Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, June 18 to address a full agenda of items including discussion of developing a sidewalk plan, discussion of the Waukon Mayor’s Facebook page and approval of wage increases for Union and non-Union City employees.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order with approval of the June 4 regular session and June 13 special session meeting minutes.

The Public Hearing for the Application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the Waste Water Treatment Facility was opened. City Clerk Allen Lyon indicated that no written or verbal comments have been received. City Manager Dean Hilgerson discussed the need for a representative from Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) to provide more information with the CDBG also listed later on the agenda.

This year Allamakee County is celebrating 100 years of organized county extension work. This long-established partnership with Iowa State University (ISU) provides local citizens with access to education and university research, providing education and building partnerships for a strong Iowa and a strong Allamakee County.

ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County will be receiving its 100-year certificate during the Allamakee County Fair in July of this year.

ISU Extension and Outreach is part of the federal Cooperative Extension Service, a network of more than 100 land-grant institutions, including Iowa State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture serving communities and counties across the United States. Every county in Iowa has an elected extension council that decides how to support ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs at the county level.

An ongoing investigation for the past two months has ultimately resulted in the arrest of a Waterloo man in connection to a series of local thefts. Frank Lee Miller, age 55, of Waterloo was recently arrested in connection with the theft of tire rims from Clark Tire Pros on the north edge of Waukon.

April 10 of this year, the Waukon Police Department received a report of tire rims being stolen from Clark Tire Pros in Waukon. With the use of camera footage and assistance from other law enforcement agencies, the Waukon Police Department was able to successfully identify the thief as Miller. It was further discovered, by use of further camera footage, that Miller had stolen rims from Clark Tire Pros on two occasions.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 11 to address a full agenda of items including the temporary closure of Green Valley Road, receiving a recommendation for a proposed change in the Zoning Ordinance text from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the consideration of bids for the Makee Drive paving and Dorchester Drive culvert projects.

During Public Comment, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker discussed recent weather conditions and rainfall with area river levels being above normal. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour discussed that half of the Secondary Roads crew was working Sunday with water over a few pavements and gravel roads.

Children of all ages are invited to read to Sunny, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by PJ Mullen, at K9 Story Time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. Sunny (pictured above) received her therapy training through the Love on a Leash Organization. K9 Story Time will be held each Thursday, June 21 through August 16, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Each reading session will be 10 minutes long allowing space for four different readers each Thursday. Registration is required and be can be done by contacting Robey Memorial Library at 563-568-4424 or www.waukon.lib.ia.us. Submitted photo.
 

Jeff Abbas, a county resident for 11 years, is announcing his candidacy for a seat on the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors. Abbas is the fourth declared candidate vying for the two Supervisor seats that will be up for election in this year’s general election scheduled for early November.

Abbas and his wife, Mary, live on Bear Creek near Dorchester and are supporters and members of the Community Rights Movement which advocates more local control for citizens. They were both leaders of the successful fight against frac sand mining in Allamakee County.

He acknowledges the diligent work by County officials in that fight as being crucial to the success of that campaign.

“Without the incredible efforts by the Board of Supervisors, the Zoning Board and everyone involved at the County level, that campaign would have failed,” Abbas says.

The Second Degree Murder case against 32-year-old John Michael Quanrude of Waukon involved a busy week of change this past week, ultimately resulting in the continuance of the jury trial in the case until a September 10 date. The trial had originally been set for August 22, was moved ahead to June 6 but has now been pushed back to begin Monday, September 10.

After having his original demand for a speedy trial misinterpreted by District Court Judge Richard Stochl to a believed waiver of that speedy trial, the original August 22 trial date had been set in early May of this year. When that misinterpretation was discovered a week later, the trial was forced forward to supposedly begin this Wednesday, June 6.

Joann Kuster, author of the Money Godmother Blog and Chairperson for Iowa’s Money Smart Week events, has announced that a Waukon third grade student has been chosen as a state winner for the Money Smart Week Piggy Bank Pageant. Tihanna Brown participated in the piggy bank decorating contest that Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank hosted at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon during Money Smart Week earlier this spring. She decorated her piggy bank with some colorful feathers and a pompom nose. Pictured in the photo at left above, left to right, Tihanna Brown was presented a certificate and a check for $100 from the Iowa Jumpstart Coalition by Kerndt Brothers Bank Business Banker Assistant Angela Carlson for being a statewide winner. Picturd at right above is Brown’s decorated piggy bank that was selected as a statewide winner. Money Smart Week is an annual event held in April each year to teach children the importance of saving. Submitted photos.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, June 4 to address a full agenda of items including the Wellmark Healthy Hometown Walking Audit, a recommendation to fill a vacancy in the Waukon Police Department and a request to sell fireworks within city limits.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order with council member Ben Rausch requesting the addition of an agenda item involving the SolSmart solar energy program. There was no Public Comment.

During Departmental Reports, Water and Sewer Superintendent Bob Campbell discussed a sewer repair on Seventh Avenue SE and that the storm sewer flow study is continuing with flow meters being moved to the northwest section of Waukon.

by Lissa Blake

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing has been named among the Best of Iowa’s State and County Parks. The ranking, compiled by traveliowa.com, lists the Center as one of Iowa’s “Can’t Miss Nature Centers.”

The Driftless Center listing can be found amongst a number of other attractions listed online at www.traveliowa.com/getinspireddetails/the-best-of-iowa-s-state-and-count...