Top Stories

Wed
08
Mar

County residents hear details of extraction pit project to fill Alliant Energy ash ponds south of Lansing; Public comments accepted through April 3


Public hearing on extraction site ... A public hearing was well attended Thursday evening, March 2 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing as details were discussed and public concerns were heard regarding a proposed extraction pit project that will be used to fill the vacated ash ponds at the now decommissioned Alliant Energy Lansing Generating Station. In photo above, project superintendent Marty McCuskey of Ames Construction discusses the cut area of the proposed extraction pit site. Photo by Ellen Modersohn.

Public hearing on extraction site ... Pictured above, Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Stephanie Runkle talks about water flow at the proposed extraction pit site along Lafayette Ridge Drive, south of Lansing. Photo by Ellen Modersohn.

Large crowd in attendance ... Area residents turned out for the public hearing held Thursday evening, March 2 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing to discuss an extraction pit project proposed to fill the vacant ash ponds at the decommissioned Alliant Energy Lansing Generating Station located south of Lansing. Those in attendance were able to hear details of the proposed project and have their concerns addressed by both project and Allamakee County officials. Photo by Ellen Modersohn.

by Ellen Modersohn

Rural Lansing property owners near the site of a proposed large-scale extraction pit filled a meeting room at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center Thursday evening, March 2 for a public hearing about the site.

Ames Construction of Burnsville, MN has applied to the Allamakee County Planning and Zoning Office for a conditional use permit to operate a “borrow pit” at a farm at 2074 Lafayette Ridge Drive, south of Lansing. Ames would be removing 307,000 cubic yards of fill and trucking it seven miles to fill and cap the Alliant Energy ash ponds at Power Plant Road, south of Lansing. The project would last approximately from May through November this year. Randy and Kristy Gaunitz are the extraction pit site landowners.

Wed
08
Mar

Anonymous donor contributes funding for The Goodwill Box in honor of former County Auditor Mary O’Neill to help those in need


Waukon High School classes help create and install The Goodwill Box ... An anonymous donation helped fund the creation and support of The Goodwill Box, a public pantry that will offer non-perishable food items and occasionally some toiletry items for those in need. Pictured above at the installation of The Goodwill Box in the lower parking lot of the Allamakee County Courthouse are, left to right, Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes, Waukon High School NextGen Welding students Cole Kruse and Justin Murphy, Waukon High School Industrial Arts instructor Caleb Ferring, and NextGen Welding student Blake Bresnahan. Standard photo by Assistant Editor Joe Moses.

Funding from an anonymous donor, skills learned and implemented by Waukon High School students, and a willingness to try and take care of those who need it most all came together with the creation and installation of The Goodwill Box in the lower parking lot of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon Tuesday, February 28.

Wed
01
Mar

Black Hawk’s Bluff: A Sentinel to History

Chief Black Hawk ...
Chief Black Hawk ...

Historical landmark rises high above the New Albin area ... The prominent rock formation pictured above rises high above the scenic landscape in the Black Hawk Point Wildlife Management Area established by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) two miles south of New Albin along State Highway 26 (Great River Road). The looming landmark has been identified as Black Hawk’s Bluff after Sauk Native American Chief Black Hawk, who is believed to have inhabited the nearby area. Submitted photo.

Editor’s Note: The following article was written and recently submitted for publication by northeast Iowa native Clyde Cremer. Cremer and his family moved to the New Albin area when he was in fourth grade, and he went on to graduate from New Albin High School in 1960, the last graduating class for that high school before it merged to form Kee High School in Lansing as part of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. After his high school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army before he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University and then a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, graduating from Yale with its Class of 1973 that also include Bill and Hillary Clinton and Dr. Ben Carson. He and his wife, Gail, first founded their American Log Homes business (now American Log Brokers) in 1977 in Missouri before moving its headquarters to Pueblo West, CO in 1984.

Wed
01
Mar

Wednesday blaze during winter storm destroys Lycurgus area home ...

The Waukon Fire Department was called to a house fire at 2315 Lycurgus Road in rural Lansing Wednesday afternoon, February 22, around 1:45 p.m., battling not only the roaring blaze pictured above but also the ice, wind and snow (evident in the photo as well) of the winter storm that gripped the area that day, creating very slippery road conditions.

Homeowner Michelle Welsh was home at the time of the blaze and was able to get herself and her pets safely out of the burning structure.

