Top Stories

Shane Profitt to headline Friday's grandstand entertainment; Variety of activities and events planned

This week, July 16-20,  the 172nd Allamakee County Fair will be held for all to enjoy at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. A wide variety of entertainment is in place to headline this year’s Fair at the grandstand, along with a great deal of other activities for everyone to enjoy each and every day throughout the five-day event.

GRANDSTAND STAR POWER AND HORSE POWER

July 16 coronation event for both groups will help kick off the 172nd Allamakee County Fair

The pageantry of the Allamakee County Fair will remain at its new level created just last year, as the traditional Allamakee County Fair Queen Contest will again be complemented by the celebration of the Allamakee County Fair Little Miss Contest for younger ages. The coronation event for both of those competitions, featuring a total of eight Allamakee County young ladies, will take place Wednesday, July 16 at 5 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon to help kick off the 172nd Allamakee County Fair, running July 16-20 in Waukon.

by Sharon Drahn
Contributing writer

Brandon James Kasemeier, who was convicted May 27 of this year of first degree murder in the death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, by a jury in Allamakee County District Court, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday afternoon, July 7, with Iowa First Judicial District Court Judge Alan Heavens presiding over the sentencing. Kasemeier had been charged in the case following the discovery of Jami’s body January 22, 2024 in the home the two once shared in the 100 block of 1st Avenue SW in Waukon.

Although Kasemeier’s attorneys, Erin Carr and Raya Dimitrova, had filed for a new trial on his behalf, Judge Heavens denied the request prior to Monday’s proceedings. Prior to the formal sentencing, family members were given the opportunity to share victim impact statements with the court during the hearing.

Contact Lansing City Clerk’s Office prior to July 15 to have coal chutes documented or questions answered

by Joshua Sharpe

The City of Lansing is seeking assistance from downtown property owners in preparation for a significant infrastructure project slated for 2028. The upcoming full reconstruction of Main Street, designated as Iowa Highway 9 through downtown Lansing, includes not only roadway resurfacing but also the complete removal and replacement of sidewalks.

A Wednesday, June 25 storm system that rolled through the tri-state area in the late afternoon and evening hours has been confirmed by the National Weather Service to have spawned at least eight tornadoes between 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and western Wisconsin, all ranging in the EF0 to EF1 designation on the EF-Scale. Five of those confirmed tornadoes occurred within a 30-mile radius of the tri-state “corner” of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. One of those tornadoes was confirmed to have originated about halfway between Eitzen, MN and New Albin and was classified by the National Weather Service as an EF0 storm.

The Allamakee County Veterans Services Office and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum hosted a third annual walk event in Waukon in support of mental health awareness Saturday, June 28, initially hosting the first two events as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Walks but this year broadening that awareness to the broader overall aspect of mental health in an effort to be more inclusive. Approximately two dozen individuals made the trek from an initial gathering location at the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in Waukon City Park down through Waukon via Rossville Road (photo above) to the front lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse (photo below) and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum, where information and resources were available for individuals, or their family and friends, whose lives have been impacted by mental health or those seeking information about maintaining their own mental health.

Flag Day took on some extra special meaning for rural Lansing resident Walter Martin this year.

Observed June 14 each year, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. During Flag Day 2025, Saturday, June 14, Martin was one of 24 Veterans of the Vietnam War from across the state of Iowa to be honored by the Veteran Flagpole Initiative, a group that has been installing new flag poles and providing new U.S. and State of Iowa flags to fly on those poles over the past four years to serve as “a permanent visual reminder of our appreciation for their service and sacrifice,” according to the volunteer organization’s website.

The Allamakee County Veterans Affairs Office and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum are sponsoring a Mental Health Awareness Walk Saturday, June 28 beginning at 9 a.m. from the Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park to the Allamakee County Courthouse front lawn. Following the walk there will be tables set up on the Courthouse lawn with representatives from helping agencies as well as video presentations at the Allamakee Veterans Museum at 105 Allamakee Street, across from the courthouse.

The event is not limited to Veterans, but is designed to inform the public at large of resources available and to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining mental health. Those unable to participate in the walk are also invited to attend events at the courthouse and the Veterans Museum. If there is rain, this event will be postponed. Contact the Allamakee Veterans Affairs Office at 563-568-6135 for additional information.
 

Leader of group now facing federal investigation; Local dismissal still leaves door open for possible future action

The five individuals from Iowa and Wisconsin recently charged in Allamakee County with violations of Iowa securities laws by the Iowa Insurance Division Fraud Bureau have all had their cases dismissed without prejudice as of a motion filed Thursday, June 12 in Allamakee County District Court.

According to its legal definition, dismissal without prejudice means that a case has been closed and charges have been dismissed but can be filed and tried again at a later date.

The cases dismissed involved charges filed earlier this year following an investigation conducted after an initial local complaint and a February 1 investment meeting arranged in Waukon by undercover investigators from the Iowa Insurance Division Fraud Bureau involving the five individuals, who were determined to be acting as agents for a company named Bright Silver LLC.

Female turtles of at least eight different species frequently move across highways, gravel roads and muddy side-tracks in the local area to find places to lay their precious eggs. At this time, the Driftless Area is currently at or near the peak of the critical three-month long turtle nesting season for 2025, according to Friends of Pool 9.

“Unfortunately, far too many vehicle drivers do not pay sufficient attention to these slow moving forms of wildlife, and either smash them accidentally, or to get some sort of weird thrill out of crushing them,” shares Friends of Pool 9 members. “Either way, using caution to avoid running over turtles (or any type of wildlife) is an easier solution than is commonly realized. Be alert. Be careful.”