Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Spring beauty


Despite the cool weather of late, the flowering crab trees around the village have been in full bloom, as well as the many early flowers and lilac bushes. The two trees pictured above can be found at Windmill Park.

Syttende Mai in Woodville is May 13 - 15

The first celebration of the spring will be this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Woodville for the annual Syttende Mai celebration.
This year’s event features a multitude of activities starting Wednesday with the 4th annual Citizens State Bank Community Appreciation Dinner.
Highlights of the festival will be the Grande Parade on Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. and the Queen Coronation starting at 7 p.m. at Viking Middle School.
The Stipes Shows Carnival will be operating all three days, as well as a number of food stands located throughout Woodville. Live music will be held each evening at the Lion’s Tent. Thursday night features Round Two from 7 to 11 p.m., the Eagle River Band will play from 8 to Midnight on Friday and Saturday Trigger Happy will perform from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Carol Roland retires at the end of the school year

Carol Roland has been teaching pre-school at the Baldwin Community Nursery School for the past 23 years. At the end of this school year she will be retiring.
It was time to retire, Carol said. “My husband’s been retired for awhile,” she noted. They will be doing some traveling. Carol enjoys reading, playing golf and skiing. Carol said her son has recently moved to California and that may provide the opportunity to do some skiing there.
“You just never know what the kids are going to come up with,” Carol said reflecting on her 23 years at Baldwin Community Nursery School. “I’ve enjoyed my years with the kids. That’s what I’m going to miss the most—the kids.”
An Open House in Carol’s honor will be held Friday, May 22 from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. at the Coachman Supper Club. Members of the public are invited to attend.


Village negotiating sale of 3.5 acre parcel in I-94 Industrial Park

The Village of Baldwin is close to closing a deal to sell a 3.5 acre parcel in the I-94 Industrial Park. The proposed sale is on the Village Board’s agenda for Wednesday evening.
According to Village President Don McGee, the prospective buyer of the 3.5 acre parcel is a trucking firm that would use the property both for a terminal and a repair facility. He declined to identify the company by name because the owners requested that their identity not be revealed until the deal was finalized.
McGee said the prospective company currently has two other locations.
The village owns 120 acres as the I-94 Industrial Park. The Village Board has already made the decision to install infrastructure to a portion of the park, which would be necessary for the new firm to locate there.

From the Exchanges
Interesting items from
surrounding communities


AMERY FREE PRESS: Amery police were advised of a male subject leaving Dick’s Fresh Market in Amery, with a cart of groceries without paying on Sunday, May 2. The male suspect, Matthew O. Hoff, 32, Amery, apparently pulled a knife on a store clerk who attempted to stop him. Upon the officer’s arrival, Hoff was at the rear entrance of a residence on Apple Ave. trying to get in the back door. Officers attempted to get Hoff to comply with commands, but a scuffle ensued with the cart of groceries being dumped on the grass. Hoff went into the building, ran through the hallway and out the front entrance, heading north and then back west. An officer was behind him the entire way, warning him that he would be tazed if he did not stop. Hoff did not comply and the taser was fired. Hoff went to the ground. Another officer arrived and found Hoff lying on the ground. He smelled strongly of intoxicants. Hoff was transported to Amery Regional Medical Center and a blood draw found an alcohol level of .16. He was transported to the Polk County Jail, charged with armed robbery, resisting arrest and theft. All groceries in the stolen cart were picked up and returned to Dick’s Fresh Market with a value placed at $500.

TRIBUNE PRESS REPORTER: A pre-trial hearing originally scheduled in Dunn County Circuit Court on April 30 for a Boyceville school board member accused of battery and disorderly conduct has been rescheduled for June 25. Harry A. Joles, 57, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of battery and one count of disorderly conduct in connection with an incident at a Boyceville Youth Football event at the Boyceville High School football field on September 19 during which he allegedly punched Drew Anderson, one of the youth football coaches in the ribs. A trial originally scheduled for May 11 has now been set for July 6. According to the criminal complaint, Robert Bodsberg, president of the Boyceville Youth Football League and his wife, Shelly, met with Boyceville Police Chief Dan Wellumson on October 5 to report the incident. The criminal complaint notes that Chief Wellumson asked why the incident had not been reported earlier. Bodsberg, who was at the football field that day but had not personally witnessed the altercation, said he and the other coaches had been concerned that if the incident had been reported before the season ended on October 4 it would affect the youngsters, including the defendant’s two boys and did not want to jeopardize the rest of the season.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD (ELLSWORTH): Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators assisted the Ellsworth Police Department in breaking up a fight Wednesday afternoon at Summit Park. Fifteen juveniles from Ellsworth and the area were reportedly involved. The fight started outside the old junior/senior high school building on Chestnut Street and carried over to the park. The first report of an incident was received at 12:51 p.m. and the fight at the park was reported at 1:05 p.m. A sizeable crowd was said to have been at the scene. Four county squad cars plus investigators’ cars responded, along with Ellsworth police vehicles. There are reports such staged fights have taken place before among juveniles in Pierce County. Ellsworth School Superintendent Barry Crain said he has never heard of such fights, but Police Chief Greg Place said interviews with witnesses at the scene indicated this. Place said such incidents may have taken place throughout the county. “I’m unaware of staged fights or ultimate fights taking place in Ellsworth or at least one that drew a crowd like there was at Summit Park,” Place said.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: When Pierce County bought two houses and land in April it paid over ten times the amount the seller paid for the same parcel a month earlier. The board voted 16 to 1 April 20 to buy the parcel - which included houses at both 388 and 420 W. Grove St., Ellsworth - for $360,000. According to a property transfer recorded with the register of deeds, Doug and Lori Dodge bought the same parcel from T. Gregory Amann for $35,000. The assessed value of the property is $169,100. Still said County Board Chairman Paul Barkla, the purchase was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. With this purchase the county now owns contiguous property from the Courthouse north to the County Office Building to the new property to the fairgrounds. In the last seven years, the county bought three other parcels along Grove Street and now owns that whole area next to the fairgrounds, said Barkla. That, he said, gives a future county board space to enlarge the fairgrounds or for a new government building.