Top Stories

In keeping with the front page headline of “Fallen... but never to be forgotten!” in the December 24, 2025 edition of The Standard, following the December 19 demolition of the main span of the Black Hawk Bridge and its removal from the waters it once spanned since that demolition date, The Standard has been gathering some of the articles or smaller news items that could be found in searching the archives of the former Allamakee Journal and Lansing Mirror newspapers that once served the Lansing area.

In an effort to continue to preserve the bridge’s memory - and perhaps refresh or create some new ones - some of those news items will be printed within the pages of The Standard as space and time allows.

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office produced a media release following the notable presence of numerous State of Iowa law enforcement vehicles in the Allamakee County area Monday, January 12, most notably in the Harpers Ferry area. Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick explained that the increased law enforcement presence followed protocol in a search warrant execution in a developing matter involving an individual with a past criminal history, with the briefing of authorities involved in the matter taking place in Harpers Ferry.

That Monday, January 12, at approximately 11:00 a.m., a search warrant was executed at a residence located at 1954 Old Mission Drive in rural Allamakee County, approximately 15 miles southwest of Harpers Ferry. The warrant was issued as the result of an investigation conducted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) into the illegal harvest of deer.

The new year has brought a new focus to the construction of the new bridge that will span the Mississippi River at Lansing, planned for completion in 2027 to once again fully connect Iowa with Wisconsin. That new focus will now be much more on new construction, with some smaller demolition and dismantling yet remaining on the remnants of the Black Hawk Bridge that had originally provided that connection over the past nine-plus decades.

by Taylor Stock

Peer pressure, decision-making, knowing a risk, saying yes and no; each of these are things that 10-year-olds see every day and learn. Their brains are consistently learning, taking information in, and the most important part - learning right and wrong.

The Waukon community has recognized, and is recognizing today, how important it is for the community’s young people to have the experience, tools and mental process to mold right and wrong. Approximately 20 years ago, the Iowa D.A.R.E. program was a part of the local school district’s curriculum; getting ahead of the chokehold that drugs can take on humans, giving young minds a foundational base for how to recognize the presence of drugs, and say no.

The items below summarize the top news stories that appeared in The Standard during the second six months of 2025, July-December.

JULY
The City of Lansing is seeking assistance from downtown property owners in preparation for a significant infrastructure project slated for 2028. The upcoming full reconstruction of Main Street, designated as Iowa Highway 9 through downtown Lansing, includes not only roadway resurfacing but also the complete removal and replacement of sidewalks.

Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff announce that the First Baby of the Year born at the hospital for 2026 is Kolter Joel Lubben, son of Karson and Nevaeh Lubben of Waukon. Kolter was born January 1, 2026, at 4:40 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20-1/2 inches long at the time of his birth. Dr. Dave Schwartz was the provider assisting with the delivery.

Grandparents are Judd and Shelly Lubben, Danny Bushau, Chasity Bushau, and Addie and Donnie Copeland. Great-grandparents are Rose Schaffer, Francis Lubben, Ray and Cathy Peterson, Randy and Karen Bushau, and Dave and Christine Enyart. Gordon and Karen Anderson are great-great-grandparents.

The items below summarize the top news stories that appeared in The Standard during the first six months of 2025, January-June.

JANUARY
A decorated high school and college athlete, a successful Division I college softball coach, an author and a mentor, Waukon native Holly Hesse has blazed a trail of achievement since her days of living within the hills and valleys of Waukon and Allamakee County, with that trail leading to a storied career of more than three decades as head coach of the Missouri State University softball program. With a laser-like focus on goals and career targets that lofted her to new heights both playing and coaching, Hesse has now retired this past year knowing she will leave at the top of her game - a game that she’s loved for so long and shared with so many others.

Freezing temperatures delay final connections a bit but implosion of Black Hawk Bridge goes as planned

The physical and iconic connection between Iowa and Wisconsin that had spanned the Mississippi River at Lansing for the last 94 years was dropped into those very same waters in a matter of seconds Friday morning, December 19, as the demolition of the Black Hawk Bridge that was deemed necessary to safely complete construction of its replacement took place on a bright, sunny day that was contrary in appearance to what most who watched were feeling internally as they watched the historic structure first be surrounded by black plumes of smoke before descending into the river below, as depicted in the photos surrounding this article.