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by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 12 to address a full agenda of items. Among those items were the Public Hearing for amendments to the ATV Ordinance LV, the signing of the revised Solutions Information Technology (IT) Services Agreement for Fiscal-Year 2018 and approval of the revised 28E agreement for the issuance of drivers licenses.

Waukon RAGBRAI seeking volunteers to host riders in homes or yards overnight

The 2017 Allamakee County Dairy Parade traveled the streets of Waukon Monday, June 5, with a number of area businesses, families and organizations providing entries to pay tribute to the dairy industry. The annual celebration brings together those representing the industry in whatever way they can, such as the Allamakee County Dairy Ambassadors pictured above who walked the parade route promoting the industry they intend to continue to be a part of in the future, or local business owners who know the value of the dairy industry within their own business and were "spotted" acknowledging that benefit and thanking industry producers in their own unique way. View these photos and more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this website.
 

by Lissa Blake

It was with mixed emotions many area residents bid farewell to the 322nd Engineer Company Sunday morning, June 4.

Over 100 people attended a special ceremony marking the closing of the PFC Lloyd C. Wohlford, Jr. United States Army Reserve Center in Decorah, which is closing due to the fact the Company is relocating to Sloan, NV located near Las Vegas. The unit received its orders earlier this year; the majority of Company members have been reassigned to new units, according to Commander Captain Douglas O’ Brien of Darlington, WI.

Soldiers assigned to the 322nd Engineer Company had the options of transferring to another unit in the area, changing their military occupation in order to transfer to a unit that may be closer, or transferring to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).

In Waukon...
The annual Memorial Day Observance held May 29 in Waukon featured delivery of the Memorial Day Address by Rev. Dr. William Reese (pictured at far left), a Vietnam Veteran from Viroqua, WI. Along with the more traditional Memorial Day Observance that included the parade through Waukon and the program held at Oakland Cemetery, a surprise was sprung on Waukon area native and 1984 Waukon High School graduate Andrew Lonning, who was honored for his retirement from the U.S. Army following a career spanning nearly three decades and featuring ascension to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. In the photo at right, Lonning's high school classmate, Master Sergeant Kevin Herman, U.S. Army, Retired (right in photo) presented Lonning (left in photo) with a certificate plaque commemorating his retirement. Quilts of Valor were also bestowed on several local veterans (pictured at immediate left) during Monday's observance program. Photos by Robin Johnson.

The Waukon Area Fire Protection District was called to a barn fire about four and a half miles west of Waukon at 371 Prairie Drive around 9 p.m. Thursday, June 1. The barn, located on the home farm of the Janice Cooper family, was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on scene, as evident by the bright white flames near the left of the photo above that was taken a little more than three-fourths of a mile away. The bright lights to the right of the photo are those of some of the responding fire fighting vehicles from both the Waukon Area Fire Protection District and the Postville Fire Department, which was called to provide water tanker and other firefighting support for the blaze. Also assisting during the incident were the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office, Waukon Police Department and Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service.

Wisconsin and Iowa officials say Wisconsin State Highway 82 connecting Iowa to Wisconsin just east of Lansing is now open to traffic, including the Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing. East and westbound lanes on Hwy. 82 between Iowa Hwy. 26 and Wisconsin Hwy. 35 had both been closed since Tuesday, May 30 due to a washout caused by high waters on the Mississippi River. Wisconsin Department of Transportation crews have been working since Tuesday on filling the hole and repairing the road, and, as of Friday morning, June 2 at around 11 a.m., the road has been reopened to traffic.

by Anne Falken

The current New Albin Fire Department facility was built in 1968. It was a vast improvement over the original 1918 building, which can still be seen on Main Street.

In the 50 years following construction of the current facility, no one could have imagined how the size of fire apparatus would increase, or the amount of specialized equipment that would need to be housed and transported. The result of that growth and additional requirements has now made the current building very tight and out of date.

Clearance is mere inches to get the trucks through the bay doors, and those doors must be opened to even check the truck’s oil and provide other maintenance. Indoor washing of trucks can only be done in one bay due to limited floor drainage and no 360-degree access to the trucks in the other bays. So, the trucks are moved back and forth, increasing volunteer time after a call.

Waukon RAGBRAI seeking volunteers to host riders in homes or yards overnight

Authorities have confirmed a Lansing man has died in a crash following the washout of a portion of the highway between De Soto, WI and Lansing, just east of the Black Hawk Bridge Tuesday morning, May 30. James Walleser, age 59, of Lansing has been confirmed as the victim of the crash that took place as a result of the washout of the highway. In a report by WXOW television station out of La Crosse, WI, Crawford County, WI Sheriff Dale McCullick explained that a driver witnessed the washout when another driver ahead of them, Walleser, drove toward what is locally know as Henderson Bridge over Henderson Slough on Wisconsin Highway 82 and disappeared into the washout crater around 4:22 a.m. Authorities recovered the body of the victim inside the vehicle around 8:30 a.m. along Highway 82, approximately four hours after the initial incident.