News Center newsletter

by Lissa Blake

She is truly one of a kind.

That was what former Allamakee County Sheriff Tim Heiderscheit had to say about longtime Allamakee County Sheriff's Department employee Rev Lonning following her recent retirement.

Heiderscheit, who served first as an Allamakee County sheriff’s deputy and then as sheriff, said when he heard of Lonning’s retirement, he sent current sheriff Clark Mellick a sympathy card.

“I was somewhat kidding, but I really wasn’t… the whole county will miss her,” said Heiderscheit.

HER CAREER
Lonning, a 1959 graduate of Waukon High School, is the daughter of Dale and Elnora Robey. After high school, she married Frank Lonning and raised six children.

“I was a farm wife and mother,” said Lonning.

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received information regarding a missing person reported to the Kewanee, IL Police Department in the middle of last week. Juan Gandarilla Ortega, age 26, of Kewanee, IL has been reported as missing and was last seen October 1 wearing a blue Aeropostale shirt with white lettering and light blue jeans with holes in them. He is described as 5'10" tall and weighing 180 pounds with brown eyes and black hair, usually shaved.

Wednesday, October 4, a white 2006 Chevrolet Impala believed to be driven by Ortega was located parked at Fish Farm Mounds State Park located along State Highway 26 south of New Albin. Ortega has not been located and may still be in the area but is not considered to be a danger to the public.

by Brianne Eilers

Progress continues to be made with the restoration of the Oil Springs School, located next to Tillinghast Park in Harpers Ferry. Last November, the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society (HFAHS), along with the time and talents of many volunteers, moved the one-room school from its former location two miles north of Harpers Ferry to its present location.

Throughout the past six months, volunteers have spent over 500 hours working on various projects to get the school as close to original condition as possible. A "Sneak Preview" Open House is scheduled for this Saturday, October 14 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and the public is invited to stop by and see the work that has been done so far.

by Anne Falken

Residents of this area would describe the area in which they live as a farming community, and as harvest begins in earnest this time of year with feelings of accomplishment, many of those residents hold their collective breath, knowing all of its dangers, as well. Large machinery, farmers working many hours and at night, the risks invariably taken in the press of time, and children in the mix, put all on edge.

The New Albin Fire Department demonstrated foresight in its emergency response to the harvest season when department officials entered the “2017 Nominate Your Fire Department Contest” last February, as part of Grain Bin Safety Week. The New Albin department was selected as a winner, from among 883 nominations, of a Great Wall grain rescue tube, or Adaptable Grain Entrapment Rescue System, including training.

"The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett" is a mystery that readers of Robey Memorial Library in Waukon can unravel by participating in the world’s largest global eBook reading club, Big Library Read. Chelsea Sedoti’s debut novel has been selected as the featured title for millions of readers around the world to read at the same time beginning Thursday, October 12 and concluding October 26.

Robey Memorial Library patrons will be able to borrow the eBook by visiting http://bridges.overdrive.com. Big Library Read is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading platform for eBooks and audiobooks from the library.

Dr. Justin Patchin, a professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, was invited by New Albin Community Education to make a presentation to the Eastern Allamakee Community schools and the local community to talk about technology use and misuse September 25. Dr. Patchin gave three presentations that day and all were a little different.

During his presentation at Kee High School, he talked about understanding that when a person puts something on the world wide web, it never goes away, even if it is deleted. He encouraged students to always be aware that what they are posting on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram or any other social media is available to future employers, present employers or "that stranger" thousands of miles away.

During Lansing's Sesquicentennial celebration and Kee High School's Homecoming weekend September 22-24, five additional history podiums were dedicated throughout the community. Podiums are placed on each block of downtown Main Street describing the opposite side of the street. Two podiums are also on the corner of Front Street and Main Street describing the bridge and south Lansing. Area families' donations, along with funds from the Allamakee County Community Foundation, have made the podiums a reality. More podiums are planned for the future.

This Little Free Library is now available to book lovers for exchanging books in Ferryville, WI. This newest library was made possible by the partnership between the Ferryville Vision and Promotion Board and the 50th anniversary promotion of Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore, WI. Submitted photos.
 

Sweeney's Village Farm and Home in Waukon has greatly aided in the success of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter for many years in a variety of different ways. Again this year, they partnered with Red Brand Fencing and the National FFA Organization to donate $1,176  to the local chapter. Red Brand Fencing has been a proud supporter of FFA for 70 years and supports programs through its Home Grown Program. Through the Home Grown Program, for every roll of wire purchased at Village Farm and Home, $1 is donated back to the local FFA chapter. Annually, over 900 chapters from across the nation will receive a donation from the partnership that Red Brand Fencing has to offer. The donated funds will be used toward contest materials, National FFA Convention and other FFA necessities. From 2012 to 2016, Village Farm and Home, with the help of their customers, has provided $5,625 to the Waukon FFA Chapter.

This school year, there are two new fixtures on the playground at Waterville Elementary School - Buddy Benches. The idea behind the Buddy Benches, which are found at school playgrounds all over the world, is when a child has no one to play with or just needs a friend to talk to, they can sit on the bench and other students will know that they need a friend and can go join them. It is a place for friendships to bloom, as states the quote engraved on the benches. The Buddy Benches were constructed by the Waukon High School Industrial Technology class under the guidance of Jed Hemann, with woodworking by Roger Bollman of Volney, and painting by Sharon, Cody, Riley and Hayden Palmer. The benches were made possible by a generous grant from the Waterville Community Foundation to the Waterville Elementary Parents for Progress group, at the request of the school. Submitted photos.