Cold enuff for ya?

Yeppers! It was cold. Not record setting cold, but we really haven't been used to such cold for the past few years, at least.
According to Ron Phernetton of the Baldwin Water Department, the coldest temperature recorded at the Baldwin wastewater treatment plant was -32° on Friday morning, January 15. The morning before the low was a balmy -28°. Schools in the area, and the region, were called off both days.
We don't have the -32° reading, but a car thermometer early Friday morning registered -31°, and the First Bank of Baldwin time/temperature sign that same morning displayed -30°.
As of Monday, January 19, there have been fifteen days in January where the low temperature was below zero, said Phernetton, including three days when the high temperature didn't make it above zero. He added that there were 14 days in December when the low was below zero.
"We're starting to get used to it," quipped Phernetton.

B-W administrators presented "State of the District"

Baldwin-Woodville school board members listened to the "State of the District" presentation given by district administrators during Monday night's regular monthly meeting. While much of the information and many of the initiatives have been presented to the board before, this was the first comprehensive overview.
"Our goal as a school district is to create a safe, productive and respectful learning environment," said Superintendent Rusty Helland in opening remarks. "It's all about student achievement. We're preparing students to be life-long learners and exposing students to as many opportunities as possible," he said.
High School Principal Eric Russell explained the skills students need for the 21st century are for many jobs that don't even exist yet. Russell said district administrators have worked in collaboration with local business and industry leaders to develop a list of skills necessary for students, including critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership, adaptability, effective communication, analyzing information, imagination and creativity, social skills, and civic responsibility.
District-wide initiatives include professional development; "rigor and relevance," which refers to developing students' higher level thinking skills and applying those skills to real situations; emergency/crisis plans; Link 4 Learning, which tracks curriculum progression and student achievement; and technology.
Baldwin-Woodville is a technology leader among school districts, according to Supt. Helland. All three buildings have Smart boards, LCD projectors, internet, and all teachers have laptops. In addition there is now a wireless computer lab at the high school.
"Baldwin-Woodville was the first district in the state to have internet in every classroom," commented Athletic Director/Transportation Director Wade Labecki.
All buildings now use Edline, which is a great way to communicate with families, according to Pupil Services Director Patti Phillipps. And teachers now have started developing individual web pages which parents and students can access through the district web site.
Individual building initiatives include Balanced Literacy at Greenfield Elementary, which is a multi-level reading program; and focusing on reading comprehension, according to Greenfield Principal Gary Hoffman. "We've done well teaching word recognition and phonics," said Hoffman, "now we need to work more on comprehension." Also at the elementary school, an intervention team has been developed, according to Phillipps, to work with students in need before a special education referral is made.
Viking Middle School Principal Hank Dupuis said initiatives at that school include focusing on writing skills, and surveying students three times a year about their perception of the school and how connected they feel to the school community.
At the High School initiatives include exploring alternative scheduling, rigor and relevance (problem solving), reading and writing in content areas, and final exams.
"This is the direction we're going," concluded Supt. Helland. He asked board members to review the information and give feedback to the administrative team.
During the open forum portion of the meeting district resident Megan Frye invited board members to the re-activation meeting of the Baldwin-Woodville FFA Alumni Chapter. The meeting will be Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 115 at the High School. "The meeting is open to all," Frye said. The group supports kids, technology, leadership training, and agricultural education according to Frye.
The annual District Audit Report was presented by Tom Kortas, of LarsonAllen LLP.
"As in the past, the condition of the records is excellent," Kortas said. "Pam (Rose) and the staff do an excellent job."
Kortas said the fund balance is $2,070,000, which is an increase of $7300 over last year and equals fifteen percent of the budget. Carrying a fund balance aids the district's cash flow and reduces the need to short-term borrow.
The district carries $20 million in long-term debt, according to the audit report, which is well under the debt limit of ten percent of the district's equalized valuation of $676,541,272.
On the revenue side, Kortas said the district received $596,000 in federal funds which accounts for 2.2 percent of district revenues. Approximately nine million dollars in state aid was received, which accounts for 54 percent of total district revenues. The balance of revenues comes from local property taxes.
The cost of programs for the district is 15 million dollars, said Kortas.

Village Board repeals flood plain

A relatively low key meeting of the Baldwin Village Board took place last Wednesday, January 14, perhaps reflecting the decreased economic activity locally and nationally.
The Village Board did act to repeal the village's flood plain ordinance, which will be replaced with a new Department of Natural Resources ordinance after a public hearing. The public hearing is set for February 11. The new ordinance, which will include a map now being prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which was initially approved in 1992, but has never been completed, will remove most of the single family residences from the flood plain, according to Village Engineer Mike Stoffel of Ayres Associates.
The Board also took action, after a public hearing, to change the village's impact fee ordinance. The proposed change relates to how long the village can spend impact fees and how the money collected as impact fees must be held. The changes reflect changes in state law governing impact fee ordinances.
In other action at the meeting:
-The Board approved a payment to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for the USH 63 project in the amount of $46,566. The sum represents a portion of the village's share of the project, which was negotiated in advance. Village Engineer Stoffel told the board that the amount "is less than we thought it would be," although there may be another bill from the DOT. The initial charge was thought to be $95,000.
-The Board also approved a couple of payments for the flashing pedestrian beacons at the Oak and Curtis Street intersections with USH 63. The payment was for $7,527 as opposed to an expected amount of about $15,000 said Stoffel.
-The board okayed an assessment resolution for street improvements for 2009 on Cedar Street and Park Street. An assessment hearing will be held at the February meeting.
-The board agreed with a proposal by Police Chief Jim Widiker that the parking ticket fee for parking overnight on village streets during winter should be raised to $20 from $5. "I think we're about $15 behind everybody else," he said. He explained that if the object is to get vehicles off the street to facilitate snow plowing, then $5 is not enough to do the job.

Alison Page hired as interim CEO at BAMC

The BAMC Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the arrival of Alison Page as interim CEO from January 15 to July 15, 2009. Alison will begin her role as interim CEO immediately and will lead the organization in all decision making.
Page's career in direct patient care, governance, operational and community leadership brings her to the position of CEO.
She has been the vice president of operations of Fairview Red Wing Health Services, in essence, the Chief Operating Officer leading all operational aspects of the Red Wing facility. In this position she oversaw the design of the new facility including the selection of all major clinical equipment and systems.
Page has also been Chief Safety Officer of Fairview Health Services, reporting directly to the Fairview CEO in system-wide leadership of quality and safety of patient care.
The Board of Trustees is happy to have Page lead the Baldwin Area Medical Center and hopes to secure a long term relationship with her.

From the Exchanges
Interesting News Items from
Surrounding Communities

THE SUN (OSCEOLA): After essentially being caught in the act of burglary, a 27-year-old Osceola man has admitted to his involvement in a handful of similar burglaries around the area. The Polk County Sheriff’s Department arrested James M. Doty last Wednesday after an area resident allegedly found Doty in his home. According to an arrest report, the man confronted Doty, who fled the scene then subsequently put his car into a ditch. The man provided police with both a description of Doty and Doty’s car. When later questioned by police, Doty admitted that he had entered the home to look for items to steal, but hadn’t taken anything before the man returned home. Doty also admitted to thefts at a nearby home on two or three other occasions in the last two months, where he had taken a jar full of coins, among other items. “He’s kind of famous for this stuff,” said Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore. Moore said the department is investigating whether Doty is connected to a number of other burglaries in the area that “kind of seemed to fit his (modus operandi).” In 2000, Doty pleaded no contest to a felony burglary count, an incident in which he was suspected of entering unlocked homes and stealing women’s shoes. Doty is registered as a sex offender.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: River Falls police say a 15-year-old local runaway girl missing since June 27 has been brought back home and reunited with her mother. Stephanie P. Sims, 313 N. Eighth St., was returned from St. Paul Friday morning. She was located at 725 South Robert St. in that city. Local police investigator Chuck Golden was working the case. He was tipped off recently about where Sims was and contacted St. Paul Police Department’s Missing Person’s Unit at 8 a.m. Friday. By 10:30 a.m., St. Paul police detectives had Sims in custody. They met Golden in Hudson and turned her over to him. The two then returned to River Falls. “Stephanie is safe and uninjured,” Police Chief Roger Leque said. “Our thanks go out to the St. Paul Police Department for their assistance in finding Stephanie.”
Leque said the case is still under review. While there are no charges pending in Wisconsin, he said there could be in Minnesota for those responsible where Sims was staying. While she was missing Sims would occasionally call her mother by phone. She is tall and was known to tell people she was 18.

NEW RICHMOND NEWS: Sound escaping the New Richmond Sports Center continues to be an issue for neighbors. So the New Richmond City Council voted Monday to spend up to $7,000 on a noise control study in an effort to put the ongoing controversy to rest. Alderman Jim Zajkowski balked at the price tag for the proposed report from sound engineers. “It seems a little bit steep,” he said. But Alderman Fred Horne said it might be a good idea to have an outside, independent organization complete the study so that no one could claim the results are biased. “There’s a lot of finger pointing,” Horne said. “The way I look at it is we should have an outside party come in.” Horne said he hoped to see the eventual bid winner establish a reading for an “acceptable level” of noise for a sports arena. When the topic was discussed at a meeting of the finance committee earlier in the evening, emotions ran high. Zajkowski said he didn’t appreciate it that Alderperson Jane Hansen’s husband called him early on a Saturday morning to lodge a complaint about noise at the Sports Center. He called the intrusiveness “harassment.” “It’s OK for me to be woken up and not you,” Alderperson Hansen responded. When the committee wondered about how to proceed, New Richmond Youth Hockey Association President Mary Jo Hansen urged the city to move the controversy to some resolution. “Enough’s enough,” she said. “This has dragged on long enough. We’re frustrated by having police at our building every day.” Mary Jo Hansen said the sound system is currently set at half its original volume. She said she doesn’t understand how the noise level could have been fine three years ago, but now it isn’t.

HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: Many local organizations and individuals received funds last week from the estate of Willis H. Miller, former Star-Observer publisher who died November 16, 2008. He was 89. The Education Foundation of Hudson (Raider Pride Alumni Partners) received $50,000 from the estate. The funds will be used per Miller's instructions, for scholarships to deserving graduating seniors who wish to continue their education beyond high school at a university, college or technical institute. "This is a very gracious gesture by Willis," said Foundation President Douglas Stohlberg. "Many Hudson-area students will benefit from his generosity for many, many years to come." Other benefactors from the Miller estate included: $10,000 each to the Hudson Area Library Foundation, St. Olaf College and the Wisconsin Historical Society; $5,000 each to St. Croix County Historical Society, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Hudson Hospital Health Foundation, Christian Community Home and the Phipps Center for the Arts; $1,000 each to Willow River Cemetery Association, St. Croix Genealogical Society, Goodwill Industries, the American Red Cross and the Hudson Women's Club. On the Women's Club gift he noted that it was "in appreciation for assistance which they provided to me while attending St. Olaf College."

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: They were supposed to get married in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve, but the groom-to-be is now thought to be on the island of Maui in Hawaii...maybe with another woman. According to Investigator Doug Ducklow of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Raymond Jackson, 40, of Eagan, Minn., met the Diamond Bluff woman at Prescott Days in September. He then moved into her home a couple of days before Thanksgiving. The two then set their Las Vegas wedding date. But on Dec. 23, Ducklow said, Jackson told the woman he had a business meeting in Grand Forks, N.D., and left. Instead of buying a ticket to Grand Forks, Jackson allegedly used the woman's credit card to buy a one-way ticket to Maui. The same day, the woman discovered the charge on her credit card and contacted Frontier Airlines, who informed her of the one-way ticket. She then contacted the Sheriff's Department. Jackson allegedly continued to use the credit card and is believed to be in the Lahina area. "He went to a time-share presentation there on January 6," said Ducklow. He added Jackson doesn't have any friends or family there. "I believe he went over there to meet another woman," Ducklow said. Along with the credit card information and racking up approximately $1,700 in charges, Jackson also allegedly took the woman's laptop computer, her cell phone, a pearl necklace and other items totaling approximately $7,600. He also allegedly took the woman's diamond engagement ring. Ducklow said Jackson is six feet, two inches tall and weighs 225 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Jackson is asked to contact Ducklow at 715-273-6807.

Fundraiser for Vanessa Achterhof

Friends and classmates of Vanessa Achterhof got together Saturday
morning at the Hazelnut Tree in downtown Baldwin for a fundraiser.
Vanessa, daughter of Bruce and Sharon Achterhof and a fourth grader at Greenfield Elementary had surgery just before Christmas to remove one of her kidneys which had a cancerous tumor attached to it. She is now undergoing chemotherapy.
The friends of Vanessa made bracelets using Vanessa's favorite color green with gold ribbons as a symbol of cancer awareness and a brass charm with the word "believe." The bracelets will be sold at local schools for $2 with the proceeds donated to the Achterhof family.
Among Vanessa's friends who helped at the fundraiser were: Shania Warren, Lilly Paulson, McKenna Smith, Tegan Davis, Eva Doornink, Alyssa Gedatus, Hannah Phelps, Bailey Peterson, Mariah Smith, Erynn Laemmle, Destinee Haas, Marissa Morton, Megan Suckow and Oliva Booth. Supplies have been ordered to create an additional 900 bracelets.
Linda Booth can be contacted at 684-3185 to answer any questions about the project.

Countryside Coop takes over convenience stores

The Kum and Go convenience store in Baldwin and at three other
locations has been replaced by Countryside Coop convenience stores.
According to George Rude, General Manager of Countryside
Cooperative, Countryside chose not to continue with the Kum and Go program because Countryside had a series of eight other stores under the Countryside banner. He said operating those stores cultivated the discipline and expertise needed to compete in the convenience store
business and the new stores add to the scale necessary to compete. In addition, said Rude, Kum and Go required a management fee which will now be saved by Countryside.
The Baldwin and Glenwood City Kum and Go stores became Countryside Cooperative stores on December 2 and the Luck and Amery stores were converted on December 3.
Rude said the Countryside Cooperative convenience stores under Convenience Store Supervisor Tim Toraason have been profitable which encouraged the confidence of the Coop's board of directors.
"To compete in [the convenience store] industry you need some fundamentals," said Rude, including volume and expertise. Now the Countryside Coop convenience stores have sufficient volume and expertise has been acquired over time.
The decision to replace Kum and Go with Countryside Cooperative convenience stores is not a reflection on the original Kum and Go affiliation, said Rude. He said the cooperative is simply in a different stage now with sufficient volume and expertise to operate its own stores.

Contests in spring election

There will be a number of local contests in the spring election for municipal and school elections.
Three seats are up for election on the Baldwin-Woodville Board of Education and five individuals have filed nomination papers. They include the three incumbents: Tom Schumacher, Deb Rasmussen and Jeff Campbell. 

The two additional candidates are Jody Lindquist and Ann Hilmanowske. There will be no primary for the board.
For the Village of Hammond three candidates have filed for Village President, including incumbent Vince Trudell. The other candidates are former President Tom Kinney and present trustee Eric Arthur. Because only two candidates can appear on the April 7 ballot, there will be a primary held on February 17.
Filing for three trustee seats that will be filled were: Arthur, two other incumbents Mary Rivard and Tony Bibeau and two others: Erin McComb and Jack Herbert. Because up to six candidates can appear on the spring election ballot, there will be no primary for trustee.
At the Town of Baldwin caucus held Thursday, January 8, two were nominated for chairman, incumbent Joe Hurtgen and Ken Graf. For one of the supervisor positions the nominees were Don L. Johnson, the incumbent, and Ken Graf, who withdrew his nomination. For the other supervisor position the nominees were incumbent Barbara Zimmerman and David Sander.
Also in the Town of Baldwin, nominees for Town Clerk were Barbara Gerhardt and Leroy Esanbock. Treasurer nominees were Lori Graf and Cheryl Puppe.

From the Exchanges
   Interesting News Items from
      Surrounding Communities

TRIBUNE PRESS REPORTER (GLENWOOD CITY): The council is seeking more information from the DNR in regard to putting an old city well and pump back into operation. At present all the water furnished by the city's water utility comes from a single well and pump (well number 3) located at Hinman Park. This well has served the city for more than 20 years. Before that was installed the city had two wells and pumps located in a single building on Water Street behind the former Ford garage. Over the years, those wells sat idle and one was abandoned because the well shaft was not protected with required piping. Those wells were called well number one and well number two. Now comes the problem, the current well number 3 is scheduled for repair work on the plumbing inside the well house. The council learned Monday night from Kevin Oium of Cedar Corporation that it will be down for several weeks for repairs. The council knew this some time ago and asked Cedar to do the necessary preparation work to put well number two back into service. Oium had information for the council to review and what was needed to bring the well back on line. The cost would be somewhere near $6,000 for the installation of equipment to inject fluoride, chlorine and phosphate into the water as is being done at well number 3. Council member Terry Klinger moved to approve the cost of installing the needed equipment. "We need to get our back-up well running to DNR standards," Klinger said. But on the vote, council members Klinger, Lee, and Graese voted yes while members Ben DeGross, Nancy Hover and Jim Kuehl voted no. Mayor Larson asked why the no vote and it seemed that there was a question about how much time the well could be operated and that if it is only temporary, the city could save over $1,500 by not installing the equipment to inject fluoride into the water at well number 2. So the mayor did not vote and said the motion failed, but he would have it back with more information in the next meeting after they have Cedar contact the DNR.

AMERY FREE PRESS: Although not identified, a Town of Lincoln resident has allegedly been a victim of a theft by a grandson over Christmas. The Polk county sheriff's department believes that Andrew Selvig, 18, Taylors Falls, Minn., and Samuel Durkot, 19, Cambridge, Minn., removed a fire proof safe containing up to $250,000 in $100 dollar bills. The two had stayed at the residence Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The sheriff's department said that about $140,000 has been recovered. Selvig was arrested in Lake City, Minn., by Goodhue Co. authorities. He was in possession of $2,000 plus a small safe found in his vehicle. Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore said that Selvig implicated Durkot as an accomplice. The two apparently split the money. Selvig was transported to Polk county jail on Wednesday, December 31. Durkot was arrested on December 29 by the Elizabethtown, Ky., police department. He was apparently traveling to Florida with a juvenile female runaway from Anoka County, Minn. During a spending spree the two purchased a Mitsubishi convertible, Buick Roadmaster, Ford F-350 truck, Ford Ranger, Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, numerous electronics, flat screen TV and tools. Money and "gifts" were given to persons in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud and Isanti. Persons who may have received gifts from the two since Christmas are asked to call Sgt. Ray Joy at 485-8326 or Investigator Pete Johnson at 485-8336. Sheriff Moore said that all the vehicles have been recovered except the one driven to Kentucky.

MONDOVI HERALD NEWS: Two area men who are members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard are preparing for their deployment to Iraq. Kevin Johnson, 43, and his son-in-law, Nathan Zahara, 20, both of Mondovi, will be leaving this week to join 3,500 other soldiers with the 32nd Infantry Brigade in what is considered the largest overseas deployment of the Wisconsin National Guard since World War II. Johnson and Zahara are with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Company C, a unit of 80 members being called from Arcadia. Before being deployed to Iraq for 10 months, the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team will spend two months training in Florida and Texas. Once in Iraq, Johnson expects to be commanding a Humvee in a truck convoy, while Zahara will be patrolling on the ground. Johnson's daughter, Lindsay, who is also Zahara's wife, is another member of the Guard and could have been deployed if she hadn't qualified for the Guard's College First program. Instead, she will begin taking classes this month for a two-year program at Chippewa Valley Technical College. Johnson enlisted in the National Guard just a year-and-a-half ago. He also served in the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991 as a corporal and computer specialist and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, during the first Gulf War. Johnson has served as the Buffalo County veterans service officer since 2006 and says that he will miss working with veterans while in Iraq.

