Lodi Soldier Thankful To Be Home
11/27/09 - The Columbia County soldier wounded in the Fort Hood massacre says he’s coming to terms with what happened – and he appreciates life a lot more. Army Reserve Specialist Grant Moxon spent Thanksgiving with his family in Lodi. He says the memories are still raw – and being home gives him a chance to recover mentally as well as physically. His mother said it’s extra special to have him home, while others were not as fortunate. Moxon’s 467th Medical Detachment lost three members in the November fifth shootings. The 23-year-old Moxon was one of four soldiers injured; he was shot in the left leg. He said the bullet went in about two inches above the knee, and it will stay lodged in his thigh because it might cause muscle damage to have it removed. Moxon said he was sitting with other members of his unit when they heard shouting, and then the gunshots. Like others, he thought it was a training exercise at first. But when the bullet his leg, he thought enough to play dead for a time before running out of his building with others. Moxon walks with a cane which he hopes to throw out in a couple weeks. He says he’d like to work at his Army unit’s office in Madison, and maybe seek a master’s degree in psychology.
Kennedy: ‘Future of Beaver Dam Looks Bright’
11/27/09 - The future of Beaver Dam looks bright. That’s what Mayor Tom Kennedy said during his State of the City address during this weeks annual Economic Development Luncheon sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Kennedy says next years budget was resolved without any lay-offs or cuts in municipal services and in no way “mortgages the city’s future through decisions with short-term benefits.” County Board Chairman Russ Kottke says it was a tough year but there was a point-zero-six percent growth in the total value of the county, which helped the county budget. There were no lay-offs this year but Kottke noted that four positions went unfulfilled in the Highway Department.
BDAAA Holiday Gift Gallery is Open For Business
11/27/09 - It may be Black Friday, but the Beaver Dam Area Arts Association has every color of the rainbow represented in their annual winter exhibit. Organizers say the Holiday Gift Gallery is as much of an art show as it is a unique shopping experience. The Associations Betty Singer says she spent the summer scouting artwork across the state and this year’s holiday exhibit features 52 Wisconsin artists in a variety of mediums. The Beaver Dam Area Arts Associations Holiday Gift Gallery has extended hours through December 23 with the Seippel Center open everyday from 1pm to 5pm, except Saturday’s when they will be open 10am to 5pm. In addition, the gallery will be open late tonight – until 9pm -- with a few extra surprises – like live music and family activities - intended to make the holiday shopping experience that much more memorable. The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association is located inside the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts at 1605 North Spring Street in Beaver Dam, which is right next door to Culvers Restaurant.
Columbus Library Petitions For Space Needs Study
11/27/09 - The Columbus Public Library Board has requested City Council support in a space needs study. Increasing heavy usage of the Public Library has led to discussions on possible expansion. Board President Peter Kaland reported this has seen a 16 % increase in check outs and commended Library staff for their ability to keep requested resources on hand. Due to user success the Board has requested the Council give them input on the Library’s direction and approve funding for an architectural study. The Board is hoping to raise additional funds and public support in the expansion effort.
Wastewater Regionalization Public Hearing Scheduled
11/27/09 - A Public Hearing on “Regionalization” of wastewater systems in Fall River and Columbus is scheduled for Monday, December 14th. The Fall River Board will talk with residents about joint engineering plans, options available and impending utility rate increases. The Village is working on a check list from MSA municipal consultants to be completed to apply for a USDA loan. The list also includes measures necessary to satisfy increasing DNR wastewater requirements. The Hearing is scheduled for 6:00 pm at the Fall River Schools’ Multi-Purpose Room.
Oshkosh Man Re-Dedicates Business Follwing Deaths
11/27/09 - An Oshkosh man plans to re-dedicate his business to the memory of his two sons who died in a mobile home fire in Florida six days ago. Forrest Belanger, who owns a lawn care business, is mourning the loss of his estranged wife Tabitha, their six-year-old son Hunter, and four-year-old son Nicholas. A memorial service for the family is planned next Friday in Oshkosh. Tabitha Belanger moved to Ocala Florida four years ago, and was engaged to Aron Chase. And two sons from that couple also died in the blaze – three-month-old Aron Junior and two-year-old Michael. Forrest’s mother, Linda Moen, said electrical problems caused the fire in a mobile home that was almost 40 years old. Moen said her family did not have much contact with Tabitha Belanger until a couple months ago – when Tabitha began e-mailing photos of Forrest’s two sons to their grandmother. Moen said Forrest was waiting to be a part of the boys’ lives again.
