Community News

The tanning salon that has been established at 14 Spring Avenue in Waukon is under new ownership as of the fall of this past year. Nicole Dietrich of Waukon has opened Nikki’s Ultimate Glow, LLC as of September 28, offering a wide variety of tanning lotions and accessories in store in addition to tanning services with a “main focus on keeping things affordable and convenient for everyone,” she said.

Dietrich was born in Waukon but raised in Prairie du Chien, WI. She moved back to the area and married Waukon native Dillon Dietrich. The couple has two sons, six-year-old Dayton and three-year-old Dexter, and the flexibility of owning her own business allows Dietrich to care for her family in whatever manner they may need.

At its Monday, January 4 regular session, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors proclaimed January as National Mentoring Month. During that January 4 meeting, Helping Services for Youth and Families Mentoring Coordinator Kathy Schwartzhoff shared that currently there are 16 matches of mentors to youth from Allamakee County. During this past year, Helping Services provided mentors to 113 youth in Allamakee, Delaware, Howard and Winneshiek Counties, and 161 people served as volunteers during this past year in Youth Mentoring. Allowances are being made during this time of masking up and social distancing for mentors to meet with their mentees in other ways than in-person. The current need for mentors is actually more vital as many youth are struggling with balancing school schedules, adapting to online learning, and having challenges with families and friends.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, January 4 to address a full agenda of items. In contrast to previous years, organizational matters addressed at the beginning of the year were approved as part of the consent agenda rather than being individually approved as regular agenda items. These organizational decisions include keeping meetings scheduled for the first and third Mondays of the month at 7 p.m., approving depositories of City funds, declaring The Standard as the official City newspaper, among other matters.

by Brianne Eilers

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Board of Trustees met in December for it monthly meeting as well as its yearly joint meeting with the medical staff. The month of November ended on a positive financial note at Veterans Memorial Hospital, with a profit of $5,183. While it may not be a huge profit, VMH Administrator Michael Coyle pointed out that it is significantly better than the loss in November 2019 of $31,483 for the month.

Year-to-date, the hospital is showing a positive bottom line of $35,633. At this time in November 2019, VMH was looking at a loss of $427,730. “That’s a nice little turn around,” Coyle said, adding that the difference between where they were at, year-to-date, from November 2019 compared to November 2020, is a positive $463,363. Coyle also noted that they had budgeted a profit margin of $22,800 for the year and currently they are $12,833 positive to budget.

The Waukon Park and Recreation Department held its first annual Christmas Coloring Contest through the Waukon Wellness Center, beginning December 1 with entries due by December 16. Open to youth in third grade and under from throughout the local area, the contest ended up with 145 total entries in its first year, with two winners being selected in each of three age categories for the contest: Pre-Kindergarten and Under, Kindergarten and First Grade, and Second and Third Grade. The selected winning entries from each age group are pictured and identified in the surrounding photos, with each winner getting to select from prize choices of a punch card to attend the Waukon Wellness Center or a punch card to attend the Waukon Family Aquatic Center. Submitted photo.
 

Findings lead to “Globally Important Bird Area” designation; Credit given to YRSF forest management

by Kelli Boylen

A small blue neotropical migrant bird in Allamakee County might not excite some people, but its presence might mean more than you think.

Cerulean Warblers are small, forest-dwelling birds. They are about four inches long, have a wingspan of eight inches and weigh a mere one-third of an ounce.

Estimates of experts vary, but Cornell University estimates there has been more than a 70 percent decline in the worldwide Cerulean Warbler breeding population between 1970 and 2014, mostly due to habitat loss and degradation in nesting and wintering areas. Overall, that is grim news for the species, but here in Allamakee and Clayton Counties, Cerulean Warblers are doing well.

The Friends of Yellow River State Forest group is sponsoring a “First Days” Hike at the facility’s Luster Heights Unit this Friday through Sunday, January 1-3. Maps will be available at the parking area of the Luster Heights Unit, located south of Harpers Ferry.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, instead of the group’s usual First Day Hike event with a gathering of people, anyone is welcome to hike the designated route on their own at the Luster Heights Unit of Yellow River State Forest, located at 481 Luster Heights Road, Harpers Ferry, anytime January 1, 2 or 3. The approximate two-mile trail is mostly level and most people would consider it to be an easy hike.

Tuesday, December 15, the Waukon Police Department received a report of a vehicle stolen from Waukon. The vehicle and suspect were eventually located in Worth County in north central Iowa.

Monday, December 28, 23-year-old Jordan M. Kellogg of Ionia was arrested on a warrant issued for the crime. Kellogg was charged with First Degree Theft (a Class D felony) and Driving While Revoked. Further charges are pending.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 

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 “Take ONE step to build a friendship. Become a mentor!”

Mentoring has a positive impact on youth. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships bring about powerful and positive changes in youth. Mentored youth have a greater chance of avoiding negative influences, such as substance abuse, bullying or dropping out of school. One in three youth grows up without this critical asset.

The new community tennis courts on the west edge of Waukon near Waukon High School and the Waukon Wellness Center have been transitioned to an ice skating rink available for public use at no charge for this winter season. A framed structure measuring 90’x110’ has been set up on the tennis court area, as pictured in the surrounding photos, and was filled with water by the Waukon Fire Department to provide the frozen skating surface pictured at right. The new facility is now fully lighted automatically from 4-8 p.m. each evening, and is open to the public every day as well. Entrance to the skating facility can be gained only through the gated entrance near the middle of the east side of the fenced-in structure (closest to the large school parking lot).