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Brier and Kylie Bartels of Luana announce the birth of their daughter, Brexleigh Jo Bartels, born December 12, 2024 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. and measured 20 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins a sister, Marryn (2).

Grandparents are Doug and Kelly Moose and Mike and Pam Bartels.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 25: Office closed in observance of Christmas Day
January 1: Office closed in observance of New Years Day
January 2: Deadline to report number of honeybee colonies for NAP and ELAP programs
January 9: FSA County Committee Meeting
January 20: Office closed in observance of Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr
January 31: Deadline to request 2024 MALs and LDPs for all eligible wool, mohair and unshorn pelts

Pastor Buck here from Lansing UMC with another Wandering thoughts of a Wayward Follower of Jesus… We are in the season where giving seems to be the theme. Giving has always been part of a religious life.  In Old Testament times it was the giving of offerings (i.e. the first fruits of the harvest) or animals for sacrifices. It was and is our way of giving back to God a small portion of what He gives us daily.

The Kee boys basketball team was only able to play one game prior to the early print deadline for this week’s edition of The Standard due to the Christmas holiday. That single game proved to be the continuation of an early-season roll the Hawks have been putting together against fellow Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) squads thus far this season, as they erupted to another double-digit headstart on the way to a fourth consecutive UIC victory by at least 30 points, this one being a 74-36 home triumph over Clayton Ridge.

The Waukon girls wrestling team was able to fit in just one competition this past week prior to the early print deadline for this week’s edition of The Standard due to the Christmas holiday. The Lady Indians hosted both Decorah and Riceville in a double-dual Tuesday, December 17, falling to the Class 1A top-rated Vikings by a 60-15 end result before recording a dual win over the visiting Wildcats by a 54-15 final count. Decorah also took care of Riceville by a 66-9 tally in the other dual contested on the mat that night.

The Waukon boys wrestling team made its season debut in front of its hometown fans and came away with a split result in its double-dual event featuring Decorah and Riceville Tuesday, December 17. The Indians first surrendered a 57-21 defeat to the visiting Vikings before wrestling Riceville to a 45-28 victory in the nightcap dual. Decorah handed Riceville a 63-18 defeat in the other dual wrestled at the event by those two squads.

In its only game played prior to the early print deadline for this week’s edition of The Standard due to the Christmas holiday, the Kee girls basketball team continued its early-season roll over its Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) foes, recording a third consecutive UIC victory where they surpassed 60 points on the scoreboard while limiting their foe to a score in the 20s. The Clayton Ridge Eagles became that latest doubled-up victim in a Tuesday, December 17 home match-up, as the Lady Hawks recovered from an early deficit where they allowed their Clayton Ridge guests their only double-digit quarter scoring of the ballgame before dominating the game’s remainder on the way to a 61-22 triumph.

Ronald D. Brandt, 94, of Waukon died Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services were held Saturday, December 28 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial with military honors was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements. In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church or Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Ronald Dwayne Brandt was born August 7, 1930, in Waukon, the son of Alvin Benjamin and Alvina Bertha (Bechtel) Brandt. He was baptized and confirmed at Zalmona Presbyterian Church in rural Waukon, graduated from Waukon High School in 1948, and enrolled at Luther College in Decorah.

The Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) recently announced that Allamakee County was one of six counties in the state of Iowa being recognized as having a top-performing jail following completion of the department’s annual jail inspections. The recognition celebrates jails that demonstrate excellence in operations and management, ensuring the safety and well-being of both prisoners and staff.

The DOC evaluates jails across three categories based on capacity for housing inmates. Allamakee County was one of two jails in the state of Iowa recognized for the top honor in the Medium Jail category, which includes facilities with 31-100 beds. Wayne County, along Iowa’s south central border with Missouri, also received the “Best of the Best” recognition for medium-sized jails. In the Small Jails category (up to 30 beds), Fremont and Ringgold Counties were recognized. The honors in the Large Jails division (101 beds or more) were bestowed upon Black Hawk and Warren Counties.

Defense Attorney Aaron Hawbaker of the State of Iowa Public Defenders Office in Waterloo has filed a Motion for a New Trial on behalf of Mindy Jones, who was found guilty by a jury in Allamakee County District Court nearly a month ago on charges of Arson in the First Degree and Animal Abuse.

Court documents indicate the motion was filed by Hawbaker Tuesday morning, December 10 and a hearing on that motion has now been scheduled for February 3, 2025, the same day Jones was scheduled to be sentenced following the guilty verdict an Allamakee County jury returned in the case stemming from a February 2022 fire in the initial eastside block of Allamakee Street in Waukon that destroyed the building housing Jones’ Tin, Rust & Harmony business, along with an adjacent business building, while also causing damage to other buildings on that same block.