Community News

Kaytie and Mason Berns of Waukon are the parents of the First Baby of 2023 born at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI. Sylvie Berns was born Sunday, January 1 at 3:06 p.m., and she weighed 6 lbs., 13.5 ozs. Photo courtesy of Mayo Clinic Health System.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday, December 27 to address a short agenda of matters following the Monday, December 26 closure of the County Courthouse in observance of the Christmas holiday, with Monday being the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting date.

Chairperson Larry Schellhammer called the meeting to order with Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Mark Reiser in attendance. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

January is National Mentoring Month. Helping Services for Youth & Families is celebrating mentoring friendships and inviting others to engage in their community with the theme “Mentoring is simple! Become a mentor.”

Mentoring has a positive impact on youth and the volunteer mentor. The need for positive role models is extremely vital as families deal with the stresses of raising youth in today’s world. There are currently 17 area youth that want a friend to spend time with. One of those kids is Bill. He is 14 years old and likes to swim, bike and go to parks. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

Volunteer mentors do not do this alone. Colinne McCann, Mentoring Coordinator at Helping Services shares, “We, at Helping Services, provide you with the tools and training you need to be successful. We share activity ideas and provide fun and safe events, making it a simple process to mentor.”

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing held their annual Sunday School Christmas Pageant December 18. The young people gave a live performance of the nativity story and they also starred in creative short films that were a part of the event. One such film featured the magi going shopping for baby Jesus in Horsfall’s Lansing Variety Store. Another film includes a Lansing Police Officer pulling over the shepherds because they are speeding to Bethlehem. The  pageant can be viewed at the church website: LansingLutherans.org. Pictured above, left to right, Sylvie Pierce, Ardyn Pierce, Jack Schweitzer, Isla Henkes, Sebastian Bell, Alyssa Bell (holding Scarlett Bell), Samara Bell, Arthur Whitlach, Westen Murray, Henrik Whitlatch (baby in the manger), Zoahii Rosas, Eloisa Whitlatch, Paxton St. Mary, Sienna St. Mary, Izzy Hammell.
 

by Brianne Grimstad

The month of November ended on a very high financial note at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. “We had one of our best gross patient revenue months ever,” VMH Administrator Michael Coyle noted.

The hospital ended the month with a gross patient revenue of $4,451,829, compared to $3,556,036 last November, an increase of $895,793. “We were so busy in November, and December is busy as well,” Coyle said.

The hospital ended the month with a profit of $76,611, compared to $25,257 in November 2021, an increase of $51,354. The largest expenses were salaries and supplies, which is normal. There were a few other contracts that were higher than last year, but Coyle said the revenue supports that.

In dairy judging, youth evaluate classes of dairy cows and heifers and then defend their placings through oral reasoning. Youth learn the dairy cow unified scorecard and major breakdowns, anatomy of the dairy cow, along with dairy judging terminology.

Allamakee County had 11 4-H’ers represented at the State 4-H Dairy Judging contest held at the Iowa State Fair in August of this year. They made up multiple teams, including one Junior Division team, one Senior Division team and one combined county team in the Junior Division.

Graham crackers, frosting and Clover Kids made the perfect combination to make “gingerbread houses” during a recent Allamakee County 4-H Clover Kids session. Youth were able to use their imagination to design their own creation. They learned it took patience, lots of frosting and some re-designing to make the houses stand by themselves.  Candy was supplied to decorate with, which added another challenge if the candy was too heavy for their structure. After completion, most of the houses ended up as a snack. For more information about 4-H and upcoming activities contact the Allamakee County Extension and Outreach Office at 563-568-6345 or http://www.extension.iastate.edu/allamakee/. Submitted photos.
 

Friends of Yellow River State Forest is sponsoring a “First Day” Hike at the Paint Creek Unit at 9 a.m. Sunday, January 1, 2023. Everyone is also welcome to hike the designated First Day Hike trail on their own anytime Saturday, December 31 or Sunday, January 1 to win prizes.

The trail chosen this year for the “First Day” Hike starts at the Forester’s Office at 729 State Forest Road, Harpers Ferry. The hike (outlined with yellow dashes in the map at right) is about three miles long and features beautiful forests, a visit to the Yellow River State Forest Fire Tower, and a photo opportunity with Bigfoot. The trail starts out uphill, but after that, is level and then goes back down from the ridge. Most people would consider it to be a moderate hike.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, December 19 to address a full agenda of matters including several plat requests, an update and funding request by the Riverview Center and the discussion and consideration of the City of Lansing’s request for allocation of ARPA funds for City water and sewer projects.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, December 19 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of the Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund program contribution, discussion of the City Clerk’s role relating to city council correspondence and the Resolution Approving the 28E Agreement between Veterans Memorial Hospital and Townships relating to funding ambulance services for the Waukon Ambulance District.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Department Reports with Street Superintendent Keith Burrett noting that a new dump truck may be here as early as next week.

Water and Sewer Superintendent Jim Cooper advised that last Wednesday West Union Trenching hit a water main near Casey’s as they were digging as part of the fiber optic installation process taking place in town. Cooper added that his department assisted in further digging the area to allow for a repair, which was accomplished.