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.

Village People set annual meeting

The annual meeting of the West Salem Village People will be Monday, Nov. 24.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at LaScher’s on Leonard. It was originally scheduled for Nov. 17.

The public is invited to attend.

Merrimakers’ annual award goes to Gjertsen; bazaar set

Patty Gjertsen of Bangor was crowned the Merrimaker of the Year at the club’s annual meeting. She will be honored at the annual Merrimakers bazaar and luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Bangor American Legion.

The doors are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the event will feature a winter luncheon of homemade soups, sandwiches and desserts and a bake sale and craft show.

Proceeds from the annual bazaar and luncheon are given back to the Bangor area community.

Girls soccer team launches cookie sale

The West Salem girls soccer program will be going door to door starting Nov. 17 for its seventh annual cookie sale.

Cookies are baked by the high school players at Linda’s Bakery and cost $11 for a box of two dozen assorted or $4.50 for a six-pack of rosettes. Cookies will be delivered starting Dec. 4.

The entire sale price goes to purchase of soccer equipment and further field improvement.

Holiday news, ad deadlines are earlier

News and ad deadlines for the Coulee News will be moved up the week of Thanksgiving.

News and display advertising deadline will be 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21. Classified deadline wil be 2:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24.

The Coulee News office will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28.

Red Cross blood drive scheduled

A Red Cross blood drives is planned in West Salem.

A blood drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, at Business Objects, 332 Front St. S. La Crosse.

A drive also is planned for 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at West Salem Presbyterian Church, 625 Franklin St.

To make an appointment for the La Crosse drives, call

1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givebloodgivelife.org.

To make an appointment for the West Salem drive, call Connie at 786-0684.

Snowmobile safety class set in Bangor

The Bangor Blizzard Busters Snowmobile Club will offer a snowmobile safety course for anyone 12 and older.

State law requires that anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must possess a valid snowmobile safety certificate to operate a snowmobile on public trails, lands or frozen bodies of water. People born before that date also are welcome to take the course.

The class will be held in three sessions at the Bangor High School tech room: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 6, and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, Dec. 8 and 10.

During the course, students will learn information about the sport, rules, signs, ethics, maintenance and storage of snowmobiles and what to do in emergencies.

Cost of the course is $10. Register in advance by calling 486-2931 and leaving a name and phone number.

Coulee News wins journalism award

The Coulee News has received a state award from two agencies who work with the aging population.

The Wisconsin Association of Aging Unit Directors and the Wisconsin Association of Area Agencies on Aging presented the Coulee News with a second place in its 2007 journalism contest under the education/ information category.

The story, written by former assistant editor Matt Perenchio, was published Dec. 6, 2007 and pointed out the need for volunteers to help with West Salem’s Mobile Wheels program.

Perenchio is now the editor of the Jackson County Chronicle in Black River Falls.

12th annual Thanksgiving dinner set in Bangor

Bangor’s 12th annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 27, at the Log Cabin in Bangor.

There will be no cost for the meal. Donations will be accepted for the Care & Share Food Pantry in West Salem. Call Joy Jerome at 486-2143 or Leona Hesselberg at 486-2879 to arrange for carry-outs.

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.

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.

Catholic Charities sets adoption event

Catholic Charities will hold an information meeting on adoption programs starting at 5 p.m. Nov. 18 at 3710 East Ave. S. in La Crosse. Root beer floats will be served. For more information, call Rhea Newman at 782-0710, ext 210.

Scottish rail trips are topic of program

Norskedalen’s Always on a Sunday program Nov. 16 will feature a presentation by Al Guberud, “Railroad Journeys in Scotland."

Guberud’s illustrated talk will begin on the east coast mainland and go into Edinburgh’s rail station, flanked by lush green spaces and the ornate British Hotel. Journeys through the countryside will be capped by a journey from Glasgow’s Central Station to the coastal city of Ayr.

The program starts at 2 p.m. in Norskedalen’s Thrune Visitors Center near Coon Valley.

Aging program focuses on joyful life

Lisa Radtke will lead a session of Franciscan Skemp’s Successful Aging Program on Tuesday, Nov. 25, focused on reclaiming joy, connecting to a higher power and getting more meaning out of life.

The program will be in the Marycrest Auditorium on the second floor of the La Crosse Campus St. Francis Building, 700 West Ave. S. Free refreshments will be provided from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Radtke’s hour-long talk will begin at 2:30 p.m., with half an hour to follow for questions.

The program is free and open to all.

Great American Smoke Out set for Nov. 20

The annual Great American Smoke Out — the day when all smokers are encouraged to quit for at least a day — is set for Nov.20.

Self-help materials are available to help people quit, no matter where they are in the process. These materials can help them learn how to prepare to quit, develop strategies to help with cravings, and prevent relapse once they have quit. The self-help materials offer proven methods that are easy to follow and help keep you motivated.

Nicotine replacement therapy and other smoking cessation medications can help relieve withdrawal symptoms that can occur when a person stops smoking. Using medication or products can increase people’s chance of quitting for good.

