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Southwest Wisconsin experiencing drought 
The summer of 2003 is turning out to be one of the driest on record. When you drive around Prairie du Chien, you can see it. Some people water their lawns, but there are dead patches where the water does not hit. Others have given up hope and let their lawn die, giving way to the weeds. Southwest Wisconsin, from La Crosse to south Grant County is experiencing a moderate drought, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. Drought Monitor. The National Weather Service (NWS) only records precipitation levels of larger cities, but according to its data, La Crosse is experiencing the 13th driest summer on record, at least until Aug. 13. If no more rain falls in August, it would be their fourth driest summer ever. Only one-tenth of an inch of rain has fallen in the Prairie du Chien area since July 13. There has been no rain since Aug. 1. The last sustained rainfall was between July 4 and July 13, 2.30 inches. A moderate drought in southwest Wisconsin occurs when precipitation is 25 percent to 30 percent below normal, said Todd Shea of the NWS out of La Crosse. This year's drought is being caused by drier air than normal flowing in from the northwest rather than the west and southwest, which would spark more storms, he said. Farmer hardships Farmers like Harlen and Janice Stuckey have been hit hard because of the lack of rain. Harlen said this is the worst drought he has seen since 1988. The last three years have been kinder to them. "You don't have to go to the boat to gamble, just go into farming," Harlen said. It is so dry that the water level on their artesian well has lowered considerably and water comes out a trickle instead of a flowing stream. They will not be selling any more sweet corn this year because the crop is damaged. On Aug. 14, there were numerous stalks that were only three to four feet and some that shriveled to the ground. The stalks should be 10 feet tall by the 4th of July, Harlen said. Last year, the Stuckey farm sold 17,000 bushels of field corn. They do not know how many bushels they have this year, but it does not look good. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) could give the Stuckeys an emergency grant like it did in 1988 when the Stuckeys received $780 for their 120 acres of corn. But the money hardly pays for the fertilizer and seeds, the Stuckeys said. They paid about $5,000 for fertilizer and $3,000 for seeds last year. The Stuckeys are trying a different technique instead of waiting for state aid. While they were on one of their many vacations to Mexico, they bought a "rain stick," a wooden rod that sounds like rain when you tilt it from side to side. According to a piece of paper taped to it, ancient Indian tribes in South America believed if you made the sound of rain with this stick and did a ritual dance, rain would come. "I haven't figured out how to do the dance yet," Janice said. Water usage increase The lack of rain has led to greater water usage in Prairie du Chien. The Prairie du Chien Country Club has used about 200,000 gallons of water a night. They normally use 130,000 to 140,000 gallons a night. Larry Gates of the Prairie du Chien Water Department said during the third week of August, the city pumped 2.1 million gallons a day on average. The city normally pumps about 1.5 million gallons a day. Gates said this is high, but the city does expect to pump about 2.1 million gallons a day for a one to two week period every summer. The problem is that the excessive water usage has taken place over the last three to four weeks with no end in sight. The NWS forecasted rain for Wednesday and Thursday, but the chance is less than 50 percent. Lower river stage The Lynxville Lock and Dam has closed its gates to maintain a nine foot channel because the Mississippi River stage is so low. The last time this occurred, according to one worker, was 1988. The river stage on Aug. 19 was 6.68 feet. It was as high this summer as 16.79 feet on May 20. After hitting 10.68 feet on both July 8 and 9, the river stage lowered almost every day until the end of July, when it rose from 7.75 feet on July 27 to 7.96 feet on July 29. Boaters are urged to use caution and slow down due to an increased chance of hitting submerged objects and wingdams.

PdC Crisis Response Plan designed to help students, staff and community 
The death of a classmate. The death of a teacher. These are two issues that no one wants to think about and that no one can be fully prepared for. Yet, sudden and unexpected deaths occur on a daily basis that have deep impacts upon school districts throughout the country. This is a big reason why the Prairie du Chien School District has revised its Crisis Response Plan. "I think this (the new plan) is an improvement because it's more current. It was something we needed to do," said High School Guidance Counselor Nancy Becker, who noted that the previous plan was implemented more than 10 years ago. Becker and the Pupil Services Team spearheaded the revision of the crisis response plan in order to better prepare school personnel for the effective handling of a tragedy such as death caused by a car accident, bus accident, illness or suicide. The new crisis plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of crisis team members such as principals, guidance counselors, the school nurse, the school psychologist and the at-risk coordinator. Becker pointed out that an innovation in the crisis plan for the Prairie du Chien School District is to provide teachers with a guideline statement on how to talk with grieving students. Teachers, who will undergo training as part of the plan, will learn what to say and, just as importantly, what not to say to a student in need. A sample letter to parents is also part of the crisis plan and is designed to help keep the lines of communication open. If needed, community support resources are also available through the new crisis plan. Community support resources include members of the local clergy, Police Chief Mike King and two police officers, Fire Chief Mark Hoppenjan, social workers from Catholic Charities and Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, the CARE Council, Crawford County Human Services and Maureen McCarty of Psychiatric Associates. The goals of the plan are to acknowledge the death honestly, to allow students and staff to ventilate emotions and to offer an avenue for help and support. Research shows that on average, every school in the United States will lose a student or staff member to death every three years. The crisis response plan is designed to meet the particular needs of the students, staff and community and to maintain a safe and stable environment while helping to make the incident a growth experience instead of just a tragic experience. The new crisis response plan got its start when Nancy Becker undertook training at CESA 3. Becker brought back the information and ideas she had gathered to the Pupil Services Team, who concurred that a plan was needed. The team met once a month from February through May to complete the plan, which is now in place. The Prairie du Chien Crisis Response Plan is detailed in a 25-page report covering the numerous aspects of dealing with a tragic situation within the school district. "The team was great, they worked together very well throughout the process," Becker said.

