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The Waukon Fire Department was called to 28 Spring Avenue in downtown Waukon at approximately 4 a.m. Friday, April 4 for a report of a fire in the three-building structure pictured in the photo at right. Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin reported that a tenant in one of the two apartments in the back of the structure called building owner Rachel Curtin after he heard a smoke detector ringing in the front business area of the structure. Upon her arrival, smoke could be seen emerging from the front of the building, and a 911 call was placed dispatching the Waukon Fire Department to the scene.

The Waukon High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) continued to extend the recent dynasty it has established at the annual State Leadership Conference, winning its fifth consecutive Lloyd V. Douglas Chapter of the Year Award at the 2025 Iowa FBLA State Leadership Conference held at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids March 30-April 1. This year’s competition saw the Waukon chapter tally 477 points, 133 points ahead of second-place Waukee.

Waukon FBLA Advisor Joanne Ericson noted that this is the first year that it is required by State of Iowa legislation that schools that have a business or information solutions program also have a career and technical student organization, with three organizations being available to choose from for business programs - FBLA, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), and BPA (Business Professionals of America).

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is working to protect 21 acres located 12 miles northeast of Decorah in Allamakee County, along Quandahl Drive and Bear Creek. This unique site offers rare geological formations, a high-quality coldwater stream, and native woodland and prairie plant communities.

INHF will work with partners to open the property to the public and expand use around the adjacent North Bear Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is owned by the State of Iowa and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The property is not currently open to the public.

Preservation of the site includes protecting 0.35 miles of Bear Creek, a coldwater stream with naturally reproducing brown trout and catchable rainbow trout. The site also includes an algific talus slope - a rare landform where a steep north-facing hillside releases cool air from ice found in cracks and caverns underground.

Allamakee County authorities seeking information from other possible victims

An initial request for a welfare check at a residence located at 530 Hanover Hill Lane, Waukon in rural Allamakee County has resulted in the arrest of a Waukon man on multiple charges in both Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties, along with the discovery and seizure of 10 dogs, two of which were deceased.

Every three years, Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon is required to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding area served by the hospital to collect a list of the health needs the residents feel are most important or unmet. Community Health Needs Assessments gather information to help guide and direct health planning activities. Information from this survey is compiled and used to update and improve the health plan for this entire service area of the hospital.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is conducting this survey from now through May 15. The hospital encourages everyone to take a few minutes to complete this important survey so the results can be used to develop a plan to address the outlined health needs.

The survey can be accessed through the QR code below, or on the home page of the Veterans Memorial Hospital website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com.
 

Kendra Gibbs, daughter of Chris and Kerri Gibbs of Waterville, was crowned the 2025 Allamakee County Dairy Princess at the annual Allamakee County Dairy Banquet held Saturday, March 22 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Gibbs will now assume the duties that are inherent with being crowned as the Allamakee County Dairy Princess throughout her reign this next year. Additional photos of award winners and other recognition from Saturday’s 2025 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will appear in a future edition of The Standard. Photo by Paula Enyart.
 

by Joe Moses

A public informational meeting was held Wednesday, March 19 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center in Lansing relating to a proposed battery energy storage system to be located at the site of Alliant Energy’s decommissioned Lansing Generating Station, just south of Lansing, with more than two dozen area residents and officials attending the meeting. At the request of Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility Interstate Power and Light (IPL) Company, the meeting was coordinated by the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) with representatives present from that organization including attorneys Cheyenne Whisner and Hunter Fors.

The 2025 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet is scheduled to be held this Saturday, March 22 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Food service will start at 7 p.m. and the program will begin at 8 p.m. Banquet tickets can be purchased at the door.

The annual celebration recognizes the importance of the dairy industry in Allamakee County and the contributions dairy families make to this important industry. Every year, top producers from the county are recognized at the banquet. In addition, several other awards are presented that evening, some of which include the following:
• Outstanding Young Dairy Family Award
• Pioneer Dairyman
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.

The sign says it all on the Sweeney’s Irish Express entry pictured above, as not even the bright, sunny skies could outshine the Irish spirit that lined the streets of Waukon for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade held Sunday, March 16 in Waukon. The nearly 150 parade entries that made their way along this year’s parade route took approximately 45 minutes to complete their circuit of Irish celebration. Additional photos taken by Standard Assistant Editor Joe Moses from this year’s parade can be found on Page 28 within the Wednesday, March 19 edition of The Standard. All of the parade photos found in this issue, along with many more from Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, are available for viewing by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website. A video of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade can also be found on The Standard Newspaper’s Facebook page.