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The 2017 Waukon High School Prom is scheduled for this Saturday, April 29 at the current Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m. to the public for the 8 p.m. Grand March, with seating available in the Waukon High School Auditorium. Following the Grand March will be the coronation of this year’s Prom King and Queen. Visitors are asked to exit the building after the coronation in order for students to start the dance. This year students will need to either attend the dance or participate in alternative activities in the Middle School/High School Library in order to attend the Post Prom event in the Waukon High School gymnasium. The Post Prom doors will open at 10:45 p.m., with activities, including games and the hypnotist, taking place from 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Pictured at right are the senior class Queen and King candidates for the 2017 Waukon High School Prom.

by Amber Gericke

For a sport that isn't readily available in the immediate local area of his hometown or county of residence, ice hockey has recently provided 16-year-old Addison Schnuelle of Waukon a unique opportunity to be active and enjoy competition and camaraderie with his peers.

Addison is the son of Adam and Tanya Schnuelle of Waukon, and he can often be seen navigating the halls of Waukon High School in his wheelchair, as he is living his life with Spina Bifida. According to the Spina Bifida Association, Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. Although a specific cause is still being researched, Spina Bifida occurs when a baby is in the womb and the spinal column does not close all of the way due to genetic and environmental factors that act together to cause the condition that can result in mobility and other body function difficulties, depending upon the severity of the condition.

Kee High School seniors Courtney Cooper and Spencer Colsch were selected as the 2017 Kee High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 22. Cooper was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Jordyn Burroughs, Madelyn Gruber, Rachel Richards and Sierra Schobert. Colsch was chosen from a King court that included fellow seniors Danny Brennan, Logan Burroughs, Marshal Johnson and Johnathan Mooney. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook.
 

The 2017 Kee High School Prom is scheduled for this Saturday, April 22. Pictured above are the senior class Queen and King candidates for the annual event. Left to right - Front row: Courtney Cooper, Sierra Schobert, Madelyn Gruber. Second row: Logan Burroughs, Jordyn Burroughs, Danny Brennan. Back row: Johnathon Mooney, Spencer Colsch, Marshal Johnson. Not pictured: Rachel Richards. The annual banquet will be held at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall on Main Street in Lansing, with doors opening at 5:15 p.m. The dance will be taking place from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight in the banquet hall as well. The public is invited to attend the Grand March, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with doors opening to the public at 7:45 p.m. and a free-will donation being taken. Following the Grand March, this year’s Prom King and Queen will be crowned. Post Prom festivities will follow the dance until 4 a.m. at the former Lansing Middle School gymnasium.

by Joe Moses

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst visited Mosaic's Waukon office Tuesday, April 11 as part of her 99-county tour following a town hall meeting in Elkader April 10. Ernst met with the administration and staff at Mosaic, an organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities, to discuss the organization's positive impact, advocacy, current needs and concerns relating to legislation.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 17 to address a full agenda of items, including setting a letting date for pavement rehabilitation on the Great River Road X52, a Fiscal-Year 2018 health insurance update and the consideration of vacating some excess right of way along Lycurgus Road X20. There were no public comments.

A Quarterly Report for the Allamakee County Relief Office was accepted and placed on file. Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer and the Supervisors discussed possible dates for the final meeting of Fiscal-Year 2017 with the approval of June 30 at 9 a.m. as the final meeting time. Beyer and the Supervisors also discussed possible dates and times for the Public Hearing for the Fiscal-Year 2017 budget amendment with May 15 at 9:40 a.m. being approved.

With Memorial Day approaching, the Allamakee County Veterans Memorial Committee would like to remind those interested that orders for individual memorial bricks are still being taken for placement within the Allamakee County Veterans Memorial at the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon. To date, there are 1,431 bricks in place bearing the names of 1,652 Allamakee County Veterans.

This year, those interested in ordering a memorial brick should place their order no later than May 1. Every effort will be made to have the bricks ordered by that date in place by Memorial Day this year. If possible, orders received after May 1 will be placed prior to Memorial Day, but most likely will be put in place at a later date.

Dr. Bill Withers of Waukon, board member at Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA), was recently honored as the recipient of the first-ever Dr. E. Robert Stephens Award from Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. Withers received the award during a presentation at the AEA Boards of Directors Conference held March 30 in Des Moines.

This is the first year for the award and it is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate outstanding candidates for their contributions to education and the AEA system. Withers was nominated for the award by fellow board member George Holland of Dubuque.

"It's very humbling and a great honor, especially when considering the legacy the award is named after, the man we call the 'founding father' of AEA, Dr. Bob Stephens," Dr. Withers remarked. "He was just a grand guy, and was pretty much single-handedly responsible for putting this all together before it was enacted by the State Legislature in 1974."

Main Street Iowa hosted the 31st annual Main Street Iowa Awards Celebration Friday, April 7 at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. The program honored the efforts of those who work day in and day out in downtown revitalization in Iowa. The event was attended by approximately 550 individuals representing communities across the state.

Main Street Iowa has annually presented awards honoring outstanding accomplishments, activities and people that are making a difference in Iowa’s Main Street districts. Projects large and small are recognized and serve as outstanding examples of what historic commercial district revitalization is all about.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 10 to address a full agenda of items, including the discussion of amendments to the ATV/UTV ordinance, multiple Public Safety Center items and setting a public hearing date for vacating a dead end road off of Timber Road. There were no public comments.

Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer presented the Quarterly Reports for Planning and Zoning, and the Auditor and Recorder offices, which were all accepted and place on file by the Supervisors. Transfers to the Secondary Roads Department for $528,347.82 from Rural Services and $44,616.89 from the General Fund were approved. A manure management plan update from Red Ink Ranch was accepted and placed on file.