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Here are a selection of brief news items from this week’s paper edition, and possibly a few news briefs that didn’t make it in the paper.
Holmen set for 15th family reading night
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PET OF THE WEEK: Walter is a 2- to 3-year-old short-hair neutered black cat. As is the case for well over 1,000 cats annually, Walter arrived at the humane society as a stray cat. Being that he was already neutered, it is likely he was once part of a family. While we may never know exactly what led up to Walter being in need of our help, we look forward to getting to know his new family. Walter is a handsome young cat. His coat is shiny and soft. His personality is fabulous. He is sweet, affectionate, friendly and very loving. Walter should do very well with children of any age should he join a family with children. He also should do well sharing his life and home with another feline friend or canine pal. For more information on any of the animals at the Coulee Region Humane Society, call 781-4014 or stop by 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday or 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. |
The Holmen Family Reading Committee will sponsor its 15th annual Family Literacy Evening at Holmen High School on Thursday, Nov. 19.
The featured entertainer for this year’s event is Bob Kann, who aims to inspire kids to read with his storytelling, magic, and juggling program, “Read! Read! Read! It’s Magic!!!” There will be two free performances held in the Fine Arts Center at 5:30 and 7 p.m.
Each child (infant through grade five) who resides in the Holmen School District and attends one of the evening’s performances will receive a free book.
The book distribution is made possible through the efforts of the Family Reading Committee with funding provided by the Holmen Area Foundation’s Community Enhancement Grant; the Holmen Viking Fund for Educational Excellence; Evergreen, Prairie View, Sand Lake, and Viking Elementary parent/teacher organizations and Jeans Day funds; and the School District of Holmen Instructional Services Department.
A hot dog meal (which includes a hot dog, chips, beverage, and a cookie) will be available for $1. Meals will be served in the commons area from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
The Family Literacy Evening is part of the districtwide celebration of American Education Week.
HHS group collects for overseas troops
Holmen High School’s One-by-One organization is gathering items for care packages for HHS graduates serving in the military overseas.
People can help make the soldiers’ holidays better by donating any of the following items: wrapped candy (not chocolate), beef jerky, DVDs, CDs, paperback books, crossword books, greeting cards, toiletries, chap stick and wipettes. Handwritten letters also would be appreciated.
Items can be dropped off in the front office at HHS in the collection box by Nov. 16.
Snowmobile club plans annual dance
Flashback will provide the music at the Coulee Comets Snowmobile Club’s 34th annual Snow’s A-Comin Dance, set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Holmen Area Fire Department, 710 S. Main St.
Advance tickets are available for $5 at Pizza Corral. Tickets are $7 at the door.
First Lutheran fall bazaar is Nov. 14
First Lutheran Church in Onalaska will hold a fall bazaar from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the church, 410 Main St. The event will include a rummage sale, a Christmas room with special craft items, a bake sale with homemade Norwegian goodies and a soup/sandwich luncheon including dessert and beverage. Cost of the luncheon is $4.
Clearwater Farm selling trees, wreaths
Orders are now being taken for Fraser fir Christmas trees and wreaths as part of the seventh annual Clearwater Farm Foundation fundraiser.
Trees pre-ordered by Nov. 18 will get a $5 discount on tree prices, which are $50 for a tree up to 8 feet and $75 for a 9- to 12-foot tree. Fresh balsam wreaths are $20 and $25.
Tree pickup dates will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 at Clearwater Farm on Green Coulee Road in Onalaska.
For more information or to order trees and wreaths, call Shari Collas at 783-0675.
Deadlines moved up for Thanksgiving
News and ad deadlines for the Courier-Life will be moved up the week of Thanksgiving. News and display advertising deadline will be 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23. Classified deadline wil be 2:30 p.m. the same day.
Family Video to open in former Red Giraffe store in Onalaska
Family Video will open its second area location next month in the former The Red Giraffe children’s store at 990 12th Ave. S. in Onalaska.
