Top Stories

The 2015 Lansing Fish Days celebration was met with nearly ideal weather conditions for the August 6-9 annual event that included the Venetian Night spectacle that takes place every three years and had this year's theme of "Rockin' on the River" on full display with this lead boat pictured above passing underneath the Black Hawk Bridge. Additional photos of the fun and wide variety of activities from this year's Lansing Fish Days celebration are printed in this week's issue of The Standard, and many more photos can also be viewed in the Photo Galleries section of The Standard's website. Standard photo by Bob Beach.
 

by Sharon Drahn
Postville Herald

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has announced she will continue to host a series of town meetings across Iowa, including Allamakee County within the next week. These town meetings are open to the public.
Senator Ernst will be in Waukon Monday, August 10, beginning at 9:30 a.m. She will hold her town meeting at that time at the Vet’s Club, located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon, and invites area residents to discuss issues of concern with her at that time.
 

by Bob Beach

The t-shirt quilt pictured above recalls some of the history of Lansing Fish Days, as two dozen t-shirts from past Fish Days celebrations were used to create the commemorative quilt. The quilt was designed and quilted by Teri Collins of Harpers Ferry with materials paid for by the Lansing Lions Club and the t-shirts donated by Karen Galema and Sue English. The quilt, along with other locally produced and donated items that include a metal decorative sign donated by Big River Companies, Inc., a large handmade lighthouse bird house donated by Luster Heights Correctional Facility and a metal Black Hawk Bridge welcome sign donated by Trinity Fabricators, will be part of a raffle sponsored by the Lansing Lions Club. Raffle items can be viewed at the Lions Club booth during the Lansing Fish Days celebration taking place this weekend, August 6-9 in Lansing, and tickets for the raffle may be purchased at that booth or from any Lions Club member.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Iowa to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding during the period of June 20-25 earlier this year.
President Barack Obama's declaration action makes federal funding available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms during that timeframe in Allamakee, Appanoose, Butler, Clayton, Dallas, Davis, Des Moines, Guthrie, Howard, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Marion, Mitchell, Monroe, Warren, Wayne, Winneshiek and Wright counties.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that a no-wake zone for all vessels is now in effect north of the Black Hawk Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River at Lansing. The no-wake zone is in place for approximately one mile from the bridge extending north along the main channel of the Mississippi. The no-wake zone has been created as a safety precaution while the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers completes dredging work along the main channel and is expected to be in place for approximately two weeks.
“We’ve had some boats go through there at full bore and that is a very dangerous situation because of the equipment that is in place for the dredging work,” said Burt Walters, Iowa DNR Conservation Officer. Walters said it is important for boaters to observe the no-wake zone and use extreme caution as they pass through the area being dredged.
 

These Allamakee County 4-H members pictured above are among those who advanced to the Iowa State Fair with their projects or exhibits presented at the Allamakee County Fair. Left to right - Front row: Allie Bieber, Makayla Manning, Rachel Rosendahl, Victoria Waters, Taya Duehr, Madelyn Helgerson. Second row: Brandon Bieber, Andrew Mellick, Rebecca Thorstenson, Diana Davison, Makenzi Marting. Third row: Kortney Wood, Mary Melcher, Jillian Fish. Back row: Bethany Stock, Emma Johnson, Carley Sweeney, Christa Heffern. Also having their projects or exhibits advance on to the Iowa State Fair but not pictured in the above photo are Gus Pladsen, Amber Schutte, Shelby Wild, Madalyn Palmer, Austin Schutte, Jenna Schutte, Katelyn Benzing and Kasi Curtin. Submitted photo.
 

by Bob Beach

All members of the Iowa congressional delegation have added their support for Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s recent request for a federal declaration of a major disaster for the state as a result of severe weather that occurred during the period of June 20-25. A letter of support for the declaration was signed by Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and Representatives Steve King, Dave Loebsack, Rod Blum and David Young.
“The Governor determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to handle effectively and federal assistance is needed,” the members wrote. Severe weather that produced damaging winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, hail and thunderstorms resulting in flooding impacted 19 counties.