Orchard Restaurant & Banquet facility taking shape

Richard Pearson, owner of the Orchard Restaurant and Banquet Facility, stands before the huge fireplace at the former New Leaf Nursery, flanked by Dave Lunde, left, owner of Valley Custom Homes, Inc. which is doing the remodeling work at the facility, and Dave Johnson, the foreman/job supervisor.

Richard Pearson, owner of the Orchard Restaurant & Banquet facility, says he wants to do the make-over of the former New Leaf Nursery into a restaurant/bar/banquet facility the right way. There's no doubt he's accomplishing his goal with the complete transformation of the facility into a new use.
Mr. Pearson says he hopes the new establishment can be opened in July of this year but already the outlines of the new rooms in the business are clear.
"We want to do it right," said Mr. Pearson. "We won't open until we're ready for a first class professional operation. We expect to be reasonably priced—for banquets and the restaurant—so families can bring their children in here to eat and not be gouged."
The general contractor for the project is Dave Lunde of Valley Custom Homes, Inc. "This has been one of the most unique projects we've worked on," said Lunde. "Remodels are challenges and older buildings pose unique challenges" with wiring and water lines and still keeping the character of the building.
The new restaurant and banquet facility will keep the great character that is given to it by the massive beams in the former display/showroom, the huge fireplace and silo that was incorporated into the structure.
Simply, the new business will have three main public areas: the restaurant in the former display room featuring the large stone fireplace and a circular bar around the silo; a bar and game room located in the leanto on the northeast side of the facility (bar) and original barn (game room); and banquet facility in existing and new space on the west side of the building.
A new entry way from the south has been constructed. Upon entering the building, the banquet facility will be to the left, or west, with the main dining room to the right.
The former display room of the New Leaf, dominated by the silo and huge fireplace, will be the main dining room.
The banquet room on the west side of the building, which includes some new space, will have a separate covered entry to the west. A small stage will be on the north end of the large room, with a gigantic TV for projecting pictures at events held there.
The banquet space will be adjacent to a "bride's changing room." Restrooms will be between the banquet facility and restaurant.
The barn and leanto have been completely insulated and resided. There will be a new, separate entrance to the bar from the east. New, large windows will allow natural lighting in the bar. The circular stairway in the silo will be used to reach the loft in the barn which will be part of the game room.
Between the banquet area and restaurant, on the north side of the building, will be the new kitchen as well as an office for the manager of the business, who Mr. Pearson has already hired, has 25 years experience in the hospitality industry and is consulting on the remodeling project. A 34 foot long by 12 foot wide walk-in cooler/freezer combination built by Nor-Lake will be placed by a crane on a foundation that has been constructed on the north side of the building.
According to Lunde, after the construction of the building is finished sometime in May, the interior build-out will take place, which will take four or five weeks and involves placing all the tables, chairs, cash registers, kitchen equipment and other furnishings in the building.
Outside, the grounds need to be landscaped, the parking lot completed and lighting installed. Mr. Pearson said the pond will remain. Eventually, the possibility exists for volleyball courts.
In addition, said Mr. Pearson, a wedding chapel will be built on the grounds and with the extensive grounds he owns around the facility, the possibility exists for a bride and groom to take a carriage ride around the property as part of their wedding festivities and their entire celebration can be on-site.

Village receives grant to level building

The Village of Baldwin's application to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for a Brownfield Site Assessment Grant to raze the Thompson building on Main Street has been approved for $56,600. The Thompson building is located at 705 Main Street, which is at the corner of Seventh Avenue.
According to a letter sent to Village President Don McGee, Baldwin's application scored 97 points and all applications receiving more than 55 points were funded.
The building has been purchased by the village at a price of $20,000. The $56,600 grant received from the DNR is for two phases: Phase I for assessment of the site; and Phase II for further assessment, demolishing of the building and asbestos abatement.
Following the demolishing on the building and clean-up of the site, the lot will probably be put up for sale by the village, in which case some or perhaps all of the village's cost to purchase the property could be recouped.

Baldwin man charged with sex offender registry violation

A 28-year-old Baldwin man has been charged with felony sex offender registry violation.
Timothy J. Denzine is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, March 17.
According to the criminal complaint, Denzine failed to return a confirmation letter confirming his registry status and address. He is also accused of failing to notify the registry of an address change within 10 days and did not report for a photo to be taken in August.
He was convicted in August 2001 in Dunn County of third-degree sexual assault.

St. Croix County records 1st traffic fatality of 2009

On Wednesday, February 18 at 4:42 p.m. the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office responded to a two-vehicle crash on STH 29 one tenth of a mile east of STH 128 in the Town of Cady.
The report said Carrie A. Lehmann, age 24, of Menomonie was traveling eastbound on STH 29 in a 2007 Ford Taurus when she lost control going around a curve on the snow covered road. The car slid sideways into the westbound lane and was struck by a 1999 Isuzu truck driven by Ricky DeMotts, age 45, Woodville. DeMotts was driving a truck owned by Advanced Dairy Systems Inc. of Spring Valley. Ms. Lehmann was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. Croix County Medical Examiner. Mr. DeMotts was transported to Baldwin Hospital following the crash, his condition remains unknown.
Both Mr. DeMotts and Ms. Lehman were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. Spring Valley Fire and Ambulance assisted at the scene.
This is the first traffic fatality of 2009. The crash remains under investigation by the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.