The Glenview, Ill.-based video rental chain opened its first area store in 2002 at 3514 Mormon Coulee Road, on the South Side of La Crosse. “We hope to open (the Onalaska store) by mid-December,” said Aaron Cole, regional manager.
Family Video bought the Onalaska building in late October and began remodeling the former children’s store last week, Cole said. It plans to use about 6,000 square feet of space for its new Onalaska store and to create a third space with about 1,500 square feet of space available for rent, he said. A Curves for Women fitness and weight-loss center will remain in the north end of the building as a tenant.
“We’re still a growing business,” Cole said of the company’s decision to add an Onalaska store. “A lot of customers (in Onalaska and the North Side of La Crosse) are commuting to our store. And we think it’s an underserved area.”
The Red Giraffe closed in August.
Onalaska graduate has role in History Channel show
People who want to catch a rising star with local ties might want to tune into The History Channel’s “WWII in HD,” which premieres Sunday, Nov. 15 starting at 8 p.m.
Mark Hefti, a 1993 Onalaska High School graduate now living in Los Angeles and working in the television and film industry, voices the role of Archie Sweeney in The History Channel show.
Hefti also can be seen on DVD in “Tomorrow is Today,” a movie he wrote and starred in with French director Frederic Lumiere at the helm.
First Lutheran plans blood drive
First Lutheran Church Onalaska will host a blood drive in partnership with BloodCenter of Wisconsin on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The drive will be held in Fellowship Hall located at 410 Main Street in Onalaska. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Sara Larkin at 781-0745.
By donating this November, donors can help patients and local families have a better holiday. BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Thanks for Giving campaign offers donors the chance to give to the community in another way.
For every 20 donors that donate with BloodCenter of Wisconsin from Nov. 9-21, Roundy’s Pick ‘n Save will donate a turkey to the Hunger Task Force of La Crosse and several other food banks throughout Wisconsin. BloodCenter’s goal is to distribute 400 turkeys to Wisconsin families.
Donating one unit of blood and one hour of time has the potential to save up to three lives.
Anyone who is at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weighs a minimum of 110 pounds and is in generally good health can donate blood. The entire process takes about an hour and all blood types are needed. Donors should bring a photo ID.
Holmen offers senior exercise classes
Senior exercise classes are held at the senior center at Holmen Village Hall, with the 30-minute sessions held every Wednesday at 11 a.m., just before lunch.
The exercises are low-impact chair exercises. Some of the exercises are done while seated and others can be done standing, with the chair used as support.
The classes are a result of a collaboration between the village of Holmen, the La Crosse County Aging Unit and the Greater La Crosse Area YMCA.
The YMCA will also provide small weights.
Seniors do not have to register for the exercise sessions, but they do have to make lunch reservations. Reservations for lunch must be made the day before by calling 526-6316.
Civic group seeks cans for fundraiser
People who want to support Centering Onalaska can bring their empty aluminum cans to the collection cage recently set up behind the ATM machine in the Center 90 parking lot on Sand Lake Road.
Money raised will support the activities of Centering Onalaska, which include adorning the streets of Onalaska with Christmas decorations, lamp post banners and flower baskets.
Library to show classic movies
The Friends of the Onalaska Library is launching a classic film series called “Friends Film Festival … The Classics.” These are old movies that are considered classic that patrons and library staff have requested. The screenings, all on Wednesdays except for the last in the series, are free and open to all.
The schedule will be as follows, with all movies starting at 6:30 p.m.:
Nov. 18, “From Here to Eternity”
Nov. 24, “Rebel Without A Cause”
Dec. 2, “Casablanca”
Dec. 9, “The Maltese Falcon”
Dec. 16, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”
Dec. 29, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Big Event set at Coulee Christian
Coulee Christian School’s fall fundraiser featuring art, dodgeball, a trivia contest and a talent show with celebrity judges will take place Friday through Sunday.
