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Here are a selection of brief news items from this week's paper edition, and possibly a few news briefs that didn't make it in the paper.

Postal food drive brings in a big haul

The Onalaska/Holmen Emergency Food Basket got well over 9,000 pounds of food items from last weekend’s U.S. Postal Service food drive.

“I would like to thank Bruce Larsen of Onalaska for coordinating the drive,” said Mike Paoli, president of the Food Basket board of directors. “This was one of the biggest responses we have received. This comes at a critical time for us as we head into the summer season when our donations drop considerably.”

The Food Basket provides bags of food to people in need from the towns of Holland, Onalaska, Farmington and Campbell along with the village of Holmen and the city of Onalaska.

“Thanks to all the generous people, businesses, organizations and churches who donated to this cause and who help us throughout the year,” Paoli said.

Foundation plans annual golf event

Golfers interested in playing for a good cause are invited to participate in the eighth annual 18 Holes for Holmen golf outing planned for Wednesday, June 11, starting at 12:30 p.m. at Drugan’s Castle Mound Country Club north of Holmen.

The event is sponsored by the Holmen Area Foundation and the Holmen High School activities department, which will share the proceeds. Other major sponsors include Firefighters Credit Union and HSR Associates Inc.

The Holmen Area Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity primarily supporting education along with scientific, literary, recreational, artistic and civic efforts in the Holmen community.

The four-person scramble will feature a shotgun start, with hole prizes in addition to the $5,000 cash prize for a hole-in-one. A silent auction also is planned.

Cost per player is $60, of which $30 is tax deductible. Flyers with more information about the event are available at area businesses and at Holmen schools.

Registration deadline is May 23. To sign up or to arrange for a flyer to be sent, call the high school activities office at 526-9208.

McGilvray bridges walking tour planned

A walking tour of the historic McGilvray Road bridges in the Van Loon Wildlife Area north of Holmen is planned for Sunday, May 18.

The tour will be conducted by Mariel Carlisle, and participants should meet at the McGilvray Bridges parking lot on Amsterdam Prairie Road at 1 p.m.

Contact Carlisle at (608) 385-1938 for more information.

Registration open for annual canoe race

The annual Brice Prairie Canoe Race will be held this year Saturday, June 28, and its time to think about signing up.

The canoe/kayak race is a recreational event that starts and ends at the Upper Brice Prairie Boat Landing. The canoe race route is about two to three miles long. The kayak race is longer, going out into Lake Onalaska.

Categories for the races include men, women, mixed for adults and youth. Each entrant receives a T-shirt. Prize drawings are held for all racers.

Advance registration for the race is needed. Race information forms explaining the race and registration information are available at area sport shops and other retail outlets.

In addition to the canoe/kayak race, there will be a sunrise paddle on the Balck River from Lytle’s Landing starting at 6:30 a.m.

For more information, log onto www.briceprairiecanoerace.org.

Band boosters plan pork sandwich feed

The Onalaska High School Band Booster Club will hold a pork sandwich supper from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, at the Onalaska Wal-Mart. Proceeds will help pay expenses for going to perform at the 2009 Outback Bowl for students in need.

HHS Class of 1978 seeks classmates

The Holmen High School Class of 1978 reunion committee is looking for the following classmates: Lynn Sobota, Donna Nichols, Scott Johnson, Rhonda Olsen, Tom Deters, Rose Leisgang, Tony Seever, Paul Christianson, Marlene Kirchner, Steinn Bjornsson, Keith Myren, Tom Deters, Paul Solberg, Kim Morehouse, Cathy Taylor, Laura Vinson, George McCarthy, Bonnie Bay, Cheryl (Mikels) Weigand and Russ Jerome.

People with contact information for these classmates should call Terry Hegenbart at (608) 498-3338.

Memory Walk event volunteers sought

Volunteers are needed to help organize the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk 2008, the largest fundraiser to help those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Next fall, the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Wisconsin will join more than 600 communities across the United States in a 2- to 5-mile walk to remember those with Alzheimer’s disease.

The 33 walks are organized by teams of local volunteers who are assisted by staff from the Alzheimer’s Association. The planning committees are forming now. Anyone interested in volunteering for a walk near them is encouraged to call Lori Bagniewski at 784-5011.

