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July 21, 2010 |
Megan and Ron White, the sister-brother duo from Mount Hope will be two of 36 contestants from Wisconsin to compete at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyoming this week.
Megan, 17, will be a senior at River Ridge High School in the fall. Ron, 18, will be a freshman studying psychology at UW-Eau Claire.
"We started competing in Little Britches Rodeos at the age of six," says Megan. "Our mom did this when she was younger and we've always had horses around."
Megan competes in barrels, poles, breakaway roping, goat tying, cutting and team roping with her older brother, Ron. Megan usually uses four horses for all of the events that she competes in and practices everyday for about two hours from about April to November to keep her herself and her horses fit.
Besides competing in team roping with his sister, Ron also competes in calf roping and cutting. Ron uses two horses to compete in events.
The duo not only competes at High School Rodeo competitions around the state, but also at various open rodeos in the area.
"We're usually gone to a rodeo every other weekend or so during the summer months," comments Megan.
The Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association has around 120 high school members and 50 members in the Junior wrangler division. The top four competitors from each event at the Wisconsin State High School finals held June 18-20 in Richland Center are able to advance to nationals. Wisconsin has 36 members qualified.
At the state finals, Megan placed first in breakaway roping and goat tying and third in cutting. Megan also won the All-Around Wisconsin Girl title. Ron placed fifth in cutting and sixth in calf roping. Together, the brother-sister duo placed fourth in team roping.
Megan and Ron, in their junior and senior years respectfully, of high school rodeo, left for the national competition on Friday, July 16. The National High School Rodeo Finals goes from Sunday, July 18 to Saturday, July 24 in Gillette, Wyoming. Megan will be participating in breakaway roping, goat tying and cutting. Together, Megan and Ron will be competing in team roping.
Besides competing in rodeos, Megan is also involved in high school volleyball, basketball and track. Ron played on the high school football, track and basketball teams.
This isn't there first national rodeo competition, as a sophomore, Ron competed at nationals in calf roping and cutting. His junior year he competed again in calf roping and cutting plus team roping with his sister Megan. As a freshman, Megan competed in breakaway roping and her sophomore year she competed in breakaway roping, cutting and team roping with Ron.
"It's a great sport," comments their dad, Kurt White. "It's made up of all volunteers that help take care of these kids at the rodeos."
For more information about the Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association, visit cowboycalendar.com or call (608) 393-0913.
By Jen Schultz
After considerable discussion at Tuesday night's council meeting, Dave Hemmer, the mayor of Prairie du Chien broke a tie to amend the Beneker lease. Gale Beneker and his attorney, Mark Gillitzer were not in attendance at the meeting. Beneker leases La Rivierie Park land from the City. Earlier this year a lease was mistakenly signed giving him the right to farm land that is currently a prairie. In April, when Beneker mowed the prairie, it was made known that the lease was incorrect. Also during April the council and La Riviere Park committee looked into the possibility of removing a fence marking the Park's area. Beneker demanded that the amended lease, which is for five years includes that the fence be torn down and not put up again during the length of the lease.
Also passed by the council was a one-year lease between the city and the Crawford County Restorative Justice (CCRJ) for office space within the City Hall. The non-profit group, CCRJ, will pay $165 for the rent of one room. Strict office hours of Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will be enforced, CCRJ will also have separate telephone and DSL lines.
In other business:
 | a motion to change the ordinance relating to the harboring of certain dogs was tabled until a further date. |
| A motion was made to increase City Administrator Aaron Kramer's pay to an annual base salary of $68,000 was approved. This is effective July 28 and is an increase of $3,000. |
| A discussion was held on the budget schedule for 2011. Kramer has suggested using a zero-based budgeting system. |
Due to cost overruns associated with the electrical pad on the north end of St. Feriole Island for Country on the River have increased. Council amended the plan approved earlier this year, by delaying the installation of four electrical pads in the center of the island and paying $6,000 towards the construction of the electrical pad on the north end that was originally supposed to be donated by Greg Webster of Country on the River.
The 13th annual Prairie Dog Blues Festival is a music- filled weekend that all ages can enjoy. The event is held on St. Feriole Island in Prairie du Chien on July 30 and 31.
"We had a crowd of between 5,000 to 6,000 people last year," organizer Todd Yeomans said.
The Blues Fest will feature musicians from across the region and nation with two stages to keep fans entertained. This year's musical line-up for Friday, July 30 includes Jon Justice at 5 p.m., Guitar Shorty at 7 p.m., Big James and the Chicago Playboys at 9 p.m. and the opening act for the Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd summer tour, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at 11 p.m.
The bands for Saturday include a mix of blues, soul and funk from Sena Ehrhardt Band at 12 p.m., viewers can listen to the sounds of the Chicago blues from Vernon Ray Harrington at 2 p.m., Blues Blast 2009 Female Blues singer, Debbie Davies and Robin Rogers Band at 4 p.m., the unique sound of Big John Dickerson Show at 6 p.m. and Eric Sardinas at 10 p.m.
