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Lt. Governor to tour Prairie du Chien
Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton will tour Prairie du Chien with Mayor Cheryl Mader on Monday, Aug. 16. Lt. Governor Lawton will hear the concerns of citizens regarding possible railroad crossing closures and federal guidelines requiring trains to whistle while traveling through town. Mader will join Lawton at City Hall to receive citizens who wish to visit from 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lawton then will tour areas scheduled for redevelopment in the spirit of revitalizing downtown.

Cheerleading up in air at PdC ?
A recommendation to combine the Prairie du Chien High School cheerleading and pon pom squad met with some opposition at the Prairie du Chien School Board meeting Monday night. Athletic Director Joe Zydowsky recommended combining the two programs, citing inconsistency in the cheerleading program over the past few years. Zydowsky told board members that cheerleader numbers have dwindled for some sports and that the district has been unable to fill the cheerleader coach vacancy due to a lack of applicants, even though the position has been posted and advertised for for quite some time. "We have really struggled to maintain any consistency," Zydowsky said of the cheerleading program. While interest has waned, Zydowsky said that there are a few high school girls who have shown an interest in becoming a cheerleader. He recommended combining the cheerleading and pon pom programs so that those girls would not be left out. In combining the programs, however, the cheerleading program would then be considered an activity and not a sport, the status it has now. The recommendation to combine cheerleading and pon pom drew a response from the audience a the meeting. "This is really important to many girls," said Jackie Kittle. "To take away the opportunity to be a cheerleader is wrong." Kittle said that she had the names of eight girls who would like to be cheerleaders. "This is not fair to the cheerleaders," said Beccy Curtis, who pointed out that cheerleading is classified as a sport and that cheerleaders can earn letters and scholarships. Kittle and Curtis told the board that they would like to be the new co-coaches of the cheerleader program. High School Pon Pom Coach Luanne Esser said that she would be willing to be the combined pon pom-cheerleader coach should the board decide to go in that direction. "I'd hate to see cheerleading disband," she said. The board took no action on the matter, but it was decided that Zydowsky would get together with Kittle and Curtis to further evaluate the situation in an effort to keep cheerleading as a separate sport, if possible. Concerning another athletic matter, Zydowsky informed the board of the status of a possible realignment of several conferences, including the SWAL 1 and SWAL 2. Zydowsky said that the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is considering a realignment that would affect Prairie du Chien by moving Boscobel from the SWAL 1 to the SWAL 2 and Wisconsin Heights from the Capital Conference into the SWAL 1. Zydowsky said that Wisconsin Heights, which has an enrollment of between 300 and 400, is fighting the move and does not want to be a part of the SWAL 1. Boscobel, which is also a small school, did not field a football team last year, citing very low numbers of players, especially upperclassmen. Just prior to the start of the season last year, Boscobel only had 17 total football players, most of which were underclassmen. Zydowsky said that while Prairie du Chien is in favor of the move, it is far too early in the process to tell what will happen and that the WIAA will hear from all sides before making a decision. In other business, the board discussed the status of the district's librarian positions, an issue which has been ardently debated at past board meetings. District Administrator Jim O'Meara told the board that there have been five applicants for the vacant high school position. Two of the applicants are not fully certified, O'Meara said. The board took no action on whether or not to hire a new librarian and further interviews of applicants may be conducted. Board member Joe Atkins said that he would rather have the district hire a professional at approximately $40,000-$50,000 per year than have three library aides at a total cost of $20,000-$30,000.

Twins save their dad's life
On August 7, at approximately 10:44 a.m., the Clayton County Communications Center received a 911 call for a medical emergency for 238 Main St. in McGregor. The 911 operator was surprised by the voices on the other end of the line. The voices belonged to two 6-year-old children named Luke and Tyler Price. The twins worked together to call 911 because their dad Mark Price was having a life threatening medical emergency and needed medical attention immediately. The 911 operator advised police that she couldn't believe how calm and precise the boys were while giving her the needed information to dispatch police and medical personal to the scene. Luke and Tyler were asked how they knew what to do when an emergency happened. They told the officer that they practice calling 911 with their parents Regina Poole and Mark Price. The brave boys also gave kudos to Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Reicks, their kindergarten teachers at M-F-L Mar-Mac Elementary School last year. While the boys were waiting for the ambulance to take their father to the Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, their Grandmother, Diane Poole, arrived and hugged both boys telling them they were heroes because of acting in such a calm, adult manner. The Mar-Mac Police Department would like to say thank you to the parents, grandmother and teachers of Luke and Tyler Price. Because of their efforts to teach these boys the proper way to deal with an emergency, a life was saved.