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Masked men rob bank in Harper's Ferry
Two masked men robbed the Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank in Harper's
Ferry at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Allamakee County
Sheriff's Department. The men entered the bank, and one man showed a
small handgun and demanded money, the sheriff's department said in a
news release. The men left the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount
of money. It is not known which direction the men headed, but sheriff's
department and Iowa State Patrol personnel established a crime scene
area about three blocks west of the bank and were investigating the area
Tuesday afternoon. The men may have driven from the area. Officers from
the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal
Investigation and the Iowa State Patrol responded. As of press time, the
two men are still at large and the case remains under investigation.
Allamakee County Sheriff's Department officers and an Iowa State Patrol
officer check for evidence in an area about three blocks west of a bank
that was robbed in Harper's Ferry.
A closer look at Crawford County's workforce
Here is a closer look at Crawford County's workforce profile, as
compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
Bureau of Workforce Information. Crawford County saw more than a 20
percent increase in job growth from 1994 to 1999 (the most recent
statistics available). Crawford County Population and Civilian Labor
Force Crawford County's population increased 4.9 percent during the
first nine years of the 1990s. Crawford County has grown slower than
Wisconsin or the United States. The increase in population during the
1990s represents a turn around in the county's population trend, as the
1980s decade brought with it a four percent decline in population. It's
only in 1997-1998 that Crawford County surpassed the county's 1980
population total of 16,556. Over 70 percent of Crawford's population
increase during the first nine years of the 1990s was the result of
positive net migration (people moving in less people moving out of the
county). The net migration rate in Crawford was at a virtual standstill
for the first six years of the 1990s, indicating that almost the same
number of people moved out of as moved into Crawford County. Net
migration soared during the time period 1996-1998 in Crawford County.
Crawford County's population has increased by 4.9 percent in the
1990-1999 time period, and the labor force has increased by 23 percent.
The number of nonfarm jobs in the county has increased by approximately
50 percent during the same time period. Crawford County found the
workers to make up the apparent shortfall by tapping the unemployed
pool, reducing the annual average unemployment rate by almost two
percent during the nine year time period. In addition, Crawford County's
participation rate is one of the highest in Wisconsin. Out of the entire
Crawford population aged 16 and over, a higher percentage chose to work
than in many other counties. The participation rate is the number of
total workers in the labor force divided by the total population aged 16
years and over. Not all persons ages 16 and over are working or looking
for work. Among the reasons for not working are; school attendance,
retirement, inability to work, and individuals who do not believe there
are any opportunities for them in their labor market. Crawford County's
labor force participation rate was 80.5 percent in 1999, substantially
above the national participation rate of 67.1 percent, and the state
rate of 72.3 percent. Employers have noticed, and will continue to
experience, the effects of a changing workforce in Crawford County.
Population totals in the 25 to 39 year-old cohort have declined by more
than 300 in the first nine years of the 90s. Increases in the 40 to 54
age cohort, adding almost 950 people during the nine year time period,
is the result of the aging of the "baby-boomer'' generation. These two
demographic shifts will shape the future workforce in Crawford. The
modest (in absolute terms) decline in population in the 16-24 age cohort
also adds to the changing landscape of the Crawford workforce, the
decrease will further frustrate employers in Crawford County who recruit
younger workers. Crawford County commuting patterns More residents of
Crawford County commute out of their county of residence for work than
do residents of other localities commute into Crawford County for
employment. Shown above as of the 1990 Census, Crawford County lost a
net of 567 workers in the commuter worker exchange. As of 1990, the
largest net loss occurred between Crawford and Grant Counties. The only
place where Crawford obtained a net gain was with workers commuting in
from the State of Iowa. Changes have occurred in both these areas since
1990 and it is likely that if a commuter survey was taken today, the net
number of commuters between Crawford and Grant as well as the net
inter-state commuter total would change. Commuting pattern data is not
available yet from Census 2000. Over the last several years, riverboat
gambling (legal in Iowa) has enjoyed steady growth. Approximately four
years ago a riverboat casino chose the other side of the river, just
across from Prairie du Chien as a home port. A noticeable number of
workers commute across the river to work at the casino. Since most of
this development has occurred after the 1990 Census was taken, it is not
reflected in the numbers reported previously.