Deer Donations Projected To Drop
11/27/09 - It’s the final weekend of Wisconsin’s gun deer hunting season. And a program that feeds the needy hopes hunters will still find it in their hearts to donate their animals. This is the 10th anniversary of “Hunt for the Hungry,” which donated over three-million pounds of ground venison to 700 pantries going into this year. The recession creates an even bigger demand for those donations. But the deer harvest was down 25-percent in the season’s opening weekend. And Hunt-for-the-Hungry coordinator Lee Dudek says donations could be down 50-percent this year. He says some hunters may need the deer-meat for themselves – or perhaps for family-or-friends who need help. Monica Clare of the Saint Joseph Food Program in Menasha says the demand for help has risen by up to 25-percent. And except for Thanksgiving turkeys, Clare says people generally do not donate meat anymore. As a result, her pantry gives out meat just once a month to those it serves – and she says her clients love the venison which hunters donate. Meat processor Peter Ellenz of Appleton said he hoped colder temperatures – and maybe a little snow – will increase his shop’s activity this weekend.
Doyle: ‘State Must Attract Quality Teachers’
11/27/09 - Governor Jim Doyle says Wisconsin schools must attract more high-quality teachers, and support them so they don’t leave. Doyle says ways to achieve both will be included in the state’s application for federal stimulus money, as part of President Obama’s “Race to the Top” education program. Doyle spoke this week at Alverno College in Milwaukee, where he praised two education programs which allow mid-career professionals to become teachers, as well as those with degrees in other fields. Doyle said programs like Alverno’s would be a major part of the application for stimulus funds. The governor and Legislature will soon work on its final measures for the state’s funding bid. They’ll include improvements for early childhood schooling, new ideas for teacher preparation, and creating children’s zones to keep kids in Milwaukee.
Badger State Has 15th Highest Tax Burden
11/27/09 - Wisconsin has the nation’s 15th-highest total tax burden. That’s according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which analyzed U-S Census figures on taxing-and-spending as of 2007. It was the latest data available. And it does not include the billions-of-dollars in tax-and-fee hikes the Badger State and others adopted this year to balance their budgets. Wisconsin’s income tax fell earlier this decade. It’s still 24-percent above the national average, but it was up to 50-percent above the norm in the 1980’s-and-‘90’s. The property tax is still the nation’s 11th-highest compared to incomes – a rank that has changed little over the years. Wisconsin’s sales tax has not changed in decades, even though counties gradually passed their own half-percent sales taxes. Meanwhile, state-and-local government spending dropped from the 14th highest to the 23rd. And school spending per resident fell below the national average in 2007 for the first time in two decades. John Ashley of the Association of School Boards says the state’s 16-year-old revenue limits have forced schools to cut class offerings at a time when the public demands more academics and better performance. Former Thompson administration secretary George Lightbourn, who now heads the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, says taxes are just one part of being economically competitive. And he believes the state is lagging in other areas, like income growth and jobs.
11/27/09 - The Columbia County soldier wounded in the Fort Hood massacre says he’s coming to terms with what happened – and he appreciates life a lot more. Army Reserve Specialist Grant Moxon spent Thanksgiving with his family in Lodi. He says the memories are still raw – and being home gives him a chance to recover mentally as well as physically. His mother said it’s extra special to have him home, while others were not as fortunate. Moxon’s 467th Medical Detachment lost three members in the November fifth shootings. The 23-year-old Moxon was one of four soldiers injured; he was shot in the left leg. He said the bullet went in about two inches above the knee, and it will stay lodged in his thigh because it might cause muscle damage to have it removed. Moxon said he was sitting with other members of his unit when they heard shouting, and then the gunshots. Like others, he thought it was a training exercise at first. But when the bullet his leg, he thought enough to play dead for a time before running out of his building with others. Moxon walks with a cane which he hopes to throw out in a couple weeks. He says he’d like to work at his Army unit’s office in Madison, and maybe seek a master’s degree in psychology.
Kennedy: ‘Future of Beaver Dam Looks Bright’
11/27/09 - The future of Beaver Dam looks bright. That’s what Mayor Tom Kennedy said during his State of the City address during this weeks annual Economic Development Luncheon sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Kennedy says next years budget was resolved without any lay-offs or cuts in municipal services and in no way “mortgages the city’s future through decisions with short-term benefits.” County Board Chairman Russ Kottke says it was a tough year but there was a point-zero-six percent growth in the total value of the county, which helped the county budget. There were no lay-offs this year but Kottke noted that four positions went unfulfilled in the Highway Department.
BDAAA Holiday Gift Gallery is Open For Business
11/27/09 - It may be Black Friday, but the Beaver Dam Area Arts Association has every color of the rainbow represented in their annual winter exhibit. Organizers say the Holiday Gift Gallery is as much of an art show as it is a unique shopping experience. The Associations Betty Singer says she spent the summer scouting artwork across the state and this year’s holiday exhibit features 52 Wisconsin artists in a variety of mediums. The Beaver Dam Area Arts Associations Holiday Gift Gallery has extended hours through December 23 with the Seippel Center open everyday from 1pm to 5pm, except Saturday’s when they will be open 10am to 5pm. In addition, the gallery will be open late tonight – until 9pm -- with a few extra surprises – like live music and family activities - intended to make the holiday shopping experience that much more memorable. The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association is located inside the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts at 1605 North Spring Street in Beaver Dam, which is right next door to Culvers Restaurant.
