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The Allamakee County Cattlemen's Association crowned the 2015-2016 Allamakee County Beef Queen and Princess Saturday, November 7 at its annual Purple Ribbon Prospect Sale held at Northeast Iowa Sales Commission north of Waukon. Being crowned as the 2015-2016 Allamakee County Beef Queen was Christa Heffern (pictured above), daughter of Jack and Cindy Heffern of Harpers Ferry. Kaela Wood, daughter of Jim and Michele Wood of Waukon, was named Allamakee County Beef Princess. Submitted photo.
 

Monday, November 23, the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) packaged full Thanksgiving meals that were donated to one family in need in each of Iowa's 99 counties in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Iowa DPS recognizes that there are many families in need this holiday season and organized a collection within the Department that raised over $5,000 to help facilitate the project. Pictured above, local Iowa State Patrol Troopers Jay Hansen (left) and Robert Burns (right) distributed the meal pictured above to a designated family in Allamakee County Tuesday, November 24.

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Office for Allamakee County in Waukon is moving to a new location across town. The office will now be located at 218 Seventh Avenue SE, Suite #102 in Waukon, the lower level of the Family Chiropractic building in southeast Waukon.
The new Extension office location will be open for business at 8 a.m. Wednesday, December 9. The current office location on Allamakee Street in Waukon will remain open through December 8 during the course of the move. The telephone number for the office will remain the same, 563-568-6345.
 

Unofficial results from the Tuesday, December 1 run-off election for the vacant At-Large seat on the Waukon City Council reveal that Ben Rausch has been elected to the seat. Rausch garnered 175 votes to defeat Christine Enyart, who received 135 votes.
More complete coverage will appear in the December 9 issue of The Standard.

The annual Lighted Holiday Parade held in Waukon Monday evening, November 23 brightened up the beginning of the holiday season in more ways than one as more than two dozen entries made their way through the city streets. While remnants of the season's first snowstorm remained here and there throughout the parade route, seasonal temperatures that hovered just below the freezing mark at parade time allowed for a spirited crowd to line the parade route to enjoy the festive kick-off to the holidays. While many a parade viewer, young and old, may have had their thoughts of holiday gift giving and receiving jumpstarted by this year's brightly decorated parade entries, many of those entries celebrated the greatest gifts of all, as pictured here, that truly brighten the holiday season. View and find out how to purchase this photo and more by clicking here.
 

Voters in Waukon will be asked to return to the polls Tuesday, December 1 to determine which of two candidates will fill an At-Large vacancy on the Waukon City Council. All registered voters within the city of Waukon are eligible to vote in the run-off election, but the only polling site open that December 1 election day will be at the Waukon NICC Center, Room 109, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW, and that site will be open from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

by Lissa Blake

When it comes to privatizing Medicaid services for more than half a million Iowans, many people think Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is moving way too fast.
That is the gist of the feedback Iowans are giving at listening posts around the state in regard to the Governor's proposed plan slated to go into effect at the beginning of the new year.
Monday, November 16, around 40 area residents expressed their concerns regarding Branstad’s proposed privatization of Medicaid at a listening post forum held at Luther College in Decorah.
By January 1, 2016, the health care of more than half a million Iowans is scheduled to be turned over to four managed care companies. Because the federal government shares the cost of Iowa’s Medicaid services, opponents of Branstad’s plan hope federal officials will either reject or delay the plan.

by Jason Meyer

by Jason Meyer

The surrounding photos are from Quilts of Valor presentations made to local veterans during Veterans Day programs held at local schools Wednesday, November 11. Pictured at top receiving Quilts of Valor at the Waukon High School Veterans Day program are, left to right, Curt Kruger, Marvin Strike, Jim Johnson, Jerry Halverson, Shawn Dorhmann and Erik Nykkanen. Unable to attend the program was Quilts of Valor recipient Ozzie Quandahl. In the middle picture are Quilts of Valor recipients honored at the Veterans Day program at St. Patrick Elementary School in Waukon. Left to right in photo at right, are recipients Jim Sweeney, Vernis Haberichter and Randy Murphy. In bottom photo, Ray Burke was presented his Quilt of Valor at his home by one of the local Quilts of Valor creators, Grace Murphy. Submitted photos.