Crawford County Employment Change by Industry 1994 to
1999
A healthy share of tourist dollars are spent in Crawford County.
Crawford received 35.3 million dollars in tourism expenditures in 2000,
or $1,220 per county resident. The statewide average tourism dollars
spent per resident was $1,877 in 2,000. Crawford County's location along
the Mississippi River provides nature lovers an opportunity to view
expansive vistas and observe a thriving eagle population. In addition to
the natural beauty of the Mississippi, the advent of riverboat gambling
in Iowa has made Crawford County an intermediary stop for gamblers.
Tourist dollars spent most directly affect employment levels in the
retail trade and service industry. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism
estimated that in 2000, tourism dollars spent in Crawford County added
985 jobs to total employment in the county. Retail trade employment has
increased by almost 34 percent in the 1994-1999 five year period. The
effect of tourist dollars spent on retail trade and the recent addition
of a catalog mail-order house on the north side of the city of Prairie
du Chien have fueled increases in retail trade employment in Crawford
County. There were a total of 460 employers in Crawford County in March
2000. The top ten private sector employers employ 38 percent of all
workers working in Crawford County. Five of the ten largest private
employers are in the manufacturing industry. However, only four of the
ten largest industries are in manufacturing. McGregor Loudspeaker ranked
third on the Crawford County top ten employer list several years ago,
but does not appear on this year's list. The company downsized and
merged with another company to form Harman Wisconsin. Crawford County
Employment and Wages 1999 The greatest differential in average wages
between Crawford County and statewide levels occurs within the finance,
insurance, and real estate industry (FIRE), where workers earn 60
percent of the statewide average. Typically, major FIRE operations
center around metropolitan areas, of which, Crawford County has none. In
addition, most of the major FIRE operations in Wisconsin take place in
the eastern or south central parts of the state. As in many smaller
non-metropolitan counties, wages in the construction industry in
Crawford County lag below the statewide average. Often this indicates
lower levels of unionization in the construction industry in smaller
counties, as compared to Wisconsin Metropolitan Areas. Retail trade
employment represents 26 percent of employment, yet only 17 percent of
the wages paid in Crawford County. The wages in the retail industry
represent a significantly smaller proportion of total wages than
employment, because the industry employs a large number of entry-level
workers. However, at 90 percent, pay in Crawford's retail trade industry
is closer to the statewide average than in any other industry in
Crawford. This is the result of the dominant role that both tourism and
large mail-order retail reestablishments command in the wages equation.
There are more full-time workers in Crawford's retail trade industry
than in retail trade industries in many other parts of Wisconsin.
Crawford County Wage and Income Data Per capita income (PCPI) is total
income divided by the total number of residents. Income includes wages
earned, dividends from investments, and transfer payments from the
government. Per capita income can be influenced by the number of wage
earners, average family size, and the median age of residents. Per
capita income can also determine the type of services and housing
available in a given geographic region. In 1999, the PCPI in Crawford
County was 72 percent of the state's, and was higher than only 12 other
Wisconsin counties. In 1993, Crawford County's PCPI was 73 percent of
the state's, so Crawford's position has slipped slightly in the last
five years. The increase in per capita income was better than the
increase in annual average wages. One reason is that nonfarm proprietor's
earnings (included in PCPI), increased by 51 percent during the five
year period. Also, 18 percent of Crawford County income is from transfer
payments, compared with 12 percent statewide. Crawford farm income was a
negative amount in four of the last five years. Those years were 1995,
1997, 1998, and 1999.
