Community News

by Brianne Grimstad

For Waukon native Jessica Winters, a dream three years in the making has finally been realized with the opening of Earth Frequency Apothecary & Reiki May 16, 2024. The store is located at 106 Rossville Road in Waukon.

Her new store carries a variety of items for all ages and interests in alternative healing and therapies, as well as offering many unique services to compliment her retail business. The retail store is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and services, like Reiki sessions, are done from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Earth Frequency Apothecary & Reiki is also open Saturdays by appointment for store or services.

Educator and former city councilman Ian Zahren has filed his petition with the Iowa Secretary of State to appear on the November ballot as an Independent for Iowa House District 64. This district Zahren is seeking to represent includes Allamakee and Clayton counties, along with a single precinct in Dubuque County.

If elected, the Lansing resident would be the first person without party affiliation to be elected to an Iowa state office in more than 100 years. Zahren, 36, will face Republican Jason Gearhart from Strawberry Point in the November election. No Democratic Party candidate is running for the District 64 seat.

Each year, Community Bankers of Iowa (CBI), the only statewide association advocating exclusively for Iowa’s independent community banks, presents its Community Banking Month Best-of-the-Best Award.  This award honors the Iowa community bank that showed excellence in giving back to its local community during Community Banking Month - observed in April - and throughout the year.

FreedomBank was named the 2024 recipient of the award and was presented with the award at a ceremony during CBI’s 53rd Annual Convention held in Arnolds Park this July. The work FreedomBank has done sends the clear message that community banks make a difference on Main Street.

Those who drive on the Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing will need to be aware that intermittent closures on the bridge will continued throughout this week, weather permitting. The temporary closures were delayed by high river levels in June.

Construction crews will continue work on constructing a new pier and driving the pier foundation for the new bridge that will replace the current bridge. Intermittent closures of up to two hours will happen on the existing bridge between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to reduce vibration from construction activity and traffic, limiting the chance of damage occurring. Weather permitting, these closures will be done by this Friday, August 16. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will be updating the Lansing Bridge Facebook page with the approximate closure time a day in advance.

Gary Kroeger is featured speaker, all are welcome to provide Booster sponsorship

Waukon High School and the Allamakee Athletic Booster Club will be joining forces Tuesday, August 20 for the annual Community Appreciation Meal and Meet the Team Night Tuesday, August 20 at the Waukon High School. The event will begin at 5 p.m. with the Booster Club’s annual Community Appreciation Meal in the Waukon High School Cafeteria, with a guest speaker and the opportunity to meet the Waukon Indian fall athletic teams and watch them scrimmage.

The Community Appreciation Meal provides an opportunity for anyone to contribute a sponsorship to the Allamakee Athletic Booster Club (AABC). Those wishing to do so may fill out the form in the advertisement found on Page 19 in this edition of The Standard and bring it to Tuesday’s meal for a year-long sponsorship at any of the five funding levels also listed in the ad.

Those who drive on the Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing will need to be aware that intermittent closures on the bridge will resume again this Thursday, August 8, weather permitting. The temporary closures were delayed by high river levels in June.

Construction crews will continue work on constructing a new pier and driving the pier foundation for the new bridge that will replace the current bridge. Intermittent closures of up to two hours will happen on the existing bridge between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to reduce vibration from construction activity and traffic, limiting the chance of damage occurring.

Weather permitting, these closures will be done by Friday, August 16. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will be updating the Lansing Bridge Facebook page with the approximate closure time a day in advance. There will not be any closures of the bridge this Friday, August 9 in consideration of Lansing Fish Days.

The End of Watch: Ride to Remember rolling memorial honoring fallen law enforcement officers will be on display for the general public at the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office this Friday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Among those honored within the End of Watch display will be fallen Allamakee County Deputy Sheriff John Grampovnik, who passed away January 27, 2022 from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Deputy Grampovnik had served with the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department for almost 25 years and previously served with the Waukon Police Department. He is survived by his wife, daughter, father, three sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

The End of Watch display will be at the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office as part of Day 70 of a 73-day tour across the United States. More information is available at www.endofwatchride.com.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, August 5 to address a full agenda of matters including the consideration of setting a date and time for appointing a County Treasurer, discussion and consideration of bids for the CAT6 network cable and security camera upgrade work for the County Courthouse, and the consideration of new tandem truck chassis quotes.

The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

Those interested in serving on the Veterans Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees must file the candidacy paperwork by August 28 to be on the November ballot

Allamakee County voters will have a unique opportunity in the coming November 5, 2024 General Election.

After voter approval in November 2022, Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) was transferred from City of Waukon ownership to ownership by Allamakee County. Per Iowa Code 347, a new board of trustees is required to be voted in and all trustee seats are up for election. The VMH Board of Trustees consists of seven members. Membership is open to any eligible resident of Allamakee County.

A board of trustees has many responsibilities, including but not limited to:

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will participate in Waukon Corn Days 2024 with a video program showing both Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3. There will also be a photo display from Corn Days celebrations from past years (such as those pictured in the surrounding photos).

The movie filmed in downtown Waukon in the 1940s by the Cote family for the Town Theatre (top photo at right) will be played both of those days. See what Waukon was like in the 1940s, and identify relatives shown in the films while enjoying a nostalgic look back at period vehicles and dress with local scenes and businesses from that era.