Community News

The Waukon Police Department is hosting its annual open house Thursday, April 17 from 12-5 p.m. at the Waukon Police Station. During the open house, the Waukon Police Department is also hosting an American Red Cross community blood drive at its building. Allamakee County Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Director Jean Bossom will also be there with a display of various products that are being used by companies to hook today’s youth on vaping and other harmful products.
 

by Joshua Sharpe

The historic river town of Lansing is experiencing significant enhancements as local enterprises invest in restoring Main Street. Notably, Lansing Hardware Hank, owned by Dave and Laurie Janzen, is undertaking substantial upgrades to help preserve the town’s character while further enhancing its overall appeal.

The Janzens are leading these renovation efforts, focusing on maintaining the integrity of their five-building business while modernizing its structure. Their initiatives are part of a broader movement to revitalize downtown Lansing and promote sustained growth in the region.

THE FIRST STEPS
Lansing Hardware Hank has been in operation for 12 years under the ownership of the Janzens, with a much longer history through the Bartels family. The origin of the business dates back to 1908, when the middle building of the current five-building business structure originated as a hardware store.

Kristi Hager of Waukon will be the featured speaker at the Women’s Lenten Breakfast scheduled to be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon Friday, April 4. She will be sharing “The Weight of the Cross” and focus primarily on the last two weeks of the life of her late husband, Bob, and the spiritual message that she received during that time.

Bob and Kristi were married for 38 years before Bob’s passing February 5 of this year. They are the parents of three daughters, Aubree, Alyssa and Alaina, and two grandchildren, Kaden and Kinley.

Coffee, rolls and fruit will be served starting at 6:30 a.m. with the program starting at 7 a.m., hopefully allowing women to attend before starting their schedule for the day. All area women are invited to attend.
 

The Waukon Police Department is hosting its annual open house Thursday, April 17 from 12 Noon to 5 p.m. at the Waukon Police Station, located at 104 1st Street NW in Waukon. The open house will allow attendees to tour the police station building, check out one of the department’s patrol vehicles, ask questions, and meet the Waukon Police Department staff.

During the open house, the Waukon Police Department is also hosting an American Red Cross community blood drive at its building. The theme of the blood drive is, “Battle of the Badges.” Donors can vote for one of the local emergency services - Waukon Fire Department, Waukon Emergency Medical Services (EMS), or Waukon Police Department. The winning agency will claim the honor of bragging rights.

Representatives of Vanguard Appraisals Inc., in conjunction with the Allamakee County Assessor’s Office, is conducting an exterior review of all residential properties in Allamakee County. The process is currently underway and will take place throughout the remainder of the year.  Appraisers will be reviewing and photographing properties, and on occasion may deem it necessary to contact specific property owners for further information.

All law enforcement agencies, as well as the Allamakee County Assessor’s Office, will be apprised of the areas representatives will be working in. They will also have a list of names and license plate numbers of anyone involved in the project. Appraisers’ vehicles will be marked with blue and white magnetic signs typically displayed on the driver’s side door.

Waukon High School welcomed the newest members into its local chapter of National Honor Society at an annual induction ceremony held Thursday, March 13 at Waukon High School. Starting in January of their junior year, eligible students are invited to complete the application process to gain membership into National Honor Society. Membership is based on the four pillars that National Honor Society represents: Scholarship, Character, Leadership and Service. Pictured above are this year’s new inductees.

Midwest Veterans of America will be hosting a special recognition event this Saturday, March 29 at AJ’s Bar & Grill in Waukon to celebrate National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which is observed March 29 each year honoring the signing of the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act into law in 2017.
An awards presentation will begin at 1 p.m. recognizing 36 U.S. Military Veterans from the local area, with the full menu available to order from as well at the event location. The public is invited to attend the event. Those who have further questions may call 563-568-5275.

Veterans who were nominated by local residents for honoring at this Saturday’s Vietnam Day event include the following (as reported by Midwest Veterans of America):

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Monday, March 24. The council first held a Public Hearing for the Fiscal-Year 2026 Proposed Tax Levy prior to the regular session meeting of the council that had been rescheduled from its original third-Monday date of March 17 to better accommodate the public hearing process on the proposed tax levy.

Teamsters Union Local 238 distributed a press release Monday afternoon, March 24 in regard to an online survey the Teamsters Union conducted this past weekend that was answered by 12 employees of the City of Waukon Police Department and Public Works Department. The release states that the survey consisted of only a single question: “Do you have confidence that Gary Boden can manage the City of Waukon in a manner that is effective and beneficial overall to the residents of the city?”

The release further shares that the results of that survey were reportedly unanimous, stating, “The vote was 12-0 that employees do not have confidence in the City Manager.” In addition to media, the release was also distributed to members of the Waukon City Council and the Waukon Mayor just a couple hours prior to the March 24 Waukon City Council meeting. The matter was not addressed during that March 24 public meeting.

Bleeding injuries can happen anytime, anywhere. If let uncontrolled, severe bleeding injuries could claim a person’s life in as little as five minutes.

With that in mind, Emplify Health by Gundersen will be offering a STOP THE BLEED® training event Tuesday, March 25 at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street in Lansing, from 5-6 p.m. Anyone may participate in this training, which is being offered free of charge to the first 10 participants to register by the March 24 at 12 noon registration deadline.