Ran on Saturday, June 23, 2007
Keeping the campfire burning
Luther Park Bible Camp has welcomed the public as a 'place for ministry to happen' for 75 years and is ...
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
CHETEK - Sleeping in tents, sharing stories and songs by the campfire and whispering late into the night - those are among the memories children will make this summer, as they have for the past 75 years, at Luther Park Bible Camp.
Since 1932 Luther Park Bible Camp has welcomed children as a "place for ministry to happen," Camp Director Sherm Toufar said.
Some things have changed.
When the first campers registered, the fee was $3 and a jar of jelly to help feed the campers.
Members of area congregations would supply a staff for one week at a time during the summer. All campers would pitch tents.
Like anything else, the price has risen. There are 10 full-time year-round staff members. Summer staff and campers can sleep in tents, cabins or retreat centers - large buildings available for group rentals.
There are programs at the camp year-round. For the summer months the camp features basketball courts, canoes, a swimming pool and a playground. People can water-ski at their leisure. During the winter, the camp offers a 23-hour weekend program for third- through 12th-grade children, two one-day programs for adults and a number of quilting retreats. In winter, the retreat centers can be rented out as well. With programs year-round, the total camp staff of about 50 caters to about 1,500 children and 250 adults.
The physical size of the camp also has flourished. With two sites, there are 420 acres for campers to enjoy nature while celebrating God.
Things may have changed, but the theme remains the same.
"It's a place where God's people can gather," Toufar said.
"Seventy-five years ago, land was purchased so kids would have a place to go for the summer," said Mary Toufar, director of programming and Sherm Toufar's wife. "It's a place to experience God in an outdoor setting and get away (from modern-day stress)."
To commemorate the anniversary, the staff is planning an all-camp reunion. The park will celebrate Family Fun Days on Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 15. The weekend will include songs, slide presentations, games, worship and a hog roast.
In addition to the reunion, other events will recognize the longevity of the camp.
Last month, the Rev. Paul Oman of Trinity Lutheran Church in Birchwood created a limited-edition commemorative painting for Luther Park Bible Camp. The painting depicts a campfire near the lake. There are 133 paintings available for sale, the same number of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America churches that support Lutheran Bible Camp through donations.
The camp has ELCA church members, but "serves people in many denominations," Sherm Toufar said.
"The painting really says a lot about the camp," Mary Toufar said. "Relationships are built and stories are told around the campfire."
While a variety of children with varying interests attend the camp, the director recognizes that one of the most-awaited events arrives when the sun goes down.
"The most popular activity for kids is the time they spend around the campfire, and the time they spend with councilors," Sherm Toufar said. "The print captures all of that."
As a throwback to the camp's inception, officials are asking campers to bring a canned food item. Those items will be donated to Feed My People food bank.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
CVTC approves $79 million budget for 2007-08
Ran Friday, June 22, 2007
CVTC approves $79 million budget for 2007-08
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The Chippewa Valley Technical College District Board Thursday night approved a $79 million budget for 2007-08, an increase of 5 percent from the past year.
The budget calls for elimination of 27 positions, the addition of four new educational programs and some hard feelings among the board, the college president and the public.
"We operate on a business model," CVTC president Ihlenfeldt said.
Annually the board looks at each position and determines if it can be done in a more effective way, he said.
The major concerns among those at the meeting were laying off employees who have been at the school for many years, losing amenities in the disability services center and health care costs.
"The numbers don’t show the bodies that are being displaced," said Lisa Storms, registration and records assistant at CVTC.
Greg Lampman, who had worked at CVTC for 20 years, is one of the displaced. He said he was promised the opportunity five years ago to be trained in information technology services when upgrades were needed, and when he asked for time off to receive the training he was denied. Now Lampman’s position has been eliminated.
"We continuously change and upgrade," Ihlenfeldt responded.
"We need people with different skills to match the changing technology," Ihlenfeldt said. "They don’t have the skills that we need in various areas … it’s not something that we can train them for overnight."
The $7 million bill for CVTC’s employee health care plan is one of the major expenditures, Ihlenfeldt said.
"As I told the staff: It’s not their fault, it’s not my fault and it’s not the board’s fault," he said. "It’s the product of a broken system."
Another major concern was the hit the Disability Services program is taking.
Tina Oleson uses the Disability Services program.
"I am very angry about these changes," Oleson said.
She was unsure how one person will be able to help her with her test anxiety as well as recruit high school students who need to use the Disability Services for the college.
Joe Hegge, vice president of education said he had no reservations.
"We believe that we can serve those students," Hegge said. "There are some differences about how we are going to do that."
CVTC approves $79 million budget for 2007-08
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The Chippewa Valley Technical College District Board Thursday night approved a $79 million budget for 2007-08, an increase of 5 percent from the past year.
The budget calls for elimination of 27 positions, the addition of four new educational programs and some hard feelings among the board, the college president and the public.
"We operate on a business model," CVTC president Ihlenfeldt said.
Annually the board looks at each position and determines if it can be done in a more effective way, he said.
The major concerns among those at the meeting were laying off employees who have been at the school for many years, losing amenities in the disability services center and health care costs.
"The numbers don’t show the bodies that are being displaced," said Lisa Storms, registration and records assistant at CVTC.
Greg Lampman, who had worked at CVTC for 20 years, is one of the displaced. He said he was promised the opportunity five years ago to be trained in information technology services when upgrades were needed, and when he asked for time off to receive the training he was denied. Now Lampman’s position has been eliminated.
"We continuously change and upgrade," Ihlenfeldt responded.
"We need people with different skills to match the changing technology," Ihlenfeldt said. "They don’t have the skills that we need in various areas … it’s not something that we can train them for overnight."
The $7 million bill for CVTC’s employee health care plan is one of the major expenditures, Ihlenfeldt said.
"As I told the staff: It’s not their fault, it’s not my fault and it’s not the board’s fault," he said. "It’s the product of a broken system."
Another major concern was the hit the Disability Services program is taking.
Tina Oleson uses the Disability Services program.
"I am very angry about these changes," Oleson said.
She was unsure how one person will be able to help her with her test anxiety as well as recruit high school students who need to use the Disability Services for the college.
Joe Hegge, vice president of education said he had no reservations.
"We believe that we can serve those students," Hegge said. "There are some differences about how we are going to do that."
Sausage-makers seek business link
Ran Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sausage-makers seek business link
Law requiring federal inspections for out-of-state sales deemed unfair
By Leader-Telegram staff and The Associated Press
There's a saying that you don't want to see how sausage is made, but many Wisconsin sausage makers don't care for the way it's sold, or more accurately how it's not sold.
They say an arcane federal law that prohibits them from selling their state-inspected meats outside of Wisconsin hinders their livelihood.
Federal law prohibits state-inspected meat from being sold across state lines, even though meat handled by state inspectors is required to meet or exceed standards for federally inspected plants.
Jon Seipel, manager and owner of Gunderson Food Service in Mondovi, doesn't see why his meats are good enough for people five hours away in Racine or Superior, but not for people much closer in Wabasha, Minn.
"There's no difference in people in Minnesota than in Wisconsin," Seipel said, adding the meats are transported on a federally inspected truck.
Processors can choose whether to be state or federally inspected. There are 299 state-inspected meat processors in Wisconsin, one of 28 states with its own program. Federal officials inspect 164 processors in Wisconsin, officials said.
Seipel said federal requirements would require him to add on to his building, make an extra office for the inspector and install showers. He estimated the accommodations would cost as much as $300,000.
"Gotta sell a lot of wieners to make up for that," he said.
The federal restriction particularly concerns state-inspected meat processors near Wisconsin's borders. Rick Reams, owner of RJ's Fresh Meats in Hudson, said he had to turn away an order for 8,000 pounds of breakfast sausages for the Minnesota State Fair because of the provision, even though the fair is only 20 miles away.
Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said nothing prevents any Wisconsin meat processor from getting meat federally inspected rather than state inspected.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and Sen. Herb Kohl, both Wisconsin democrats, have introduced legislation in their respective houses to end the ban, as have several lawmakers from other states. Although similar attempts at legislation have failed, Kind said he was optimistic the provisions might be folded into the pending federal farm bill.
Mark Dopp, senior vice president and general counsel of American Meat Institute, which represents meat processing companies, said the companies oppose lifting the ban. He questions whether state-inspected meat meets every federal requirement.
But Sheboygan Falls-based Johnsonville Sausage, which distributes its products throughout the nation and to 40 other countries, takes a different view.
"As long as the requirements are the same across the board, we don't have a problem with it," said company spokesman Kevin Ladwig.
Sausage-makers seek business link
Law requiring federal inspections for out-of-state sales deemed unfair
By Leader-Telegram staff and The Associated Press
There's a saying that you don't want to see how sausage is made, but many Wisconsin sausage makers don't care for the way it's sold, or more accurately how it's not sold.
They say an arcane federal law that prohibits them from selling their state-inspected meats outside of Wisconsin hinders their livelihood.
Federal law prohibits state-inspected meat from being sold across state lines, even though meat handled by state inspectors is required to meet or exceed standards for federally inspected plants.
Jon Seipel, manager and owner of Gunderson Food Service in Mondovi, doesn't see why his meats are good enough for people five hours away in Racine or Superior, but not for people much closer in Wabasha, Minn.
"There's no difference in people in Minnesota than in Wisconsin," Seipel said, adding the meats are transported on a federally inspected truck.
Processors can choose whether to be state or federally inspected. There are 299 state-inspected meat processors in Wisconsin, one of 28 states with its own program. Federal officials inspect 164 processors in Wisconsin, officials said.
Seipel said federal requirements would require him to add on to his building, make an extra office for the inspector and install showers. He estimated the accommodations would cost as much as $300,000.
"Gotta sell a lot of wieners to make up for that," he said.
The federal restriction particularly concerns state-inspected meat processors near Wisconsin's borders. Rick Reams, owner of RJ's Fresh Meats in Hudson, said he had to turn away an order for 8,000 pounds of breakfast sausages for the Minnesota State Fair because of the provision, even though the fair is only 20 miles away.
Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said nothing prevents any Wisconsin meat processor from getting meat federally inspected rather than state inspected.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and Sen. Herb Kohl, both Wisconsin democrats, have introduced legislation in their respective houses to end the ban, as have several lawmakers from other states. Although similar attempts at legislation have failed, Kind said he was optimistic the provisions might be folded into the pending federal farm bill.
Mark Dopp, senior vice president and general counsel of American Meat Institute, which represents meat processing companies, said the companies oppose lifting the ban. He questions whether state-inspected meat meets every federal requirement.
But Sheboygan Falls-based Johnsonville Sausage, which distributes its products throughout the nation and to 40 other countries, takes a different view.
"As long as the requirements are the same across the board, we don't have a problem with it," said company spokesman Kevin Ladwig.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
On the way: Home
Ran on Tuesday, June 19. 2007
On the way: Home
Tour brings Eau Claire native, his Texas-based band to House of Rock
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
After moving to Texas and joining a band, Eau Claire native Keith Killoren is returning to play with his globe-trotting group, The Drams, Thursday at House of Rock.
Playing concerts in Minneapolis, Green Bay and Chicago, The Drams always skipped his hometown because of time constraints, Killoren said.
"I felt bad I didn't get to play in my hometown," he said. "It's kind of fun to play in Eau Claire."
Killoren added it "will be good to see my old peeps."
