 100 Townhall Tour. Sand addressed a crowd of nearly two dozen people at the picnic shelter near the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park, talking about recent legislation, his PIE program and other matters. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

by Joe Moses

State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand made a stop in Allamakee County Friday evening, July 14 for a scheduled townhall meeting in the Waukon City Park, near the Allamakee County Freedom Rock, with this public event being part of his fifth 100 Townhall Tour since taking office. During his visit to eastern Iowa July 14, Sand also made townhall meeting stops in Anamosa, Maquoketa, Dubuque, Manchester and Elkader before ending the day with his meeting in Waukon.

Wed
19
Jul

Train strikes car on tracks in Lansing ...

No one was injured Friday afternoon, July 14 when a train struck the vehicle pictured above and below that had ended up on the railroad tracks along North Front Street in Lansing near its intersection with Henry Street, just north of the Black Hawk Bridge and south of the Lansing Marina. An initial report from the Lansing Police Department indicates that the vehicle, driven by 78-year-old Frederica Trunkel of Mesa, AZ, had its brakes malfunction while traveling down the incline of Henry Street, was unable to stop at the intersection with North Front Street and ended up veering on to the tracks just prior to the arrival of the scheduled train that was already traveling into Lansing at the time of the incident. The timing of the incident did not allow enough time for the train to stop prior to impact.

Wed
12
Jul

Four young ladies vying for the crown of 2023 Allamakee County Fair Queen under new preparation format this year

July 18 coronation event and Youth Showcase will kick off the 170th Allamakee County Fair

Four Allamakee County young ladies are vying for the title of 2023 Allamakee County Fair Queen. Those four candidates seeking this year’s crown include Natalie Byrnes of Waukon, Kiele Eberling of Postville, and Mallory Mohn and Riley Troendle, both of Lansing.

This year’s Fair Queen experience will be a bit different in regard to preparation and pre-coronation events for the young ladies involved. The overall end result, however, will be very similar to year’s past, where the Fair Queen Coronation will take place Tuesday, July 18 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion following the Youth Showcase that starts at 7 p.m. The coronation and Youth Showcase event is free to attend and open to the public.

Wed
12
Jul

State Auditor Rob Sand to be in Waukon this Friday

State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand will be visiting Waukon this Friday, July 14 as one of his stops in his annual 100 Townhall Tour. He plans to be at the location of the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park from 6:15-7:15 that evening.

These townhall events are open to the public and the media. This is Sand’s fifth Townhall Tour since taking office in 2019, in which he has hosted all events with advanced notice and makes them open to the public.

“The celebration of our country’s democracy is the perfect time for an elected official to say they welcome speaking to the public, instead of trying to avoid them,” said Sand in his schedule announcement just prior to the Fourth of July holiday. “Our office uncovered a record amount of waste during my first term in office in part because we listen to Iowans of all political stripes about where to look.”

Wed
12
Jul

Former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to speak on Opioid Crisis Thursday in Waukon

 The public is invited to meet with former State of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at Robey Memorial Library (lower level) in Waukon to learn about the Opioid Crisis, who fueled the crisis, how these entities were held accountable, and measures enacted to prevent opioid addiction.

Miller and a bipartisan group of other states’ attorneys general sued opioid manufacturers, distributors, and other related parties for their actions in creating the opioid crisis and to recover funds to help address the damage they caused. From one of the settlements, Iowa received $225 million to help with opioid treatment and recovery. Half of any settlement money goes to Iowa’s counties and some cities, and half goes to the State of Iowa.

Opioid addiction touches many lives. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
 

Wed
05
Jul

Veterans Memorial Hospital ranked #1 in the nation in cleanliness through national survey


Ranked #1 in the nation through HCHAPS survey ... Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Housekeeping Department, most all staff members of which are pictured above, has earned the hospital the #1 ranking out of 3,267 hospitals in the United States for cleanliness, as announced by the Iowa Hospital Association through the collection of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCHAPS) survey results taken from the patient’s Press Ganey surveys. The hospital also ranked very high in nursing communication, physician communication, communication about medications, as well as overall quality of care. Submitted photo.

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Housekeeping Department has earned the hospital the #1 ranking in the country for cleanliness, according to the Iowa Hospital Association.

The Association’s Quality Program Measure Trends Analysis is designed to provide hospitals with a comparative review of the quality data collected over time by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  This data is collected from hospitals across the United States through the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCHAPS) survey. This is the national standard instrument and data collection method for measuring patient’s perceptions of their hospital experience.

Wed
05
Jul

Senator Grassley hosts small crowd for Q&A session during Waukon visit


Senator Grassley visits Waukon ... U.S. Senator Charles Grassley made Waukon one of his Q&A (Question and Answer) stops last week while touring throughout the state of Iowa. Grassley addressed a small crowd of individuals in a Thursday afternoon, June 29 stop at Lid’s Bar & Grill in Waukon, with that crowd including Allamakee County Board of Supervisors members Dennis Keatley and Dan Byrnes (at far right), along with Waukon area banking staff, members of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter from Waukon High School and other members of the public. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

Members of Little Switzerland FFA Chapter attend Senator Grassley Q&A session ... Several members of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School were in attendance at the Thursday, June 29 Q&A (Question and Answer) session U.S. Senator Charles Grassley held at Lid’s Bar & Grill in Waukon. Pictured in the photo at right, left to right, are Little Switzerland FFA members Alyssa Connelly and Natalie Byrnes, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and Little Switzerland FFA members Ethan Gibbs and Caleb Helgerson. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

by Joe Moses

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa made a stop in Waukon Thursday, June 29, holding a Q&A (Question and Answer) session at Lid’s Bar & Grill with local elected officials, the media and members of the public as part of his 43rd annual 99-County Tour.

Wed
05
Jul

Switchback duo shares northeast Iowa’s impact on their musical career


Coming home ... Switchback’s Marty McCormack of Chicago, IL (left) and Brian FitzGerald of Lansing (right). The duo is bringing its blend of “Celtic Roots, Americana Soul” to northeast Iowa July 21 at TJ Hunters in Lansing for its first local show since 2019. Submitted photo.

The early years ... Brian FitzGerald (left) and Marty McCormack (right) of Switchback playing in Chicago, IL early in their careers. The band credits FitzGerald’s move to Lansing in the mid-1990s as being instrumental to their careers as musicians. Submitted photo.

Advance tickets for first local show since 2019, scheduled for July 21, available now

by Tanya O’Connor

Switchback’s Brian FitzGerald of Lansing says that the music he and Marty McCormack have spent 30 years creating wouldn’t be what it is today without the people of Allamakee County. So when the duo calls northeast Iowa “magical,” they’re not talking about pixies or fairy dust. They’re talking about you.

t’s the people of this “hard-working, no-nonsense, lack of pretension or ego” place, notes FitzGerald, that the band loves, and that has defined the winding (often gravel) road of their musical careers. Switchback is paying homage to its northeast Iowa home Friday, July 21 at T.J. Hunters in Lansing. This will be the band’s first local show since 2019. It’s called the “Switchback Family Reunion,” because, as they say, “our fans are family.”

Wed
05
Jul

Lansing receives Iowa Great Place designation

Word was received this past Friday, June 30 that Lansing was one of three communities to receive designation as an Iowa Great Place during a recent Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board meeting. Lansing joined Grimes and Polk City as new designees this year.

Through these designations, the State of Iowa recognizes communities dedicated to improving quality of life and quality of place. The selected communities have demonstrated their commitment to stakeholder engagement and long-term planning while cultivating and lifting up authentic assets in their communities.

The designation further facilitates development for arts and culture, recreation and amenities in Lansing’s future. The City will also be able to utilize its standing as a Great Place to receive further funding for projects. Additional details about the designation and its benefits will be published in a future edition of The Standard.
 

Wed
28
Jun

Inaugural PTSD Awareness Walk for Allamakee County offers resource and growth opportunities ...

A first-ever PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Walk was held in Waukon Saturday, June 24, as nearly three dozen individuals made the trek from an initial gathering location of the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in Waukon City Park (top photo) down through Waukon via Rossville Road (lower two photos) to the lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse (pictured in second photo from top) and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum, where information and resources were available for individuals, or their family and friends, whose lives have been impacted by PTSD. The event was part of the Veterans Administration’s National Center for PTSD program observing June as PTSD Awareness Month, with June 27 being designated as National PTSD Awareness Day.

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