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Students at Waukon High School and Waukon Middle School were presented with a reminder of the impacts of choices they make through a mock traffic accident conducted Tuesday, April 22 by local emergency responders and a presentation by the Iowa State Patrol and the families of two teenage girls from Dubuque who lost their lives in a traffic accident in the very early morning hours of July 1, 2022. The mock accident event was purposely held during the week prior to the Waukon High School Prom scheduled for Saturday, April 26 in an effort to emphasize to the students the importance of making good choices.

For the second time in a span of five months, defense attorneys in the first degree murder case of Brandon Kasemeier, the now 41-year-old man from Waukon charged in the January 21, 2024 death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, have filed a motion for a change of venue for the upcoming trial in the case. Kasemeier’s defense team of Raya Dimitrova and Erin Carr of Carr Law Firm, P.L.C., Des Moines had originally filed a motion for a change of venue December 6, 2024 based on pre-trial publicity, a motion that was denied by Iowa First Judicial District Judge Alan Heavens.

The 2025 Waukon High School Prom is scheduled to be held this Saturday, April 26 at the Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open to the public at 7 p.m. for the Grand March, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Parents, family and community members may view the Grand March either seated in the auditorium or standing in the gym.

Following the Grand March will be the coronation of this year’s Prom King and Queen. Visitors are asked to exit the building after the coronation in order for students to start the Prom dance, which is scheduled to begin at approximately 9 p.m. Students who signed up for Post Prom must be inside the doors of the Waukon High School Cafeteria by 11:30 p.m. in order to participate.

The 2025 Kee High School Prom is scheduled for this Saturday, April 26. Pictured above are this year’s senior class Queen and King candidates for the annual event. Left to right - Top row: Queen candidates Ashlyn Henkes, Lily Howe, Zoey Timmerman; Bottom row: King candidates Sawyer Gramlich, Brendan Jones, Gabe Mattson.

The annual Prom banquet will be held at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall on Main Street in Lansing, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a meal and 2018 Kee graduate Chloe Severson being the guest speaker at the event. The Prom dance will also take place in the banquet hall this year following the Grand March and coronation of this year’s Prom King and Queen that will take place in the Kee High School gymnasium.

Little Miss competition for girls ages 7-9, Fair Queen contest for ages 16-21

The Allamakee County Fair Board is seeking applicants for the 2025 Allamakee County Fair Queen contest and is also offering a similar pageant experience to younger girls again this year, as the 2025 Allamakee County Fair will run from July 16-20. The Allamakee County Fair Queen Contest is open to young ladies ages 16-21, and the Allamakee County Fair Little Miss competition is also going to be held again this year for girls ages 7-9.

Main Street Lansing welcomed nearly 40 community members, volunteers, and local leaders to its Annual Meeting held Thursday, March 27 at The Buck Stops Here on Main Street in Lansing. The evening served as a celebration of the organization’s 2024 accomplishments, a look ahead at exciting new initiatives, and an opportunity to recognize the individuals and businesses making a difference in downtown Lansing.

Board of Directors President Chris Troendle opened the meeting with remarks on transparency, communication, and the power of community engagement. He emphasized the importance of celebrating the momentum of the past year while continuing to build a vibrant and welcoming downtown.

Allamakee County authorities continue seeking information from other possible victims

The five individuals from Iowa and Wisconsin recently charged with violations of Iowa securities laws by the Iowa Insurance Division Fraud Bureau had their first scheduled appearances in Allamakee County District Court Wednesday, April 9. Those initial appearances were scheduled after an investigation was conducted following an initial local complaint and a February 1 investment meeting was arranged in Waukon by undercover investigators from the Iowa Insurance Division Fraud Bureau involving the five individuals who were determined to be acting as agents for a company named Bright Silver LLC.

The Waukon Fire Department was called to 28 Spring Avenue in downtown Waukon at approximately 4 a.m. Friday, April 4 for a report of a fire in the three-building structure pictured in the photo at right. Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin reported that a tenant in one of the two apartments in the back of the structure called building owner Rachel Curtin after he heard a smoke detector ringing in the front business area of the structure. Upon her arrival, smoke could be seen emerging from the front of the building, and a 911 call was placed dispatching the Waukon Fire Department to the scene.

The Waukon High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) continued to extend the recent dynasty it has established at the annual State Leadership Conference, winning its fifth consecutive Lloyd V. Douglas Chapter of the Year Award at the 2025 Iowa FBLA State Leadership Conference held at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids March 30-April 1. This year’s competition saw the Waukon chapter tally 477 points, 133 points ahead of second-place Waukee.

Waukon FBLA Advisor Joanne Ericson noted that this is the first year that it is required by State of Iowa legislation that schools that have a business or information solutions program also have a career and technical student organization, with three organizations being available to choose from for business programs - FBLA, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), and BPA (Business Professionals of America).

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is working to protect 21 acres located 12 miles northeast of Decorah in Allamakee County, along Quandahl Drive and Bear Creek. This unique site offers rare geological formations, a high-quality coldwater stream, and native woodland and prairie plant communities.

INHF will work with partners to open the property to the public and expand use around the adjacent North Bear Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is owned by the State of Iowa and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The property is not currently open to the public.

Preservation of the site includes protecting 0.35 miles of Bear Creek, a coldwater stream with naturally reproducing brown trout and catchable rainbow trout. The site also includes an algific talus slope - a rare landform where a steep north-facing hillside releases cool air from ice found in cracks and caverns underground.