Killoren graduated from North High School and UW-Eau Claire. He delved into music at booth schools.
In high school he participated in concert, jazz and marching bands. Former North High School band director Howard Lehman described Killoren as "one of a kind ... most often jovial and pleasant."
Killoren played the saxophone in high school but experimented with other instruments too. He now plays bass.
"I didn't focus on my sax too much," he said. "In high school I was a little too into guitar."
While at UW-Eau Claire, he started Three Liter Hit. Killoren was the singer, songwriter and guitarist. After a stressful fall semester and a long winter, Killoren left his college band to move to Texas.
"It was just something about Texas that appealed to me," he said.
The weather, the ladies and forming a new band were factors in the move, he said.
Eventually, he met up with a group of men and formed The Drams. Killoren described the group's sound as traditional rock 'n' roll with Neil Young and The Replacements influences.
Two years ago The Drams played their first gig at the large music festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Since then, they have been touring America and Europe.
The Drams have released a new album, "Jubilee Dive," and plan to record again this fall to release an album next spring.
On the way: Home
Tour brings Eau Claire native, his Texas-based band to House of Rock
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
After moving to Texas and joining a band, Eau Claire native Keith Killoren is returning to play with his globe-trotting group, The Drams, Thursday at House of Rock.
Playing concerts in Minneapolis, Green Bay and Chicago, The Drams always skipped his hometown because of time constraints, Killoren said.
"I felt bad I didn't get to play in my hometown," he said. "It's kind of fun to play in Eau Claire."
Killoren added it "will be good to see my old peeps."
Killoren graduated from North High School and UW-Eau Claire. He delved into music at booth schools.
In high school he participated in concert, jazz and marching bands. Former North High School band director Howard Lehman described Killoren as "one of a kind ... most often jovial and pleasant."
Killoren played the saxophone in high school but experimented with other instruments too. He now plays bass.
"I didn't focus on my sax too much," he said. "In high school I was a little too into guitar."
While at UW-Eau Claire, he started Three Liter Hit. Killoren was the singer, songwriter and guitarist. After a stressful fall semester and a long winter, Killoren left his college band to move to Texas.
"It was just something about Texas that appealed to me," he said.
The weather, the ladies and forming a new band were factors in the move, he said.
Eventually, he met up with a group of men and formed The Drams. Killoren described the group's sound as traditional rock 'n' roll with Neil Young and The Replacements influences.
Two years ago The Drams played their first gig at the large music festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Since then, they have been touring America and Europe.
The Drams have released a new album, "Jubilee Dive," and plan to record again this fall to release an album next spring.
CVTC budget woes prompt disability service cutbacks
Ran on Tuesday, June 19, 2007
CVTC budget woes prompt disability service cutbacks
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Chippewa Valley Technical College officials are changing their nationally recognized disability services program to be more cost effective, but that move could come with a different kind of cost.
CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt said three disability services instructors will be moved from the program and be placed as instructors in general education classes.
There are five instructors and a clerical assistant in the disability services department. One new person will be hired to work as a manager for disability services.
The change would mean students with disabilities no longer would be segregated from other students.
Services previously provided in a separate center would be integrated.
"It will change," Ihlenfeldt said of the disabilities services. "I have no reason to believe a student wouldn't get services they want."
Disability services personnel help students by reading tests, recording books on tape, helping people in wheelchairs and providing special computer software for people who have vision problems.
CVTC serves 224 students identified as requiring disability services. Joe Hegge, vice president of education, said 62 students used the lab in 2006-07.
A CVTC instructor who asked to remain anonymous said 263 disabled students already are mainstreamed, going to the same classes as other students and only to the service lab in their off time.
The instructor said the disability center's role is to prepare those students for the "real world."
Tina Oleson uses the disability services offered at the college and worries that fewer instructors will hamper learning opportunities for herself and those like her.
"I have many obstacles to overcome and now am at a loss to where my future will lead," Oleson said.
Ihlenfeldt said all students must eventually go into the workforce and be equipped to handle situations. Mainstreaming those students will improve their chances of future success, he said.
"If they can't, then I question what our role should be," he said.
Oleson said she sometimes had trouble scheduling the help she needed before, and assistance will be harder to come by with fewer disability service teachers.
In a written statement, Oleson said those instructors "struggle to meet the needs of so many special people and still have the heart to go that extra mile to encourage the overcoming stigmas."
She said many students have planned their college careers based on receiving disability services. Now she is unsure how fewer people will accommodate those needing extra assistance.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said.
CVTC budget woes prompt disability service cutbacks
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Chippewa Valley Technical College officials are changing their nationally recognized disability services program to be more cost effective, but that move could come with a different kind of cost.
CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt said three disability services instructors will be moved from the program and be placed as instructors in general education classes.
There are five instructors and a clerical assistant in the disability services department. One new person will be hired to work as a manager for disability services.
The change would mean students with disabilities no longer would be segregated from other students.
Services previously provided in a separate center would be integrated.
"It will change," Ihlenfeldt said of the disabilities services. "I have no reason to believe a student wouldn't get services they want."
Disability services personnel help students by reading tests, recording books on tape, helping people in wheelchairs and providing special computer software for people who have vision problems.
CVTC serves 224 students identified as requiring disability services. Joe Hegge, vice president of education, said 62 students used the lab in 2006-07.
A CVTC instructor who asked to remain anonymous said 263 disabled students already are mainstreamed, going to the same classes as other students and only to the service lab in their off time.
The instructor said the disability center's role is to prepare those students for the "real world."
Tina Oleson uses the disability services offered at the college and worries that fewer instructors will hamper learning opportunities for herself and those like her.
"I have many obstacles to overcome and now am at a loss to where my future will lead," Oleson said.
Ihlenfeldt said all students must eventually go into the workforce and be equipped to handle situations. Mainstreaming those students will improve their chances of future success, he said.
"If they can't, then I question what our role should be," he said.
Oleson said she sometimes had trouble scheduling the help she needed before, and assistance will be harder to come by with fewer disability service teachers.
In a written statement, Oleson said those instructors "struggle to meet the needs of so many special people and still have the heart to go that extra mile to encourage the overcoming stigmas."
She said many students have planned their college careers based on receiving disability services. Now she is unsure how fewer people will accommodate those needing extra assistance.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said.
Insurance drives CVTC budget
Ran Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Insurance drives CVTC budget
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Increasing health insurance costs combined with student population growth add up to a 5.47 percent increase in the proposed 2007-08 Chippewa Valley Technical College budget.
Proposed expenditures for next school year total $79 million, up from $74.9 million in 2006-07. The CVTC board of directors will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss budget specifics.
Health care costs are projected to rise 18 percent and are the driving force behind budget increases that have become commonplace during the past decade, CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt said. More than $7 million of the CVTC budget is spent on health insurance and 85 percent of expenditures are personnel related, he said.
"It's just going to get worse," Ihlenfeldt said. "It's become a real burden for public and private institutions, not just technical colleges."
The proposed tax levy, $31.7 million, represents a 3.9 percent increase from 2006-07. The increase is driven in part by enrollment increases of 5 to 15 percent annually, the highest growth rate among Wisconsin technical colleges.
To keep tax increases in check, Ihlenfeldt said the college is attempting to curb rising health care costs, in part by outsourcing some jobs.
Also, additional online course offerings have reduced the number of teachers, which will decrease those costs, he said.
Full-time employees given health care benefits were asked this year if they would voluntarily pay a part of their premium, despite their contracts saying CVTC pays 100 percent of their health care.
Ihlenfeldt said the college "operates on a business model" to keep up with the growing population's desire to take classes at CVTC. That model has led to maintaining quality during rapid growth, he said.
"Many years we lay people off. We know it's hard the people affected. But we must if we are to realign the college's resources according to the industry and workforce needs," he said.
The college must balance requests for added classes with rising expenses, a juggling act that has become increasingly difficult, Ihlenfeldt said.
"We routinely add programs and delete programs ... it's part of strategic planning," he said.
The proposed budget for 2007-2008 eliminates three programs, modifies one and adds four new programs.
It also adds 26.46 new positions while eliminating 27 jobs. Of those, 19 involve layoffs.
Board of Directors Treasurer, Marilyn Jaskot said she's "pretty sure" she'll approve the budget.
"It balances out," Jaskot said.
The proposed 3.9 percent levy increase, Jaskot said, is smaller than it was initially and represents fiscal prudence by the board.
"We're trying to be as effective as we can with our money," Jaskot said. "But we're still growing."
Fellow board members Susan Kumferman and Terry Bilderback refused to say whether they would approve the budget.
Growing and being cost effective requires attention to detail, Ihlenfeldt said.
"We look at each position to see if it can be done more cost effectively," he said. "We're going to grow and we're going to do it at the lowest cost possible."
Insurance drives CVTC budget
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Increasing health insurance costs combined with student population growth add up to a 5.47 percent increase in the proposed 2007-08 Chippewa Valley Technical College budget.
Proposed expenditures for next school year total $79 million, up from $74.9 million in 2006-07. The CVTC board of directors will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss budget specifics.
Health care costs are projected to rise 18 percent and are the driving force behind budget increases that have become commonplace during the past decade, CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt said. More than $7 million of the CVTC budget is spent on health insurance and 85 percent of expenditures are personnel related, he said.
"It's just going to get worse," Ihlenfeldt said. "It's become a real burden for public and private institutions, not just technical colleges."
The proposed tax levy, $31.7 million, represents a 3.9 percent increase from 2006-07. The increase is driven in part by enrollment increases of 5 to 15 percent annually, the highest growth rate among Wisconsin technical colleges.
To keep tax increases in check, Ihlenfeldt said the college is attempting to curb rising health care costs, in part by outsourcing some jobs.
Also, additional online course offerings have reduced the number of teachers, which will decrease those costs, he said.
Full-time employees given health care benefits were asked this year if they would voluntarily pay a part of their premium, despite their contracts saying CVTC pays 100 percent of their health care.
Ihlenfeldt said the college "operates on a business model" to keep up with the growing population's desire to take classes at CVTC. That model has led to maintaining quality during rapid growth, he said.
"Many years we lay people off. We know it's hard the people affected. But we must if we are to realign the college's resources according to the industry and workforce needs," he said.
The college must balance requests for added classes with rising expenses, a juggling act that has become increasingly difficult, Ihlenfeldt said.
"We routinely add programs and delete programs ... it's part of strategic planning," he said.
The proposed budget for 2007-2008 eliminates three programs, modifies one and adds four new programs.
It also adds 26.46 new positions while eliminating 27 jobs. Of those, 19 involve layoffs.
Board of Directors Treasurer, Marilyn Jaskot said she's "pretty sure" she'll approve the budget.
"It balances out," Jaskot said.
The proposed 3.9 percent levy increase, Jaskot said, is smaller than it was initially and represents fiscal prudence by the board.
"We're trying to be as effective as we can with our money," Jaskot said. "But we're still growing."
Fellow board members Susan Kumferman and Terry Bilderback refused to say whether they would approve the budget.
Growing and being cost effective requires attention to detail, Ihlenfeldt said.
"We look at each position to see if it can be done more cost effectively," he said. "We're going to grow and we're going to do it at the lowest cost possible."
Monday, June 18, 2007
Honor through service
Ran on Tuesday, May 29
Honor through service
Family members help drive home central themes of Memorial Day
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Military veteran John Olson of Eau Claire had his stepson on his mind Monday while watching the Memorial Day parade as he solemnly remembered those who fought and died for their country.
