Wagner second in 3200m race

Baldwin-Woodville's premier distance runner Kayla Wagner powered to a second place finish in near record-setting time in the 3200m run in Division 2 action at the WIAA state track meet Friday night in LaCrosse.

Wagner's time of 10:38.44, more than 20 seconds off her previous best, was less than two seconds shy of the previous Division 2 state record of 10:36.88 set in 1984 by Lori Wolter of Sauk Prairie. Winning the event this year, and no doubt pushed by Wagner, was Ashley Beutler of Belleville/New Glarus who set the new state record of 10:33.43.

The record-setting race was late Friday night after an one and one-half hour delay at the WIAA state track meet at LaCrosse due to a strong band of storms that caused evacuation of the stadium and grounds.

"Kayla felt a little disappointed in Saturday's finish," said B-W Coach Darren Peterson. "But she did extremely well and should be proud of running with and pushing one of the state's premier distance runners. Friday's 3200m run was extremely impressive and from where she was three or four weeks ago she has decreased her time exponentially."

Coach Peterson said Wagner has been taking 20 or so seconds off her time almost every week which is a phenomenal achievement. "The longer a race goes, the stronger she gets."

The results were not quite what Wagner wanted in the 1600m run on Saturday. She finished in seventh place, just one place from being on the podium, with a time of 5:14.25, which is not her best time of the year. "The thing that hurt Kayla, and a lot of other runners who did both the 3200m and 1600m back to back, was the short turn-around time," said Coach Peterson. The rain delay of Friday night that amounted to about two hours, pushed the 3200m run to nearly 10:00 and the 1600m run was early Saturday afternoon.

Coach Peterson noted that the Division 2 times in both the 3200m and 1600m runs were faster than the Division 1 times.

In addition to a short recovery time, Wagner was boxed in by the pack almost immediately in the 1600m run. "The start hurt," said Coach Peterson. "When you have a poor start in a shorter race you have less time to make up for it."

Coach Peterson said that Wagner and Beutler running together helped them both. He added that six of last year's place winners in the 1600m run were returning to the race this year. "Kayla learned how to compete and run in a very competitive race. She competed against elite runners and she held her own very well. It definitely puts her in the top echelon again for next
year."

Coach Peterson's notion that Wagner and Beutler helped each other in the 3200m run is borne out by each of the runners. Beutler is quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal as saying "I was just trying to beat the girl behind me, not set the record. That girl was amazing."

Wagner said she felt good during the 3200m run "except at the end when I felt like my body was breaking because I was trying to go too fast." After the race had ended "Ashley told me I better break the record next year," said Wagner. "She was really nice. It was great to run with her."
She agreed that she pushed Beutler and Beutler pulled her.

At the awards ceremony it was former New Richmond stand-out distance runner Ayla Mitchell who congratulated Wagner and put the medal around her neck. "Ayla talked to me afterwards too. It was exciting and she was so nice," said Wagner.

For the 1600m run, "I was exhausted," said Wagner. "My legs obviously didn't feel as good as they should. During the race my arms and my legs hurt. The beginning was difficult because I got boxed in. I tried to get around people but the anxiety caused me not to run as well as I could. I was a little disappointed but I was happy to be there and happy to run a good race the night before."

Man arrested after knife attack

A man was arrested on Sunday, May 18 in Woodville at his parents' home after a Hudson man was stabbed eight times in the upper torso.

According to River Falls police, Robert D. Close, 23, formerly of River Falls, was arrested Sunday evening after a stabbing that happened about 2:00 a.m. in River Falls. The man who was knifed was Ronald J. Drexl, 27, of Hudson.

According to River Falls police, Drexl was with other people celebrating a birthday and had an argument with Close at The Library Bar in River Falls. After Drexl and others left the bar and walked to a park, they again met Close and began fighting. When it was over Close ran off.

Drexl was initially unaware he'd been stabbed and walked with the other people to their car. He started having trouble breathing and discovered he was bleeding. Ambulance personnel were called and Drexl was immediately taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for emergency surgery.

At Close's parents' home in Woodville, River Falls and Woodville police and a St. Croix County Sheriff's deputy arrested Close Sunday evening.

Close has recently been released on parole from state prison where he was serving a sentence for second degree sexual assault of a child and drug possession with intent to deliver. He was convicted in Pierce County. The stabbing incident violates his parole in several specifics.

River Falls police said that besides the people with Drexl, no other people witnessed the attack. However, using surveillance video from the bar, police said they were able to identify Close as the knifing suspect.

The knife used in the stabbing has not been recovered but has been described as a hunting knife with a four or five inch blade.

Sandee Blakeley retires after 34 years

When Sandee Blakeley first began her teaching career at Baldwin-Woodville in 1977, she was hired as a half-time reading teacher at Greenfield Elementary. She had four years of teaching experience in southern Wisconsin after earning her degree from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater in 1972. Sandee eventually taught kindergarten, third grade and will end her career at fourth grade this spring.

"I guess I really enjoy the fourth graders the most," Blakeley said, "you can talk to them more like an adult, and they're much more independent than the younger ones."

Blakeley was married in 1976 to the business director for the River Falls School District, so when a position became available in Baldwin in 1977, she took it.

"One of my favorite memories in teaching is the April Fool's joke we played on the fourth graders," Blakeley said. "We told them they all needed to have spring fever shots." The school nurse was in on the prank, so when the students were lined up for their "shots" the nurse presented the biggest syringe she could find.

"I don't think my mom wants me to have this shot," said several of the wide-eyed students. But the teachers assured them that the proper papers were signed and they all needed the shots.

"April Fool's!" said the teachers, much the relief of the students.

Blakeley has a lifelong interest in the arts, which she plans to actively pursue in retirement, she said. "I plan to be involved in the River Falls Theater group and I would like to take painting lessons." She is interested in pursuing work doing voice-overs for film or radio and also recording books-on-tape.

"I think I'll volunteer at the library for story-times, too," she said.

Blakeley also said she is considering working as a medical transcriptionist. "I received some training in the medical field before I got my teaching degree, so the interest has always been there."

"Of course, my husband and I will try to travel more, maybe even spending part of the year in Mexico," Blakeley said. Her husband retired six years ago from 3M.

The Blakeleys have two daughters, one of whom is being married this October and is a nurse at Children's Hospital. Their other daughter is pursuing a career as a school counselor.

Durrence and Angell win first place for third year

Hunter Angell, left, and Brandon Durrence, B-W seniors, received their third first place award for their Animation Trilogy-Park 3 "Day of Ultimatum" at the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association Media Fair.

Two Baldwin-Woodville seniors have achieved a remarkable feat.

They have received a first place award in the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association's annual Media Fair for "computer generated" video for three years in a row.

Hunter Angell and Brandon Durrence's submission this year was titled "Day of Ultimatum" and was part 3 of an Animation Trilogy.

"I think it's safe to say it's a Star Wars inspired animation," said B-W High School Media Specialist Jim Perkins. The third part of the trilogy by Durrence and Angell is about 20 minutes long, he added. The slides in the power point presentation pass quickly and give the effect of animation, said Perkins.

The pair of B-W seniors used about 2,000 slides in the program to create their work.

The Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association is an independent professional association made up of library media specialists, technology professionals and others who work in the areas of school-related informational media and technology. This year Wisconsin students entered about 200 informational media and technology-related projects in the areas of photography, computer-generated media, illustrated books, pop-up books, radio plays, webpage design and video.

Tennis team sends two entries to state Howard is seeded; Zacharias and Rumpel make first trip

Tyler Howard, Baldwin-Woodville's best ever tennis player and four time Middle Border Conference champion, is making his fourth trip to the WIAA Division 2 state tennis tournament.

Howard's record moved to 16-0 as he cruised through sub-sectional and sectional competitors on Monday-Tuesday and Thursday of last week. The sectional win for Howard was his second consecutive year of capturing the championship.

Nathan Zacharias and Ed Rumpel, B-W's number one doubles team, needed just one victory at sectional competition to advance to state, and they did better than that by winning two of their three matches.

B-W Coach Jim Rumpel said a lot of the credit for doubles play goes to Adam Bassak. "I try not to get too involved in doubles matches so Adam handles the coaching and does an excellent job," he said.

According to Coach Rumpel, in every round Howard "faced good, tough competition. And in every round he faced moments when he had to step up his game and he did. He has facets of his game he doesn't always have to tap into but when he had to Thursday he more than did."

Derrek Pedersen qualifies for state

St. Croix Central junior Derrek Pedersen qualified for the WIAA state track meet with a fourth place finish in the 800 meter run at the Division 2 sectional last Thursday at Medford.

Pedersen had finished in third place at the Amery Regional on Monday with a time of 2:05.14. On Thursday he lowered his personal best time to 2:03.15 for the fourth place finish.

Pedersen will run in Division 2 800 on Friday afternoon at the Veterans Memorial Sports Complex at UW-LaCrosse.