THE SUN (OSCEOLA): In what might be a first-of-its-kind case, a circuit court judge has ruled that 20 Polk County Board supervisors violated Wisconsin's Open Meeting Law while working out a sale agreement for the county-owned Golden Age Manor nursing home in Amery. In a written opinion dated Dec. 26, Judge Eugene Harrington indicated that the matter will be scheduled for further proceedings to determine and impose penalties against the defendants. Balsam Lake area resident Jim Drabek, who filed an open meeting law complaint against the supervisors last April, and then acted as a citizen prosecutor, said the Amery attorney who successfully handled another Golden Age Manor case, Jason Whitley, told him he [Drabek] appears to be the first layperson to win such an open meeting law case. Drabek likens his success to bashing a homerun his first time at bat in the big leagues. Drabek believes members of the county board's Finance Committee maliciously violated the Open Meeting Law because they were angry about a story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press that trumpeted the fact that the Finance Committee members had been found guilty of failing to properly give notice for an agenda item. "That came out on the 17th of November [2007]," Drabek notes. "The 21st of November, the first meeting [of the Finance Committee], (they) went to closed session." Drabek argued in legal filings that Finance Committee members Neil Johnson, Mick Larsen, Gary Bergstrom, Duana Bremer and Larry Jepsen continually violated the Open Meeting Law in meetings held between Dec. 26, 2007 and Jan. 23, 2008 by going into closed session for "competitive and bargaining reasons" after the committee had agreed to sell Golden Age Manor to Rice Partnerships, of Appleton, Wis., for $2.5 million.

HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: The Hudson School District will pay 75 percent of the cost of having a police officer in the high school if the Hudson City Council has its way. Monday night, the council directed City Attorney Catherine Munkittrick to draft a contract containing the new cost-sharing percentage. The understanding was that it would be forwarded to the Hudson Board of Education. Until now, the city and school district have split the cost of Liaison Officer Mark Crimmin's salary, benefits and equipment expenses 50/50 for 10 months of the year. On an annual basis, the city has borne roughly 58.3 percent of the cost of the position, and the school district, 41.7 percent. "The city has been carrying far too much of the cost for this officer," Alderperson Lori Bernard said during Monday night's discussion of the issue. Mayor Dean Knudson said the question of liaison officer funding arose last summer when the school district asked for another officer for the middle school. "We just couldn't fit it in our budget," Knudson said. He said there's agreement among all of the parties on the value of having a liaison officer in a school, but the city has been paying an inequitable share of the cost. Under the old agreement, the city would pay $53,527 of the $91,760 total cost of the liaison officer position in 2009. The total includes $87,010 in salary and benefits for Crimmins, plus $4,750 in equipment costs.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: A Beldenville man was charged last month in Pierce County Circuit Court with felony theft over $10,000, a Class G felony that brings a maximum penalty of $25,000 and/or 10 years prison if found guilty. Gerald A. Langer, 56, has his next scheduled court appearance at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, for a pre-trial conference. According to the criminal complaint, an Ellsworth man is alleging Langer entered into a contract with him to build a barn and a lean at the victim's residence for a total of $21,850. In September 2007, the victim wrote Langer two checks for $7,000 each, with the rest of the payment coming when the building started and when it was completed. In November 2007, multiple calls to Langer went unanswered. The following month, a registered letter to Langer was returned. The case was then reported to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department last February. Later that month, a member from the victim's family was able to reach Langer and he told her he was "completely at fault, but wants to make it right." He added he thought April would be the earliest possible start with the thawing. The victim contacted Langer in April and got no response. In late May, Langer called and said he would start in June. By the fall, the complaint says, the victim had given up with Langer and had hired another contractor to build the barn.

First baby of 2009 born at BAMC

Brystol Ryann Shearer, daughter of Rochelle and James Shearer of

Hammond, was the first baby born at Baldwin Area Medical Center in 2009.
Brystol was born Friday, January 2 at 8:12 p.m. She was six pounds, 15.5 oz. and 21 inches long. The attending physician was Dr. Stoeckeler. Brystol's parents were presented with a $50 savings bond by the Baldwin Area Medical Center Auxiliary. Brystol has two sisters, Taylor, six and one-half, and Hayden, three, who was the first baby born at BAMC in 2006.

"Do-it-yourself" service bay offered

When Mike Brandenburg, owner of The Muffler Shop in Baldwin and two other locations, bought Van's Service Station on Main Street next to The Muffler Shop in 2004, he wasn't sure what he would do with it. The building sat empty for a couple of years. Mike said to change the use of the building would have required code updates. But last summer he said he decided to try a use for the building on a trial basis.

"We opened it up as a rental bay," said Mike, "because in the shop we hear a lot of people say 'I wish I had a place to do some mechanical work myself.' And now with the economy being the way it is, handy people can work on their own vehicles or even a snowmobile."
The little shop offers a heated space along with a hoist. Mike said there are a few tools that he provides and an air compressor. "Hopefully, people will bring their own tools but we have the basics. And while people are working, if they have a question they can come over [to The Muffler Shop] and tax our knowledge."
Mike said the idea for a rent-a-bay came from his days in the service when he was stationed at a base in Texas. "So instead of leaving the building vacant, I decided to try this." Mike said his son Dan did all the work to renovate the small station and ready it for rent. "Dan did all the work and was in charge of renovation. I gave him the idea and said go with it."
Hoist operation will be done by personnel from The Muffler Shop, Mike said.

Register of Deeds office offers free real estate fraud alert service

The St. Croix County Register of Deeds, Kathleen Walsh, is pleased
to announce that her office has released a free on-line automated service that will allow St. Croix County property owners to have their name monitored within the Register of Deeds Office in order to track possible fraudulent activity. Participants will be notified only when the exact name they have submitted to Property Fraud Alert›(PFA) is listed as a Grantor or Grantee on a document recorded in the Register of Deeds Office. Subscribers will be told what type of document has been recorded in the Register of Deeds Office. Walsh says that if property owners are notified, they may call the Register of Deeds office for more information about the document. PFA will not prevent fraud from happening; however, it provides an early warning system that will allow property owners to take appropriate action should they believe fraudulent activity has occurred with their property.
St. Croix County is the fourth county in Wisconsin to offer this service. Milwaukee, Dane and Winnebago counties in Wisconsin in addition to several counties in other states are also offering this service.
Fidlar Technologies, based in Rock Island, Ill. developed the property fraud alert system last year as the FBI focused on mortgage fraud as a fast growing crime. The FBI ranks Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, California and Florida in the top 10 fraud hot spots. To date there has not been any fraudulent activity reported in Wisconsin. Walsh says that being proactive may reduce the possibility of fraud occurring in this county. To learn more about PFA and to sign up, visit the website: www.propertyfraudalert.com. Read Frequently Asked Questions before signing
up.

What's the Holdup?

Mark your calendars for Sunday and Monday, January 11 and 12. B-W's fourth hour drama class is going to be strutting their stuff with an original production entitled "What's the Holdup" Come to the Baldwin-Woodville High School PAC at 2:00 on January 11 or 7:00 on January 12 to partake in theater fun. "What's the Holdup?" directed by Seth Kersten, is a tale of a down-on-her-luck woman (Heather Aune) struggling just to make ends meet in absurd and hilarious world. The audience follows as she battles her burdensome landlady (Nancy Lee), meets a man with a secret (Seth Kersten) and a blind man (Dan Ramberg), and confides in an ostentatious cashier (Tana Mabis). Kersten and Ramberg's original creation will make you laugh and make you cry up until its shocking conclusion. Tickets are available at the door. The drama class will be putting on several plays on these two days.

From the Exchanges
  Interesting News Items from
    Surrounding Communities

BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL (GRANTSBURG): Many church-goers were just settling in for perhaps the most blessed Christian event of the year last Wednesday evening when the power went out for a little more than two hours around the Grantsburg area. "We had just sat down for church when the lights went out," one Immaculate Conception Catholic Church parishioner said. "The members of the choir all lit candles and sang a capella - it was just beautiful," she continued. Officials at Northwestern Wisconsin Electric said about 7,000 customers were without power from just after 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve. "There was a fault at the substation behind the diesel plant here in Grantsburg," John Dahlberg reported. "The breaker at Rock Creek 'saw' the fault and opened the circuit, causing the outage."

MONDOVI HERALD NEWS: Strokes are medical conditions not usually associated with youth. But 13-year-old Tanner Franson of Mondovi is the exception. He recently experienced a bleed in his brain caused by a rare condition known as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). An AVM is a congenital defect meaning that it is present at birth. With this defect, arteries and veins are not connected by capillaries (very fine blood vessels), but are connected directly to one another forming a tangle of blood vessels. The lack of capillaries allows blood to flow more rapidly under a higher pressure than the vessels are designed to handle. The vessels may then hemorrhage, or bleed, which can cause stroke, paralysis, the loss of speech, memory of vision, or even death. This rare condition sent Tanner to the hospital on December 7 when doctors performed surgery to remove his tangle of blood vessels that had begun to bleed. Tanner has now been recovering from surgery at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. With continued daily therapy, Tanner is expected to make a complete recovery.

TRIBUNE PRESS REPORTER: After allegations of shortchanging customers on their fuel, John Rassbach of Rassbach Oil was officially charged December 17 with one count of class H felony forgery and four counts of class A misdemeanor theft of movable property. The allegations come after an investigation and surveillance in August and September involving the St.
Croix County Sheriff's Department, the state Division of Weights and Measurers and several area farmers. The case has been delayed after Judge Howard Cameron recused himself. Judge Scott Needham will now be presiding over the case with Rassbach's initial appearance on January 9. The felony H count of forgery has a penalty of fines up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to six years. For each of the misdemeanor A counts, the fine is up to
$10,000 and/or up to nine months imprisonment.