Olson’s stepson, Marine Andy Stevens of Tomah, was killed in December 2005 in Iraq. Olson served for 38 years in the military, retiring from the Army Reserve.
“Memorial Day is important to honor those who make it possible for us to do this ... to agree and disagree on public and private issues,” Olson said through tears.
Olson’s wife and Stevens’ mother, Kay Olson, is a Gold Star mother. Kay Olson dropped a wreath into the Chippewa River as a memorial for those who have given their lives serving the country. The dropping of the wreath is a tradition of Eau Claire’s Memorial Day parade.
Vietnam War veteran Dean Emerson of Eau Claire watched Monday’s parade “to honor those that have given us our freedoms, who have fought for us to keep them.”
Veterans, families and community members gathered after the parade at Owen Park for a Memorial Day service.
The Memorial Day address was delivered by a father-son duo, both Navy veterans. Cecil Berlin and Dean Berlin spoke about what Memorial Day means to them.
Cecil Berlin was a first class seaman on a Navy destroyer from 1951 to 1954 in the Korean War. Dean Berlin was a first class Navy officer serving in the Iraq war in 2006.
“We’re here today to remember all men and women who have made the great sacrifice,” Cecil Berlin said.
Enlisting in the Navy when he was 17, Cecil was unaware of the war going on in 1951, but had he known, he said, it would not have made a difference. He had his mind made up to be in the Navy.
Cecil Berlin was aware of the war in Iraq when his son Dean was deployed in January 2006.
Dean left his wife and children and his Eau Claire teaching position to fight in Iraq. In June 2006 the vehicle he was in exploded from an improvised explosive device. Three others were in the vehicle with him; only one other survived.
“I’m here today because I can walk and I can talk,” Dean said. “I’m here to commemorate fallen shipmates who cannot be here.”
Growing up around veterans, Dean said, he always had a deep appreciation for freedom and democracy but this Memorial Day was very different for him.
“Now it has names and faces to help remember it,” he said.
Steve Henry of the Chippewa County town of Lafayette came to Eau Claire to observe and reflect because he is a Korean War veteran and wanted to hear the Berlins.
“It was just great,” Henry said. “It really does put a face to the Memorial Day message.”
Henry, who has a long family history of military service, said the day is special to him. He said he appreciated the people who came to help honor the day.
“It really stresses the value of freedom,” Henry said.
Eau Claire Patriotic Council Chairman Ron Martin, who led the service, said the goal was to remember the fallen comrades in arms and “each one reminds us liberty has a cost, and freedom is not free.”
Honor through service
Family members help drive home central themes of Memorial Day
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Military veteran John Olson of Eau Claire had his stepson on his mind Monday while watching the Memorial Day parade as he solemnly remembered those who fought and died for their country.
Olson’s stepson, Marine Andy Stevens of Tomah, was killed in December 2005 in Iraq. Olson served for 38 years in the military, retiring from the Army Reserve.
“Memorial Day is important to honor those who make it possible for us to do this ... to agree and disagree on public and private issues,” Olson said through tears.
Olson’s wife and Stevens’ mother, Kay Olson, is a Gold Star mother. Kay Olson dropped a wreath into the Chippewa River as a memorial for those who have given their lives serving the country. The dropping of the wreath is a tradition of Eau Claire’s Memorial Day parade.
Vietnam War veteran Dean Emerson of Eau Claire watched Monday’s parade “to honor those that have given us our freedoms, who have fought for us to keep them.”
Veterans, families and community members gathered after the parade at Owen Park for a Memorial Day service.
The Memorial Day address was delivered by a father-son duo, both Navy veterans. Cecil Berlin and Dean Berlin spoke about what Memorial Day means to them.
Cecil Berlin was a first class seaman on a Navy destroyer from 1951 to 1954 in the Korean War. Dean Berlin was a first class Navy officer serving in the Iraq war in 2006.
“We’re here today to remember all men and women who have made the great sacrifice,” Cecil Berlin said.
Enlisting in the Navy when he was 17, Cecil was unaware of the war going on in 1951, but had he known, he said, it would not have made a difference. He had his mind made up to be in the Navy.
Cecil Berlin was aware of the war in Iraq when his son Dean was deployed in January 2006.
Dean left his wife and children and his Eau Claire teaching position to fight in Iraq. In June 2006 the vehicle he was in exploded from an improvised explosive device. Three others were in the vehicle with him; only one other survived.
“I’m here today because I can walk and I can talk,” Dean said. “I’m here to commemorate fallen shipmates who cannot be here.”
Growing up around veterans, Dean said, he always had a deep appreciation for freedom and democracy but this Memorial Day was very different for him.
“Now it has names and faces to help remember it,” he said.
Steve Henry of the Chippewa County town of Lafayette came to Eau Claire to observe and reflect because he is a Korean War veteran and wanted to hear the Berlins.
“It was just great,” Henry said. “It really does put a face to the Memorial Day message.”
Henry, who has a long family history of military service, said the day is special to him. He said he appreciated the people who came to help honor the day.
“It really stresses the value of freedom,” Henry said.
Eau Claire Patriotic Council Chairman Ron Martin, who led the service, said the goal was to remember the fallen comrades in arms and “each one reminds us liberty has a cost, and freedom is not free.”
States consider safety measures for social sites
Ran on Wednesday, May 30
States consider safety measures for social sites
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The rising popularity of Internet social networks such as MySpace or Facebook has state legislators throughout the nation considering laws to protect young people from sexual predators.
In Eau Claire alone there are 164 people on the state Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry.
A bill in the North Carolina Legislature would require parental consent for children under 18 to use virtual social networks. Lawmakers are considering similar bills in Connecticut and Georgia.
There are no bills in the Wisconsin Legislature to regulate access to social networking sites, but some say a law wouldn’t change their MySpace activity.
“It wouldn’t be a big deal,” said Brenna Laskowski, 15. “My parents know I use it.”
A student at Eau Claire Memorial High School, Laskowski said even though her parents do not look at her profile, she only puts up things she thinks are appropriate.
Wisconsin state Sen. Shelia Harsdorf, R-River Falls, had not heard of the pending laws in other states, but as a mother is aware of the dangers the networks pose.
“Many schools warn parents about possible abuse of that Web site,” she said.
She encouraged parents to be aware of what their children put on their sites and to watch their activity.
“Don’t put a computer in the bedroom,” Harsdorf said. “Put it in a family area so it can be monitored.”
State Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, shared the same parenting mantra. “There is no substitute for parenting and parent involvement,” he said.
Oversight is an issue, Smith said.
“Do we want to regulate parenting? We’d like to advocate for more parental involvement,” he said.
Olivia Goss, 14, a freshman at Memorial, also said she didn’t think a law requiring parental consent would affect her. She is “friends” with her mother and other relatives on MySpace. A friend has more access to a profile.
“My mom looks at my profile and tells me what to put up or what not to put up,” Goss said.
Memorial High School freshman Antonio Derosa, 14, thought the issue is serious. As a MySpace user, he said it would be stupid to put up things you don’t want other people to see. Still, he said “the fact that we have to have laws like that is kind of silly.”
States consider safety measures for social sites
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The rising popularity of Internet social networks such as MySpace or Facebook has state legislators throughout the nation considering laws to protect young people from sexual predators.
In Eau Claire alone there are 164 people on the state Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry.
A bill in the North Carolina Legislature would require parental consent for children under 18 to use virtual social networks. Lawmakers are considering similar bills in Connecticut and Georgia.
There are no bills in the Wisconsin Legislature to regulate access to social networking sites, but some say a law wouldn’t change their MySpace activity.
“It wouldn’t be a big deal,” said Brenna Laskowski, 15. “My parents know I use it.”
A student at Eau Claire Memorial High School, Laskowski said even though her parents do not look at her profile, she only puts up things she thinks are appropriate.
Wisconsin state Sen. Shelia Harsdorf, R-River Falls, had not heard of the pending laws in other states, but as a mother is aware of the dangers the networks pose.
“Many schools warn parents about possible abuse of that Web site,” she said.
She encouraged parents to be aware of what their children put on their sites and to watch their activity.
“Don’t put a computer in the bedroom,” Harsdorf said. “Put it in a family area so it can be monitored.”
State Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, shared the same parenting mantra. “There is no substitute for parenting and parent involvement,” he said.
Oversight is an issue, Smith said.
“Do we want to regulate parenting? We’d like to advocate for more parental involvement,” he said.
Olivia Goss, 14, a freshman at Memorial, also said she didn’t think a law requiring parental consent would affect her. She is “friends” with her mother and other relatives on MySpace. A friend has more access to a profile.
“My mom looks at my profile and tells me what to put up or what not to put up,” Goss said.
Memorial High School freshman Antonio Derosa, 14, thought the issue is serious. As a MySpace user, he said it would be stupid to put up things you don’t want other people to see. Still, he said “the fact that we have to have laws like that is kind of silly.”
Kind promotes Innovation Agenda
Ran on Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Kind promotes Innovation Agenda
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
In a world determined by both the capabilities and limitations of technology, the United States is on the verge of losing its advantageous leading edge. U.S Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., is pushing to implement an “Innovation Agenda” attempting to spur economic growth and scientific discovery to create and secure an American lead.The goal is to produce the “most innovative and creative people in the world,” said Kind in a June 4 conference at UW-Eau Claire. To accomplish the goal, a coalition of Chippewa Valley schools is fostering a cooperation plan to provide “science, technology, engineering and math education, intellectual expertise, and state-of-the-art facilities to students, faculty and businesses,” according to a June 1 press release. There are five main ways the Innovation Agenda is planning to make western Wisconsin a leader in technology advancement.First, providing advanced math, science, technology and engineering education at a young age. Exposing children to scientific engineering at a primer level gives them an advantage so they are able to “hit the ground running” once they reach the university level, Kind said. Scholarships, grants and lower level interest rates on student loans will be available to undergraduates studying in the mathematical and scientific fields. “Expanding educational opportunities in the sciences, mathematics and engineering in essential for out nation, state and region,” said UW-EC Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich.Secondly, by making research a priority, the federal government will have the facilities to protect the American intellectual property of innovators. Realizing the ill-effects the physical infrastructure of highways had on by-passed towns, the information highway, the Internet, must be made available through the use of broadband technology to rural areas. With so much information and research available on the Web, Kind said, “we can’t afford [ignore rural areas].” Recognizing the current bank-breaking fuel prices, the promotion of green energy technology, such as biofuel and less reliance on foreign oil is essential. “We have a crazy energy system,” Kind said. “We can do a better job.”Local businesses can compete in a world market if granted “access to cheaper loans,” Kind said. Other hurdles thwarting advancement will be lowered to accelerate the entrepreneurial successes small businesses foster. “We’re rising above the gathering storm,” Kind said. “Policy makers need to provide tools and research to educate facilitators to be innovative and creative thinkers.”UW-EC, UW-Stout and Chippewa Valley Technical College form the techonology-forward coalition.