Wagner qualifies for state in 1600m and 3200m

Baldwin-Woodville's record setting track star Kayla Wagner continued her string of school records while finishing first in both the 3200m and 1600m runs at the sectional meet last Thursday at Medford.

Wagner will compete at the WIAA state track meet at LaCrosse in both events, on Friday in the 3200m run and on Saturday in the 1600m run.

Unfortunately, none of the other B-W sectional competitors finished in fourth place or better to advance to the state event.

Wagner has the top time going into the state event in the 3200m run and stands in second position in the 1600m run. In both races her chief competitor is Ashley Beutler of Belleville/New Glarus, with the second fastest time in the 1600m run and the top time in the 3200m run. Beutler won the division 2 cross country race last fall in Black River Falls in which Wagner finished in seventh place.

"They were impressive races by Kayla at sectional," said B-W Coach Darren Peterson. "She's sitting pretty good. I think she can do really well at state."

Wagner's time in the 3200m run was her first time under 11 minutes at 10:59.65 and 10 seconds faster than her regional time of 11:09.74. Needless to say, both times were school and individual records for Wagner. Beutler comes into the state meet with a time of 11:00.92.

In the 1600m run at sectional, Wagner's time of 5:08.69 bested her regional time of 5:14.84. Beutler's time at sectional was 5:06.27.

BAMC recognized during National Hospital Week

Having a hospital in a small community such as Baldwin provides more benefits than the obvious one of immediate access to medical care.

The benefits also include employment opportunities and a huge payroll which adds vitality to the local economy.

This week, May 11 through May 17, is National Hospital Week, and upon reflection, the benefits of having a local hospital become apparent.

Julie Herman, Chair of BAMC's Board of Trustees said the hospital is "vitally important to the community and surrounding service area." She complimented the "dedicated and loyal employees" for their personal approach to patient care.

Baldwin Village President Don McGee, who also serves on BAMC's Board of Trustees said a hospital is a major factor in business recruitment. "Businesses look at whether there's a hospital, at the schools and at the parks," he said. "So the hospital is very important" to the community in ways other than the medical care it provides to area residents.

"Our goal is that Baldwin Area Medical Center is well thought of by people in the area as providing high quality, friendly health and wellness services," said BAMC CEO Greg Burns. "What probably comes to mind less often for people is the large stimulus the Medical Center generates for the local economy. As one of the largest employers in the area, and a major purchaser of goods and services, the Medical Center's contribution to the economic vitality of the area is very significant."

The local economy is a beneficiary of having a hospital. The salaries paid to BAMC employees last year amounted to $9,970,000. The employment opportunities span a range of categories, including CNAs, RNs, MAs and LPNs.

For the first six months of this fiscal year, there have been 600 admissions to BAMC, and the average daily census is 8.6.

In addition to hospital and clinic services, BAMC provides important adjunct services and activities. Physical therapy and cardiac rehab are provided in BAMC's Wellness Center. An exercise area-the Fitness Center-open to the general public, along with a therapeutic pool, is also
part of the Wellness Center.

Pastor and Mrs. Draayer to head for retirement in California

An aspect of growing up that was denied to his children is a primary motivation for the early retirement of Rev. Leon Draayer as pastor of The First Reformed Church of Baldwin and as a "minister of word and sacrament" in the Reformed Church in America.

"I would have liked to stay longer [at The First Reformed Church]," said Pastor Draayer, "except for the age factor and the family factor having stayed back in California. I could have easily served until I was 65 except I have two grandchildren and I need to be the grandparent to my grandchildren that my grandparents were to me." He added that because of the five different churches he served during his ministry and the moving that entailed, his children never had the experience of growing up with their grandparents nearby.

"My main reason for quitting and going back [to California] is to be a grandpa to my grandkids," said Pastor Draayer.

Pastor Draayer and his wife, Marion, will load up a truck on May 23 and make the journey to Mira Loma, California, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Their last Sunday at First Reformed Church is May 18.

The Draayers are moving to Country Village, a 115 acre complex with 96 units. Each unit has four apartments on a single level.

The best feature of Country Village is its location just a few miles from each of the Draayers' daughters, Heidi, Andrea and Leah-and their grandkids.

"We're basically going back to where we came from," said Pastor Draayer, adding that they won't be able to attend the church he served there because it no longer exists. Instead, he said, the couple will probably attend a Presbyterian church in Riverside, which has a bell choir. Marion has been a member of Zion Lutheran's bell choir for the last six years and would like to continue that activity.

The Draayers' daughter, Andrea, is getting married soon after they return to California. Pastor Draayer said he will think about getting a job, perhaps with Forest Lawn Mortuaries helping people plan their services. "I feel that's somewhere within my experience and giftedness."

Pastor Draayer said that some things stand out in his mind about his service in Baldwin. "God blessed me with a great and loving congregation and I am thankful for the six and one-half years here."

As everyone who knows Pastor Draayer is aware, he is not a fan of winter. "I won't miss the cold weather and salt," he noted.

But he will fondly remember his time in Baldwin, he said. Several events stand out for him. First, the 100th year anniversary of the First Reformed Church during which the congregation met the goal of giving $100,000 over-and-above the church's budget, and it was all given away to a variety of causes. "I didn't believe it was possible, even though it was my idea," said Pastor Draayer, "but we gave $103,000-that was just amazing.

"I think what I've appreciated about this congregation is they love the preaching of the Word, and I love to preach it. They are very attentive people. I always thought they were listening and they simply love the Word. I believe that they accepted Marion and me. We have felt loved, we'll leave a lot of good friends. We'll miss them."

Pastor Draayer also noted the church's family night suppers, especially the home cooking, and the fact ("something I had nothing to do with") that First Reformed has sent 16 people into the pastoral ministry and one into mission service. "Which for a church of this size, I think is pretty amazing."

Pastor Draayer's successor has already been chosen and he will be coming into a good congregation. "For my successor this will be a great place to start and to learn how to do ministry."

Pastor Draayer said he has enjoyed his floor level, center court seat at B-W basketball games with Carley Lokken and Pete Vrieze. He enjoyed his membership in the "Table of Knowledge" men's coffee group. Also, he said, the local pastoral group is a strength. Not all churches belong, he said, "but of the six that do, there is a real sense of Christian brotherhood and collegiality. I've been a part of a ministerial association before but never to this degree where we can really work together. The pastors genuinely have a good time together. We like each other and we support each other. It's pretty special."

He also said that he has some regrets from his time in Baldwin. "I wish I could have grown the church more than what I did." He added another regret was that he did not become more involved in community events sooner and he did not volunteer for more things.

Forensics team wins excellence award

An "Excellence in Speech Award" was presented last week to Baldwin-Woodville forensics coaches Roxi Wakeen, second from left, and Angela Schmoker, second from right. The award was presented by B-W's Wade Labecki, left, who serves as District three chair on the board of the Wisconsin High School Forensic Association. Also in the picture is B-W High School Principal Eric Russell.

The "Excellence in Speech Award" is given to the top five percent scoring schools that compete at the state speech festival at UW-Madison. Only 18 schools state-wide qualify for the award.

Over 4,000 students competed in Madison, representing 364 school districts. The award commendation said that Coaches Schmoker and Wakeen "have compiled enough points to be recognized as an outstanding speech program."

The B-W forensics program was also recognized as the top one in this district.

This is the fourth "Excellence in Speech Award" that has been won by the B-W program while Mrs. Wakeen has been coaching forensics.

Hovde appointed Municipal Judge

At a special Baldwin Village Board meeting last Monday, May 5, trustees named Tamora Hovde as the new municipal judge for the village.

She attended training sessions for municipal judges last week, said Village Presdent Don McGee. While she is training, municipal court sessions for Baldwin have been delayed.

It's Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

Road construction, that is. On Monday crews started the USH 63 upgrade project through Baldwin with the work of realigning the lanes of traffic through Baldwin.

Pam Donahue Retires This Year

Pam Donahue, a physical education, adaptive phy-ed and health teacher at Viking Middle School, will retire from her position this year. But she'll likely end her teaching career the way she started it.

Right out of college-UW-River Falls-Mrs. Donahue started her teaching career by substitute teaching, first at Somerset and later mostly at St. Croix Central, B-W and Glenwood City.

After she retires, Mrs. Donahue plans to continue teaching, at least occasionally, as a substitute teacher.

But she said that "I have other things to do also." She noted that she probably can't read any more than she does now, and plans to continue that. "I'll maybe see the grandchildren more and visit my folks" who are in Illinois.

She also plans to offer her services as a volunteer.

Pam Kruse was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended grammar school at St. Norbert's in Northbrook, Illinois. While in High School she was on the synchronized swimming club and participated in the synchronized swimming nationals at UW-River Falls. "I decided it was a nice, small school that was good in physical education which was what I was interested in," and that's what brought her to this area.

Her senior year she married Dan Donahue and they lived in Roberts where they were the caretakers at the Division Street Apartments. Later they built their house in which they still reside in the Town of Erin Prairie.

After substitute teaching, Mrs. Donahue was first hired as a long-term substitute at B-W in 1987-88. She was hired part-time in 1989 and from then until 1993 she worked between Greenfield and the High School where she taught health and phy-ed.

