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June 22, 2005

Kuilboer's cool off with seasonal job in Barrow, Alaska

Even though Noam and Patty Kuilboer have only been married for four years they have already traveled the world more extensively than most couples do in a lifetime. The pair currently resides in Prairie du Chien, but in a few months they will begin packing up like they do at each summer's end and head to the United States' northernmost community, Barrow, Alaska.

"We basically lead two separate lives," said Patty about their unique situation. And what is it that brings this couple to the freezing depths of the arctic year after year? It's the North Slope Borough School District, where the two have been employed for the last four years.

The North Slope is an area where the ground stays frozen year-round, trees and grass don't exist, the sun disappears for 67 consecutive days, and a common winter temperature is minus 40 F, and that's without the windchill.

Despite all these factors Noam, from Amsterdam, Netherlands, says that living in Alaska isn't really that much different than living anywhere else ‹ and he would know. Patty, born and raised in Prairie du Chien, agrees. She too has had her share of traveling. After teaching on the Lakota Sioux Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota for six years, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of teaching school in Alaska.

Four years ago she went to a job fair in Anchorage to find an opening in the state's schools. She now teaches language arts and Alaska studies at Barrow High.

Noam fell into the situation a bit differently. He met Patty on the internet five or six years ago when he was managing a grocery story chain in Amsterdam. After meeting several times the two decided to get married, so Noam also began looking for jobs in Alaska. He is now employed as a computer technician for the North Slope Borough School District.

The North Slope district is about 86,000 square miles, which is larger than the state of Minnesota, but only contains about 10,000 people, which is 38 times smaller than the city of Minneapolis. "People are much more isolated up here," said Patty, "it is really different in that way."

While in Barrow, Noam and Patty live in expensive teacher housing, but their salaries help to compensate for the prices in Barrow. There are no roads leading to their seasonal home town, so everything has to be flown in, causing the prices to be much higher. The couple said that gas is currently about $3.50 per gallon, and they pay about $4-$5.00 for a gallon of milk.

According to the Kuilboer's, it's very hard for most people to adapt to the lifestyle if they are not from Alaska. They also said that the schools in their district are the "nucleus of each community" so being a teacher means putting in a very large amount of time and effort. "There is such a high turnover for teachers. The average time a teacher spends here is two years," said Patty. Noam also pointed out that while their career might be strange to people around here, it is not at all uncommon to people on the North Slope. "Most of the teachers that we know have houses elsewhere in the 'lower 48' that they go to during Christmas break and the summer," he said.

Inupiaq Eskimos make up most of the North Slope population, including the students at Barrow High. According to the Kuilboers, these students are really not much different than the typical student in Prairie du Chien. For example, students in Wisconsin may consider the opening day of pheasant or deer season quite important. Patty says that when whale season begins in Alaska, she sees the male attendance in her classroom begin to decline. Spring whaling begins in May, goes until early July, and is hugely important to the people of Alaska. Patty said that when someone gets a whale, it is a cause for celebration for the entire community. "They open their doors and everyone in the entire village is invited to come over and eat the whale with them," she said. The part of the whale that is eaten is called "muktuk," and consists mostly of the skin and blubber. Even though Noam and Patty haven't acquired a great liking for the taste, they have learned to appreciate it. After everyone has had their share of the muktuk, it is stored in people's freezers ‹ if they have them. The Kuilboers said that because of the hard permafrost that covers the ground, all that needs to be done is to dig a hole. Because of the extreme temperatures, food will stay frozen year-round.

Noam and Patty Kuilboer have battled the harsh conditions of Barrow for four school years, and aren't sure how much longer they will do it. It's hard telling what life has in store next for this adventurous couple. Patty summed it up well, "Right now we're just taking it one year at a time."

County Board tours new administrative building

Building expected to be completed by July 15

Following Tuesday morning's Crawford County Board meeting, members of the board of supervisors were taken on a tour of the inside of the new County Administrative Offices Building by County Maintenance Director John Poots.

Poots said that the new building is scheduled to be completed by July 15 and County Board member John Karnopp said that the tentative move in date for county personnel is Aug. 1.

