Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, December 16 to address a full agenda of items. A special closed session relating to the Mayo Clinic location in Waukon was held prior to the regular session.

The regular session meeting agenda was approved with the removal of the Public Hearing relating to a police officer post-termination hearing (per Iowa Code Section 372.15). There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Departmental Reports.

Join Wavelength Productions for the premiere of THE FOURSOME, a short documentary film set in Waukon. The 30-minute film tells the story of four friends playing together in the same golf tournament at the Waukon Golf and Country Club for 50 years. A film about friendship, golf and potato salad, THE FOURSOME stars Waukon resident Bob Rotach (third from left in above photo) and his friends, left to right, Darrel Collins of La Crescent, MN and Gary Peterson and Herb Collins of McGregor. THE FOURSOME will be playing at the Town Theater on Main Street in Waukon Tuesday, December 17 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Both screenings are free and those attending can RSVP at https://bit.ly/2pTpO85. For more information, see the advertisement in the December 11, 2019 print edition and e-edition of The Standard on Page 13A or contact taylor@wavelengthproductions.com or at 314-610-0475. Submitted photo.
 

The Lansing Tractor & Truck Pull and the Big Horse Power & Pride Truck Show held each year in conjunction with the annual Lansing Fish Days festivities have involved a great deal more than just a display of power and pride for entertainment and prizewinnings each of the last two summers. A special event held during that tractor and truck pull each of the last two years has helped event organizers raise more than $15,000 to assist a pair of area families who each have children experiencing extensive medical treatments and expenses.

“Like other sporting events, pullers become part of a family,” shared organizers of the Lansing Tractor & Truck Pull. “The competition is great and the camaraderie is even greater.”

The Waukon Fire Department had an initial call for a possible natural gas smell at one location turn into an actual fire call at an adjacent location around midday Friday, December 6. An initial 9-1-1 call dispatched the department volunteers to the intersection of Ninth Street and West Main Street for what was thought to be a natural gas smell. After being unable to pinpoint the source of the smell that would come and go, fire officials on their way back to the station instead noticed smoke and flames coming from a grain bin dryer at the Waukon Feed Ranch mill location along Ninth Street SW. Waukon Feed Ranch General Manager Brad Herman said the 2,000-bushel dryer full of corn had somehow caught fire, with the cause of the fire yet undetermined and still under investigation. Herman said maintenance and cleaning had just been conducted on that same dryer four hours prior to the fire.

The Allamakee County Relief Office is hosting its “We Care” Christmas Tree, which is located at Hartig Drug on Main Street in Waukon this year. The “We Care” tree will have tags to be selected from the tree with general information about Christmas gift ideas for children living in Allamakee County who are less fortunate.

Based on the information on the tag, those gifts can be purchased and returned to the Allamakee County Relief Office in Waukon by December 10 for distribution to those children in time for Christmas. For more information about the “We Care” Christmas Tree, call the Allamakee County Relief Office at 563-568-3591.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, December 2 to address a short agenda of items with discussion of several police department considerations and requests for direction including staffing, past due parking fines and upgraded radios.

During Public Comment, Director Ardie Kuhse with Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) briefly discussed the Lighted Holiday Parade that took place earlier that same evening. Kuhse mentioned the participation of businesses and organizations and that the event was well attended downtown.

Under Departmental Reports, Police Chief Paul Wagner discussed ongoing work relating to establishing programs. Street Superintendent Keith Burrett discussed work completed relating to the replacement of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFI) outlets which was necessary for the lighted holiday decorations.

U.S. Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar, one of the Democratic candidates for President of the United States, will be conducting a Meet & Greet event this Saturday in Waukon to discuss issues with area residents and visitors. The Meet & Greet event will be taking place from 8:45-10 a.m. at the Waukon Wellness Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW in Waukon.
 

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a Holiday Gift Drive to help make the holiday season special for local children. The Sheriff’s Office is accepting donated gifts for children at the Allamakee County Public Safety Center location at 877 Highway 9, just north of Waukon.

Donated gifts will be provided to families that are struggling to make ends meet this holiday season. All gifts will be distributed through the Allamakee County Relief Office.

Gifts should be new items in their original packaging and should be designated for youth ages birth to 17 years of age. Donated gifts should be dropped off at the Sheriff’s Office by Thursday, December 12.

For more information, contact the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office at 563-568-4521.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, November 25 to address a full agenda of items including the Re-Canvass of the EACSD District 2 race, the appointment of two County Sheriff’s Department transport officers and use of the County credit card for recurring billing of shift planning software for the Sheriff’s Department.

Monday, November 11, the Waukon Police Department investigated a burglary that had been reported at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon. Through the course of the ensuing  investigation, video camera footage showed 22-year-old Joshua P. Tischer of La Crosse, WI as the suspect in the burglary at the church.

Also, on the same day, the Waukon Police Department received a report of a theft from a residence that Tischer had gone to in search of a phone in order to contact a family member to pick him up. Tischer had been released from the Allamakee County Jail earlier that same day on a signature bond from an arrest that had taken place just the day before when the Waukon Police Department received a report of a vehicle burglary which occurred on Rossville Road in Waukon and Tischer was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary (aggravated misdemeanor) and possession of burglary tools (aggravated misdemeanor) as a result of that investigation.