CENTRAL ST. CROIX NEWS (HAMMOND): The lights were on and the door unlocked at the Hammond Hotel Monday evening, but those who ventured inside realized quickly the bar and restaurant were not open for business - in fact, it was being remodeled for its "Grand Reopening" on New Year's Eve under new ownership and management. "I hope as many people come in after we're open," co-owner Cedric Ellingson said after turning away a family with young children but not before extending an offer: "They could come in and paint if they want. That's cool." While Ellingson was painting his partner, Don Fowell, with whom he also owns Bo's 'N Mine in River Falls, was helping kitchen manager Matt Minter, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and chef at both corporate and non-corporate restaurants, get his new digs arranged. "We're adding a charbroilier so we can get those steaks and burgers done to
perfection," Fowell said.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: A frozen copper pipe at the high school burst overnight Sunday and left standing water on an area of the first floor by the lockers and in about ten rooms, especially those where math is taught. Superintendent Tom Westerhaus was on the scene Monday as the cleanup effort began. This included running fans and dehumidifiers, pulling up carpeting and moving furniture out of classrooms. Westerhaus said the discovery was made just before 6 a.m. by a janitor coming to work. As of 1 p.m. Monday Westerhaus said it was too early to give a damage estimate. The school district's insurance company. School in River Falls is closed until Monday, January 5 because of the holidays. The pipe that cracked in two places was
in the wall of a math classroom.

Two long-time town officials to retire

Ken Klanderman has decided that 55 years as Town of Baldwin Clerk is long enough. He will not be running for re-election in the spring election.

A spokesperson at the Wisconsin Towns Association, located in Shawano, said there have been a few town officials that have served longer than 55 years, but they are few. The Towns Association does not keep longevity records, so it is unknown if Klanderman is the longest serving Town Clerk in Wisconsin, but the spokesperson said 55 years "is a long time."

Another Town of Baldwin official, Treasurer Reuben Doornink, has also decided not to seek re-election to the position.

Klanderman said he does not know of persons who are interested in the two positions.

Klanderman, a native of the Town of Baldwin, is a Baldwin High School graduate. He then entered the military and served in Japan with the occupying forces. He graduated from River Falls Teachers College in 1951 with degrees in agriculture and science.

After a short stint in Thorp employed in a federal veteran's assistance program, Klanderman returned to the family farm where he and his wife Ruth have raised four children.

In 2001 Klanderman stopped milking cows.

Klanderman was appointed as Town Clerk in 1953 when Edwin Ferg resigned the position and every two years since he has stood for re-election and been successful.

Although Klanderman, 82, has no health issues, he said it is time for a change and someone else should take the job of Town Clerk.

Christmas was special

There are some things that happen that can make a family, or even a neighborhood or whole community believe, Christmas is more special than normal.
This Christmas was that way for the family, friends and neighbors of Matt and Erin Knegendorf of Baldwin and their son Mitchell.
On Tuesday, December 23 after school Mitchell, 10, a fourth grader at Greenfield Elementary, fell head-first into a hole he had dug in a big snowbank in front of his house. He struggled to get out, but the more he did the tighter the snow collapsed around him.
The end of the story is this, Mitchell is now fine after he was discovered probably up to 30 minutes after falling into the snow hole by his father, who is a trained emergency responder and performed CPR to revive him. Mitchell spent the night at the Baldwin Area Medical Center but left by 10:00 the next morning with no long-term lasting effects.
"I'm glad I know CPR," said Matt. "It's important that people know CPR. I don't know what mode I was in—a dad, firefighter or first responder—but again, it was just reaction."
After school Tuesday, Mitchell went outside to play. His usual buddies weren't there, but Mitchell took a shovel and dug straight down in the snowbank. He told his parents that he remembered waving good-bye to one of the children his mother cares for. Then, his memory is of slipping head-first into the snow hole. The hole was too deep for him to push himself back up. He hollered and yelled for help but the snow collapsed around him and just got tighter and tighter around his body.
Mitchell is about 4 feet eight inches tall, and only his boots were showing above the snow.
Matt said he normally snowblows the driveway in the morning but it was still snowing when he left for work, so he left it for after work. So he parked in the street and noticed the shovel laying there.
Then he saw a pair of boots sticking out of the top of the bank. "I looked at them and thought 'please let them move.' But they didn't so I climbed up there and recognized Mitchell's boots."
Matt said he started yelling for help and for someone to call 9-1-1. "I tried to pull the boots but I didn't have enough leverage, so I dug out his ankles. The neighbors had all called 9-1-1 and were starting to come out and I don't know whether it was the adrenaline or what, but on the fourth tug I pulled him out of the snowbank. I pulled him right out of his coat. He was purple and bleeding from his nose. He wasn't breathing and was unresponsive."
Matt took Mitchell down the bank and started rescue breathing for him. "On the fourth breath he started breathing and I checked and he had a weak pulse."
So, said Matt, instead of his worst fears being realized, there was hope. Baldwin Area EMS showed up in the ambulance. "They immediately started to warm Mitchell up and did an excellent job. They took him in the ambulance to the hospital where they continued to warm him up. And thanks to the staff at BAMC for the excellent job they did."

Small barn destroyed by fire

A smaller barn and all the hay it contained were destroyed by fire Saturday afternoon. The barn was owned by Herb Lucks and was located in the Village of Wilson, according to United Fire Department Baldwin Station Chief Gary Newton. Although the barn was in the Village of Wilson, it was north of most of the Village, since a large area is incorporated within the Village, said Newton.
In addition to storage for hay, the barn was used as a stable for horses, said Newton. All the horses were saved from the fire. About 2,000 bales of hay were lost in the blaze.
Newton said the fire started from an effort to unthaw a frozen water tank

4,800 pounds of vegetables harvested at area community garden

Master Gardener Ellen Hurtgen and garden manager Carolyn Barrette
weigh some the 4,800 pounds harvested from the St. Croix Community Garden,
all of which is donated to the less fortunate in St. Croix and Pierce
Counties.

St. Croix Community Garden Project co-managers Carolyn Barrette and
Don Hall have reason to celebrate this week. They and over 60 volunteers
grew, harvested, and donated 4,800 pounds of vegetables to the less
fortunate in St. Croix and Pierce Counties.
Last week marked the end of the six month long community garden
effort that is coordinated and sponsored by the St. Croix Valley Master
Gardener Association. The St. Croix Community Garden is located north of
New Richmond on land graciously donated by Jonna Z. Klucas of Garden
Expressions Consulting.
According to Barrette, people came from all over the area to help
make the garden a reality. The community garden project began last March
with volunteers planting seeds in Barb Weinmann's greenhouse in Amery. The
land was prepared in April by Don Hall and Dick Klucas of New Richmond.
Twenty-three different vegetables from beans to rutabagas were
donated to 27 locations in every city in St. Croix and Pierce Counties.
This year the deliveries went to locations such as: the Croix View Senior
Apartments in Hudson; the River Falls Community Meal program at United
Methodist Church; St. Croix County Public Health Women, Infant, and
Children Program in New Richmond; and the Baldwin Senior Center. Over 200
pounds of carrots alone were given to the Food Shelf Warehouse in Hudson.
Barrette said, "The volunteers are particularly devoted to donating
veggies to places like Grace Place in Somerset, the only 24-hour staffed
homeless shelter in the five county area. The elderly at senior meeting
centers are especially appreciative of the fresh produce as it reminds them
of the time when they had their own gardens."
Most community gardens only rent plots to individuals, but the St.
Croix Community Garden rents about 20 plots then asks volunteers to grow
the rest of the one acre site to give away to others who can't have a
garden.
"I am constantly amazed at the giving spirit of the volunteers who
plan, plant, tenderly care for, harvest the garden-and deliver the produce
to the less fortunate," said Ruth Hilfiker, UW-Extension Horticulture
Educator who advises the garden managers. "This year the volunteers donated
700 hours of time or about $6,000 worth of labor."
According to Hilfiker, "During these difficult economic times with
all the foreclosures in our area, donated vegetables helped maintain the
health of lower income families and seniors. It is part of making our local
food system development work for the whole diversity of people who live in
our communities."

They're off to state!

Kayla Wagner of the Baldwin-Woodville cross country team and the
entire St. Croix Central boys cross country team will be competing in the
Division 2 state cross country meet at Wisconsin Rapids at Ridges Golf
Course on Saturday, November 1.
Wagner, running at the Unity High School course on Friday afternoon
in chilly conditions, finished second with a time of 15:30.
Members of the St. Croix Central boys team, and their times, are:
Brett Johnson (4, 17:17.3), Steven Zerwas (13, 17:55.9), Derrek Pedersen
(16, 18:05.9), Ryan Hansen (22, 18:17.5), Stephen Brunshidle (23, 18:17.8),
Logan Snyder (51, 19:23.1) and Alex Halvorson (53, 19:28.4).
The Central boys race for Division 2 will be at 11:40 a.m. Wagner
will run in the Division 2 girls race which will begin at 1:40 p.m. An
awards ceremony following the races will be held at Wisconsin Rapids High
School at 3:45 p.m.

Village Board pares down spending

The Baldwin Village Board, at a special meeting on Wednesday,
October 22, dealt with economic realities and worked to keep the village's
budget for 2009 to no increase in taxes.
Village President Don McGee explained after the meeting that
valuation of the village is down, so the board worked to keep the mill rate
thesame as last year and keep taxes as low as possible.
McGee also noted that at the meeting last Wednesday, the board
added funds for contingencies and kept street projects in at a level
comparable to past years. Some of the cuts came at the expense of the parks
budget which had a path project cut.
"If we're hurting [financially], we just hold off on some of these
things," he said at the meeting. "But if it's for safety you have to do
it." McGee noted that the equalized value of the village fell by more than
$8,000,000. He agreed that parks took a hit, but noted that last year some
expenditures for streets were taken out of the budget so the parks budget
could be enlarged.
The Board will hold a public hearing on the budget at their meeting
on Wednesday, November 19 starting at 6:00 p.m.
The proposed budget for 2009 that will be the subject of the
hearing totals $3,082,243. That compares with a proposed budget for 2008 of
$3,077,944 and actual projected of $3,149,894.
Of the amount proposed for 2009, local property taxes account for
$1,992,747, which compares to $1,953,674 this year. Anticipated for 2009 is
intergovernmental revenue of $644,236, down substantially from this year's
figure of $722,454.
On the expenditure side, the biggest expense for the village is
public safety with proposed spending in 2009 of $979,334, compared to
2008's figure of $1,042,879. Next in line is public works which is proposed
at $972,609 for 2009 compared to $919,204 this year.

Two dead in vehicle crashes in past week

St. Croix County suffered a pair of traffic fatalities in two
separate crashes during the past week.
Dead are 17-year-old Erik F. Ness, a junior at New Richmond High
School and 51-year-old Thomas A. Ellefson of Spring Valley, according to
the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department.
On Thursday, October 23 at 3:59 p.m., Ness was involved in a
two-vehicle crash at the intersection of 120th Street and 130th Avenue in
the Town of Richmond. According to the Sheriff's Department, Ness was
driving a 1995 Plymouth Neon and was southbound on 120th Street. Ness
failed to stop at the stop sign and was struck by a 2003 Sterling grain
truck driven by Larry W. Reckin, 59, of Elmwood and owned by Countryside
Cooperative of Durand. After Ness' car was struck, it overturned and
entered the ditch at the southeast corner of the intersection. Ness was
partially ejected from the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the
St. Croix County Medical Examiner. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the
time of the accident.
The truck driven by Reckin entered the south ditch and came to rest
in a field. He was wearing a seatbelt and was slightly injured.
Assisting at the scene in addition to Sheriff's Deputies were the
New Richmond Fire Department, New Richmond Rescue and New Richmond EMS. The
crash remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Department and the
Wisconsin State Patrol.
Ellefson was killed early Sunday morning when his motorcycle left
the roadway east of Baldwin. According to the St. Croix County Sheriff's
Department, on October 26 at 2:36 a.m., the Department responded to a
motorcycle crash at the intersection of Rose Lane and CTH BB in the Town of
Baldwin.
Ellefson was driving a 2004 Honda VTX motorcycle and was eastbound
on Rose Lane. According to the Sheriff's Department, as he approached the
intersection, he failed to stop at the stop sign, lost control of his
motorcycle and put the motorcycle on its side. The motorcycle slid across
CTH BB and came to rest in the east ditch and Ellefson was ejected from the
motorcycle. He was transported to Baldwin Area Medical Center where he was
pronounced dead by the St. Croix County Medical Examiner.
The Sheriff's Department said Ellefson was not wearing a helmet at
the time of the crash.
Assisting at the scene were the Baldwin and Woodville Police
Departments and United Fire and Rescue. The crash remains under
investigation by the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department.
Ness is the county's eighth traffic fatality of 2008 and Ellefson
is the county's ninth.

From the Exchanges
Interesting news items from
Surrounding communities

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: The father of a boy who was sexually assaulted by a
substitute teacher has filed a civil lawsuit against her and her husband.
The suit, filed in Pierce County, asks for unspecified monetary damages
from Ann and Wade J. Knopf, W5820 950th St., Ellsworth. To protect the
minor's confidentiality, both he and his father are identified in the
complaint only by their initials. The suit claims Ann Knopf's actions
"passed the boundaries of decency and are utterly intolerable to the
civilized community" and her husband had a duty as a homeowner, spouse and
parent to avoid exposing the boy to risk of harm in the Knopf house. The
suit alleges assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional
distress and says the boy will and has suffered "depression, guilt, shame
and generalized anxiety" as a result of the abuse. The lawsuit asks for
compensatory and punitive damages from both Knopfs. In July, Ann Knopf
pleaded guilty to second degree sexual assault of a minor and was sentenced
to nine months in jail and five years probation. She was also ordered to
have no contact with underage males, to register as a sex offender and to
follow through with treatment. According to the civil suit, Knopf has been
diagnosed and treated for mental illness and her husband was aware of that.

THE SUN (OSCEOLA): Former Osceola police officer Mike Jarvey was sentenced
to 30 days in jail and three years of probation, during which time he is
not allowed to be in Polk County. Jarvey, now 42, of Green Bay, Wis., was
convicted last June on two felony counts of officer misconduct/excessive
authority and possessing a firearm after court injunction after pleading
guilty to the latter and no contest to the former. Judge Rasmussen
admonished Jarvey for his conduct and for betraying the trust of the
people. Rasmussen also noted Jarvey's "sterling reputation" and that he had
found him to be honest and well prepared at times when he had appeared in
court. Polk County District Attorney Dan Steffen said he was not entirely
happy with the outcome of the sentencing hearing, given that he had
suggested nine months of jail time and at least five years of probation. "I
think the most important thing here is that Mike Jarvey is now a convicted
felon and not a police officer," Steffen said. "I realize that some people
will be disappointed in this, but, ultimately, he has been punished." Tim
Lauridsen also was not pleased with the verdict. Lauridsen believes the
sentence was in line with pair of misdemeanors, not a pair of felonies.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: St. Croix Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said two teenage
boys age 14 and 15, admitted setting the August 20 fire in an unattached
garage located at 436 Red Brick Road in the Town of Troy. The boys
confessed to that crime as well as to breaking into the house and
vandalizing parts of it. "It just took a little while to gather
information," the sheriff said. People speculated at the time of the fire
that a controversy surrounding the property may have prompted wrongdoing at
the address. Controversy had erupted after Heartland Montessori School
brought the foreclosed home and made plans to move its Hudson campus there.
Neighbors united and protested the school's coming, saying it didn't belong
in their neighborhood. Residents appealed the County Board of Adjustment's
to decisions to grant the school its special-use permit. As of the
beginning of September, the second appeal case was pending and Heartland
had decided to stay at least another year in its Hudson campus on Rodeo
Circle. Hillstead said the investigator concluded that the controversy had
nothing to do with causing the fire. The sheriff says his department got a
tip leading them to the boys, who told officials that they'd been visiting
friends in the neighborhood and taken beer from their parents'
refrigerator. Upon walking home, they decided to break into the empty house
and ended by damaging the inside. According to officials, the boys said,
"They wanted to learn what would happen if they pouredgas on the lawnmower
and set it on fire." According to Hillstead and the report, the boys
entered the garage, doused the lawnmower with gas, poured a trail of gas
from it to outside the shed, then lit the trail. Next the lawnmower
exploded and flames engulfed the garage. The shed was a total loss.
Firefighters tore down all the walls in order to fully extinguish the
flames.

St. Croix County Seniors top in Wisconsin State 4-H judging contest

Pictured left to right are Bob Zwald, Jill Cowles, Jacob Kruschke, Tom Zwald, Chuck Kruschke and Kendra Mitchell.

The St. Croix County Senior Dairy Judging Team took top honors at the State 4-H Senior Dairy Judging Contest at the Polk County Fair in St. Croix Falls on July 25.

Senior contestants placed ten classes and delivered four sets of oral reasons. St. Croix County's team members and their parents are: Kenra Mitchell, Jackie and Dennis Mitchell, New Richmond; Jill Cowles, Dave and Cheryl Cowles, Roberts; Tom Zwald, Bob and Kay Zwald, Hammond; and Jacob Kruschke, Chuck and Mary Kruschke, New Richmond. The team coaches are Bob Zwald and Chuck Kruschke.

"These four kids have been judging dairy cows since they were nine years old in the 4-H dairy project," said Bob Zwald. "This is the result of nine or ten years of hard work."

Zwald noted that every year about Easter St. Croix County dairy judging practice starts. The kids compete to represent St. Croix County at the northwest district in the middle of June. Practices are held once a week from April until the contest in June.

This invovles about 200 kids from 18 counties in northwest Wisconsin. The winning teams then represent their county at the state contest which was held at St. Croix Falls this year.

In all, over 800 4-Hers compete for this title. From the state contest, the winning team represents Wisconsin at the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held at the World Dairy Expo in Madison on September 29 this year. Contestants from about 40 other states will compete in the
contest.

The winning team at Expo will get an educational trip to represent USA at Edinburgh, Scotland next summer. This year the state of Wisconsin will be represented by St. Croix County. The contest at World Dairy Expo will be preceded by a three day tour of some of the best dairy herds, where practices will be held along with educational tours of Hoards Dairynan Magazine, Nasco Farm Supply, and the Dairy Shrine Museum at Fort Atkinson.

"We are very proud of the dedication and accomplishments of these outstanding youth," Zwald commented.

FCCLA and CO2 receive community service award

Pictured are: Jordan Lorenz, Angela Schmoker, Zac Humphrey, Mark Serier and Caleb Larson. Not in the picture are: Sara Donahoe, Bailey Larson and Jon Willert.

The Lions Club Foundation of Wisconsin awarded a first place plaque and a check for $500.00 to the Baldwin-Woodville High School FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and independent student band "CO2" for their community service project entitled, "Band for Benefit."

On Saturday, September 13, members of the "Band for Benefit" project attended the State Lions Club Foundation Camp and Open house in Rosholt, Wisconsin. Students Jordan Lorenz, Mark Serier, Zac Humphrey and Caleb Larson were in attendance along with advisor Angela Schmoker and Frederick, as chaperones. While at the camp, students were able to tour the 440 acre facility, which allows blind, deaf or hard of hearing and cognitive disabled children to attend camp, view the eyeglass recycling center and participate in the awards ceremony. The plaque and check was awarded to the FCCLA and "CO2" based on their written essay that was previously submitted.