Music lovers wont go hungry, there will be plenty of food and drinks with a variety of vendors that cook their specialties.
"There will be Cajun to BBQ to Japanese to Greek style food," Yeomans said.
The beer tent has it's own music stage. Friday's entertainment is Eddie Turner and Saturday's is 2010 WAMI Nominee for Best Blues Band, Hounds Tooth.
The beer tent will be serving a variety of beer, wine coolers, pop, and water.
Volleyball and beanbag tournaments will be going on during the festival.
The seating at the festival is in a park-like setting. Fest- goers are asked to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on.
There is on-site camping available for those wishing to stay for the night. A shuttle bus runs from the event to motels around Prairie du Chien.
Tickets can be purchased for Blues Fest by calling 1-(888) 567-1567 or online at prairiedogblues.com/buy-tickets/. Online and Phone ticket orders will not be available after July 25. Tickets are available at the gate.
For more information call 326-0085 or go to the website prairiedogblues.com.
Robert William Van Vranken II, the "Rolling Dutchman," an above the knee amputee, is raising awareness and funds for veterans with mobility issues as he travels in his motorized wheelchair across the United States, north to south using the Mississippi River as his guide. Van Vranken left Lake Itasca, Minn., near the Canadian border on June 1 and is hoping to get to the Gulf Coast within five months. Van Vranken spent Tuesday night outside of Prairie du Chien and hopes to be to Patch Grove Wednesday night. "This is my way of giving just a simple 'thanks' to our veterans," he explained. Van Vranken encourages anyone to stop by and see him on his journey ‹every evening he can be found at a campground along the way. To follow his journey, visit thankthevets.com. Donations to Disabled American Veterans can be made on the website. (Photo by Jen Schultz)
July 19, 2010 |
By Dani Jo Mumm
Kyle Brylin has been making music since he was 12-years-old. The now 21-year-old is producing and recording music in his Madison apartment.
Brylin moved to Madison to pursue a music career after graduating from Prairie du Chien High School in 2007. In high school Brylin participated in choir and band, but did a lot more with music outside of school. "I've known as young as the age of six that I wanted to be a singer," Brylin said. Brylin's style of music is pop and acoustic. He can produce a piece in about six hours, depending on the song. "There is something for everyone in my music," Brylin said. "A lot of my audience includes people from Prairie du Chien and they can relate to my songs." Brylin is currently putting together his first CD. He has five tracks done and wants to have at least twelve when he finishes. He is also working on getting the chance to be able perform his music in front of live audiences. Some of Brylin's song titles include "The Star," "No Romance Now," "Just Go" and "If They Only Knew." Brylin's music is inspired from situations in his life. "I write about excitement, whether it comes from a good or bad situation," Brylin said. "I draw inspiration from that." Brylin's hard work has paid off, his single "The Star" will be played on Z93.3's radio station in La Crosse as part of their "Play it or Hate it" segment from 9 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28. Listeners can call in and critique the song. If people call in and vote "Play it" the song will go on the station's regular rotation. Brylin is excited about his music being played on the radio. He hopes to broaden his audience. Working on the CD and making more music are in store for Brylin's future. He hopes to gain some success in the music business. Brylin's next single "Commited" is to be released in August. The track is the first one Brylin has done to have multiple remixes by different producers from around the country. "I just want to be able to make a decent living doing something I love," Brylin said.
For more information about Brylin or to listen to his music, visit myspace.com/kylebrylin.
By Ted Pennekamp
A Catholic priest accused of embezzling approximately $200,000 from two parishes in Crawford County and the Diocese of La Crosse entered an Alford plea to reduced charges in Crawford County Circuit Court Wednesday.
The Rev. Robert Chukwu, 59, entered the plea to three counts of misdemeanor theft and entered an 18-month diversion agreement. Under the Alford plea, Chukwu has admitted to no wrongdoing but has conceded that a jury would likely have found him guilty. If Chukwu adheres to all of the conditions in the diversion agreement, two of the three charges will be dismissed after 18 months. A hearing at a later date will determine a restitution amount to be paid by Chukwu. Upon successful completion of the diversion agreement, Crawford County Circuit Court shall convict Chukwu of count three. The state will then recommend that Chukwu receive a jail term of six days and stipulate that Chukwu is entitled to four days of pretrial credit for time already served. Should Chukwu fail to comply with all of the conditions of the diversion agreement, Crawford County Circuit Court will either rescind the diversion agreement or extend the diversion agreement. If the agreement is rescinded, Chukwu will be found guilty of all three counts and sentenced. According to the amended criminal complaint, Chukwu is charged with three counts of misdemeanor theft. Should the diversion agreement be rescinded, Chukwu would face up to $30,000 in fines and 27 months in prison. Chukwu was originally charged with felony theft on Jan. 29. He was accused of sending money to priests, a nun, a school and family in Nigeria from 2007-2009. Chukwu holds United States and Nigerian citizenship and had been assigned to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Gays Mills and St. Phillip's Catholic Church in Soldiers Grove. According to the original criminal complaint, Chukwu spent $6,000 in 2008 to buy and mail a 40-foot container filled with $100,000 worth of artificial flowers, candlesticks, pedestal tables and other merchandise to Nigeria for profit. Chukwu also spent $50,000 on another shipment, the complaint said. The items were allegedly purchased with the parish's debit card using insurance money for 2007 flood damage to the two Crawford County churches, according to the complaint. Chukwu was also accused of making cash withdrawals with the debit card in order to send the withdrawals to Nigeria, according to the complaint.