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CENTRAL ST. CROIX NEWS (Hammond): Incumbent Hammond Village President Vince Trudell and his predecessor, Tom Kinney, won spots on the April 7 ballot when they came out as the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary. Unofficial results showed Trudell with 42 votes and Kinney with 30 versus incumbent first-term trustee Eric Arthur's 13. Two years ago, Kinney announced he would not be seeking re-election as president at the end of his third term, but shortly before the 2007 April election declared himself as a write-in candidate. Trudell overwhelmingly won the election. Arthur will appear on the April ballot seeking one of three trustee spots, along with incumbents, Mary Rivard and Tony Bibeau (who was recently appointed to fill out the term of the seat resigned by Mike Artiaga) and newcomers Erin McComb and Jack Herbert. The top three vote getters on April 7 will sit on the board. The Village of Roberts voters will be in a situation similar to Hammond's former Roberts Village President Willard Moeri is running against Eric Fisher for the seat he lost two years ago. Peter Tharp will be on the ballot challenging incumbent trustees Chuck Pizzi, Kathy Kapaun and Scott Gehardt.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD (Ellsworth): After reviewing policy language and a timeline, a judge found a Pierce County house destroyed by fire after being hit by a pickup was not insured. St. Croix County Judge Scott Neeham ruled Randall and Sue Hendrickson's house insurance had legitimately been canceled nearly two months before the home was hit by a GMC Sierra driven by Lisa Villigan, 39. The accident occurred Feb. 17, 2007. The vehicle Villigan was driving struck the Hendricksons' house and hit a gas meter, triggering a natural gas explosion. Villigan died in the incident. Prescott Police Officer Ben Henrich was injured as he attempted to help the woman and was thrown an estimated 15 feet by the explosion. Villigan's pickup and the Hendricksons' house were destroyed. In an order signed Feb. 3, Needham denied the Hendricksons' motion for a summary judgment against Foremost Insurance Company. According to background in the decision, the Hendricksons bought an insurance policy for their property at 1010 Pearl St., Prescott, in October 2006. On Dec. 8, 2006, Foremost sent a notice of cancellation saying coverage would expire Dec. 22, 2006. The reason given for the cancellation was missing and damaged shingles on the house's roof increased the likelihood of loss. According to court records, Randall Hendrickson signed and cashed the refund check Dec. 18, 2006. Although the judge found the cancellation language to be ambiguous and read a 30-day notice of cancellation in favor of the Hendricksons, he determined the fire occurred 71 days after the couple received the cancellation notice.

HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: It has been nearly 16 years since William S. “Junior” Clapp was killed in his rural Roberts home, and while the case has gone cold it is not closed. “We have two investigators, Cary Rose or Jim Mikla, assigned to it. When anything comes up in connection to the case, they look into it. The case remains open,” said Sheriff Dennis Hillstead. Clapp, 76, was found with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, slumped over the kitchen table in his Roberts farmhouse late on April 25, 1993. The case is one of four and possibly five unsolved homicides that occurred in the county. “There is at least one person out there, and possibly two, who know what really happened,” Hillstead said. “It’s a long time to keep a secret.” Star-Observer reports in the April 29, 1993, edition said Clapp called the home of Jack Larsen, his neighbor, the night of the homicide. He got Larsen’s mother on the phone and asked for her son. When Jack got to the phone the line was dead. Larsen said he phoned Clapp back three times, but couldn’t get through. It took him about 10 minutes to get to his neighbor’s house. He found Clapp semi-conscious at the kitchen table bleeding from a head wound. Larsen tried to talk to him but Clapp couldn’t communicate – all he could do was moan, the reports said. The St. Croix County medical examiner said Clapp died at the scene from a single gunshot wound.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: A 25-year-old Town of Troy woman was charged with locking her three-year-old son in a room so that he couldn't eat or go to the bathroom and instead had to use a diaper. Danielle K. Quinn, 533 County Road M. #39 in the Hilltop trailer court was charged with a felony for child neglect resulting in bodily harm. If convicted, maximum sentence for this crime is six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A child protection social worker was tipped off about the case because Quinn's older son attends Westside Elementary School. The boy often missed classes and reportedly said he had to feed and get himself ready for school. He also mentioned the situation at home with his younger brother. A St. Croix County Sheriff's deputy and the social worker finally went to the boy's trailer home at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4. According to the criminal complaint, the older boy answered the door. The mother was in bed but woke up. The three-year old was heard screaming and kicking a wall in another room. At one point the boy shouted, "Mom, let me out of here." The room was locked from the outside by a latch hook. It was later found that this boy had been confined in the room for over 14 hours with nothing to eat or drink. Though either totally or partially potty trained, he was wearing a soiled diaper that left him with a "very bad rash." Quinn's 55-year-old mother also lived in the home. She was not charged. In the complaint Quinn's mother said her daughter was very depressed, didn't take care of her kids and wouldn't get help for her problems. The grandmother added that the door locks were first used to keep the cats from getting into rooms. Quinn's mother said Quinn has no job, but expects her to care for and feed the children when she gets home from work. The grandmother also said that Quinn asked her to watch the children in 2006 for a weekend visit. Quinn then disappeared for several months before returning home.

BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL (Grantsburg): When the votes were finally tallied Tuesday night the referendum the Siren School District was asking its voters to approve was narrowly defeated by 167-156 margin. The district was asking its taxpayers to again support a 5-year non-recurring exemption to the revenue limit, a move which would bring the district an additional $250,000 for each year for the next five. "I'm obviously disappointed," district administrator Scott Johnson said after the votes were returned Tuesday night. "What it means to me is the school board will be talking to people to see if there's a way we can come back at this thing in April," he said. I don't want to give up on this thing," he continued. Another vote in April would mean trying to rally public support for that vote. "I believe most people in this community support public education - we just need to get them to the polls," Johnson added. He said the poor attendance at the district sponsored informational meetings about the referendum was reflected in the low turnout for Tuesday's vote. "I think it's a shame," he declared. "The school is the heart and soul of the community." "I have a difficult time believing people of our community want us to cut our programs," Johnson added.

OSCEOLA SUN: An impartial third party will evaluate the operational components of Osceola’s wastewater treatment plant to try to determine why the three-and-a-half-year-old facility has performed poorly during winter months. The Osceola Village Board last week authorized spending up to $5,500 for MSA Professional Services to conduct an operational review. “What we propose here is to first come in, meet with the operators, get some of your existing data (and) look at how the plant is being operated,” an MSA wastewater engineer explained. “. . . We’ve designed similar plants, so we have experience with these kind of wastewater treatment plants.” For the past two winters the treatment plant’s effluent has exceeded Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources standards for several substances, including phosphorus. As a result, the DNR has placed a moratorium on the extension of the village’s sewer system. Village administrator Neil Soltis said there is some question as to whether the problem is operational in nature or a flaw in the plant design. According to Soltis, though, 79 treatment plants in Wisconsin use the same system, and the 78 others are running fine.

Rachelle Veenstra named National Merit Scholarship Finalist

Baldwin-Woodville High School senior Rachelle Veenstra, pictured above with her parents Sylvia and Anson, has advanced to finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships offered in 2009.
As a finalist, Rachelle has been awarded a Certificate of Merit, presented by Baldwin-Woodville High School Principal Eric Russell. The selection of 8,200 Merit Scholarships winners from the group of more than 15,000 finalists is now in progress. In March, National Merit Scholarship Corporation will begin mailing scholarship offers to winners. News media announcements of Merit Scholar designees will be made in April, May and July.

School board reviews land transfer petitions
 The Baldwin-Woodville Board of Education followed past practices at Monday night's meeting by approving a land transfer into the district and denying a request to transfer property out of the district.
Both landowners present at the meeting had similar reasons for their petitions. They live on the edges of the districts involved and want their children to attend the nearest schools. Busing is usually provided only to district residents.
Superintendent Rusty Helland asked if the petitioners were aware of open enrollment, which they were. He said that many districts, including B-W, will provide student transportation if the district has a bus driving by the residence or the students might be picked up at a nearby district stop.
Neither petitioner was able to find a property of comparable value to swap districts with.
The board approved the petition to transfer property from the Glenwood City School District to the Baldwin-Woodville Area School District. The 2008 value of the property is $121,800. Glenwood City needs to approve the transfer for it to go through. The board denied the petition to transfer property from Baldwin-Woodville to the Spring Valley School District valued at $354,000.
School counselor Carol Lebo introduced the Comprehensive School Counseling Program, the new model being followed by district counselors. The counseling staff received training this past year and explained that it is for all students kindergarten through twelfth grade, not just at-risk students.
"The idea is to be pro-active with students before problems arise," said Viking Middle School counselor Duane Jourdeans, "We're not just crisis-driven anymore."
"The new model has academic standards, based on state and national standards and the program is developed by counselors, teachers and community members," commented Lebo.
The curriculum components include counseling, responsive services, individual planning, and system support. Counseling includes support groups, which Lebo leads at Greenfield Elementary. This year 180 students have participated in various support groups. Responsive services includes one-on-one counseling, and working with community groups, the Ministerial Association for instance, during a crisis situation. The individual planning component is started in seventh grade and continues through high school to assist students in planning for their futures.
"The individual planning helps students choose classes that are best for them and what they are interested in, instead of just picking classes willy-nilly," said High School counselor Kit Smestad.
Board member Mike Bondarenko asked the counselors how they measure the success of the program.
Student surveys, pre-unit and post-unit tests, student grades, graduation rates and post-secondary placement of students measure the success of the program according the school counselors.
In other business, the board approved a 2010 Spanish Club trip to Costa Rica. The estimated cost of the trip is $2,000 per person, which is paid by the participants, who have the opportunity to do fundraising through the club.
Director of Pupil Services Patti Phillipps reported that the Four-year-old Kindergarten advisory board has determined that the program will wait until the 2010-2011 school year to start. The board is still working on sites for the program.
The board approved establishing an Employee Benefit Trust, also known as Fund 73. The purpose of Fund 73 is to cover the district's unfunded liability, which is employee retirement benefits.
Board member Tom Schumacher explained that currently the district funds retirement benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning just enough for current retirees. The unfunded liability is for future retirees.
During the open forum, district resident Leanne Rice asked if the unfunded liability shows on the district's balance sheet.
Supt. Helland responded that it does.
Budget Committee Chairman John Hinz said the committee met with an advisor who explained that the district would be eligible for state categorical aides is such a fund is established. The state aide is to assist districts in getting started on a Fund 73.
Supt. Helland presented the 2009 Second Friday enrollment figures. As of January 9, 2009 the district has 38 more resident students than on January 11, 2008.
Administrators' reports:
Wade Labecki announced that Roxy Wakeen has been awarded a State Speech Award.
Gary Hoffman announced that Spirit Days are happining at Greenfield Elementary this week.
Eric Russell reported that final exams taken last month challenged students and got them talking about studying. The open campus offered the students added responsibilty, which they handled well, he said.

