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Dean “Petey” E. Jackson, 74, went home to be with the Lord Wednesday, October 7, 2026, while surrounded by family at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Services were held Saturday, October 10 at Center Baptist Church in rural Lansing, where burial was also held.

Dean “Petey” Eric Jackson was born September 29, 1952, in Waukon to Lyle and Wilma Jackson. He graduated from Waukon High School in 1970, and served in the Army National Guard from 1970 to 1976. He married the love of his life, Mary Johnson, August 18, 1973, in Spring Grove, MN.

Together, Dean and Mary built their life on a farm outside Waukon, where they worked hard and loved harder. Their three children were Dean’s pride and joy, and he shared his love of fishing, hunting, softball, fireworks, hearing other people’s life stories, and his “can do” attitude with them. He was a lifelong learner whose humble intelligence, physical strength, and determination to persevere on his own terms were unmatched.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Board of Trustees has announced Jayne McCormick, the hospital’s current Chief Nursing Officer, will serve as the permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, effective October 1. McCormick has been with Veterans Memorial Hospital for more than 24 years and has served in many different capacities throughout her career.

“Jayne has spent many years on the leadership team with the hospital and worked her way from a young nurse to become the Chief Nursing Officer. Beyond that, she’s handled CEO responsibilities a number of times when past administrators were out on extended leave,” explains Dennis Lyons, Chairman of the VMH Board of Trustees. “She is qualified to lead the hospital. There is consensus among the Board of Trustees to promote from within when possible and we’ve now accomplished this for the first time in recent history for the CEO position.”

Waukon High School seniors Vaughn Stegen and Brynn Weymiller were crowned Waukon High School's 2026 Homecoming King and Queen at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday evening, October 1 at Waukon High School. Additional photos of Waukon High School's 2026 Homecoming events are featured on Page 16 in this week's issue, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming victory over top-10 rated Osage featured on Page 17. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photos link located on this webpage.
 

Everyone is invited to join area youth and fellow community members on athletic fields across the nation Wednesday, October 7 in sharing their Christian faith with other students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 15th year and will have live music beginning at 6:15 p.m., with featured speakers to begin at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field that October 7 evening, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of inclement weather.

The community of Postville celebrated a major milestone in community health care Thursday, September 24 with the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for the new Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Postville Clinic. Over 100 people attended the event which highlighted the community’s support for the new facility and the importance of expanded health care services in Postville and the surrounding area.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, arranged by the Postville Chamber of Commerce, began with remarks from Postville Mayor Dennis Koenig, who spoke about what the beautiful new clinic means to the community and how it will benefit the town and surrounding area.

King of Grace Lutheran Church in Waukon will be hosting an event at the Waukon City Park Sunday, October 11 called “Pumpkins in the Park.” All community members are invited to join King of Grace Lutheran Church for an afternoon of fall fun at the Waukon City Park in the Jaycee shelter from 2-4:30 p.m. that October 11 afternoon. There will be pumpkin decorating, games, a fall photo opportunity, face painting,  treats, petting zoo, balloon animals, and door prizes from local businesses. There will be free pumpkins to decorate and take home. This is a free event for all ages. Join in community fun for the whole family. Visit the King of Grace Lutheran Church - Waukon IA Facebook page for more information. Submitted photo.
 

Two of the global causes that Lions Clubs International focuses on are youth and reducing hunger. Lions Clubs strive to help youth to have healthy, productive lives and have access to nutritious foods. With this in mind, the Waukon Lions Club donated $500 to the Allamakee Community Schools Milk Program September 14 of this year. Donations such as this are made possible by the generous support the Waukon Lions Club receives from the community. Pictured above at the check presentation to the Allamakee Community Schools Food Service Program are, left to right, Waukon Lions Club members Tom and Rosean Phipps and Allamakee Community Schools Food Service administrative staff Kay Gavin and Jessica Keenan. Submitted photo.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, October 5 to address a short agenda of matters including the consideration of the First Reading of a City Ordinance update changing the Robey Memorial Library budget submittal and the review of a Board of Adjustment variance approval, among other updates and discussion.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members present including Cassie Handke, Nicholas Engrav, Tim Smedsrud, John Lydon and Steve Wiedner.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 5 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of the County’s website and Emergency Management information, the discussion and consideration of Solid Waste Department personnel matters, and the consideration of an appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission.

The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Tom Clark with Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Dennis Keatley present. During Public Comment, Chairperson Clark noted that this is the last meeting County Auditor Denise Beyer will be attending following her acceptance of a position outside of Allamakee County.

from the American Institute of Cancer Research and Veterans Memorial Hospital
            
Early detection can prove to be lifesaving when it comes to detecting and fighting breast cancer. There are four important ways to play a crucial part in finding breast cancer early on, which could significantly increase one’s chances of recovery should one be diagnosed with the disease.
1. Perform a monthly breast self-exam (BSE). Because 65 to 70-percent of all breast cancers are found by women themselves, there’s no substitute for doing a BSE. Examine the breasts the week following a menstrual period for anyone age 20 and over. For women who are no longer menstruating, they should perform a BSE the first day of every month.