Year in Review - Part I: Top local news stories printed from January-June 2024
Black Hawk Bridge closed to inspect structural integrity ... The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) closed the Black Hawk Bridge (Highway 82) at Lansing Sunday afternoon, February 25 due to safety concerns after discovering suspected movement of the bridge following the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department notifying DOT officials that something “didn’t look right” (the bend in the guard rail structure on the right side of the inset photo at right providing the most visible evidence of the concerns on the east approach to the bridge from the Wisconsin side). Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick said the Allamakee County Dispatch Center received a call early Sunday afternoon from a Lansing resident, who had been contacted by another individual and then took their own look at the bridge before calling the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Mellick said a Deputy traveled to the bridge and then requested that DOT officials be contacted after witnessing what the inset photo shows. “We have confirmed the bridge has moved and engineers from the Iowa DOT and other agencies are currently on site investigating to see exactly what is happening, including if construction of the new bridge played a part in the movement,” Pete Hjelmstad, Field Services Coordinator for the District 2 Office of the Iowa DOT in Mason City, shared Monday, February 26. “At this point we do not have a timeline as to when or if the bridge will re-open. We will not open the bridge until we are sure it is safe for the traveling public.” DOT officials and other agencies were at the bridge throughout the day Monday, February 26 conducting their inspection. The DOT had placed monitors on the Black Hawk Bridge before construction of the new bridge started and officials say they are using data from those monitors in their investigation. No further update has been issued and the bridge remained close as of the Tuesday morning print deadline for this week’s edition of The Standard. Motorists should plan to use an alternate route, crossing the Mississippi River at either Prairie du Chien, WI or La Crescent, MN, with Iowa DOT officials saying they will provide further information as soon as they have it available. Main photo by Susan Cantine-Maxson.
The items below summarize the top news stories that appeared in The Standard during the first six months of 2024, January-June.
JANUARY
Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff announce that the First Baby of the Year born at the hospital for 2024 is Ivan Henry Christen, son of Seth and Allison Christen of rural Decorah. Ivan was born Tuesday, January 9 at 4:08 a.m. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20.75 inches long. Grandparents are Bill and Linda Dotseth and Laurie and Bernie Christen, all of Decorah.
The Allamakee County Fair Board has announced that “The Pork Tornadoes” will be the headlining act for this year’s grandstand entertainment at the 2024 Allamakee County Fair. The four-man cover band that has played over 600 shows over the past dozen years throughout the Midwest is scheduled to perform Friday evening, July 19 in the grandstands, with “High Mileage” out of Viroqua, WI performing as the opening act that evening.
Even with temperatures dipping below zero and wind chills hitting double-digit marks below zero, in addition to a difference in business conducted, both the Allamakee County Democrat and Republican parties reported favorable turn-out for their respective Monday, January 15 caucus events held in designated locations throughout Allamakee County. The Republican caucus featured declaration of preference for President of the United States among six listed candidates, while this year’s Democrat caucus focused more on business matters for the political party, with the traditional candidate selection for Democrats this year instead being offered through a Presidential Preference Card mail-in process ongoing through February 19 of this year.
Part of the Alumni Night events celebrated Thursday, January 18 during the girls and boys basketball games at Kee High School in Lansing included the donation of $3,700 in proceeds from the sale of the “Awesome Rides” classic car calendar created and sold by 1973 Kee High School graduate Ray Burroughs of Waukon. He said in honor of graduating 50 years ago, he wanted to do something to give back to his alma mater. Burroughs emphasized that the proceeds from the calendar sales will be evenly split between all extracurricular activities in the Eastern Allamakee Community School District.
An initial request from a family member for a welfare check on a Waukon woman eventually led to the discovery of her body in a Waukon residence Monday, January 22 and to the arrest of her estranged husband in Colorado within the next day on charges of Murder in the First Degree, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed by the Waukon Police Department and made available through the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).
That filed complaint and accompanying affidavit indicate that the welfare check request was made Sunday, January 21 after that family member could not make contact with 39-year-old Jami Kasemeier of Waukon following a phone call with her that had allegedly been interrupted and disconnected by her husband, 39-year-old Brandon Kasemeier, earlier that day. The affidavit further describes that the following day, Monday, January 22, neither Jami nor Brandon reported for work, as they were scheduled, and police then obtained a search warrant for Brandon’s residence at 103 1st Avenue SW in Waukon.
The filed affidavit further states that law enforcement had to “force entry into the residence,” and a search of that residence led to the discovery of Jami’s deceased body with what was described in the affidavit as “extensive injuries to her face.” The affidavit also reports that officers discovered an empty handgun case at the scene, along with several fired .22 cartridge casings and other unfired cartridge casings.
Based on the evidence found at the scene, an arrest warrant and nationwide pick-up and hold order was issued for Brandon Kasemeier. It is believed that Brandon fled the state of Iowa sometime Sunday into the early morning hours of Monday, January 22 as the filed affidavit states that he was located by law enforcement in Loveland, CO that Monday afternoon.
According to booking reports available through the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Collins, CO, Brandon Kasemeier was arrested at 12:54 a.m. Tuesday, January 23 in Loveland, CO, with the arresting address plotting at a Best Western Plus hotel. The affidavit filed in the state of Iowa notes that Brandon was driving one of the vehicles registered to both him and Jami, and arresting officers report that a .22 revolver was located underneath the driver’s side seat of that vehicle.
To read the full article, pick up the Wednesday, January 1, 2025 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.