Village approves employment contracts
 After a closed session at the end of last Wednesday’s regular monthly Village of Baldwin Board meeting, the Board approved employment contracts for the next three years with members of the Department of Public Works union and non-union employees and non-union administrative office employees.
According to Village President Don McGee, the contract calls of increased wages and salaries of three percent for each of the next three years. In return for what McGee termed generous terms, the new contract requires more of a contribution from employees toward health insurance costs in each year of the contract.
McGee said the only employee contracts for village employees left to settle are the police and police clerical.
In other action at the meeting:
-The board approved write-offs of water and sewer bills due to two bankruptcies and because a bill was uncollectable when a former resident moved to another state.
-The board approved a lease of 120 acres to Victor Harris at a price of $50 an acre for 2009. The land is in the village’s new industrial park.
-The board raised the parking ticket fine for parking on village streets overnight during the winter to $20 from $5.
Village Engineer Mike Stoffel of Ayres Associates told the board that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is soliciting projects that are ready to go in March for federal stimulus projects. He said there are only 16 or 17 in the state that will be eligible and that Baldwin doesn’t have one.
-Police Chief Jim Widiker said the Baldwin Police Department applied for an Alcohol Coalition Grant and will receive $8,000. Of that amount, half will be used for labor and half for equipment. Digital recording equipment that will be used for interviews and interrogations will be purchased.
-Department of Public Works Director John Traxler said an insurance company representing the motorist who knocked down a Main Street light pole will depreciate that pole 17% when paying the claim. Traxler said that used replacement poles are non-existent and no labor is figured into the insurance company’s figures. Board members said it would cost more to fight the company’s determination than the extra money that would be received if the village prevailed.

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HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: A Hudson school bus driver remains in the intensive care unit at Regions Hospital in St. Paul following an accident Thursday morning, Feb. 5, at the MR Convenience station store in the town of Hudson. Cheryl Moilanen, 57, was returning to her bus after visiting the convenience store when she was struck by a sport utility vehicle driven by Ann Pierce, 44, of River Falls. The collision knocked Moilanen to the pavement and she struck her head on it, according to Patrol Captain Scott Knudson of the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Department. St. Croix Emergency Medical Services was called to the scene and took Moilanen by ambulance to Hudson Hospital. A medical helicopter met her there and flew her to Regions. According to a www.caringbridge.org site established to keep loved ones and friends informed about her condition, Moilanen has undergone surgery to lessen pressure from the swelling of her brain.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: A wood-burning stove triggered a false alarm Tuesday evening last week after a passerby noticed smoke coming from behind Melgard Monument, 266 Radio Rd. just before 6 p.m. The driver became concerned and called 911, reporting the smoke as a possible structure fire. The River Falls Fire Department responded but found that it was Melgard's outdoor wood-burning stove that raised the driver's suspicions. Smoke but no fire will still cost the company $600, the fee charged to rural fire customers each time the fire department responds. Korey Knott, co-owner with his father of Melgard, said they break up wooden crates to use as fuel in the wood-burning stove. He said it isn't unusual for people to see the smoke and think it's a fire, especially when the wood first goes into the stove. "We usually have one a year," Knott said about the false-alarm fire calls. He said the business appreciates people's concern. He considers it a good year if his company pays for only one false-alarm call. Assistant Fire Chief Mike Moody says false-alarm calls happen more easily with the proliferation of cell phones. He said faulty or oversensitive smoke and carbon monoxide detectors also trigger many false alarms.

AMERY FREE PRESS: Matthew Owen Hoff, 30, Amery, was arrested Saturday, Feb. 7, after St. Croix Falls police were dispatched to MarketPlace Foods for a theft of meat that had just occurred. Dispatch advised that the vehicle was traveling east on USH 8 and the vehicle was located and stopped. Inside, within plain view were several packages of meat with MarketPlace Foods labels on them. Other packages in the vehicle were determined to have belonged to Dick's Fresh Market of Amery. The four occupants in the vehicle all told the officer that Hoff came running out of MarketPlace Foods with his arms full of food, entered the vehicle and told the driver to hurry and leave. A witness to the theft from MarketPlace Foods came to the traffic stop and identified Hoff as the person who ran from the store with the food. Other occupants in the vehicle told the officer that Hoff had also stolen meat and alcohol from Dick's Fresh Market in Amery prior to traveling to St. Croix Falls. Hoff was charged with shoplifting and on a Wisconsin department of corrections warrant.

Wagner signs with University of Minnesota

Baldwin-Woodville's standout senior runner Kayla Wagner signed to accept a scholarship to run for the University of Minnesota next year. While the scholarship is for track, Wagner will also be expected to run cross country in the fall. She is pictured above at the conference room at B-W High School with her mother Linda, brother Zac and father Mike. Also present for the signing were her cross country coach Jen Cimino, track Coach Darren Peterson, Athletic Director Wade Labecki and High School Prinicipal Eric Russell.