In 1993 Pam was hired full time and worked in all three B-W schools. In 1999 she worked only at Viking and Greenfield until 2001 and from then until this year she has only been at Viking Middle School.

In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Donahue coached volleyball for 19 years-three at seventh grade and 16 as JV coach. She was assistant track coach for 16 years.

The Donahues have two children. Alison lives in Verona, is married, has a son Max who is a freshman at UW-Milwaukee and is co-owner of Siren Fitness.

Darren is married and has three boys, ages four, two and two months. They live in Wasilla, Alaska and Darren is a pilot for Northern Air Cargo.

Over the years Mrs. Donahue said she has had many interesting experiences. One was this year when a pie throwing contest was about to be held and Mrs. Donahue told a girl with whom she did not see exactly eye-to-eye that the girl better get her pie to throw at me [Mrs. Donahue.] No, the girl replied, I've got a pie for "Mr. [So-and-so] because I hate him more than I hate you."

When Mrs. Donahue taught first grade PE there was a unit about folk dancing. The school used a record player with 78 rpm records. One time when Mrs. Donahue took out the record one little student blurted out "'Wow, that's a big CD.' That shows that technology and times have changed," said Mrs. Donahue.

Mrs. Donahue has gone on several Spanish Club trips over the years and has enjoyed the experiences. This summer she will join the Club on a trip to Spain.

During her years at B-W Mrs. Donahue sponsored the fundraiser that raised money for the roller blades that the school district now owns. She has been involved in a fundraiser for the food pantry. She sponsored a club at Viking that made fleece blankets that have been donated to Grace Place and St. Croix Valley Family Resource Center. Mrs. Donahue led the drive for donations that purchased the climbing wall at Viking without expense to the district. And she has held Friday Family Fun night which is held six Fridays, usually in January and February when the gym is opened to families for various activities.

Mrs. Donahue has also participated in Movin' Schools; Governor's Falls Challenge, Shape Up Wisconsin Kids and a yearly eight to 10 week Staff Wellness program as a member of the district's Wellness Policy Committee.

Mission Group Visited Kenya

A group of local people, including a native of Kenya, spent from 10 days to two weeks in March and April on a mission trip to Kenya.

Members of the group are pictured above at the equator, from left: Pastor John Hanson; James Arati, a Kenyan and employee of Baldwin Dairy; John Vrieze a dairyman and entrepreneur; Joy Grognet; Lori Hetfeld; and Nancy Rowe, who was on her third mission trip to Kenya.

The group traveled to a town called Maseno, which is about 30 miles from Kusomo, and stayed at a compound with two doctors. There is also a small college there and James has family there.

According to Hetfeld, the weather was pleasant, with the temperature in the low 80s during the day and dropping to the upper 60s at night. She said the compound where they stayed was modern and had electricity and water. She also noted that although there has recently been
violence in Kenya stemming from elections which were alleged to be fraudulent, there were no flare-ups while the group was there.

According to an article that was published in a Kenyan newspaper while the group was there, the goal of the group was to help orphans at Esivalu Primary School. They assisted the children with food, school uniforms and books. In addition, they are assisting the village with a water project.

Pastor Hanson also took solar ovens on the trip, which can be operated without wood used as fuel. They are manufactured in the Twin Cities.

Attorney Ordered to Pay Woodville

The Kevin Sheridan saga in the Village of Woodville may well be over with a St. Croix County Circuit Court Judge's decision ordering Sheridan's attorney, Harry Hertel, and his law firm, Hertel & Gibbs, S.C., in his lawsuit against the Woodville Police Review Board to pay $3,262.57 to the Village of Woodville in compensation for defending what the judge determined was a frivolous claim.

Sheridan was the former Police Chief of Woodville who was terminated by the Police Review Board for misconduct in September 2006 after an evidentiary hearing.

The decision by Judge Edward F. Vlack was reached on December 21 of last year.

In his "Memorandum Decision and Order" Judge Vlack noted that "when imposing sanctions, the court shall describe the conduct determined to constitute a violation of this rule and the basis for the sanction imposed.ŠFirst, the Court finds that Mr. Hertel failed to conduct a reasonable inquiry into the facts of the claims." And that the claim that Sheridan's constitutional right of free speech was violated is frivolous.

Second of the reasons given for awarding Woodville damages from the law firm is "Mr. Hertel knew or should have known that there was no basis in the law to support his claims."

And as the third reason, "Mr. Hertel had the opportunity to withdraw or dismiss once he realized there may have been no basis in the law or facts to support his contention."

Finally, wrote Judge Vlack "[m]ost importantly, Mr. Hertel was given another opportunity to withdraw or dismiss [in January 2007] when the board's attorney served Mr. Hertel with a copy of the motion for frivolous claim and indicated that pursuant to statute, she would wait the necessary 21 days before filing the motion. In this 21-day period, Mr. Hertel did not respond to the Board's attorney, nor did he make a motion to withdraw, supply law that supported his argument or anything else that would seem reasonable, but instead stated that during this period he relied on his client alone."

Judge Vlack wrote that "Mr. Hertel's actions here rise to the level of imposing sanctions against him in the form of attorneys fees for the Board in having to defend against this frivolous claim."

According to the decision, the facts of the case include the findings by the Police Review Board that "Sheridan's removal was required and his employment must be terminated because Mr. Sheridan refused to wear a uniform on duty; his action of hand-marking the village police car in violation of department practice was police misconductŠ; Mr. Sheridan violated policies and the Village Personnel Manual by refusing to obey Village Board orders, intimidating Village Board members, and being publicly disrespectful to superior officers while on duty; Mr. Sheridan violated Village OrdinanceŠby smoking in the office of the Woodville Police Department; he violated policies and procedures by using the Woodville squad car for personal use; and he wrote "Woodville Police Department" with window wax on the village squad car.

Arbor Day Celebrated in Baldwin

St. Croix County Forester Dahn Borh, left, and Baldwin Village President Don McGee, second from left, displayed the plaque that designates Baldwin as a Tree City USA at a presentation at Mill Pond Park Friday for Arbor Day. Also pictured are Village Trustee Claire Stein, center, Director of Public Works John Traxler, second from right; and Village Engineer Mike Stoffel. Stein, Traxler and Stoffel also serve on the village's Urban Forestry Committee.

According to Traxler, two of the lindens were donated to the village by St. Croix Tree Service. A third was donated by Ackley Tree Service and the fourth was purchased by the Village.

According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, there are 174 Wisconsin cities that are Tree Cities USA, giving the state the third largest total in the US.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. The many benefits of a Tree City USA designation include creating a framework for action, education, a positive public image and citizen pride.

To qualify for Tree City USA status, a village or city must meet four standards. They are: a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Tree caused power outage Saturday

A large spruce tree caused a power outage of more than two hours Saturday, starting just after noon, when it snapped off near its base due to the wind and lodged against power lines. The tree was located on the lot northwest of the intersection of USH 63 and Franklin Street.

According to Gary Newton, Chief of the Baldwin Station of United Fire and Rescue, Excel Energy crews first cut power and then removed the tree from the line. The power outage extended throughout the village.

After the tree was removed from the line, members of the Baldwin Department of Public Works removed the tree while United Fire and law enforcement personnel re-routed traffic from USH 63 and around the downed tree. Power was restored to the village shortly after 2:00 p.m. Public Works employees stayed on the scene until about 3:00 cleaning up the tree.

King and Queen crowned at B-W Prom

Alice Stone was crowned Queen and Brett Tiffany as King at the B-W Junior Prom Grand March Saturday afternoon at B-W High School.

Woodville woman killed in Minnesota crash

Lucille I. Helgeson of Woodville was killed in a car crash Thursday afternoon, April 24 on Rivercrest Road in Lakeland, Minnesota near Highway 95, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

According to the State Patrol, Mrs. Helgeson, 86, was a passenger in a Pontiac Bonneville going west on Rivercrest Road when it was broadsided by another car driven by Madeline D. Johnson, 55, of Hudson, driving a Dodge Nitro, going south on Minnesota 95. The Bonneville was being driven by Mrs. Helgeson's husband, George W. Helgeson, 89, who was taken to Regions Hospital for his injuries that were determined to be not life-threatening.

Johnson was taken to Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater with injuries caused by the air bag which were also determined to be not life-threatening, the State Patrol said.

The State Patrol said the roads were wet at the time of the accident which was about 3:00 p.m.

Village Board Approves Paramedic Training for EMS Service

Patient care will be enhanced with additional training that will allow Baldwin Area EMS Service to offer paramedic care to patients. The move to paramedic care by the Baldwin Area EMS was approved by the Baldwin village board at a special meeting held last Wednesday, April 23.

According to Baldwin Area EMS Service Director Craig Nelson, the additional training and move to paramedic status will allow the Service to provide "people with the best patient care possible." He said the level of care will increase both for 9-1-1 calls and transport calls.

