Community News

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 24 to address a full agenda of matters including the consideration of the Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund contribution request, the presentation of the Compensation Board recommendation for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Elected Official salaries, and the consideration of a 28E Cooperative Agreement relating to the Volney Bridge replacement project. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Tom Clark and Dennis Keatley present.

by Brianne Grimstad

Waukon Good Samaritan Society is asking for the public’s help in securing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant that will allow the facility to construct a storage building and reclaim some of the facility space lost when the north wing of the facility had to unexpectedly be torn down in 2023.

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is offering a $10,000 matching grant to help eligible Good Samaritan facilities with enhancements to their physical space and address pressing needs. The Evangelical Good Samaritan Society is the largest non-profit provider of senior housing and services in the nation.

Waukon Good Samaritan Society Administrator Jessica Wilkins noted this is a time-sensitive grant, and the sooner the Waukon Good Sam can reach its goal of $10,000 raised, the better. The first 30 facilities nationwide to raise $10,000 will receive the grant, and at least five or six facilities have already done so.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 17 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion and consideration of sponsoring an Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) grant application, consideration of a Resolution appointing County Sheriff’s Deputies and consideration of matters relating to Federal aid for a bridge project bundling with Bremer County. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Dennis Keatley and Tom Clark present.

by Brianne Grimstad

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) has partnered with Hawkeye Community College and Caledonia Haulers, Inc. to offer a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) Semi-Truck Driver class in Waukon. There is a demand for CDL drivers around the country, with consumers opting to have good delivered to their homes instead of going out and shopping in stores or at malls. NICC Transportation Program Developer Marty Hemann also noted that there is a retiring workforce of drivers who are going to need to be replaced in the near future.

Hemann further noted that the average salary for a CDL driver in Iowa (as of February 2025) is around $68,705 per year, or $33 an hour. Salaries can vary widely, depending on many factors, such as location, type of freight and experience. While newer drivers may start out earning less than that average, after having a few years of experience under their belt, they have the potential to earn above the average.

A total of 28 area military veterans were honored during an event hosted Saturday, February 1 at AJ Bar & Grill in Waukon in honor of National Freedom Day. National Freedom Day is a United States of America observance each February 1 honoring the signing by President Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later was ratified as the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment abolishing slavery February 1, 1865, although it was not ratified by the states until later.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council Monday met in special session Monday, February 10 to address an agenda of matters relating to the board appointment and renewal process, the City Manager replacement process and the review of other engineering firms. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members Steve Wiedner, Nicholas Engrav and Dave Blocker present.

Plans have been announced to hold the 2025 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon Sunday, March 16, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to participate in this year’s parade with an Irish-themed entry at no cost. Any businesses, organizations, families or individuals wishing to have an entry are asked to be lined up by 12 noon that Sunday, with float entries lining up in the parking lot of WW Homestead Dairy and the former Northern Engraving plant, tractors unloading and lining up at the Sweeney Auction Service parking lot and horse units gathering at the Croell Redi-Mix plant in southeast Waukon.

For additional information about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade contact the Sweeney family at Village Farm and Home in Waukon at 563-568-4577 or the Waukon Chamber of Commerce at 563-568-4110.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 3 to address a full agenda of matters including an update from Veterans Memorial Hospital, the consideration of an appointment to the Board of Adjustment, and the consideration of a motor grader purchase for the Secondary Roads Department. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Dennis Keatley and Tom Clark present.

The 28th annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour (NIAST Inc.) applications to exhibit are now available to area artists. For an application to download and print, go to www.iowaarttour.com and click on the events/news tab, or contact Darla Ellickson at darla@earloops.com or 563-382-2295.

The 2025 Tour takes place October 10-12. Studios are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each of those days.

Media considered is limited to Fine Art and Fine Craft. Items include: painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, clay/ceramics, wood, glass, metal, printmaking, mixed media, handmade paper, fiber, etc. as appropriate at Fine Art Fairs. All works must be original in concept and design and must have been executed by the applicant: works from molds or kits, commercial or manufactured items, and buy/sell are not permitted.

Art Outside of the Box was the theme for a recent after school program in New Albin. Elementary students made bleeding tissue paper canvases by layering tissue paper over a canvas, spraying with water and watching the colors run and mix to create a unique design. They also became color scientists (photo at far left) when mixing the three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, to make new colors. They were able to name their new colors and use jelly crystals to save them.