Anderson and Perkins sentenced for unlicensed butter processing operation in Woodville

Erik C. Peterson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Mark Anderson, 38, Long Lake, Minn., and Steven Perkins, 48, Spicer, Minn., were each sentenced last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Crocker to one year of probation and 300 hours of community service for introducing adulterated butter into interstate commerce. Anderson and Perkins each pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor charge on August 29, 2008.
The evidence showed that in April 2003, Anderson and Perkins embarked on a project to process butter at a food plant in Iowa. An inspector with the Iowa Department of Agriculture inspected the butter and the process on April 23, 2003, and deemed it unfit for human consumption and refused to approve the process.
Anderson and Perkins disagreed with the inspector's conclusions and moved the project, including the butter, to Woodville Warehousing and Distribution in Woodville where the process continued until May 16, 2003, when a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Inspector went to Woodville following an anonymous tip of unlicensed food processing.
The inspector found that Woodville was engaging in an unlicensed butter processing operation. The inspector specifically noted that the primary, secondary and tertiary butter packaging was exposed to environmental contamination and that dark particles appeared in the butter itself. In addition, the inspector found that some of the boxes containing butter had stickers on them indicating the butter was "inedible" and therefore not fit for human consumption. Finally, the inspector noted that there were no hand washing stations and that the equipment being used was not approved for dairy processing.
At that time, approximately 86,000 pounds of butter had already been shipped from Woodville to Minnesota. The inspector put a hold on approximately 200,000 pounds of butter that remained at Woodville in connection with this operation.
In sentencing Perkins and Anderson, Magistrate Judge Crocker said that the process appeared doomed from the start and that when "the wheels came off the truck" at the plant in Cresco, Iowa, Anderson and Perkins should have stopped it and never moved it to Woodville. The Magistrate Judge found that Anderson and Perkins lacked the common sense to cut their losses and mislead their partners at North Central Companies.
Woodville Warehousing and Distributing, LLC, was previously sentenced in connection with this case to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine for its role in contaminating and adulterating butter that was processed and held for sale at the warehouse, and later shipped in interstate commerce. During his plea hearing, Ronald Reik, owner of Woodville, admitted that during an approximate three-week period in May 2003, Woodville engaged in the above-described butter processing
operation on behalf of Anderson and Perkins.

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CENTRAL ST. CROIX NEWS: According to St. Croix County Circuit Court records, Judge Edward Vlack on Monday filed a decision on a case filed by former Roberts Police Chief Ricci Prein against the Village of Roberts and the Roberts Police Review Board. Vlack denied Prein's appeal to reverse the decision of the Roberts Police Review Board to support the village board's request to fire Prein in August. Vlack determined there was just cause to sustain the charges brought against Prein by the Village of Roberts. The Police Review Board's August decision was reached after two days of testimony regarding a complaint alleging several charges of misconduct against Prein, including his conduct to his subordinated police officers; his conduct toward members of the public; being at L&M's Bar after closing time; and using the internet for personal use in the course of his work.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: There's been no January thaw to speak of, but that hasn't kept vehicles from crashing through Mississippi River ice. Goodhue County (Minn.) Sheriff's deputies said Wilson resident Wayne Schmitt was driving his 2008 Dodge truck loaded with three passengers early last week when the incident occurred. He was driving from the Wisconsin side to Methodist Point, just north of Florence Beach in Minnesota. The truck came to rest in about five feet of water. Ice fisherman came to the group's rescue, according to reports. All four occupants - plus a dog - escaped safely, same as the previous weekend when a Dennison, Iowa man's pickup truck plunged through the ice in the same area. Goodhue County deputies who know the waters said that's not a coincidence. Sgt. Kris Johnson said the current runs directly into a sandbar extending off the point. When frozen, the effect creates a pressure ridge that is dangerous, no matter how cold the air temperature gets.

HUDSON STAR-OBSERVER: A community is hoping and praying that a 20-year-old Stillwater, Minn., woman will recover from the serious head trauma she suffered when her small pickup truck plunged from a freeway overpass in Hudson. Marissa Ann Saad was eastbound on Interstate 94 Wednesday morning, Jan. 28 when she came upon another pickup truck that had slid into the center median all at Exit 1. Saad lost control of her 2000 Ford Ranger when attempting to avoid hitting the other truck. Her vehicle vaulted over a guardrail, sailed through the air and plunged nose-first onto Front Street, which passes beneath the freeway. Dan Krusell, who lives just south of the accident scene was driving north on Front Street when he saw Saad's truck spinning out of control on the freeway above. He stopped his vehicle and along with his 10-year-old son, Kevin, witnessed the crash 80 feet in front of him. Krusell said the Ranger landed on its hood and came to rest on its wheels. "I mean, she was flying. It was just a terrible crash," said Krusell, who hours later was still shaken by what he had seen. I can't get that image out of my head, really," he said. Krusell was the first to reach Saad's vehicle. He said he opened the door and turned off the vehicle's engine, which amazingly, was still running. Saad was unconscious and she didn't respond to his voice when he tried to awaken her, he said. She was alone in the vehicle and wearing a seatbelt. Tyler Westphal of Hudson, Saad's boyfriend, said from the hospital Tuesday morning that he had just been told that Saad was going to be put into a chemically induced coma to relieve swelling of her brain. "They don't say too much," Westphal said of what he had learned about Saad's condition from the hospital staff. "She's still hanging in there strong. She's made it this far. She's going to pull through this, I hope," he said, then added, "she will." Westphal said Saad's loved ones were told immediately after the accident that she wouldn't live.