Columbus Library Petitions For Space Needs Study
11/27/09 - The Columbus Public Library Board has requested City Council support in a space needs study. Increasing heavy usage of the Public Library has led to discussions on possible expansion. Board President Peter Kaland reported this has seen a 16 % increase in check outs and commended Library staff for their ability to keep requested resources on hand. Due to user success the Board has requested the Council give them input on the Library’s direction and approve funding for an architectural study. The Board is hoping to raise additional funds and public support in the expansion effort.
Wastewater Regionalization Public Hearing Scheduled
11/27/09 - A Public Hearing on “Regionalization” of wastewater systems in Fall River and Columbus is scheduled for Monday, December 14th. The Fall River Board will talk with residents about joint engineering plans, options available and impending utility rate increases. The Village is working on a check list from MSA municipal consultants to be completed to apply for a USDA loan. The list also includes measures necessary to satisfy increasing DNR wastewater requirements. The Hearing is scheduled for 6:00 pm at the Fall River Schools’ Multi-Purpose Room.
Oshkosh Man Re-Dedicates Business Follwing Deaths
11/27/09 - An Oshkosh man plans to re-dedicate his business to the memory of his two sons who died in a mobile home fire in Florida six days ago. Forrest Belanger, who owns a lawn care business, is mourning the loss of his estranged wife Tabitha, their six-year-old son Hunter, and four-year-old son Nicholas. A memorial service for the family is planned next Friday in Oshkosh. Tabitha Belanger moved to Ocala Florida four years ago, and was engaged to Aron Chase. And two sons from that couple also died in the blaze – three-month-old Aron Junior and two-year-old Michael. Forrest’s mother, Linda Moen, said electrical problems caused the fire in a mobile home that was almost 40 years old. Moen said her family did not have much contact with Tabitha Belanger until a couple months ago – when Tabitha began e-mailing photos of Forrest’s two sons to their grandmother. Moen said Forrest was waiting to be a part of the boys’ lives again.
Deer Donations Projected To Drop
11/27/09 - It’s the final weekend of Wisconsin’s gun deer hunting season. And a program that feeds the needy hopes hunters will still find it in their hearts to donate their animals. This is the 10th anniversary of “Hunt for the Hungry,” which donated over three-million pounds of ground venison to 700 pantries going into this year. The recession creates an even bigger demand for those donations. But the deer harvest was down 25-percent in the season’s opening weekend. And Hunt-for-the-Hungry coordinator Lee Dudek says donations could be down 50-percent this year. He says some hunters may need the deer-meat for themselves – or perhaps for family-or-friends who need help. Monica Clare of the Saint Joseph Food Program in Menasha says the demand for help has risen by up to 25-percent. And except for Thanksgiving turkeys, Clare says people generally do not donate meat anymore. As a result, her pantry gives out meat just once a month to those it serves – and she says her clients love the venison which hunters donate. Meat processor Peter Ellenz of Appleton said he hoped colder temperatures – and maybe a little snow – will increase his shop’s activity this weekend.
Doyle: ‘State Must Attract Quality Teachers’
11/27/09 - Governor Jim Doyle says Wisconsin schools must attract more high-quality teachers, and support them so they don’t leave. Doyle says ways to achieve both will be included in the state’s application for federal stimulus money, as part of President Obama’s “Race to the Top” education program. Doyle spoke this week at Alverno College in Milwaukee, where he praised two education programs which allow mid-career professionals to become teachers, as well as those with degrees in other fields. Doyle said programs like Alverno’s would be a major part of the application for stimulus funds. The governor and Legislature will soon work on its final measures for the state’s funding bid. They’ll include improvements for early childhood schooling, new ideas for teacher preparation, and creating children’s zones to keep kids in Milwaukee.
Badger State Has 15th Highest Tax Burden
11/27/09 - Wisconsin has the nation’s 15th-highest total tax burden. That’s according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which analyzed U-S Census figures on taxing-and-spending as of 2007. It was the latest data available. And it does not include the billions-of-dollars in tax-and-fee hikes the Badger State and others adopted this year to balance their budgets. Wisconsin’s income tax fell earlier this decade. It’s still 24-percent above the national average, but it was up to 50-percent above the norm in the 1980’s-and-‘90’s. The property tax is still the nation’s 11th-highest compared to incomes – a rank that has changed little over the years. Wisconsin’s sales tax has not changed in decades, even though counties gradually passed their own half-percent sales taxes. Meanwhile, state-and-local government spending dropped from the 14th highest to the 23rd. And school spending per resident fell below the national average in 2007 for the first time in two decades. John Ashley of the Association of School Boards says the state’s 16-year-old revenue limits have forced schools to cut class offerings at a time when the public demands more academics and better performance. Former Thompson administration secretary George Lightbourn, who now heads the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, says taxes are just one part of being economically competitive. And he believes the state is lagging in other areas, like income growth and jobs.
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