Students taking part in the 21st Century Grant programs in the Allamakee Community School District have been busy learning and sharing through some recent activities. Pictured above, Waukon Middle School students participating in the 21st Century Grant program made lap quilts for residents of Good Samaritan Society and Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Many of the students have not been able to visit family and it was important for them to reach out and show they cared through the project they called “Quilts because we care”.
The Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) met at the Kee High School ICN Room in Lansing Monday, March 21. Board member Kelli Mudderman was not present.
After the approval of the agenda, the public hearing on the 2022-2023 budget was opened. No one from the public offered comment. Later in the business meeting, the board unanimously approved the budget.
The board approved the March consent items, including minutes of the February meeting, bills for March, Student Activity and Food Service February Reports. The board meeting for April 18 was scheduled to be held at the Kee Connect location.
During its regular meeting Monday, March 21, the Lansing City Council opened the public hearing for the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Budget at 7:14 p.m. and closed the hearing at 7:15 p.m., with no comments or questions. The budget was approved and adopted.
The council also opened and closed a public hearing for the proposed 2022 Municipal Code adoption. No comments or questions were offered. Mayor Melissa Hammell conducted the first of three readings of Ordinance No. 202, approving the Code adoption. A copy of the 2022 Municipal Code is available for public review in the Lansing City Clerk’s office.
The council reviewed and considered the use of City property for long-term and VIP (closer to town) parking and camping for RAGBRAI riders. Details, including amount of compensation to the City via a percentage of VIP parking funds raised, will be discussed at a later date.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has announced that WIS Hwy. 35 is scheduled to be completely closed to through-traffic between De Soto and Genoa, beginning Monday, April 4, for a road replacement project. Road closure on that nearly 12-mile stretch is expected to continue through August of this year, with some preliminary work already being performed this week that may impact traffic as well.
Through-traffic (traveling north to La Crosse or south from La Crosse) will be detoured using WIS 82, WIS 27 and WIS 56 through Viroqua, WI, adding 55 miles and more than an hour on to any venture to or from La Crosse via WIS 35. The project will replace deteriorating pavement and resurface 11.8 miles of the highway, along with replacing 21 pipe culverts, one box culvert and guard rails, and rehabilitating two bridge structures.
The Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB), in partnership with the Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club, will be offering two Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Hunter Education Online Field Days Saturday, April 9 at the Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club.
The first field day will be from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and the second field day will be from 1-4 p.m. The Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club is located at 1797 Columbus Road, Lansing.
Hunter Education is required for anyone 12 years of age or older in the state of Iowa to purchase a hunting license. In order to participate in the online field day, students must complete the online course work at https://www.hunter-ed.com/iowa/. Completion of the online portion of the program is not needed to register for the class, but must be completed by the day of the class.
State Championship bookends ... A pair of Waukon High School graduates bookend the Estherville-Lincoln Central (ELC) bench of players in the photo above during the Class 3A State Championship game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in early March. ELC head coach Don Martindale (standing at far right) and assistant coach Annie (Stelow) Kalous (seated at far left) coached the Midgets to the Class 3A State Championship this season, marking Martindale’s first-ever State Championship in his basketball coaching career that spans over four decades. Photo by David Swartz, Estherville News.
Winners from Waukon ... Waukon High School 1973 graduate Don Martindale (standing in photo center) and 1986 graduate Annie (Stelow) Kalous (standing at right) get ready to send their team out on the court during the recently completed 2021-2022 Estherville-Lincoln Central (ELC) girls basketball season. The two former Indians joined forces on the Midget staff to guide them to this year’s Class 3A Iowa Girls Basketball State Championship, Martindale winning his first State Championship as a head basketball coach. Photo courtesy of Estherville News.
“Gettin’ down” after winning the crown ... Waukon High School 1986 graduate Annie (Stelow) Kalous dances in front of Estherville-Lincoln Central players celebrating their Class 3A State Championship at this year’s Iowa High School Girls Basketball State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in early March. Kalous has been serving as an assistant coach for the Midgets under head coach Don Martindale, a 1973 Waukon High School graduate who won the first-ever State Championship of his basketball coaching career that spans over four decades. Photo by David Swartz, Estherville News.
Don Martindale wins first-ever State Championship as head coach, assisted by Annie (Stelow) Kalous
by Perry Hesse
Estherville-Lincoln Central (ELC) head girls basketball coach Don Martindale triumphantly put his right fist in the air as junior forward Brei Christoffer hugged the ball tightly while time ran out awarding Martindale and his Class 3A Midgets the State Championship title at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines March 12. For Martindale, it highlighted an already highly successful coaching career that has spanned over 40 years with his love for the game beginning as a prep in Waukon. ELC defeated Ballard, 44-30, as the Bombers attempted to repeat as State Champions after winning the Class 4A title last year.
The 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is headed toward its final week of competition, meaning a new champion will be crowned in the tournament and in The Standard’s Bracket Challenge within the next week. Following this past weekend’s trimming of the tournament field to its final four teams, the top 22 Challenge entries currently stand as follows:
Annabelle Dibert 85
Kristi Campbell 80
John Reinke 79
Chase Adam 79
Morgan Weymiller 77
Keira McCormick 75
Caity Schultz 74
Charlene Baxter 73
Pat Stilwell 71
Jerry Brinkman 71
Stan Johnson 71
Scott Dougherty 70
Grady Goetzinger 69
Mitchell Schultz 68
Tate Ellingson 67
Kent Schultz 67
Kaley Benzing 66
Diane Piittmann 66
Caylie Adam 65
Gina Curtin 65
Tucker Jackson 65
Mark Welsh 65
The Waukon boys track team got its 2022 season underway as a full team, competing in the Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) Indoor Meet hosted by Luther College in Decorah Tuesday, March 22. No team scores were kept in the meet, but the Indians made their presence felt with finishes within the top two placewinnings of six different events, including three event wins.
Senior Braxton Stewart recorded two of those three gold medal performances, winning the high jump with a leap of 6’2” and topping the 400 meter dash field with a clocking of 53.75 seconds. The track Tribe’s other event victory came in the 4x800 relay in a time of 8:47.17 recorded by the crew of senior Logan Delaney and juniors Josh Keenan, Nate Keenan and Nathan O’Neill.
Margaret “Marg” Mary Hogan, 92, of Lansing died Thursday, March 24, 2022 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, March 29 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Rev. Sean Smith as the celebrant. Burial followed at Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing.
Memorials may be given in Marg’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association and Thornton Manor in Lansing.
Margaret Mary was born April 27, 1929 to Eugene and Dorothy (Thornton) Brennan in the Wexford area. She graduated with the Class of 1947 from Immaculate Conception Catholic High School and furthered her education with a BA in Business and Education at Clarke College, graduating in 1951.
Patricia A. Bruns, 66, of Waukon died Monday, March 21, 2022 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. Memorial services will be held Friday, April 1 at 11 a.m. at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. until time of services at the funeral home Friday.
Patricia Ann Bruns was born June 2, 1955 in Waukon, the daughter of Herbert Theodore and Helen Verna (Johnson) Bruns. She attended school in Lansing and Waukon. Patricia had many challenges in her life due to a disability that stemmed from having spinal meningitis before her first birthday, which she spent in the hospital in Rochester, MN. This left her with paralysis on her right side and mental challenges.
