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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.

by Joe Moses

Area residents have received a text message claiming to be sent from Viking State Bank & Trust in Decorah Friday, April 1 that is reported to be a scam, according to the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office.
The text states it is an “important message from security department” and provides a link to click on that will ask for account numbers. An image of the message that has appeared on area phones is pictured at right.
Anyone who receives the text should not respond, the Sheriff’s Office reported. Viking State Bank advises any customers who might receive the text not to enter any personal information.
The message should be deleted immediately.

The European Gypsy Moth is a destructive defoliator of over 300 species of trees and shrubs, especially oaks. Repeated defoliation by gypsy moth weakens trees and can ultimately lead to tree death.
Public meetings will be held in the two counties where treatments are planned in 2016. The public is invited to learn more about gypsy moth, view maps of the proposed treatment areas and ask questions. Representatives from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will be present.
Public meetings are set for the following locations:
Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Bellevue Community Center, 1700 State Street in Bellevue, Jackson County.
Wednesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. at Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank Community Center, 395 Main Street in Lansing.

by Brianne Eilers

The picture above shows an all too common site throughout Allamakee County following the accumulation of a reported half-inch of ice that covered the area Wednesday evening, March 23 into Thursday morning, March 24. As evident in the above photo, the heavy ice accumulation "frosted" tree branches and nearly everything else outside with a ghostly white layer but also weighed heavy on tree limbs and power lines, with high winds compounding that difficulty and resulting in the loss of electrical power sporadically and for varying lengths of time throughout the area overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning, but over a much wider spread area of the county for approximately two hours from mid to late Thursday morning. Weather forecasters had predicted four to eight inches of snow to accompany that storm (which did fall just a bit further north), and although not welcomed by many, may have been preferred to the damage left behind by the icy layer that took its place.

submitted by Allamakee County Conservation Board

Mark Reiser, lifelong Allamakee County resident, has announced his candidacy for Allamakee County Board of Supervisors on the Republican ballot. Together with his wife of 37 years, Nancy and Mark are the parents of four daughters who, along with their spouses, have blessed them with seven grandchildren.
Reiser says he believes in property owners' rights with limited government intervention. Being fiscally responsible, using common sense and having conservative decision-making principles have helped him succeed as a dairy and beef farmer.
"I pledge to represent Allamakee County residents in a way that assures that all of our children and grandchildren will have an affordable and enjoyable place to live and raise their families," Reiser says. "I will listen to you and will appreciate your support at the polls."

by Lissa Blake