Nelson said current plans call for between eight and 12 people to receive paramedic training. He noted that the Service is also looking at hiring some outside paramedics if necessary. Primarily, the paramedic training provides for advanced care in the areas of cardiac care and allows some additional medications.

The move will also have financial implications, said Nelson. He said rules at the federal level have also added incentive for the change.

Village Administrator Cindy Deringer said the upgrade will make the village eligible for some federal funding and will put Baldwin Area EMS Service ahead of national standards. She added that the main cost of the upgrade is additional training expenses, but the EMS Service has always incurred training expenses.

Deringer noted that there was concern that paramedics trained at village expense would leave for other services and so some contract language is being explored that would compensate the village for those expenses in some circumstances.

In other action at the meeting the board:

Passed an emergency Operations Plan and a resolution identifying a line of succession in the event of an emergency. The line of success includes the village president and then trustees. Both Municipal Court Judge Howard Ott and Secretary Shelley Lansing have announced their resignation from their posts. After discussion, the board passed a motion to ask Tammy Hovde, who ran for the position in the spring election but was defeated by incumbent Judge Ott, if she is still interested in the position. There is a training session for municipal judges in early May. The board also discussion a temporary replacement judge for the next couple court sessions.

Cubby Hole leased to Ben Jung

Ben Jung is the new operator and chef at the Cubby Hole in Woodville. He is pictured in his kitchen.

The Cubby Hole in Woodville has been leased to Ben and Kelli Jung and they have opened a restaurant at the location. They will continue to operate the bar.

Ben Jung is the former chef at Cafe Tango in Baldwin. He said his new venture in Woodville is going well. He started operating the Cubby Hole April 1, opened the restaurant last week and will hold a Grand Opening celebration Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26.

The Cubby Hole will feature a selection of American food, said Ben, and fresh meats from Olson's Woodville Meats. The restaurant also features locally roasted Apple River Coffee from Star Prairie.

Ben said he grew up in the small town of Randolph, Wis., which has a population of about 1,800 people and is about 45 minutes northeast of Madison.

Ben attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis. His food preparation experience in addition to Cafe Tango, includes working at Bon Appetit food service at Macalester College, including working with an Italian Chef. Most recently, Ben has worked for Cisco Foods and with many local establishments.

The restaurant at the Cubby Hole features seating for about 75, with space available for 150 at special events. The establishment is smoke-free. In the future the restaurant will feature entertainment and cater to meetings.

Kelli and Ben have two children, Joey, seven, who is in kindergarten and Mikey, two and one-half.

School referendum update - First public informational meeting set for May 5

An update concerning the June 3, 2008 school building referendum was presented at the school board meeting Monday night.

Superintendent Rusty Helland displayed the informational flyer that has been distributed throughout the district. He said a direct mail packet is ready to go and will be mailed next week to all district residents. The information from the packet will also be posted on the district web site, he said.

Monday, May 5 is the first of four scheduled public informational meetings regarding the referendum.

"Our goal is to have informed voters," Helland said.

The district web site's referendum page has been receiving a high volume of visits, according to Athletic Director/Transportation Supervisor Wade Labecki, who developed the site. "There is now a new video on the site," he added.

Since March 24, the first day the referendum page was available, there were 600 visits to the page during the last week of that month. Labecki said the traffic continues to be high during April, averaging 300 visits a day during the week and 200 visits per day on the weekend.

"The facilities study group power point is particularly popular," commented Labecki.

During the open forum, district resident LeAnn Rice identified herself as a representative of Citizens for Responsible Government, a fiscally conservative political action committee based in Milwaukee. She said there are 30 affiliates across the state, one being in St. Croix County. The group has reviewed the Baldwin-Woodville referendum information she said. Rice submitted a document of questions for board members regarding the referendum, requesting answers within a week.

"I certainly appreciate the hard work of the board," Rice said.

Eric Becker, Viking Middle School band director, delivered a presentation of music department happenings in the district. The entire music department was present: Becker, Adam Bassak, high school band director; Chandra Lamb, elementary music; Janet Hanson, high school choral
director; and Jane Thompson, Viking general music and choir director.

Students start playing instruments, singing, reading music, and composing at the elementary level, Becker said. At middle school each grade level has a choir and band he added.

At the high school level the various choirs and bands not only perform, they compete throughout the season, Becker said, and have been very successful.

Presently, three of the music department staff are over-scheduled due tolarge numbers of participants Becker concluded.

High School teacher Jason Sell informed the board of a pilot program for block classes next year. He said block classes (longer class periods, usually two periods) will be offered for sophomores in geometry, English, speech and physics. The block classes will be completed in a semester instead of running the entire year. Regular classes will also be offered, and the results of the two will be compared and evaluated at the end of the year, Sell said.

Advantages of block classes for certain disciplines include more cooperative learning, research opportunities, collaboration, and more teacher time with students. "Block classes make sense for some areas," said Principal Eric Russell, "but areas like foreign language or band, for instance, need to run the entire year."

Sell also informed the board that next year there will be two days of final exams scheduled at the high school. "We want to prepare each grade level for what comes next," he said. Sophomores need to be ready to take the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam, and seniors attending college need to have experience taking final exams, for example, said Sell.

A motion to approve year-end expenditures totaling $517,335 was approved by the board. Included in the expenditures are water proofing at Viking, $192,000, and high school, $149,000.

The board approved a ten cent increase in lunch prices, including adult lunches.

The board approved a $50.00 increase in the Drivers Education fee, which will be $200.00.

The board approved support staff 2008-2010 compensation/contracts.

The board approved the resolution authorizing adoption of 403(b) plan. The plan fulfills IRS requirements regarding tax sheltered annuities.

Board member Mike Bondarenko was appointed the board's representative to the 2008 CESA #11 Annual Convention.

Family Resource Center's auction features renowned totem pole

Apryl Mullvain, one of Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley's parent educators, shows the totem pole donated by world-renowned carvers Carl and Linda Muggli, to children from a Play & Learn Group. The traditional totem will be auctioned at the Reach for the Stars, Family Resource Center's annual gala on Sunday, April 27.

If you have seen the television show Grey's Anatomy or the movie Hoot, you may be familiar with the productions' featured totem poles created by world renowned carvers Carl and Linda Muggli.

Celebrities in the totem pole carving ranks, the Mugglis have donated a seven foot example of their work to the Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley for the organization's Reach for the Stars benefit auction that will be held Sunday, April 27 at 5:00 p.m. at the R & D Banquet
Facility in New Richmond.

The Northwest Coast native-inspired totem pole is hand carved, features traditional symbolism and is valued at over $1,400. Along with the totem pole, some novelty items that will be auctioned by auctioneer Tom Morris at the western-themed gala include: a trip to an authentic western town in Montana, a handmade cowboy quilt, pottery, gourmet cakes and more.

People gathering at this year's Reach for the Stars gala will be helping FRCSCV celebrate its tenth year of service to children and families. Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley is an early childhood development, family support and parent education organization serving all families in Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties.

Featuring music by Stampede, dancing, a western-themed buffet, keepsake photos, calf roping and prizes for the best western costume, this year's Reach for the Starts is a not-to-be-missed event. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. You should call 715-684-4440 for a
chance to bid on the world class, one-of-a-kind totem pole and to reserve your spot at the benefit Sunday.

Major sponsors of Reach for the Stars include: Donaldson Company, OEM Fabricators, First Bank of Baldwin, Northern Metal Fabricators, Xcel Energy, Bremer Bank, Nilssen's Super Valu, Behavior Solutions Plus and Durand Builders.

B-W Junior Prom is Saturday

Junior candidates for Prom King and Queen are pictured above. In the front row are, from left: Alice Stone, Morgan Trunkel, Amy Lund, Jessica Curtis and Karlyn Sturtevant. In back, from left, are: Brett Tiffany, Dillon Anderson, Alex Buechter, Jason Geurkink and Logan Jacobson.

Sick and tired of this nasty April weather? How does a trip to Hawaii sound? Well look no further: the Junior Class Prom "Tropical Nights" will be held Saturday, April 26, with the Grand March and Coronation at 2:00 pm in the South Gym.

Prom 2007 Queen Angela Kusilek and King Grant Gausman will be on hand to crown a lucky pair of juniors. Those on the 2008 prom court include: Dillon Anderson, Alex Buechter, Jason Geurkink, Logan Jacobson, Brett Tiffany, Jessica Curtis, Amy Lund, Alice Stone, Karlyn Sturtevant and Morgan Trunkel.

This year's prom committee would love to have any junior class members who would like to get involved help decorate, Wednesday, April 23 after school, Thursday, April 24 six to ten p.m. and Friday, April 25 after school.

Tickets to the Grand March will be $3.00 for students and adults and $1.50 for kids under 10. Doors open at 1:30.

Spring is Coming

For those of you tired of the long, dreary winter and drawn out cold weather, Baldwin Greenhouse owner James Karlson assures us that spring is indeed coming. And James has the flowers and vegetables already growing to prove it.

Already, said James, there are hundreds of thousands-too many to count-flowers in colorful bloom at Baldwin Greenhouse. He also has vegetables, trees and climbing vines growing.

