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by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, November 28 to address a full agenda of matters including an update relating to the Veterans Memorial Hospital City-ownership to County-ownership conversion, discussion of improvements and increased maintenance of Hickory Nut Drive, and discussion relating to the condition of Allamakee County Courthouse restrooms, among other matters.

During Public Comment, Lansing area resident Doug Mullen discussed the City-ownership to County-ownership conversion of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) following the passage of Public Measure AN in the November 8 General Election. Mullen noted that he believes many who voted in favor of the conversion did so due to their perception that a vote against the measure would result in the closure of the hospital.

Allamakee County officially will reopen Iowa River Drive (County Road A26) at 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 23. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour said there is some finishing work to be completed yet next spring, with flaggers and pilot cars being used at that time for traffic control in order to avoid any further detours. The project began in mid-April of this year, resulting in a detour that took traffic through Lansing before heading north to New Albin. The six-mile stretch of roadway that was worked upon between just west of Wheatland Drive and the Iowa River Drive intersection with Great River Road (State Highway 26) involved grading, culvert replacements, small bridge replacement, areas of full pavement removal, areas of milling of the asphalt surface, and a new hot mix asphalt pavement being laid down the entire six-mile length of the project.

Find some reflection by family members of some early and long-time employees of the Lansing Generating Station here.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

As winter begins to make itself known around the Driftless region, residents cozy up in their homes, turn on the lights a little earlier than the day before and are thankful for consistent electricity which is supplied by Alliant Energy throughout Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train will return to the rails this season on its first cross-continent tour in three years, following virtual concerts in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The 24th Annual Holiday Train will again raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CP network, making its way through northeast Iowa Wednesday, December 7 with stops in Guttenberg, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before the final stop of that day in La Crescent, MN.

The City of Waukon is working with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on a program to help improve housing in the area. The Rural Housing Readiness Assessment program, or RHRA, has been implemented in over 40 rural communities across Iowa and has won numerous awards for assisting communities in the development of housing action plans.

The program begins with a self-assessment of the community that collects relevant plans, studies, resolutions and ordinances. As part of this assessment, input from the wider community is sought through a survey to help highlight housing needs from residents and people who travel to Waukon to work. November 30 is the deadline for the survey.

Members of the First Presbyterian Church in Waukon have assumed the role of organizing this year’s Holiday Parade in Waukon. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 8, beginning at 7 p.m., in an effort to coordinate with the local Holiday Hop event being planned by Waukon businesses earlier that same evening.

Anyone from the general public, business community, school or any community organization is invited to decorate any vehicle, float, side-by-side or other creative avenue with lights and participate in the parade as it travels through downtown Waukon. All registered entries will be entered in a drawing for prizes, and there will also be a Grand Prize awarded for the most festive float.

by Lissa Blake

Looking back at how he spent his summer, Waukon High School graduate Owen Frieden has a lot to reflect upon. He hiked 2,194.3 miles across 13 states in 149 days, all on the Appalachian Trail in the eastern United States. Not only was the long journey the greatest adventure of his life thus far, he says he also made “an unfathomable number of friendships that will last a lifetime.” Frieden shared photos and commentary from much of his epic adventure on his Facebook blog: https://www.facebook.com/WOATH22.

Nearly 60% of registered voters in Allamakee County cast a ballot in the November 8 General Election, resulting in 5,849 votes being recorded by Allamakee County residents. Although that local turn-out was part of this year’s statewide trend of being one of the largest voter participations in recent history for a mid-term election (at slightly less than 55% statewide), area voters also had added incentive with the inclusion of the much more local decision of determining the ownership fate of their local hospital.

Local families share newspaper keepsakes commemorating the service of many Allamakee County Veterans from WWII and Korean War eras

A pair of Waukon families had a similar idea of honoring veterans from the local area when they recently brought in separate items saved from past issues of the local newspaper. Those items, pictured as smaller samples in the images accompanying this article, are viewable in much larger versions elsewhere inside the November 9, 2022 newspaper, along with other honorings of area veterans as Veterans Day approaches this Friday, November 11.

A veteran of the Korean War, Sickles turns 90 this Veterans Day, Nov. 11

by Julie Berg-Raymond

He was named Floyd at birth, but no one calls him that; everyone knows him as Ray. Ray Sickles - native-born to the creeks and woods of Allamakee County; logger; Korean War veteran; much-loved dad - took up painting at 60 years old, after a life of hard work had begun taking its toll on his back.

Three decades later, he’s still at it - having long ago refined his technique, and developing a distinctive style, in the process. “He is not one to sit on the couch,” says his daughter, Deb Grotegut, of Waukon. “He has to have something to do, all the time.”