Prairie du Chien High School valedictorian Lauren Hanson has many achievements to her credit during her high school career.

She was in cross country for four years, was voted most improved in grade 9 and was team captain in grade 12. She was a wrestling cheerleader for four years, serving as captain for three years. She also took part in track and field and in soccer. Lauren earned a state bronze medal in forensics in grade 9, a state silver medal in grade 10 and a gold medals in grades 11 and 12. She was in the fall musical, Political Science Club, Student Council and Leadership Council.

She has also served as a freshman mentor, grade 10 and 11 class president and grade 12 vice president. She has been in Students Offering Service, National Honor Society, Mock Trial, and Letterwinner’s Club. She was a Student of the Month in grade 12 and on High Honor Roll for four years.

Lauren plans to attend UW-Madison, and is considering law or pharmacy as a major. She is the daughter of Dale and Linda Hanson and Lori Hanson.

Salutatorian Megan Stram is the daughter of Michael and Melissa Stram.

She has been a National Honor Society chairperson, vice president and a gold level service award winner in Students Offering Services, and a senior class officer. She has also been a member of PALS and Political Science Club.

Megan has been active in Prairie Catholic Youth Group, volleyball and track. She lettered twice in cross country, and twice in basketball. She earned an academic letter and pin and was named Student of the Month. 

Megan plans to attend UW- Madison.

Project Lifesaver is coming to Crawford County

Crawford County will soon be implementing a unique program which can help locate people who are at risk of wandering off.

The funding has been raised and Project Lifesaver will likely be implemented by the fall of this year, said Jim McGrath of Crawford County Human Services.

Project Lifesaver involves a bracelet that emits an electronic signal and can be worn by people who may wander off and get lost, said McGrath. Crawford County has numerous people who, due to dementia, brain injury, autism, Down Syndrome, and other conditions are at risk of wandering away from their places of residence. McGrath said that missing people with Project Lifesaver bracelets can be located by law enforcement officers via the electronic signal.

"Project Lifesaver is being implemented as a cooperative effort between Human Services and law enforcement," McGrath said. He noted that Crawford County Sheriff’s Department deputies will be trained in running the Project Lifesaver equipment this summer. If need be, those deputies can then train others within the Sheriff’s Department to run the equipment.

Project Lifesaver is a nationwide program that began in Virginia in 1999, said McGrath. He said that there is no telling how many people will be served by the program at first, but there is a need for Project Lifesaver in Crawford County.

"The need for this program should increase over time," he said.

McGrath sent out fund-raising letters for the project and he said that the money needed for the project has now been received. Project Lifesaver costs approximately $3,000 for equipment and $2,000 for a person to come to the county and train the deputies.

"We have received some very generous contributions," said McGrath, who noted that $3,000 came from the Partners organization at Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, $1,000 from Wal-Mart, $1,000 from the Crawford County Aging and Disabilities Resource Center through the Family Caregiver Program, $250 from Alliant Energy and $100 from the Gundersen Lutheran Clinic.

McGrath said that Project Lifesaver will cost clients a one-time enrollment fee of $99, plus a monthly subscription fee of $30 for the bracelet. He said that Human Services is looking into various options by which low-income people could have these costs paid for.

In addition, Faith In Action will be providing volunteers who will go to people’s homes to change the bracelets once a month.

For more information about the Project Lifesaver program, interested persons can call (608) 326-0248.

Children come to the rescue

Any parents who may have delayed instructing their children about handling emergencies in the belief that they’re too young to understand might want to talk to Rhonda Stubbe and the children in her day care, Jest for Kids. The kids, Stubbe says, stayed calm and came to her rescue when she fell down the basement stairs and suffered a concussion.

The accident occurred April 30. Stubbe had just finished serving lunch and the children were lying down. She’d looked at the clock and it was 1:09 p.m. She decided to go down to the basement and finish the last load of laundry. She was wearing a protective boot following foot surgery. Her grandson had left a shirt lying on one of the steps and she tried to kick it out of the way. That didn’t work, so she turned her back to the open staircase to try again, and she fell—dropping to the cement floor four feet below. As she fell, "I told myself it would be okay and I’d land on my butt," she said, but instead she hit her head and experienced "excruciating pain."

"I screamed for help," she continued, "and I remember hearing Sophie’s and Alaina’s and Franci’s voices." She told Sophie she needed the black phone to call for help. As soon as Sophie handed it to her, Stubbe remembered it didn’t work in the basement. She needed her cell phone, but didn’t think the children knew where it was, since she’d only talked to them about the other phone. Fortunately, the children had been observant and James climbed up on the kitchen sink to get it. He gave the phone to Franci and Franci gave it to Stubbe.

Stubbe figures she was unconscious for part of the time, and this is borne out by Franci, who said, "We kept saying ‘are you okay, are you okay,’ but we didn’t her a voice." She knows that she made her first call at 1:23 p.m. Not realizing how badly she was hurt, she called her husband, Matt at work, instead of calling 911. They had an agreement that if she called and he was busy, he would not answer the phone. She had to call four times before he answered, and she remembers saying "I hit my head, I hit my head." Matt, realizing she wasn’t making sense, left work immediately.