Support programs also come in a variety of forms — group smoking cessation programs, telephone counseling programs or support groups. The national tobacco quit line number is (800) QUIT NOW (784-8669). Telephone counseling is free and confidential.

State offers guide for food marketers

The Wisconsin Local Food Marketing Guide, a new publication for local producers, is now available online and in hard copy.

The guide explains step-by-step how to move products from field to consumer. It covers selling directly to consumers via farmers markets, community supported agriculture, agritourism, on-farm stores, pick-your-own operations and roadside stands and selling through intermediate channels such as restaurants, grocery stores, institutions, and distributors.

The guide also provides information on pricing products, licensing, labeling, regulations, food safety, liability and insurance, and it lists resources to find additional information at the end of each chapter.

Up to five hard copies can be requested from Teresa Cuperus at teresa.cuperus@wi.gov or DATCP-DAD, PO Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911.

The guide is available online also at www.datcp.state.wi.us — search “buy local."

Additional copies may be requested for workshops, classes and conferences for producers in the local foods movement.

Gundersen Lutheran Love Lights on sale

The Partners of Gundersen Lutheran Love Lights Tree is back offering people a chance make a donation to commemorate, honor or thank someone special.

The Love Lights that will adorn the tree in the Gundersen Lutheran Clinic Lobby in La Crosse can be purchased throughout November and December. The names of those honored, thanked and remembered will be displayed in a book next to the tree.

Donations of $3 are suggested for individual commemorations, and $25 for nine or more commemorations.

This year’s Love Lights Celebration will be on Monday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. in the Gundersen Lutheran Clinic Lobby in La Crosse. All donors and their guests are invited to attend this special ceremony.

All proceeds go to Partners’ charitable contributions.

For more information or to request an order form, call the Partners of Gundersen Lutheran office at 775-3602.

Clinic offers chance to light up season

Franciscan Skemp Auxiliary is celebrating the “Season of Light" with a tree of lights gracing the front of the St. Francis Building on the La Crosse campus. Each light signifies a $5 donation to Franciscan Skemp Auxiliary in the name of an individual or group remembered at this special time of year. Donations fund needy patient accounts at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare.

Gifts can be purchased from now through Dec. 31 and the lights will be illuminated from Dec. 1 through Jan. 1. Names of those honored or remembered will be displayed in the lobby of the St. Francis Building.

To request a donation form, call at 392-9766.

Pla-Mor Lanes owner to speak at Viterbo

Viterbo University’s Leadership at Noon Series continues with Dick Zierke of Pla-Mor Lanes on Monday, Nov. 17, in room 107 of the D.B. and Marge Reinhart Center on campus.

Purchased by Dick and Lori Zierke in 1999, La Crosse’s Pla-Mor Lanes is one of the leading bowling centers in the area, serving 900 league bowlers each week. Zierke, who is also the president-elect of the Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin, attributes their success to “customer service and a love of bowling."

Bowling is Viterbo’s newest varsity sport, with competition set to begin in fall 2009. Pla-Mor Lanes will be the home facility of the Viterbo bowling team.

The Leadership at Noon Series features local business people discussing the crucial components of a successful business.

All events in the Leadership at Noon Series will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a box lunch for $5.

Hunting and kids is ethics talk topic

Award-winning film producer and author Randall Eaton, Ph.D., will present “Is Hunting Good for Kids?" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Viterbo University’s Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

The event is free and open to the public and is part of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s Fall Lecture Series. It is co-sponsored by the La Crosse County Conservation Alliance.

Eaton has held faculty positions in zoology, psychology, and humanities at the University of Washington, the University of Georgia, and Florida Atlantic University. He is the winner of two national book awards as well as numerous writing and film awards.

For more information on the Reinhart Institute or any of its events, log onto www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

Author Dumas to speak at UW-La Crosse

An award-winning author who travels the country reminding readers that “our commonalities outweigh our differences" by using humor will speak at UW-La Crosse. Author Firoozeh Dumas lectures at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

Dumas was born in Abadan, Iran, and moved to Whittier, Calif., at the age of 7. After a two-year stay in California, the family moved back to Iran. Two years later, they returned to California where she grew up and attended the University of California Berkeley.

Dumas grew up listening to her father, a former Fulbright Scholar, tell the colorful stories of his life. In 2001, with no prior writing experience, she decided to write stories as a gift to her children. Random House published her stories in 2003 as “Funny in Farsi." The book landed bestseller lists and was also a finalist for the PEN/USA award in 2004 and a finalist in 2005 for an Audie Award for best audio book.

Dumas was also a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. She was the first Middle Eastern woman to receive the honor. Dumas’ second book, “Laughing Without an Accent," a series of autobiographical essays, was published by Random House in May 2008.

Tickets are $2 for UW-L students, $5 for UW-L employees and $8 for others. For tickets or more information, call 785.8898 or log onto www.uwlax.edu/cab.

UW to host vegetable business seminar

Aspiring fresh market vegetable growers can learn the fundamentals of the business from veteran growers and other experts at the 2009 Wisconsin School for Beginning Market Growers to be held Jan. 16-18 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

John Hendrickson, the school’s coordinator, said that demand for fresh, local produce has never been higher. He noted that farmers’ markets are seeking vendors, most community-supported agriculture farms sell as many memberships as they can handle, top chefs are building their menus around fresh, local produce, and grocery stores want to stock these products on their shelves.

