River Valley

by Julie Berg-Raymond

After a public hearing during its regular meeting Monday, April 17, the Lansing City Council approved the budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. No written or verbal comments were made to City Hall. The council also scheduled a special meeting for Monday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. in Lansing City Hall, to discuss the possibility of hiring a city manager. The meeting is open to the public.

Lupita Solis, bilingual advocate with Riverview Center in Decorah, presented the council with a Proclamation for the month of April 2023 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. After Mayor Melissa Hammell read aloud the proclamation, it was approved by the council. The proclamation reads as follows:

Friday, April 7, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing led a Good Friday Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross event. This was the third such walk hosted by the congregation with the largest group of walkers so far. Some carried signs calling for justice or declaring God’s wide embrace.

The tradition began in 2021 when being outside was the safest way to hold the service during the pandemic. “We wanted to make a strong connection between our faith in Christ and how his suffering continues whenever any of God’s people suffer,” explained Pastor Laura Gentry of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met in regular session Monday, April 17. Board President Bobbie Goetzinger called the meeting to order with fellow board members Tony Becker, Melanie Mauss and Arla Wagner all present. Board member Kelli Mudderman was absent. Also present at the meeting were EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier, Kee High School and Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Murray, New Albin Elementary School Principal Donna Thomas, Board Secretary Michele Martin and Technology Coordinator Dave Ellefson.

The board held a public hearing on the 2023-2024 school budget that was opened and closed with no comment. The board then approved the agenda, followed by approval of the April consent items, minutes of the March meeting, bills for April, Secretary’s Financial Report for March, and the Student Activity and Food Service March Reports.

Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT), the food bank in Lansing, will be closed indefinitely because of the rising flood waters of the Mississippi River. As evident in the photos above and below, volunteers evacuated all items from the building this past weekend. LIFT personnel will not restock the food bank until after the flood danger has passed and the building has been cleaned of any flood residue that may be left behind.

Clients are encouraged to seek out other area food banks in order to serve any of their food needs in the near future, and they can search for nearby food banks on https://www.neifb.org or https://www.foodpantries.org. Clients may also want to check with  the Allamakee County Food Shelf located at 1125 West Main Street, Lot #39 in Waukon. The Allamakee County Food Shelf can be reached by telephone at 563-568-3994. Submitted photos.
 

In honor of this year’s 50th annual Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), a documentary film titled “Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary” has been created by The Des Moines Register. “Shift” tells the story of RAGBRAI through photography and interviews with three riders and a pair of community leaders as they overcome grueling miles and personal hurdles to find peace, redemption and clarity in the annual ride across Iowa.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During its regular meeting Monday, April 3, the Lansing City Council approved several hiring recommendations from the Lansing Department of Parks and Recreation for the 2023 summer recreation season, pending background checks and drug testing. Those hirings included Harvey Ekern as head softball coach at $14.75/hour; an assistant tee ball coach, when hired, at $11.75/hour; Claire Chandler as assistant softball coach at $11/hour; a head tee ball coach, when hired, at $14/hour; and Randy Zipse as head baseball coach at $14.50/hour.

TABLED ITEMS
Several other items were tabled until more information could be gathered for the council’s consideration. The first was a request by Teresa Severson that the City run water to two properties at the end of Wall Street. The water department will get a bid on the project and report to the council on the cost.

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters (FORH) group is encouraging all amateur photographers to get outside and capture the beauty of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) for a Centennial photo contest.

The Refuge, which was established in 1924 through the efforts of Will Dilg, founder of the Izaak Walton League of America, includes much of the lands and waters of the Mississippi River from Wabasha, MN to Rock Island, IL. Photos taken on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will be accepted for entry into the contest until October 27 of this year. Winning entries will become part of a traveling display at events being held up and down the Mississippi River during the year 2024.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has announced the annual “Boating Safely” class. The newly updated course, now titled “Boat America,” will be held Saturday April 29 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Prairie du Chien City Hall, located at 214 Blackhawk Avenue (Wacouta Street entrance) in Prairie du Chien, WI.

This eight-hour course provides basic training in the safe operation of watercraft including vessel familiarization, rules of the road, federal and state boating laws and safety on the water and is designed for all ages. This course qualifies for the Wisconsin or Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Boating Safety Certificate. Statistics show that many boat operators involved in fatal boating accidents have not completed a boating safety class.

Diamond Vogel and Keep Iowa Beautiful have announced the grant awards for the 2023 Paint Iowa Beautiful program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa.

Among those award winners is the Main Street Lansing program. The free paint will be used to spruce up wood trim work on three commercial buildings located on Main Street in Lansing.

“Diamond Vogel is thrilled to work with many local volunteers that help build communities and enhance their communities’ economic vitality. Passionate volunteers like those engaged in Paint Iowa Beautiful make Iowa a great place to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice-President, Marketing, of the Iowa-based company.

Join Upper Iowa Audubon Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m. for a view into the world of the Barn Owl. Brian Preston, Executive Director of Dubuque County Conservation, will present a program on the life history, habitat and presence of this endangered species in Iowa.

The World of Barn Owls program will be held at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing. The Center is located south of Lansing at 1944 Columbus Road/Great River Road.

For those interested, there will also be a birding hike at 9 a.m. that day, weather permitting. All Upper Iowa Audubon programs are free and open to the public.