Auxiliary seeks dollars for poppies

The Onalaska American Legion Auxiliary is again conducting its Dollar a Poppy Club program, which was started in 1976.

People donating $1 for a poppy by May 28 will have their names posted on the Dollar a Poppy Club poster on display in the Legion clubrooms.

Donations can be sent to Onalaska American Legion Auxiliary, P.O. Box 22, Onalaska, WI 54650, with checks made payable to Onalaska Legion Auxiliary — Unit 336.

Onalaska plant sale planned for May 17

A plant sale sponsored by the Natural Arts Garden Club will be held on Saturday, May 17, starting at 8 a.m. in the Crosseroads Center parking lot on Highway 16 in Onalaska, across from Valley View Mall. Perennials and many colorful annuals will be on sale.

La Crosse weather office earns honor

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials have selected the staff at the La Crosse National Weather Service forecast office to receive the agency’s prestigious Bronze Medal.

The La Crosse forecast staff was recognized for issuing life-saving forecasts and warnings during the historic February and March 2007 winter storm and blizzard.

“The Bronze Medal demonstrates the exceptional dedication of the La Crosse forecast staff to protect life and property,” said NWS Central Region Director Lynn Maximuk.

The La Crosse staff coordinated closely with other National Weather Service offices serving Iowa to maintain a constant dialogue with state and local officials and the media before and during the Feb. 23-25, 2007, ice storm and the March 1-2 blizzard.

The winter storms resulted in four fatalities, 250,000 homes losing power and the closure of six interstate highways and eight state highways. Accurate weather information helped officials prepare storm shelters, keep several highways open, deploy National Guard troops and keep the public advised of conditions.

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, presented the Bronze Medal to Glenn Lussky, meteorologist-in-charge at the La Crosse forecast office, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Genealogy group plans session of cemetery work

The La Crosse Area Genealogical Society will meet Tuesday, May 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Oak Grove Cemetery, 1407 La Crosse St.

This will be a working session — taking digital photographs, verifying information from the stones and cleaning gravestones. Participants should bring a bag lunch, digital camera, clipboard for writing on and a kneeling pad.

Any help will be appreciated. Call 782-6277 for more information.

Fort McCoy planning open house for May 17

Fort McCoy will host an Armed Forces Day open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Fort McCoy’s Commemorative Area on the 800 block of the installation, will serve as the hub for open house activities.

Many family-oriented activities are planned for the day, which is free and open to the public.

Events will include bus tours of the installation, personalized dog tags, camouflage face painting, a sandbag filling station and an obstacle course.

Displays of military equipment and clothing and military re-enactors will be on site.

The Equipment Park, Commemorative Area Buildings and History Center will be open throughout the day. The Equipment Park features more than 50 pieces of equipment representative of the equipment used throughout McCoy’s history. The Commemorative Buildings highlight the World War II era.

Items on display at the History Center include artifacts and photographs depicting the installation’s history from 1909 to the present day.

Building 905 and the area around it will feature various displays. An Information Area will be located at the main entrance of building 905. One-hour installation bus tours will depart from the east side of the building throughout the day.

Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Visitors must use Gate 15 (Tomah gate) to access open house grounds from off post.

The gates are manned by security personnel, and adult visitors must show photo identification upon entering.

For more information, call (608) 388-2407.

CD features river stories, memories

Stories of life on the modern-day Mississippi River flow off a new CD available from UW-La Crosse.

Eighteen La Crosse-area residents share their river tales in the two-disc CD package, “First Person Wisconsin: Mississippi Memories II.” Their stories were first told during 13 programs airing on Wisconsin Public Radio station WLSU in 2006.

Among those interviewed were a group of Longfellow Middle School teachers, musician Calvin Mitchell, birder Fred Lesher and retired WLSU radio station general manager Jim Conway. UW-La Crosse history Professor Charles Lee captured the stories as part of UW-L’s Oral History Project.

The double CD package is available for $17.77. Order by credit card by contacting Paul Beck, UW-L Special Collections, at 785-8511. Or send a check payable to UW-La Crosse to: UW-L Oral History Program, 325 Wimberly Hall, 1725 State St., La Crosse WI 54601.

