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Robert Ostrander to face off with Jerry Steele in November election
The four men competing for the Crawford County sheriff's seat were narrowed to two in the Sept. 10 primary. Incumbent Sheriff Robert Ostrander beat out challengers Jerry Ostrander (the sheriff's distant cousin) and Randy Schmidt, in the democratic primary. Robert Ostrander received 1,786 votes, Randy Schmidt received 1,209 votes and Jerry Ostrander received 1,209. Robert Ostrander will face off in November with Gerald Steele, who is running as a republican. Robert Ostrander carried the townships of Bridgeport, Clayton, Eastman, Freeman, Haney, Marietta, Scott, Seneca, Utica and Wauzeka; and the villages of Bell Center, DeSoto, Eastman, Ferryville, Gays Mills, Lynxville, Mt. Sterling and Soldiers Grove. He tied with Schmidt in the villages of Steuben and Wauzeka. Randy Schmidt carried all of the city voting districts. In the democratic primary for governor, Crawford County's tallies reflected what occurred across the state. Jim Doyle received 1,591 votes, Kathleen Falk received 910 and Tom Barrett received 768. Doyle will face off with Republican Incumbent Scott McCallum in November. Crawford County had a higher than average turnout for a primary election. 

Coroner challenger wins primary
In her first run for public office, Debbie Ahrens was essentially elected Crawford County Coroner in the Sept. 10 election. Ahrens beat out Incumbent Bonnie Young 1,783 to 1,579. Since they both ran as democrats, Ahrens will be uncontested in the November election. Ahrens carried the townships of Bridgeport, Eastman, Freeman, Prairie du Chien, Seneca and Wauzeka; the villages of DeSoto, Eastman, Ferryville, Gays Mills, Steuben and Wauzeka; and the four of the six city voting districts. Ahrens and Young tied in Marietta Township and the city's 9th Ward. Young has been Crawford County Coroner for 10 years.

County Board to decide on purchase of 3M Plant 1
The Crawford County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. to decide whether to purchase the 3M property commonly referred to as 3M Plant 1. The board has been discussing the possible development of the 3M property and buildings for use as the county's new government offices administrative building. The current administrative building is the Satter Building, which is deteriorated and needs extensive renovation. The board needs to decide whether to purchase the 3M property, 217 North Prairie St., by Sept. 24. The purchase price is $400,000. During a special joint meeting of the Highway, Finance and Public Property committees Monday, the purchase of the 3M property was discussed as well as the construction of the new Highway Department facilities, which will be located near the intersection of Highway 27 and County Highway E. Should the county decide to buy the 3M property, committee members have recommended that the new government office building and the new highway department facilities be linked together for bond issuing purposes. Jewell and Associates presented "rough" preliminary plans in which the construction of a new administrative office building on the 3M property would cost approximately $4.7 million, with a total estimated cost of $5.4 million. The budget estimate represents costs for a three-story office building containing 54,000 square feet, with 45,000 square feet of finished office space and 9,000 square feet of unfinished space in the lower level. The lower level will be at grade on one side, allowing use of this space for offices. According to the Jewell and Associates' preliminary report, the estimated total costs of the new Highway Department facilities would be $2.7 million.
Approximately $624,000 of the cost of the new Highway Department facilities will be picked up by FEMA and another $124,000 would come from the state of Wisconsin.

