Top Stories

The items below summarize the top news stories that appeared in The Standard during the first six months of 2014.

January
Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff announced that Kinsley Ann Bosley, daughter of Joyce and Reed Bosley of Waukon, was the winner of the First Baby of the Year Contest at Veterans Memorial Hospital for 2014. Kinsley Ann was born January 5 at 6:06 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The downtown area of Lansing has been designated as a National Historic District and placed on the National Register of Historic Places, a division of the National Park Service. The National Park Service criteria for designation states, “The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.” The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation.
An official celebration for the designation will be held in Lansing in May, 2015, during National Historic Preservation month as established by the National Trust. The official area of the designation includes 100–401 Main Street, one block north and south on Front and 2nd streets, and 190 John Street.

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Most people are familiar with AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) and their lifesaving value, but a Waukon native has been working to bring even more easy-to-use lifesaving technologies to regular folks.
Paula (Kerndt) Wickham graduated from Waukon High School in 1988. One would think her career path in finance may very well have never led to revolutionizing emergency healthcare, but it most certainly has in her current role as President of Think Safe.
Think Safe is a worldwide company based in Cedar Rapids, IA that offers innovative patented products such as the Emergency Instruction Device (EID) and Self-contained Emergency Treatment (SET) Systems. These talking first-aid systems operate similarly to an AED in providing immediate, easy to understand instruction of what to do in a medical emergency until trained personnel arrive. They also serve as invaluable training devices.

by Bob Beach

by Lissa Blake

Saving just one pet won’t change the world… but surely it will change the world for that one pet.

by Kelli Boylen freelance writer

“The hunters have just been tremendous to work with,” says Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Biologist Terry Haindfield in regard to his current efforts to test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) this deer hunting season.

by Bob Beach

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train paid a visit to Lansing Saturday, December 6, drawing a large crowd that proved to be very generous with donations of money and food to benefit the Allamakee County Food Shelf. Jessie Howe, Allamakee County Food Shelf Director, said donations from the event totaled approximately $1,300 in cash and 3,200 pounds of food. She also accepted a donation check on behalf of the Food Shelf in the amount of $4,000 from Canadian Pacific Railroad during the event (see photo on Page 5A). "I'm very thankful to all of the Food Shelf volunteers, Canadian Pacific Railroad and all those who braved the cold to come out and support this event and give so generously," Howe said. "I also want to thank the area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who helped collect and deliver donations, sold hot chocolate, or helped out in any way they could." Photo by B.J. Tomlinson.
 

The exterior of the house pictured above at 405 Second Street NE in Waukon shows evidence of the fire (blackened siding in front of vehicle in photo) that was reported to the Allamakee County Sheriff Dispatch Center through a 9-1-1 call Wednesday evening, December 3 at approximately 10:07 p.m. According to a report from the Waukon Police Department, the 9-1-1 caller reported that two female residents of the house, 87-year-old Marian Heike and her 56-year-old daughter, Val Heike, were trapped within the burning residence. According to further reports, the two residents were able to be rescued from the home through a window broken out by law enforcement after door entryways were found to be inaccessible due to the flames and a blocked doorway. When asked for further identification of those involved with the rescue, Waukon Police Chief Phil Young simply responded, "they know who they are."

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday, December 2, with most everything finally falling into place for the Board to award the lease agreement for the County Farm, an action that has been on hold for several weeks for various reasons. Even though such issues as the addition of a conservation plan to the lease agreement and correspondence with bidders on such changes all finally ironed out for the Board, that did not necessarily mean that a decision on the awarding of the contract came any easier for Board members.