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Waukon High School seniors Cameron Johnson (left) and Jack O’Neill (right) were crowned Waukon High School's 2023 Homecoming Queen and King at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday, September 21 at Waukon High School. Additional photos of Waukon High School's Homecoming events are featured on Page 16 in the Wednesday, September 27, 2023 print edition and e-edition of the Standard, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming victory over Crestwood featured on Page 27. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

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Seniors Andrew Kolsrud (left) and Mallory Mohn (right) were crowned Kee High School’s 2023 Homecoming King and Queen at a coronation event held prior to Homecoming Week for the first time Sunday, September 24 in the Kee High School gymnasium to kick off this week’s Homecoming festivities. That timing change in the coronation will now allow the King and Queen to preside over the entire Homecoming Week. Celebratory pages highlighting Kee’s 2023 Homecoming can be found inside the Wednesday, September 27, 2023 print edition and e-edition of the Standard on Pages 20-21. Photo by Danielle Potter.

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The next phase in a planned deployment of fiber optic internet in Waukon is set to begin next month, according to representatives from AC Skyways, a division of Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative (ACEC).

Beginning in October, the physical work of boring the main fiber optics lines will begin on the north Waukon project, which will bring over 800 “drops” to the community. This is the next phase in a large development to bring fiber to the entire community.

“Bringing high quality fiber optic internet is a major goal of ours. Every year, it becomes even more apparent how much this is needed in our area,” said Hollee McCormick, ACEC General Manager. “This is a continuation of our overall project to bring fiber to the entire Waukon area, benefiting both residents and businesses in a variety of ways. It’s exciting to be moving one step closer, we only wish we could move faster, as we know how badly folks everywhere want this service.”

Students at Waukon High School have selected their Homecoming Court representatives for the 2023 celebration, with the coronation of this year's Homecoming Queen and King scheduled to take place at the "Burning of the W" pep rally scheduled for this Thursday evening, September 21, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Waukon High School gym. Pictured in the photo above are this year's Waukon High School Homecoming Queen and King candidates from the 2023-2024 Senior class, including: Left to right - Front row: Queen candidates Cameron Johnson, Lynsey Houg, Azlynn Cota, Olivia Bossom; Back row: King candidates Wyatt Gulla, Jack O’Neill, Dylan Hogan, Jacob Courtney.

It should be noted that the pep rally will take place this Thursday evening, as scheduled, but there will be no traditional burning of the “W” at the end of the rally due to the ban on open burning currently in place within Allamakee County.

Change to Kee High School Homecoming for 2023 moves public coronation ceremony to this Sunday ...

Kee High School will be celebrating its 2023 Homecoming the week of September 24-30, and that celebration will kick off with a change to the traditional crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen this year. Instead of crowning this year’s King and Queen at the traditional Friday afternoon pep rally toward the end of Homecoming Week, that coronation event will now kick off the week full of celebration and is taking place this coming Sunday evening, September 24 at 5:45 p.m. and will also include the illumination of a lighted Kee High School display in the interior entrance area of the high school building, near the high school office location. The public is invited to attend that Sunday ceremony but will then be excused prior to the student-only Dodgeball in the Dark Tournament scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Allamakee County became the 18th county in the state of Iowa, and the 11th county in northeast Iowa, to institute a ban on open burning as Extreme Drought conditions continue to grip many of those same counties, especially in the northeast Iowa region. That ban became effective as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 12 after all six fire chiefs in Allamakee County agreed the ban was necessary and Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker submitted the burn ban request to the State of Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office, which issued the proclamation putting the burn ban into effect.

“Given the extreme dry conditions, lack of future heavy moisture, and with the county being in extreme drought conditions, it was felt this was prudent,” Snitker explained in his email announcing the burn ban.

The Mississippi River bridge connecting Iowa Highway 9 in Lansing to Wisconsin Highway 82 in rural Crawford County, WI stands as an icon for the region. A new icon is in the works to replace this aging structure and improve safety and mobility as motorists and river enthusiasts move around the area.

The cantilever Black Hawk Bridge structure has served the area since 1931 with a closure from 1945 to 1957 when the crossing was damaged by ice dams. Depreciation over time and changing vehicle size and traffic patterns now call for a new, wider, safer crossing.

Working with area residents and interest groups through public meetings and other outreach efforts, the Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation are proud to get started on a new, safe, functional and beautiful bridge that will serve the area for generations. Kraemer North America, LLC headquartered in Plain, WI was awarded the bid following a special bid letting in early August.

by Ellen Modersohn

With the installation this month of an electric vehicle charging station, Lansing is ready to fuel not only locally owned electric vehicles (EVs), but also those owned by seasonal and short-term visitors to the city and those passing through. The Level-2 charging station was installed at the east side of Lansing’s city parking lot along South Front Street.

Lansing’s City Council approved the purchase of the Charge Point station (pictured at far right) from LilyPad EV in December 2022. The $10,994.76 cost of the station was covered by the VW (Volkswagen) Settlement Grant awarded to the City of Lansing in July 2022.

Lansing City Council member Curt Snitker said the charger will be important for tourism in and around Lansing.

Allamakee County Entrepreneurship Week is an annual collaboration between Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism and Lansing Office Works. It is being observed September 18-22 this year with a series of workshops focusing on helping entrepreneurs build their skill and business.

The workshop series will be taking place at Lansing Office Works, located at 274 Main Street in Lansing, unless otherwise noted. The workshops are free of charge and may also include a meal or refreshments. The workshop series includes the following:

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor pictured above for the state of Iowa released by the National Weather Service Thursday, August 31 shows all of Allamakee County, and a majority of northeast Iowa, in the grips of Extreme Drought (as indicated with the red color in the map above). Further information compiled by the National Weather Service notes that the rainfall experienced for the week prior to that August 31 Drought Monitor was no greater than four-tenths (.40) of an inch in the northeast Iowa area, with the average rainfall during that time frame having previously been reported at nine-tenths (.90) of an inch. As a result, the Extreme Drought grew from covering just 5.28% of the state of Iowa as of August 22, to now 17.59% as of the end of August, with most of that Extreme Drought growth coming in the northeast Iowa area.