The talent show, which will feature cash prizes, begins at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in the school gym. Judges will include Kristina Smaby, the reigning Miss Wisconsin, Grammy Award-winning musician Bill Miller and former Milwaukee Brewer Damian Miller. Bill Miller will give a short guest performance as well. Admission is $2 or $8 for preferred seating.
A dodgeball contest for kids takes place in the gym from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Also the art show can be viewed during those hours Friday and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A trivia contest gets under way in the school library from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday. There won’t be room for spectators, but team entries will be accepted right up until the contest starts.
Youth orchestras to perform at OHS
The La Crosse Area Youth Symphony Orchestras fall concert will be held starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Onalaska High School.
Tickets will be available at the door for $8, with senior citizens and student tickets costing $4. Children 5 and younger will be admitted free.
The Philharmonic Orchestra, the intermediate string orchestra, is under the direction of Linda Lebbaken of Onalaska. The Philharmonic will perform “Celtic Fiddle Tune” by Elliot Del Borgo, “Mariachi!” by John O’Neill, “Alla Tchaikovsky” arranged by Richard Meyer, and “A Birch Bay Celebration” by Richard Meyer.
The Youth Symphony Orchestra, the advanced orchestra, is under the direction of Randall Mastin of Viroqua. This group will perform “Danse Infernale” and “Berceuse and Finale” from the Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky and “Symphony No. 1” by Beethoven.
For more information, log onto www.lyso.org.
Girl Scout cookies arrive this weekend
The cookies are here! Girl Scouts throughout Badgerland Council will start delivering cookies the weekend of Nov. 14 to all who pre-ordered cookies during the door-to-door sale.
For those missed in the door-to-door campaign, cookie booths hosted by Girl Scout troops at grocery stores or other area businesses are another way to get cookies and support the Girl Scouts.
For information on local cookie booths, log on to www.gsbadgerland.org and see if a troop has a local cookie booth planned.
People also can call Girl Scouts of Wisconsin- Badgerland Council at 1-800-236-2710 to order cookies to be shipped directly.
Museum plans kids safety program
The Children’s Museum of La Crosse will offer free admission on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a day devoted to promoting safety.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with presentations from the Onalaska Fire Department and Coulee Region Humane Society and a musical performance by Hans Mayer among the highlights.
Participants also can check out dozens of hands-on safety stations to learn about germs and H1N1 flue prevention, preventing hypothermia and frostbite, winter outdoor activity safety (sledding, ice skating, skiing, etc.) and much more. The first 250 families will receive free carbon monoxide detectors.
The museum’s regular admission of $5 per person will resume from 1:30 to 5 p.m. after the free safety activities.
Gallery highlights Quenten Brown art
Quenten Brown of Onalaska, an art teacher at West Salem High School, has an exhibit of his work this month at the Lincoln Gallery, which is on the second floor of Lincoln Middle School, 510 S. Ninth St. in La Crosse.
Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays or by appointment.
This exhibit features some of the most recent paintings and mixed media works by Brown. Brown’s work has been described as “abstraction with allusions to landscapes.” Approximately 15 pieces will be on display.
A reception for Brown, who has been teaching at West Salem for 10 years and plays in the band Paxico, will be held at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Some of Brown’s paintings can be seen online in the gallery section of www.portalwisconsin.org or under the “Hot Links” section at www.couleenews.com.
String Ties to give holiday show
The Holmen Area Foundation will sponsor a holiday concert by local String Ties on Sunday, Dec. 13, starting at 3 p.m. in the Trygve Mathison Performing Arts Center at Holmen High School.
The bluegrass quartet includes bass player Larry Dalton, banjo player Tommy Pfaff, mandolin player Wayne Beezley and guitarist Dan Sebranek. After the concert there will be refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians.
There will also be a mitten and glove tree at the concert to assist needy families who need warm clothing for their children during the winter months.
Cost is $10, with a $2 discount for senior citizens.
Gospel choir plans Christmas concert
The Coulee Region Gospel Choir will present “Christmas Fantasia” on Saturday, Nov. 28, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Sand Lake Wesleyan Church, N5761 Hwy. SN in Onalaska.