The community service project had taken place during the 2007-2008 school year. FCCLA members and "CO2" were contacted about a local family that was in need. The students put a plan into action to play at local establishments and churches, took up a free will donation and raised enough funds to meet the needs of the family. After hours of practice, several performances and a fundraiser concert with the band "Lightswitch," the students raised over $1500.00. The money was used to pay a family's mortgage payment, fuel, groceries, household necessities and Christmas gifts.

"The FCCLA and "CO2" feel honored to have done this project for their community and look forward to continuing their efforts where needed," said Mrs. Schmoker "Thank you to all thelocal Lion's Club members for this award. It was truly a tribute to the amazing work the Lion's Club does for the state of Wisconsin."

Veenstra is National Merit semifinalist

Rachelle Jayne Veenstra, daughter of Anson and Sylvia Veenstra, has been honored in the National Merit Scholarship Program as a Semifinalist.

About 1,600 high-scoring participants in each year's National Achievement Scholarship Program are designated Semifinalists. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring program participants in the states that constitute each region.

Application materials are sent to Semifinalists through their high schools. Before being considered for a National Achievement Scholarship, a Semifinalist must advance to Finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and other requirements.

I-94 crash early Sunday kills one

The driver of an east-bound vehicle that crashed and rolled over early Sunday morning on I-94 in Hudson was ejected from the vehicle and killed, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The crash that killed the 25-year-old male driver from Minneapolis happened about 2:20 a.m. Sunday, September 14.

A female 25-year-old passenger was also ejected from the vehicle and was severely injured. She was taken to Hudson Hospital and then transferred by air ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. The State Patrol said she was from Hudson.

Neither name had been released as of mid-Monday afternoon, pending notification of relatives, the State Patrol said.

Both the man and woman were under the influence of alcohol, the State Patrol said in its news release. Neither were wearing their seat belts. The crash remains under investigation.

Board makes offer on industrial land

The Baldwin Village Board put together the final touches on an offer for 160 acres of industrial land in the Alreich Properties/Baldwin Business Park development southeast of the USH 63/I-94 interchange during their regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, September 10.

And according to Village President Don McGee, the terms offered by the village appeared to be agreeable to owner Jim Reich, when he was asked whether the offer would be accepted. "I think so. It sounds like they're favorable to it."

The terms of the offer are that the village will pay $1,940,000 for 160 acres, of which 20 acres is the maximum amount of wetlands. That price is considerably more favorable to the village than a previous agreement, which fell through, which called for a price of $2,250,000 for 140 acres.

McGee said First Bank of Baldwin has offered favorable, below market interest rates to the village to pay for the land. The funds from the purchase price will be paid into an escrow account from which the payments for a road and utilities to serve the property would come.

In addition to the details of the offer to purchase, the board worked out questions about easements in the land that may have to be moved, said McGee. Those terms will be part of the developer's agreement with Alreich which McGee hopes will be finalized at the October village meeting, along with the offer to purchase.

McGee also noted that an updated wetland map for the property has been approved by the Wisconsin DNR but still needs approval by the Army Corps of Engineers.

In other action at the meeting:
-The board approved a conditional use permit for the Orchard Restaurant and Banquet Facility. The zoning of the property-the former New Leaf Nursery-has been changed from agriculture to highway commercial, but a conditional use permit is still required for operation of a bar.
-The board considered an offer on a narrow parcel of land adjacent to Nilssen's Super Valu. The offer is for $1,500 which is the value assigned the property by an appraisal. However, the offer was not accepted until contingencies are included for utilities and a standard form is used
for the offer.
-The board approved installation of a sign at the Baldwin Industrial Park that will list the names of all the entities within the park. The sign cost of about $15,000 will be paid for by the village from TIF district funds. A base for the sign will be paid for by the Chamber of
Commerce. The sign will be located on St. Croix County land at the south east intersection of USH 63 and Fern Drive.
-The board approved issuing a class "A" beer license to Amwest, Inc, doing business as Bob and Steve's BP. Eggen's Supermarket will surrender their license prior to the new one going to Bob and Steve's.
-The board approved issuing an alcohol beverage license to Quinn Johnson and QS Enterprises, LLC, doing business as The Phoenix Grill at Baldwin Retail on Gracie Drive (on the southwest of the I-94/USH 63 interchange).

B-W schools having technical difficulties

If parents have been sending e-mails to Viking Middle School and not getting a response, there's a reason. Similarly, for anyone trying to telephone the high school since last Friday and not getting through, there's a reason for that too.

"Our server crashed the first day of in-service for teachers," Viking Principal Hank Dupuis informed school board members at Monday night's meeting, "and we've been struggling with it ever since.

"We're probably getting e-mails from parents that aren't being answered," he continued. Some of the e-mail accounts are now working Dupuis explained, but not all. Additionally, some folders, when retrieved, have lost bits of information, he said.

"Bryan Jones (Network Administrator and Technician) has been working hard on the problem and we hope to have it resolved soon," said Dupuis.

At the High School, the telephone hard drive crashed last Friday, according to Principal Eric Russell.

"BTI (Baldwin Telecom, Inc.) has been working with us," said Russell, "and we expect the new system to be working tomorrow."

During the open forum portion of the meeting, district resident and employee Kim Paul addressed the board on behalf of the Four-year-old Kindergarten Advisory Board. She explained the advisory board is studying the possibility of offering such a program at Baldwin-Woodville. The board would like to communicate with the community and will report to the school board on a regular basis. The Vision Statement of the advisory board is to provide all four-year-olds access to developmentally appropriate learning experiences through partnerships with communities and families.

Teachers Jackie Bensen and Jen Schommer gave a Smart Board presentation during the meeting. Bensen, a third grade teacher at Greenfield, explained that last school year, the district's Technology Committee made the decision to purchase Smart Boards for each building:
five at Greenfield, one at each grade level; four at Viking, one at each grade level and one portable; and three mounted and one portable at the High School.

"At Greenfield, teachers wrote proposals for the Smart Boards and we decided from there which classrooms would get them," said Principal Gary Hoffmann.

Smart Boards are connected to the teacher's computer and project from there. Students and teachers can then write or touch and move data around on the Smart Board screen. Notes can be taken and saved and it's easy to incorporate the Internet into lessons, according to Bensen. Lesson templates are provided through the software that comes with the boards.

Bensen said some teachers received training in operating the Smart Boards and then they trained other teachers in the district.

Using this new teaching tool benefits a variety of learning styles, according to Bensen. Visual learners as well as kinesthetic learners, who learn through physically interacting and touching the board benefit from the Smart Board. "It gets students involved in the lesson," she said.

High School Spanish teacher Jen Schommer invited board members to interact with the Smart Board. Board members then took turns writing on the board. Schommer and Bensen each demonstrated various lessons they have used with the Smart Board.

"The ways that we deliver information to students is constantly changing," commented Superintendent Rusty Helland.

During committee reports, board member Mike Bondarenko reported that since the No Child Left Behind legislation, national graduation rates are up two percent for a 74 percent graduation rate. He said two-thirds of schools have achieved the standards.

Transportation Director Wade Labecki informed the board that next week is Bus Safety Week and students will be practicing safety procedures.

Supt. Helland noted that Labecki (also B-W Athletic Director) is on the ballot for the WIAA Advisory Board.

Harvest Festival this Saturday

Jim Daddies Harvest Festival will be held this Saturday on the east end of the 700 block of Main Street in Baldwin.

The festival, sponsored by Jim Daddies BBQ Sauce and BBQ UniverCity, will be from noon until 6:00 p.m. rain or shine. It will feature the music of Howard Luedtke and Patchouli with a reunion of members from the Onyx/Second Wind/Bottom Line bands.

The cost of admission is $10 (or half price with a non-perishable food shelf donation). The proceeds will be divided between the Baldwin Parks fund and Tapestries of Life Mexican Orphanage. In addition, the ticket will enter you in a drawing for a grill and other prizes.

The Festival is the brainchild of former Baldwin resident Robert Dull, who currently works for Pearlygate Network, which assists artists in production.

Tapestries of Life is a U.S. based organization that takes seriously the Christian mandate to take care of widows and orphans. In order to accomplish this mandate, Tapestries of Life is focusing on two large initiatives.

The first vision is to build an orphanage in Guadalupe Mexico, which will be the largest orphanage in all of Latin America. When completed the orphanage will house over 400 children and the government promised to fill it within 24 hours of when it's doors open with a small percentage of the over 7000 children that are living on the street in that area alone. This orphanage is being built by churches in America, Canada, Scotland and all over the world.

"Lisa (Dull) Seaman and her husband Quinn are working on the orphange," Dull noted. "They hope to be open in about a year."

The second part of the vision is meeting the immediate daily needs of today by providing much needed food to the poor of Mexico. Many of these items are provided by donations specifically for this ministry or by the work teams involved in the distribution.

The festival opens with Howard "Guitar" Luedtke, a versatile musician who performs regularly at rock, blues and jazz festivals all over Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Bruce Hecksel and Julie Patchouli recorded their first jam session together on January 6, 1993 in a church in Chicago. With Bruce playing an acoustic guitar and Julie on a 5 gallon pail they discovered their desire to create music together out of anything and everything around them. That desire fueled their relationship as it grew out of this musical love they shared and keeps them grounded in the music they create still to this day.

The song Patchouli was the first instrumental piece they wrote together.

Bruce attended college and grad school for music and theology. Julie studied ethnobotany (the study of cultures and plants) and environmental science. Together they blend the idea of cultures, music, environment and theology into the positive vibrations of Patchouli music.

Patchouli's deeply rooted musical base combined with advanced studies in yoga, meditation and other healing disciplines work together to make music with a remarkable capacity to inspire and uplift the human spirit.

New flooring store in Baldwin

Colleen Smith, picctured above, and her husband Dean own Baldwin Design & Full Specctrum Flooring, a new store at Baldwin Retail.