County fair entries sought

The La Crosse County Agricultural Society is seeking entries for the 2008 La Crosse Interstate Fair, which will be held July 16-20 at the fairgrounds in West Salem.

The 2008 Exhibitor Guide and Premium List, including entry forms, are now available at the La Crosse County University Extension office located in the County Administrative Center, 400 Fourth St. N., Room 3140, La Crosse, as well as the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, and many financial institutions around the county.

The Premium Books contain lists of possible entries for both junior fair exhibitors in 4-H, FFA, or other youth organizations and open class departments, which are open to any Wisconsin resident. Entry fees are $2 per person for junior fair exhibitors and $3 per person for open class exhibitors.

Junior fair exhibitors may exhibit in more than 25 departments including dairy, beef, horse and other livestock, flowers, gardening, natural science, arts and crafts, photography, woodworking and many others. Junior exhibitors must be members of a La Crosse County based 4-H, FFA or other youth organization with adult leadership and with an educational program approved by the local fair board.

Open class departments are open to any Wisconsin resident wishing to enter. Open class exhibitors may exhibit in such departments as dairy, beef, horses, flowers and vegetables, bees and honey and many more.

For more information, call the county Extension office at 785-9593. All entries for the 2008 fair must be submitted to the Extension office by 5 p.m. June 5.

Dance teams plan fundraiser at mall

Valley View Mall, Ellickson Studio, Children’s Miracle Network and the West Salem, Onalaska, Logan, Central and Aquinas dance teams are teaming up for a fundraiser for CMN and the dance teams’ athletic funds.

From May 1-31, Valley View Mall will display dance team portraits taken by Ellickson Studio in Center Court. Anyone may vote for their favorite dance team with a minimum donation of $1.

Each dollar donated is considered as one vote for that team. To vote, individuals can obtain specially marked envelopes from the dance team members and return the envelopes to them, or visit Valley View Mall and use the specially marked envelopes by the display and deposit them in containers at the following locations: Hollister Co., Aeropostale, The Buckle and Valley View Mall customer service center.

All proceeds donated will benefit the CMN and the competing dance teams’ athletic funds.

For more about the event, visit www.myvalleyview.com.

Holmen trap shoot to benefit Riverfront

Riverfront is organizing a trap shoot at the Gunslick Trap Club in Holmen.

The shoot will be held Sunday, May 18. On-site registration begins at 9 a.m. and activities run through 5 p.m. All people who enjoy trap shooting are invited to attend; no pre-registration is required.

For $25, participants receive 100 targets. The targets will be launched from a house 16 feet away from the shooting line. Participants should bring their own guns and shells.

Also available will be hamburgers and brats on the grill, pulltabs, and a chance to win a bow from Mathews Bow.

Gunslick Trap Club is located on 96767 Briggs Road in Holmen. For more information, call the Riverfront Foundation at 784-9450 or committee chair Jerry Den Boer at 792-5133.

Medics to reward kids for bike safety

Tri-State Ambulance, Rudy’s Drive-In in La Crosse, The Frosty Mug in Holmen and the Dairy Queen in Onalaska are teaming up for a new bicycle helmet safety program called “Cool Kids — Cool Treats.”

When Tri-State Ambulance personnel observe a child 15 years old or younger wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle in public, the kids will be given a “ticket” entitling them to a free ice cream at The Frosty Mug or Dairy Queen or a root beer float at Rudy’s Drive-In when accompanied by an adult. The program runs through Aug. 31.

“Our hope is to raise helmet safety awareness,” said Matt Zavadsky, director of Tri-State Ambulance. “The goal is simple. Keep children out of the emergency room and provide some cool treats as incentive.”

Legion seeks funds for troop phones

Last September, The Wisconsin American Legion presented satellite phones to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines Reserve Unit out of Madison and Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines Reserve Unit out of Milwaukee. Both units are currently deployed in Iraq.

The Legion purchased enough time in September to charge each phone with 5,000 minutes. Recently, the Legion received word that Fox Company had exhausted their minutes and that Golf Company is running low.

In order to recharge the phones with additional minutes, help is needed. The Wisconsin American Legion needs to raise $50,000 to provide deployed Wisconsin Reserve and Guard units with phones and sufficient calling minutes to allow all of their members to call home to Wisconsin.