The building is being built by P.A. McGuire of Highland at a cost of approximately $5.9 million. The new building will be 60,000 square feet, compared to the 32,000 square feet of the Satter Building, which now houses many of the county's departments.

Karnopp said that the county will be looking to sell the Satter Building once the move into the new administrative offices building is complete. The new building is located near the Crawford County Courthouse on property where the former 3M Plant 1 once stood.

While on the tour, various county board members expressed their pleasure with the design and construction of the new building, with its modern, spacious offices, capacity for top technology and efficient heating and cooling systems.

Interesting innovative features pointed out by Poots included lights in the offices that automatically turn on when motion is detected and automatically turn off ten minutes after everyone leaves the room. Conventional light switches may also be used. The faucets of bathroom sinks are also turned on and off by the motion of people's hands so that no one has to touch any handles or knobs when washing their hands.

Earlier, during the county board meeting, the board voted unanimously to have a plaque placed in the new administrative offices building to recognize the dedication and service to the county of County Board Chairman Robert Dillman. Dillman has served on the county board for 37 years, 33 of them as chairman. Board member Gary Knickerbocker said that research has indicated that Dillman is the longest serving Crawford County Board Chairman.

In other matters before the board:

*Board member Adam Fogelson presented a proposed resolution to have the county board meetings at 7 p.m. so that more of the public would have a chance to attend. Fogelson said that many of his constituents had asked about having the meetings at night and that night meetings would be more in the "spirit of open government." The resolution will come before the board at its August meeting.

Grace Sierer of CouleeCap gave a presentation before the board concerning Coulee-Cap's 2004 annual report. Sierer said that 78 homes were weatherized in 2004. Of a total of 193 people served, 24 were elderly and 32 were handicapped.

There were 14 applications for home rehabilitation taken and two homes rehabilitated. Eight families received down payment assistance on a home purchase. Two homeless families were assisted with case management, supportive services and rental subsidies.

Eight hundred thirty three fuel assistance applications were taken, 881 different people received emergency food through the food pantry, 6,679 people received clothing through the Bargain Boutique.

CouleeCap employs five residents of Crawford County and CouleeCap programs total $1,105,190.

*Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce Director Sharon Cuchna gave a presentation about Leadership Crawford. Leadership Crawford's mission is to provide an educational program where individuals practice leadership skills, deepen their understanding of community issues and prepare for leadership roles, thereby creating a network of individuals committed to the future of Crawford County. Cuchna said that up to 25 adults can be in the program, which will meet Wednesday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon each month from October through April. For more information, Cuchna can be reached at (608) 326-8555.

*The board voted unanimously to increase mileage for board members and county employees in accordance with the mileage of the Internal Revenue Service. The county's mileage allowance will increase from 31.5 cents per mile to 40.5 cents per mile.

*The board voted unanimously to adopt the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS will allow the Crawford County Emergency Management to conform to state and federal training and procedures and will also allow Emergency Management to receive Homeland Security grants.

June 20, 2005
Father in local musical duo  arrested on 1987 child battery charges

Rob Halberg, part of the father-daughter Harper's Ferry musical duo, The Halberg's, was arrested last Tuesday at his home in Harpers Ferry on a 1987 child battery charge.

Halberg, who's real name is Roger Labarge, fled while the jury was deliberating his case in 1987 in Valparaiso, Ind.

The battery charge, which involved a perforated bowel suffered by the then three-year old daughter of Labarge's common-law wife, Kathy Rhowe.

Rhowe and Labarge are the parents of Mandy Halberg, 17, the other half of the musical duo. She was listed as a missing child by the state of Indiana under the name Mandy Simmons for 17 years.

Rhowe, who was pregnant with Mandy at the time of the trial, joined Labarge in Portland, Ore., shortly after Mandy's birth. Rhowe had been charged with neglect in the same incident that La Barge was tried for. He was later found guilty.

Rhowe's three children, including the injured girl, had been taken into custody by the state of Indiana during the investigation of the case.

While on the run, the family lived in several Midwest states, moving frequently to stay ahead of the law. They moved to Harpers Ferry three years ago. The couple turned themselves over to U.S. Marshals who came to their home last Tuesday.

While living in Harpers Ferry, Kathy waitressed at the Harbor House in town. "Rob" and Mandy played guitars and wrote and performed "river music" as the duo, the Halberg's, at area taverns and festivals. They seemed to be well-liked in the community and popular performers.