Wed
22
Feb

Waterville man sentenced to 45 years on charges of domestic, sexual assault and sex offender registry violations

Felty Yoder ...
Felty Yoder ...

Felty Ervin Yoder, age 22, of Waterville has been sentenced to a maximum of 45 years in prison on a total of 10 counts of criminal activity regarding incidents that had taken place over the past two years, mainly against his wife. That sentence was handed down in Allamakee County District Court in Waukon Monday, February 13, according to documents filed in the case.

A jury of Allamakee County residents returned guilty verdicts against Yoder on all 10 counts of that criminal activity following a brief trial in mid-December of 2022. The jury found him guilty on four counts of Sexual Abuse Assault in the Third Degree (Class C Felony), five counts of Iowa Sex Offender Registry Violations as a Second Offense (Class D Felony), and one count of Domestic Abuse Assault as a Third Offense (Class D Felony).

Wed
22
Feb

Sweeney Family Endowment payout supports Allamakee Forever Fund

Right to left: Margo Sweeney and her daughter, Gina Curtin ...
Right to left: Margo Sweeney and her daughter, Gina Curtin ...

Each year, payouts from endowment funds held by the Allamakee County Community Foundation support organizations’ missions and improve quality of life in local communities. One of those funds is a new endowment started by the Sweeney family of Waukon, which will support the Foundation’s own efforts to address Allamakee County’s greatest needs for generations to come.

Margo Sweeney and her late husband, Jim, are Waukon natives who returned to the community to raise their four children. “After a decade of living away, it felt good to return to our hometown,” Margo recalls. “We enjoyed living here for 40 years, working and raising our family.”

Wed
22
Feb

Community input sought for Regional Transportation Plan

Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) is updating the Passenger Transportation Plan (PTP) for the region consisting of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that this region’s PTP be updated every five years. The current plan was adopted by the Upper Explorerland Transportation Policy Board in Spring of 2018.

Wed
15
Feb

Final week to make nominations for 2023 Allamakee County Dairy Awards

Award nominations due by February 20; Dairy Banquet scheduled for March 25

The Allamakee County Dairy Promotion Board is asking for assistance from the general public in identifying worthy candidates to be recognized as this year’s top producers in Allamakee County at the2023 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet scheduled for Saturday, March 25. Every year, top producers and several other awards are nominated from members within the county. The Allamakee Dairy Promotion Board and the Allamakee County Extension office are accepting nominations for the following awards:

Wed
15
Feb

Waukon High School senior Alaina Gebel named candidate in U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

Alaina Gebel ...
Alaina Gebel ...

Alaina Gebel, a graduating senior at Waukon High School and the daughter of Nate and Tami Gebel of rural Lansing, has been named a Career and Technical Education candidate as part of the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The Career and Technical Education candidates were nominated by their Chief State School Officers based on their accomplishments in career and technical education fields.

Gebel was chosen as one of 67 high school senior candidates from all nominations across the state of Iowa. She was one of five state of Iowa nominations selected within the Career and Technical Education Department.

Wed
15
Feb

A Conversation with filmmaker Frode Fimland, director of “John - The Last Cowboy” being screened in Waukon Sunday as part of Oneota Film Festival

Film director Frode Fimland ...
Film director Frode Fimland ...

“John - The Last Cowboy” to be in Waukon ... John Hoiland, a rancher from Montana in his 90s, does not know a word of Norwegian, but he can extract several Norwegian 20th century songs from his father’s old accordion. The son of a Norwegian immigrant, Hoiland is the subject of a documentary film, “John - The Last Cowboy,” which is being screened at Town Theatre in Waukon this Sunday, February 19, beginning at 2:30 p.m., as part of the annual Oneota Film Festival. Image courtesy of FIMfilm.

Best friends for as long as they can remember ... John Hoiland and Jim Larkin have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Hoiland is the subject of a documentary film, “John - The Last Cowboy,” which is being screened at Town Theatre in Waukon this Sunday, February 19 as part of the annual Oneota Film Festival. Image courtesy of FIMfilm.

by Lynsey D. Moritz

From the day-to-day life of a Montana rancher, to the story of emigrating from Norway and holding onto those traditions, to generations of passionate and talented musicians, to a genuine and heartfelt lifelong friendship… Frode Fimland takes viewers on a journey of getting to know John Hoiland, the last cowboy, through the changing seasons in this beautiful country. This story is sure to resonate and move those who view it, and perhaps even make them reflect on their own life, too.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Top Stories