Community News

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon has been scheduled for Sunday, March 13 and will begin at 1 p.m. Further details about the parade will be published as they are finalized and made available.
 

Editor's Note: The following was submitted by Jeni Burckart, a 2007 graduate of Waukon High School who now works as a clinical pharmacist at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. She self-published her first book "Millennial Maxims: Guiding Principles for Unlocking Your Goals and Living Life on Your Terms" in November of 2015 and shares her insight into that experience below.

Swartz Law Firm, PLLC of Waukon announces the addition of Kevin Stinn to its staff as an associate attorney. Stinn graduated from Drake University Law School in Des Moines in 2013.
Stinn is a native of Bellevue, NE, having graduated from Bellevue East High School in 2001. He received his B.A. degree in 2005 from Iowa State University in Ames, majoring in Political Science with minors in History and Philosophy. In 2015 he earned a Masters degree in Health Care Administration (M.H.A.) from Des Moines University in Des Moines.
While in law school, Stinn held a summer internship with Iowa Legal Aid in Council Bluffs. He also worked for a summer with an attorney in Palmer, AK on cases involving mineral leases and easements. He was a teaching assistant for two years while pursuing his Masters degree in Health Care Administration.

Kids spending time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will have new resources available to help promote the connections between public media and early literacy and math skills, thanks to a new Library Corner placed at the library by Iowa Public Television. The new IPTV Ready for School Library Corner will open Tuesday, February 2 at 10:30 a.m. with a "Peg & Cat" storytime and special counting activity. Families are invited to attend the event.
The Library Corner creates a bright, fun-filled learning environment with age-appropriate materials for use by children, families and librarians. PBS KIDS DVDs, "Martha Speaks" read-aloud books and resources, a colorful banner featuring PBS KIDS characters, a "Peg & Cat" standing character, a colorful rug and more all help to create an inviting space for children. Online resources include PBS KIDS Lab, a website with more than 140 games and hands-on activities that help to build early math and literacy skills.

Electrical power was interrupted in various locations throughout Waukon and the surrounding area Wednesday afternoon, January 13, but local authorities advise that it was not necessarily a result of the coinciding incident pictured here, where the powerline pole seen standing at an angle on the right side of the photo was clipped at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday by the unoccupied refrigerated food truck facing to the left in the photo. The truck had been parked atop the hill near the Waukon Dental location in the initial block of First Avenue NW when its parking system disengaged, sending the driverless truck careening down the street, where it struck one vehicle parked on the north side of the street and ultimately jumped the curb to clip off the powerline pole located on the southeast corner of the intersection of First Avenue NW and First Street NW, narrowly missing the JaDecc'S U.S. Cellular building located on that same corner.

by Jason Meyer

The family of Dennis "Borgie" Bahr recently donated $1,000 to the Waukon Fire Department in memory of Borgie to help the department purchase a new Rescue Randy Manikin (pictured below adorned in old firefighter gear for protection and preservation). Used by the department for training in various rescue situations, the manikin weighs 170 pounds and has lifelike arms and legs that bend just like a real human body to help give the firefighters the true feeling of maneuvering an individual in a rescue situation. This Rescue Randy Manikin will replace the department's old manikin that is 30-plus years old and showing signs of wear and tear that required replacement. Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin says Borgie and the Bahr family have been very supportive of the fire department and the community, and this donation is greatly appreciated.

Waukon State Bank has announced that Mike Kruckenberg has joined the bank as an Agricultural and Commercial Lender. He comes to Waukon State Bank with 34 years of lending experience in Ag, Commercial and Installment lending.
Kruckenberg and his wife, Jeanne, live in rural Postville and have three grown children. Their daughter, Megan Hangartner of Mt. Pleasant, is an Optometrist with American Eye Care; their son, John, lives in Webster City and is a lineman with Webster City Utilities; and their youngest son, Justin, is a recent graduate of Iowa State University working at Vermeer Corporation in Pella.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz spoke to a capacity crowd at the Old Rossville Store in Rossville Saturday, January 9 during a stop on his 2016 presidential campaign tour. As evident in the bottom photo, the large dining/meeting room at the Old Rossville Store was filled with a standing room only crowd. Submitted photos.
 

The Waukon City Council met in special session Monday night, January 11 to accept the resignation of Jeff Snitker, Assistant Director of the Waukon Parks, Recreation and Wellness Department, who was placed on suspension a week earlier after closer observation of his job performance revealed personal use of a City-owned work computer, according to City of Waukon administrative leaders. Snitker, who resigned Friday, January 8, will be paid out his accrued vacation hours, 554.72, at a total of $9,186.16, subject to taxes.
Also on the agenda, the Council heard updates on the recovery of data from a Waukon Police Department computer drive. Waukon City Clerk Allen Lyon noted that Seagate, the manufacturer of the drive, would attempt recovery at an estimated cost of $3,200.