A CABBIE PASSING BY A HOME ON SMITH VALLEY ROAD IN THE TOWN OF MEDARY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING SAW FIRE. WHILE FLAMES SHOT OUT OF THE PORCH AND DECK THE CAB DRIVER HONKED UNTIL THE FAMILY OF FIVE AWOKE. ALL FIVE ESCAPED--BUT TWO DOGS AND TWO CATS DIDN’T. THE ONALASKA FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE HOME WAS BADLY DAMAGED—THE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED.

A FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI IN RED WING SUNDAY MORNING. NINETEEN CARS OF A CANADIAN AND PACIFIC TRAIN LEFT THE TRACKS. ALL CARS WERE EMPTY—NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE CAUSE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

LIKE ALL WISCONSIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TOMAH FACES A BUDGET CHALLENGE NEXT YEAR AND BEYOND AND SUPERINTENDENT CINDY ZAHRTE SAYS WHILE SOME TEACHERS COMPLAIN THEY MAY HAVE TO WORK LONGER IF THEIR RETIREMENT PLAN SHRINKS--THAT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE AN OPTION THE DISTRICT WOULD LIKE TO SEE.   ZAHRTE SAYS NEXT YEAR’S SCHOOL BUDGET WILL HAVE A HUGE HOLE TO FILL.

THE 271-RESIDENTS OF DRAKE HALL HAVE MOVED OUT AND ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM FINISHED RELOCATING. THANKS TO LOCAL BUSINESSES DONATING PIZZAS, SNACKS AND DRINKS AND A NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS DONATING THEIR MUSCLES—FRIDAY’S MOVE FROM THE UW-L RESIDENCE HALL WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE BASEMENT FIRE AT DRAKE HALL ON SUNDAY MORNING A WEEK AGO HAS SHUT THE DORM DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER.

AN SUV WAS DRIVING ON THIN ICE SATURDAY—THIN ENOUGH TO BREAK THROUGH DURING A FISHING DERBY IN ONALASKA. WITNESSES SAID THE MAN GOT OUT SAFELY. A TOW TRUCK GOT STUCK IN THE ICE ATTEMPTING TO FISH THE SUV OUT.  SOMEONE REPORTED AN ATV ALSO FELL THROUGH THE ICE OFF ONALASKA’S SHORE SATURDAY.

AN EGG RECALL HAS REACHED WISCONSIN. IN ALL--THIRTY-FOUR STATES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF CONTAMINATED HARD-COOKED EGGS FROM MICHAEL FOODS OF MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA. THE EGGS WERE SOLD IN 10-AND-25-POUND PAILS FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE. THE FEDS SAY SOME EGGS MAY BE CONTAMINATED WITH A STRAIN OF LISTERIA WHICH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INFECTIONS IN THOSE WITH WEAKER IMMUNE SYSTEMS. SO FAR—THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS OF ILLNESS.

BLISS ROAD’S REPAIR COSTS COULD BE PASSED ON TO THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IF TWO AREA LEGISLATORS GET THEIR BILL PASSED. DEMOCRATS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE JILL BILLINGS AND STATE SENATOR JENNIFER SHILLING WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY MORNING AT 10 TO DISCUSS THEIR BILL. IF PASSED INTO LAW-- BLISS ROAD WOULD BE DESIGNATED A STATE SCENIC BYWAY--- WHICH MEANS STATE AND FEDERAL DOLLARS WOULD BE USED FOR THE UPKEEP OF BLISS ROAD. CURRENTLY—ONLY STATE AND FEDERAL ROADWAYS QUALIFY FOR WISCONSIN’S SCENIC BYWAY PROGRAM.

A DICKEYVILLE MAN IS IN THE GRANT COUNTY JAIL AFTER PUNCHING—KICKING—AND CUTTING HIS MOTHER SATURDAY EVENING. THE 38-YEAR OLD UNNAMED SON REPORTEDLY BECAME UPSET WITH HIS 67-YEAR OLD STEPFATHER WHO WAS AT CHURCH. HIS MOTHER--67-YEAR OLD NANCY ERNZEN--TOLD DEPUTIES HER SON THREATENED HIS STEPFATHER’S LIFE. WHILE WAITING FOR THE STEPFATHER TO RETURN FROM CHURCH NANCY’S SON CUT HER FOREHEAD WITH A SHARD OF WINDOW GLASS. MOM ESCAPED. THE SON WAS ARRESTED AT A NEARBY MOTEL.

A REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLYMAN IS A REAL PACKER. SPEAKER PRO TEM OF THE ASSEMBLY--REPRESENTATIVE BILL KRAMER OF WAUKESHA HAS BEEN CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON DURING FLOOR SESSIONS. KRAMER SAID HE OBTAINED A PERMIT TO PACK LAST NOVEMBER AND AT TIMES HAS BROUGHT HIS GLOCK-26 ONTO THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR. KRAMER FEELS HE NEEDS THE WEAPON--GIVEN THE TOXIC TIMES AT THE CAPITOL.

A FOUR-YEAR OLD NEW BERLIN BOY HAS A POTTY MOUTH---THAT’S PRACTICALLY ALL DUSTIN KRUSE TALKS ABOUT---TOILETS. DUSTIN HAS A FASCINATION WITH TOILETS—SINCE HE WAS 18-MONTHS OLD. LAST SUMMER DUSTIN AND FAMILY SPENT THREE-HOURS TOURING THE KOHLER DESIGN CENTER. DUSTIN SPOTTED A TOILET WITH TWO WATER LEVELS AND ASKED SANTA FOR IT. SANTA CONTACTED KOHLER AND KOHLER GAVE DUSTIN HIS HEART’S DESIRE—THEY EVEN INSTALLED IT FOR FREE. DUSTIN PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE INTERESTED IN AN AMISH TOILET—THEY DON’T FLUSH.  