Labarge faces a possible 38 years in prison as a result of his conviction for child battery and additional charges for a felony flight to avoid prosecution. Rhowe faces charges of neglect of a dependent and perjury. She had told police she was leaving the state to have her baby (Mandy), and would return.

Mandy remains in Harpers Ferry under the care of friends of the family.

Community members were shocked to learn of the criminal history of the couple.

Vicky, who did not offer her last name, the manager of the Pocket City Pub in McGregor, had hired the Halbergs to play the tavern just last month. "I was happy with them," she commented, "I thought they were good people." She said she was in awe of the story of their history.

An employee at Spillway tavern in Harper's Ferry had a very similar reaction. "It was a very big shock, they always seemed very nice and normal to me," said the unidentified woman.

The Courier Press also contacted the Harbor House where the manager declined to comment.

She's in: Elaine Kramer selected for the Cowgirl Hall of Fame

Elaine Kramer didn't sleep well last Wednesday night. She was just too darn excited after receiving a call from the Cowgirl Hall of Fame notify her that she will join four other inductees in Fort Worth this October as a member of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. She was so overjoyed she couldn't help but shed a few tears. "I'm just so excited. I'm sorry but I just can't help it," she later said with a grin.

Kramer had a Roman riding act that appeared at all th major rodeos and horse shows in the U.S. and Canada from 1954 until she retired in 1973.

She rode standing up, driving a six-horse team, one foot on the back of two horses in tandem at the rear of the hitch. In her amazing act she took the six-horse team over a set of jumps at a full gallop, then galloped them around the arena while standing up and smiling and waving at the crowd.

According to friend Anne Dohse, the three nominating committees were in awe of Elaine's skill as a Roman rider and impressed with the number of letters in support of her nomination they received from Wisconsin.

"It's the perfect birthday present for Elaine," said Dohse. Elaine's birthday is June 23, and she will be 70 years old. Her application to the Hall of Fame was submitted a year ago on Elaine's last birthday. "It's really rare for someone to get in so quickly," said Dohse. "We're just thrilled to death."

Kramer is greatful to everyone in the community who wrote letters in of support her nomination.

The induction ceremony will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26-27.

Governor will visit city to kick-off Main Street initiative

The Prairie du Chien Downtown Revitalization Inc., (PdCDRI) has been hard at work to get the ball rolling for the Main Street Program.

Main Street is a state-run initiative for economic revitalization of downtowns based on historic preservation and restoration of downtown buildings. PdCDRI is a nonprofit organization formed to take on the Main Street effort.

One large question left to be answered is who will be running the organization. According to city planner, Garth Frable, that question should be answered by mid-July. About 26 applications were received by the June 10 deadline. Frable said that there were many applicants from Prairie du Chien and surrounding communities, along with from far-flung places like California and New Mexico.

The manager will be in charge of the four committees set up to take on the challenges of the Main Street project. Even though a manager has yet to be hired, the board and committees have been hard at work planning and implementing the organization's goals.

The promotion committee has been planning community raffles, fund-raisers and the upcoming visit from the state's governor. Gov. James Doyle will be in the city's downtown on July 6 at 2:30 p.m. to announce an economic development initiative. The public is encouraged to come listen to Doyle and participate in downtown activities that will be held.

Street banners to beautify and brighten the streets of downtown Prairie du Chien have been part of the design committee's latest activities. Frable said that there will be four different banner designs to grace the streets of downtown. The banners are currently in production and are projected to be out on the streets by July 4.

Another tall order that is in process by the design committee is to come up with a streetscape plan. This plan covers the overall aesthetics of downtown, including: pavement, sidewalks, plants, benches and lighting, as well as many other features.

Other committees are covering items such as finding vacant sites around town that could be developed, raising money and working on details of the manager position.

"The main goal of the manager will be to make the board and the committees work smarter," said Frable. He also said that whoever is hired for the important role should be able to feel and see a lot of support from the community. The organization has received 143 donations so far, ranging anywhere from $15 to $20,000, making the grand total approximately $75,000. Frable also said that they have received pledges for about the same amount for the next two or three years.