Warden settles into new role, discusses changes at Prairie du Chien Correctional facility 
With the passing and signing of the state budget, changes have been taking place at the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution (PDCI). One of the more obvious changes is a new face in the warden's position. Some area residents may recognize Gerald A. Berge from the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (formerly known as the Supermax) in Boscobel. He recently accepted the challenge of overseeing both the Boscobel and Prairie du Chien institutions. After the state budget was signed during the last week of July, several positions between the Boscobel and Prairie du Chien facilities were combined. In addition to the warden, the business director position, human resource director and the financial programming director will be shared between the two facilities. Throughout the state, 114 positions, many in management, were eliminated. With the passage of the state budget, PDCI became a Division of Adult Institution facility. Instead of only housing "young adult" inmates who are in their late teens and early 20s, the medium-security facility will house adults of all ages. Part of this change will be the addition of 98 more inmates at the Prairie du Chien facility. Berge says he believes the older adults will have a "leveling" affect on the facility. "Younger inmates generally are more active and boisterous and can have a disruptive affect. The change may be a good thing for staff." Although there are going to be more inmates - an increase of the 342 presently housed there to about 440 Ñ no additional staff will be hired. Berge noted there will not be any cuts in the staff of 158 either. He added that they will be reviewing staffing as the population grows. "We are committed to making this work, but above all we are committed to the safety of the community, staff and inmates." The additional inmates will be arriving over the next two-and-a-half months. As warden, Berge says he is basically the "chief executive officer" of the facilities. He is responsible for all that goes on there - from budget and safety to training and community relations. He is quick to point out there are a lot of myths surrounding having a prison located in a community, and he believes in trying to dispel them. He is excited about the possibility of having low-risk inmates get involved with community projects, such as working with the city, county or DNR. "It could be a real plus to everyone involved," he said. Berge became the warden of the Boscobel facility in 1998 Ñ prior to its opening in November of 1999. When asked about all that has been going on at the Boscobel facility since it opened, including the construction and civil lawsuits, he said, "To say it has been interesting would be an understatement." He previously served as warden of Fox Lake Correction Institution, a medium security men's facility in Dodge County, for more than six years. Prior to that he was administrator of the division overseeing all prisons in the state. He has been a state employee in various capacities for about 35 years. Berge replaced Warden Catherine Farrey, who began as the New Lisbon Correctional Institution. There are a number of details she must coordinate prior to the opening of that facility in April of 2004. Berge and his wife live in the Woodman area. He says that location has worked well for traveling to Boscobel and Prairie du Chien. He will eventually have his time split about 50/50 between the two locations. The Boscobel facility has about 400 inmates and a staff of almost 270.

Get ready for the Crawford County Fair!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Wednesday, Aug. 20
5 - 8 p.m. - Non-animal entries arrive
Thursday, Aug. 21
8 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Animal entries arrive
1 - 4 p.m. - Non-animal entries arrive.
4 p.m. - Carnival opens - Mega Pass valid
5 p.m. - Poultry, rabbit, booths, younger youth, flowers & houseplants, plant & soil science, woodworking, clothing, foods and nutrition, natural and mechanical science judging
7 p.m. -Swine judging
Friday, August 22
9 a.m. - Sheep and goats, cultural arts, photography, knitting and crocheting, home furnishing, family living judging
9:30 a.m. - Dairy judging - showmanship/colored breeds
11:30 a.m. - Beef judging Noon - Farmer bud dairy show
1 p.m. - Carnival open - Mega Pass valid; Master Gardener demonstration - Perennials and Flowers
2 - 5 p.m. - Carnival wristbands valid.
3 p.m. - 4-H demonstrations; Master Gardener demonstration - Vegetables.
7 p.m. - Badger State Tractor Pull, daily raffle drawing.
Saturday, August 23
9:30 a.m. - Dairy judging - Holsteins
11 a.m. - 4-H demonstrations; Roving balloonist
12:45 p.m. - Meat animal auction
1 p.m. - Carnival opens - Mega Pass valid; Gladiator Jousting; Master Gardener Demonstration - perennials and Flowers.
2:30 p.m. - Action Auto Promotions '77 and Newer Demolition Derby.
3 p.m. - 4-H Demonstration; Master Gardener demonstration - vegetables.
4 p.m. - Dog judging.
7:30 p.m. - Action Auto Promotions '77 and newer demolition derby, Daily raffle drawing
Sunday, August 24
9 a.m. - Ecumenical services
10:30 a.m. - Exotic animal judging
11 a.m. - Roving balloonist Noon - Cats followed by small animal judging; Carnival opens - Mega Pass valid.
12:30 p.m. - Kids' pedal pull
1 - 4 p.m. - Carnival wristbands valid
1 p.m. - Daily raffle drawing
1:30 p.m. - CC Bull Riding and Barrel Racing; Grand Prize Raffle Drawing.

Free transportation to Crawford County Fair will not be available
Transportation to the 2003 Crawford County Fair from Prairie du Chien will not be provided as initially advertised. Organizers are hopeful, however, that they will be able to offer this service next year. For more information this year's fair to be held Aug. 21-24, call the fair office at 608-326-0223, or during the fair at 608-735-4379.