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by Julie Berg-Raymond

When Jim Janett retired from the Allamakee County Conservation Department last month, he left an organization of which he’d been a part almost since its inception.

While county conservation boards have existed in Iowa since 1956 - a year after the 56th General Assembly passed the “County Conservation Law,” which created a conservation-outdoor recreation program - it wasn’t until 1989 that Allamakee County was added as the state’s 99th, and last, county conservation board. The Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) was established in January of that year, and Janett started working part-time for them in September.

by Ellen Modersohn

Train derailments in East Palestine, OH in February and in De Soto, WI earlier this month have many Allamakee County residents wondering what would happen if there were a toxic spill or fire resulting from a rail accident here. Tracks used by Canadian Pacific (CP) run along the Mississippi River on the county’s eastern border and cross its southwestern corner at Postville.

CP merged in December 2022 with the Kansas City Southern railroad and Corey Snitker, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator, expects the volume of trains along the eastern tracks in the county to double, to an average of 14 trains per day.

by Dwight Jones

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness and combat the stigma that often surrounds this medical condition. Discussing mental health and/or acknowledging you or someone you know may have a problem can be a difficult subject to talk about and even harder to understand.

In order to try to better recognize mental health issues, The Standard is running a five-part series throughout the month to look at how mental illness affects local families, law enforcement, social workers, etc.

Part One of the five-part series in last week’s edition of The Standard told the story of a 19-year-old local college student that suffers from severe anxiety and depression that has used medication and therapy to get well. Unfortunately, not all stories of those struggling with mental health have a happy ending.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall will host the Lansing premiere of “SHIFT: The RAGBRAI Documentary” this Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. The event includes a purple carpet event; drinks and complimentary movie food; a silent auction supporting 10 local non-profits, the Eastern Allamakee School District (EACS), and other organizations; and a Q&A session with the filmmakers and film participants. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at Lansingiowa.com.

Directed by Kelsey Kremer and Courtney Crowder and starring Dayna Chandler, Torie Giffin, Daniel Giffin, Adam Lineberry, Liam Lineberry and Lansing’s own Andrew Boddicker and Ian Zahren, the film’s running time is 57 minutes.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation this past week for Allamakee County in response to flooding that began April 24 along the Mississippi River. The governor’s proclamation activated the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program (IIAGP) and the Iowa Disaster Case Management (IDCM) Program.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program (IIAGP) may provide up to $5,000 of assistance, reimbursement and/or vendor voucher, for covered items to households with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Households may be eligible for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and repair or replacement of personal items damaged by the flood event.

Applications can be made through the local Northeast Iowa Community Action office and must be received within 45 days from the date of the proclamation. The final day to apply for the assistance is June 12 of this year.

by Dwight Jones

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness and reduce the stigma that often surrounds this horrible disease. Talking about mental health and/or acknowledging you or someone you know may have a problem is definitely more acceptable than it has been throughout history, but it is still a difficult subject to talk about and even harder to understand.

In order to try to better understand mental health and how it effects local families, The Standard is planning to run a five-part series throughout the month of May that will look at the disease from different viewpoints - from those who fought the disease and have thus far overcome it, and also tell the stories that unfortunately had tragic endings.

Crawford County, WI officials received a report of derailment of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train on the banks of the Mississippi River just to the south of De Soto, WI at approximately 12:15 p.m. Thursday, April 27. As pictured in the surrounding photos provided courtesy of Amy Ping Knutson of De Soto, WI, a freight train traveling southbound derailed off the tracks, causing two of the three locomotives and a reported number of 10 railroad cars to veer off the tracks, with most of those derailed vessels ending up on the banks of the elevated railway or in the ditch area (filled with water at the time due to flooding) between the railroad tracks and Wisconsin Hwy. 35.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

When, in 2021, Daniel Wagner - along with his Kee High School classmate at the time, Damon Weber - first came up with the idea of re-starting a farmer’s market in Lansing, Wagner was thinking it would be cool to buy the products of peoples’ hard work directly from the producers - whether they be handcrafted goods, or fresh-grown produce.

Kee High School seniors Cota Gavin (left) and Brooklyn Bakewell (right) were selected as the 2023 Kee High School Prom King and Queen at the annual event held Saturday, April 22. Bakewell was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Alyssa Darling, Monica Davis and Jayden Rankin. Gavin was chosen from a King court that also included fellow seniors Jackson Poley, Ben Franceschetti and Dylan Waterworth. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook.
 

Waukon High School seniors Paige Hansmeier (left) and James VanderVelden (right) were selected as the 2023 Waukon High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 22. Hansmeier was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Maycie Curtin, Cassidy Gibbs and Kiersten Gibbs. VanderVelden was chosen from a King court that also included fellow seniors Evan O’Neill, Kael Crawford and Jakob Regan.