Kind promotes Innovation Agenda
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
In a world determined by both the capabilities and limitations of technology, the United States is on the verge of losing its advantageous leading edge. U.S Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., is pushing to implement an “Innovation Agenda” attempting to spur economic growth and scientific discovery to create and secure an American lead.The goal is to produce the “most innovative and creative people in the world,” said Kind in a June 4 conference at UW-Eau Claire. To accomplish the goal, a coalition of Chippewa Valley schools is fostering a cooperation plan to provide “science, technology, engineering and math education, intellectual expertise, and state-of-the-art facilities to students, faculty and businesses,” according to a June 1 press release. There are five main ways the Innovation Agenda is planning to make western Wisconsin a leader in technology advancement.First, providing advanced math, science, technology and engineering education at a young age. Exposing children to scientific engineering at a primer level gives them an advantage so they are able to “hit the ground running” once they reach the university level, Kind said. Scholarships, grants and lower level interest rates on student loans will be available to undergraduates studying in the mathematical and scientific fields. “Expanding educational opportunities in the sciences, mathematics and engineering in essential for out nation, state and region,” said UW-EC Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich.Secondly, by making research a priority, the federal government will have the facilities to protect the American intellectual property of innovators. Realizing the ill-effects the physical infrastructure of highways had on by-passed towns, the information highway, the Internet, must be made available through the use of broadband technology to rural areas. With so much information and research available on the Web, Kind said, “we can’t afford [ignore rural areas].” Recognizing the current bank-breaking fuel prices, the promotion of green energy technology, such as biofuel and less reliance on foreign oil is essential. “We have a crazy energy system,” Kind said. “We can do a better job.”Local businesses can compete in a world market if granted “access to cheaper loans,” Kind said. Other hurdles thwarting advancement will be lowered to accelerate the entrepreneurial successes small businesses foster. “We’re rising above the gathering storm,” Kind said. “Policy makers need to provide tools and research to educate facilitators to be innovative and creative thinkers.”UW-EC, UW-Stout and Chippewa Valley Technical College form the techonology-forward coalition.
Steer children toward healthful summer snacks
Ran on Tuesday, June 6, 2007
Steer children toward healthful summer snacks
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Summer is right around the corner.
Textbooks are about to be turned in, teachers are preparing final grades, and the school lunch ladies are serving their last chicken nuggets and cheese pizza slices.
Summer break often means a more relaxed schedule for children. Eating habits structured by the school day are disrupted.
With easier access to cupboards and refrigerators, children run the risk of choosing unhealthful snacks.
Parents can help by providing consistency and routine to the eating schedule.
“Children do eat better if their meals are structured,” said Nancy Coffey, Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program coordinator with the Eau Claire County UW-Extension office in Altoona.
To establish a routine, parents can have children help make sandwiches at night for the next day’s lunch. When lunchtime comes, the meal will be ready to eat and proportioned for the child.
Summertime often means not only playing outside during the day, but also staying up later at night.
However, staying up late often leads to sleeping later in the morning and skipping breakfast, which challenges the consistency of eating routines.
Snacks occasionally can be a good replacement for the slept-through meal, said Lisa Eierman, an Eau Claire registered dietitian.
“If the kids aren’t eating regular meals, healthy snacks are a good way to make up for that,” she said.
Summer is a prime time for snacking on locally grown fruits.
Sue Van de Loo of Eau Claire said she and her four children like to take advantage of fresh strawberries, blueberries and peaches throughout the summer.
“I just leave the fruit out, and the kids graze,” she said.
Coffey stresses the need to incorporate more vegetables into children’s diets through snacks.
According to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture MyPyramid food guide, a 10-year-old child should consume about 2 cups of vegetables each day.
Coffey offers simple suggestions for getting kids to eat more veggies.
“If we cut them up small or make it fun, it’s easier to get them to eat it,” she said.
To make vegetables fun, Coffey suggests stuffing sliced pea pods with a mixture of light cream cheese, sunflower seeds and grated carrots. Seasoned cream cheese also can be rolled inside fresh raw spinach.
In addition to vegetables, Eierman recommended examining all food groups and making sure they are represented throughout the day.
Fruits, like vegetables, can be played with, increasing the likelihood children will eat them.
“Putting melon cubes, strawberries and pineapple on a kabob can be fun,” Eierman said.
She also suggested a trail mix composed of a whole grain cereal along dried fruits and nuts, or a fresh-ingredient smoothie.
The Van de Loo family enjoys fresh blueberry smoothies during the July heat.
“For a hot summer day, it’s perfect,” Van de Loo said.
Parents also could steer children toward popcorn served with a tomato or 100 percent fruit juice.
For portion control, Coffey recommended children take a break between playing and eating.
If children will spend time away from home, families can plan ahead and pack a portion-appropriate snack in a small plastic bag.
Preparing your own treats can be more healthful than buying prepackaged snacks, such as Lunchables, which are high in sodium and fat, Eierman said. Instead, crackers or fruit are better choices.
Steer children toward healthful summer snacks
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Summer is right around the corner.
Textbooks are about to be turned in, teachers are preparing final grades, and the school lunch ladies are serving their last chicken nuggets and cheese pizza slices.
Summer break often means a more relaxed schedule for children. Eating habits structured by the school day are disrupted.
With easier access to cupboards and refrigerators, children run the risk of choosing unhealthful snacks.
Parents can help by providing consistency and routine to the eating schedule.
“Children do eat better if their meals are structured,” said Nancy Coffey, Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program coordinator with the Eau Claire County UW-Extension office in Altoona.
To establish a routine, parents can have children help make sandwiches at night for the next day’s lunch. When lunchtime comes, the meal will be ready to eat and proportioned for the child.
Summertime often means not only playing outside during the day, but also staying up later at night.
However, staying up late often leads to sleeping later in the morning and skipping breakfast, which challenges the consistency of eating routines.
Snacks occasionally can be a good replacement for the slept-through meal, said Lisa Eierman, an Eau Claire registered dietitian.
“If the kids aren’t eating regular meals, healthy snacks are a good way to make up for that,” she said.
Summer is a prime time for snacking on locally grown fruits.
Sue Van de Loo of Eau Claire said she and her four children like to take advantage of fresh strawberries, blueberries and peaches throughout the summer.
“I just leave the fruit out, and the kids graze,” she said.
Coffey stresses the need to incorporate more vegetables into children’s diets through snacks.
According to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture MyPyramid food guide, a 10-year-old child should consume about 2 cups of vegetables each day.
Coffey offers simple suggestions for getting kids to eat more veggies.
“If we cut them up small or make it fun, it’s easier to get them to eat it,” she said.
To make vegetables fun, Coffey suggests stuffing sliced pea pods with a mixture of light cream cheese, sunflower seeds and grated carrots. Seasoned cream cheese also can be rolled inside fresh raw spinach.
In addition to vegetables, Eierman recommended examining all food groups and making sure they are represented throughout the day.
Fruits, like vegetables, can be played with, increasing the likelihood children will eat them.
“Putting melon cubes, strawberries and pineapple on a kabob can be fun,” Eierman said.
She also suggested a trail mix composed of a whole grain cereal along dried fruits and nuts, or a fresh-ingredient smoothie.
The Van de Loo family enjoys fresh blueberry smoothies during the July heat.
“For a hot summer day, it’s perfect,” Van de Loo said.
Parents also could steer children toward popcorn served with a tomato or 100 percent fruit juice.
For portion control, Coffey recommended children take a break between playing and eating.
If children will spend time away from home, families can plan ahead and pack a portion-appropriate snack in a small plastic bag.
Preparing your own treats can be more healthful than buying prepackaged snacks, such as Lunchables, which are high in sodium and fat, Eierman said. Instead, crackers or fruit are better choices.
Program seeks male mentors
Ran Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Program seeks male mentors
Big Brothers needed to assist young boys
Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Twenty-three percent of children in the United States live in a household without a father, according to 2006 U.S. Census figures.
With that in mind, Big Brothers Big Sisters has launched its first campaign directly targeting men to volunteer to take children under their wings and mentor them.
“There’s a growing lack of male role models,” said Emily Hopkins, marketing and event coordinator of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin.
In the Chippewa Valley, there are 60 children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program waiting for a mentor. Fifty-seven of them are boys.
Hopkins said that occasionally a boy will be paired with a Big Sister, but “most boys would prefer a Big Brother.”
Confidence is the reason there are fewer male mentors, Hopkins said.
“Men think they may not be good at it,” she said. “But it’s not about being a good role model; it’s about being a good friend.”
Former Big Brother and Clear Channel radio Sports Director Mike Sullivan said there are fewer men because of the stereotypical fear of commitment among men.
“Guys never wanna commit,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he supports the campaign because of the tremendous personal experience he has with the program.
Sullivan mentored a boy from age 11 to 18, and the pair formed a relationship where they learned from each other.
“If guys knew what they’d get out of it, they’d do it,” Sullivan said.
Five years ago Mike Brommer became a Big Brother to fulfill his service learning credits at UW-Eau Claire.
After meeting the requirement, Brommer continued to be a Big Brother and has watched his little brother transition from elementary school into high school.
“I get a chance to be a kid again,” Brommer said. The pair would play football, go for bike rides or even celebrate holidays together.
The need for mentors has attracted national attention. Oprah Winfrey and Essence magazine teamed up to showcase the need for male role models by asking for 1 million adults to volunteer to help a child in June.
In response, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin branch has announced it will launch its own campaign on local radio stations.
Sullivan said he hopes “every kid that needs a Big Brother gets one.”
Program seeks male mentors
Big Brothers needed to assist young boys
Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Twenty-three percent of children in the United States live in a household without a father, according to 2006 U.S. Census figures.
With that in mind, Big Brothers Big Sisters has launched its first campaign directly targeting men to volunteer to take children under their wings and mentor them.
“There’s a growing lack of male role models,” said Emily Hopkins, marketing and event coordinator of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin.
In the Chippewa Valley, there are 60 children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program waiting for a mentor. Fifty-seven of them are boys.
Hopkins said that occasionally a boy will be paired with a Big Sister, but “most boys would prefer a Big Brother.”
Confidence is the reason there are fewer male mentors, Hopkins said.
“Men think they may not be good at it,” she said. “But it’s not about being a good role model; it’s about being a good friend.”
Former Big Brother and Clear Channel radio Sports Director Mike Sullivan said there are fewer men because of the stereotypical fear of commitment among men.
“Guys never wanna commit,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he supports the campaign because of the tremendous personal experience he has with the program.
Sullivan mentored a boy from age 11 to 18, and the pair formed a relationship where they learned from each other.
“If guys knew what they’d get out of it, they’d do it,” Sullivan said.
Five years ago Mike Brommer became a Big Brother to fulfill his service learning credits at UW-Eau Claire.
After meeting the requirement, Brommer continued to be a Big Brother and has watched his little brother transition from elementary school into high school.
“I get a chance to be a kid again,” Brommer said. The pair would play football, go for bike rides or even celebrate holidays together.
The need for mentors has attracted national attention. Oprah Winfrey and Essence magazine teamed up to showcase the need for male role models by asking for 1 million adults to volunteer to help a child in June.
In response, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin branch has announced it will launch its own campaign on local radio stations.
Sullivan said he hopes “every kid that needs a Big Brother gets one.”
Effort nets $7,130 from car company, dealership
Ran on Thursday, June 7, 2007
Effort nets $7,130 from car company, dealership
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Fundraising for schools is one of the oldest stories in the book, but raising $7,130 in four hours by driving minivans and cars around the block for a small Bloomer school is not.
In April, St. Paul’s Catholic School of Bloomer took advantage of an opportunity from a Dodge and Chrysler car dealership, Gilberts of Sand Creek, to earn the most money ever raised by any school in 14 years of a national test-drive program.
