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A variety of Memorial Day activities are being planned for the upcoming holiday weekend, including all the traditional Memorial Day observances this year scheduled for Monday, May 26 in all of the area communities within Allamakee County. Those traditions of parades, full cemetery programs and wreath laying are being planned in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country, with details of some of those celebrations being outlined on this page in their respective highlighted boxes.

by Brianne Grimstad

With Memorial Day on the horizon, many start to think about taking flowers and decorations to cemeteries, getting ready for Memorial Day parades and programs, and reflecting on the American men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country and its freedom. Some families can go and visit the graves of their loved ones at local cemeteries, some servicemen and women are interred in cemeteries in other parts of the state or country, some have their final resting place overseas, and some have not yet had their remains found to be brought to their final resting place.

Over 81,000 American service members are still Missing In Action (MIA), and rural Waukon resident Dan Davis is part of a non-profit group called Project Recover that has made it their mission to locate, identify and bring those MIAs back to their loved ones.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday, May 9 at the site of the twin home/duplex project planned by Tailwind Capital Partners, LLC through a development agreement with the City of Waukon at what is locally known as the former “Bresnahan Property” in northwest Waukon. Developers Ben Garrett (a Waukon native) and Jeff Spence with Tailwind Capital Partners addressed the group in attendance including representatives of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce, Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED), the City of Waukon, and the area business community and financial institutions. Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Garrett shared with The Standard that additional marketing and promotion will be taking place to provide multiple listing services (MLS) relating to inquiries and sales of each of the duplex units, which are anticipated to be constructed in phases, two twin homes/duplexes (four units) at a time, based upon buyer commitment.

The Waukon Police Department recently welcomed a new member to its team. Safetypup® has joined the department as a positive role model for young children in the Waukon area with an emphasis on making safe choices. Safetypup® is the nationally recognized safety mascot of the National Child Safety Council (NCSC) and will be out and about at various events in the local community in the future.

For almost 40 years the Waukon Police Department has partnered with the National Child Safety Council, a not-for-profit, federal tax-exempt organization, to provide local children with educational materials in the schools. The safety materials and addition of Safetypup® would not be possible without the generous donations of many Waukon area businesses.

The annual “Family Wellness Fair” will be held this Wednesday, May 14, from 3:30-6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Clinics. The “Family Wellness Fair” is a community-wide event offering families of all ages a night of entertainment and education about the local resources available to them, plus many free health testing opportunities. This family event is free and open to all members of the community of any age.

Again this year, all visitors are welcome to enter the fair through the Veterans Memorial Hospital main entrance, the hospital clinic entrance or the Gundersen Clinic entrance, allowing for more parking options.

Over 40 exhibitors with educational information, games, treats, prizes and activities are planned with seven new exhibitors being welcomed to the fair this year. They will be located throughout the route that winds through the hospital, Gundersen Emplify Clinic and VMH Clinic.

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors signed a proclamation at its Monday, May 5 regular meeting establishing this Friday, May 9 as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day in Allamakee County, recognizing how child care supports the growth, development, and educational advancement of children while creating a positive economic impact for families and communities. Pictured at the proclamation signing are: Left to right - Front: Val Reinke, Allamakee County Economic Development Executive Director and Chairperson of the Allamakee County Child Care Coalition; Back row: Allamakee County Board of Supervisors members Dennis Keatley, Dan Byrnes and Tom Clark. Read the full proclamation inside this week’s edition of The Standard, as well as further information and support for Child Care Provider Appreciation Day and child care in Allamakee County. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

Things are really starting to take shape at the Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing construction site, according to the latest updated by Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) officials. Over the past several weeks a lot of work has been happening “out of sight,” but it has resulted in what can now be seen on site, some of which is also pictured in the surrounding photos.

The most visible progress is on the Wisconsin riverbank. The beams for the east side of the bridge are in place and project contractor Kraemer North America has the concrete forms in place which will allow them to pour the concrete for the bridge deck. Before that happens, though, the crews will place reinforcing steel over the entire area of the deck. This steel will strengthen the concrete, giving the deck the longest life possible. Hopes are to have the concrete for the deck get poured in June.

The renewed change of venue motion filed April 18 by defense attorneys in the first degree murder trial of Brandon Kasemeier, the 41-year-old man from Waukon charged in the January 21, 2024 death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, has been denied, marking the second time in the past five months a change of venue motion has been denied in the case.

Kasemeier’s defense team of Raya Dimitrova and Erin Carr of Carr Law Firm, P.L.C., Des Moines had originally filed a motion for a change of venue December 6, 2024 based on pre-trial publicity. That initial motion was denied in January of this year with the understanding that the change of venue motion could be renewed after Iowa First Judicial District Judge Alan Heavens gave approval to a request for the gathering of more information through the surveying of a previous Allamakee County jury pool by a private investigator hired by Kasemeier’s defense team.

Kee High School seniors Ashlyn Henkes (left) and Brendan Jones (right) were selected as the 2025 Kee High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held this past Saturday, April 26 in Lansing. Henkes was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Lily Howe and Zoey Timmerman. Jones was chosen from a King court that also included fellow seniors Sawyer Gramlich and Gabe Mattson. Photo by Danielle Potter.
 

Waukon High School seniors Eva Whalen (left) and Seth Lloyd (right) were selected as the 2025 Waukon High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 26. Whalen was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Keeran Barr, Halea Corwin and Ava Johnson. Lloyd was chosen from a King court that also included fellow seniors Graine Curtin, Dalton Frick and McKinley Rostvold. Photo by Brianne Grimstad.