jan 21-23-2002

January 23, 2002

Heart and cancer telethon this weekend: event dedicated to Jim Bittner
Jim Bittner never missed a Telethon. Never. Even the year he had been in the hospital, he still came on the Telethon for a couple of hours. "He always wanted to be there for the Telethon," said his son, Jim. "He really believed strongly in the power of the Telethon to help people. Dad knew how important the Telethon was to the community. So it became important to him."
No one ever dreamed that last year was to be Mr. Bittner's final Telethon. He looked strong and full of life. He didn't miss a beat. To everyone watching the show, he was winning his battle with heart disease. Soon after, he had to return to the battlefield, only this time, his fight was against cancer. He passed away on Aug. 25. Ruth Taylor has captured many of his greatest Telethon performances on video. The Telethon will be airing some of these command performances throughout the broadcast, in loving memory of the man whose name was synonymous with the Telethon.
The Bittner family will be making a special dedication between 9 and 10 on the Telethon, Saturday night. Mr. Bittner's son, Jim has been instrumental in organizing this year's Telethon. His sister, Deb, has donated two Bears footballs for the Telethon auction. One football was signed by the entire Bears team. The other was signed by pro-bowl Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Also, in honor of Mr. Bittner, Jim Hutchinson has donated two 35 yard line Badger Football tickets, and friends of the Bittner family have donated a dinner for two at Madison's famous O'Grady's Pub, and a night at the new Hilton Hotel in Madison. It's all a part of a Badger Weekend package that's up for auction.
The Telethon will air on local MediaCom Cable Channel 6 beginning at 5 p.m. The Telethon can be seen in Prairie du Chien, and throughout the communities of Boscobel, Elkader, Marquette, McGregor, Harpers Ferry, Lansing and Waukon. The Telethon will open with a personal dedication to Bittner and a special patriotic presentation as Chellanie Adams sings our National Anthem and Chelle Fulcher's pre-schoolers recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
It's because of the great and selfless efforts of men like Jim Bittner that we've come as far as we have today in our search for these cures.
Jim Bittner said the following two years ago at the Eagles Club: "We've lost so many people to heart disease and cancer. And although the people are gone, their memories are still here. One of these years I'd like to get up on that stage and tell everyone that we've cured all forms of cancer and that there is no more heart disease in the world."
The Eagles Club will be hosting their annual Telethon Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 26 in conjunction with the Heart and Cancer Telethon.
Serving will begin at 5 p.m. featuring chicken and ham and all the trimmings. Each year the dinner at the Eagles Club raises thousands of dollars for the Telethon, as 100 percent of the proceeds are donated back.
In conjunction with the dinner, there is a very popular auction of donated items. The Club is open to the general

2-year-old drowns in creek
The 2-year-old son of Douglas and Corinne Ihm drown in a creek near the family farm on the evening of Jan. 21.
Family members were working on the farm, located on Atkinson Road in Glen Haven Township, when Zachary wandered off. After an unsuccessful attempt to find him by the family, they called the Grant County Sheriff's Department at about 7 p.m.
A search was then conducted by deputies from the sheriff's department including the K9 unit, Cassville Fire and Rescue Squad, Glen Haven Fire Department, Lancaster Fire Department, Potosi Fire Department and volunteers.
At about 8:50 p.m., Zachary was found in a nearby creek. He was transported to Grant Regional Hospital by the Cassville Rescue Squad, where he was later pronounced dead.

HSGT will be tested soon
Starting this spring semester, another requirement for graduation from high school will be experimented with by the state of Wisconsin. This year's sophomore classes will be the first class taking the High School Graduation Test (HSGT).
The HSGT is a standardized test with a goal of determining more adequately whether or not a student is ready for graduation. A student taking the test will only pass if he or she passes all four segments of the exam which include Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Mathematics.
It is unknown whether this test will be a success. Pilot tests were given last year to that year's sophomore class. Different schools received different sections of the test. Prairie du Chien was given the Mathematics section.
On April 8-11, a full HSGT will be given to sophomores in the Prairie du Chien High School. If a student passes the test, they will not have to take it again. If they fail it, they will have to take it again, pending on whether the test is adopted by Wisconsin.
If it is adopted, a student will have a total of four chances to pass the exam; the test will be given in the fall and spring semesters of the student's junior and senior year. The sophomores taking the test this spring will have five shots to pass the test.
The HSGT did not come along sooner, because of funding difficulties. According to Duane Bark, principal of the Prairie du Chien High School, Wisconsin is short on cash to pay for the evaluations of the HSGT, and while the test will be handed out this spring, it is to be determined whether or not the test will be a graduation requirement. Until then, the high school will go forward with the test until it is deemed unnecessary to do so.
Parents will have the option to opt their students out of the test, but only in special cases: their son or daughter is in special education, or an at-risk kid, a child with ADD, or the child does not fit into the school setting.
If this is the case or if there is another particular circumstance, the student will not have to pass the HSGT. However, they will have to meet certain Academic Performance Criteria.
If a student is not able to meet the Academic Performance Criteria, they will have to get recommendation from a teacher.
Another requirement for graduation is to get the necessary number of credits, which now stands at 24.5. That number will rise to 26.5 in the 2002-2003 school year. The two additional credits will be added to Mathematics and Science requirements. Bark said that more than likely, the number of credits necessary for graduation will not increase in the near future.

