News Center newsletter

submitted by Steph Dugan, Executive Director
Waukon Chamber of Commerce

We have been hearing a lot of rumors flying around regarding RAGBRAI®. We have tried to keep up on top of squashing these rumors as they come up, but there are only a handful of us and we only can imagine the number of individuals starting and passing rumors on.

We thought the best way to handle this situation  and get the word out to as many people as possible would to be to start a column titled “Squashing the Rumors.” This is where we will address any rumors that we have heard and let you all know what we know. If you hear a rumor, please let us know so we can squash it.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in a special session Monday, March 13 to address several matters, including a review of water rates, discussion of the proposed City Manager position and the review of Street Department applications. Mayor Duane DeWalle called the meeting to order.

The Council began discussion of the 11 applications received for the Street Department vacancy. For confidentiality, the applications were numbered 1 through 11 and referred to only by number and not name. Street Superintendent Keith Burrett provided his recommendations and Councilman Dwight Jones led the discussion and evaluation of the candidates, with the Council agreeing upon contacting four of those applicants for interviews.

by Lissa Blake

If current legislation will not protect the people, then people have the right to create new law.

Paul Cienfuegos of Portland, OR recently visited Waukon and Decorah to talk with locals about the Community Rights Movement. Cienfuegos has 40 years of experience in social justice. He is the founder of Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County in California and has held dozens of “First Steps in Dismantling Corporate Rule” workshops across the country. In September 2013, he helped launch the Oregon Community Rights Network (OR-CRN), the seventh state CRN to be launched so far in the United States.

Approximately 15 people attended a community rights meeting at Fiesta Vallarta in Waukon Tuesday, March 7. Cienfuegos also participated in a panel discussion at Luther College in Decorah Sunday afternoon, March 12.

by Lissa Blake

Public transit really is for everyone.

And with Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation’s (NEICAC) EARL public transit program, it’s never been easier for northeast Iowans to get where they’re going. That’s according to Sam Castro, mobility manager for EARL Public Transit.
“This service really is for anyone to use,” said Castro of the program, which has regular routes in eight towns in five northeast Iowa counties, including Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek.

THE SCHEDULE
EARL stands for Easy, Affordable, Reliable and Life-changing, and the transportation system operates in Cresco, Decorah, Oelwein, Waukon, Guttenberg, West Union, Elkader and Monona. Castro said riders typically use the service to go to the grocery store, senior meal sites, hair appointments and more.

All vehicles are fully accessible and are equipped with either ramps or lifts. Some even have bike racks.

The sixth grade students at Waukon Middle School have been busy working on a career unit in English. They have completed research to write a report, created dioramas to display work environments and made posters to display the facts and information they found throughout their research of a career they would be interested in pursuing. The sixth grade students presented their projects at the annual career fair Friday, March 3, some of which are pictured in the above photos. The goal of the unit is to get students excited about education and thinking about their futures. Photos and information courtesy of the Allamakee Education Association.
 

Four students at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) were honored at the 2017 All-Iowa Academic Team Recognition Banquet held in Des Moines March 1. The annual ceremony recognizes exceptional community college student scholars who are members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the world's largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students. Students from each of the state’s 15 community colleges were invited to attend.

Among those honored students was Jacqueline Welch of Waukon, who is a Business Specialist and Pre-Nursing student at the Calmar campus. Welch is a Phi Theta Kappa All-USA Scholarship Nominee and was named to the Dean’s List at NICC. After graduation, she plans to transfer to Upper Iowa University. She is a 2015 graduate of Waukon High School and the daughter of Kim and Amy Welch of Waukon.

Youth got their hands a little sticky when investigating how to make a better play dough recently. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach partnered with the Community Connections 21st Century Learning Center (CCLC) Kids Club at West Elementary and Waterville Elementary schools to bring to life the "Engineering is Elementary: Improving a Play Dough Process" curriculum. Youth in both settings started with exploring “good” and “bad” play dough. They were able to feel and explain the differences and what made each one good or bad. Next, they moved to learning about the ingredients, which include salt, flour and water. The youth experimented with each ingredient and how it affected the play dough, such as too much water made it very sticky but to compensate they could add more flour.  They also discussed the order of their recipe and how much of each ingredient to add.

AWANA Clubs of First Baptist Church in Waukon held a Bowling Party at Odie's Place in Waukon for clubbers in third through sixth grades Sunday, February 19. Prizes were awarded for first and second high game and series scores for boys and girls in different age groups. Good Sportsmanship prizes were also given out, and all other bowlers also received a prize. The Cubbies and Sparks clubs for pre-Kindergarten through second grade members of First Baptist Church also held a party at the church, where they enjoyed an afternoon with an elephant piñata, craft time with Elaine Goettel, games and refreshments. Leaders assisting included Michele Wood, Elaine Goettel, Nancy Hammond, Cindy and Denis Kuhens, Lauren White and Cindy Johnson. Pictured above at the AWANA Bowling Party are, left to right: Front row - Hannah Hagen, Toby Treptau, Dylan Christensen, Kathryn Enyart, Isabel Azurdia, Mary Johanningmeier, Marshall Moe.

by Joe Moses

Iowa House of Representatives Democratic Leader Mark Smith, who is the District 71 Representative from Marshalltown, conducted a listening post event at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon Saturday, March 11. During the hour and a half meeting, Smith listened to and addressed various concerns from the public in attendance, a crowd numbering around 40 individuals.

Smith began the meeting by discussing the de-appropriation bill passed and signed early in this year's new legislative session that has cut $118 million from the State of Iowa's budget and has resulted in the closure of the Luster Heights facility in Allamakee County, in addition to resulting in cuts that will affect community colleges and public education, which Smith indicates will all have a detrimental effect on Allamakee County’s economy.

Waukon wrestling 182-pound senior Blain Swenson competed among the top senior wrestlers from northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota at the 16th annual Iowa-Minnesota All-Star Border Battle dual meet hosted by Crestwood High School in Cresco Friday, March 10. Pictured above, Swenson controls two-time Minnesota State Tournament placewinner Travis Capelle of Stewartville on the way to a 6-2 loss in their match late in the All-Star dual. The Minnesota squad won the event, 37-30, to even up the annual series sponsored by the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco at eight wins each.