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by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 18 to discuss a variety of items, one of those being consideration of a change in meeting location for the Board's Monday, April 25 regular meeting that will include a public hearing on the use of County roads within a proposed ATV/UTV trail system. The Board has heard several reports that upwards of 75 individuals could be in attendance at that meeting, many more than what the Board's current meeting area can accommodate. With several larger facilities considered throughout the county, it was decided to hold a portion of Monday's meeting, including that 10:15 a.m. public hearing, at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry. That change of location will also allow the Supervisors the opportunity to tour the Dolores Tillinghast Memorial Library in Harpers Ferry as part of their annual visits to the public libraries that receive funding from the County.

Sunday, April 17 at 11:40 a.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a motorcycle accident that occurred at the intersection of State Highway 76 and Grandview Avenue in Allamakee County, south of Dorchester. A report issued by the Sheriff's Office indicates that Matthew John Benjegerdes, age 53, of West Union lost control of the motorcycle he was driving when one of its tires blew out, injuring both himself and his passenger, Connie Marie Benjegerdes, age 51, of West Union.

Both were transported to Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon for treatment of injuries. Connie Benjegerdes was later transported to a La Crosse, WI hospital for further treatment. Her condition is unknown at this time. Assisting at the scene of the accident was the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office, Waukon Police Department, Waukon Fire Department and Veterans Memorial Ambulance Service.
 

The Luren Singers, along with local musicians Nicole Winke and Daryl Hansmeier, performed to an audience of nearly 200 people at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon Sunday, April 10 in honor of Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg, a long-time member of the group. A free-will offering was taken during the intermission of the performance which generated nearly $5,500 from those in attendance, including a donation from the Luren Singers themselves. The funds raised from the concert will be used toward the naming opportunity in honor of Msgr. Lechtenberg for the main viewing deck at the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center being constructed just south of Lansing. The Luren Singers are the oldest Norwegian-American male chorus, currently in their 148th year of continuous existence in the United States. In addition to being a long-time member of the Luren Singers, Msgr.

According to a report from the Waukon Police Department, failure to set the parking brake resulted in this refrigerated truck rolling backward in the Hardee's parking lot in Waukon and into the adjacent creek area in the southwest corner of that lot Wednesday morning, April 6 just before 8 a.m. Along its journey, the truck, owned by Captain's Choice and operated by Ronald DeLong, age 59, of Buffalo Center, ran into a metal dumpster owned by Waste Management, pushing it into the creek and causing significant damage to the dumpster. The truck undercarriage eventually became hung up on the creek bank edge, preventing the vehicle from traveling further down into the creek. No charges were able to be filed since the incident happened on private property. Submitted photo.
 

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Feel like a good run to help a good cause? Then join Ryan Wade as he runs through Iowa from north to south on a journey of 250 miles to earn funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Wade's goal is to raise $175,000 on his seven-day run through Iowa, called “One Step at a Time.” These monies will help to fund blood cancer research.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors was greeted by a capacity crowd in its board room for its Monday, April 11 regular session, most of those awaiting the meeting's final agenda item dealing with the County's Five-Year Plan for Secondary Roads, most specifically the inclusion of funding for the paving of Columbus Road that would access the new Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center being constructed south of Lansing. Much like those in attendance, the Board ended up being divided on the decision to include funding for Columbus Road, ultimately voting on a two-to-one split decision not to fund that paving project in the County's Five-Year Road Plan and, instead, moving that nearly $159,000 in proposed funding to the one-mile paving project of Makee Drive just north of Waukon that was recently approved for inclusion in the Five-Year Plan via a public hearing at last week's Board meeting.

The general public is invited to a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site of the new Allamakee County Public Safety Center Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Local officials and those involved with the Public Safety Center project will formally break ground at the construction site, located at the former Makee Manor property at 877 State Highway 9, north of Waukon.

For the second consecutive year, the Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter reigned supreme over the annual State Leadership Conference (SLC) held March 31-April 2 in Coralville, defending its state of Iowa championship won at last year’s SLC in record-setting fashion to repeat as the Lloyd V. Douglas Chapter of the Year. Being the first chapter ever to eclipse the 300-point mark in the history of the State Leadership Conference while winning last year’s title, the Waukon chapter recorded 16 first-place event finishes in its total of 92 placewinnings enroute to scoring 331 points this year, nearly 140 points more than this year’s second-place team.

"I am very proud to be associated with this group of high school students,” Waukon High School FBLA Advisor Joan Schwartz said. “Many of these students began working on their projects months ago and all their hard work and studying paid off.”

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Saturday, April 2, a Waukon police officer conducted a traffic stop on Highway 9 just north of Waukon. As a result of the traffic stop, 23-year-old Briante C. Banks of La Crosse, WI was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Interference with Official Acts, after he was found to be providing false identification information. Banks was also found to have an active felony warrant through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
The Waukon Police Department was assisted by the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office. A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.