January 21, 2002

Highway 18 corridor study concentrating on 4 alternatives
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Marquette Road/ Highway 35 is going to get more congested, and more dangerous, as traffic volumes grow.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) and a consultant team asked the public last week for input on what the solutions could be.
The Highway 18 corridor study began in 1999 and concluded in 2000 with a report titled "The Prairie du Chien Area Transportation Study."
The present engineering and environmental study phase is a follow-up to this planning work and will continue until late summer of this year when plans for an alternative will be decided upon.
The study is now concentrating on four proposed, preliminary alternatives to serve the future needs of traffic in Prairie du Chien. They are:
Creation of a one-way pair with Marquette Road. Dousman, Ohio and Illinois Streets are being considered.
Creation of a road which would run along the bluff on the city's east side.
Improving Main Street as a alternative to Marquette Road.
Controlling access points along Marquette Road and creating turn lanes.
The corridor study is looking at an eight-mile stretch of Highway 35/ Marquette Road from the intersection with Highway 60 to the intersection with County K north of the city.
Sections of Highway 18 currently carry up to 18,000 vehicles per day and it is anticipated volumes will grow to over 32,000 vehicles per day by the year 2030. Ten to 12 percent of this traffic is trucks. The high traffic volumes combined with the percentage of trucks add to congestion and safety problems during peak periods in the heart of Prairie du Chien.
Once the final document is approved by Wis DOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the project will be eligible for future state/federal funding, and the project can proceed to the engineering design phase.
Two additional public information meetings will be held during the study, most likely in May and August. The additional meetings and periodic status reports will be announced in the Courier Press. A map detailing the alternatives will appear in the Courier Press prior to the next meeting.

Businesses, library broken into
On Friday night, Jan. 18, Prairie du Chien Memorial Library, 125 S. Wacouta, and Gramma's Recipe, 1502 S. Marquette, were broken into.
Both buildings were accessed by forced entry to rear doors, and money was taken.
During the evening of Jan. 19 or early morning hours of Jan. 20, the Hungry House restaurant, 531 N. Marquette, was robbed. Someone gained entry through the roof and a significant amount of cash was taken.
On Monday, Jan. 21, employees at the Courier Press, 132 S. Beaumont Road, discovered a rear door to the building ajar and it appeared to have been hit or pried open. Nothing appears to have been taken.
Detectives are seeking information on a white van with wood paneling which was parked behind the Brisbois Motor Inn between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Saturday night. The van may not have necessarily been involved in the Hungry House robbery, but the occupants may have information the police are seeking.
Anyone with information about the van or any other information which may help investigators, can call Crimestoppers at 326-8933 or 1-800-779-PAYS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Banasik to be HS principal
The Prairie du Chien School District didn't have to look far or search long for the person that will replace high school principal Duane Bark, who resigned Jan. 14 to become administrator at Riverdale.
In a special school board meeting Thursday, the board voted unanimously to hire Prairie du Chien High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Andy Banasik as the new high school principal.
During its Jan. 14 meeting, the board had authorized District Administrator Jim O'Meara to offer Banasik the position, and subsequently Banasik has accepted.
"We felt we had the right person for the job right here," said O'Meara, noting that Banasik is experienced and knows the community and the district.
Within the past year, O'Meara, along with Bluff View Principal Mike Healy and B.A. Kennedy Principal Kathryn Roe, have come to Prairie du Chien from other districts.
OíMeara said that he and the board felt that they did not want to bring in another principal who would be new to the school and the community.
"It's a great opportunity for myself and I feel it will be an easy transition for myself and the students because of the groundwork set by Duane Bark," Banasik said. "I look forward to the changes and the challenges that lie ahead for our youth today."
Banasik has been assistant principal at Prairie du Chien High School since January 1999. He has also been the athletic director for the last three years and is in his ninth year as head boys basketball coach. Banasik began at Prairie du Chien High School as a physical education teacher in January of 1993.
Before coming to Prairie du Chien, Banasik taught physical education and health at Marshfield-Columbus Catholic High School from 1990-1992.
Banasik, a 1986 graduate of Prairie du Chien High School, earned his bachelor's degree in adaptive physical education and health from UW-Platteville in 1990. He will earn his master's degree in secondary leadership this spring at Winona State University.
Banasik will take over as principal July 1.

3M donates $20,000 to recreation complex
Donations for the St. Feriole Island Recreation Complex continue to roll in and Thursday, 3M Company of Prairie du Chien donated $20,000 to the cause.
"I think this is a great project for the Prairie du Chien area," said 3M Plant Manager Mark Reed. "It will draw a lot of people to Prairie du Chien."
The $20,000 donation brings the total raised so far to $147,000, said Bill Wessling of the St. Feriole Island Recreation Complex committee. About $400,000 is needed to complete the complex.
"We were quite excited about the donation and pleasantly surprised," Wessling said. "Contributions are steadily coming in."
Wessling said that fundraising for the project is "right on schedule."
The recreation complex will include three ball diamonds with lighting, irrigation, storage buildings, a park area with shelter, a building for restrooms and concessions, dugouts, player benches and a parking lot.
Those wishing to help in any way with the recreation complex can contact Prairie du Chien City Administrator Gary Koch at City Hall at (608) 326-6406 or Bill Wessling at (608) 326-4972.
Contributions can be mailed to P.O. Box 326, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821.
Checks and charitable donations for the recreation complex can be made out to The Prairie du Chien Foundation, a tax-exempt organization formed in 1985.
A list of major donors to the Prairie du Chien Recreation Complex includes:
Tom and Jean Farrell, Mike and Mary Anne Garrity, Mark and Ann Grunwald, Alliant Energy, Jasper and Lois Harwood, the city of Prairie du Chien, Gary and Kathy Koch, Lee and Mary Anne Glesne, Al and Janice Duve, the Isle of Capri, First Federal Bank and the 3M Company.

Gays Mills Flood Pictures g Soldiers Grove Flood Pictures g Steuben flood pictures on this link