Norb sits in the room where he tapes most of his interviews.	Norb chats between announcements with Matt Larson, who was on air at the time the picture was taken.

Norb Aschom, WPRE radio personality and the voice of Prairie du Chien and the surrounding area for almost 50 years, has worked long enough that he could easily be counting the days until retirement. However, he has no intention of retiring„he's having too much fun.

Aschom, who hails from Lansing, Iowa, had no clear idea of what he wanted to do in life once he finished high school. He attended Loras College in Dubuque for a year but was unable to find a niche there. He then enrolled at Brown Institute in Minneapolis to study broadcasting, and a career was born.

He finished his training at Brown in late 1960 and was hired at KATE radio station in Albert Lea, Minn. "That was fortuitous," he said, "because my mother's name was Kate." When he returned to Lansing for a visit one weekend, he found waiting for him a letter from Walt Schlaugat, owner of WPRE, inviting him for an interview.

Aschom began work at WPRE April 1, 1961, and, despite other offers, has never wanted to leave. "When I had chances to leave for something bigger I would go for an interview, but I'd come back home and decide I didn't want to move," he said.

It was in Prairie du Chien that he met his wife, Nancy. He was doing a remote broadcast from Piggly Wiggly and "there was this really pretty girl checking out," he said, and he flirted with her. It was his roommate Steve, however, who asked her out. Steve didn't have a car, so he asked Norb to drive. The three of them went to George's Bar south of town. "She and I had a lot in common," he said, "we were both from poor, large Catholic families, and we just hit if off." Even Steve had to agree they were a good match.

They were married in April, 1964, and have two grown daughters, Amy (Jeff) Krohn and Sara (Tom) Heiss, and four grandchildren.

Over the years, Aschom has seen major changes in radio. Technology has made the job much easier, he said. They moved from records to CDs, and now all the music is in the computer hard drive. "Years ago," he said, "doing a music show was a lot of work. We had to pull the music, come up with comments and put on the tapes to play. You sweated going back and forth."

Today, he said, a person can sit and push buttons and access the internet. "All the background is there on the internet„artist's background, ad lib material, anything you want. At one time we had to research all that." As an example, he said, if he were going to talk about Bing Crosby, he'd have gone to the library or purchased a reference book.

Another big change is that the broadcast can be programmed ahead of time and go on automatic pilot, which happens in the evenings. Even interviews can be recorded ahead of time. When the transition was made, Norb said he thought he'd be able to tell the difference between the voice track and a live broadcast, but said "it fools me and I never thought it would."

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore will be having its first referendum in the 42-year history of the college on April 1. The referendum question will ask voters whether to approve of $31.9 million for a building and remodeling project.

If approved, the building project would cost $28 per year for 20 years for a homeowner with a $100,000 home. That is less than eight cents per day.

Residents of a 3,800-square-mile region, encompassing all or parts of nine counties can vote on the referendum. The region includes all or most of Crawford, Iowa, Grant, Lafayette and Richland counties, along with parts of Green, Sauk, Dane and Vernon counties.

SWTC President Dr. Karen Knox said that a successful referendum would allow Southwest Tech to expand and renovate the campus in ways that will positively affect 20 of the 42 degree and diploma programs. Should the referendum pass, SWTC would be able to expand labs, build structures, enroll more students and bring cutting-edge technology to Southwest Wisconsin, Knox said.

"We serve 12,000 people from the region each year," said Knox. "There are 58 fire departments and 59 emergency response units, all volunteer, who get their training at Southwest Tech. There are seven critical access hospitals in the region, including Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital. Seventy-six registered nurses and 94 licensed practical nurses have trained at Southwest Tech. We have more than 18,000 graduates who are in numerous fields including police officers, welders, nurses, mechanics and many more. They take care of your children. They fix your cars. They take care of your health. They milk your cows and they protect your communities. We have a very broad spectrum and we have a very large impact on the region."

Because of Southwest Tech's success in providing a quality education in dozens of fields, the campus needs to expand, Knox said.

"Our record of success means that industry and student demand for our services has steadily increased since we first opened our doors," said Knox in a letter about the referendum. "Our facilities, while well-maintained, have not changed significantly since they were first built, and they can no longer keep pace with such growth."