During all this time, the children sat on the steps and kept asking if she was okay. When Matt got home, he called a backup babysitter to take care of the children. He then called Great River Clinic and 911.

Stubbe remembers some of this. She remembers throwing up in a bucket and being able to move her arms and legs, but not open her eyes. When the EMTs arrived, she recognized some of them, Sue Koresh and Dan O’Deen, by their voices. She remembers that they kept asking her questions and she was having trouble answering them. She recalls being carried up the stairs and being in the emergency room for some time before being admitted, and still being unable to open her eyes. (She was told later that she did open he eyes and look at people, so she apparently was unable to see.)

Stubbe had a severe concussion and was under observation throughout the night. She regained her eyesight within hours, but has lost her sense of taste and smell and suffers from migraines. She has to be careful when she first gets up because the room spins, and she is taking medication for that. Her ears are also very sensitive to loud noises. Her physician, Dr. Ann of Great River Clinic, tells her this should not be permanent, but she may not feel like herself for over a year.

Stubbe can not say enough about the performance of the children. "There was no way I was coming out of that basement by myself, and if the kids hadn’t been there I would never have been able to call for help." The children do not approve of the call she made, however. "You should have called 911," said Sophie.

Stubbe said that in October she always does a unit on fire prevention, does fire drills and instructs the kids in calling 911. As a day care provider, she is required by law to do so, but feels all parents should be sure their children receive these instructions. "Who would ever think that little kids could save an adult," she said. Stubbe said she is sure the children would have called 911 themselves if she hadn’t asked for the phone.

Stubbe celebrated 20 years as a licensed day care provider on June 1.

June 28 declared Dr. Garrity Day

At its June 2 meeting, Prairie du Chien Common Council declared a Dr. Michael Garrity Day, approved a TIF agreement for construction of a new storage and distribution terminal at Prairie Sand and Gravel, and listened to a request from Fire Chief Harry Remz to increase the size of the fire department.

At the request of the Fort Crawford Museum, which will present Dr. Garrity with the Citizen Laureate Award at the June 28 Bits and Pieces Program, council passed a resolution declaring June 28 as Dr. Michael S. Garrity Day, referencing the facts that he has practiced medicine in the area for a period of 40 years, has been a leader and innovator in the practice of medicine, has dedicated his life to the betterment of the community and although retired from medical practice, continues to provide medical care to the less fortunate.

Council also approved an agreement to facilitate the expansion of Prairie Sand and Gravel through tax incremental financing. The company plans to build a storage and distribution terminal on premises. The facility is to have a taxable value of not less than $1,000,000 as of Jan. 1, 2010 and create one full time job no later than that date. The city will furnish site improvements such as utilities, installation and grading, as well as soft costs such as legal and planning expenses and administrative costs. Cost is not to exceed $145,000 for improvements and $15,000 for soft costs. Any expenses above that will be paid by Prairie Sand and Gravel.

In addition, if tax revenues generated by the property are insufficient to cover the annual obligation incurred by the city for the project, Prairie Sand and Gravel will pay those costs.

Council approved sending a request for additional firefighters to the finance committee for further study.

Chief Harry Remz said he would like to recruit five new firefighters. Remz explained that about 15 of the city’s present firefighters have jobs that involve working out of town. This reduces the number of available daytime firefighters by almost half. The Protection and Health Committee had recommended sending the request for the additions to the finance committee for consideration in the 2010 budget. Remz said he would like to add two firefighters this year if money can be found in the budget.

In other business, council receipted a letter informing them that $5,000 from the estate of Marian McCloskey had been left to the city to use exclusively for the municipal library.

The combined water and fire protection rates will increase 51 percent to 53 percent for the three large industrial classifications. The rates will increase 56 percent to 72 percent for the seven commercial classes, according to the report.

The water rates in Prairie du Chien were last increased in 2003. The water utility has since replaced many miles of deteriorating water and sewer mains in the downtown area. In addition, energy costs, chemicals and labor costs have increased operating expenses. Operating expenses were $324,476 in 2005 and will be an estimated $469,300 this year, according to the utility’s application. During that same time period, revenues only grew from $740,893 to $761,685.

According to PSC exhibits, the utility would have an estimated net operating income of $22,437 in 2009 without a rate increase. This was calculated after also figuring in depreciation and tax expenses.

Frydenlund and Klemme stressed that the news in not all bad, and for every challenge identified, there is opportunity. In the Executive Summary, they state: "Although the City of Prairie du Chien struggles with low income, it benefits from low housing costs. The City’s housing cost burden—what households pay for housing costs as a percentage of income—falls in the lowest 20 percent of reporting Wisconsin communities. Although Prairie du Chien faces an aging population, it also has the opportunity to attract an older population replete with disposable income, time for volunteerism, and life-long skills. With a community hospital, several healthcare clinics—including two major satellite clinics—and an area blessed with natural beauty and recreational opportunities, Prairie du Chien is primed to turn the aging population into an asset."

Each section of the reports lists a number of opportunities or actions which the city might want to consider.

A copy of the executive summary will be presented to the Common Council Tuesday evening. A draft of the complete report will be on line at www.developmentplanning.net, and comments and suggestions are encouraged. A presentation will be made to the Committee of the Whole by the end of June.