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Tuesday, November 8 is scheduled as the 2022 General Election to determine which candidates will be elected by voters to leadership positions at the national, state and local levels of government. A Notice of Election with a listing of candidates, polling sites and other pertinent local election information is printed on Page 28 of this week’s print edition and e-edition of The Standard.

INFORMED CHOICES - EARLIER
In-person absentee voting for this year’s election begins Wednesday, October 19 and can be done at the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office in Waukon through 4 p.m. Monday, November 7, the day before this year’s election. Regular open hours for the Auditor’s Office are Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office will also be open for in-person absentee voting Saturday, November 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Waukon native and fallen Iowa State Patrol Officer Ted Benda was awarded the Iowa State Police Association “Purple Heart” Award at the 90th Annual Iowa State Police Association (ISPA) Conference held October 3-5 in Cedar Rapids, following his death as the result of a single-vehicle accident while responding to a call in October of last year. Pictured at right at the ISPA Conference where the award was presented are Officer Benda’s wife, Holly, and their four daughters surrounded by officers from both the Iowa State Patrol Headquarters in Des Moines and Iowa State Patrol District 10 in Oelwein that Officer Benda served in at the time of his passing, in addition to Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens (far right).

Allamakee County residents are invited to attend the next event in the THRIVE series of interactive workshops being co-hosted by Mental Health Today - a Matt Howe Tribute (MHT) and the nonprofit, Worldmaker. “Lead From Where You Are” is a one-hour workshop focused on learning how to better respond to negative behaviors, helping others get their needs met and shifting from blaming to helpful solutions.

“Lead From Where You Are” is open to all Allamakee County residents and is being offered in two different one-hour sessions Monday, October 17 to give residents the opportunity to choose which one best fits their schedule for that day. A morning session will take place from 9-10 a.m. at the Waukon Wellness Center, and an afternoon session will be held from 12-1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Light refreshments will be provided at both sessions.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society (HFAHS) is moving forward with plans to build a 9,000 square foot museum dedicated to preserving and displaying the history and heritage of the Harpers Ferry area. The idea of building a museum is something that has been in the works since 2014, when the group began to look for a place suitable for building a museum.

“It’s important to tell the Harpers Ferry area story,” HFAHS President Jane Hasek said.

Everyone is invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation this Wednesday, October 5 in sharing their Christian faith with fellow students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 11th year and will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field Wednesday, October 5, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of bad weather.

Featured speaker for this year’s Fields of Faith event in Waukon will be Danielle Freitag, who is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) from Minnesota who has overcome severe addiction and is a survivor of the commercial sex industry. Freitag is the co-founding executive director of Action169, an organization built on a foundation of prayer and committed to addressing commercial sexual exploitation and problematic substance use through Christ-centered prevention, intervention and holistic restoration care.

Waukon native Shawna (Kerndt) McDowell, a Conservation Warden for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stationed at Viroqua, WI in Vernon County, was one of several officers who received a Lifesaving Award at a Special Awards Ceremony hosted by the Wisconsin DNR Tuesday, September 27 at the Wisconsin State Capitol Assembly Chamber in Madison, WI. The awards were distributed by Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection Chief Casey Krueger and Wisconsin DNR Deputy Secretary Sarah Barry.

The criteria for receiving the special Lifesaving Award notes that a DNR employee “performed an act that intended to save a person’s life. It appeared at the time of the act that the person in jeopardy would not have a chance of survival without the employee’s actions or assistance.”

The narrative of Warden McDowell’s lifesaving act reads as follows:

Kee High School seniors Jaylyn Walleser (left) and Carter Goetzinger (right) were crowned Kee High School’s 2022 Homecoming Queen and King at the annual pep rally held Friday, September 30 in the Kee High School gymnasium. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook. Additional photos of Kee High School’s Homecoming events are featured on Page 2 in the Wednesday, October 5, 2022 edition of The Standard, as well as coverage of the Kee football team’s Homecoming game with Edgewood-Colesburg featured on Page 16 of that same issue. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website.
 

by Julie Berg-Raymond

With her new feature film, “Painting Jane,” Waukon’s own multi-talented Katie O’Regan - founder of the Star City Film Festival and Sacred Noise Society, Inc. - has put to work almost every skill in her considerable artist’s skill set to produce a thoughtful, deeply moving portrait of the evolving relationship between a woman and her family - particularly her mother.

“Painting Jane” is an adaptation of the stage play “Good Morning, Miss America,” which was written by Phyllis Yes, of Portland, OR, and is based on Yes’ own life. The storyline, as  described on the entertainment industry site, IMDb, is this: “When faced with the strenuous task of convincing her parents to move into assisted living, Jane, an art professor from Portland, feels powerless getting her step-father Lou and mother Doris to come to terms with their declining health.”

Waukon High School seniors Maggie Criswell (left) and Noah Hatlan (right) were crowned Waukon High School's 2022 Homecoming Queen and King at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday, September 22 at Waukon High School. Additional photos of Waukon High School's Homecoming events are featured on Page 2 in the Wednesday, September 28, 2022 issue of the Standard, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming victory over Oelwein featured on Page 20. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website.

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Members of the Kee High School Homecoming Court for this week’s 2022 celebration of the event include the King and Queen candidates from the Senior class pictured at above right, as well as the underclassman attendants pictured below. Pictured at right in top photo are, left to right: Front row - Senior Class Homecoming Queen candidates Jaylyn Walleser, Alaina Bakewell, Neva Peterson and Alison Wagner; Back row - Senior Class Homecoming King candidates Owen Schobert, Tom Troendle, Jacob Rolfs and Carter Goetzinger. Pictured at right in bottom photo, front to back and left to right, are: Freshman Attendants Lilly Kolsrud and Justin Wagner, Sophomore Attendants Violet Nehman and Kevin Ashbacher, and Junior Attendants Ava Mahr and Jackson Schulte. Details of this week’s Homecoming events at Kee High School, along with celebratory pages, can be found on Pages 18 and 19 inside the Wednesday, September 28, 2022 edition of the Standard.