Top Stories

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.

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.

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.

“The true angler is more a lover of nature than a fish getter.”
   ~ Will Dilg, “father” of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

“You put together some sky and some cliff,
slash the bluffs with a glacial rift
Winds rise from that rocky shear
and witness the same peregrinations each year.
Going Driftless.
There’s magnetic force in this Paleozoic Plateau
Tugs at my spirit, it resonates in my soul.
Another ridge to climb - another valley to explore
A lifetime of looking – still I wanna find more.
I keep Going Driftless.”
    ~ Last verse of “Going Driftless,” lyrics by Jon Stravers Sr. and Jon Stravers Jr. The song appears on two Big Blue Sky recordings, “Bird Dance” and “River Dreams.”

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Interview conducted by Julie Berg-Raymond

A pair of appearances in Allamakee County District Court for Brandon Kasemeier, the 39-year-old man from Waukon charged in the January 21 death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, did not take place as scheduled this past week. Action taken in regard to both appearances, however, has resulted in further court proceedings being scheduled in the case.

As Allamakee County Attorney Anthony Gericke had previously forecasted, the preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, February 23 for Kasemeier did not take place after Gericke and State of Iowa Assistant Attorney General Keisha Cretsinger filed Trial Information in regard to the charge of Murder in the First Degree being brought against Kasemeier. Gericke had previously explained that the Trial Information and minutes of testimony lay out the charges, a brief explanation of fact as to why the charges were filed and a list of witnesses expected to testify at trial.

by Lissa Blake

Voters in Allamakee County are encouraged to head to the polls Tuesday, March 5, to vote on whether or not to renew the Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOST) which is expiring in several areas of the county the end of this year.

Established in 1985, the one-percent tax has since been adopted in most cities and unincorporated areas in Iowa. Several years ago, the state was able to expand this one-percent tax to out-of-state retailers who make deliveries to areas of Iowa where LOST is in place. Last fiscal year, cities and unincorporated areas in Iowa received more than $600 million in proceeds collected through the measure. These funds are typically used to help relieve the burden on county and city general funds and are used for items like roads, streets, water and sewer systems and public safety vehicle and equipment acquisitions.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Now in its 14th year, the Oneota Film Festival (February 29-March 3) will kick off a weekend of films and events with a screening of “SHIFT: The RAGBRAI Documentary” - which features the city of Lansing and two of its residents, Ian Zahren and Andrew Boddicker - Thursday, February 29 at the historic Steyer Opera House in Decorah’s Hotel Winneshiek. A social/cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m., followed by the film screening at 7 p.m.

“SHIFT” will be screened again at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3, at the Hotel Winneshiek. The entire festival, including admission to all screenings and events, is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to register, but there is no cost to attend.

Brandon Kasemeier, the 39-year-old man from Waukon charged in the January 21 death of his estranged wife, was returned to Allamakee County from Colorado late Wednesday, February 14 and was booked into the Allamakee County Jail on a charge of murder in the first degree. Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick said that agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) transported Kasemeier back to Allamakee County by ground vehicle after transportation arrangements were made following the signing of his waiver of extradition and consent to return documentation Friday, February 9 by 8th Judicial District Judge Stephen Jouard during a review hearing at the Larimer County Justice Center in Fort Collins, CO.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

A 13-foot-long model of the historic Lansing Black Hawk Bridge, handcrafted by Ralph Steinlage of Lawler, is now on display at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library through July 4 of this year.

Steinlage’s nephew, Nick Humpal, is part of a massive project, the construction work of which has begun this year, to build a new Mississippi River bridge at Lansing. Humpal, district engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) for the District 2 Office in Mason City, knew about his uncle’s interest in the construction project - a joint effort of the Wisconsin and Iowa DOT. He knew, as well, about his uncle’s interest in and talent for creating models of historic buildings and structures. So, when Humpal asked him if he might consider building one of the iconic Black Hawk Bridge, Steinlage was happy to oblige.