It's still too early for flowers and other plants to go outside, said James, and gardeners need to wait until there is some warmth in the ground-Mother's Day at least. But there are some annuals as well as some varieties of vegetables that can be planted early.

James said that by this coming weekend he hopes to have the Baldwin Greenhouse retail area in operation-at least in a limited way for those who can't wait for spring's blooms and may be bringing their plants inside each evening.

USH 63 Reconstruction Meeting Held

A meeting was held Monday morning in Baldwin featuring Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials and representatives of the firm that will be doing the work on USH 63.

According to Neil Bakke of Monarch Paving, the tentative start date is May 5. In general, Bakke said, the project will be done in halves, with the east half of the highway undergoing reconstruction first and traffic re-routed to the west half of the highway. The construction will also proceed generally from south to north.

The 63 improvement project will stretch from where 63 north of I-94 goes from four lanes to two lanes to the intersection where USH 12 goes to the west.

The project will include a new stop light at Fern Drive/60th Avenue. On the village's south side, there will be turn lanes and a lane for straight-ahead traffic to travel. In the village's "urban area" (roughly from north of the creek to Hillcrest) there will be two-way left turn lanes installed. Following the project there will be no parking on USH 63 in the village.

A large part of the project, and a factor in the timing of aspects of the construction, will be replacement of the bridge over the Baldwin Creek by a box culvert which will be built in phases.

On either side of the railroad tracks there will be short concrete islands built to direct traffic.

At no time will USH 63 be closed to through traffic, although there may be some delays of several minutes at various times.

Appointments made by Village Board

In addition to annual appointments, the Baldwin Village Board reviewed results of a compliance investigation by the St. Croix Underage Drinking Coalition, presented by Baldwin Police Chief Jim Widiker.

In the latest check, done by an underage person at each establishment licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in the village, six establishments passed and six failed. Failing the check were: Kwik Trip #747 (at I-94); Liquor Haus; Klinker's Korner; Kwik Trip #696; Kum & Go; and Freedom Value Center. Passing the check were: Eggen's Super Market; Nilssen's Super Valu; Bol's Lanes & Lounge; Citgo/Super Truck Stop; Coachman Supper Club; and Lumber Company.

According to the information presented by Widiker, in the September 2007 Compliance check, failing were: Kum & Go; Bol's Lanes; Citgo; and the Coachman. In the April 2007 Check, all the establishments checked in Baldwin passed; however, four establishments weren't checked at that time.

*In other action at the meeting, board members held an extensive discussion with Steve Olson, a pastor and president of non-profit Impact Ministries, Inc. Olson said he intends to rent, initially, four rooms at the Bradshaw Motel (Baldwin Manor) at 640 Main Street and house eight men who have had trouble with the law and substance abuse problems. According to Olson's proposal: "The intent is to provide an environment of restoration and accountability that will counter the effects of drugs and alcohol."

Olson said participants in the program would be referred by St. Croix County Courts and would be required to be sober, employed, attend meetings nightly and become active members of a local church.

Olson noted that the program will be limited to men, and will not accept anyone with a violent or sex offender background.

The concerns of board members dealt mainly with placing tenants in a environment that currently generates many police calls. Olson said participants will have a separate block of rooms with a separate entrance and there will be stringent guidelines for keeping Olson's clients away from others who live there. He said that if the program works out he will require more rooms, leading to "a slow regeneration of the building."

On a voice vote the board passed a motion in support of the program on a five to two margin.

*The Board passed an Arbor Day proclamation. It will be celebrated in Baldwin with planting trees with the assistance of children in the Community Preschool.

*Board of review was set for May 14, at which time the Board will adjourn until Wednesday, July 23.

*The Board passed a motion allowing Fireworks and More to hold a customer appreciation event at which there will be a fireworks demonstration. The event will be held May 17.

*Bids were accepted for the Main Street from 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue reconstruction work. The low bid was by Albrightson Excavating of $211,000, which is under the budgeted amount. A second project for parking lot and curb and gutter at both the Fire Hall and EMS garage was tabled because the bids were over the estimates.

Annual Village Appointments

Village Board Committees: Streets & Municipal Buildings: Trustees Kevin Brathol and Claire Stein; Water & Sewer: Trustees Brathol and Duane Russett; Budget & Finance: Trustees Greg Larson and Willie Zevenbergen; Parks & Recreation: Trustees Larson and Stein; Public Safety & Personnel: Trustees Doug Newton and Russett; United Fire and Rescue: Trustee Russett
(alternate Trustee Brathol); Care Center: Trustee Newton; Hospital Board: Village President Don McGee; Ambulance Committee: Trustees Zevenbergen and Larson (along with EMS Department Chief Craig Nelson and Sandy Reed).

Board of Review: President McGee, Village Administrator Cindy Deringer and Trustees Newton and Larson.

Citizen and Board Appointments: Zoning Board of Appeals: Jon Veenendaal (chair), Don Timmerman, Harold Grotenhuis, Randy Myer and Josh Keeney. Labor Management Committee (To study health insurance issues): Ron Phernetton (union member) and Trustee Newton.

John Traxler was appointed Director of Public Works as well as: Weed Commissioner and Forester.

Planning Commission: President McGee (chair), Jon Eggen, Scott Husby, John Walker, Jamie Klund, Willie Zevenbergen and Nancy Hable.

United Civic Center: Trustee Larson, Jay Monson, Russ Schultz, Dale Fern and Rollie Rieck.

Cemetery Advisory Board: Trustees Larson and Stein and Steve Boldt, Sextant, Bernard Lewis, Assistant Sextant, Mona Vande Berg and Dixie Chermack.

Urban Forestry Board: Public Works Director Traxler, Mike Stoffel, Chris Ruch and Trustee Stein.

Downtown Facade Loan Program/Micro Loan Program Committee: Dale Jensen, Larry Knegendorf, Dale Fern, Dave Mattison, Trustee Zevenbergen.

Police Discipline Committee: Gerry Neeley, Bob Niccum and Steve Boldt.

Library Board: Dave Phernetton, Kathy Meyer, Joni Wernlund, Trudy Klanderman, Joan Heebink and Library Director Rebecca Dixon.

Village Employees: Cynthia Deringer-Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer; Kay Suckow-Deputy Treasurer; Sue Brathol-Deputy Clerk; John Traxler-Director of Public Works; Gary Newton-Waste Water Treatment Operator; Jim Widiker-Chief of Police; Connie Juen-Police Department Administrative Assistant; Alicia Widiker-Police Clerical; Shelly Lansing-Clerk of Court; Steve Boldt-Cemetery Sextant; Craig Nelson-EMS Department Chief; Brandon Whitmer-Office manager/EMS specialist.

Professional services: Auditor-Wipfli Ullrich Bertelson; Attorney-Bakke Norman; Consulting Engineer Ayres Associates-Mike Stoffel; Building Inspector/Zoning Administrator-Brian Wert.

Local Students Compete in National Science Fair

Pictured from left to right in the front row are Kristin Cuta (MNSA Science Teacher), Ali Porter, Minneapolis and Brienna Herold, Spring Valley. In the back row are Sveta Anderson, Forest Lake, Scott Symes, Baldwin, Jessica Oldfather, Savage, and Jared Treichel, Cottage Grove.

Minnesota North Star Academy, a charter school that serves deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deaf/blind high school students, announced that six students competed in the National Science Fair the weekend of March 14th. The fair took place at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York

Competing in the event were Baldwin resident Scott Symes and Brienna Herold of Spring Valley. Other North Star students participating were Sveta Anderson, Jessica Oldfather, Allison Porter, and Jared Treichel.

Jared Treichel's science fair project, Testing the Magnitic Field and Plasma Interactions," placed third in the High Schgool Individual Competition. Scott Symes and Brienna Herold received an Honorable Mention for their science fair project, "Perceptive vs. Reality."

Minnesota North Star Academy focuses on bilingual education, teaching in both American Sign Language and English.

B-W class of 2008 honor students announced

The 2008 Honor graduates at Baldwin-Woodville High School have been announced. Honor students are those who have achieved a 10.25 grade point average which is a B+ average.

Tara Kimberly earned the highest average in the class which earns her the title of Valedictorian. She plans to attend UW-Superior and major in biology with a minor in chemistry for a secondary education degree. Tara is the daughter of Jim and Colleen Kimberly.

Carrie Vanasse achieved the second highest average to earn the title of Salutatorian. She plans to attend UW-River Falls and at present is considering an accounting major. Carrie is the daughter of Tom and Cindy Vanasse.