TRIBUNE PRESS REPORTER: After striking and believing to have killed a monster black bear with their combine, Neil and Phyllis Schlough paid $75 to keep the trophy and have it mounted. While hitting the bear was a surprise, the Schloughs got another when the bear was confiscated by the DNR. The DNR contends that the bear was dead when Neil Schlough hit it with the combine and that it had died after being illegally shot by a man from North Dakota who had been deer hunting on the property days prior. According to state statutes, wildlife that is unlawfully taken is retained by the state. But adding to the issue is the exceptional size of the bear, which may have weighed more than 700 pounds and be a contender for the record books. Bears are measured based on skull dimensions and this bear's skull will likely be measured after the required drying period. While the Schloughs are not being charged with any wildlife violations, Phyllis Scholugh said there is more to the story and that they will be fighting to get their bear back.

MONDOVI HERALD NEWS: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a Mondovi man's auto insurance will not cover his son's accident that occurred in 2004. The court says that the auto insurance policy of Dennis Lisowski that was carried through Hastings Mutual Insurance Co., will not have to cover expenses incurred from an accident involving his son Jonathan Listowski and the family's 1996 Dodge Avenger because the vehicle was not covered by the policy. Jonathan Lisowski claimed that he should be covered under his father's insurance policy which covers his father's Mack semi and pays for accidents involving under insured motorists. In January 2004, Lisowski was involved in a two-car accident south of Gilmanton that resulted in three fatalities and critically injured three others including Lisowski. The 1996 Dodge Avenger was one of two vehicles involved in the accident.

Greg Gossel getting attention in art world

Baldwin-Woodville graduate Greg Gossel is pictured in front of one of his creations.

Greg Gossel is taking part in an art show 'Worlds on Fire," an exhibition showcasing artist portraits of Grammy-nominated artists, which opened February 2, in Los Angeles. The show is presented by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and curated by artist Kris Lewis and Justin Giarla of the Shooting Gallery.
Gossel was born in 1982 in Baldwin. After graduating from Baldwin-Woodville High School, he continued at the University of Wisonsin-Eau Claire, for a major in design in 2005.
After establishing his painting technique, his work began to express an interplay of many diverse words, images, and gestures. His career continues to develop, with varieties of multi-layered paintings on canvas and paper illustrating a visual history of change, in media infiltration throughout the use of commercial images. To gain his desired affect, he splatters paint, screen-prints images, photo transfers text, stencils, and lacquers building a complex and rich image surface.
Based in street art techniques, these methods depict the chaos in American society. Giving a nod to pop art and graffiti, he depicts the current events in contemporary society with a new take those periods.
"My work is about life, the struggle, and the beauty. I try to accomplish this through the interplay of many diverse words, images, and gestures," Gossel said. "I'm interested in process — building up a surface and layering a variety of mediums; spraying, printing, splashing, erasing, dripping, and writing in a very loose and spontaneous way. When a piece is finished, I want it to illustrate a visual history of change, process, and expression."
Since his first show with Shooting Gallery in 2006 he has been extremely prolific, showing from Red Dot art fair in New York in May 2008, to Red Dot art fair in London in October 2008, Los Angeles in November 2008 and Aqua Art Miami in December 2008.
He currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is represented by Justin Giarla of the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco.
A link to pieces for the show can be found at: www.greggossel.com/worldonfire/.
"I'm represented by the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, and upcoming for 2009 I'll be showing my work at the SCOPE art fair in New York in March, a solo exhibition at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco in June, and a three person exhibition in Toronto this July," Gossel said.
"I'm meeting with a gallery owner to talk about potentially working together on a show here in Minneapolis later this year," Gossel noted.

Fusion clinch conference title for second straight year

With wins of over Chippewa Falls and Hudson, the St. Croix Valley Fusion clinched the Big Rivers Conference title for the second straight year — the first two years of conference play for the girls.
Coach Matt Cranston noted with a win over Menomonie on Thursday the Fusion would have a perfect 16-0 record over that two year span.
The Fusion Beat Chippewa Falls 2-0 on Thursday and Hudson 1-0 on Saturday. Devin Roen added both games to her shutout collection and now has recorded 11 for the season, Cranston added.
The Fusion are now 17-0-1 overall and 7-0-0 in the Big Rivers Conference. The team has two regular season games remaining. On Thursday they are at Menomonie and on Saturday , February 14 they play at Point/Rapids.

Mikayla Doornink won speaking contest

Mikayla Doornink, a senior at B-W High School, was the winner in the prepared speech category in the district FFA speaking contest held at St. Croix Central High School on Monday, January 26. Her speech was titled "rBST/Ag Technology."
Mikayla advances to the sectional FFA speaking contest that will be held in New Richmond in March.

