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Main Street Lansing recently presented a plaque to Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT) in recognition of its designation as the Nicest Place in Iowa by Reader’s Digest magazine in a recent nationwide contest. Receiving a brief mention in the November 2019 issue of Reader’s Digest (page 72) along with the other 50 state winners in the contest, LIFT was honored for providing a place for those in need to acquire basic necessities without judgment. The LIFT board members, some of whom accepted the plaque in the photo above, are dedicated people who devote their time and energy into making LIFT the safe, accessible and welcoming place it is. The nomination from earlier in the year that eventually resulted in LIFT being designated the Nicest Place in Iowa finalist read, in part, “A small group of community members volunteered their time to help form LIFT from the ground up.

Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff have announced that the First Baby of the Year Contest was won by Sophia Mae Hernandez, daughter of Veronica Santoyo and Mario Hernandez of Postville. Sophia was born Monday, January 6 at 6:17 p.m., weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 19-3/4 inches long. Dr. Dave Schwartz assisted with the delivery.

Sophia’s grandparents are Amber Santoyo of Postville and Laurie and Brian Dahl of Ossian. Her great-grandparents are Bonnie Stifel of Postville and Clifford Harnak of Ossian.

An open house reception was held Monday, December 30 at the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon in honor of the retirement of Iowa Judicial District 1A District Court Judge John Bauercamper, effective at the end of 2019. In honor of his retirement, staff members of the Allamakee County Courthouse presented Judge Bauercamper with a plaque of appreciation and also raised among themselves $300 as a retirement gift that Judge Bauercamper, in turn, then donated to the Allamakee County Historical Society. Pictured above at the presentation of the plaque and the $300 further donated to the Allamakee County Historical Society are, left to right, Allamakee County Historical Society President Jim Garrett, The Honorable John Bauercamper, and Allamakee County Attorney Anthony Gericke. Judge Bauercamper was first appointed to the bench in 1986. He had also practiced private law, in addition to serving as the Allamakee County Attorney and Juvenile Court Referee.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a pair of meetings this past week. Coverage of both a January 9 special session and the board’s regular meeting from Monday, January 13 appears below

JANUARY 9
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met Thursday, January 9 in special session to discuss options relating to the Vet’s Club building located on Allamakee Street in Waukon and the lease involved with the building. Board Chairperson Larry Schellhammer and Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Dennis Koenig listened to comments and suggestions from various stakeholders.

Schellhammer opened the discussion by outlining options available including keeping the Vet’s Club’s operation the same, County ownership of the building, City ownership of the building, developing a joint venture between the City and County, or negotiating a new contract with a private entity.

The month of November ended with a loss of $31,534 for Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon, according to information presented at the hospital’s board of trustees meeting held December 18. Year-to-date, the hospital is showing a loss of $433,216.

VMH Administrator Mike Myers noted that hospital officials are “accruing everything right now so there will be no surprises at the end of the (fiscal) year.” He was cautiously optimistic that December may bring some better news. “We are slowly getting things turned around and it shows, but it takes time,” Myers said.

In 1962, Ray and Monica Sweeney started the Village Farm & Home in Waukon along with their 11 children. Throughout the years, some of the children started their own stores or took other career paths.

Sons Jan (Lorraine), Joe (Judy), Jerry and Jake (Beth) became partners with Ray at the store. When Ray passed away in September of 1994, those four sons became sole owners of the Waukon store.

As of January 1, 2020, a third generation will now be carrying on the family business, as Joe’s two sons, Matt and Steven, bought the partnership interests of their three uncles to join their father in the ownership of the business. Both Matt and Steven have been involved with the store since they were old enough to be helpful. Both live north of Waukon, Matt with his girlfriend, Jess, and their four dogs, and Steven with his wife, Jessie, and their three sons, Raymond (10), Elliott (8) and Emmett (5).

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, January 6 to address a full agenda of items including mayor and council appointments, setting the time and date for future council meetings and designating the official depositories for City funds.

There was no Public Comment and the council moved into Departmental Reports with Police Chief Paul Wagner providing an update. Wagner indicated that Officer Fallon Cassidy is attending the academy and that he will be contacting the STEP Program relating to the purchase of preliminary breath testing (PBE) equipment. Wagner provided an update on work being done relating to the background check policy and recommended discussing recruitment methods used to assist in filling vacancies in the department.

4‑H youth programs are grounded in the belief that kids learn best by doing. Hands-on projects include science, health, agriculture and civic engagement. The 4-H program is all about project-based learning; from beef to photography, 4-H offers project learning, no matter where a person may be located. Seven Allamakee County 4-H’ers participated in Officer Training, Food & Nutrition and Photography Workshops Monday, December 30, as depicted in the surrounding photos. The youth spent the day learning about goal setting, leadership styles, club officer roles, food safety, recipe building, quesadilla making, and basics of taking photos that included how to hold a camera, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how to take a quality photo. For more information on Allamakee County 4-H programs, contact the Allamakee County Extension Office at 563-568-6345 or at www.extension.iastate.edu/. Submitted photos.
 

St. Patrick School in Waukon will be holding its annual Mardi Gras fundraising event Saturday, January 25 at the Waukon Banquet Center. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Among the events taking place will be live and silent auctions, Cash Wheel, and “Press Your Luck” raffle. There will also be a raffle for a “Weekend Getaway Package” at Upper Iowa Resort, which includes a cooler full of goodies, beach towels and more. Local businesses and individuals have donated items and funds to help make the event a success for St. Patrick School. For tickets and additional information, contact Amy McCormick at 563-419-9336, Tami Stilwell at 319-361-6077 or St. Patrick School at 563-568-2170. Submitted photos.
 

Beginning in February, the Master Gardener program with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will provide a winter webcast series in county extension offices across the state. Speakers for this year’s series were chosen based on current issues and Master Gardener volunteer interest, according to Susan DeBlieck, Master Gardener state coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Participants will learn about climate change and native plants, and get tips for designing gardens that encourage children to spend more time outdoors. “The webcast series gives Master Gardener volunteers a chance to continue their learning, which they can apply to their volunteer projects within the community,” DeBlieck said.

Contact an ISU Extension and Outreach county office to see if they are hosting the webcasts, and for specific details about how to participate. Topics and speakers include the following: