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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.
Bangor music students plan Harvestfest
The Bangor Middle/High School music departments along with the Bangor Music Backers will host their annual Harvestfest on Friday, Nov. 14, in the high school gymnasium.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the band and choir concert beginning at 7 p.m., followed by festivities including a cake/pie walk, kid’s games, door prizes, bake sale and cash raffle giveaway. Concessions, including hot dogs and barbeque will be available before and after the concert.
Admission is $1, and advance raffle tickets can be purchased from any music student.
WSHS schedules winter sports meeting for Nov. 3
The West Salem High School winter pre-season sports’ meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 3, in the Heider Center auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. This meeting is for those athletes interested in participating in boys’ or girls’ basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, skiing, winter cheerleading and winter poms, and their parents/guardians.
The 7 to 8 p.m. general session is only for those parents and athletes who did not fulfill this obligation at the fall pre-season meeting. At 8 p.m., all athletes and parents are expected to attend the break-out session with the coaches of their respective sports.
From 6:30 to 9 p.m., there will be stations set up in the lobby to check the necessary paperwork requirements of each athlete. All paperwork must be completed before beginning practice.
For more information, call athletic director LeRoy Krall at 786-1220, ext. 2353.
Some rec programs have room for more
Room is still available several West Salem Recreation Department programs, including the following:
Pee-wee and rookie league basketball; registration due by Nov. 3.
Traveling basketball; registration due by Oct. 24.
Halloween party at Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library (Wednesday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.); onsite registration is available.
More information on programs and registration can be found in the fall recreation brochure, available at West Salem schools or at the recreation office at Village Hall. Brochures also can be downloaded from the village Web site at www.westsalemwi.com.
Bangor High School to host flu shot clinic
There will be a community flu clinic at Bangor High School on Nov. 18, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the school district board room. The cost is $20 per shot. For more information, call Lori Schwarz at 486-5250.
Archaeology center sets fall reception
This past summer’s archaeological digs throughout the La Crosse area will be the focus of a presentation during the annual Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center’s fall reception.
The event begins with a social hour at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in Port O’ Call, at the UW-La Crosse Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. Awards will be presented at 7, followed by a lecture at 7:30.
The lecture highlights digs at Sand Lake in Onalaska as well as the center’s other summer excavations. The digs were directed by MVAC Executive Director Joseph Tiffany and MVAC archaeologist Wendy Holtz-Leith.
They will detail digs from phase II of excavations at the Lower Sand Lake site prompted by future development and road improvements. Among the finds were fragments of worked copper, obsidian flakes, the stem of a catlinite tobacco pipe and early Mississippian pottery. Additional findings from other investigations will be highlighted.
Tickets are $10 per person. Make reservations with MVAC, 1725 State St., La Crosse WI 54601 or 785-8463 by Friday, Nov. 7.
Kids Halloween party set at Emma’s Diner
After trick-or-treat hours, a Halloween party for children in kindergarten and grades one through eight is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Emma’s Diner, highways 35 and OT in Onalaska. The event will include games, dancing and food.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. There is no admission charge. For more information, call 781-4925 or 526-2490.
Kohl staffer to hold hours in Holmen
U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s staff assistant, John Medinger, will hold office hours to meet with constituents on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Holmen Village Hall.
Medinger will be at Village Hall, 421 S. Main St., from 1 to 2 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
Medinger also can be contacted at Kohl’s regional office at 425 State St., Suite 202, La Crosse, or by calling 796-0045.
Humane society has Halloween plans
The Coulee Region Humane Society will put on its fifth annual haunted house event, transforming the dog adoption kennels into a spooky haunted house.
The cat adoption room will also be decorated for visitors, and visitors to the humane society at 911 Critter Court, Onalaska, will be treated to candy from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Sons of Norway set meeting for Nov. 6
The Sons of Norway, Wergeland Lodge, will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the La Crosse American Legion, 711 Sixth St. S.
Disabled American Veterans need drivers, money for new vans
The Disabled American Veterans is mounting a fundraising drive to replace five aging vans of its statewide fleet used to transport veterans to and from VA medical facilities.
In addition, volunteer drivers are needed for the one van per day transporting veterans back and forth between La Crosse and the Tomah facility for scheduled medical appointments.
Volunteers with a regular driver’s license will need to pass a physical and get tested for tuberculosis. They would also undergo a criminal background check and a driving record check.
The DAV is seeking $100,000 in contributions for their New Van Fund. Checks can be made payable to DAV State Department New Van Fund, and send to DAV Department of Wiscon-sin, 130 Dauphin St., Green Bay, WI 54301.
For more information, to donate or to volunteer as a driver, contact Peggy Anderson at the Tomah VA at (608) 372-3971, ext. 66227.
UW-L dorms open for trick or treating
Two UW-La Crosse residence halls will open their doors to area children for trick or treating Halloween night.
Reuter Hall, 1824 La Crosse St., and Sanford Hall, 1815 Farwell St., will be open from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, for area children to go trick or treating throughout the hall. The front desk in the lobby of each hall will have information about which rooms will be available to the children.
The event is free. Parking is available in metered spots in nearby university parking lots off East Avenue.
‘Little Mermaid’ show coming to Viterbo
The Missoula Children’s Theatre will present a production of “The Little Mermaid” starring local students at 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre, La Crosse.
The Missoula Children’s Theatre provides a week-long residency “starring” local students in a full-scale musical. The group’s mission is the “development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.”
Auditions for students grades K-12 will be held Monday, Nov. 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. Participants should plan to stay for the entire two hours. Rehearsals will be held after school or evenings the rest of the week.
This new version of “The Little Mermaid” features lots of music, plot surprises and humor.
Tickets are $9 for adult and $7 for child main floor seating and $7 for adult and $5 for child lower balcony seating. For more information, contact the Viterbo box office at 796-3100 or www.viterbo.edu/finearts1.aspx.
Retired educators group to meet Nov. 3
The La Crosse Area Retired Educators will meet for lunch at River Jack’s restaurant in La Crosse at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 3. Everyone who has retired from Wisconsin public schools is invited.
Lunch will be followed by a short meeting and a program on “Changes Occurring in Public Education. Cost of the lunch is $9.50. For reservations, call Karen Braodhead at 788-2485.
State urges attention to heating issues
The Department of Administration’s Division of Energy Services and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin are urging energy customers to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected.
The agencies are also encouraging residents to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs and the state’s low-income bill payment assistance programs to reduce the burden of their utility bills this winter.
Wisconsin law states that consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from Nov. 1 to April 15, if they are connected at the start of the moratorium. Customers who are currently disconnected must make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have their service restored.
If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to reconnect the service until payment arrangements have been made.
There is financial assistance available for eligible households who cannot pay their gas or electric bills this winter. The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program administers low-income and energy assistance programs for the state. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which also provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, and weatherization and conservation services.
Eligibility is based on income and family size. For example, a family of four that earns $7,743.75 or less in the three months prior to applying for assistance is potentially eligible. For a two-person family the earnings must be $5,133.75 or less. Benefits are based on income levels and energy bills. Consumers do not have to be behind in their energy bill payments to qualify.
For information about WHEAP, including contact information for local energy assistance offices, call 1-866-HEATWIS (1-866-432-8947) or visit www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.
Tips to conserve energy while staying warm
Worried about winter utility bills? The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin offers the following easy, low-cost steps that can help reduce energy use while staying safe.
Find and repair air drafts from windows and doorways.
Keep heating vents clear of rugs or furniture.
Ensure your furnace has clean air filters.
When doing laundry, use cold water and adjust water levels to fit the load size. Also, clean the lint filter after every dryer load.
Lower water heater temperatures to 115-120 degrees.
Remove window air conditioning units to stop winter drafts from coming through its vents.
Open the drapes or blinds during sunny days to take advantage of solar heat. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.
Turn down the thermostat several degrees when leaving the house for extended periods of time or before going to bed.
Close off rooms of your home that are not used.
Consumers also can help improve energy efficiency in their home by requesting a home energy audit through Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy Program. Focus on Energy consultants visit homes and suggest improvements to significantly lower energy bills, while staying safe and comfortable.
For more information about home energy audits, call Focus on Energy at 1-800-762-7077 or visit www.focusonenergy.org.
For more information about energy conservation, visit the PSC’s website at: http://psc.wi.gov/consumerinfo/conservation/indexConservation.htm.
Workshop looks at simpler holidays
The Southeast Minnesota chapter of the Holistic Moms Network will host a workshop on how to simplify the holidays and create an enjoyable celebration that reflects each participant’s values. It will take place on Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Nature Center, 215 W. Plum St. in Houston, Minn.
The workshop is based upon the New American Dream Web site brochure “Simplify the Holidays,” which can be found on www.newdream.org. As the brochure points out, “Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather than uplift us.”
Instead, the Holistic Moms Network’s workshop aims to help attendees “create holidays that instill more meaning into the season and encourage more sharing, laughter and personal renewal.”
The workshop will also present alternative gift ideas such as home-baked goods, tickets to an event or exhibit or even personal certificates for time with the children in your
The workshop is free, but an RVSP is required to reserve a seat. For more information or to reserve your space, contact Tricia Runningen at (507) 896-4752 or mtrunningen@acegroup.cc.
County homeowners get septic repair grants
The state of Wisconsin has awarded seven La Crosse County homeowners $29,975 this year for replacement of their failing private on-site waste septic system.
The participants came from the towns of Hamilton, Holland, Onalaska and Shelby. Awards granted to county residents since 1983 have totaled $469,690.
The purpose of this program is to help property owners make needed corrections to have their existing system replaced so that it does not cause infusion of sewage into the groundwater or allow sewage to come to the surface and thus, be a health hazard to the individuals and their neighbors.
To be eligible for the program, homeowners must have failing systems and replace that system according to state and local plumbing codes. For more information, contact the La Crosse County Health Department at 785-9872.
22nd annual Tiny Tim Gala set for Nov. 8
The 22nd annual Tiny Tim Gala will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, at the La Crosse Center ballroom.
The event, put on by the Franciscan Skemp Auxiliary, is a night filled with an elegant buffet dinner, musical entertainment and silent and live auctions of gift certificates to local salons, restaurants and businesses, art, jewelry and more. Grand River Singers will provide this year’s entertainment.
Previous Tiny Tim Gala events have raised more than $570,000. This year’s beneficiaries will include:
St. Clare Health Mission, which provides free healthcare in our community to people less fortunate. The clinic is staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses, social workers, medical laboratory technicians and community volunteers.
Coulee Region Transitional Housing Ministry, a group dedicated to providing transitional housing for victims of domestic abuse who are leaving the New Horizon’s Women’s Shelter.
A special raffle will support Oasis, a fund operated by the Franciscan Skemp Foundation to help cancer patients and their families with personal costs related to treatment such as transportation and child care.
For reservation or donation information, contact Franciscan Skemp Healthcare Volunteer Services at 392-9766. Seating is limited, so early reservations are recommended.
Alzheimer’s vigil set for Nov. 10 at BSJ
Bethany St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse is hosting a candlelight vigil on Monday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. in honor of patients at Avalon, a BSJ special unit for patients who have memory care needs. The vigil is being held in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
The vigil offers an opportunity to remember those who have suffered and died of Alzheimer’s; to honor and remember caregivers who gave and continue to give of themselves on behalf of others; and to bring awareness to the fight against Alzhemier’s disease and related dementia.
The vigil, the first BSJ has sponsored, will be held indoors in the BSJ Care Center Chapel located at 2501 Shelby Road in La Crosse.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Lori Bagniewski at 788-5700.
Youth club seeks variety of donations
The West Salem branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse is seeking donations of a number of items, including:
Snacks, such as pretzels, crackers, sandwich cookies, cereal, hot dogs, peanut butter, popcorn, mac and cheese, fruits and veggies, juice
Art supplies such as markers, color pencils, crayons, water colors, tempera paints, stickers, glue, pencils, colored paper and coloring books.
Miscellaneous items including gently used furniture and rugs, PG- or G-rated DVDs, Playstation or Xbox games, board games, sports equipment, Band-Aids, Clorox wipes and seasonal decorations.
For more information, call Deana Protz, the club’s site director, at 786-1392.
Duck identification brochure released
“Waterfowlers Know Your Ducks” is the title of a new brochure printed by the La Crosse County Conservation Alliance in partnership with other local conservation organizations and La Crosse Graphics.
The brochure shows the distinguishing characteristics of canvasback and scaup. The reason is because there is no canvasback hunting season this year and the scaup bag limit has been reduced.
The Alliance also converted a VHS video “King of Ducks,” a 16-minute duck identification video, to DVD format.
Both the DVD and brochure are available online at www.Briceprairieconservation.org
Also available at the website is an online version of “Ducks at a Distance,” a waterfowl identification field guide by Bob Hines USFWS.
Paper copies of the brochure also are available.
Crafters sought for Lakeview bazaar
Crafters are needed for a holiday craft show and bazaar planned for Nov. 15 at Lakeview Health Center in West Salem.
The show will be open to the public with free admission. Booths are still available at $10 each.
The Lakeview Auxiliary also will be having a bake and lunch sale. For more information, call Rebecca at 786-1400, ext. 133.
Senior advocate volunteers needed
The Wisconsin Board on Aging is seeking volunteers to train as advocates for older adults living in La Crosse County nursing homes. For more information, call Karen Price at 789-6366.
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