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Wed
13
Mar

St. Patrick's Day Parade, other festive events taking place this weekend in Waukon

The 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Waukon will be held the actual day of the celebrated holiday, this Sunday, March 17, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to participate in this year’s parade with an Irish-themed entry at no cost.

Any businesses, organizations, families or individuals wishing to have an entry are asked to be lined up by 12 noon Sunday, with float entries lining up in the parking lot of WW Homestead Dairy and the former Northern Engraving plant, tractors unloading and lining up at the Sweeney Auction Service parking lot and horse units gathering at the Croell Redi-Mix plant on the southeast edge of Waukon.

Wed
13
Mar

Repair work to correct/prevent bridge shift begins ...

Repair work is underway on the existing Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) District 2 Office. The bridge was closed February 25 after it was discovered that two of the east-end bridge piers shifted, along with a portion of the bridge deck, making the bridge unsafe for traffic.

During the repair process, portions of the bridge deck will be removed while the repair work is being done, leaving large gaps in the bridge surface that will render the bridge impassable for any type of traffic until repair work is completed. DOT officials warn that the bridge is not safe even for pedestrian use and will be closed to all traffic during repairs. An announcement made by City of Lansing officials last week warns that anyone caught walking or riding any type of vehicle over the bridge while it is closed will be issued a citation for trespassing by law enforcement.

Wed
13
Mar

Iowa Democratic Party releases caucus results; Local results similar to statewide for front-runner

The Iowa Democratic Party has released its results from its 2024 Democratic Caucus held January 15 and utilizing a month-long Presidential Preference Cards process as a candidate selection tool this year. Those overall results for the state of Iowa were closely mirrored by Allamakee County selection for Democratic front-runner Joe Biden, both of those results hovering around 90% of selections made.

In the state of Iowa, Biden received 11,083 of the 12,207 preference card choices, a 90.79% selection out of state of Iowa Democrats casting a preference card. Among the 55 preference cards cast in Allamakee County, Biden was selected on 49 of them for an 89.09% selection result.

Wed
13
Mar

Voters in Allamakee County give overwhelming approval to extending Local Option Sales and Service Tax, some with no further expiration

Voters in Allamakee County overwhelmingly approved the extension of the Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST) in a Tuesday, March 5 special election. The one-percent LOSST had first been established in Allamakee County communities in the mid- to late 1990s and has been renewed on several occasions by voters throughout the county, with the last widespread extension vote coming in 2014 and that latest renewal having been scheduled to expire in several areas of the county at the end of this current year prior to the March 5 extension by voter approval.

Last fiscal year, cities and unincorporated areas in the state of Iowa received more than $600 million in proceeds collected through the one-percent sales tax measure. These funds are typically used to help relieve the burden on county and city general funds and are used for items such as roads, streets, water and sewer systems and public safety vehicle and equipment acquisitions.

Wed
13
Mar

Kasemeier pleads not guilty to charge of Murder in the First Degree, trial set for May 15; Cash bond set at $1 million

An arraignment hearing and bond review for Brandon Kasemeier, the 39-year-old man from Waukon charged in the January 21 death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, was held virtually Monday afternoon, March 11 in Allamakee County District Court. Kasemeier’s legal counsel, Waterloo public defender Aaron Hawbaker, had filed a written arraignment on his behalf that Monday morning, waiving Kasemeier’s right to appear in open court and allowing his appearance by Zoom video conferencing software from the Allamakee County Jail.

Wed
06
Mar

Iowa DOT Project Manager Clayton Burke provides further insight into cause and remedy of issues forcing Black Hawk Bridge closure

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) closed the Black Hawk Bridge (Highway 82) at Lansing Sunday, February 25 because of safety concerns after hearing from the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office of “suspected movement of the bridge,” according to Pete Hjelmstad, field services coordinator with the District 2 Office of the Iowa DOT.

The bridge is expected to remain closed for at least two months while the situation is further investigated and corrected. According to Clayton Burke, the Iowa DOT’s overseeing engineer on the new bridge construction project taking place next to the existing bridge, the DOT “is actively working on a van pool as well as a passenger ferry. We expect the ferry to be in operation for a couple months while the bridge is closed,” he said. Details of those transportation modes in an effort to assist area residents and businesses will be made available to the public once they have been finalized.

Wed
06
Mar

Meeting scheduled for March 12 to learn more about the Allamakee County Emergency Response Volunteer Program

Volunteers being sought to help in times of local disaster and emergency response

A new program for the Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency has been in the works in cooperation with the Northeast Iowa Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). It involves an Emergency Response Volunteer Program to assist in disaster and emergency response.

The Allamakee County Emergency Response Volunteer Program will include members from both the Northeast Iowa Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and volunteers aged 18 or older who are willing, if able, to respond at the request of the Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator when it is determined a disaster or emergency requires the support of trained volunteers to assist Allamakee County in response or recovery operations.

Wed
06
Mar

Evening accident along Great River Road claims life of Lansing man

Tuesday, February 27 at 10:15 p.m. the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a one-vehicle roll-over accident on Great River Road/County Road X52 near its intersection with Sweet Ridge Drive, approximately five miles north of Harpers Ferry. A report from the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the accident resulted in a fatality.

The report indicates that a vehicle driven by Jacob Carlton Johnson, age 40, of Lansing was traveling southbound on Great River Road/X52 and left the roadway. The vehicle entered the ditch, striking a tree, and rolled over. Johnson, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was transported by ambulance to Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. He was later pronounced dead as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.

Wed
06
Mar

Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office reminds property owners of tax due date coming up March 31

Allamakee County Treasurer Jennifer O’Neill would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by March 31, 2024. Those tax payments can be made at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Property owners are reminded to bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty will begin to apply April 2.

E-check and credit card payments are also accepted online at www.iowatreasurers.org. Property owners will need their receipt number to pay by E-check, and this can be found on their tax statement.

Wed
28
Feb

Black Hawk Bridge closed to inspect structural integrity ...


Photo by Susan Cantine-Maxson.

Submitted photo.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) closed the Black Hawk Bridge (Highway 82) at Lansing Sunday afternoon, February 25 due to safety concerns after discovering suspected movement of the bridge following the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department notifying DOT officials that something “didn’t look right” (the bend in the guard rail structure on the right side of the photo below providing the most visible evidence of the concerns on the east approach to the bridge from the Wisconsin side). Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick said the Allamakee County Dispatch Center received a call early Sunday afternoon from a Lansing resident, who had been contacted by another individual and then took their own look at the bridge before calling the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Mellick said a Deputy traveled to the bridge and then requested that DOT officials be contacted after witnessing what the photo below shows.

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