As part of the Chrysler Group’s annual Drive for the Kids, family and friends of students test-drive vehicles. For each completed test-drive and short questionnaire, participating schools receive $5.
This year, to commemorate the minivan’s 24th birthday, an additional $5,000 was given to the U.S. school in each region with the most test-drives and completed questionnaires.
When St. Paul’s was notified about the chance of extra money, it set out to win, teacher and fundraising coordinator Liz Cruse said.
The school promoted the event and coordinated it with other school events to maximize its chances.
The drive-a-thon was on the same night as the school’s spring concert, science and art fair and chicken dinner. Cruse’s fifth-grade class designed newspaper advertisements, and school officials promised students that any class having each child represented would get one “free” recess.
The parish priest reminded parishioners at mass about the fundraiser.
The tactics worked. On April 25, 426 people at the school test-drove vehicles supplied by Gilberts, which is about 12 miles from the school, raising $2,130.
In late May the dealership learned that St. Paul’s had more test-drives than any other school in the Midwest region, earning the $5,000 bonus. It also had the most in the country and in program history.
Kathy Zwiefelhofer, a mother of three students at St. Paul’s, drove a vehicle, along with her husband, mother and mother-in-law.
“We were hoping to get a good turnout,” she said. “We tried to get parents and grandparents involved.”
The school plans to purchase new reading textbooks with the money, Cruse said.
“It will directly impact all students,” Zwiefelhofer said.
The time people took to drive the cars says a lot about the community support for the school, said Steve Olson, a car salesman for Gilberts.
The dealership also benefits. “It’s a great way to introduce products in a hassle-free environment,” Olson said. “It’s a non-selling, goodwill event for us to give back a little bit.”
The dealership provided five Dodge vehicles for test-drives, two minivans, a Nitro, an Avenger and a Charger.
While there were no sales that night, Olson said vehicles definitely are sold because of the awareness the event brings to the dealership.
Olson said it was a win-win situation, bringing money to the school and publicity to the company.
Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com
Effort nets $7,130 from car company, dealership
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Fundraising for schools is one of the oldest stories in the book, but raising $7,130 in four hours by driving minivans and cars around the block for a small Bloomer school is not.
In April, St. Paul’s Catholic School of Bloomer took advantage of an opportunity from a Dodge and Chrysler car dealership, Gilberts of Sand Creek, to earn the most money ever raised by any school in 14 years of a national test-drive program.
As part of the Chrysler Group’s annual Drive for the Kids, family and friends of students test-drive vehicles. For each completed test-drive and short questionnaire, participating schools receive $5.
This year, to commemorate the minivan’s 24th birthday, an additional $5,000 was given to the U.S. school in each region with the most test-drives and completed questionnaires.
When St. Paul’s was notified about the chance of extra money, it set out to win, teacher and fundraising coordinator Liz Cruse said.
The school promoted the event and coordinated it with other school events to maximize its chances.
The drive-a-thon was on the same night as the school’s spring concert, science and art fair and chicken dinner. Cruse’s fifth-grade class designed newspaper advertisements, and school officials promised students that any class having each child represented would get one “free” recess.
The parish priest reminded parishioners at mass about the fundraiser.
The tactics worked. On April 25, 426 people at the school test-drove vehicles supplied by Gilberts, which is about 12 miles from the school, raising $2,130.
In late May the dealership learned that St. Paul’s had more test-drives than any other school in the Midwest region, earning the $5,000 bonus. It also had the most in the country and in program history.
Kathy Zwiefelhofer, a mother of three students at St. Paul’s, drove a vehicle, along with her husband, mother and mother-in-law.
“We were hoping to get a good turnout,” she said. “We tried to get parents and grandparents involved.”
The school plans to purchase new reading textbooks with the money, Cruse said.
“It will directly impact all students,” Zwiefelhofer said.
The time people took to drive the cars says a lot about the community support for the school, said Steve Olson, a car salesman for Gilberts.
The dealership also benefits. “It’s a great way to introduce products in a hassle-free environment,” Olson said. “It’s a non-selling, goodwill event for us to give back a little bit.”
The dealership provided five Dodge vehicles for test-drives, two minivans, a Nitro, an Avenger and a Charger.
While there were no sales that night, Olson said vehicles definitely are sold because of the awareness the event brings to the dealership.
Olson said it was a win-win situation, bringing money to the school and publicity to the company.
Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com
Eggs-tra large helping
Ran on Friday, June 8, 2007
Eggs-tra large helping
Thousands show up to chow down on hearty breakfast fare
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Consider this early morning menu: 7,500 eggs, 3,200 muffins, 4,600 cups of coffee, 3,000 pints of milk, 300 pounds of cheese, 100 pounds of custard, 100 pounds of strawberries and 15 cases of corn flakes.
Quite the breakfast - Breakfast in the Valley, that is.
More than 3,000 people were expected to eat their morning meal today in the company of local farmers, people from the business community and others at the Eau Claire County Exposition Center.
“It’s a good breakfast,” said Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce President Bob McCoy. “People come for the interaction with friends and to meet new people.”
Those in attendance, who started lining up before 5 a.m., agreed.
“We come to see people,” said Jillyn Geissler of Eau Claire, who with her husband, Rick, and children have been coming to the breakfast for years.
“We don’t usually come this early,” Jillyn Geissler said at 6:45 a.m. “But my husband has to get to work.”
Oz and Erma Hegenbarth of Eau Claire said they attend the breakfast each year because they’re awake and it’s on the way to the mall, where they walk.
“It’s good food,” Erma Hegenbarth said. “We see people we know.”
The Geissler and Hegenbarth families weren’t the only ones to eat an early breakfast today. From 5 to 6 a.m., the first hour, 555 people were served, McCoy said.
The merging of the agriculture and business communities has driven the Chamber of Commerce to continue the annual breakfast for 11 years.
“It’s really important to show the significance of agriculture to the community,” McCoy said.
Before Breakfast in the Valley, the chamber hosted a free breakfast for farm families each year. After 40 years, the attendance numbers were low and the need for a revamp was recognized.
McCoy said Chippewa Valley Technical College provided two 4-foot skillets to cook eggs for the first breakfast when about 1,000 people showed up.
The skillets still are used today, and it takes a team to make the 500 scrambled eggs each one holds. In addition to the eggs, 10 pounds of ham, 10 pounds of mushrooms, 7 pounds of cheese and a pound of butter are cooked to feed 160 mouths.
There are “egg flippers,” spotters, who constantly clean the floor, and shovelers who take children’s plastic snow shovels to transfer the eggs from the skillet to the warmer.
“It works great,” chef Brian Schneider said. “It’s really amazing.”
Eggs-tra large helping
Thousands show up to chow down on hearty breakfast fare
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Consider this early morning menu: 7,500 eggs, 3,200 muffins, 4,600 cups of coffee, 3,000 pints of milk, 300 pounds of cheese, 100 pounds of custard, 100 pounds of strawberries and 15 cases of corn flakes.
Quite the breakfast - Breakfast in the Valley, that is.
More than 3,000 people were expected to eat their morning meal today in the company of local farmers, people from the business community and others at the Eau Claire County Exposition Center.
“It’s a good breakfast,” said Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce President Bob McCoy. “People come for the interaction with friends and to meet new people.”
Those in attendance, who started lining up before 5 a.m., agreed.
“We come to see people,” said Jillyn Geissler of Eau Claire, who with her husband, Rick, and children have been coming to the breakfast for years.
“We don’t usually come this early,” Jillyn Geissler said at 6:45 a.m. “But my husband has to get to work.”
Oz and Erma Hegenbarth of Eau Claire said they attend the breakfast each year because they’re awake and it’s on the way to the mall, where they walk.
“It’s good food,” Erma Hegenbarth said. “We see people we know.”
The Geissler and Hegenbarth families weren’t the only ones to eat an early breakfast today. From 5 to 6 a.m., the first hour, 555 people were served, McCoy said.
The merging of the agriculture and business communities has driven the Chamber of Commerce to continue the annual breakfast for 11 years.
“It’s really important to show the significance of agriculture to the community,” McCoy said.
Before Breakfast in the Valley, the chamber hosted a free breakfast for farm families each year. After 40 years, the attendance numbers were low and the need for a revamp was recognized.
McCoy said Chippewa Valley Technical College provided two 4-foot skillets to cook eggs for the first breakfast when about 1,000 people showed up.
The skillets still are used today, and it takes a team to make the 500 scrambled eggs each one holds. In addition to the eggs, 10 pounds of ham, 10 pounds of mushrooms, 7 pounds of cheese and a pound of butter are cooked to feed 160 mouths.
There are “egg flippers,” spotters, who constantly clean the floor, and shovelers who take children’s plastic snow shovels to transfer the eggs from the skillet to the warmer.
“It works great,” chef Brian Schneider said. “It’s really amazing.”
Fest highlights family activities
Ran on Sunday, June 10
Fest highlights family activities
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
This year’s return of Sawdust City Days to Carson Park shows a family-oriented festival can be successful in Eau Claire, said Bob McCoy, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce president.“People are always looking for something to do,” McCoy said. “Stay local ... make it a family affair.“Sawdust City Days had a great reputation years ago. It’s starting to build up to that point where people can come to the event confidently.”This year’s festival runs Thursday through Sunday, June 17, in Carson Park.In the early 1990s, the festival moved from Carson Park, causing a drop in attendance. The celebration disappeared for nine years.The Leader-Telegram revived Sawdust City Days last year to coincide with the newspaper’s 125th anniversary. The newspaper decided to run the festival for a second year after receiving encouragement from the community, said Mike Carlson, marketing and promotions director for Eau Claire Press Co., which publishes the Leader-Telegram.“It’s a great community festival,” Carlson said.Both McCoy and Carlson stressed the array of activities aimed at families and individuals taking place close to home. Carlson said the festival provides a community event people of all ages can enjoy. Many other local businesses are helping sponsor the festival.Some aspects of the fest will change slightly this year, and additions will supplement the celebration.The layout of the park will provide space between the family activities and adult activities. A large carnival, inflatable park for children and Family Fun Stage sponsored by Xcel be moved farEnergy will be moved farther from the beer area and music stage. Fireworks sponsored by Mega Pick’n Save are slated to begin at about 10 p.m. Saturday. The baseball stadium will be open for spectators to watch the display.National music acts will include .38 Special at 10:30 p.m. Friday and Soul Asylum at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Area “American Idol” hopefuls will attempt to qualify for the Fox Network hit show starting about noon Sunday. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold during the “American Idol” competition; the free event will be open to all ages.Other attractions will include a craft sale, a beanbag tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday sponsored by the Young Professionals group, and a display of Paul Menard’s race cars.Jugglers, storytellers, Oz Seeker the Clown, Rob Reid, members of Karate American and the Golden Trunk Players will perform on the Family Fun Stage.Weekend sporting events at the park will include Eau Claire Cavaliers baseball at 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, and Eau Claire Crush football at 7 p.m. Saturday.Free parking will be available at the Menomonie Street entrance to the park and in UW-Eau Claire’s Haas Center lot on Water Street, with free shuttles to and from the park.Limited parking will be available in Carson Park.n For a complete schedule of Sawdust City Days activities, see a special section in today’s newspaper.
