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Friday, May 22 at approximately 5:45 p.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single off-road vehicle accident. A report issued by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office indicates that a Can Am off-road vehicle was traveling southbound on Scott Hollow Road in rural Allamakee County, to the northeast of Monona, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle rolled onto the driver’s side, pinning the male driver under the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle was the only occupant at the time of the accident. The driver, Isaac Matthew Hanson, age 25 of Luana, was pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of injuries received in the accident.

A variety of Memorial Day activities are being planned for the upcoming holiday weekend, including all the traditional Memorial Day observances this year scheduled for Monday, May 25 in area communities within Allamakee County. Those traditions of parades, full cemetery programs and wreath laying are being planned in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country, with details of some of those celebrations being outlined on this page in their respective frames.

Tuesday, June 2 will be the Primary Election to determine which candidates will be representing their respective political parties in the 2026 General Election in November. An election notice listing the respective races in each of the Republican and Democratic parties will be published in an upcoming edition of this newspaper, listing races at the Federal, State and County levels of government for voters to make their selections in, along with additional ballot and election information.

In-person absentee voting for this year’s Primary Election begins Wednesday, May 13 and lasts through Monday, June 1 in the Auditor’s Office at the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday each week.

The deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot be mailed to them for this year’s Primary Election is this coming Monday, May 18. A mailed absentee ballot may be requested from the Auditor’s Office by calling 563-568-3522.

by Joe Moses

Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) coordinated a tour Wednesday, April 29 showcasing a variety of recent and ongoing projects relating to housing, business, conservation and utilities in Waukon. This tour was open to representatives and professionals from various entities including state and local government, economic development, education and the business community. Approximately 30 individuals along with ACED Executive Director Val Reinke traveled by bus between the eight locations visited in the Waukon area with several other individuals following and joining the tour via their own transportation.

After receiving approval from the Iowa Utilities Commission and permits from the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors, Alliant Energy began construction earlier this spring on a large battery energy storage system (BESS) in Lansing. The new battery facility will sit on the site of Alliant’s former Lansing Generating Station south of Lansing, which the company retired in 2023 after operating for more than 70 years. Alliant Energy selected the site to support reliable energy for customers and the community.

Craig Petersen, a 1980 graduate of Waukon High School, recently completed a long and rewarding career with the United States Coast Guard. He is the son of Anita and the late Marvin Petersen of Waukon.

“Forty-five years, seven months, 12 days, or so says the computer totaling my enlisted, officer, and now civilian time,” said Petersen at his second retirement ceremony at Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, HI. “Seventy-percent of my life, and all of my adult life since graduating high school has been in service to the nation and the U.S. Coast Guard. That represents 19% of the Coast Guard’s time since its beginnings as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790.”

by Denise Beyer
Allamakee County Auditor, Commissioner of Elections

Any eligible voter can vote in the Primary Election in Iowa, however both the Republican and Democratic parties have a “closed” Primary, meaning voters must be registered with the political party whose Primary they wish to vote in. Voters in Iowa have the right to change their party affiliation on the day of the Primary Election to vote that party’s ballot.

Waukon business owners Arturo Barreda and Jose Velarde of Fiesta Vallarta were recognized with a Rand Fisher Rural Business Leadership Award by the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC) at the 10th annual Iowa Rural Summit held April 9-10 in Dubuque. The award recognizes individuals and organizations for their leadership and impact on small towns across the state of Iowa.

At a luncheon attended by more than 400 people, Barreda and Velarde were celebrated for their successful effort to turn a vacant building in the heart of Waukon’s downtown district into a successful restaurant at the stoplight intersection of Main Street and Spring Avenue. Among that large gathering were family members of the two business owners, along with leaders from other Waukon, Allamakee County and northeast Iowa entities who were instrumental in helping Barreda and Velarde achieve their goal.

Waukon High School seniors Brandon Leppert (left) and Claire Schulte (right) were crowned as the 2026 Waukon High School Prom King and Queen at the annual event held Saturday, April 25. Schulte was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Breelyn Dahlstrom, Kendra Gibbs and Anastasia Guchshenkov. Leppert was chosen from a King court that also included fellow seniors Joey Courtney, Noah Hager and Connor Stilwell.

In the very early morning hours of Sunday, April 19, at approximately 12:36 a.m., an Allamakee County Sheriff’s Deputy located a vehicle parked at Wild Landing near the intersection of Iowa River Drive and Lycurgus Road along the Upper Iowa River in Allamakee County. A check of the vehicle indicated that it was registered to a male from Rochester, MN who had been reported missing since Thursday, April 16.

A search of the surrounding area and the Upper Iowa River was conducted and was unsuccessful. Monday, April 20, law enforcement returned to the area and began searching by boat. At approximately 11:54 a.m. the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual reporting a body in the Upper Iowa River. Officers with the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to the location and confirmed a male individual was located in the water approximately three miles down river from Wild Landing.