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Wednesday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum will recognize World War II Veterans with a presentation at its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon. A video interview with U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, the late James Bristol, will be presented.

This long-time Waukon attorney was interviewed by the 5 Sullivan Brothers Museum in 2005. A member of Bristol’s family will also be present to share memories. Jim Bristol was a crew member on a B-29 Superfortress bomber and flew 26 missions over Japan. A short video about the B-29 bomber will also be shown.

The public is invited to attend. There is no admission or membership charge. The facility is handicapped accessible. Light refreshments will be served at the program.

Input is still needed for the community health needs assessment survey. This is required every three years of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding areas served by the hospital. The hospital is still conducting that survey through this Thursday, June 30 and more input is needed from all the area communities.

The intent is to collect a list of the health needs the residents feel are most important. Community Health Needs Assessments gather information to help guide and direct health planning activities.

Information from this survey is compiled and used to update and improve the health plan for this entire service area of the hospital.   The hospital encourages everyone to take a few minutes to complete this important survey so the results can be used to develop a plan to address the outlined health needs.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Lansing has been named one of 25 small towns awarded T-Mobile Hometown Grants to jumpstart vital community development projects. The $50,000 grant will go towards redeveloping the Plaza in the historic downtown district, to include a mural, canopy, landscaping, lighting, benches and new cement surfaces.

Announcement of the grant award was made during a community celebration Wednesday, June 15 at Lansing Office Works (the announcement - and the celebration - would have been held in the Plaza, but stormy weather intervened), with T-Mobile representatives in attendance for the check presentation.

The Harpers Ferry Fireflies have won the Granny Basketball State Championship for the fourth time in the last seven years, adding this year’s title to those won by the team in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The Fireflies shined their way through four games at this year’s State Tournament held June 11-12 at the Valley High School Fieldhouse in Des Moines, first defeating a team from Indianola, 60-46, before doing likewise with a Prairie Storm team from Kansas, 53-32. After defeating the Ankeny Honeybees, 60-46, the Fireflies clinched their State Tournament Championship with a 47-46 triumph over the Model T’s of Center Point in the championship game.

A hot-mix asphalt pavement resurfacing project on Iowa Highway 76 South from the Clayton/Allamakee County line to Allamakee County Road X-32 (Dry Hollow Road, located east of Waterville Road) will require intermittent lane closures that are scheduled to begin Monday, June 20 and last until mid-November, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) New Hampton construction office. During this project, motorists will be directed through the work zone with flaggers and pilot cars when workers are present. The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts. The latest traveler information is available anytime through the DOT 511 system.

(Editor’s Note: The following article was originally printed in February of this year by JBR web magazine, https://juliebergraymond.com, and is being reprinted here with permission by JBR web magazine. Since the original article was printed, demolition began Monday, June 6 at the former Luster Heights facility and is expected to be completed by June 26.)

by Ellen Modersohn

The former Luster Heights prison camp in rural Harpers Ferry will become the headquarters of the McGregor District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge by 2025. Preliminary plans called for replacing the buildings of the minimum-security prison, extending trails from the surrounding Yellow River Forest through the property and constructing an ADA-compatible river overlook as part of the overall project.

Clark Tire Pros of Waukon - owners Dave, Dawn and Carter Clark, along with Firestone Ag, recently donated $20,000 to the Building New Traditions Campaign at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Building New Traditions Campaign is dedicated toward constructing a new, larger all-species youth livestock show barn centrally located at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds, a project that also involves relocation, elimination and transformation of some of the other livestock buildings at the Fairgrounds, with that project nearing completion. Pictured above at the donation presentation at the site of the new building construction are, left to right: Adam Bieber of the Allamakee County Fair Board, Taylor Wood and Carter, Dave and Dawn Clark of Clark Tire Pros, and Bobbi Baxter and McKayla Rethamel of the Allamakee County Fair Board.

Entrepreneurs, businesses and community members urged to provide feedback

Business owners, entrepreneurs and community residents in northeast Iowa are invited to complete surveys regarding re-use of the Waterville Elementary School. Waterville Elementary School was closed in 2018 by the Allamakee Community School District and the buildings were purchased by the City of Waterville.

The City was recently awarded a Rural Business Development Grant to study how the school’s historic three-story brick building and surrounding grounds could be repurposed to foster business development and expansion in Waterville.

“Business and community input will be essential in understanding the potential for this school,” says Josh Dansdill, Business Development Projects Director with Northeast Iowa RC&D, who is providing technical assistance and support to the City of Waterville.

A Canadian Pacific train derailed at around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, June 1 approximately four miles south of Lansing, spilling coal into the Mississippi River. Ten coal cars derailed, but only one dumped what was described as “a small amount of coal” into the river just south of the Alliant Energy Lansing power plant (as evident in the photo above at right by Julie Berg-Raymond). No fuel or other products were spilled and no injuries were reported from the derailment, with railroad crews deploying the yellow floating dams and using other stabilization measures seen in the photo at right to try and limit the impact from the spill and clean-up efforts.

The Allamakee County Cattleman’s Association crowned its 2022 Beef Royalty at its annual grilling event held Monday, May 23 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. Pictured in the submitted photo above, left to right, with flowers donated by Sycamore Floral are 2022 Allamakee County Beef Princesses Natalie Byrnes and Gracelyn Donahue and 2022 Allamakee County Beef Queen Mallory Mohn.

Mallory Mohn is the daughter of Clint and Noelle Mohn of Lansing and a sophomore at Kee High School in Lansing. Her sponsors are S.S. Houseboat Rentals and Mississippi Meats. In school, Mallory is involved in FFA, Student Council, the yearbook and The Talon school newspaper. After high school, she plans to work and own part of the family farm and be an agribusiness manager.