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Tue
07
Nov

No declared winner in Waukon Mayor race; Hatlan wins Third Ward Council seat

Voting results from the Tuesday, November 7 City Election reveal a new councilman for Waukon's Third Ward, but no candidate in the five-person race for Waukon Mayor could be declared the winner of that office, as none of the five candidates received a majority vote of at least 50% of the vote total plus one more. In such a case, the top two vote-getters advance on to a run-off election, which, according to the Allamakee County Auditor's Office, will be scheduled for Tuesday, December 5.

In the unofficial results released shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, Dwight Jones received the most votes of the five mayoral candidates - 259 votes (35.24%), with Pat Stone next in line with 169 votes (22.99%). Those two top vote-getters, Jones and Stone, will now face off in that December 5 run-off election. Other candidate vote totals in that mayoral race are as follows: Darryl Brink - 120 votes (16.33%), Steve Wiedner - 111 votes (15.10%) and Rick Herman - 73 votes (9.93%).

Wed
01
Nov

Candidates in area contested races express perspectives prior to November 7 City Election


Waukon City Council Ward 3 Candidates

Waukon Mayor Candidates

Harpers Ferry Mayor Candidates

City Council Wards in the town of Waukon ... With multiple City Council Wards in Waukon being part of this year's City Election scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, City officials felt it in the best interest of voters to remind them of the area each of the town's three City Council Wards covers. Ward Two (highlighted in yellow in the southwest portion of Waukon) does not actually have a city council candidate on the City Election ballot this year, as the Ward Two council seat currently occupied by John Lydon is not up for election for another two years. Residents in Ward Two will vote at St. John's Lutheran Church for the mayor and at-large city council seat, as well as the proposed hotel/motel tax increase. Ward One (highlighted in blue and essentially covering all areas east of Spring Avenue/Rossville Road and Allamakee Street, plus a couple smaller areas just west of Allamakee Street in the north portion of the city) has just one candidate, Gayle Decker, vying for that seat, which is actually being vacated by current occupant Steve Wiedner as he seeks the mayor's seat in this year's election. Ward One residents will vote at the NICC Waukon Center. Ward Three (highlighted in pink and covering the vast majority of northwest Waukon) is the lone contested council race in Waukon this year, with three candidates vying for that seat, including incumbent Don Steffens and challengers Arvid Hatlan and Kevin Welsh. Residents of Ward Three will vote in the Supervisors Board Room in the Allamakee County Courthouse. For additional information on ward locations or voting precincts, contact the Waukon City Clerk's office at 563-568-3492. Submitted image.

Voters in all Allamakee County towns with local government representation are scheduled to go to the polls Tuesday, November 7 to cast their selections in the 2017 City Election. Sample ballots of the respective races within each of the communities with local government candidates competing in this year's election were published on Pages 2B and 3B in the October 25 issue of The Standard, along with a listing of polling sites for all six Allamakee County towns holding elections this year. Election polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. in Waukon and from 12 noon-8 p.m. in all other Allamakee County communities holding elections.

Wed
01
Nov

Allamakee Economic Development and Tourism unveils new postcard

Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED) unveiled a new postcard (pictured at right) at the ACED Annual Meeting hosted in New Albin Thursday, October 19.  The meeting attendees were challenged by ACED Director Val Reinke to mail the postcard to a friend or family member outside of Allamakee County with an invitation to visit.  Reinke commented, “Tourists and residents alike have inquired about a 'local' postcard and now we can finally offer one.”

This postcard was created to highlight and recognize Allamakee County’s top tourist locations, including Effigy Mounds National Monument (more than 80,000 visitors a year), Yellow River State Forest (more than 40,000 visitors a year), Driftless Area Scenic Byway (voted most scenic byway in Iowa) and Great River Road (36.2 miles through Allamakee County). This postcard design also matches the new display banners created for tourism and economic development events.

Wed
01
Nov

Lansing Fire Department offered opportunity to burn local home for multi-purpose training exercise


Unique training opportunity for Lansing Fire Department ... Members of the Lansing Fire Department take a moment for a photo before implementing a live house burn training exercise at a house located at 1151 Westgate Drive in Lansing Saturday, October 21. The house was being razed for future development opportunities and the property owners offered the house as an opportunity for the Lansing volunteer crew to further their training and experience. Pictured above as the home begins to burn are: Left to right - Front row: Kenny Johnson, Troy Hill, Tony Becker, Steve Darling. Back row: Jamie Rasque, Conrad Rosendahl, Chandler Quirk, Ben Verdon, Nick Hammell, Joe Manning. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.

Learn from the burn ... The house located at 1151 Westgate Drive in Lansing was used by the Lansing Fire Department as a live house burn training opportunity on a rainy Saturday morning, October 21 before the house was completely dismantled and cleared from the property for future development. Department volunteers were able to use the burning of the home to train in smoke-filled space rescue and firefighting, along with a number of other firefighting techniques for both interior and exterior situations. Surrounding photos by Julie Berg-Raymond.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

About two dozen people stood out in the rain one recent early morning, Saturday, October 21, to watch members of the all-volunteer Lansing Fire Department burn a house to the ground.
Firefighters call the exercise a “live house burn.”

It was a spectacular situation to witness - the disintegration of a building, as clouds of black smoke rolled from windows and tongues of flame consumed a long-standing structure with impossible speed; and plenty of cameras were on hand that morning to capture the event.
More importantly, it was an opportunity to witness friends and neighbors in this small town of Lansing practicing to do the work of everyday heroes.

