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Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by the end of this month (March 2018). Being the end of March falls on a weekend, property owners will have until Monday, April 2 to pay their taxes without penalty. It should also be noted that the Allamakee County Courthouse will be closed Friday, March 30 this year in observance of Good Friday.

Property owners may pay their taxes at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s office in the Allamakee County Courthouse located at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those paying taxes are reminded to bring their tax stubs with their payment to insure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 2. Penalty begins Tuesday, April 3.

The Waukon City Council has scheduled a special session for Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Among the agenda items listed to be addressed during the meeting are sewer rate increases, clarification of City duties, and the resignation of a city council member.

As one can tell by the photo above, the streets of Waukon were lined with Irish spirit for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Sunday, March 18 in Waukon. Under nearly ideal conditions with bright sunshine and temperatures hovering around the 50-degree mark, the event took approximately an hour to display the wide variety of nearly 150 entries. Additional photos from this year's event can be found on Page 14A of this week's print 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/purchase by clicking on the Photo Gallery link on this website.
 

The 2018 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will be held this Saturday, March 24 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The meal will be served from 7-8:30 p.m. with the program starting at 8 p.m.

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 Award
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.

The Tuesday, March 13 presentations made by Aaron Thomas to students and community members of the Allamakee Community School District may have lasted only an hour, but his message is intended to last a lifetime.

The son of slain legendary Iowa high school football coach Ed Thomas of Aplington-Parkersburg High School, Thomas made a Tuesday afternoon presentation to Waukon Middle School and Waukon High School students. He then addressed area community members later that same evening, both presentations taking place at the Waukon High School gymnasium.

Every day, more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids, according to national reports. In fact, overdose is the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 50. The misuse of and addiction to opioids - including prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl - is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.

Experts say the United States is in the throes of an opioid epidemic, as more than two million Americans have become dependent on or abused prescription pain pills and street drugs. Some of these Americans may be family members, neighbors, co-workers or friends to those reading this article. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is focusing its efforts in combating that crisis on five major priorities:

Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa is observed March 26-30 and includes the State of Iowa Tornado Drill Day taking place Wednesday, March 28, with Allamakee County authorities and communities planning to take part in this exercise. The drill should consist of the National Weather Service station out of La Crosse, WI issuing a mock tornado watch at around 10 a.m. that Wednesday followed by a tornado warning at 10:30 a.m., at which time the intent would be to activate community warning sirens.

Residents and businesses should use this as an opportunity to think about their plans for seeking shelter during an actual event. As part of his next monthly emergency management article, Allamakee County Emergency Management Director Corey Snitker plans to discuss the topic of severe weather awareness and readiness as weather patterns move into the spring and summer storm seasons.

by Joe Moses

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) held an informational meeting Thursday, March 8 at the Waukon Wellness Center to answer questions from the general public, residents and business owners that will be affected by the 2019 DOT street project involving two of the main thoroughfares entering and traveling through Waukon.

Field Service Coordinator Pete Hjelmstad, one of several DOT representatives in attendance at the event, provided answers on the specifics relating to the street project and the six project map displays illustrating, from an aerial perspective, the work to be done (such as the image below accompanying this article). The map displays were laid out on tables for those in attendance to view, with most of the colored markings on the map displays (explained further in the legend on each map) showing where sidewalk and curb work will be done in order to meet the project's overall objective.

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon has been scheduled for this Sunday, March 18 and will begin at 1 p.m. with many of the same festivities taking place as in years past throughout the community.

The parade route will be the same as in past years, beginning from the southeast edge of town and heading up Rossville Road and Spring Avenue to the stoplight intersection with Main Street. Turning left on to West Main Street, the parade will venture up to Second Street SW, where the entries will turn left at the Post Office intersection, travel one block south to First Avenue SW, and then east back to Spring Avenue, turning right at Kwik Star to head back south to its point of origin.

Iowa Senator Michael Breitbach and Representative Kristi Hager will be hosting a legislative forum Saturday, March 17 at the Allamakee County Farm Bureau building located at 14 First Avenue NE in Waukon. The forum is scheduled to be held from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and will offer the public an opportunity for discussion with  State of Iowa legislators representing their area.