By Jen Schultz
A 42-year old man from
Hudson, Iowa drowned in the Mississippi River on Saturday, July 24. A call was made to 911 on Saturday, evening at approximately 6:55 p.m. of a possible drowning at Dillman's Slough on
the Mississippi River, just north of the Prairie du Chien Marina. A DNR Warden was on scene within ten minutes of the call. It was determined that Larry E. Sash was missing and presumed
drowned. Divers were called in to search the area that evening. The search stopped at 9 p.m. and resumed again at 6 a.m. on Sunday. The divers were unsuccessful in locating the body. At
3:30 p.m. the Crawford County Sheriff's Department began a dragging operation. 17 boats from area fire departments, emergency response teams and sheriff departments helped comb the
area. At 6:40 p.m. the body was located and taken to Garrity Funeral Home. An autopsy is scheduled for later today, Monday, July 19. "Foul play is not suspected," said Crawford County
Sheriff Jerry Moran. Moran is expecting that the results from the autopsy will reveal that Sash died from drowning. "Sash had been swimming with a group of adult friends off of a boat
and simply disappeared," said Moran. Moran acknowledges that the depth of Dillman Slough is at about 40-plus feet deep and there is no strong current in that area. Moran is unsure
whether alcohol was a factor in the drowning. "I would like to publicly thank all of the emergency responders and volunteers for their help. Without their help, this would have been an
impossible task," said Moran. Emergency response teams and volunteers dragged Dillman's Slough searching for the missing swimmer's body in Dillman's Slough on Sunday afternoon.
By Jen Schultz
Just prior to a 42-year old man drowning in Dillman Slough off of the Mississippi River on Saturday, July 17, several teenagers were rescued by passing boaters in two different instances on Thursday, July 15 and Friday, July 16. On Thursday, July 15, three teenagers dared each other to swim from the Lawler Park wall in Prairie du Chien to the Iowa-side channel marker and back. "They were really fortunate that I had ran out of gas near the bridge and while changing my tanks, I could hear them," recounts Prairie du Chien boater, Brad Steiner. "I could see three kids, two were heading back to shore and the other one was struggling." During this time, 911 was also called. Steiner, who is the Deputy Chief for the Prairie du Chien Fire Department heard the call while attempting to save the boy. Steiner was able to navigate his pontoon up to the boy and rescue him. Steiner took the boy to the dock where police and fire rescue were waiting for him.
It was reported that three youth were pulled from the East Channel across from Lawler Park again on Friday, July 16. They were also attempting to swim to the channel buoys. All three were rescued by area boaters.
"People need to remember to be careful of the dangers incorporated with the river and respect those dangers while enjoying the river at the same time," said Prairie du Chien Police Chief Chad Abram. Abram noted that the Prairie du Chien Public Works Committee will be reviewing the signage placed along the waterfront and may have more signs placed to help keep people safe. Abram said law enforcement patrols will increase due to the recent activities that have taken place on the Mississippi River. He encourages citizens to help by watching for people that may be jumping off of any walls or swimming across the channels and to call the police department so they can patrol the area.
In order for the Prairie du Chien Bypass Project to continue, there will be a temporary traffic change at the Iowa Street (USH 18-STH 60)/Main Street intersection from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27.
The contractor will be installing water main and storm sewer at the Iowa Street (USH 18-STH 60)/Main Street intersection that will require closing Main Street from Iowa Street to Wisconsin Street. Also, the southbound lane of Main Street from Blackhawk Avenue to Wisconsin Street will be closed. USH 18/STH 60 traffic will not be allowed to go north on Main Street at Iowa Street. USH 18/STH 60 will be reduced to one lane at the Iowa Street intersection with lane rerouting taking place to allow for the work to be conducted. USH 18/STH 35 will remain open at all times. The closure and traffic disruption will be removed by the end of the day, and the intersection will be back to normal operations at the end of the day.
