River Valley

The Nightcrawlers Forever committee is planning its annual community benefit potluck to be held at T.J.'s Banquet Center in Lansing Sunday, February 25. A pork dinner, kid's games, silent auction and raffles will be starting at 11 a.m., with an auction to begin at 1:30 p.m.

The committee members appreciate the support of the many local businesses and individuals who have made this event successful in the past. Those who have not contributed in the past are asked to consider a donation to this year's event. Contributions can be made either in the form of cash or merchandise.

The Lansing ice harvest scheduled for Saturday, January 27 has been rescheduled to February 10 due to poor ice conditions. The Allamakee County Conservation Board, along with Karen and Gary Galema of Lansing, will now be hosting an Ice Harvest Demonstration at Village Creek State Boat Landing on the south edge of Lansing Saturday, February 10. The ice harvest demonstration will be held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Anyone who is interested in the event is asked to park in the boat landing parking lot and walk to the boat ramp area.

Harvesting ice during the winter months was important before modern refrigeration was found in households, and Lansing was home to seven different ice houses throughout the period. Ice houses were large, stone buildings where the ice could be stored, buried in saw dust for use during the hot summer months. The demonstration will be performed using equipment that was used during ice harvests in and around Lansing from the 1900s to the 1950s.

Sunday, January 7, the Lansing Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Front Street in Lansing involving a vehicle operated by Geramia Swadley of Soldiers Grove, WI. While the traffic stop was being conducted, Swadley and a female passenger fled on foot into a nearby residence. Swadley was later apprehended inside the residence, but the female is still at large. Anyone who may know the whereabouts of the female associated with Swadley in regard to this incident may contact the Lansing Police Department or the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department

The Kee High School Post Prom Committee will host Bingo Sunday, February 11 in the Kee High School cafeteria in Lansing. Games will start at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

Participants can bring a food item to be donated to the Allamakee County Food Shelf and play an extra Bingo card free. All players will be eligible for door prizes.  Proceeds will be used to fund Post Prom prizes and entertainment.
 

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council met in another brief regular session Monday evening, January 15. Discussion at the meeting was centered around Tony Becker being appointed as Lansing Fire Chief, as well as the consideration of writing an Allamakee County Community Foundation Grant for the City Police Department.

The council reviewed and considered appointing Tony Becker to the position of Lansing Fire Chief once again. After further discussion that included making sure all the members of the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department had voted, Becker was officially appointed.

A motion was made to allow the City to apply for an Allamakee County Community Foundation Grant for the purchase of new body armor for officers in the City Police Department, as well as for the purchase of both a brush guard and an interior cage for the new police vehicle. The motion was approved and the grant will be pursued, with an application deadline of February 1.
 

The Nightcrawlers Forever committee is planning its annual community benefit potluck to be held at T.J.'s Banquet Center in Lansing Sunday, February 25. A pork dinner, kid's games, silent auction and raffles will be starting at 11 a.m., with an auction to begin at 1:30 p.m.
The committee members appreciate the support of the many local businesses and individuals who have made this event successful in the past. Those who have not contributed in the past are asked to consider a donation to this year's event. Contributions can be made either in the form of cash or merchandise.

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council met for a very brief, 20-minute regular session Tuesday, January 2 due to the New Year's Day holiday falling on the council's usual meeting night of Monday. Discussion centered around welcoming newly-elected members to the council and the City needing a new plow truck.

Mayor Mike Brennan welcomed the new members of the Lansing City Council elected this past November in the City Election. Deb Volker, Mike Manning and Justin Shepard each took their respective seats for the first time to begin their new terms as city council members.

City Street Supervisor Ken Ripp asked the council to take into consideration buying a new plow truck because the current truck is rusting badly and has ongoing mechanical issues.

Prairie Industries' Lansing location donated to the Allamakee Giving Tree sponsored by the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) Allamakee County Family Service Office. Staff members of Prairie Industries collected and donated $1,590 and several boxes of new toys and canned food items (all pictured above) to give to families in need in Allamakee County. The items were donated to the Northeast Iowa Community Action Family Service Office in Waukon so that office could provide gifts and food to families in Allamakee County in time for the holidays. Submitted photo.
 

Due to additional donations to the Allamakee County Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center on the south edge of Lansing since its opening in August of this year, the Allamakee County Conservation Foundation will be updating the donor wall located within the facility and pictured at right, along with its adjacent listing (pictured below) of the different donor levels and what they represent. Donations to the Center are tax deductible, and donations of $1,000 or more will be noted on the donor wall. Donations will be accepted until January 31, 2018 for the first updating of the donor wall. Anyone wanting to make a tax deductible donation for 2017 should make the donation before the end of December.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met Monday, November 20 with board member Bobbi Goetzinger and board president Heather Schulte the only members present initially, in addition to Superintendent Dr.  Dale Crozier, New Albin Elementary School Principal Chad Steckel, Kee High School Principal Mary Hogan and board secretary Marian Verdon. Absent, initially, were board members Bruce Palmborg, Kelli Mudderman and Melanie Mauss.

Because one board member would be arriving later, the board members present chose to hear the presentations by Allamakee County Emergency Management Director Corey Snitker, teacher Debra Masek on the fourth, fifth and sixth grade social studies curriculum and the Kee High School FFA chapter before officially starting the business portion of the meeting.