Fest highlights family activities
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
This year’s return of Sawdust City Days to Carson Park shows a family-oriented festival can be successful in Eau Claire, said Bob McCoy, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce president.“People are always looking for something to do,” McCoy said. “Stay local ... make it a family affair.“Sawdust City Days had a great reputation years ago. It’s starting to build up to that point where people can come to the event confidently.”This year’s festival runs Thursday through Sunday, June 17, in Carson Park.In the early 1990s, the festival moved from Carson Park, causing a drop in attendance. The celebration disappeared for nine years.The Leader-Telegram revived Sawdust City Days last year to coincide with the newspaper’s 125th anniversary. The newspaper decided to run the festival for a second year after receiving encouragement from the community, said Mike Carlson, marketing and promotions director for Eau Claire Press Co., which publishes the Leader-Telegram.“It’s a great community festival,” Carlson said.Both McCoy and Carlson stressed the array of activities aimed at families and individuals taking place close to home. Carlson said the festival provides a community event people of all ages can enjoy. Many other local businesses are helping sponsor the festival.Some aspects of the fest will change slightly this year, and additions will supplement the celebration.The layout of the park will provide space between the family activities and adult activities. A large carnival, inflatable park for children and Family Fun Stage sponsored by Xcel be moved farEnergy will be moved farther from the beer area and music stage. Fireworks sponsored by Mega Pick’n Save are slated to begin at about 10 p.m. Saturday. The baseball stadium will be open for spectators to watch the display.National music acts will include .38 Special at 10:30 p.m. Friday and Soul Asylum at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Area “American Idol” hopefuls will attempt to qualify for the Fox Network hit show starting about noon Sunday. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold during the “American Idol” competition; the free event will be open to all ages.Other attractions will include a craft sale, a beanbag tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday sponsored by the Young Professionals group, and a display of Paul Menard’s race cars.Jugglers, storytellers, Oz Seeker the Clown, Rob Reid, members of Karate American and the Golden Trunk Players will perform on the Family Fun Stage.Weekend sporting events at the park will include Eau Claire Cavaliers baseball at 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, and Eau Claire Crush football at 7 p.m. Saturday.Free parking will be available at the Menomonie Street entrance to the park and in UW-Eau Claire’s Haas Center lot on Water Street, with free shuttles to and from the park.Limited parking will be available in Carson Park.n For a complete schedule of Sawdust City Days activities, see a special section in today’s newspaper.
Clear Channel plans to sell seven radio stations in Eau Claire area
Ran on Monday, June 11, 2007
Clear Channel plans to sell seven radio stations in Eau Claire area
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Radio conglomerate Clear Channel is selling seven Eau Claire-area stations to Florida-based GoodRadio. However, seven is one too many, according to the Federal Communications Commission.Clear Channel was able to own seven stations in the market because they were grandfathered in when they bought a seventh station, WISM-FM (98.1, “The Mix”) in 2001. Rick Hencley, Clear Channel’s local general manager, said they are looking to sell all the stations to GoodRadio. They hope by the time the sale closes in the fourth quarter of the year the FCC will have changed its rules or allowed the sale of all seven, he said.Currently two stations, WISM and WQRB-FM (95.1, “B-95”) are placed in a trust to protect all seven and to comply with the rules of the sale.“Worst-case scenario,” Hencley said, “would be we would lose one station.”Which station would be lost is not yet determined. If one were to be dropped from the sale it would still exist but would have to be sold to an outside company. The other five Clear Channel stations to be sold to GoodRadio are WATQ-FM (106.7, “Moose Country”), WBIZ-FM (100.7, “Z-100”), WMEQ-FM (92.1, “Classic Rock 92.1”), WBIZ-AM (1400, “Sports Radio 1400”) and WMEQ-AM (880, “NewsTalk 880”).GoodRadio is buying many stations in Midwestern markets from San Antonio-based Clear Channel.Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com.
Clear Channel plans to sell seven radio stations in Eau Claire area
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Radio conglomerate Clear Channel is selling seven Eau Claire-area stations to Florida-based GoodRadio. However, seven is one too many, according to the Federal Communications Commission.Clear Channel was able to own seven stations in the market because they were grandfathered in when they bought a seventh station, WISM-FM (98.1, “The Mix”) in 2001. Rick Hencley, Clear Channel’s local general manager, said they are looking to sell all the stations to GoodRadio. They hope by the time the sale closes in the fourth quarter of the year the FCC will have changed its rules or allowed the sale of all seven, he said.Currently two stations, WISM and WQRB-FM (95.1, “B-95”) are placed in a trust to protect all seven and to comply with the rules of the sale.“Worst-case scenario,” Hencley said, “would be we would lose one station.”Which station would be lost is not yet determined. If one were to be dropped from the sale it would still exist but would have to be sold to an outside company. The other five Clear Channel stations to be sold to GoodRadio are WATQ-FM (106.7, “Moose Country”), WBIZ-FM (100.7, “Z-100”), WMEQ-FM (92.1, “Classic Rock 92.1”), WBIZ-AM (1400, “Sports Radio 1400”) and WMEQ-AM (880, “NewsTalk 880”).GoodRadio is buying many stations in Midwestern markets from San Antonio-based Clear Channel.Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com.
Manufacturing training required
Ran on Tuesday, June 15, 2007
Manufacturing training required
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The days when a man became a blacksmith and stayed a blacksmith for his whole life have passed. One group, is aiming to better equip people in the manufacturing business for that change.Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, MSSC, is a nationwide group based in industry certifying people in skill standards for all sects of manufacturing. “This is really something quite different,” said Leo Reddy, CEO of MSSC. “We make people easily trainable to go from one industry sector to another.”The program certification will indicate to employers the skills, training and capabilities the potential technician has. By educating them with basic ideas and skills to be applied in any industrial-based job, MSSC is creating an “industrial athlete of the future,” Reddy said. The program is still in infancy stages, being adopted in just five states, Wisconsin being one of them.As a state promoting the manufacturing industry, organizations on many levels are adopting the MSSC guidelines. Maria Gjovig, School to Career coordinator at the Hudson school district said high school students in the region will have the opportunity to take the course this summer. In return, they will receive some credit at a technical college. A incentive grant to introduce high school juniors and seniors to careers in manufacturing was passed by the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.The grant was passed “because of the disconnect with young people in manufacturing careers and the demand in the part of the state,” said Richard Best, executive director of West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. The projects are designed to bridge the gap of the supply and demand, he said. “It’s important to make young people aware,” he said. One of the biggest issues the industry is facing, Best said, is an image problem. An image conveying the decline of jobs manufacturing jobs. Best said the truth is there is an increase of jobs available in Wisconsin for technicians.Chippewa Valley Technical College Manufacturing and Technology Education Center Manger, Mark Hendrickson said technical colleges throughout the state of Wisconsin are eager to adapt the program in an attempt to bridge the skills gap, adapt to the changing technology and boost the shrinking work force.He said the role of the 13 of the 16 technical colleges in the state is to “offer assistance and provide training.” The trained technician will have skills in manufacturing process and production, maintenance awareness, quality and continuous improvements and safety. The main goal, Reddy said is to ”make anyone interested in and capable of working in manufacturing, able to.”
Manufacturing training required
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The days when a man became a blacksmith and stayed a blacksmith for his whole life have passed. One group, is aiming to better equip people in the manufacturing business for that change.Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, MSSC, is a nationwide group based in industry certifying people in skill standards for all sects of manufacturing. “This is really something quite different,” said Leo Reddy, CEO of MSSC. “We make people easily trainable to go from one industry sector to another.”The program certification will indicate to employers the skills, training and capabilities the potential technician has. By educating them with basic ideas and skills to be applied in any industrial-based job, MSSC is creating an “industrial athlete of the future,” Reddy said. The program is still in infancy stages, being adopted in just five states, Wisconsin being one of them.As a state promoting the manufacturing industry, organizations on many levels are adopting the MSSC guidelines. Maria Gjovig, School to Career coordinator at the Hudson school district said high school students in the region will have the opportunity to take the course this summer. In return, they will receive some credit at a technical college. A incentive grant to introduce high school juniors and seniors to careers in manufacturing was passed by the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.The grant was passed “because of the disconnect with young people in manufacturing careers and the demand in the part of the state,” said Richard Best, executive director of West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. The projects are designed to bridge the gap of the supply and demand, he said. “It’s important to make young people aware,” he said. One of the biggest issues the industry is facing, Best said, is an image problem. An image conveying the decline of jobs manufacturing jobs. Best said the truth is there is an increase of jobs available in Wisconsin for technicians.Chippewa Valley Technical College Manufacturing and Technology Education Center Manger, Mark Hendrickson said technical colleges throughout the state of Wisconsin are eager to adapt the program in an attempt to bridge the skills gap, adapt to the changing technology and boost the shrinking work force.He said the role of the 13 of the 16 technical colleges in the state is to “offer assistance and provide training.” The trained technician will have skills in manufacturing process and production, maintenance awareness, quality and continuous improvements and safety. The main goal, Reddy said is to ”make anyone interested in and capable of working in manufacturing, able to.”
State has top medical care
Ran on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
State has top medical care
By Journal Sentinel and Leader-Telegram staff
Led by the performance of its hospitals, Wisconsin was ranked first in the nation in health care quality based on information compiled by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The ranking - based on 129 quality measures in four different care settings - gave Wisconsin the highest overall score among 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The state’s hospitals also were given the highest score in the country.
The information released Monday marked the first year that the agency compiled and released an overall score for each state. The agency has been releasing state information on health care quality for four years.
Wisconsin historically has ranked high in surveys on health care quality.
“We’re pretty fortunate in the Eau Claire area to have the quality of health care we have,” said Bob McCoy, president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Terrance Borman, medical director of Luther Midelfort, said the hospital has been using comparative numbers similar to the ones released for years.
“It speaks well for the effort in Wisconsin,” Borman said. “It’s been very progressive about moving quality care upwards.”
Vic Galfano, an assistant administrator at Sacred Heart Hospital, said he wasn’t surprised by the numbers.
“Wisconsin has had a long-standing high ranking,” he said.
Sacred Heart had a board monitor the quality of care before it became mandatory, Galfano said. The hospital also is listed on the voluntary Web site www.wicheckpoint.org, which delivers consumer-focused initiatives providing quality health care measures.
Galfano said Sacred Heart has conducted its own quality research for many years.
Wisconsin also was among the five best-performing states in ambulatory care and ranked in the top 25 percent for nursing home care.
Home health care was the anomaly: The state’s overall score was 25, far below the scores of 95 for the top performing states, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Richard Thoune, director of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, said the home health care agency can examine the numbers and make adjustments.
“There’s plenty of room for improvement in home health care,” Thoune said.
The public now has access to information that less than a decade ago didn’t exist or typically was confidential.
Now, information on how specific hospitals, nursing homes and home health care agencies perform on certain measures is available through Medicare’s Web site.
The effort to develop accepted quality measures, though, still remains in its early stages.
“We’ve made incredible strides over the past five years in terms of the specificity of the measures,” said Ed Kelley, director of national health care reports for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. But he added, “There’s still a long way to go.”
The scores compiled by the agency are based on an array of performance measures.
Some examples are foot exams for people with diabetes, ease of appointments for people in the Medicare program, low-birth weight babies, recommended care for heart attack patients and avoidable hospitalizations for pediatric asthma patients.
Wisconsin ranked better than average in those areas and others. No state, however, did well in all areas. The state ranked “worse than average,” for example, in suicide deaths and avoidable hospitalizations for influenza.
Noting areas where the health care system falls short is one of the goals in compiling the information.
