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by Joe Moses

Nearly a month ago, the morning of July 20, a couple of contributing factors led to an unplanned discharge and fish kill in a tributary of Paint Creek south of Waukon. That morning, a spill of 76,000 pounds of yeast originating from Aveka Nutra Processing in Waukon followed by a lagoon pump failure at Waukon’s water treatment facility resulted in a discharge into that local stream causing a minor fish kill. In response, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued an advisory to not allow pets or livestock to drink from this creek for a three-day period or until that water cleared up.

Since that incident, officials for both Aveka Nutra Processing and the City of Waukon have been meeting and communicating in regard to trying to prevent and certainly lessen the impact of any such incidents in the future.

Following an initial announcement in mid-July of planning to return to in-person learning to start the 2020-2021 school year, the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors and administration met in a July 29 work session to discuss details and scenarios of the district’s approach to the new school year. That discussion included reviewing such materials as reopening survey results from schools within the Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) and legal guidance from the district’s law firm of Ahlers & Cooney out of Des Moines in helping formulate the district’s plan to bring students back to the classroom.

The ACSD Learning Plan details were announced early last week, with the complete learning plan for the new school year now being made available to student households and also available on the school district website at www.allamakee.k12.ia.us.

Another single-digit increase in confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 for Allamakee County this past week bounced back and forth on the State of Iowa daily updated website a bit before settling in at four additional confirmed cases over the past seven days. That increase brings the Allamakee County case total to 155, with 137 of those listed as being recovered as of Monday, August 10.

After two consecutive days of no new cases early last week, the State of Iowa website listed back-to-back days for Allamakee County of two new cases each Thursday and Friday, August 6 and 7, but one of those new cases was removed from the Allamakee County total by Saturday, August 8. However, an additional case was added right back in Sunday, August 9, with no new confirmed cases reported Monday, August 10 to leave Allamakee County at its 155 total cases.

Monday, July 27 the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) released its Return to Learn plan to the public for the 2020-2021 school year. The overall plan released to the public includes a basic overview of the EACSD plan, a general outline of what that plan will entail and a final overview of the purpose and process of putting the plan together. It is available for viewing in its entirety at www.e-allamakee.k12.ia.us, along with a bullet-pointed quick facts document and a video featuring EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier offering further insight and explanation.

Eight young women involved within the Iowa dairy community will compete to win the title of 67th Iowa Dairy Princess this Thursday, August 6 at 2 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny. The Iowa Dairy Princess and her alternate are charged with helping consumers learn more about dairy products and the farm families who tend the farms and cows that provide them.

Allamakee County will be well represented at this year’s event, as both Allamakee County Dairy Princess Faith Palmer and Allamakee County Alternate Dairy Princess Kaylee Gibbs will be in attendance. Both were crowned in their respective roles last year, but with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing cancellation of this year’s Allamakee County Dairy Banquet, both have also agreed to continue to serve in those roles for another year.

A slow but steady increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases within Allamakee County continued this past week, with six new cases being reported by the State of Iowa. That case increase leaves the Allamakee County case total at 151 as of Monday, August 3, according to information shared by the State of Iowa on its daily updated website, www.coronavirus.iowa.gov.

School year is scheduled to begin August 24, with registration beginning next week

by Brianne Eilers

As the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year approaches, parents and students are wondering what the new school year will look like. While the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) has not made a firm declaration as to how learning will take place yet, the district did have to submit a Return to Learn plan to the State of Iowa by the beginning of the month of July addressing on-site learning, continuous (or virtual/online) learning and a hybrid of both.

Allamakee County continued to see a slow increase in new confirmed cases of COVID-19 this past week, according to information gathered from both the Iowa Department of Public Health and Allamakee County Public Health as of Monday, July 27. That slower increase in this past week’s timeframe from Tuesday, July 21 through Monday, July 27 saw five new cases reported in the county.

The past week began with three cases reported early in the week, including two new cases Tuesday, July 21 and one more the following day. One more case was reported near the end of last week’s work week, Friday, July 24, with the State of Iowa adding one more new case to the county total Monday, July 27.

This past week’s slower increase leaves Allamakee County with 145 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since those numbers first began being reported in mid-March this year. Allamakee County Public Health officials say that as of Monday, July 27 seven of those cases remain in isolation.
 

A late Saturday morning, July 25 motorcycle accident near Harpers Ferry claimed the life of a Minnesota man. At approximately 11:38 a.m. Saturday, the Allamakee County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center received a report of a single-occupant motorcycle crash on County Road X52 (Great River Road) approximately three miles north of Harpers Ferry.

An accident report released by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office explains that Gary Lee Thomforde, age 69, of Red Wing, MN was traveling southbound on County Road X52 and failed to negotiate a curve in the road. Thomforde was thrown from the motorcycle at the time of the accident.

Thomforde was transported to a La Crosse, WI hospital by ambulance. He died of injuries he sustained in the crash.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) investigated and continues to assess a fish kill in a tributary of Paint Creek south of Waukon which was found to be the result of a pair of incidents that took place in succession Monday, July 20, according to an initial media release from the DNR.

Shortly after 11 a.m. that Monday, operators at the City of Waukon Wastewater Treatment Plant on the southeast edge of Waukon reported to the DNR that Aveka Nutra Processing in north Waukon spilled approximately 76,000 pounds of yeast, which was running into the treatment plant through the City’s sanitary sewer system. Normally, the treatment plant routes such spills into a lagoon before being treated in the plant.