02.03.12
A 21-YEAR OLD ONALASKA MAN WAS CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE THURSDAY. KYLE SMITH ALLEDGEDLY SOLD HEROIN TO 22-YEAR OLD BRADLEY BENZING LAST NOVEMBER. BENZING REPORTEDLY TOOK THE HEROIN AT SMITH’S ONALASKA APARTMENT AND WAS LATER FOUND UNRESPONSIVE. BRADLEY BENZING LATER DIED AT A LA CROSSE HOSPITAL OF A HEROIN OVERDOSE. ENOUGH EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO BIND KYLE SMITH OVER FOR TRIAL. A SCHEDULING CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD IN APRIL.

DRAKE IS DOWN FOR THE SEMESTER. IT WILL TAKE TWO-TO-THREE-MONTHS TO REPAIR DAMAGE DONE FROM SUNDAY’S FIRE AT THE UW-LA CROSSE RESIDENCE HALL. SOME OF THE 271-DISPLACED STUDENTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN BY FACULTY AND STAFF—SOME WILL STAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS—BUT CHANCELLOR JOE GOW TOLD ANYONE WHO WANTS TO STAY ON CAMPUS CAN. DRAKE RESIDENCE HALL DAMAGE ESTIMATES AND THE CAUSE OF THE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FIRE HAVE NOT BEEN DETERMINED YET.    

REPUBLICANS MAY NEED A PRIMARY BEFORE CAMPAIGNING AGAINST INCUMBENT CONGRESSMAN RON KIND. SUNDAY, RETIRED COL. RAY BOLAND OF SPARTA GOT THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE MONROE COUNTY REUPBLICAN CAUCUS. MONROE COUNTY CHAIR JOHN CHRISTY SAID THEY’RE EXCITED THEIR CHOICE IS FROM MONROE COUNTY. THEN THURSDAY--HOLMEN RETIRED BANKER BRUCE EVERS ANNOUNCED HE’S CONSIDERING A RUN. EVERS WAS DEFEATED IN THE 2010 REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY BY DAN KAPANKE—KAPANKE THEN NARROWLY LOST TO KIND. EVERS SAID KIND’S VOTING RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. EVERS WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO RUN BEFORE THE THIRD DISTRICT CAUCUS IN APRIL.

UNSEASONABLY HIGH TEMPS MAY BE WELCOME WEATHER TO MANY—BUT NOT FOR THE AREA’S WINTER EVENTS THIS WEEKEND. THE 89^TH ANNUAL SNOWFLAKE SKI TOURNEY IN WESTBY HAS TURNED INTO A NO-FLAKE WEEKEND—SHORT-SLEEVES MAY BE IN ORDER SATURDAY AT TOMAH’S FREEZE-FEST—AND SNOWMOBILE RACES ON THE LAKE MAY HAVE TO GIVE WAY TO JET SKIS AT CASTLE ROCK’S WINTERFEST. IT’S SO WARM MOUNT LA CROSSE SNOW-MACHINES CAN’T MAKE ANY MORE—ALTHOUGH THERE’S STILL ENOUGH FAKE FLAKES TO GET BY FOR NOW.  

DANCING IS IN AT THE LA CROSSE CENTER SATURDAY—LOTS OF DANCING DURING THE WISCONSIN STATE HIGH SCHOOL DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS. OVER 17-HUNDRED COMPETITORS WILL NOT OUTNUMBER THE ESTIMATED 6,000 SPECTATORS BEGINNING AT 9AM SATURDAY. SESSION I BEGINS AT 9AM WITH AWARDS AT 3PM—SESSION II BEGINS AT 4PM WITH AWARDS AT 8:30PMAREA HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAMS COMPETING AT THE LA CROSSE CENTER INCLUDE G-E-T, HOLMEN, ONALASKA, AQUINAS, CENTRAL, LOGAN, SPARTA AND TOMAH GIRLS.  

MORE THAN 350 WISCONSIN LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN AWARDED $4. 2-MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO REPLACE NEARLY 36-HUNDRED OUTDATED RADIOS. ROUND FIGURES INCLUDE—ADAMS COUNTY AGENCIES GET ABOUT $21,000--CRAWFORD, $14,000—GRANT, $86,000—JACKSON, $57,000—JUNEAU, $52,000—LA CROSSE, $71,000—MONROE, $123,000—AND TREMPEALEAU COUNTY AGENCIES WILL RECEIVE $64,000. NO AMOUNT WAS GIVE FOR VERNON COUNTY. RADIOS PURCHASED MUST HAVE AT LEAST FOURTY-EIGHT CHANNELS AND BE CAPABLE OF ACCESSING AT LEAST TWENTY STATEWIDE MUTUAL AID CHANNELS.

ANOTHER COUNTY ACROSS THE RIVER MAY PLACE A MORATORIUM ON FRAC SAND MINING. MINNESOTA’S HOUSTON COUNTY SCHEDULED A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE THIRTEENTH OF THIS MONTH ON A ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM. HOUSTON COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORT MOST FEEDBACK HAS BEEN NEGATIVE. WINONA COUNTY ALREADY HAS A 3-MONTH MORATORIUM AND WABASHA COUNTY APPROVED A ONE-YEAR STUDY. FRAC SAND MINING IS ALREADY UNDERWAY IN MANY AREA COUNTIES INCLUDING JACKSON, LA CROSSE, MONROE AND TREMPEALEAU.