Nationally, only about 59 percent of adult surgery patients insured by Medicare, for instance, receive antibiotics at the appropriate time. In Wisconsin, the figure was 66.1 percent - better than the national average but below a respectable score.
Developing good measures of health care quality also is just the first step.
Thoune said the high cost of health care in the area is worth the extra money.
“It may cost more, but you’re getting what you pay for,” he said.
“We also have to think about how we are going to use this data,” Kelley said.
Nationally, hospitals have shown significant improvement in some quality measures. The progress in ambulatory care, in contrast, has been slower.
“That’s the next challenge,” Kelley said.
For now, Wisconsin’s hospitals and other health care providers are doing better overall than their counterparts in most states.
“We’ve made a great start,” Queram said. “And we just need to continue improving.”
State has top medical care
By Journal Sentinel and Leader-Telegram staff
Led by the performance of its hospitals, Wisconsin was ranked first in the nation in health care quality based on information compiled by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The ranking - based on 129 quality measures in four different care settings - gave Wisconsin the highest overall score among 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The state’s hospitals also were given the highest score in the country.
The information released Monday marked the first year that the agency compiled and released an overall score for each state. The agency has been releasing state information on health care quality for four years.
Wisconsin historically has ranked high in surveys on health care quality.
“We’re pretty fortunate in the Eau Claire area to have the quality of health care we have,” said Bob McCoy, president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Terrance Borman, medical director of Luther Midelfort, said the hospital has been using comparative numbers similar to the ones released for years.
“It speaks well for the effort in Wisconsin,” Borman said. “It’s been very progressive about moving quality care upwards.”
Vic Galfano, an assistant administrator at Sacred Heart Hospital, said he wasn’t surprised by the numbers.
“Wisconsin has had a long-standing high ranking,” he said.
Sacred Heart had a board monitor the quality of care before it became mandatory, Galfano said. The hospital also is listed on the voluntary Web site www.wicheckpoint.org, which delivers consumer-focused initiatives providing quality health care measures.
Galfano said Sacred Heart has conducted its own quality research for many years.
Wisconsin also was among the five best-performing states in ambulatory care and ranked in the top 25 percent for nursing home care.
Home health care was the anomaly: The state’s overall score was 25, far below the scores of 95 for the top performing states, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Richard Thoune, director of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, said the home health care agency can examine the numbers and make adjustments.
“There’s plenty of room for improvement in home health care,” Thoune said.
The public now has access to information that less than a decade ago didn’t exist or typically was confidential.
Now, information on how specific hospitals, nursing homes and home health care agencies perform on certain measures is available through Medicare’s Web site.
The effort to develop accepted quality measures, though, still remains in its early stages.
“We’ve made incredible strides over the past five years in terms of the specificity of the measures,” said Ed Kelley, director of national health care reports for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. But he added, “There’s still a long way to go.”
The scores compiled by the agency are based on an array of performance measures.
Some examples are foot exams for people with diabetes, ease of appointments for people in the Medicare program, low-birth weight babies, recommended care for heart attack patients and avoidable hospitalizations for pediatric asthma patients.
Wisconsin ranked better than average in those areas and others. No state, however, did well in all areas. The state ranked “worse than average,” for example, in suicide deaths and avoidable hospitalizations for influenza.
Noting areas where the health care system falls short is one of the goals in compiling the information.
Nationally, only about 59 percent of adult surgery patients insured by Medicare, for instance, receive antibiotics at the appropriate time. In Wisconsin, the figure was 66.1 percent - better than the national average but below a respectable score.
Developing good measures of health care quality also is just the first step.
Thoune said the high cost of health care in the area is worth the extra money.
“It may cost more, but you’re getting what you pay for,” he said.
“We also have to think about how we are going to use this data,” Kelley said.
Nationally, hospitals have shown significant improvement in some quality measures. The progress in ambulatory care, in contrast, has been slower.
“That’s the next challenge,” Kelley said.
For now, Wisconsin’s hospitals and other health care providers are doing better overall than their counterparts in most states.
“We’ve made a great start,” Queram said. “And we just need to continue improving.”
Fairy tales, with a twist
Ran on Friday, June 15, 2007
Fairy tales, with a twist
Improv theater group aims to deliver entertainment for kids
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Kids are entertaining kids at Sawdust City Days.
The Golden Trunk Players, a troupe of area high school students, takes fairy tales geared toward young children onstage, giving classic stories a modern twist through improvisation.
The troupe is set to perform daily on the Family Fun Stage during the festival, which runs through Sunday in Carson Park.
“They do skits, songs and fairy tales and interact with the kids,” said Ann Sessions of the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild. The Golden Trunk Players are part of the CVTG.
Thursday’s Family Fun Stage show featured a version of “The Fisherman and His Wife.” An audience member suggested the fisherman should be a day care provider; the group seamlessly complied.
Using small props and costumes, such as towels and hats, the Golden Trunk Players, clad in colorful T-shirts, drew from the imaginations of the children.
“It’s fun for us to interact with the kids,” said performer Casey Metcalf, 16, a Memorial High School student. “This way we don’t have to do it alone.”
Fellow performer Chelsea Mell, 17, a Chippewa Falls Senior High School student, said, “It’s entertaining for us.”
Director Rachel Shellenberger, a 2006 Altoona High School graduate, said performers aim to make people happy. She said, “We do it for the kids,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
It’s educational, too.
“It’s a great introduction to the performing arts,” Sessions said.
Fairy tales, with a twist
Improv theater group aims to deliver entertainment for kids
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
Kids are entertaining kids at Sawdust City Days.
The Golden Trunk Players, a troupe of area high school students, takes fairy tales geared toward young children onstage, giving classic stories a modern twist through improvisation.
The troupe is set to perform daily on the Family Fun Stage during the festival, which runs through Sunday in Carson Park.
“They do skits, songs and fairy tales and interact with the kids,” said Ann Sessions of the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild. The Golden Trunk Players are part of the CVTG.
Thursday’s Family Fun Stage show featured a version of “The Fisherman and His Wife.” An audience member suggested the fisherman should be a day care provider; the group seamlessly complied.
Using small props and costumes, such as towels and hats, the Golden Trunk Players, clad in colorful T-shirts, drew from the imaginations of the children.
“It’s fun for us to interact with the kids,” said performer Casey Metcalf, 16, a Memorial High School student. “This way we don’t have to do it alone.”
Fellow performer Chelsea Mell, 17, a Chippewa Falls Senior High School student, said, “It’s entertaining for us.”
Director Rachel Shellenberger, a 2006 Altoona High School graduate, said performers aim to make people happy. She said, “We do it for the kids,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
It’s educational, too.
“It’s a great introduction to the performing arts,” Sessions said.
Getting Close
Ran on Saturday, June 16, 2007
Getting close
Former UW-Eau Claire football player still recovering from injury
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram
Some things can’t be explained; they simply must be embraced.
Justin Greenwood was a junior linebacker for UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 27, 2003, when helmet contact with an opponent caused severe brain damage and put him into a coma after a blood clot was removed from his brain. The Park Falls native spent three months in the hospital and the last 3 1/2 years recovering, and he continues to make progress.
“The only thing holding me back,” Greenwood said, “is my vision.”
Greenwood is walking, talking and living without medication. He uses a walking stick to help him navigate.
However, Greenwood suffers from tunnel vision, limiting his line of sight. He has no peripheral vision and shallow vision directly in front of him. His left eye is has both exotropia and hypertropia, meaning it pulls up and out, causing him blindness in that eye. The eye complications are a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain at the time of the accident.
Doctors initially told Greenwood he would be able to see only about six inches in front of him for the rest of his life.
But a special treatment from an optometrist in Stone Bridge, Ga., Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, is equipping him with the therapy and glasses he needs to prove the other doctors wrong.
Greenwood started therapy sessions Monday in Stone Bridge; he was to return today to his home in St. Louis Park, Minn.
After three days working with Greenwood, Sharyn Freant, lead vision therapist at the Gottlieb Vision Group, said the former Blugold is making great progress.
“He’s having wonderful success,” she said. “He’s realizing the success, and it’s motivating him to do more.”
“The glasses are really helpful,” Greenwood said. “They make vision a lot more clear in front of me.”
Greenwood’s mother, Glenda, said since the beginning, she “knew he’d go a long way, and if we kept pushing, technology would find a way.”
They prayed it would eventually catch up; their prayers were answered.
The therapy strengthens the eyes by using prisms on glasses that function similar to side mirrors on a car that bring awareness to objects in the periphery.
But commuting to Georgia for the therapy sessions isn’t easy or cheap, Greenwood and his mother must fly to Georgia and stay in a hotel during the therapies. While the medical expenses are covered through insurance, the travel expenses are not.
Donna Kuklinski of Eau Claire, a friend of the Greenwoods, is working with the community to help raise money to cover travel costs.
“I made a promise to him,” Kuklinski said. “And I can’t let him down.”
Kuklinski has been instrumental from the start to get Justin Greenwood fitted with the special glasses.
Just a few weeks after his accident in 2003, Kuklinski was watching a television show featuring Gottlieb and his techniques for helping people regain their eyesight. Since then, she has worked to coordinate the visits with the doctor.
She is one of many people who have supported the Greenwood family since the injury.
“Without the support he’s been given throughout the recovery process, he wouldn’t be where he’s at today,” Glenda Greenwood said. “He’s worked very hard to get to the point he’s at now. These glasses mean a lot to him.”
RCU has established the Justin Greenwood Recovery Fund, where people can donate money to help offset the travel costs. The UW-Eau Claire football team has held multiple fundraisers for the family, and many others have personally helped them.
A tutor from the Courage Center where Greenwood receives tutoring in math, reading and cognitive skills, gave the Greenwoods her frequent flyer miles to take the first trip to visit Gottlieb.
Others simply keep the family in their thoughts.
“We certainly have prayed every step of the way for this young man,” said Darlene Kotelnicki of Litchfield, Minn.
Kotelnicki was at the game watching her son play for UW-River Falls when Greenwood was injured.
Getting close
Former UW-Eau Claire football player still recovering from injury
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram
Some things can’t be explained; they simply must be embraced.
Justin Greenwood was a junior linebacker for UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 27, 2003, when helmet contact with an opponent caused severe brain damage and put him into a coma after a blood clot was removed from his brain. The Park Falls native spent three months in the hospital and the last 3 1/2 years recovering, and he continues to make progress.
“The only thing holding me back,” Greenwood said, “is my vision.”
Greenwood is walking, talking and living without medication. He uses a walking stick to help him navigate.
However, Greenwood suffers from tunnel vision, limiting his line of sight. He has no peripheral vision and shallow vision directly in front of him. His left eye is has both exotropia and hypertropia, meaning it pulls up and out, causing him blindness in that eye. The eye complications are a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain at the time of the accident.
Doctors initially told Greenwood he would be able to see only about six inches in front of him for the rest of his life.
But a special treatment from an optometrist in Stone Bridge, Ga., Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, is equipping him with the therapy and glasses he needs to prove the other doctors wrong.
Greenwood started therapy sessions Monday in Stone Bridge; he was to return today to his home in St. Louis Park, Minn.
After three days working with Greenwood, Sharyn Freant, lead vision therapist at the Gottlieb Vision Group, said the former Blugold is making great progress.
“He’s having wonderful success,” she said. “He’s realizing the success, and it’s motivating him to do more.”