It's 1814 in Prairie du Chien once again. Fifth annual Cannons & Redcoats this weekend at Fort Crawford Museum
The fifth annual Cannons and Redcoats will spread over the spacious grounds of the Fort Crawford Museum on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13 and 14. More than 20 stations will show various aspects of life when the British Union Jack flew over Prairie du Chien in the early 1800's before the Americans established their presence with the building of Fort Crawford in 1816. Friday is set aside for over 900 school kids, mostly fourth and fifth graders, from 44 classes from 19 area schools. Students will be treated to a hands-on history lesson complete with British soldiers in striking red, period music and games, chicken roasting over a wood fire and the regular boom of the cannons. Saturday will see a change of pace when reenactors can relax and chat individually with visitors about their special areas of interest. Area groups like the Boy and Girl Scout troops are encouraged to come on Saturday and will be admitted at the special school rate. Cannons and Redcoats will end with a free concert at 5:30 on the Fort Crawford grounds. Director Larry Busch and the 12-member Grant County Brass Band will perform a program of patriotic and popular music drawn from all eras of American history. The finale will be Tchaikowsky's 1812 Overture accompanied by actual cannon fire by the Cannons & Redcoats event participants. In case of bad weather the concert will be held at the Prairie du Chien High School Auditorium, 800 East Crawford Street. The Fort Crawford Museum will have a special exhibition of prehistoric Indian artifacts as part of the Cannon & Redcoats program on Saturday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Jerry Baker will present and explain the manufacturing and use of early native American stone and bone tools and weapons. Baker is a well known authority and lecturer on prehistoric Indian material. He is the current President of the Hawkeye State Archaeological Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Archaeological Society. The public is invited to bring arrowheads or other Indian items to the museum for identification and analysis. A not to be missed feature this season is the Second Fort Crawford-Rediscovered, a new exhibit taking up an entire room in the hospital telling the history of Fort Crawford with emphasis on artifacts discovered during the Beaumont Road excavation in 1999. The Turn of the Century Exhibit in the lower building contains 150 images and 75 artifacts showing life in Prairie du Chien 100 years ago. It will give way to an exciting new exhibit for 2003; it can be seen for the rest of the season through October. The museum opens at 10 a.m.

Temps close schools
|As temperatures hovered in the mid-90s and heat indexes approached triple digits, four area school districts closed early Monday afternoon. Superintendents in Prairie du Chien, Boscobel, Cassville and Potosi sent their students home by 1:30 p.m. Wauzeka, Seneca and River Ridge remained in session. Temperatures in Prairie du Chien reached 91 degrees Monday. Prairie du Chien Superintendent Jim O'Meara said that the school board has a policy that if the heat index reaches 105, the district should consider closing the schools. O'Meara said that the heat index reached 112 Monday. "I think we did the right thing," O'Meara said of the stifling conditions which forced several area school districts in Wisconsin and Iowa to close early. Boscobel had a high of 92 and a heat index of 95. In Potosi, two elementary school students fell slightly ill due to the heat. Teachers sent Superintendent Jim Siedenburg e-mails thanking him for closing school. Prairie du Chien students were in classrooms long enough for it to count as a full day of school.

Hearing set for proposed Cliffwood Drive RR overpass
On July 18, the City of Prairie du Chien petitioned the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads (OCR) for the establishment of a Cliffwood Drive overpass with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. (BNSF) tracks located in the city of Prairie du Chien. The city plans to construct Cliffwood Drive between STH 35 on the east and CTH "K" on the west, which would include an overpass of the railroad. The city states that the extension of Cliffwood Drive would "greatly aid" a proposed commercial development by Cabala's, Inc. The issues for the hearing are: 1. Would establishment of the crossing promote public safety and convenience? 2. Whether establishment of the crossing would be advisable under all the circumstances. 3. How shall the costs of the crossing construction be apportioned? A public hearing will be held at the Prairie du Chien City Hall on Sept. 11 at 9:30 a.m. Contact the OCR staff with any questions at 608-266-7607.Hearing set for proposed Cliffwood Drive RR overpass

Remembering 9/11 in Crawford County
The public is invited to a 9-11 Memorial ceremony this Wednesday, Sept. 11. C.A.R.E.'s Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) has erected a permanent monument that will be dedicated during the memorial ceremony. The memorial is an engraved granite bench placed at Lawler Park on St. Feriole Island overlooking the Mississippi River. The permanent monument and ceremony will: *Honor the brave men and women who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. *Honor the dedicated men and women who serve area communities as emergency volunteers professionals. *Provide an opportunity for area residents to reflect on last year's tragic events as a community service. Music will begin at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Seating will be festival style Ñ bring your own lawn chair or blanket. Honored guests, individuals who serve Crawford County as law enforcement, fire fighters, EMTs or first responders are asked to sign in prior to the program. The Youth Leadership Committee is a committee of Crawford Abuse Resistance Effort (C.A.R.E.) Membership is open to high school students in Boscobel, North Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Seneca, and Wauzeka-Steuben School Districts. Each YLC member also serves on their school leadership team. C.A.R.E. is a community-based service of Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital dedicated to the prevention of substance abuse in Crawford County. More than $3,200 has been raised to help cover the cost of the monument, and additional money is needed. Checks may be made payable to 9-11 Memorial Fund and sent to: 9-11 Memorial Fund, 705 East Taylor Street, Prairie du Chien, Wis. 53821.
Crawford County 9-11 Memorial Monument Dedication Lawler Park, St. Feriole Island
* Music 6:30 - Program 7 p.m
* Welcome and Introduction - Norb Aschom, WQPC/WPRE Radio, Prairie du Chien
* National Anthem - Tiffany Forde, Seneca High School, Prairie du Chien Honor Guard.
* Thoughts on the Sept. 11 Tragedy - Mark Dingbaum, Seneca High School.
* Thoughts on Work of Rescue Workers - Alison Rosenbaum, Seneca High School.
* Thank you to Active Duty Military and Veterans - Matt Elsinger, Prairie du Chien High School. 
* Bench Dedication - Matt Elsinger, Prairie du Chien High School; Elliot Stevenson, Seneca High School. 
* Reading of Crawford County Departments - Norb Aschom, WQPC/WPRE Radio, Prairie du Chien.
* Prayer - Rev. Lynn Schreck, United Methodist Church, Eastman and Wauzeka.
* Fire Fighters Call Home - Nicole Davies, Prairie du Chien High School.
*  Taps - Russ Hagen, Prairie du Chien Honor Guard. A project of C.A.R.E. Youth Leadership Committee.

