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The front entrance sidewalk of the Allamakee County Courthouse was lined with bright, colorful pinwheels this past week in observance of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. With permission from the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors, Helping Services for Northeast Iowa placed the Pinwheels for Prevention in the courthouse lawn in observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month and as a symbolic reminder that all children deserve a happy, carefree childhood. For more information about observing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month as well as about child abuse prevention efforts year-round, contact Helping Services for Northeast Iowa at 563-864-7163 or online at http://www.helpingservices.org. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
 

Allamakee County Road X52, also known as Great River Road, has been closed to through traffic at the bridge spanning Wexford Creek near the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Wexford location, approximately six miles north of Harpers Ferry. The road closure is anticipated to last into the middle of June for a deck replacement and widening project on the bridge (pictured above), but a paved-road detour has been put in place using Lansing Harpers Road and Lafayette Ridge Road. That detour begins at the four-way stop sign intersection of Great River Road and Lansing Harpers Road on the west edge of Harpers Ferry and utilizes Lansing Harpers Road to Lafayette Ridge Road, where the detour then travels east and north on Lafayette Ridge Road until it connects again with Great River Road north of the bridge closure. The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at Wexford can still be accessed traveling Great River Road north from Harpers Ferry. Photo courtesy of Teri Collins.
 

The 19th annual Family Wellness Fair will be held Wednesday, May 11 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Health testing, exhibits and activities will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for families of all ages. Everyone in the area communities is welcome to attend this free event, sponsored by Veterans Memorial Hospital, and held in conjunction with the end of the Live Healthy Iowa Community Wellness Challenge.

ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment for the evening will include Tae Kwon Do demonstrations from 5-6 p.m. in the Healthy Lifestyles Center. Special appearances will be made by “Klyde Thinger” the Clown, plus balloon artist and professional medical representative Paul Kammarmeyer will again be on site making his creative balloon creations for the children attending the Wellness Fair.

The Great Cycle Challenge is back, and Waukon residents Tracey Tepesch and Linda Wilder are ready to take on that Challenge for a second consecutive year.

The Waukon pair biked  649 miles and raised $2,432.07 combined for Children’s Cancer Research in 2015. This year they have plans to bike a minimum of 700 miles (combined) and raise even more funds to help fund Children’s Cancer Research.

Their goal in 2016 is to raise $10 for every mile they bike in the hopes of reaching their goal of $7,000. They both felt that this challenge was rewarding, exhausting and all-consuming in a very positive way.

Tepesch said, “As each mile is pedaled you know that the sore muscles and sore bums do not compare with the struggles that individuals and families face when cancer enters their lives. We want to support and help to make a difference by doing something we love, which is pedaling for a great cause.”

Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will be visiting Harpers Ferry at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 4 at the boat landing by the Conservation Office. She plans to highlight the importance of the Mississippi River for trade and speak about economic development. She has been promoting the Iowa Feeds The World campaign. The Lt. Governor plans to have time to visit with the public and would like to have farmers present to speak with them about how Iowa feeds the world.

Sunday, May 1 at approximately 2:13 a.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Emergency Dispatch Center received a report of a one-vehicle accident near the intersection of State Highway 76 and Dorchester Drive just east of Dorchester.
Accident reports from both the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol indicate that a vehicle driven by Benjamin Bednarski, age 20, of Waukon was traveling southbound on State Highway 76. The driver was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway and the vehicle entered the ditch, drove off a culvert and rolled over, coming to rest upside down.
One of two passengers in the vehicle, William "Billy" Johns, age 20, of Dorchester, was fatally injured as a result of the accident. Johns was reported as wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Ground was officially broken this past week on the new Allamakee County Public Safety Center to be constructed at the former Makee Manor site along State Highway 9 just north of Waukon. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday evening, April 19, with a small crowd in attendance. Pictured below performing the groundbreaking duties are, left to right: veteran Allamakee County Dispatcher Revelyn Lonning, Allamakee County Public Safety Center Committee Chairperson John Ellingson, Allamakee County Board of Supervisors members Dennis Koenig, Dan Byrnes and Larry Schellhammer, and Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick. Sheriff Mellick explained that digging for the building's footings is expected to begin within the next two weeks, with the actual structure expected to take shape in June of this year and a move-in date planned for late February/early March of 2017.
 

Waukon High School seniors Nicole Behrend and Joe Frieden were selected as the 2016 Waukon High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 23. Behrend was selected from a Queen court that also involved fellow seniors Jade Diop, Annika Wahlberg and Alyvia Jones. Frieden was chosen from a King court that included fellow seniors Gus Pladsen, Mason McMillan and Adam Drew.
 

Kee High School seniors Kristina Mooney and Cross Colsch were selected as the 2016 Kee High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 23. Mooney was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Lily Winters, Sydney Stahl, Marissa Dodd and Aubreanna McQuade. Colsch was chosen from a King court that included fellow seniors Logan Flack, Jacob Clauson, Josh Yeoman and Ethan Walleser. Photo courtesy of Sheila Simmonds.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 25 with a meeting split between two locations to accommodate the large crowd expected for a scheduled public hearing in regard to an ordinance for ATV/UTV use on County secondary roads. The first part of the meeting took place in the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry with around 100 individuals in attendance, a majority of them in favor of the proposed ordinance which would allow ATV/UTV use on County gravel roads during a designated timeframe throughout the year.