Colleen Smith, who along with her husband Dean owns Baldwin Design & Full Spectrum Flooring, admits that the housing slow-down has probably affected their business. But she added that their store, at Baldwin Retail on Gracie Drive in the mall on the southwest quadrant of the I-94/USH 63 interchange, has been staying busy with remodelings and commercial and church work in the area.

The new store opened in February and it carries hundreds and hundreds of floor covering products in tile, hardwood, carpet, laminates and vinyl from a variety of companies, said Colleen. Colleen is the store manager and Dean, a Glenwood City native, is the chief installer.

Colleen said that what sets their store apart is that their installers are in-house. We follow the product "from beginning to end," she explained.

Dean has 25 years experience in installing floor coverings, most out of the Twin Cities. Colleen manages the store and has previous managerial experience. They employ a salesman, Matt Multhauf, also a Glenwood City native, who has been selling in the Twin Cities for the past
10 years.

The Smiths decided to start a local store, near where they live. Their home is almost equal distance from Hammond, River Falls, Spring Valley and Baldwin.

Serious crash sends two to hospital

A t-bone crash between two vehicles at the intersection of CTHs BB and N southeast of Baldwin early Friday evening resulted in the occupants of the two vehicles being sent to the hospital, including one in critical condition.

According to rescue workers on the scene, the occupant of one of the vehicles was taken to Baldwin Area Medical Center with critical injuries and then flown by air ambulance to Regions Medical Center in St. Paul. That individual remains in critical condition.

The individual in the other vehicle was taken to BAMC and from there was sent by ground ambulance to Regions for further treatment of injuries. That person is in stable condition.

Agencies responding to the scene in addition to Baldwin Area EMS were Baldwin Police Department, St. Croix County Sheriff's Department and United Fire and Rescue.

Lowered speed limits approved; Main Street will be done by school start

New speed limits for a road bordering Baldwin's southeast side were approved by the Baldwin Village Board at last Wednesday's regular monthly meeting.

In addition, Village Engineer Mike Stoffel of Ayres Associates told Board members that the Main Street utility and repaving project is going well. When questioned whether the work will be finished by the start of school, Stoffel said "they should be pretty well completed by then." A pay
request for $141,519 to Albrightson Excavating was approved by the board.

At the recommendation of Village Police Chief Jim Widiker, the Board set new speed limits on 220th Avenue, on Baldwin's east side, south of Maple Street (70th Avenue). From Maple Street south to Cedar Street, the new speed limit will be 25 miles per hour. From Cedar Street south to 55th Avenue the speed limit will be 45 miles an hour. Chief Widiker said the amount of traffic has greatly increased on 220th Street with the opening of Cedar Street to it. Traffic has also increased on 220th due to the construction on USH 63.

Skydiver falls to his death

A Chippewa Falls man fell to his death Friday, August 8 after his skydiving chute made "an abrupt turn" just prior to landing, according to the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department, and the man landed at a 45 degree angle.

Todd Jacobson, 39, was skydiving at Skydive Twin Cities in the afternoon, just west of Baldwin on CTH J. According to the Sheriff's Department, "witnesses at the scene stated that Mr. Jacobson was skydiving with a group. His chute deployed normally, but just prior to landing his chute made an abrupt turn in the air so that Mr. Jacobson was at a 45 degree angle to the ground," causing him to land on his head. The Sheriff's Department release said it is unknown why the abrupt turn was made.

The Sheriff's Department was notified at 2:18 p.m. of an injured person at the scene. Upon arrival, deputies performed CPR on Jacobson. He was then transported to Baldwin Area Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 3:07 p.m.

The Sheriff's Department news release said Jacobson was identified as an experienced skydiver with several thousand jumps to his credit.

According to the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Jacobson was a safety and training advisor and videographer for the Skydive Wissota Indianhead Sport Parachute Club. According to that Club's webside, Jacobson had successfully completed 5,200 jumps since 1991.

The St. Croix County Sheriff's Department news release said the death of Jacobson remains under investigation by his office.

Gold Finch Farm provides cut flowers to retailers

If you make the commute between Baldwin and Woodville on Highway 12, you've probably noticed the transformation which has occurred at the former Francis and Ruby Dees farm.

For the last four years Harold Wilkins and Bryan Gjevre have transformed the former dairy farm in a huge flower and shrub garden the partners grow to sell to retail floral shops, such as Hermes Floral, for floral arrangements.

"We are wholesale only," Harold stressed.

Wilkins is retired from a career of Professor of Horticulture, which included 25 years at the University of Minnesota and two years filling an endowed chair at Ohio State University. Gjevre was a student of horticulture, attended the U of M and met Harold while both were working on a project at Berkeley in California. Because the flower business is seasonal, Gjevre said he is attending a CNA program and hopes to work at Park View in Woodville during the winter m
months.

Currently the partners have about three of the five acres at Gold Finch Farm under production. The top annuals include zinnias, sunflowers, amaranthus, celosia, dill, broom corn, sage and trachelium.

The broom corn can grow up to 15 feet in height, Wilkins noted. "A local farmer stopped in the first year we were here because he was amazed at how tall it was and no cob."

Perennials growing at Gold Finch Farm include artemesia, sedum, a variety of lilies, hostas, phlox, echinops, yarrow, Siberian Iris, allium, dahlia, Chinese Lantern, three species of milkweed, astilbe, campanula, foxgloves and callas.

"Bryan is in charge of research and development," Wilkins noted. Gjevre admitted some of his plantings do not work, mostly because they don't last in a bouquet. Only two varieties of foxglove survive the winter.

Eriogron is a flower they tried, but no one wanted to buy," Gjevre said.

Sweet pea flowers was another experiment that didn't work. "We ordered a variety from Britain, but couldn't sell a one," Wilkins said. "But we also had a variety from a test seed organization blooming when we got a call from a Hudson florist. A woman had passed on who loved sweet pea
flowers and the family wanted them for a funeral bouquet. So we sold $5.00 worth."

"Harold has the contacts (for wholesale), including the Baldwin Greenhouse," Gjevre commented. They also have an arrangement with Baldwin Greenhouse to use the walk-in cooler to store cut flowers before delivery.

Other local contacts include the three workers the business employs. Logan Veenendall and Justin Morrissey are high school students working seasonal full time at Gold Finch Farm, while Diane Hudson works part time weeding flower beds and Byron Jelen provides mechanical services

"We found the local workers are excellent," Wilkins said.

Harold also has arrangement with Jon-De Farms to have manure delivered to be used at mulch and fertilizer.

Gjevre said woody shrubs have also been planted, "but is takes three to five years for them to be ready." The shrubs are not grown for replanting, but are instead the branches are cut to be used in floral arrangements.

The next time you travel from Baldwin to Woodville, or vice versa, watch for Gold Finch Farm located on the north side of the highway on the curve and you'll see what's growing. You'll most likely see Bryan, Harold or one or more of the employees weeding the flower beds.

Area residents invited to Open House at Contour Plastics

Contour Plastics, Inc. invites members of the public to the expanded facility in Baldwin's Industrial Park on Friday The facility now contains 91,000 square feet of floor space.

To celebrate the completion of a multi-million dollar addition to their manufacturing facility in Baldwin, Contour Plastics is hosting an open house on Friday, August 15 from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The company is located at 660 VandeBerg Road in the Baldwin Industrial Park in Baldwin.

The Contour addition project began in May of 2007. The addition nearly doubled the facility to 91,000 square feet. The project includes a two story structure that added a mezzanine level, offices, training, production and clean rooms that regulate air flow, pressure, temperature and filtration. Frisbie Architects of River Falls served as architect for the project and Gavic Construction of Hudson was the general contractor.

In recognition of the job opportunities and contributions to the community, Governor Jim Doyle announced on June 8, 2007 that Contour Plastics would receive up to $250,000 in Technology Zone credits as part of the facility expansion.

Contour Plastics specializes in the manufacture of precision injected molded plastic production parts and assemblies, principally for the medical, electronics and communication industries. Growing demand by these industries for specialized services, including class 10,000 and 100,000 clean rooms, were some of the pivotal reasons for this expansion. Customers choose Contour Plastics for the quality of its people, the speed of performance and its technical excellence.

Contour was established in 1990. In 1994 the company was honored as the Wisconsin Emerging Business of the Year by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. St. Croix Economic Development Corporation named Contour Plastics as the 2000 Business of the Year (medium category) in St. Croix County. Currently, the company has more than 200 employees.

The public is invited to the open house.

For more information about Contour Plastics go to www.contour-plastics.com.

Hayley Hawkins is "Miss Hammond"

Hayley Hawkins was crowned "Miss Hammond" at the Hammond Heartland Days pageant last Thursday evening. Joining her on the Heartland Days court are princesses: Kelsey Criego, Tiffany Rogers and Kayla Forrest. Kelsey Criego was also chosen as Miss Congeniality.

Man dies after fall from bridge

A Hudson man was killed Sunday night, August 3 when he either jumped or fell off a bridge onto westbound I-94 and then was hit by three vehicles.

According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, Andreas Karl-Hubert Schoene, 34, of Hudson, fell or jumped from the 11th Street overpass. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy on Schoene's body is being conducted in an effort to determine whether he died as a result of the fall or from being hit by the three vehicles. The fall or jump and resulting death required re-routing vehicles in the westbound lane for about an hour and one-half.

The State Patrol said no one in the three vehicles was injured. The call to the State Patrol was received at 10:42 p.m.

Two accidents near Woodville sent five to hospitals

Two accidents near Woodville last week sent five people to hospitals, with one injured person suffering possible life threatening injuries.

According to emergency personnel who responded to the accidents, one was a T-bone accident on USH 12 near 260th Street on Woodville's northeast side. One individual was unresponsive with possible life-threatening injuries and was transported to Regions Medical Center in St. Paul. Three others in the accident were transported to Baldwin Area Medical Center with lesser injuries.

