Community News

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 22 to address a full agenda of items including the Public Hearing for amendment #3 to the Zoning Ordinance, setting a date and time for the Fiscal-Year 2019 budget amendment Public Hearing and the approval of multiple plat requests.

During the time allotted for Public Comment, Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake provided an overview of a recent plat request. The Supervisors were in agreement that the matter should be added to the next meeting agenda to allow discussion and official action.

Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo opened its 20th annual Student Art Show by announcing numerous awards during a reception held Tuesday, April 2. Laura Gleissner, associate professor of art at Upper Iowa University, served as juror for the show, and awards were presented by Kim Behm, Hawkeye fine arts instructor, and Catharine Freeman, Hawkeye’s Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Among those Hawkeye Community College students to receive an award was Rachel Richards of Lansing, a 2017 graduate of Kee High School in Lansing. She received the Academic Affairs Award of $170 for her photography entry (pictured at right) entitled “School’s Out”. Pictured above, left to right, Rachel Richards receives the award from Hawkeye Community College Dean of Arts and Sciences Catharine Freeman.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 15 to address a full agenda of items including the proclamation of April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Second Reading of the Ordinance increasing wastewater utility service charges and discussion of the City’s involvement with a survey to determine the feasibility of broadband internet service in Waukon.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Departmental Reports with Police Chief Phil Young providing an update on vacancies in the Waukon Police Department, with candidate testing results determined and April 27 set as the date for interviews. Street Superintendent Keith Burrett indicated that his department has moved to a four ten-hour day schedule as of this week and briefly discussed core-outs that began earlier that day.

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon is offering a Repurposed Crochet demonstration and instruction Thursday, April 25 at 5:30 p.m. Attend this free crochet class on using repurposed materials - t-shirts, plastic bags and more; demonstration of recycled material preparation; and various crochet patterns and projects. Get hands-on experience preparing materials and crocheting projects. Registration is encouraged but not required. Contact the Front Desk at the library or reserve a spot in the class by calling 563-568-4424 or online at www.waukon.lib.ia.us. Submitted photo.
 

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon is hosting author Heather Gudenkauf Monday, April 29 at 6 p.m. for an Author Event. Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of “The Weight of Silence”, “These Things Hidden” and “Not A Sound”. Her new book “Before She Was Found” features a chilling crime set in Iowa.

Gudenkauf was born in Wagner, SD, the youngest of six children. At one month of age, her family returned to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where her father was employed as a guidance counselor and her mother as a school nurse. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up.

As part of the preparation for the All-County Rural School Reunion being planned for Sunday, April 28, the Allamakee County Historical Society has been submitting photos to The Standard in an effort to gather information for a variety of rural schools in Allamakee County, such as the photo above of the Union Prairie School No. 2 taken in the 1960s. According to information provided by the Allamakee County Historical Society, Union Prairie School No. 2 was originally built in 1862 - the same year as St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at West Ridge - and was in operation for 105 years until it closed in 1967 and the Allamakee Community School District Board of Directors sold the building to Robert Rea. It was then sold to James Snitker in 1973 before it was destroyed by fire in April 1976.

State Representative Bruce Bearinger of Oelwein was the guest speaker at the Allamakee Democrats’ Off-Year Caucus held March 30 at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. “Jobs - Healthcare - Education continue to be  the priorities of the Democratic Party,” said Bearinger. He also explained that Democratic legislators continue to try to get their voices heard about the need for job training and better paying jobs, making healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone, fixing the Medicaid privatization situation, and investing in public schools and state universities. He also advised that efforts to address these “bread and butter” issues are thwarted since Republicans control the State Senate, State House and governorship. Submitted photo.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 8 to address a full agenda of items including a survey for the Upper Iowa Watershed Management Authority, consideration of bids for road rock resurfacing and the IDOT Five-Year Secondary Road Construction Program and Fiscal-Year 2020 Budget.

During Public Comment, Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) discussed the organization’s efforts in collecting information, receiving submissions and promoting events within the county utilizing the ACED website and calendar of events. Reinke presented a handout listing events taking place in April, providing an overview of several recent and upcoming events.

The Boy Scout Troop 64 Spring Omelet Breakfast will be held this Sunday, April 7 at the St. Patrick Catholic Church hall in Waukon. Scouts, such as those pictured above, will be serving made-to-order omelets, hash browns, cinnamon rolls, coffee, juice and milk from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance at a discounted price from any Boy Scout or second year Webelo Scout. The Omelet Breakfast is the Troop’s main fundraiser to support the purchase of new equipment, sending Scouts to summer camp and other troop activities. Troop 64 appreciates the community’s support of this event for more than 25 years. Submitted photo.

by Brianne Eilers

After anticipating that the month of February would end up being a strong month financially for Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon, outpatient revenue instead came in $300,000 under budget, leaving the hospital with a net loss of $71,761 for the month, according to information provided at the March 19 VMH Board of Trustees meeting. Year-to-date, the hospital is showing a profit of $50,454.

VMH Administrator Mike Myers noted that there were a few factors as to why the outpatient revenue was low for the month, with a major factor being inclement weather. Myers noted that some patient areas tend to see cancellations when the weather is bad and travel is difficult. There were also some providers and surgeons on vacation in February, and that also contributed to the lower outpatient revenue.