PdC high school students getting jazzed for Carnegie
trip
Palms sweating and pulse pounding in anticipation of performing on the
very stage where so many legendary musicians have given their all at the
pinnacle of musical venues. And now, it's your turn...That may be just
an infinitesimal dose of what a group of Prairie du Chien students will
be feeling as they stand in the green room awaiting to take the stage
and shine at one of the world's most famous concert halls. A trip to New
York City is bound to get anybody excited and if the focus of that trip
is Carnegie Hall, one would expect to be especially jazzed up. And so it
is with the Prairie du Chien High School Vocal Jazz Choir, which has
been invited to perform a return engagement at the world renowned
musical venue. "Who else has stood right where I'm standing? That was
just amazing. It gave you an amazing vibe," said Prairie du Chien Vocal
Jazz Choir Director Phil Stiemke in describing the feeling evoked by
performing at Carnegie Hall. "There's nothing bigger." Stiemke and the
jazz choir performed at Carnegie Hall two years ago, and on the strength
of that fine performance, have been invited back to perform the night of
April 21, 2003. "It's going to be a lot of work but it's well worth it,"
Stiemke said of the upcoming trip. "Just to be on their invitation list
is pretty cool." The group is scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday,
April 18 and will have an orientation and a mass chorus rehearsal with
about 10 other groups from throughout North America at 8 p.m. Prairie du
Chien will be one of three high school groups to perform at the Seventh
Annual North American Vocal Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. The other
seven groups are from colleges and universities. Stiemke noted that
Saturday and Sunday, April 19 and 20, will be all business, with the
students involved in numerous group and individual workshops involving
vocal jazz history, improvisation, critiques and techniques taught by
top professionals. "We'll be getting the whole nine yards," said Stiemke.
"The focus of the trip is on learning. That's one of my favorite things
about this. It's educationally based." The evenings of Saturday and
Sunday will be free time and Stiemke said the group will take in some
Broadway shows. Two years ago, the group went to "42nd Street" at the
historic Ford Theater and also saw the performance art of "Blue Man
Group." "That really blew the kids away," Stiemke said. On Monday, April
21, the Prairie du Chien Vocal Jazz Choir will have a dress rehearsal at
Carnegie Hall in the afternoon. "Last time the kids really buckled up
and did it," Stiemke said. "Dress rehearsal is all business and really
intense. You have 12 minutes and that's it." The concert will begin at
Carnegie Hall at 8 p.m., April 21, followed by a dinner and dance cruise
on New York Harbor. Stiemke said that there may be 20 groups and two
concerts this year, however, so the students may get a chance to watch
10 of the other vocal jazz groups perform on the second night as guests
of the 3,800-seat Carnegie Hall. "There's a sound in that hall that only
exists in that hall," Stiemke said of the special atmosphere and
acoustics. The dinner and dance cruise following the performance allows
the students to have fun and blow off steam, said Stiemke, who noted
that New York Harbor is beautiful at night with the Statue of Liberty
and the Brooklyn Bridge lit up. "This is a good group of kids," Stiemke
said, noting that most of the students in the group went on the last
trip to Carnegie Hall. But, even though many of the students have been
there before, it doesn't diminish the excitement of the moment. Students
performing at Carnegie Hall this time around will be: sopranos Debbie
Frailey, Katie Hertrampf, Amanda Meyer, Heidi Sklenar, Becky O'Brien and
Amy Malcom; tenors Colin Stiemke and Brett Olson; altos Amy Frailey,
Megan Hertrampf, Bethany Sykora, Jessica Yanna and Amy Coon; bass Derek
Krahn, Dan Bender and Ryan Shedivy; piano Alex Schaaf and drums Alex
Stark.
