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Change to Kee High School Homecoming for 2023 moves public coronation ceremony to this Sunday ...

Kee High School will be celebrating its 2023 Homecoming the week of September 24-30, and that celebration will kick off with a change to the traditional crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen this year. Instead of crowning this year’s King and Queen at the traditional Friday afternoon pep rally toward the end of Homecoming Week, that coronation event will now kick off the week full of celebration and is taking place this coming Sunday evening, September 24 at 5:45 p.m. and will also include the illumination of a lighted Kee High School display in the interior entrance area of the high school building, near the high school office location. The public is invited to attend that Sunday ceremony but will then be excused prior to the student-only Dodgeball in the Dark Tournament scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Allamakee County became the 18th county in the state of Iowa, and the 11th county in northeast Iowa, to institute a ban on open burning as Extreme Drought conditions continue to grip many of those same counties, especially in the northeast Iowa region. That ban became effective as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 12 after all six fire chiefs in Allamakee County agreed the ban was necessary and Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker submitted the burn ban request to the State of Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office, which issued the proclamation putting the burn ban into effect.

“Given the extreme dry conditions, lack of future heavy moisture, and with the county being in extreme drought conditions, it was felt this was prudent,” Snitker explained in his email announcing the burn ban.

The Mississippi River bridge connecting Iowa Highway 9 in Lansing to Wisconsin Highway 82 in rural Crawford County, WI stands as an icon for the region. A new icon is in the works to replace this aging structure and improve safety and mobility as motorists and river enthusiasts move around the area.

The cantilever Black Hawk Bridge structure has served the area since 1931 with a closure from 1945 to 1957 when the crossing was damaged by ice dams. Depreciation over time and changing vehicle size and traffic patterns now call for a new, wider, safer crossing.

Working with area residents and interest groups through public meetings and other outreach efforts, the Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation are proud to get started on a new, safe, functional and beautiful bridge that will serve the area for generations. Kraemer North America, LLC headquartered in Plain, WI was awarded the bid following a special bid letting in early August.

by Ellen Modersohn

With the installation this month of an electric vehicle charging station, Lansing is ready to fuel not only locally owned electric vehicles (EVs), but also those owned by seasonal and short-term visitors to the city and those passing through. The Level-2 charging station was installed at the east side of Lansing’s city parking lot along South Front Street.

Lansing’s City Council approved the purchase of the Charge Point station (pictured at far right) from LilyPad EV in December 2022. The $10,994.76 cost of the station was covered by the VW (Volkswagen) Settlement Grant awarded to the City of Lansing in July 2022.

Lansing City Council member Curt Snitker said the charger will be important for tourism in and around Lansing.

Allamakee County Entrepreneurship Week is an annual collaboration between Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism and Lansing Office Works. It is being observed September 18-22 this year with a series of workshops focusing on helping entrepreneurs build their skill and business.

The workshop series will be taking place at Lansing Office Works, located at 274 Main Street in Lansing, unless otherwise noted. The workshops are free of charge and may also include a meal or refreshments. The workshop series includes the following:

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor pictured above for the state of Iowa released by the National Weather Service Thursday, August 31 shows all of Allamakee County, and a majority of northeast Iowa, in the grips of Extreme Drought (as indicated with the red color in the map above). Further information compiled by the National Weather Service notes that the rainfall experienced for the week prior to that August 31 Drought Monitor was no greater than four-tenths (.40) of an inch in the northeast Iowa area, with the average rainfall during that time frame having previously been reported at nine-tenths (.90) of an inch. As a result, the Extreme Drought grew from covering just 5.28% of the state of Iowa as of August 22, to now 17.59% as of the end of August, with most of that Extreme Drought growth coming in the northeast Iowa area.

by Lissa Blake

FreedomBank will celebrate its 120th anniversary of doing business in northeast Iowa with a community meal Tuesday, September 12 in Waukon. A complimentary meal will be offered from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon.

HISTORY
FreedomBank, with locations in Waukon, Elkader, Monona, Postville and Decorah, traces its roots back to Farmersburg Savings Bank of Farmersburg, which started in 1903. March 12, 1903 the decision was made to build a bank at a cost of $2,852, and this bank building is still standing in Farmersburg over one hundred years later.

Wednesday, August 30 at 6:49 p.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office E911 Center received a report of a motor vehicle collision that occurred on State Highway 76 just west of the intersection of Sand Hill Road in Allamakee County, about seven miles southeast of Waukon.

According to the accident report, a pick-up truck and trailer driven by Cody Bauer, age 32, of Dubuque and owned by River City Paving, a division of Mathy Construction, was traveling northbound on State Highway 76 and attempted to make a U-turn to head southbound. A motorcycle driven by Kerry Gene Nuehring, age 60, of Waukon was traveling northbound and struck the side of the trailer, ejecting Nuehring from his motorcycle.

Nuehring was pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The driver and a passenger of the pick-up truck were uninjured. A full obituary for Kerry Nuehring appears on Page 3 in this edition of The Standard.

Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) is seeking nominations for the 2023 “Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award”. To be eligible for the award, the recipient must be a business located in Allamakee County and nominated for the award.

ACED will accept nominations until Wednesday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. The award winner announcement will be made at the ACED Annual Meeting taking place Thursday, October 12 at the Waterville Community Center. The award recipient will receive a plaque and be added to the award plaque that is displayed at the ACED office. This business recognition award was created in 2011 to honor the late Cloy Kuhse, who was an ACED Board of Directors member.

“The award was created to highlight and recognize a business that is making a positive impact in Allamakee County, as well as to honor the memory of Cloy and his vision,” ACED Executive Director Val Reinke stated.

The Allamakee County Fair Board has announced the dates for the 2024 Allamakee County Fair scheduled for next summer. Those dates have been set for Wednesday through Sunday, July 17-21 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. Further event details will be published as they become available.