Wed
01
Nov

Supervisors proclaim November 12-18 as Tobacco Awareness Week, hear update on local search efforts


The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors proclaimed November 12-18 as Tobacco Awareness Week at its Monday, October 30 regular meeting. In attendance to discuss and witness that proclamation were: Left to right - Front row: Waukon High School students and SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) youth group members Tanner Mitchell, Abe Schwartz, Reed Kelly, Carson Wille and Luke Pladsen, and Helping Services for Youth and Families Prevention Specialist Jennifer Kimber. Back row: Allamakee County Board of Supervisors members Dennis Koenig, Larry Schellhammer and Dan Byrnes, and Helping Services for Youth and Families Tobacco Prevention Specialist Laura Albert. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 30 to address a full agenda of items, including the Tobacco Awareness Week Proclamation, setting a time and date for sealed bids for three dump trucks and discussion of the Pioneer Cemetery Commission. There were no public comments.

Prevention Specialist Jennifer Kimber and Tobacco Prevention Specialist Laura Albert with Helping Services for Youth and Families were present with a group of Waukon High School students to address the Supervisors regarding the Proclamation of Tobacco Awareness Week and the Great American Smokeout. Waukon High School student Abe Schwartz read aloud the proclamation detailing the dangers and statistics relating to tobacco use and secondhand smoke and that the proclamation calls upon individuals, businesses and organizations to raise awareness of tobacco issues. The Supervisors declared November 12-18 Tobacco Awareness Week.

Wed
25
Oct

Comments from community meeting regarding Black Hawk Bridge recently shared with Iowa Department of Transportation


Area residents provide input on Black Hawk Bridge ... More than 70 people attended the September 12 community meeting hosted by Main Street Lansing at T.J. Hunters Banquet Hall in Lansing to discuss and provide their thoughts on the future of the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing. The meeting was spurred by an initial meeting in August where the Iowa Department of Transportation presented proposed plans for future replacement options for the Black Hawk Bridge. Comments from the September 12 meeting were gathered and collated by the Upper Explorerland Regional Commission and then recently made public and shared with the Iowa Department of Transportation and Main Street Lansing. Photo by Susan Cantine-Maxson.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Sentiments ran high at the September 12 community meeting regarding the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing. The meeting, sponsored by Main Street Lansing and moderated by Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC), offered local residents an opportunity to voice their opinions in a small group format on the future of the Black Hawk Bridge.

The Iowa Department of Transformation (DOT) had presented information about a variety of options to replace the bridge in a public meeting on August 8 and asked for public input. The purpose of the September 12 meeting was to give citizens an opportunity to discuss the future of the bridge with their neighbors.

Wed
25
Oct

Supervisors approve bids for County Farm land, proclaim this week as Red Ribbon Week


Proclamation observes Red Ribbon Week ... With National Red Ribbon Week being observed October 23-31 to raise awareness of drug and alcohol abuse prevention, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors signed its own proclamation at its Monday, October 23 regular meeting. Pictured above at the proclamation are: Left to right - Front row: Allamakee Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Director of Prevention Services Jean Bossom and Waukon High School students Maya Bossom, Maddy Moser, Mary VanderVelden and Ryan VanderVelden. Middle row: Allamakee County Board of Supervisors member Dan Byrnes and ASAP Coalition member Julie Rotach. Back row: Allamakee County Board of Supervisors member Dennis Koenig, ASAP IPFS Coordinator Max Grotegut and Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Schellhammer.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 23 to address a full agenda of items, including a Red Ribbon Week Proclamation, the discussion and consideration of bids for the County Farm cropland and pasture land, and the review and approval of pay requests for the Public Safety Center.

During Public Comment, Ric Zarwell with the Allamakee County Protectors organization discussed the transportation of frac sand through neighboring counties in Minnesota and that the rail spur near the Upper Iowa River may be pursued for this transportation purpose. Zarwell stated that Allamakee County has a strict frac sand ordinance, which is a positive, and that the transportation and shipping of frac sand represents several transportation safety issues.

Wed
25
Oct

New Albin Savings Bank is 2017 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner ...

The Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) Board of Directors announced New Albin Savings Bank as the 2017 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner at the ACED Annual Meeting hosted in New Albin Thursday, October 19. The annual award was created to highlight and recognize a business that is making a positive impact in Allamakee County, as well as to honor the memory of Cloy Kuhse and his vision. The nomination referred to New Albin Savings Bank as the “heartbeat of the community” with other comments being listed such as “a sprinkle of personalization, a family, shows support with involvement, genuinely cares for the community, a corporate citizen, and empowers others to help develop northeast Iowa into a wonderful place to live and call home.”

Wed
18
Oct

Allamakee County continues work on updating hazard mitigation plan

by Lissa Blake

Allamakee County continues to make progress with the updating of its hazard mitigation plan.

According to Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker, the County received a grant from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (IHSEM) to contract with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) to help update the County’s plan.
In order to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding following a disaster, counties have to have a hazard mitigation plan on file. The plan must be updated every five years in order for a county to maintain its eligibility for funding.

“Each county’s emergency management coordinator has to make sure the plans are updated within their counties. Our last plan was done in 2012, so it’s expiring,” said Snitker.

Wed
18
Oct

Fields of Faith brightens up the night with theme of "Be the Light" ...

The sixth annual local Fields of Faith event in Waukon was held Wednesday, October 11 at the Waukon High School football field to share in an evening of faith-filled messages. The featured highlight of the evening was the presentation by Jake Vanada (pictured in center photo), a resident of Minneapolis, MN who currently serves as Chaplain for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Supercross and Motocross Series of motorcycle racing. Within his energy-filled message that he related to the sports venue where the event was held once again this year, Vanada encouraged those in attendance to do two things in order to have a more fulfilling faith life: "Listen to the Coach" and "Obey the Coach," with that "Coach" being the Lord and all of those in attendance being players in the game of life.

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