“The glasses are really helpful,” Greenwood said. “They make vision a lot more clear in front of me.”
Greenwood’s mother, Glenda, said since the beginning, she “knew he’d go a long way, and if we kept pushing, technology would find a way.”
They prayed it would eventually catch up; their prayers were answered.
The therapy strengthens the eyes by using prisms on glasses that function similar to side mirrors on a car that bring awareness to objects in the periphery.
But commuting to Georgia for the therapy sessions isn’t easy or cheap, Greenwood and his mother must fly to Georgia and stay in a hotel during the therapies. While the medical expenses are covered through insurance, the travel expenses are not.
Donna Kuklinski of Eau Claire, a friend of the Greenwoods, is working with the community to help raise money to cover travel costs.
“I made a promise to him,” Kuklinski said. “And I can’t let him down.”
Kuklinski has been instrumental from the start to get Justin Greenwood fitted with the special glasses.
Just a few weeks after his accident in 2003, Kuklinski was watching a television show featuring Gottlieb and his techniques for helping people regain their eyesight. Since then, she has worked to coordinate the visits with the doctor.
She is one of many people who have supported the Greenwood family since the injury.
“Without the support he’s been given throughout the recovery process, he wouldn’t be where he’s at today,” Glenda Greenwood said. “He’s worked very hard to get to the point he’s at now. These glasses mean a lot to him.”
RCU has established the Justin Greenwood Recovery Fund, where people can donate money to help offset the travel costs. The UW-Eau Claire football team has held multiple fundraisers for the family, and many others have personally helped them.
A tutor from the Courage Center where Greenwood receives tutoring in math, reading and cognitive skills, gave the Greenwoods her frequent flyer miles to take the first trip to visit Gottlieb.
Others simply keep the family in their thoughts.
“We certainly have prayed every step of the way for this young man,” said Darlene Kotelnicki of Litchfield, Minn.
Kotelnicki was at the game watching her son play for UW-River Falls when Greenwood was injured.
Incognito- Cafe 420
Ran on Saturday, June 16
Incognito
Cafe 420 workers aim to share the gospel with people they say need spiritual nourishment, hence the illegal drug-related number: 420.
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The menu at Cafe 420 includes espressos, pizza, pancakes - and gospel.
“We’re filling a need no other coffee shop can fulfill in this town,” said Melanie Johannsen, owner of Cafe 420.
The need is food for the soul.
The mustard-colored walls, stacks of books and games and relaxing music provide an atmosphere conducive to a peaceful visit.
The name Cafe 420 has a few meanings. Not only does the name refer to the street address - 420 Washington St. - it also provides insight to the workings and purpose of the cafe.
Playing off the drug-referencing numbers, Johanssen wants to pique the curiosity of people in need of spiritual nourishment and provide an outlet for guidance. In the drug world, the number 420 signifies a time to celebrate by getting high. The term originated from California marijuana smokers in the early 1970s.
“We’re hoping to appeal to those in the drug world searching for something that only God can fill,” Johannsen said.
Additionally, Acts 4:20 provides direction saying: “For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Johannsen said God laid the verse on her heart through prayer and instructed her to open the shop.
When the coffee shop first opened in September 2005, the initial focus was on cafe business. Since then, the focus has shifted to outreach and ministry, said Russ Atter, who has worked at the cafe since it opened.
The transition meant becoming a nonprofit organization.
Johannsen said the cafe does not make enough money on its own to survive. By turning nonprofit, it is able to receive grants and donations from area churches.
“Now we’re spending more time and energy on ministry,” Atter said.
The outreach is multi-faceted.
The grass-roots Bible studies held at the cafe focus on delivering the gospel and providing a basic introduction to Christian principles.
Atter said people new to the gospel may be intimidated by typical fellowship in a traditional setting.
“They may not be comfortable walking into a church, so they’ll come here,” he said. “(For) somewhere between 60 (percent) and 70 percent of the people in here seeking spiritual guidance, this is their only source.”
On Saturday nights when other downtown establishments are serving brews and playing loud music, Cafe 420 is twisting the party theme. Serving brewed coffee and bands playing live praise music, a worship service draws a crowd.
“Each week we see new faces,” Atter said.
Typically there is a gathering of 20 to 40 people of various Christian denominations. “We’ve done a good job of being nondenominational,” he said. “It’s a place (where) we can all come together and be in a worship service.”
Nolan Fortney, who has frequented the cafe for two years, has attended the worship services. He brought a friend in need of physical and spiritual guidance to the service and now that friend is on a path toward righteousness, he said.
His friend was homeless and had no family close to turn to.
After coming to the service, fellow woshippers volunteered to provide him a place to stay, and since then he has placed trust in God and is leading a better lifestyle.
Outreach also includes a biblical substance-abuse counseling program, compared with Alcoholics Anonymous, called Almond Tree.
The 14-week program, which includes daily tasks, offers help to people whose lives are being controlled by substance hindering their relationship with God. Viewing the addiction as a sin rather than a disease - as Alcoholics Anonymous does - the abuser is set free from the sin through the power of Jesus Christ with guidance from the Bible, Atter said.
The outreach is done in a subtle manner.
With no obvious indications of Christianity through religious symbols on the outside of the cafe - an intentional decision - people leery of judgement from the secular world can visit without worry.
“There’s no indication that this is a Christian establishment when you’re driving by it,” said Bruce Strangfeld, a Cafe 420 patron. “Regardless of where people are at in their faith walk, they would be comfortable here.”
Fellow patron Paul Pladsen said the nonthreatening atmosphere makes the place friendly to the community.
Strangfeld and Pladsen were on their lunch breaks from their jobs downtown when they decided to get lunch at the cafe.
Pladsen, attended Valleybrook church in Eau Claire, said he was aware of the cafe and
Johannsen’s personal base in ministry, but he didn’t know the cafe was ministry based.
“We don’t thump people over the head with Bibles as they walk in the door,” Johannsen said. “The questions eventually come up and we are able to witness.”
The tactic seems to be working. Johannsen and Atter both attest to watching about two dozen people convert to Christianity as a result of the ministry.
“Now I feel spiritually responsible for people,” Atter said. “I have a hunger to see more people’s lives changed.”
Chanda Lombard, Eau Claire, began frequenting the shop about two years ago.
As a mother of three girls, it was difficult to make time for herself.
Despite being a Christian, she wasn’t where she would like to be at religiously.
Lombard started coming to the cafe and “it’s been a little miracle,” she said. “I finally had a place I could go to with my kids and feel comfortable.”
Johannsen said she believes if the average person were asked to define a Christian, their answer would be concerned with material or negative actions not one based on love. She wants to change that.
“Jesus said to show love with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind,” Johannsen said. “We love people for who they are - we don’t try to change them.”
Incognito
Cafe 420 workers aim to share the gospel with people they say need spiritual nourishment, hence the illegal drug-related number: 420.
By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff
The menu at Cafe 420 includes espressos, pizza, pancakes - and gospel.
“We’re filling a need no other coffee shop can fulfill in this town,” said Melanie Johannsen, owner of Cafe 420.
The need is food for the soul.
The mustard-colored walls, stacks of books and games and relaxing music provide an atmosphere conducive to a peaceful visit.
The name Cafe 420 has a few meanings. Not only does the name refer to the street address - 420 Washington St. - it also provides insight to the workings and purpose of the cafe.
Playing off the drug-referencing numbers, Johanssen wants to pique the curiosity of people in need of spiritual nourishment and provide an outlet for guidance. In the drug world, the number 420 signifies a time to celebrate by getting high. The term originated from California marijuana smokers in the early 1970s.
“We’re hoping to appeal to those in the drug world searching for something that only God can fill,” Johannsen said.
Additionally, Acts 4:20 provides direction saying: “For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Johannsen said God laid the verse on her heart through prayer and instructed her to open the shop.
When the coffee shop first opened in September 2005, the initial focus was on cafe business. Since then, the focus has shifted to outreach and ministry, said Russ Atter, who has worked at the cafe since it opened.
The transition meant becoming a nonprofit organization.
Johannsen said the cafe does not make enough money on its own to survive. By turning nonprofit, it is able to receive grants and donations from area churches.
“Now we’re spending more time and energy on ministry,” Atter said.
The outreach is multi-faceted.
The grass-roots Bible studies held at the cafe focus on delivering the gospel and providing a basic introduction to Christian principles.
Atter said people new to the gospel may be intimidated by typical fellowship in a traditional setting.
“They may not be comfortable walking into a church, so they’ll come here,” he said. “(For) somewhere between 60 (percent) and 70 percent of the people in here seeking spiritual guidance, this is their only source.”
On Saturday nights when other downtown establishments are serving brews and playing loud music, Cafe 420 is twisting the party theme. Serving brewed coffee and bands playing live praise music, a worship service draws a crowd.
“Each week we see new faces,” Atter said.
Typically there is a gathering of 20 to 40 people of various Christian denominations. “We’ve done a good job of being nondenominational,” he said. “It’s a place (where) we can all come together and be in a worship service.”
Nolan Fortney, who has frequented the cafe for two years, has attended the worship services. He brought a friend in need of physical and spiritual guidance to the service and now that friend is on a path toward righteousness, he said.
His friend was homeless and had no family close to turn to.
After coming to the service, fellow woshippers volunteered to provide him a place to stay, and since then he has placed trust in God and is leading a better lifestyle.
Outreach also includes a biblical substance-abuse counseling program, compared with Alcoholics Anonymous, called Almond Tree.
The 14-week program, which includes daily tasks, offers help to people whose lives are being controlled by substance hindering their relationship with God. Viewing the addiction as a sin rather than a disease - as Alcoholics Anonymous does - the abuser is set free from the sin through the power of Jesus Christ with guidance from the Bible, Atter said.
The outreach is done in a subtle manner.
With no obvious indications of Christianity through religious symbols on the outside of the cafe - an intentional decision - people leery of judgement from the secular world can visit without worry.
“There’s no indication that this is a Christian establishment when you’re driving by it,” said Bruce Strangfeld, a Cafe 420 patron. “Regardless of where people are at in their faith walk, they would be comfortable here.”
Fellow patron Paul Pladsen said the nonthreatening atmosphere makes the place friendly to the community.
Strangfeld and Pladsen were on their lunch breaks from their jobs downtown when they decided to get lunch at the cafe.
Pladsen, attended Valleybrook church in Eau Claire, said he was aware of the cafe and
Johannsen’s personal base in ministry, but he didn’t know the cafe was ministry based.
“We don’t thump people over the head with Bibles as they walk in the door,” Johannsen said. “The questions eventually come up and we are able to witness.”
The tactic seems to be working. Johannsen and Atter both attest to watching about two dozen people convert to Christianity as a result of the ministry.
“Now I feel spiritually responsible for people,” Atter said. “I have a hunger to see more people’s lives changed.”
Chanda Lombard, Eau Claire, began frequenting the shop about two years ago.
As a mother of three girls, it was difficult to make time for herself.
Despite being a Christian, she wasn’t where she would like to be at religiously.
Lombard started coming to the cafe and “it’s been a little miracle,” she said. “I finally had a place I could go to with my kids and feel comfortable.”
Johannsen said she believes if the average person were asked to define a Christian, their answer would be concerned with material or negative actions not one based on love. She wants to change that.
“Jesus said to show love with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind,” Johannsen said. “We love people for who they are - we don’t try to change them.”
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