The program, which takes the place of the choir’s traditional outdoor nativity pageant/concert in Holmen, will open with a brass quintet. The choir will sing several styles of Christmas favorites.
The event also will feature special guest performers including Katherine Weber singing from Handel’s “Messiah,” and Steven Marking, a world-class baritone singer who grew up in Holmen and lives in New York.
Deb Welander, Dean Gunnarson and Ruth Ann Granum direct the choir.
A minimum donation of $5 per person is asked to help cover expenses.
Snake, amphibian expert to give talk at Audubon meeting
The Coulee Region Audubon Society will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the Myrick Hixon EcoPark building just off La Crosse Street in La Crosse. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Matt Heater, vice-president of the Coulee Region Herpetological Society, will give a presentation on the native reptiles and amphibians of Wisconsin. He will bring live, exotic reptiles and amphibians for his presentation.
Heater is an avid outdoorsman and an independent reptile researcher. He has been researching timber rattlesnakes in the Coulee Region since 2002 in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and has taken part in other survey and research projects with Massasauga rattlesnakes, wood turtles, cricket frogs, glass lizards, box turtles, black rat snakes, ringneck snakes and blue-spotted salamanders.
He has worked in the pet industry for 15 years and has owned more than 3,000 reptiles and amphibians of over 200 species. He has bred five species of herps in captivity and has worked with one out of six of the venomous snake species of the world.
Matt is an avid photographer and videographer and is especially interested in taking pictures and videos of reptiles and amphibians. He is currently working on a DVD field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Wisconsin.
Sierra Club talk to focus on transit
The Sierra Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. at the new Myrick Hixon Ecopark building.
Charlie Weeth, president of Livable Neighborhoods will present “Complete Streets,” a program about providing safe and accessible infrastructure for all transit choices, improving the quality of life for all residents of a community, reducing “carbon footprints,” reducing land used for roads and for parking and improving individual health. All are welcome.
VA extends Agent Orange benefits to cover more ailments
Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange.
The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease.
Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present. Between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange.
In practical terms, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.
The secretary’s decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services and programs for veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
Western offers basic class on computing
Western Technical College students in the computer support specialist program will offer two basic computer skills sessions as part of a team-building class.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the session will be held from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m., in the Business Education Center, room 110, on the La Crosse campus. On Thursday, Nov. 19, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., the session will be held in the Business Education Center, room 205.
Training will cover use of Blackboard, PowerPoint, e-mailing, and other basic computer skills.
Registration for the training is encouraged, but not required. To register, e-mail heilmang@westerntc.edu or call 789-4764.
UW-L Screaming Eagles plan concert
The UW-La Crosse Screaming Eagles marching band will perform its annual revue concert on Sunday, Nov. 15.
The band will play music from its performances during the 2009 season. The concert begins at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Hall. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to help band members pay for a trip to Mexico in January.
The concert will feature music from the band’s halftime shows and other community and on-campus performances this fall. The UW-L pom pon squad and color guard also will be featured.
The band is directed by Andrew Lee Tucker.
Eagles band members for rent
People who need help getting their yards cleaned up or assistance with a long household to-do list can turn to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Screaming Eagles marching band for help.
Band members are once again offering their “Rent-an-Eagle” fundraiser. Members of the band will help with any and all general maintenance work, including yard work, seasonal cleaning, preparation for winter and more.
Band members are looking for work to help pay for a trip to Mexico in January. Cost of their services is a donation toward the trip.
To reserve a band member, call 785-6733 and leave a detailed message with name, phone number and a brief description of tasks that need doing. A band member will return the call to set up a time to help.
Pop band Quietdrive coming to UW-L
The pop and punk band Quietdrive from Minneapolis will perform at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The group takes the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in Valhalla, in Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.