Other honor graduates this year are: Reid Anderson, son of Keith and Mary Anderson; Raphaela Baumann, exchange student living with Robert and Julia Lyberg; Queezarwoe Borh, daughter of Dahn and Marilee Borh; Kalena Doffing, daughter of Jane Evin; Sara Donahoe, daughter of Bob and Rosemary Donahoe. Jordan Doornink, son of Douglas and Kelly Doornink; Kristopher Eggen, son of Richard and Vickie Eggen; Grant Gausman, son of Stanley and Susan Gausman; Kyle Hines, son of Keith and Beckie Hines; Kirsten Hoffman, daughter of Gary and Randi Hoffman; Aaron Hovde, son of Jerry and Marilyn Hovde; Mary Hovde, daughter of Robert and Kay Hovde; Morgan Jacobson, daughter of Dean and Jean Jacobson. Michelle Johnson, daughter of Donovan and Mariana Johnson; Richelle Kenow, daughter of Stephen and Julie Kenow; Angela Kusilek, daughter of Joseph and Anna Kusilek; Jason LaFavor, son of Tim and Eileen LaFavor; Amanda Larson, daughter of Scott and Barb Larson; Toni Lynum, daughter of Tobias and Marla Lynum; Samuel Mattison, son of David and Deborah Mattison; Heather Molenaar, daughter of Larry and Lori Molenaar. Joshua Morrissey, son of Albert and Rebecca Morrissey; Zachary Paul, son of Vicki Paul; David Ring, son of Ralph and Kathleen Ring; Joleen Schwellenbach, daughter of Kat and Nordby Schwellenbach; Cassie Standaert, daughter of James Standaert and Penny Pierson; Candace Standaert, daughter of James Standaert and Penny Pierson; Alex Stene, daughter of Susan Stene; Karen Warner, daughter of Duane and Joanne Warner; Alaina Werner, daughter of Kenneth and Alison Werner.

Baldwin-Woodville Class of 2008 Honor Students are pictured above. In the front row, left to right, are: Kalena Doffing, Michelle Johnson, Amanda Larson, Tara Kimberly, Mary Hovde, Richelle Kenow, Toni Lynum, Alaina Werner and Morgan Jacobson.

In the second row, from left, are: Raphaela Baumann, Heather Molenaar, Jason LaFavor, Justin Morrissey, Zachary Paul, Angela Kusilek, Sara Donahoe, Karen Warner, Alex Stene and Joleen Schwellenbach.

In the third row, from left, are: Kristopher Eggen, Reid Anderson, Aaron Hovde, Jordan Doornink, David Ring, Grant Gausman, Kyle Hines, Queezarwoe Borh and Carrie Vanasse.

Missing when the photo was taken were: Sam Mattison, Candace Standaert, Cassie Standaert and Kirsten Hoffman.

	Tara Kimberly 2008 B-W Valedictorian
	Carrie Vanasse 2008 B-W Salutatorian

Fire destroys former Baldwin Feed and Seed Building

Before firefighters even arrived on the scene of a tremendous blaze at the former Baldwin Feed and Seed in downtown Baldwin, it was apparent that little could be done to save the structure, which was completely engulfed in flames shortly after the start of the fire.

A spectacular blaze in the former Baldwin Feed and Seed grain elevator in downtown Baldwin totally destroyed the structure Thursday, April 3.

The fire started around 4:00 p.m. and firefighters from United Fire and Rescue and six other area departments called for mutual aid, remained on the site until about 11:30 Thursday evening.

The structure was owned by Lee Seim of the Town of Springfield. He said the structure contained about 2,500 bushels of corn, 1,500 bushels of oats, some soybeans and some minerals that were used as feed ingredients. He said the structure was not insured. Seim said he he's not sure about what he is going to do for storage in the future, but he will have to buy grain to make up for what was lost.

Gary Newton, Baldwin Station Chief of United Fire and Rescue, said that determining a cause of the fire is impossible because the structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene and the intense heat generated by the fire. He said reports of explosions or pops coming from the fire could perhaps be explained by the presence of a large amount of feed dust in the structure that explodes in a fire.

Firefighters were hampered fighting the fire by the size of water mains in the area of Baldwin Feed and Seed. Newton said that in the older portion of town the mains are only four inches in diameter and United Fire and the mutual aid departments had the capacity to pump much more water than could be derived from the three hydrants that were tapped. For that reason several tanker truck loads of water were hauled in from other locations.

Approximately 160,000 gallons of water was poured on the fire from hydrants and additional water hauled in from Hammond and Woodville amounted to another 20,000 gallons, said Newton.

Mutual aid was supplied by the fire departments of Glenwood City, Spring Valley, Roberts, River Falls, New Richmond and Hudson.

Newton said that when initially on the scene firefighters sprayed water on gas lines to cool them and then ensured that the natural gas supply to the structure was halted. The St. Croix County Emergency Communications Center also notified the railroad to halt all rail traffic through Baldwin. When the fire was controlled, a train master was sent out to inspect the tracks before trains were allowed to travel on them.

The pleasant spring weather, combined with the spectacular nature of the blaze, brought out hundreds of walkers who watched the progress of the fire.

Many observers said the intensity of the fire hadn't been seen locally since the fire on December 26, 1980 that destroyed Heebink's Millwork when it was located in downtown Baldwin.

A firm has been hired to remove the metal from the debris remaining from the fire, said Seim. He said a determination of what to do with the wood and grain remnants has not been made.

Seim said he bought the elevator in 2004 from the family of Dennis Eggen.

According to Don Makuch, a former owner of Baldwin Feed and Seed, the original elevator was built in 1895 by Ben Nibblink. He sold the business to Chris Johnson and George Nyeggen. Later Nyeggen became sole owner of the business and then in the late 1950s he sold it to his son-in-law Milt Lane.

Makuch said he bought the business from Milt Lane in 1978 and ran it until September of 1984 when he sold it to Dennis Eggen. Another fire a day earlier forced a Baldwin family from their home. The fire was at the David and Sarah Weiske residence southeast of Baldwin on 55th Avenue.

The residence is owned by Gerald and Mary Ann Peterson.

The fire was reported Wednesday morning by David Weiske. It started in a closet under a stairway, according to Newton.

Sarah Weiske said the fire was contained but the home suffered from extensive heat and smoke damage. The family has moved in with relatives while the home is being completely cleaned down to the studs, which she said may take up to three months.

B-W VAC team advances to state

Baldwin-Woodville VAC students include, back row from left to right, Tanis Klingler, Michelle Hinz, Kylee Momchilovich, Ashley Casperson, Morgan Trunkel, Briana Fleming. Middle row, Heather Molenaar, Rachelle Veenstra, Miranda Nelson, Sam Basques. Front row, Reid Anderson, Mrs. Kamm and Ethan Palmer. Missing from the picture is Emalie Tison.

Reid Anderson's colored pencil portrait composed of junk food is pictured.

The Visual Arts Classic (VAC) regional was held recently at UW-Stout. The regional consisted of six teams: Menomonie, Clayton, Amery, Washburn, Granton, and Baldwin-Woodville. B-W High School had a twelve member team compete.

This year's theme was "Food and Art." The competition includes individual competition as well as team competition. Individuals from each team compete in one of twelve categories with a long range assignment (project created before hand and judged the day of competition) and an on-site project. The on-site problem was read to the group and the students have three hours to complete the problem.

Baldwin-Woodville students competed in the following categories: Reid Anderson and Heather Molenaar in drawing; Rachelle Veenstra and Tanis Klinger in painting; Kylee Momchilovich and Briana Fleming in sculpture; Machelle Hinz and Emalie Tison in art history; Miranda Nelson and Ethan Palmer in printmaking; Sam Basques in digital photography; and Ashley Casperson in personal adornment.



Individuals advancing to state are Reid Anderson for his long term and on-site projects, Kylee Momchilovich for her long term and on-site projects, and Ethan Palmer for his on-site project.

As a team the students competed in a critical thinking category, and quiz bowl category. Critical thinking involves the entire team working together to find a solution to a question. This year's problem involved pitching a restaurant to a group of investors. The restaurant was to be based on one of the twelve artists they had to research.

In quiz bowl the teams are asked thirty-five questions based on the artists as well. B-W took a third place finish in the critical thinking category and a first place finish in quiz bowl. The first place finish in quiz bowl qualified the entire team for the state quiz bowl competition. B-W placed third overall combining the totals for all of the long term and on-site projects, critical thinking, and quiz bowl. State is held at the UW-Madison on April 11.

This is only the second year Baldwin-Woodville has competed in the VAC. Last year's team finished third in critical thinking, tied for third in quiz bowl, and placed second overall.

"Qualifying for state as a team is a really big deal. It's comparative to state forensics, state band, and state choir," stated Mrs. Kamm. "First place individuals and first place teams from across the state will go head to head in Madison. The energy and creativity at state is electric. Knowing that they are competing against the best artists and best teams in the state gets the students charged up for the competition. The art work is amazing!

It is so exciting because we're starting to set a precedent. It will hopefully get students encouraged and excited about next year. This is a great group of students whom all have special qualities," Kamm continued.

"Getting to work with the students on a daily basis keeps me challenged and energized. It's one of the many reasons why I love my job! I am really proud of the students for their individual accomplishments and team accomplishments."

USH 63 upgrade starts May 5

The schedule for the upgrade of USH 63 through Baldwin has been moved up. The contract for the project is slated to begin May 5 with traffic control work and grinding of the road surface. The contract is scheduled to be completed in 75 days.