To contribute to the “Wisconsin American Legion Troop and Family Support Funds,” send checks to The Wisconsin American Legion Troop and Family Support Fund, P.O. Box 1000, Portage, WI 53901. Donations are also accepted by credit card online at www.wilegion.org/howcanyouhelp.

Challenge Academy taking applications

The Challenge Academy, a tuition-free program for 16- to 18-year-old “at-risk” youths is now accepting applications for its next class of cadets, who will start July 25.

Located at Fort McCoy, the academy offers high school dropouts or habitual truants a chance to earn a high school equivalency diploma, learn essential job and life-coping skills and develop the strength of character to become responsible citizens.

Cadets spend 22 weeks at Fort McCoy, learning in a highly structured environment. After returning to their home communities, they work with local mentors for another year to pursue the goals they have set for themselves.

Would-be cadets must apply voluntarily, must have dropped out of school or be at least a year behind in credits and must not have been convicted of a felony.

More information is available from the academy’s admissions department at (608) 269-4605 or www.challengeacademy.org.

Free child lead screenings offered

As part of Project LEAD, the EPA grant received by the La Crosse County Health Department in October 2007, free blood lead screening will be available the last Friday of each month from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Parents should call 785-9865 to reserve a time and come to the La Crosse County Health Department, 2nd Floor of the Health and Human Services Building, 300 4th Street La Crosse.

As part of Project LEAD, the Nutrition Services Department which houses the WIC Program, will offer the free blood lead testing. The test also is available at other times through public health nursing by making an appointment at 785-9723.

Children younger than 6 who have never been screened are encouraged to have a blood lead test done, and all children younger than 2 who live in a home or spend time in a home built before 1978, should be tested.

The testing is done with a finger prick sample of blood. Children whose screening results come back greater than 10 ug/dl are recommended to have a confirmatory blood draw done through their doctor’s office. There is no cost for the blood lead screening test.

Project LEAD is working with agencies that serve families with children younger than 6 to increase awareness and screening for lead poisoning, which continues to be a risk to children residing in homes built prior to 1978.

Outreach is being conducted to educate home owners, contractors and landlords of the need to remodel with regard to disturbing lead paint which was very likely to be used on surfaces painted in the 1970s and earlier.

For more information, call the La Crosse County Health Department at 785-9872.

Low-income phone discounts offered

Low-income consumers may qualify for assistance programs that discount initial telephone installation and basic monthly service, according to a recent announcement from CenturyTel.

The assistance programs, known as Link-Up and Lifeline, are available to qualifying consumers in every U.S. state (territory and commonwealth). Link-Up helps these consumers pay the initial costs of getting telephone service. Lifeline provides certain discounts on monthly service for qualified subscribers.

Qualifications for participation vary by state. States with their own programs have their own criteria. In states that rely solely on the federal program, the subscriber must participate in one of the following programs: Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Head Start, the National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or if the household annual gross income is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty level.

The amount of the discounts also varies by state. This federal Link-Up program offsets one-half of the initial hook-up fee, up to $30, for qualified households.

People living in a CenturyTel service area should call 800-201-4099 or log onto www.centurytel.com/lifeline to inquire about eligibility.

County offers low-cost radon test kits

The La Crosse County Health Department once again is offering radon test kits to anyone interested in checking the radon level in their home.

Radon test kits can be purchased for $5 at the following locations:

La Crosse County Health Department, 300 Fourth St. N., La Crosse

Hazel Brown Leicht Memorial Library, 201 Neshonoc Road, West Salem

Onalaska Public Library, 741 Oak Ave. S.

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and kills 20,000 people every year. For more information about radon, call 888-low-radon or visit www.lowradon.org.

Franciscan Skemp hosts moms group

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare is offering new moms and babies a chance to find support, friendship and new information through a new weekly program called New Mom and Baby Group.

New moms can listen to speakers and find advice for the new chapter in their lives. The group meets at two locations and is free for everyone.

On Wednesdays, the group program meets from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Franciscan Skemp Onalaska Clinic, 191 Theater Road, in the lower level conference room

On Thursdays, the program meets from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Franciscan Skemp Family Health Clinic in the Sally Olson Conference Room, 815 S. 10th St., La Crosse.

For more information, call (608) 392-4172.

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