Sharing her life story
Hannah Irene Barb Boxrucker passed away on Dec. 5, 2001. Many families find that
with the passing of someone they lose many family memories, but this was not the
case for the Boxrucker family. On Mother's Day 1994, Irene Boxrucker was the
church lady chosen as "Mother of the Year." Her daughters Monica and Gail wrote
what they knew of her life story. Most of the information they wrote as fairly
accurate, but Irene thought a few items were a little off, but it gave her the
idea to write down some of her history. She stared writing down her
recollections then for posterity, and found that she could remember the dates of
major events such as moving, but it was difficult to put things into the proper
sequence after they were settled on the farm. She wrote in the foreword of "The
Life and Times of Hannah Irene Barb Boxrucker and Her Family" that she wished
she had kept a diary. "It is a little late for that now, but I recommend it to
young people," she wrote. She continued, "I hope whoever reads this will
realized, as I do, that I had a good life with relatively few rough spots and
feel that through it all, we have been more than blessed and have a lot to be
grateful for." She tells of her childhood in the beginning of the 47-page
autobiography. She recalls meeting her husband and their early years. She tells
of family fun, injuries and times of panic when raising her family - such as
having a little one missing for a little while. Irene and "Boxie" (as she called
her husband, Art) raised eight children - two girls and six boys. They lived in
12 different homes in "four different lands." She shares some life changing
experiences, such as when she had to spend 40 days in the hospital while
pregnant after spilling 375 degree hot oil on her legs. Her heart stopped twice
after arriving at the hospital. She credits this experience as her the beginning
of her volunteerism, which is what many in the Prairie du Chien area remember
her for. It was her "way of thanksgiving" to the Lord for giving her a second
chance. She stared sewing pajamas for the orphanage, making shirts into hospital
gowns for missions, rolling bandages from sheets, etc. After arriving in Prairie
du Chien in July of 1967, Irene attended a woman's club meeting and started to
get active in mission work again. She became active in church projects,
including helping two Vietnamese families settled in the area. She started a
baking class at the convalescent center, and in 1982 she attended a meeting and
helped to start "Citizens Concerned About Hunger" and helped to organize the
community Christmas Dinner. The book offers interesting insight on the life of a
wife, mother, grandmother and community activist Ñ from her perspective. What a
wonderful gift to give a family. "She was always the storyteller of the family,"
says her daughter Monica Schneider. She learned about her mother's writing after
her diagnosis of terminal cancer in September of 2001. The only part of the book
not written by Irene is the last paragraph. That is from her a portion of her
high school year book titled, "Prophecy." It reads, "There is one who will
travel far to distant lands where she will help bind up the wounds of a bleeding
world. Her understanding, tolerant and unselfish nature will be her best ally as
she ministers to the needs of homeless, wretched, broken pieces of humanity.
Irene Barb will be known widely as the "Angel of Reconstruction.'"
Bloomington bakery rollin' in the dough
While businesses in Bloomington have been catering to the needs of area
customers for nearly 150 years, one business takes its catering literally. Ma's
Bakery, 450 Canal Street, is a good old-fashioned family bakery and restaurant
that also offers a catering service. Ma's, run by owner Mary Adrian with help
from several family members, beckons passersby with a delectable-sounding
special menu placed in the window each day. Upon entering, the customer is drawn
by the aroma of sweet cinnamon rolls or freshly baked bread and buns wafting
through the air, enticing the person to sit a spell. The satisfying meal with
homemade dessert that follows brings customers back time and again. "People say
they like the small town meals and atmosphere," says Mary with a welcoming
smile. "We get very personal with our customers." Many of those loyal customers
come to Ma's for a coffee klatch every day. "Everybody enjoys it," said Mary,
who noted that the coffee klatchers seem to break down into two distinct groups,
men and women. Mary said that part of Ma's success is because of the
three-pronged approach the business takes. The restaurant offers different
breakfast and noon lunch specials each day. Homemade breakfasts on the weekend
are especially popular and the lunches offer homemade meals as well, usually a
meat and potato meal, sandwich special, soups, salads and delicious desserts
such as freshly baked apple pies, cinnamon rolls, carrot cake or decorated
cakes, to name a few. The bakery offers daily, freshly baked bread, hamburger
buns, donuts, cookies and dinner rolls, which are so popular that they adorn the
tables of area nightclubs such as The Ace of Clubs in Bloomington, Homestretch
of Beetown, The Sand Bar of Cassville, Vogt's Town Pump of Cassville and Hom-A-Gins
of Mount Hope. The Ma's Bakery catering service caters to small weddings,
private birthdays and get-togethers for area companies such as Prairie
Industries, which recently had an employee function. Ma's also delivers meals to
area seniors. "I really like it. I really like cooking," said Mary who credits
Ma's success to her family's help. "Family is why we're successful," she said.
Helping Mary to run the more-than-7-year-old business is her husband Kurt, her
sisters Sue, Terry and Gwen and her daughters Sheila, 19, Sara, 17, and
Samantha, 16. Mary's mom and dad, Marian and Lyle Taylor, are also a big help to
the operation. Mary said she has been working in the restaurant business since
she was in high school and also had been making decorated cakes for family
members for years. Ma's Bakery is open every day from 4:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
except on Sundays when Ma's closes at noon. With an open house planned for all
Bloomington businesses beginning at about 5 p.m. Dec. 5, Ma's Bakery is sure to
be as popular as ever. |