According to Baldwin Village Engineer Mike Stoffel of Ayres Associates, the contracts for the work have been let. He said that some traffic signal work may even begin before May 5.

The project will start at the south side of Baldwin where the four lane USH 63 ends. Included in the work will be installation of new pavement and center turn lanes in some locations. In addition, a new traffic light will be installed at 60th Avenue and Fern Drive and new traffic lights will be installed at Cedar Street and Main Street.

The village's outside lanes of USH 63 through Baldwin will be taken up as part of the project, and will eliminate all parking along the highway. North of Main Street there will be a two way left turn lane to Hillcrest. The bridge over the Baldwin Creek will be replaced with a box
culvert.

The prime contractor is Mathy Construction and its subsidiary Monarch. Other contractors include: excavating: Hoffman Construction; grinding and placement of crushed aggregate base: Kraemer Co.; concrete work: Curb Masters; and traffic signals: NEI.

Web site provides Baldwin-Woodville Referendum Information

Pages have been added to the Baldwin-Woodville School District web site that provide information about the building referendum scheduled for Tuesday, June 3.

The pages were created by B-W Athletic Director and Transportation Supervisor Wade Labecki.

To access the web pages, start at the Baldwin-Woodville home page (www.bwsd.k12.wi.us). Near the top is information about the referendum and to the right is "Click here for more information."

The referendum election will have two questions. The first is whether a new 90,000 square foot intermediate school for grades three, four and five should be built on district owned property, and should Greenfield Elementary School be renovated. The total cost of the two is pegged at
$16,775,000.

The second question is whether an indoor swimming pool should be constructed and equipped for a cost not to exceed $3,500,000.

The web side provides the complete texts of the two resolutions. The members of the committee who studied the district's space needs are provided so individuals who have questions may ask any of them. Their meeting minutes are also provided as a further source of information.

The web site lists and dates and times of the four informational meetings that have been scheduled in May to provide information on the referendum projects.

The web site provides B-W enrollment history and future enrollment projections.

Designs for You by Erika makes a move

Designs for You by Erika, a beauty and hair care salon, has made a move one block west on Main Street in Baldwin. The business, owned by Erika Jordahl, moved from its former address when the building was put up for sale to its new location at 810 Main Street. Pictured above are Erika Jordahl, front, and employees Kahla Ash, left and Megan McCracken.

Dan's Auto Center moving to Buster's location

Dan and Cindy VanSomeren have purchased the former Buster's All-Star Rental building and plan to have Dan's Auto Center up and running there by March 31.

According to Cindy, the new location will be more convenient for customers. She said that before opening in the new location the building will undergo remodeling, adding lifts and a portion of the building will be resided.

When the weather improves a portion of the exterior of the building will be painted, Cindy said.

"If people want to see what we've done, they should feel free to stop in and we'll give them a tour," Cindy said. She noted that the building provides a nice location and space for Dan's Auto Center and it was originally built as a service station. She added that some type of open house will be held in the near future.

Dan's Auto Service has vehicle service, tires, exhaust systems and major and minor vehicle repair. The U-Haul business will be continued at the new location.

Buster's rental business has moved to the rural Baldwin location where he has his car crushing business.

Spring election features few races

The spring election on Tuesday, April 1 will feature few local contests.

In the Village of Baldwin there is only one contest where incumbent Municipal Judge Howard Ott is being challenged by Tammi Hovde. The three incumbent Village Trustees are running for re-election unchallenged. They are: Claire Stein, Greg Larson and Willard Zevenbergen.

In the Village of Hammond three individuals are running for three trustee positions: Christopher Buckel, Wally Graf and Steven Peterson. Sandra Nelson is running unopposed for Municipal Judge. In the Village of Woodville only two candidates are running for three Village Trustee positions. They are Barry Ketchum and Steve Gossel. Linda Duval is running unopposed for Municipal Judge.

For the Baldwin Woodville School District incumbents Dustin Klanderman and Todd Graf are running unchallenged.

Likewise for St. Croix Central School District where incumbents John Hueg and David Olsen are running unchallenged.

At the county level, Mark Gherty and Howard Cameron are facing off for the new Branch 4 judgeship in St. Croix County. Statewide, Mike Gableman and Louis Butler are vying for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

For additional details on voting procedures, voting locations and candidates, see the insert in this week's issue.

Scam alert issued by Sheriff Hillstead

Over the past several weeks the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office has received a number of complaints concerning an ongoing scam, according to a press release from Sheriff Dennis Hillstead. There are several different variations by which the scam artists are attempting to deceive victims. The basic situation involves the victim receiving a letter from a company or organization that states it represents a lottery and that the person receiving the letter is a winner in that contest. Included in the notification is a check made out to the victim, usually the amount of this check is between $4000.00 and $5000.00. The check on first view appears legitimate.

The letter instructs the victim to deposit the check, then send the company back $3000.000 dollars to cover taxes and costs, and that once the company receives the $3000.00 the remaining winnings will be sent.

Phone calls to the number given are answered and what seems like appropriate information given. If the victim checks the company on the internet, it will also appear to be a legitimate company.

Unfortunately for the victim, approximately one to two weeks after depositing the check and returning the $3000.00, plus whatever of the amount over the $3000.0 that they spent, plus whatever bank costs may be charged to them, are lost when the check is stopped.

Many of these types of scams originate from out of the country and are almost impossible to track. The old adage, "If it seems too good to be true," it probably is. In most legitimate lotteries, the taxes are deducted before the winnings are paid out.

If you have been victimized by this scam, please contact your local police department or the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office, 715-386-4320.

Boyceville man arrested for threats

A Boyceville man who wanted to get away and do a little ice fishing didn't get the relaxation he wanted.

According to St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead, the man received a traffic citation and failed to appear at his court date. The court then entered a guilty plea for the traffic violation and his license was revoked. Sheriff Hillstead said the revoked license may have had further repercussions and he may have lost his job because of his loss of license.

That caused the man to call the St. Croix County courthouse and threaten to blow it up and also threaten the judge who heard his case.

When the threats were reported to the Sheriff's Department, deputies went to the man's residence in Boyceville where it was learned that he was ice fishing on Pine Lake. Then two investigators and three deputy sheriffs from the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department converged on Pine Lake where the man was located, arrested and taken into custody, said
Sheriff Hillstead.

Review board clears deputies in shooting

St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead announced that a shooting review board, which included law officers from New Richmond and Polk County, determined that deputies Ryan Kelly and Kristopher Stewart followed all policies and procedures in the fatal shooting incident of a man in rural Hammond Feb. 23.

Stewart is an 11-year veteran of the sheriff's department, including eight years as a patrol officer. Kelly joined the jail staff in May 2006 and has been in training as a patrol officer since January.

"Each of the officers has been provided with counseling services," said Hillstead. "It's a tragic incident, tragic for the victim and his family and tragic for the deputies and their families," he said. "It's very stressful and will continue to be."

Jacob Lee Sperl, 22, died as a result of gunshot wounds following a confrontation with the deputies. Sperl, who had reportedly made suicidal threats, pointed a loaded shotgun at the two officers outside his rural Hammond home when the deputies confronted him.

Water main replacement scheduled for spring

After last Monday morning's water pipe blow-out along USH 63 near Snap Fitness that dumped more than 200,000 gallons of water out of the village's north water tower, it was apropos that the Baldwin Village Board dealt with several water issues at their regular monthly meeting last
Wednesday.

In addition to approving rebuilding part of Main Street, along with utility work in the street, the Board dealt with a block-long stretch of the main that dispersed its contents last week.

Public Works Director John Traxler noted at the meeting that the hole in the pipe that produced the large volume of water was about fist sized. He said that seven or eight feet of water main was replaced, but the entire main was pitted and is a continuation of the main done last year about a block south.

Traxler questioned whether replacing the block-long stretch of water main should be done in conjunction with the Department of Transportation project rebuilding USH 63 through Baldwin that will begin this spring and continue into the summer.

Village Engineer Mike Stoffel said the stretch of water main along USH 63 from Lokhorst to Summit is 370 to 380 feet and estimated the cost to replace it from $27,000 to $28,000 with new hydrants and valves. He said it is possible that it could be done in conjunction with the DOT project.

The board, after discussion, agreed that it makes sense to do the work when the road is torn up anyway, and approved the work if a price can be negotiated.

The other work along USH 63 that will be performed in conjunction with the DOT project is replacement of water main from the First Bank of Baldwin to the railroad tracks and replacement of sanitary sewer from Newton Street to Curtis Street. The board reviewed bids for the projects and accepted the low bid from Albrightson Excavating, Inc. in the amount of $78,376.

Finally, the board approved a project for the two block stretch of Main Street between 11th and 13th Avenues. That project includes replacing the water main and sanitary sewer, new water and sewer laterals and a new storm sewer drain at 13th and Main, said Engineer Stoffel.

Stoffel said the entire street will be lowered somewhat to improve drainage to and off the street.

