News Center newsletter

by Julie Berg-Raymond

In a famous line from Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, The Color Purple - which won the Pulitzer Prize the following year, a character writes her sister a letter, in which she observes: “Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.”
Approaching the 25th anniversary of the events of what is colloquially known as “9/11” - when, on September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists associated with the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes to launch coordinated suicide attacks in the United States - millions of people are remembering where they were and what they were doing when they saw, live, via television coverage, the airplanes hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced Thursday, September 3 that the Iowa 9/WIS 82 Mississippi River Crossing that has replaced the Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing is proceeding well ahead of the original timeline for completion. According to that September 3 announcement, the agencies expect to open the bridge to traffic in early November 2026, instead of the initial planned opening in the spring of 2027.

Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker has successfully earned her Certified Municipal Clerk Certification through the Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association (IMFOA), demonstrating a strong commitment to excellence in municipal financial management and professional development.

The IMFOA state certification program is designed to ensure continuous educational commitment among municipal professionals, helping establish and maintain competent administration for city governments across the state of Iowa. Through a structured curriculum, participants complete coursework covering areas such as budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance.

Courses are offered regularly as part of the certification program and include both foundational training for municipal officials and advanced instruction for city clerks and finance officers. Individuals may pursue certification in several professional tracks.

Friday, September 18, at 12 noon, the Lansing VFW Post and Auxiliary, along with Lansing American Legion Post #50, will host a special ceremony on Mt. Hosmer to mark National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The program will be held on the Ralph Bartels Patio, located next to the shelter atop Mt. Hosmer, and the public is warmly invited to attend. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair for seating.

At the heart of the observance will be the solemn Missing Man Ceremony, a symbolic tradition that honors those who are still missing from this nation’s past wars and conflicts, as well as those who gave their lives in service but whose remains have not yet been recovered and returned home. The empty place at the table at the ceremony represents the absence of these heroes, while each element of the table setting carries deep meaning about sacrifice, honor, and remembrance.

Saturday, September 12, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Ninth Annual Pat Sandry Memorial Fishing Derby and Friends of Pool 9 Fundraiser held on the Mississippi River. Sandry passed away in November of 2017 after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, had a great passion for fishing and hunting, and he truly treasured the beauty of Lansing and the surrounding area.

Entry fee is $50 per boat with 50% payback in prize money and 50% being donated to Friends of Pool 9. There is a limit of two adults and two minors per boat.

Hours of the tournament will be from sun-up through 1 p.m. with weigh-in by 1 p.m. at Shep’s Riverside Patio Bar. Categories of fish include Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Crappie, Perch, Striper, Catfish, Northern, Pike, and Roughfish.

Deadlines/Dates
September 15: Deadline to Update Payment Eligibility for Entities 
September 30: Deadline to Complete Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Mid-Contract Management on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP); Deadline to remove livestock from Non-Emergency Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program; Deadline to apply for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP)  Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 1 Quality Loss; Office Fiscal Year Rollover
October 1: Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Mid-Contract Management on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Opens
December 31: Deadline to Apply for Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)

First Baptist Church, 614 Rossville Road in Waukon, will be hosting Rock Hill, SC based musicians Niah and Allisha Merrill in concert Sunday, September 13 at 10 a.m.

Niah and Allisha Merrill are classically trained musicians with a passion to see lives changed by the power of the Gospel. Since 2016, this dynamic duo has shared God’s love through music across the United States and  abroad in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Niah and Allisha both sing and play several instruments (including piano, trumpets, flugelhorn, hand drums, and Irish penny whistles) in an uplifting blend of modern and timeless styles. More information about the Merrills is available at NiahAllisha.com.
 

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Makerspace Open Lab sessions for students in grades 3-7. The following youth classes will run from 3:30-5 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, which is located at 1220 3rd Avenue NW:

September 9 - Session 1
October 14 - Session 2
December 2 - Session 3.

The lab is a learning space for creative exploration of STEAM. Participants can use Legos, robotics and electronics, create movies and animation, design and build, and more. A teacher will be available to guide students in the basic use of the tools and technology. Registrations preferred, but walk-ins are welcome.

To register online, visit www.nicc.edu/waukon or call the NICC Waukon Center at 563-562-3263, ext. 6700.
 

The new family practice physician, Dr. Olaitan Akinboboye, begins seeing patients this week at the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Postville and Waukon Clinics.  He will be caring for patients in the Waukon Clinic each Monday and the Postville Clinic Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week.

Dr. Akinboboye will again add a physician choice to the Postville Clinic, following the retirement of Dr. Thomas McMullan last November. He will join nurse practitioners Minji Ransom, NP; Katie Maker, NP/Nurse Midwife; Hannah Kelly, NP; Mason Kerian NP; and Alex Berns, NP, who all provide family medicine one to two days a week at the Postville Clinic as well as at the Waukon Clinic.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital & Clinics, Elliott Jewelers and Waukon Chamber of Commerce hosted their “Women’s Wellness Night Out,” September 1 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion and welcomed a record crowd of nearly 250 ladies attending.