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The scheduling of an arson trial for Mindy Jo Jones stemming from the February 13, 2022 fire that destroyed her Tin, Rust and Harmony business located at 9 Allamakee Street in Waukon will have to wait at least another month, following discussion at a Monday, April 1 review hearing of the case held by teleconference in Allamakee County District Court.

Monday’s review hearing had originally been scheduled to try and determine a jury trial date for Jones in that February 22 arson case. However, following the sentencing of Jones the previous Friday, March 29 in Fillmore County, MN to a 27-month incarceration after her conviction on several counts of felony theft in that state, the legal representation involved on both sides of the arson case agreed to delay any trial date decisions until details of her incarceration in Minnesota are further clarified, according to Allamakee County Anthony Gericke.

Three Allamakee County leadership positions up for election this year each have a differing degree of candidate options following the March 22 deadline to file candidacy paperwork to be on this year’s June 4 Primary Election ballot. One Allamakee County Board of Supervisors seat, along with the offices of Auditor and Sheriff, are all up for election this year, with the General Election scheduled for November 5. No candidacy paperwork has been filed by anyone from the Democrat party for any of the three positions.

Incumbent Republican Denise Beyer of Waukon is the lone candidate to file paperwork for the office of Allamakee County Auditor. She will be seeking her fourth four-year term in that office, after first being elected in 2012.

by Kelli Boylen

Luster Heights, located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River south of Harpers Ferry, was a minimum security prison camp from 1962 until the Iowa Department of Corrections closed the facility in 2017. Soon, this land will have a new life as the McGregor District Headquarters of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) McGregor District office was located against the base of the bluff between McGregor and Marquette from the 1980s until 2015. The building was vacated due to mold issues resulting from water damage and frequent damage to vehicles from tumbling rocks falling off the bluff. The USFWS staff has been housed in a leased building north of Prairie du Chien, WI since and has been searching for a permanent location.

Mallory Mohn, daughter of Clint and Noelle Mohn of Lansing, was crowned the 2024 Allamakee County Dairy Princess at the annual Allamakee County Dairy Banquet held Saturday, March 23 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Additional photos of award winners and other recognition from the 2024 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will appear in a future edition of The Standard. Photo by Paula Enyart.
 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the National Weather Service have designated March 25-29 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state of Iowa. Spring weather brings warmer temperatures and the threat of severe weather, including tornadoes.

The Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency wants to take this opportunity to notify the public of the intent to conduct a countywide Tornado Drill and test city emergency warning sirens Wednesday, March 27 at 10 a.m. during the Statewide Tornado Drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week activities.

Allamakee County Treasurer Jennifer O’Neill would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by March 31. Those tax payments can be made at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Property owners are reminded to bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty will begin to apply April 2.

E-check and credit card payments are also accepted online at www.iowatreasurers.org. Property owners will need their receipt number to pay by E-check, and this can be found on their tax statement.

Snow flurries at times drifted through the air and wind chills dipped into the 20-degree range, but the streets of Waukon were still filled with the warmth of the Irish spirit that was on full display during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade held Sunday, March 17 in Waukon. The nearly 150 parade entries that made their way along this year’s parade route took approximately 45 minutes to complete their circuit of Irish celebration. Additional photos taken by Standard Assistant Editor Joe Moses from this year’s parade can be found on Page 16 inside this same edition of The Standard. All of the parade photos found in this issue, along with many more from Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, are available for viewing/purchase by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website at www.waukonstandard.com. A video of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade can also be found on The Standard Newspaper’s Facebook page.

The photo above shows the gap created in the Black Hawk Bridge following the removal of several spans of the bridge while repair work continues to replace the cement piers that had recently shifted, causing a portion of the bridge deck and railing on the east end of the bridge to do the same. The bridge was closed February 25 due to that shift, with those concrete piers currently being replaced by steel support structures that will allow for the displaced bridge spans (sitting at right in the photo) to be put back into place and the bridge to open again to traffic, with the repair project anticipated to continue at least through the end of April.
 

The 2024 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet is scheduled to be held this Saturday, March 23 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Food service will start at 7 p.m. and the program will begin at 8 p.m. Banquet tickets can be purchased at the door.

The annual celebration recognizes the importance of the dairy industry in Allamakee County and the contributions dairy families make to this important industry. Every year, top producers from the county are recognized at the banquet. In addition, several other awards are presented that evening, some of which include the following:
• Outstanding Young Dairy Family Award
• Pioneer Dairyman
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.

A recent State of Iowa law change requires county auditors to mail a statement to their county taxpayers by March 20 with state-specified information related to proposed local government budgets and proposed property tax rates, according to Iowa Code 24.2A.

The information on the statements is for taxes payable in September 2024 and March 2025. Property owners should receive a statement if they expect to receive a property tax bill in September. Taxpayers owning more than one property may receive multiple letters if those properties are in different tax districts.

“I believe the HF718 legislation was passed to help improve transparency of the budget process for cities, schools and the county,” stated Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer.