News Center newsletter

Jeremy D. Engrav, 37, of Waukon died Thursday, September 5, 2024, at his home. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, September 11 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, September 10 at the church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials will go towards an account set up for his children.

Cyril “Cy” Maurice Mohn, 76, of Lansing passed away peacefully surrounded by his family September 2, 2024, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. Memorial services will be held Monday, September 9 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial will be at Wexford Cemetery, rural Lansing.
Friends may greet the family from 2-6 p.m. Sunday, September 8 at the New Albin Community Center, where there will be a 5:30 p.m. scripture service. Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing is handling arrangements.

A full obituary will appear in the September 11 edition of The Standard. You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.

Brad and Erin Berns of Allamakee County were inducted into the 2024 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines Sunday, August 18.

Ninety-three Iowa counties participated in the honoring this year and selected 125 inductees for their outstanding service and dedication to 4-H. Inductees or their surviving family members were presented a certificate by Iowa 4-H Foundation President Jeff Murphy and State 4-H Program Leader Mitchell Hoyer as they were introduced on stage.

Brad and Erin Berns’ contribution to 4-H is widely felt, said Marissa Foels, Youth Coordinator for Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Allamakee County. This year’s inductees started as youth members of 4-H. Not only have they since also supported and encouraged their own children through the 4-H program, but also have supported the members of the Elon PMC 4-H club for numerous years by serving as 4-H club leaders.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

When a group of people in the Village of De Soto, WI were trying to come up with a phrase that described the area in succinct and compelling terms, it was because they wanted to capture the attention of folks looking for a break in their increasingly complex and information-glutted lives - a  place to sojourn in peace and quiet, without it involving a remote mountaintop or a deserted island … a place with plenty of trees and water and starlit nights, but also wi-fi access and a world-class pizza.

Enter the founding members of the De Soto Area Tourism Commission - who nailed it, with the tagline “Near everything, away from it all.” The website for the Village of De Soto elaborates: “… the De Soto area is packed full of opportunities for enjoying outdoor sports, relaxing at a campsite, exploring natural wonders, experiencing history, finding great food and drink, and making new friends” (desotowi.com).

Bright, sunny skies and ideal temperatures made for a busy Labor Day holiday weekend for river lovers on the Mississippi River at Lansing this past Saturday through Monday. The sand bars and river channels were full of activity, as evident in this photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
 

The annual Iowa Bible Reading Marathon will be held locally this Saturday, September 7 at the Hope Center, located at 395 Main Street in Lansing (beside the Post Office). A portion of the Bible will be read out loud from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All are welcome to come help read and/or sit and listen (chairs and refreshments provided). To sign up for a reading time slot, contact Sarah Majewski at 563-568-7015 or sarahmajewski@gmail.com.
 

Award-winning singers/songwriters, young and local musicians all scheduled to perform

by Brianne Grimstad

Music lovers will be in for a unique treat Saturday, September 14 as the Red Barn Campground and Restaurant in Lansing hosts its first-ever Sunset Sessions. Award-winning songwriters and musicians Kevin Burt, Frank Martin Busch and Jeni Grouws, along with local area musicians, will be settling in at the Red Barn in Lansing for an afternoon and evening of music and storytelling.

In addition to being one of the featured singer/songwriters, Grouws is also helping to produce the event. “Songwriters are weird people,” she said with a laugh. “They find humor in strange things and sometimes the song is funny, or seems irreverent, but it’s always about what we see in the world, the good, the bad and the ridiculous.”

Private First Class (PFC) Landyn J. Lewey, age 18, of Iowa Falls graduated from United States Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, CA, August 23, 2024. PFC Lewey successfully completed 13 weeks of intensive basic training at MCRD San Diego as one of 106 recruits in Training Platoon 2143.

While in recruit training, PFC Lewey achieved sharpshooter status, and he was a member of G Company’s Honor Platoon, a high honor granted to the platoon that achieves the highest at every skill level. Following 10 days home on leave he will report to Camp Pendleton for one month at Military Combat Training, followed by Military Occupation Specialty school in Pensacola, FL.

PFC Lewey is a 2024 graduate of Iowa Falls-Alden High School, and the son of Bryan and Rachel Lewey of Iowa Falls. He is the grandson of Richard and Jean Lewey of Waukon and Jim and Kathy Stammeyer of Oelwein. He is also the great-grandson of Irene Lewey of Waukon.
 

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon will commemorate the anniversary of the end of World War II culminating with VJ Day (Victory over Japan), which was declared September 2, 1945, when the formal surrender of Japan took place on the Battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor (photo at left).

A documentary film about the events leading up to the surrender, including the atomic bombing of Japan, will be shown at the Veterans Museum at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon this Saturday, September 7, at 10 a.m.

Museum tours are also currently available Fridays from 12 Noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. Prior programs will be repeated for visitors on request. The museum is also open by appointment for school, community groups, veterans organizations, and others not available during regular hours.

There is no admission or membership charge. The facility is handicap accessible.
 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting an open house at Lock and Dam 9 on the Mississippi River, near Lynxville, WI, September 28.

Corps officials are hosting the free event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., to allow people to get a behind-the-scenes view of the site while also getting a better understanding of what the staff do to ensure safe, reliable navigation.

In addition to the open house, Corps staff and partners will have a variety of activities onsite. Visitors will have an opportunity to see some of the boats that are used on the river as well as learn about the importance of wearing a life jacket while on the water.

Lock and Dam 9, located at 24545 State Highway 35, Eastman, WI, was built in 1937 and underwent a major rehabilitation from 1989-2006. The dam consists of a concrete structure 811 feet long with five roller gates and eight Tainter gates. The lock is 110 feet wide by 600 feet long.