Quietdrive has emerged as one of the hardest-working bands in the country. The band has performed more than 900 shows since 2005. It gained national attention by covering the 1983 Cyndi Lauper song “Time After Time” on its debut album, “When All That’s Left is You.” The song reached No. 23 on the American Top 40. The band is touring by highlighting its second album, “Deliverance,” released in October 2008.
Admission is $10 and $5 for UW-L students. For tickets or more information, call (608) 785-8898.
Museum offers parents a break
The Children’s Museum of La Crosse has parents’ night out events planned over the upcoming months on Friday nights.
The nights are meant for children ages 3 to 11 and will includes supervised museum exploration and play, light snack, and games and activities.
Parents can drop off children starting at 5:30 p.m. and pick them up by 8 p.m. on these dates: Nov. 13, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 19 and April 9. Cost is $10 per child for museum members, $15 for nonmembers. Registration and payment in advance is required.
Alzheimers registry seeks participants
The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of Wisconsin of Medicine and Public Health and Franciscan Skemp Healthcare are recruiting for the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention.
To be eligible for participation, people must:
Be between the ages of 40 to 65.
Have a mother who survived to 75 or greater and a father who survived to 70 or greater without evidence of dementia.
Information obtained from participants in the study will then be used to identify people for appropriate research projects designed to better understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and delay or prevent its onset.
In the past, research into slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease or preventing its onset was difficult because affected persons do not develop symptoms of the disease until their 70s.
For those who would like to learn more about the registry and possible participation, contact Sharon Schulz at 392-9505.
Banks collecting for troops, Iraqi kids
Employees at the La Crosse and Onalaska offices of M&I Bank are collecting items for troops in Iraq through Operation Homefront as part of M&I Community Day, a nationwide mobilization of M&I employees to benefit the communities in which they work.
The collection of items for the military troops and school supplies for the children of Iraq runs through Nov. 20. The general public, as well as M&I customers and employees, are invited to donate items in the lobby of the M&I Bank offices in La Crosse and Onalaska during regular banking hours.
Items that can be donated include, beef jerky, drink mixes, shaving cream, disposable shaving razors, shampoo, books, puzzle books and school supplies to be donated to children in Iraq.
New brochures cover car insurance issue
As new auto insurance laws begin to take effect in our state in the next year, the Wisconsin Association for Justice has released two brochures containing helpful information for Wisconsin auto insurance policyholders.
The first, “Understanding Auto Insurance," describes the basics about auto insurance and what is required of drivers in Wisconsin under the law as recently changed. The second, titled “What To Do If You Are In a Traffic Accident," informs them of proper steps to take to protect themselves by gathering necessary information at the time of the accident.
The brochures will be distributed to state legislators, news outlets and WAJ members across Wisconsin. The brochures are also available by contacting the Wisconsin Association for Justice office or view them online at www.wisjustice.org/consumerresources.
Bus tour planned to view swans
WINONA, Minn. n A swan watch bus tour is planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, for close-up views of migrating tundra swans and other waterfowl on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
The bus will depart from Winona for the six hour tour which will include a stop at Brownsville, Minn., where participants will be able to observe nearly 20,000 swans. Interpreters will be on-board to answer questions; binoculars, spotting scopes and brochures will be supplied.
There is limited seating and reservations are required. Cost is $20 per person which includes a hot lunch.
For more information or to make a reservation, contact Lisa Pember prior to Nov. 6 at (507) 452-4232.
Roller derby team seeks members
The La Crosse Skating Sirens, the area’s newest roller derby team, are seeking adult women to join the team or serve as referees.
No experience is required and all skating levels are welcome.
The Sirens are looking to expand their roster and are having open practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 to 10 p.m. in the old rubber mill building on St. Andrew Street.
The Sirens, a nonprofit organization, are an all-woman, skater-owned, flat-track roller derby league founded in April 2009 by Melissa Larivee and Leslie Malekovic. The Sirens follow the guidelines and standards set forth by Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
For more information, log onto www.SkatingSirens.com.
To submit your information for a public service announcement, e-mail it to wsm.news@lee.net
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