Another accident was at the intersection of CTHs B and N south of Woodville. Again, a vehicle was T-boned by another in the accident. Two persons from one of the vehicles in the accident were transported to Baldwin Area Medical Center for treatment with non-life threatening injuries. The occupant of the other vehicle refused treatment.

Agencies responding to the scene of both accidents were Woodville Police, Baldwin EMT Department and United Fire and Rescue.

Paulette Anderson's organizational skills a benefit to Hammond

Paulette Anderson admits she's good at organizing and that has proved beneficial to the Hammond area in several ways. Years ago she took a grant writing course at UW-River Falls and as part of the course applied for a grant for a fictional organization called the Hammond Arts Alliance. Her business is gardening, at one time operating Paulette's Gardens and now as a gardener for others, and her skills with plants have resulted in more beauty at the Hammond Hall.

For those activities and others that have benefited the community, Paulette has been recognized by the Hammond Heartland Parade Committee as Grand Marshal. Paulette will be walking in the parade perhaps accompanied by two-person llama costumes designed to publicize the upcoming premier of a documentary film "Running of the Llamas" by local filmmaker Heidi Freier.

Anderson is a native of Amery, or more specifically, Range, where her family had a turkey farm. She spent a couple years in college and then traveled and worked as a waitress for 20 years. Then she started her gardening business, which she has now been involved in for 20 years. She
had a retail operation for six or seven years, "Paulette's Gardens," but now is out of retail and does flower garden maintenance. At one time she had many clients, but at present has just a few.

Paulette admitts that gardening is a passion for her. She said for many years she tried to find a job she could do and have summers off so she could garden and now she is able to garden all the time. She volunteers her gardening expertise at Adoray Gardens and the container gardens at the Hammond Library and Hammond Post Office. About gardening she said: "I like it. I'm a part of it."

The Hammond Arts Alliance story is interesting. "Thirteen years ago I took a grant writing workshop," said Anderson. It was a day-long workshop at UW-RF. She said that afterwards she was excited about the prospects and was talking to the late Fred Kraemer and he said Bruce Foster would probably allow Foster Hall to be used for a gallery. A 501(c) organization was formed and that's how the Hammond Arts Alliance and Foster Hall got their start. "I like making things happen," she said. The Hammond Arts Alliance is now in its 12th year. Foster Hall is no longer the venue for the Alliance, and instead upstairs at the Hammond Hotel is used as well as
some remote locations.

Anderson said that over the years she's had many employees who were artists and so has a network of artists she knows. "I'm kind of a social person," she said, and knows art students, art teachers and everyone in between. She also said Hammond is an interesting place in which to have an art gallery.

Friday Paulette said she will be at the new farmers market, next to Hammond Hall. She will be selling flowers, be available to answer gardening questions and to talk about one of her new projects-establishing community education. Another of her current projects is to renovate the upstairs of Hammond Hall so it is usable year-round.

In addition to her organizing and gardening activities, Paulette has found time during the past eight years to serve as a trustee on the Town of Hammond Board.

Paulette and her husband Joe live just north of Hammond in a prairie style home filled and surrounded by plants and works of art.

The preview screening of the documentary "Running of the Llamas" will be on Thursday, September 11 at 6:00 p.m., which is just before this year's llama race which is at 7:00 p.m. The film will be shown in the Hammond Hall above the library. Next door, above the Hammond Hotel in the Kraemer Loft Gallery, will be a show of award-winning items made from llama fiber by members of the St. Croix County 4-H/FFA.

BAMC and Smestad team up to give students insights

Kit Smestad, left, B-W High School guidance counselor, took a course through WITC over the summer familiarizing herself with many aspects of the medical field at Baldwin Area Medical Center. Trudy Achterhof is BAMC's Human Resource Director.

A credit class through WITC taken over the summer by B-W High School guidance counselor Kit Smestad at Baldwin Area Medical Center has given her insight into medically related fields which will help her advise kids about them.

Smestad spent time over the summer in 16 separate areas at BAMC to gain knowledge about each of the areas and the qualifications needed for each.

"Now I have a better idea how to advise kids and can make them aware of different opportunities in the medical field," said Smestad. "It's not to tell them what to do but to give them information so they can decide what to do."

Smestad worked with BAMC Human Resources Director Trudy Achterhof to set up the course. Over the summer Smestad was able to spent time in departments or areas including: surgery, risk management, infection control, diabetes control; respiratory therapy, clinic, social services, lab, radiology, ER, OB and scheduling and registration.

Achterhof said that because BAMC is a smaller facility Smestad was better able to see the whole of the operation, rather than at a large medical facility which has thousands of employees spread across hundreds of areas. She added that the 16 areas visited by Smestad were probably three-quarters of the areas at BAMC. "It made it more manageable for Kit," said Achterhof.

Smestad said the course, practically speaking, involved spending time in each of the departments, speaking to the people in them "and finding out what they do." She also discussed schools that educate students in their areas. The connections she made with employees also provides Smestad with a contact person for a student if they have questions in that area.

"The great thing about health care is there are many options and the training varies from on-the-job to being a doctor," said Smestad.

"That's the message we try to send when we go to schools," added Achterhof, "there are many options." She said BAMC puts lots of energy into recruiting and working on partnerships with schools because of the shortage of health care workers. "We try to make ourselves available to their school programs and to be speakers and participate in their school programs and in interview days as a way of saying we care about students who want to advance themselves and help them achieve their goals in health care." Achterhof said

BAMC has between 20 and 25 students yearly from WITC and CVTC who do clinical rotations. She said that provides a pool of resources from which the hospital may recruit in the future. "Many people prefer to be in a small [hospital] environment," said Achterhof. BAMC also offers multiple rotations, she added, with nursing a great example. A nurse can be trained in four or five areas at BAMC, while at a large facility a nurse would work in only one area. "People who come here want the diversity and variety they get."

BAMC also offers a program called "Me and my shadow" for high school students to shadow a health care practitioner in an area of their interest, said Achterhof. "In surgery, for example, a student may get achance to be in surgery."

Eggen's Supermarket now closed

Eggen's Supermarket in Baldwin is now closed for good.

A Bob & Steve's BP Convenience store will continue to offer BP products and the usual convenience store items from a portion of the Eggen's building.

Jon Eggen will remain at the store as a Bob & Steve's employee to manage the convenience store. Bob & Steve's BP has 28 stores, including locations in Hammond, Baldwin, Woodville, Knapp and Boyceville. The company is headquartered in Menomonie, said co-owner Steve Jerlow. Steve Eggen said he has no immediate plans.

Jon Eggen said that options for the remaining space in the building are being explored.

Eggen's was started 60 years ago by Jon and Steve's grandfather Lloyd and his brother Bob. It was then operated by Lloyd's son and Jon and Steve's father, Don. It moved to the present location in 1981 from what is now the westernmost portion of Baldwin Telecom. Jon and Steve came into the business in 1997. They have had as many as 25 to 30 employees over the years.

Preschool "Catch the Reading Bug"

The Preschool "Catch the Reading Bug" summer reading program at the Baldwin Public Library enjoyed listening to the Book Diary of a Worm and eating Bar-b-qued mealy worms and gummi worms.

Brothers died of overdoses

On May 27 Jeffrey Konrad Knoll, age 38, and Gregory Allen Knoll, age 43, were found dead in their apartment at 1102 County Rd. A in Burkhardt. A subsequent investigation showed that both brothers probably died on or about May 10.

Autopsies were conducted on both brothers on May 28. The final autopsy report from the Ramsey County Minnesota Medical examiners office received on July 17 revealed that Jeffrey died of a heroin overdose and Gregory died from an overdose of prescription drugs.

These deaths remain under investigation by the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.

Survey asks businesses for input on health care benefits Results will assist regional health care cooperative

A steering committee seeks input from the region's small businesses to help determine if a health benefit purchasing cooperative should be formed. The committee is asking businesses to respond to a confidential survey on health benefits and costs. Businesses are also asked if the cost of health care prohibits their ability to offer it. A solution could be the formation of a cooperative. In the same way rural residents worked together to bring electricity to farms, members of a health care cooperative would purchase health benefits as a group. According to a guiding principle of a cooperative, more members lead to greater bargaining power.

The committee was formed last April following a 2-hour workshop on health care cooperatives. About 100 people attended the workshop. The workshop was hosted by State Senator Sheila Harsdorf and St. Croix Economic Development Corporation. In 2003 and 2005, Senator Harsdorf authored legislation that made health care cooperatives in Wisconsin a reality. Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, led the discussion at the workshop. He explained that an old idea like cooperatives could help small businesses obtain affordable health insurance. Oemichen said the Farmer's Health Care Cooperative, designed to help farmers and agri-businesses obtain health insurance, celebrated its first anniversary in March. Similar cooperatives are being established elsewhere in the state.

Steve Healy, a retired rural electric cooperative executive, serves as chair of the steering committee. The 13-person group meets twice a month and keeps attendees from the April workshop informed by distributing meeting notes.

The committee is reviewing by-laws for the cooperative, and has identified an 18-county region of western, west central, and northwest Wisconsin as a potential territory. Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Polk, Rusk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Trempealeau, and Washburn counties are tentatively included in the cooperative's region. The Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance must approve the cooperative's operating region, according to state statute.

The proposed cooperative has a working name - Cooperative Health Choices of Western Wisconsin, or CHC. A 2-page fact sheet helps explain how CHC would operate. In the mission statement, CHC says promoting wellness and healthy behaviors is its highest priority.

The committee has received assistance from a Green Bay-based cooperative known as Healthy Lifestyles. This co-op is currently enrolling small businesses into its third year of coverage, effective January 1, 2009.

Survey participants can go to www.unitedscv.com/chchealth.htm to take the confidential survey. The deadline for completion is August 8.

For more information, contact Steve Healy at (715) 425-9447 or William Rubin, St. Croix EDC at (715) 381-4383.