If the referendum passes, some programs will move into entirely new buildings while other programs will be enhanced by the college's ability to renovate the vacated space. Proposed new buildings and the programs that will occupy them are described briefly below.

Health Sciences Building

A new Health Sciences Building to be located east and north of the existing Building 100. The proposed construction is a two-story, 63,000 gross-square-foot (GSF) structure. It is designed to serve as a signature architectural statement at one of the main campus entrances. Additional parking to serve the new facility is proposed in an expanded west parking lot.

This building would expand current facilities to train additional nurses and other high-demand healthcare professionals. It would allow for the possible creation of Radiography, Surgical Technician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, and Dental Hygienist programs to respond to critical industry needs and fill local health positions.

Programs expected to be located in this building:

Dental Assistant

Direct Entry Midwife

Esthetician

Human Services Associate

Medical Assistant

Medical Coding Specialist

Medical Transcription

Nursing Assistant

Nursing-Associate Degree

Agricultural/Automotive Technical Center

A new Agriculture/Automotive Technical Center would be located east of Bronson Boulevard. The proposed 68,000 GSF building will provide shops, classrooms, offices and storage for the growing agriculture equipment and automobile repair and servicing programs. It will be sited in such a way that it can be easily expanded in the future.

The building would enable students to train on larger modern agricultural equipment indoors. It would also allow the college to respond to the region's changing and growing agricultural training needs. It would expand Automotive Technician and Auto Collision Repair and Refinish Technician programs to feature more state-of-the-industry equipment needed to maintain today's complex vehicles. It would provide dedicated lab space for the Automotive Technician program and expand shops to hold full-sized SUVs and pick-up trucks, allowing Automotive Technician students to train on these common vehicles.

Programs expected to be located in this building:

Agricultural Power and Equipment Technician

Auto Collision Repair and Refinish Technician

Automotive Technician

Childcare Center

A new Childcare Center, comprising 10,000 GSF, would be located west of the existing Building 200. The proposal includes an expansion of the west parking lot to provide a safe area to drop-off and pick-up children. Proper site selection for the new Childcare Center would likely allow the existing outdoor play area to continue operation.

A new Child Care Center would create a nationally accredited childcare training center that mirrors state-of-the-industry facilities. It would improve hands-on clinical learning for Child Care Services and Early Childhood Education students. It would create a child-observation area, which integrates teaching and childcare services. It would provide convenient daycare for an increasing number of students with small children.

Programs expected to be located in this building:

Child Care Services

Early Childhood Education

Public Safety Training Complex

The complex would create a comprehensive facility to train more volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. It would expand training available to firefighters and other rescue personnel in tactics such as fire suppression, ventilation, search and rescue, rope rescue, and advanced extrication. It would provide a safer, more controlled training area for law enforcement, firefighting, and other public safety professionals through the construction of a firing range, controlled burn building, and emergency vehicle driving track. It would allow the college to respond to state-mandated training for fire and emergency volunteers. It would hold certified firefighter examinations in this region and better serve local volunteers.

Control Building: This building would be the control center for the entire Public Safety Training Complex and would include an office, a large multi-purpose room for various training and classroom uses, toilets, and storage areas. Paved parking would be located adjacent to this structure. The entire Public Safety Training Complex would be enclosed with a security fence.

Fire Burn Building: This building would be designed for firefighter training, enabling firefighters to observe the behavior of fires and participate in suppression techniques in a controlled and safe environment. Other potential uses of the building include hose and pumper certification training as well as instruction in rapid intervention, search and rescue, and rope rescue techniques. The building could be used to provide instruction in the proper use of self-contained breathing apparatus, in how to conduct forced entry, and in procedures for suppressing LP gas leaks and fires.

Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) and Pursuit Driving Track: The Emergency Vehicle Operations Course and Pursuit Driving Range would be built to train emergency response personnel, including firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and law enforcement officers in the safe operation of emergency, rescue, and police vehicles safely. The facility would be used for the two basic law enforcement academies that the college conducts each year and also would afford ongoing proficiency training for seasoned personnel.

Outdoor Firearms Range: The firearms range would provide a convenient facility for conducting the 52-hour minimum firearms training required by the law enforcement academy. The range also would be used by seasoned officers undergoing regular proficiency training.