Most of the existing sidewalk along the two block stretch will be replaced, with the exception of a short stretch of new sidewalk. New driveway aprons will be installed and the first lift of asphalt will be laid with the final lift going on in 2008, Stoffel said.

The board approved levying special assessments for laterals, sidewalks and driveways aprons to the property owners. Property owners can pay in installments over three years for new sidewalks, but aprons and laterals must be paid for in the year in which they are installed.

The Board approved advertising for bids on the project. Prices for paving the fire hall parking lot and installing curb and gutter and paving the Ambulance Service lot will also be included when bids are asked for the Main Street project.

In other action at the meeting:

-Candidates for the fourth judge position in St. Croix County who advanced to the general election after the primary gave presentations to the board. They are: Howard Cameron and Mark Gherty.
-Spring clean up days for village residents (not businesses) was set for Friday, April 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-A number of June Bug Days requests were approved at the meeting. The annual celebration will be held June 12, 13, 14 and 15 this year. The village will made an $8,000 contribution to the celebration, from the tourism fund.

The parade will be Saturday at noon, starting at the High School and proceeding east to 6th Avenue, then south and past Maple Street.

Dance licenses were granted for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; picnic licenses were approved (allowing sale of beer); fireworks were approved for Saturday night; and a temporary operator's license was granted to Rick Coltrain.

-The annual lease for the Fire Hall was approved. The building of about 13,000 square feet rents for 50¢ per square foot.
-The board finalized a fireworks possession permit system with a charge of $3 per permit.
-The Board agreed that the village will participate in two loan programs using the proceeds from federal revolving loans. They are the Downtown Facade Program and the MicroLoan Program. The committee members for each program were approved as: Dale Jensen, Larry Knegendorf, Dale Fern, Dave Mattison and Willie Zevenbergen.
-Discussion was held regarding parking on 60th Avenue and whether it should be prohibited. Included in the discussion was whether a parking area could be created on the south side of 60th on village owned property commonly called "Wintergreen."
-The village approved purchase of playground equipment, mulch and trees for "Wood Duck Park" in Berkseth Heights. Cost of the playground equipment is approximately $15,000.
-Police Chief Jim Widiker noted that the kennel to which strays in the village have been taken has been closed and asked members of the board for help in finding an alternative.

Referendum information sessions set

When the referendum asking Baldwin-Woodville School District electors is held on Tuesday, June 3, members of the B-W Board of Education, a newly formed School Public Relations Committee and Superintendent Rusty Helland want voters to have as much information about the two questions as possible-the why, where, how and how much it will cost.

Toward that end, the newly formed committee-made up largely of members of the committee who studied school facilities needs and recommended that a new "intermediate" school be built on existing school property in Baldwin-are making themselves available to answer questions from the public and have planned a public information campaign.

As part of the public information campaign four public information meetings have been scheduled for different days of the week in order to accommodate as large an audience as possible. The dates and places of the meetings are:
-Monday, May 5 at the Viking Middle School gym in Woodville;
-Tuesday, May 13 at the Greenfield Elementary School gym in Baldwin;
-Wednesday, May 21 at the Viking Middle School gym in Woodville; and
-Thursday, May 29 at the Baldwin-Woodville High School Performing Arts Center.

All of the public information meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to holding informational meetings, members of the committee have divided into sub-committees. The "hard copy" committee will be producing flyers or brochures that will be available to district residents; the "electronic" committee plans to produce a web site and use
the B-W TV station, channel 18 on Baldwin Telecom cable, to present information about the referendum.

Also, said Superintendent Helland, all members of the "New School Public Relations Committee," including himself, have agreed to make themselves available to voters who have questions regarding the referendum questions.

Helland emphasized that the process that led to the referendum questions has been in the works for more than two years. Starting in 2006 a population study of the district was done by a company hired for that purpose and the B-W Board's long-range committee had discussed facility needs. A committee of district residents was formed to study facility needs, they met several times over a period of months, and their recommendations were presented last November.

Those recommendations, which were forwarded to the B-W Board which is expected to submit them to referendum on Monday night, March 17, calls for a new 90,000 square foot "intermediate" school to be built somewhere near present Greenfield (perhaps north or west of Greenfield) and some remodeling of Greenfield Elementary. It would house grades three through five. The cost of the new school is estimated at $16,494,500. The cost of Greenfield remodeling is estimated at $324,600. A separate question on the referendum is whether a new indoor swimming pool at a cost of approximately $3,500,000 should be built. If the pool and an intermediate school are approved, the pool would likely be attached to the intermediate school
since building a pool as part of a building project would be cheaper than adding it to an existing building, said Helland.

In upcoming informational pieces, district enrollment trends and projections will be presented and the effect of the referendum and bond issuance wo uld have on property taxes will be detailed.

Members of the committee who have agreed to be available to the public to answer questions regarding the referendum questions are: Jackie Benson, Jane Erickson, Beth Meyers, Denise Monicken, Dennis Paquette, Ken Peterson, Ken Rundhaug, Amy Wicker, Todd Graf, Dustin Klanderman, Tom Schumacher, Mike Timm, John Huenink - Construction manager with Kraus-Anderson, Brad Simonson - Architect with HSR Associates, Steve Apfelbacher - of Ehlers and Associates, the district's financial advisor, and Helland.

Referendum motions approved by school board

The Baldwin-Woodville Board of Education took the first formal steps in the building referendum process at the regular meeting Monday night. At last month's meeting, the board agreed upon June 3, 2008 for the date of the referendum; now two initial resolutions authorizing general obligation bonds and a resolution approving the form of notices and the official referendum ballot have been approved as required by law.

The two bond resolutions, one for a new intermediate school not to exceed $16,775,000, and another for an indoor swimming pool not to exceed $3,500,000 carried on a six to one vote. Voting yes were board members Mike Bondarenko, Todd Graf, Dustin Klanderman, Deb Rasmussen, Tom Schumacher and Jeff Campbell. Voting no was John Hinz.

The resolution approving the form of referendum notices and official referendum ballot was approved unanimously.

In discussion prior to the vote, Hinz asked if the increased borrowing affects the percentage of the school district's state aid, which is currently 68 percent. District financial advisor Steve Apfelbacher of Ehlers and Associates explained that there are no guarantees of state aid percentages from year to year regardless of debt. Each year the state figures state aid based upon all districts in the state. For the purposes of this project, Apfelbacher said he figured 63 percent state aid.

"What if the district's valuation goes down?" asked district resident Ken Rundhaug. "How does that affect our state aid?"

Apfelbacher said that's one of numerous variables that can affect a district's state aid percentage, either up or down. He said Ehlers and Associates bases their estimates on past and present information and past experience.

Rundhaug also suggested that school districts could re-align to spread students out to prevent over-crowding.

Superintendent Rusty Helland informed the board the new School Public Relations Committee met last week and the turnout was good. He said the group divided into two subcommittees: the hard copy committee and the electronic committee. Both will work to get referendum information out to the public. Helland said that four public informational meetings have also been scheduled. (Please see related story on this page.)

Sixth grade teaching team members Jarod Dachel, DeAnn Ashlin and Scott Benoy delivered a presentation to the board regarding gender specific classes. According to the team, having gender specific classes allows teachers to structure classes differently for boys and girls. Research has shown improved achievement at this age level in gender specific classes, Dachel said.

Benoy visited gender specific classes in Somerset, and met with teachers and students there. Although it's too early to measure the results with hard data, the staff and students were pleased with the situation there, he said.

The district's WCKE test results have shown statistically significant gender differences in academic achievement at the middle school and the team hopes to improve this through gender specific classes.

"We all know that boys and girls are different," said Benoy. "With these classes, the curriculum content stays the same, the way it is presented is different," he said.

The team said that research shows that grades four, five and six are the optimal time for gender specific classes.

Enrollment in gender specific classes will be voluntary, and the number of sections will depend upon how many students sign up this spring, according to the team.

A motion to approve open enrollment applications for the 2008-09 school year with one exception passed with a six to one vote. Voting yes were Bondarenko, Graf, Klanderman, Rasmussen, Schumacher and Campbell. Voting no was Hinz.

"Why are we accepting open enrollment students when we are crowded already?" asked Hinz.

"I look at it as a positive thing if students want to go to school here," responded Helland. "We would rather have increasing enrollment than declining and have to be cutting programs, like many districts around the state," he added.

The net number of open enrollment students is 20, according to Helland.

Following a closed session, the board approved re-admitting a student who had been expelled. The student has fulfilled the board's requirements for re-admittance. The student will be re-admitted April 1, the first day of the fourth quarter, said Helland.

Fitting tribute at final farwell

Bantam and varisty players of the Blackhawk Hockey Association paid a fitting tribute to Rose Schultz last Saturday at the conclusion of her funeral at Immaculate Conception Church in Hammond. The team members formed a canopy with their sticks during the recessional from the church and saluted with three raps on the ground. Rose, along with her husband Russ, has been a supporter of amateur hockey in the area since the inception of Blackhawk Hockey.