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by Lissa Blake

FreedomBank will celebrate its 120th anniversary of doing business in northeast Iowa with a community meal Tuesday, September 12 in Waukon. A complimentary meal will be offered from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon.

HISTORY
FreedomBank, with locations in Waukon, Elkader, Monona, Postville and Decorah, traces its roots back to Farmersburg Savings Bank of Farmersburg, which started in 1903. March 12, 1903 the decision was made to build a bank at a cost of $2,852, and this bank building is still standing in Farmersburg over one hundred years later.

Wednesday, August 30 at 6:49 p.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office E911 Center received a report of a motor vehicle collision that occurred on State Highway 76 just west of the intersection of Sand Hill Road in Allamakee County, about seven miles southeast of Waukon.

According to the accident report, a pick-up truck and trailer driven by Cody Bauer, age 32, of Dubuque and owned by River City Paving, a division of Mathy Construction, was traveling northbound on State Highway 76 and attempted to make a U-turn to head southbound. A motorcycle driven by Kerry Gene Nuehring, age 60, of Waukon was traveling northbound and struck the side of the trailer, ejecting Nuehring from his motorcycle.

Nuehring was pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The driver and a passenger of the pick-up truck were uninjured. A full obituary for Kerry Nuehring appears on Page 3 in this edition of The Standard.

Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) is seeking nominations for the 2023 “Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award”. To be eligible for the award, the recipient must be a business located in Allamakee County and nominated for the award.

ACED will accept nominations until Wednesday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. The award winner announcement will be made at the ACED Annual Meeting taking place Thursday, October 12 at the Waterville Community Center. The award recipient will receive a plaque and be added to the award plaque that is displayed at the ACED office. This business recognition award was created in 2011 to honor the late Cloy Kuhse, who was an ACED Board of Directors member.

“The award was created to highlight and recognize a business that is making a positive impact in Allamakee County, as well as to honor the memory of Cloy and his vision,” ACED Executive Director Val Reinke stated.

The Allamakee County Fair Board has announced the dates for the 2024 Allamakee County Fair scheduled for next summer. Those dates have been set for Wednesday through Sunday, July 17-21 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. Further event details will be published as they become available.
 

The photos above and at right of local bank clocks/thermometers in Waukon both hover right around the 100-degree mark as the heat wave that gripped the Midwest last week forced temperatures into the triple digits and the heat index well above the century mark when the higher humidity was factored in. The National Weather Service logged temperatures reaching a high of 100 degrees in the area Wednesday, August 23 from around 3-5 p.m., although both banks featured above say their thermometer readings exceeded the century mark by several degrees both Wednesday and Thursday.

Greg and Amy Lage of Allamakee County were inducted into the 2023 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair Sunday, August 20. Ninety-one Iowa counties participated this year and selected 127 inductees for their outstanding service and dedication to 4-H. Inductees or their surviving family members were presented a certificate by Iowa 4-H Foundation President David Bolte and Interim State 4-H Program Leader Mitchell Hoyer as they were introduced on stage.

The contribution to 4-H by Greg and Amy Lage of Postville is widely felt, said ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County Youth Coordinator Marissa Foels. This year’s inductees started as youth members of 4-H when they were nine years old and remained active through their early adult years.

They continued to instill the value of 4-H in their two daughters and can still be found behind the scenes supporting and encouraging the youth in Allamakee County.

The Iowa Governor’s Office has received notification that the State of Iowa’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration has been granted for seven counties that were severely impacted by spring flooding earlier this year along the Mississippi River. Counties included in the declaration include Allamakee and Clayton in northeast Iowa, along with Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee and Scott Counties.

Under the declaration, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Program funding is available to eligible public entities and nonprofit organizations in the designated counties that were impacted by the April 24-May 13, 2023 Mississippi River flooding. Public Assistance funding may be used for emergency work, such as debris removal and emergency protective measures, or for the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Andrew Karvel, of Lansing, was convicted Monday, August 21 in Allamakee County District Court of Second Degree Murder in the May 2022 death of Daniel Lundy, formerly also of Lansing. The jury in the case of the State of Iowa vs. Andrew Raymond Karvel opted not to convict on the most serious of the charges Karvel originally faced - First Degree Murder.

Karvel, age 66, was arrested August 17, 2022 on the charge of First Degree Murder in the May 9, 2022 death of his roommate, Daniel William Lundy, age 83, at the home they shared at 650 South 2nd Street in Lansing. According to court documents, Karvel pleaded not guilty to that charge in September of that year and was originally scheduled for a jury trial November 2, 2022. At the request, and agreement, of all legal counsel involved in the case, Karvel’s trial was rescheduled for August 16, 2023. In the meantime, Karvel was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Allamakee County Sheriff K9 Tyr and handler Deputy Ross Kolsrud recently competed in their annual Patrol Dog Certification. K9 Tyr certifies under the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), Region 21, and the Association’s PD-1 K9 Officer Trials were held in LeMars the first week of August.

As part of their partnership in working together, K9 Tyr and Deputy Kolsrud must be proficient in a number of areas to gain their certification. These competencies include obedience, article search, suspect search, apprehension without gunfire, and apprehension with gunfire. This year, K9 Tyr showed excellence while competing, being awarded second place in the suspect search portion of the competition.

Those who travel on the Black Hawk (Iowa 9/Wisconsin 82) Bridge over the Mississippi River near Lansing need to be aware of lane closures on the bridge scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 22, 23 and 24, weather permitting, to allow crews to install bridge monitoring equipment.

While work is being done, motorists will be assisted through the work zone with flaggers. A lane-width restriction of 10 feet will be in place while work is taking place. The work is related to the upcoming bridge construction project, but not the start of construction.

Help keep everyone on the road safer. Drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.