Cookies are Ruth TeGrootenhuis' specialty

The Christmas baking season may be long gone, but one local lady continues to churn out cookies as if it were the height of the holidays.
Ruth TeGrootenhuis, by her own account, has baked roughly 42,000 cookies since she started routinely baking cookies two or three times a week about 20 years ago. "I've got to have something to do when I'm by myself," she explained.
TeGrootenhuis, of Baldwin, bakes cookies Wednesdays and Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, too. She also works three times a week as an activity aide at Park View Nursing Home. She has worked there for the past 22 years.
Since starting her cookie baking routine, Ruth's friends, co-workers, pastors who visit at Park View and her daughter and her family and co-workers have all benefited by being supplied by fresh cookies.
When she started, Ruth used to make three or four kinds of cookies, but now makes just chocolate chip cookies. Baking all those cookies gets expensive, she said, but for Christmas she received a large bag of chips as well as flour and sugar.
Ruth and her husband Bill lived in Woodville for many years, but when he died unexpectedly in 1982 at the relatively young age of 59, Ruth and her daughter Terry moved to Baldwin to be closer to Terry's work. Terry is now married to Hans Ostergaard and teaches in the Ellsworth School District. Terry and Hans are the parents of Ruth's two grandchildren. Terry and her colleagues all benefit from Ruth's cookie baking penchant.
Recently Ruth started baking muffins with no sugar for her diabetic friends. The muffins are made with raisins, applesauce and bran cereal.

From the Exchanges
Interesting News Items from
Surrounding Communities

AMERY FREE PRESS: Amery police were dispatched to Arlington Drive on Friday, January 23, for a reported burglary in progress. Nearing the location, the officer was informed the suspects had left the area in a small vehicle, heading west on Arlington in the direction of the dead end and had not yet returned. The homeowner advised that the vehicle was still parked on the street. The victim said that three persons had just walked into his house when they realized they were in the wrong house they left. However, when they left, the victim looked out the window and saw them going through the back of his truck. He went out and caught one of his ice auger and tip-ups in his hands, they were put back, but he was missing his Vexilar fish finder. The officer then went to another residence on Arlington Drive, heard yelling in the house and the sound of doors closing and what appeared to be people running from the back of the house. The officer was met by two females that he knew. The owner came in and the officer explained what had happened. The officer observed that one or more were obviously very intoxicated. the officer learned the name of one of the individuals which is Bryan J. Church, 27, New Richmond. No one admitted knowing where the two males had gone. The officer notified other officers that there were two males on foot in the area, possibly heading for the lake. After checking the vehicle for the Vexilar fish finder, the officer heard yelling from inside the house, went in and found the owner of the house yelling at Church, who was then led outside and taken into custody. As he was placed in the squad car, the officer heard more yelling from inside and another male came out of the residence. Reports were taken and Church was arrested, charged with theft and on a Polk county warrant.

RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: She's skinny, about 50 pounds, 8-12 months old, no collar or tags. Mixed breed: Shepherd's hair, Labrador's body, Rottweiler's coloring. Last week Monday just after 12:30 p.m. the dog poked through a guardrail on the Hwy. 35/65 bypass over Division Street, darted across the road and was hit by a southbound Ellsworth pickup driver. The elderly man, who had just turned onto the bypass and hadn't reached highway speed said he clipped the dog with his bumper but didn't run her over. After the impact, the dog rolled, picked herself up and crawled up a snow bank. The Ellsworth man and a female driver stopped to look after the still-breathing dog. Her nose was bloody and she had a broken tooth, but no skin lacerations. Police were called, then KinniCroix and River Falls Veterinary Hospital.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: The sparky points of a taser put an end to an Eagan, Minn., man's romp on Maui at the expense of a Diamond Bluff woman he had promised to marry. James E. Jackson, 40, now sits in a Maui correctional facility awaiting extradition to Wisconsin after being taken into custody by Maui police on Jan. 9. "The judge in Hawaii wants him (Jackson) to face charges there first before sending him back to Wisconsin," said Lt. Dennis Sorenson of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. Jackson met Kathleen Cullen, 49, in September at Prescott Days and he then moved into her home just after Thanksgiving. The two were planning a Las Vegas wedding. But on December 23, Jackson told Cullen he had a business meeting in Grand Forks, N.D., and flew away. However, the plane wasn't going to Grand Forks, he was on a one-way trip to Hawaii, all paid for by using Cullen's credit card information he allegedly had taken. Several other things were missing including her laptop, cell phone and other items totaling approximately $7,500.

Terry Stone recognized for 25 years of service

Terry Stone's 25 years of service to the Baldwin-Woodville Wrestling Club was recognized prior to the B-W/Prescott wrestling match Thursday. He is pictured at right with members/officers of the Wrestling Club who presented the award, from left: Dave Smith, Anissa Peterson and Sheila Mikla.

Ambulance chief disciplined by Village Board

After a meeting held in open session, a letter written by the village attorney that will then be reviewed by the village's Ambulance Committee, will be put in Baldwin Ambulance Service Director Craig Nelson's personnel file. The meeting was held in open session at the request of Nelson. It was held last Wednesday.
According to Village Administrator Cindy Deringer, discussion at the meeting included complaints regarding treatment and disrespect perceived by fellow EMTs. The motion passed by the board was that there be no suspension of Nelson because not enough information was presented but:
-Nelson is to get someone for runs during the day so he has more time for administrative work;
-Nelson is to delegate authority more often;
-Nelson is to report to the Ambulance Committee how he is reducing his work load; and
-the Village Board requests that Nelson regularly take days off of work.