Local Cub Scout shows one person can make a difference

Will holds the Monopoly game presented to him as a result of his quest to have Columbus Neb. worn flages replaced.	Until his mother is able to make him a lanyard to respectfully display the items

Don't tell Will Seeley or his family„ that one person can't make a difference, because he knows otherwise.

Will, a fifth grader at Bluff View Intermediate School and a member of Cub Scout Pack 320, was visiting with his family in Columbus, Nebraska, a city of approximately 20,000, this past December. As they drove through the city, he noticed several ripped flags and told his family, "That makes me mad, and it's disrespectful of our country to fly a flag like that."

When the family returned home, his parents, Mark and Christine Seeley, who saw an opportunity to instill a civics lesson, told him if he felt strongly he should write a letter to the mayor. Will wrote his letter, and also sent a copy to the editor of the paper, which published it. It read in part: "I saw some ripped and cut American flags in front of businesses. I was really mad when I saw the ruined flags. Flags that are worn out show disrespect to our country. In Cub Scouts I have learned how to retire old American flags. On the usflag.org website it says, 'When a flag is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.'

"I would like the businesses to properly retire their flags. Please call your local Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts or American Legion to learn about retiring flags. This will respect our country.

"I will be in Columbus the weekend of February 16th for another family wedding. Will the flags be fixed by then?

"I want the people in Columbus to check their own flags. If it is worn out, retire it and get a new one."

The mayor responded and said he would forward the letter to the American Legion and other pertinent groups. A few days later the mayor notified him he was asking staff to check out the city's flags. Then Will received a letter from the president of the Mid American Council of Cub and Boy Scouts. He had seen the letter, and scout leaders were visiting businesses with worn flags asking if they could have them replaced by Feb. 16.

Will's grandmother and great aunt planned a family flag tour prior to the wedding on the 16th, and as they assembled in the hotel lobby, they were met by Boy Scout officials who said that because of Will's letter, they were putting together a community flag retirement ceremony. They would invite people to bring flags to retire in honor or memory of someone. It is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, and Will is to participate in the ceremony along with his great uncle Bill, a Vietnam veteran.

The Cub Master of Columbus, himself a veteran, said when he read Will's letter he cried because Will had so much conviction, and he was doing what boys are taught in Cub Scouts: applying what he learned. He gave him grommets and an embroidered star from a retired flag, and a bead for the Cub Master Award of Excellence, saying it was only the fifth time in 13 years he had given the award for scouts who go above and beyond what is expected. He also gave him flag beads for participation in the flag ceremony.

The District Executive and Unit Commissioner presented Will with a special edition Monopoly game of Columbus, which features the city's Frankfort Square filled with flags on Memorial Day.

Among the stops on Will's flag tour was a car dealership where he'd seen a large torn flag on his previous visit. The flag, 30 x 60 feet, had been replaced just the day before during a period of calm. Columbus is a windy city, and the wind had to be at five mph or less in order to change a flag of that size.

He had his picture taken at the dealership and was presented with a flashing Chrysler pin. The family also stopped at Frankfort square, where another torn flag had been replaced, and at Higgins Memorial, a veterans' memorial, to see great uncle Bill's memorial brick. There was another purpose to that stop, said Christine, and that was to give Will and his extended family "a perspective on why we teach kids to respect the flag and what it stands for."

Since that weekend, the city's Sertoma Club, an international nonprofit organization which promotes community service, has extended another invitation to Will. One of their projects is to raise and lower over 400 flags in the city on Memorial Day. They have invited Will to ride with one of the groups and help with the flags.

Will's entire family is amazed by what occurred. His parents wanted Will to write that original letter because "we're teaching our kids how to express themselves respectfully," said Christine, "but I soon began to realize we're in the middle of something bigger than us."

As for Will himself, he's overwhelmed by the response. "I just wanted to fix the flags," he said. The most he had hoped for was a response from the mayor to his original letter.

The family is now looking for something appropriate for Will to present to the city of Columbus when they return on Memorial Day.

Krachey told investigators that Stluka's cattle had gotten through the fence and onto his property about one week prior to deer season and that they had gotten onto his property numerous times in the past. Krachey said that he was sick of 
Stluka's cattle getting into his pasture through the fence, and this time, he decided to keep the cattle, according to the complaint.