The school emphasizes organic production methods and direct marketing, delving into fertility management, use of greenhouses, strategies to extend the season, pest management, equipment, planning and budgeting. There will be ample opportunities to network with others interested in starting a fresh produce business and to peruse a show-and-tell table featuring a variety of small tools and gadgets.

Instructors include veteran organic growers Michael Racette of Spring Hill Community Farm, Tricia Bross of Luna Circle Farm and Jenny Bonde of Shooting Star Farm. They will share their strategies for selling through farmers’ markets and CSAs and directly to restaurants. Other speakers will cover topics ranging from insects to business management.

The fee is $275. Enrollment is limited, so early sign-ups are advised. For more information, contact Hendrickson at jhendric@wisc.edu or (608) 265-3704, or visit the CIAS Web site at www.cias.wisc.edu.

Western partnership earns recognition

Western Technical College’s “Partnering for Success" program was recently awarded with a Promising Practices award from the Wisconsin PK-16 Leadership Council. The award recognizes collaborative efforts that improve student transition in the PK-16 educational system.

Designed to increase understanding of technical college expectations, Partnering for Success provides area high school faculty, counselors, administrators, and students with opportunities to learn about admission requirements, placement and course requirements to encourage more rigorous high school preparation and more seamless transition from high school to postsecondary options.

Western initially partnered with Holmen, Logan, Onalaska and Sparta high schools to provide this program, and has since expanded into Mauston, Necedah and New Lisbon high schools.

Clearwater Farm selling trees, wreaths

Orders are now being taken for Fraser fir Christmas trees and wreaths as part of the sixth annual Clearwater Farm Foundation fundraiser.

Trees pre-ordered by Nov. 15 will get a $5 discount on tree prices, which are $55 for a 6- to 7-foot tree and $80 for a 8- to 12-foot tree. Wreaths are $20.

Tree pickup dates will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 at Clearwater Farm on Green Coulee Road in Onalaska. On tree pickup days, watch out for the Christmas Elf, who will be peeking out of windows around the farm.

For more information or to order trees and wreaths, call Shari Collas at 783-0675 or e-mail sharicollas@yahoo.com.

Bowling event to help disabled kids get needed service dogs

Capable Canines of Wisconsin will host a Bowl for BowWows event to help raise funds for two area families in need of service dogs.

Westly Pfaff is severely autistic and needs a dog to keep him from wandering off and to find him when he does. Thomas Knutson is a hearing-impaired teen who needs to be alerted when the doorbell rings, alarms are activated and other emergencies. Both would greatly benefit from the help of their service dogs.

The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, at South Lanes in La Crosse with two bowling sessions, one from 2 to 5 p.m. and one from 9 p.m. to midnight. Teams will bowl three games.

The public is invited to sign up to bowl either as an individual to be placed on a team or come with a team of co-workers or a team of friends. The public also can make a pledge to one of the bowlers, be a sponsor or donate door prizes — shirts, gift cards or gift packages for those who raise pledges for our bowling event.

Those donating $100 or more will receive recognition throughout the event and have the chance to put marketing material in goody bags.

EcoPark wants your political yard signs

When the elections are over, people can put unwanted political yard signs to good use by recycling them. Myrick Hixon EcoPark volunteers are collecting them to re-use the wire holders and properly dispose of the signs.

People can drop off old, unwanted political yard signs at the Hixon Nature Center building, 2702 Quarry Road, La Crosse.

For more information, call the center at 784-0303.

WTC seminar explores personality types

Western Technical College’s Business and Industry Services Division will offer the seminar “Why Do I Behave This Way? Exploring the MBTI” on Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m.-noon, at the La Crosse campus.

This seminar will delve into the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, the most widely used psychological instrument. It provides an approach to personal and group developments by looking at the multi-faceted way adult minds process information.

Participants will complete the MBTI test to identify their preferred personality type and discover how to use that information when interacting with others. The MBTI concepts may be used in team development, conflict management, leadership, coaching, and sales.

Cost is $95. To register, call 785-9232 or e-mail bis@westerntc.edu.

United Auto Supply launches food drive

United Auto Supply stores are conducting a food drive during the first two weeks of November. Everything collected will be donated to area food pantries.

Nonperishable food donations can be dropped off at any of 14 area United Auto Supply stores. For more information, call 782-6262.

Refuge photo contest entries sought

The Friends of the Upper Mississippi River Refuges are taking entries for the 11th annual photography contest.

Photos will be accepted from amateurs or professionals until Dec. 5. Photos should be sent or brought to the Winona District office of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge at 51 E. Fourth St., Room 203, in Winona, Minn.

Contest categories include landscape and wildflowers, people, bird life and other wildlife. All photos must be taken on the Upper Mississippi River, Driftless Area or Trempealeau National Wildlife refuges.

For rules and other information, contact Ranger Ed Lagace at (507) 494-6236 or log onto www.friendsofuppermiss.org.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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