Red Hat hotties have a hoot
Purple-clad PdC princesses proudly paint the town
Mad as hatters, a group of Prairie du Chien area women will soon have the town seeing red, and purple. Whether lunching in a favorite restaurant, shopping for antiques, movie-going, or just cruisin' in their bright red Cadillac convertible, the Prairie du Chien Red Hat Society turns itself loose and kicks up its heels once a month. Since the "Dynamic Duo" of Queen Mum Judy Bebow and Grand Duchess of the Internet Lorna Davis formed the Prairie du Chien chapter in June, the eccentric society of silliness has Red Hatted about the area to great effect, fostering free, frivolous, fashionable fun. "We've had a very good time. We just enjoy each other," Bebow said about the red hatted, purple clothed crowd, which now numbers about 15. "We learn a lot about ourselves and our friends," said Davis. "We learn how to age gracefully and to have fun doing it." In June, the red hatters had their first outing, to Star Cinema for the movie "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood." Since, then they have enjoyed lunch, dinner, shopping, tea and cruisin'. A September shopping trip to Decorah is in the works, as well as an Isle of Capri River Boat cruise this fall. One of the Red Hatters' favorite outings was a trip to the Spring Lake Restaurant, where there resides a wooden man donned in a red hat. "He is one of our favorite men," Bebow said with a sly snicker. "He is silent, he doesn't talk back." Bebow and Davis pointed out that anyone can form a Red Hat Society chapter. It takes at least two women who are 50 or older and who have red hats and purple outfits. There are no other rules, no bylaws or formal committee meetings. The rule of thumb is to have fun. Ladies under 50 may join in the fun as well, the only difference being pink hats with lusty lavender clothing. Bebow and Davis said that there has been interest in Prairie du Chien to form other Red Hat Society chapters. The current group of Red Hatters are seeking a name for their chapter so that it can be listed on the Internet along with about 2,800 other chapters across the United States and in 10 foreign countries. Red Hatters worldwide number about 70,000 and counting. Some Red Hat chapter names include the Red Hat Flashes in Missouri, the Red Hat Tea Cozies in Alaska the Denver Dollies, the T-Town Temptresses in Oklahoma and the Red Hat Mamas of Rhode Island. The Prairie du Chien chapter began after Bebow and Davis saw an article in the Kansas City Star and on the Internet touting the Red Hat Society. The society was begun by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California when she gave a copy of the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph and a dashing red hat as a birthday present to a friend. The poem began, "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me... and make up for the sobriety of my youth." The gift was such a hit, that Sue Ellen gave the poem and a red hat to another woman, and yet another. The Red Hat Society was launched. The Red Hat Society's Statement of Purpose reads, "The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and elan. We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and, since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next." The Red Hat Society is now in the planning stages for an eventual Red Hat Society Convention. An entire hotel filled with women of a certain age wearing red hats and purple outfits. Could world domination be far behind? Some Red Hat Society chapters have officers such as Queen Mother, Imperial Grand Dame, Hysterian, Sergeant-in-gloves, Anti-Parliamentarian, Barristress and E-mail female. In addition to the Prairie du Chien chapter, Davis and Bebow said that there are numerous area chapters in La Crosse and one in Bagley. More information about the Red Hat Society can be found at www.redhatsociety.com/chapter.html  or at (714) 738-0001. The Queen Mother may answer the phone.