River Valley

Katelyn Leiran, daughter of Nancy and Steve Leiran of Waterville, has been selected as the 2017 Girls State Citizen by American Legion Auxiliary Unit #722 of Harpers Ferry. She is the granddaughter of the late Willard Leiran and Marlys Leiran of Waterville and of Walter and Francis Gronert of Grimes.

Leiran is currently a junior at Waukon High School. She will attend Girls State 2017 at Drake University in Des Moines June 18-23.

Iowa Girls State is one of the premier programs sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary and was all started by a dream of four women over 70 years ago in hopes of teaching young women about the political process. Girls State is a "learning by doing" program, which takes the girls through the entire political process.

by Macie Hill

Monday, May 15 the regular Lansing City Council meeting was held. During the discussion many things were talked about, including: hazard mitigation plans, consideration of fixing a rain gutter problem for Our Savior Lutheran Church, discussing owners at 459 Wall Street purchasing chickens, a Parks Board position being available, information about the local swimming pool, and using the swimming pool shower facilities during RAGBRAI®.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (UMRNWFR) is conducting a Compatibility Determination for the renewal of an existing utility right-of-way for Dairyland Power Cooperative, Q-7 and Q-9 transmission lines from Houston County, MN. Public comment is being sought in regard to impact on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy are hosting the annual International Spring Migration Day Hike at Sugar Creek Bluff Natural Area Saturday, May 13. Hikers are invited to gather at the Ferryville Village Hall, along the Great River Road, Hwy. 35, at the south end of the Village of Ferryville between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Treats, handouts and a sign-in will be available at the village hall, and then the group will carpool to the trailhead for the 8 a.m. hike.

This hike is a celebration of the Bird City Wisconsin program. The International Spring Migration Day aspect of the hike recognizes that the warblers, orioles, tanagers and other neo tropical migrants have traveled for weeks from their winter homes in Central America. Some will stay in the local area along the Mississippi River Flyway during the summer months and nest here, and others will continue to travel further north to nest and rear their young.

“Rummage Along the River” is a 70-mile garage sale extravaganza that winds along Highway 35, Wisconsin’s Great River Road. The event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 19 and 20, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Stoddard, Genoa, the Bad Axe, De Soto, Ferryville and Lynxville are the river towns, and shoppers can also swing up County E to Highway 27 and Seneca and Mt. Sterling.

New for 2017 is the website for information on sales, which can be found at www.rummagealongtheriver.com. A map of the sales can also be found there to be printed off.

submitted by Friends of Pool 9

More than 100 volunteers gathered to clean the Mississippi River during the annual Friends of Pool 9 River Clean-Up Day Saturday, April 29. It proved to be a somewhat cooler and more uncomfortable day (especially compared to the previous weekend) with temperatures on the river around 40 degrees and a brisk east wind blowing.

Volunteers had begun work on the river the week before with the Heytman crew gathering their debris and vacated docks at the landing. Jerry Boardman and Don Lathrop pulled a record 18 red and green buoys from the backwater, and others had also dropped off river debris at the Lansing location on the Brennan riverfront property in preparation.

Two Kee High School junior students, Jack Mooney and Caleb Conway, have been selected to attend the annual Boys State event being held at Fort Dodge in Johnston June 11-16 this year. Local selection of attendees is being sponsored by the Lansing Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5981 and Lansing American Legion Post 50.

Jack Mooney is the son of Dan and Renee Mooney of rural New Albin. Caleb Conway is the son of Greg and Jenny Conway of rural Lansing.

Begun in 1938, Boys State is a six-day course in self government, consistently taught with a hands-on approach. The young men of 2017 Boys State, all of whom will have finished their junior year of high school, will be divided into 32 cities. Four cities constitute a county and eight counties make up Boys State. The cities are composed of members of the Nationalist and Federalist parties. The citizens within these cities hold party caucus meetings, conventions, campaigns and general elections.

Members of the Knights of Columbus Council 12244 in Lansing conducted their bi-annual roadside clean-up Saturday, April 22. The job was accomplished with the help of members John Colsch, Sam Kuhn, Marty Brennan, Lornie Mitchell, Jim Hosch, John Delong, Mike Quillin, Tony Monat, Bob Teff and Earl Hammell. Submitted photo.
 

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met in its regular session Monday night, May 1. After approving the Consent Agenda, the Council discussed the problem with hiring lifeguards and other personnel for the City swimming pool this season. It was reported that only three lifeguard applications have been received and it was felt that 10 lifeguards would be needed in order to make the pool operational at optimal safety. Those involved say time is running short, but they remain hopeful that more applications will be received prior to the swimming season.

Mother River is ready to start spring cleaning and Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) will be there to help, but they can’t do it alone.

Since 2004, FOP9 has sponsored a spring river clean-up day. Since that year, over 130,000 pounds of debris has been collected. This wasn’t done by just a few volunteers.  Over 7,000 volunteer hours, including 890 last year, have gone into this project saving approximately $140,000 in work related costs. Last year alone, 13,000 pounds of accumulated garbage was harvested.

Young and old, fathers, mothers, grandparents and kids are urged to join Friends of Pool 9 Saturday, April 29 in this clean-up endeavor.  Both people and boats are needed. Participants gather at the Lansing VFW building on Front Street in Lansing at 7:30 a.m. for registration, orientation, clean-up assignments and to collect clean-up supplies.  Canvas gloves, garbage bags and water are provided.