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County residents invited to take part in new format for July 6 event

Allamakee County will be taking part in the 2017 Iowa 99 County Bible Reading Marathon once again this year, inviting people to read 30-minute or more segments of the Bible Thursday, July 6 throughout an 8 a.m.-8 p.m. timeframe. This is the second year Allamakee County has participated in the event, with some changes in location and longevity of the event taking place this year.

This year's event for Allamakee County will take place at the Waukon City Park at the small shelter between the wooden playground and the ball diamond, a different setting than the Allamakee County Courthouse lawn used last year. The timeframe of this year's event has been pared down from a three-day event to just a 12-hour format on a single day.

by Joe Moses

August 23-24 of 2016 saw a heavy rainfall and flood event that affected much of northeast Iowa, with the Upper Iowa River valley in northern Allamakee and Winneshiek counties suffering flood damage due to the six to eight inches of rain reported by the National Weather Service across that area during that overnight period.

As a result of that rainfall and the flow downstream of the more than eight inches of rain that fell in the Decorah area of Winneshiek County, the Upper Iowa River swelled to a record crest of 24.3 feet, nearly two feet higher than it had ever reached before. The Upper Iowa's previous record crest had been 22.5 feet back in 2008.

Waukon RAGBRAI hosting June 28 Town Meeting; All are encouraged to attend to learn more

The Waukon RAGBRAI Committees will be hosting a Town Meeting Wednesday, June 28 from 6-7 p.m. at Iron Ridge Church, located at 512 Ninth Street SW in Waukon. Residents and others interested from all communities in the Allamakee County area, including the pass-through and final destination towns, are invited to attend the meeting.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Two businesses have filled the gap left by the closing of the Blumenthal-Lansing button factory in 2016 in Lansing. Tumbleweed Welding and Prairie Industries have both started operations in the former button factory within this past year.

When news of the closing of the button plant hit the local area, it was the end of an era. Many people in Lansing and the surrounding area, along with generations of their families, had worked at the facility all of their lives. There had been button factories in Lansing since the 1800s, and the building sat idle following announcement of the Blumenthal closing next to a vacant lot where the Northern Engraving building had once been as well.

Many wondered if this building would meet the same fate, including the 70 employees who were left without jobs. The future seemed grim.

The Waukon Police Department reports that a red 1999 Dodge Neon bearing Iowa license plate EKJ 091 was stolen from Waukon between 11 p.m. Friday, June 23 and 10 a.m. Saturday, June 24 in the 500 block of West Main Street. The department also received a report of another vehicle on Clinton Street in Waukon that was broken into and the ignition mechanism removed. Both vehicles were locked and the keys were not in the ignition at the time.

In an updated report, the Waukon Police Department advises that the stolen vehicle has been located in Dubuque, but also warns that there is obviously still a concern of future break-ins due to the method used and that there were two vehicles affected.

JT Olson returning to native Allamakee County to share story June 29 at Old East Paint Creek

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Jeff (JT) Olson knows what it is to be an orphan.

He clearly remembers the day his parents died. He was 12 year old, and his parents had been away for their 16th wedding anniversary. He was excited to be reunited with his brothers, sisters and parents.

He then learned his parents, Othello and Lora Mae Olson, had been killed in a car accident on their way back to their rural Harpers Ferry home on the Lansing-Harpers Road.

He also remembers the family members who took care of him and his four siblings, John, Jim, Julie and Jerene. A widowed aunt took care of the three oldest children so they could finish out the school year at Waukon Junior High, and then all five children moved to Brookfield, WI with their aunt and uncle, Ralph and Marie Ann Seifert.

Waukon RAGBRAI hosting Town Meeting June 28; All are encouraged to attend

The Waukon RAGBRAI Committees will be hosting a Town Meeting Wednesday, June 28 from 6-7 p.m. at Iron Ridge Church, located at 512 Ninth Street SW in Waukon. Residents and others interested from all communities in the Allamakee County area, including the pass-through and final destination towns, are invited to attend the meeting.

More specific details will be presented about RAGBRAI's overnight stay in Waukon, including information about road closures and layout of the entertainment and other venues in downtown Waukon. Additional information will address volunteer and rider hosting opportunities, as well as funding and other logistical information. Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to ask questions in regard to RAGBRAI and its July 28-29 visit to Allamakee County.

Lori Egan, a nurse from Waukon, has announced her candidacy to represent the Iowa House of Representatives 56th District, which includes all of Allamakee County and parts of Clayton County.

“I’m running for the Iowa House because Clayton and Allamakee counties are being forgotten by the politicians in Des Moines,” Egan said. “As a 30-year resident of Waukon and a nurse, I'm concerned about the future of working families and our community. I’m running because economic opportunity should not be limited to those in Des Moines. We need living wage jobs with benefits right here in Clayton and Allamakee counties. We need health care that is affordable and accessible and we need an education system that provides our kids with the skills they’ll need to land a good job."

Egan is currently the Health Programs Director at the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC). Previously she served as a nurse with the Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 12 to address a full agenda of items. Among those items were the Public Hearing for amendments to the ATV Ordinance LV, the signing of the revised Solutions Information Technology (IT) Services Agreement for Fiscal-Year 2018 and approval of the revised 28E agreement for the issuance of drivers licenses.

Waukon RAGBRAI seeking volunteers to host riders in homes or yards overnight