DNR issues pollution discharge permit to Emerald Dairy

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently issued a state pollution discharge or (WPDES) permit to St. Croix County-based Emerald Dairy allowing the facility to discharge water from its state of the art wastewater treatment system to Dry Run Creek rather than having to landspread it – the current standard practice in the nation. Emerald Dairy’s discharged water will be very clean, closely monitored and limited to assure it does not impact the stream.
“John Vrieze and Emerald Dairy have shown remarkable initiative in advancing water quality protection and manure handling in the dairy industry,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank. “They are revolutionizing the dairy industry and putting Wisconsin in the national forefront for progressive and environmentally sensitive farming.”
Large farms such as Emerald Dairy, called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, are required in Wisconsin to obtain wastewater permits from the DNR in order to monitor and assure manure is handled safely and in a manner that protects the state’s waters.
As part of the terms for the modified permit, Emerald Dairy will discharge daily up to 30,000 gallons of water treated using a reverse osmosis system. A number of specific and stringent restrictions on the discharge permit assure protection of surface waters near the facility. Remaining solids and liquids from the treatment system will be landspread in smaller quantities than traditional operations, making them less susceptible to runoff.
“The staff at the DNR has worked hard to get the Emerald Dairy permit issued, and the results speak for themselves,” said Secretary Frank. “Emerald Dairy is treating water to comply with state water quality standards and guard against run off pollution.
“This is a great example of our work with the agricultural community to ensure Wisconsin maintains a strong agricultural economy while continuing our commitment to protect the environment,” said Secretary Frank. “We support the efforts of farmers and the agricultural community as a whole to use technology and innovation to protect the environment and keep Wisconsin’s agricultural economy strong."

Pie contest at Library January 31

The Friends of the Baldwin Library is sponsoring a fun filled afternoon on Saturday, Jauary 31, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. A pie baking contest will be a highlight of event. To coincide with the baking contest will be a pie eating contest beginning at 5:00 p.m.
An auction will be held at 4:00 p.m. with items donated by local businessess (and pies).
There will be entertainment for every one to enjoy. The Library is located the Baldwin Municipal Building, 400 Cedar Sreet.
The cost is $5.00 for adults; $2.00 for children four and up; and free for children under four.

From the Exchanges
Interesting News Items from
Surrounding Communities

CENTRAL ST. CROIX NEWS (HAMMOND): The second Wednesdays of each of the final three months of school - March 11, April 8 and May 13, St. Croix Central students will be dismissed from school at 12:45 p.m. The board of education on Monday approved a proposal brought forth by Superintendent David Bradley to schedule the early dismissals for teacher professional development. When Bradley began with the district in July, he said the focus of the district could now shift from building projects to "student achievement, professional development and instruction." Previous discussions had included the school offering options for students on early dismissal days, but the action Monday did not include any allowances for that.

MONDOVI HERALD NEWS: A Mondovi florist accused of embezzling $21,000 from a 4-H organization is charged for felony theft in Buffalo County. John L. Gehrke, 56, owner of Gehrke Floral in Mondovi, allegedly stole money from 4-H accounts to help support his business, according to a criminal complaint filed by Buffalo County District Attorney, Tom Clark. Gehrke was treasurer of the Buffalo County 4-H Leaders Association, a non-profit organization set up to raise money for 4-H youth programs. Buffalo County sheriff's investigators questioned Gehrke after other 4-H group officers discovered financial discrepancies and missing funds from the organization's bank account. The complaint filed against Gehrke claims he stole money by making cash withdrawals, writing checks made out to cash or issuing checks made out to Gherke Floral or the Mondovi Church Softball League.

HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: A former Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) employee pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to charges of health care fraud. Kim Joann Austen, 47, of Hudson pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. She entered her plea in Minneapolis before United States District Court Judge James Rosenbaum. Austen was indicted on Oct. 7, 2008. According to Austin's plea agreement, she admitted that from August 2003 through September 2008 she knowingly and willfully executed a scheme to defraud Medicaid, a federal health care benefit program, by obtaining through false representations money owned by and under the custody and control of Medicaid, in connection with the payment for health care benefits and services. Specifically, Austen used her position of employment within the DHS to fraudulently cause the State of Minnesota to issue 23 checks payable to an adult male, who is not a Medicaid provider. After the checks were issued, Austen admitted that they were cashed and converted to personal use. The total gross amount of funds disbursed in connection with the scheme was more than $1.1 million.

THE SUN (OSCEOLA): As President Barack Obama formally took his oath of office, in at least one small way the communities in the St. Croix River valley were represented. Osceola sixth-grader Paul Willett was there in Washington Tuesday during the historic event. In December, Willett, 12, wrote a letter to U.S. Representative Dave Obey asking for tickets to the inauguration event. He had done a few school reports on Obama for a class and based his letter and his request on what he'd learned from the reports. A staff person from Obey's office called the Willetts and said they liked Paul's letter so much they were offering him three tickets. Obey's office only gave away about 500 tickets. "I was not really expecting it," Willett said. His parents were unable to make the trip, Willett was accompanied by his aunt, Mary Medcraft and her son Nate, 22, They left for Washington last Sunday.

PIERCE COUNTY HERALD: A former Maiden Rock woman who told four women she had a baby to adopt when, in fact, she didn’t pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to four counts of wire fraud. Melissa Christiansen, 31, now of Red Wing, was indicted in August with scheming to obtain an unspecified amount of money from four women by emailing, instant messaging or phoning them she was pregnant and wanted to place her infant up for adoption. Although selling an infant is illegal, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman, the case against Christiansen is about wire fraud, which is making false representations by electronic communication in order obtain to money.

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