River Valley

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council held its regular meeting Monday, March 4. Discussion centered around the adoption of the consent agenda, approval of a building permit, the South Road Bridge project final payment, an update on the proposed splash pad project, marina slip and levee lot rental rates, and consideration of a letter of commitment to the Allamakee County E-911 Board.

The consent agenda consisted of council meeting minutes from February 20, payment of claims, Park and Recreation Board meeting minutes from February 19, January’s Treasurer’s report and utilities for January and February. A motion was made and seconded to approve the adoption of the consent agenda without hesitation.

A motion was also made and seconded to approve the building permit applied for at 100 Wall Street. However, the driveway permit exiting Otis Street was not given approval.

History and archeology surrounding the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Lansing bridge project will be the topic of a talk to be held at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library Thursday, March 21, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The DOT’s Brennan Dolan will lead the discussion, which is free of charge and open to the public.

Earlier talks with the Lansing Historical Working Group have focused on the National Historic Preservation Act and the process that state and federal agencies are responsible for following. This talk will focus on what it means to mitigate for the loss of historic properties.

The 6th Annual Allamakee County Chili Cook-Off is scheduled to be held Saturday, March 16 in Lansing at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall. Sponsored by Main Street Lansing and KNEI 103.5 Bluff Country, the event will run from 4-6 p.m.

There are two entry divisions: business and individual. Registration forms are available at Main Street Lansing and at Red Geranium Floral and Gifts in Lansing.

Prizes include $300 in cash prizes for the individual winners and a traveling business trophy. There is no charge to enter a dish, and it’s only $5 to taste the chili. New this year is live music by Tom Carpenter. For more information, call 563-538-9229.
 

The 11th Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day is schedule for this Saturday, March 2 in Ferryville, WI at the Village Community Center located on State Highway 35, “The Great River Road”. This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council, co-sponsored by Friends of Pool 9 and is free to the public.

Event activities take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with doors opening at 8:45 a.m.  Returning to the program this year is the Decorah Raptor Research Project Eagle Cam organization presenting at 1 p.m. on “What we learned from an Eagle’s Nest”. John Howe and Amy Reis of the Raptor Resource Project and their team will be participating in the event for the second time.

Free refreshments and children’s craft activities are available throughout the event. Ferryville, WI is home to many eagle nests in the area, including a new one just south of Ferryville. The Pool 9 section has more nests than in any other part of the Mississippi River.

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council held its regular meeting Wednesday, February 20, postponed from its typical Monday date due to not being able to field a quorum of council members due to planned absences and unplanned illness. Discussion at the meeting centered around the adoption of the consent agenda, setting a public hearing date, the bank depository resolution and the Clear Creek Areal Crossing Project.

The consent agenda consisted of council meeting minutes from February 4 and renewal of liquor licenses for Shep’s Riverside Bar and Grill and Kwik Star #888. The public hearing for the adoption of the proposed budget FY2020 will be held March 11 at 7 p.m.

A motion was made and seconded to appoint Kerndt Brothers Saving Bank for resolution #915 bank depository resolution.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested.

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

These meetings replace the one-night listening session held in late winter over the past 15 years. The most local meeting location will be at Decorah Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Decorah City Hall, 400 Clairborne Drive in Decorah. Additional meeting dates, times and locations can be found on the DNR’s website, iowadnr.gov.

The Kee High School Speech department will be hosting its annual Dinner Theatre Saturday, March 2 at T.J. Hunters Banquet Hall in Lansing. Kee Speech members, as well as the high school office, will be selling the tickets through Monday, February 25. There will be no tickets sold after that date nor at the door.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the meal beginning at 5:30 p.m. The large group speech teams will be the entertainment for the evening, along with a little teaser from the upcoming Kee High School musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

The buffet meal will include beef brisket, smoked pork loin, party potatoes, corn, dinner roll, Oreo fluff, a drink and a dessert bar. This annual event is a fundraiser to help with the cost of contest fees, awards, travel expenses and the All-State trip.
 

The Kee High School Post Prom Committee will host Bingo Sunday, March 10 in the Kee High School cafeteria in Lansing. Games will start at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

Participants can bring a non-perishable food item or $1 donation and play an extra Bingo card free. All donations will be given to LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust). Special needs at the food pantry are cereal and peanut butter. All players will be eligible for a door prize drawing at intermission. Proceeds will be used to fund 2019 Post Prom prizes and entertainment.
 

Open Door To The Soul, Co., located in the former Waterville Lutheran Church, just outside of Waterville, will host Connecting Community Conversations, a series of monthly roundtable discussions intended to find commonality through shared experiences, bolster support and identify ways to make a difference for others.

Everyone is welcome to attend. All discussions will begin at 7 p.m. in the basement area of the former Waterville Lutheran Church, according to the following schedule of dates and topics:

February 21 - Illness, Hospice and Dying
March 21 - Do We Dare Talk Politics?
April 18 - Poverty, The Truth About Money
May 16 - Foregiveness and Healing Wounds
June 20 - Land Stewardship in the Driftless Region.
 

The Kee High School Speech team competed in its District contest Wednesday, January 23 in Postville, advancing nine teams to the State competition held this past Saturday, February 2 at Waterloo West High School. Teams earning that advancement to State included the following:

Notice Mime (One rating): Jada Mitchell, Abby Wood, Maggy Weymiller, Ella Strong and Jaiden Berns.

Bedside Manor Radio News (One rating): Rachel Walleser, Macy Manning, Alexis Johnson, Chris Wagner and Nick Buege.

WRMZ Reader’s Theatre (One rating and perfect score): Jazmyne Pace, Maggy Weymiller, Abby Wood, Rebecca Kadera, Jennifer Mitchell, Allison Donley, Ella Strong, Owen Henkes, Peter Boland, Lydia Strong, Kylie Troendle, Allyvia Martin, Jada Mitchell and Daniel Wagner.

Film “The Very Last Laugh” (One rating and perfect score): Amanda Fahey, Sahreya Dodd, Jade Peterson, Alexis Johnson, Macy Manning, Laurel Scott, Chris Wagner, Kellen Maddox and Will Mooney.