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Wed
28
Sep

Multiple citations and injuries consequences from accident

A one-vehicle crash in Patch Grove Township Friday, Sept. 23, resulted in multiple citations for a Bloomington man, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office reported.

At about 9:35 p.m., the sheriff’s office was notified of a crash near Harville Road, from which several occupants of the vehicle were being transported to the hospital via private vehicle for injuries sustained in the crash.

Wed
28
Sep

Driver crashes into house in Bloomington

One man was cited for numerous operating violations after a car versus house crash in Bloomington Sept. 16, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 7:40 a.m., that Friday, deputies responded to a report of the crash at 525 Canal St. Authorities said, Jacob Johnson, 23, of Bloomington, was traveling southbound on Highway 35/Canal St. in his 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. He left the roadway while negotiating a curve, hopped the curb, and struck the front porch of a house at that location. After the crash, Johnson fled the scene, according to a sheriff’s office report.

Residents were home at the time of the crash, but were not injured. The house sustained damages to its front porch. Johnson’s vehicle sustained heavy front end damages and was removed from the scene by B&M Towing, of Bloomington.

Wed
28
Sep

Special night for Prairie du Chien chamber


Louanne Davis, who owns The Pickett Fence along with husband Ken, received the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce’s most prestigious and longstanding award during the annual meeting Tuesday night. The C.F. LaPointe Award, named after Fred LaPointe, who was the Chamber’s executive director from 1976 through 1994, is given to an employee of, or an owner of, a Chamber member business who goes above and beyond their normal job-related duties to enrich the Prairie du Chien business community. Louanne and Ken are pictured with Chamber Director and CEO Bob Moses.

The Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and awards presentation Tuesday evening at Lady Luck Casino’s Lone Wolf Bar in Marquette. Over 150 Chamber members and guests attended. Board members, ambassadors, tourism council members and economic development board members were recognized for their contributions toward the business community of Prairie du Chien. Special recognition was given to a number of local businesses that hit milestone years of being in business, while others were honored for going above and beyond for the community. Those businesses were represented by the people pictured (front row, from left): Ross Ritchie, son of Don and Edith Ritchie, Ritchie’s Jewelry Store, 65 years in business; Curt Zinkle, chamber president; Louanne Davis, The Pickett Fence, C.F. LaPointe Award; Bob Moses, chamber director and CEO; Rick Morovits, Cabela’s, 20 years in business; (back row) Rick Powell, Walmart, 30 years in business; Steven Lidberg, Solomon Corporation, New Business of the Year; Mike Valley, Valley Fish and Cheese, President’s Award; Randy Weeks, Design Homes, 50 years in business; Brent Posten, Spahn and Rose Lumber Company, 25 years in business; and Mike Garrity, Garrity Funeral Home, 70 years in business. (Photo by Correne Martin)

Chamber Board President Curt Zinkle (left) presented the 2016 President's Award to Mike Valley of Valley Fish and Cheese for his contributions to both the board and the business community.

The crowd that attended was over 150.

The Lady Luck Casino Lone Wolf Lounge hosted the evening's meeting and dinner.

Door prizes were donated by local businesses.

By Correne Martin

The Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and awards banquet at the Lady Luck Casino Lone Wolf Bar in Marquette Tuesday night. Over 150 members and guests attended from the membership of 350.

Chamber Director and CEO Bob Moses emceed the event and shared some information about the organization’s past year.

“Because Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce members invest in the organization, opportunities such as new programs, services, member referrals, events, networking opportunities, marketing strategies and sponsorships are available as a return investment,” he said.

Wed
28
Sep

Eastman native awarded Quilt of Valor


Eastman-born, Vietnam-era serviceman Terry Kramer recently received a Quilt of Valor He is pictured with his family, including his siblings and his wife (from left): Gaylord, Cal, Terry, Corinne, Bud, Linda, Karen and Duke. (Submitted photo)

Sue Lynch (left), a Prairie du Chien resident and member of the Northeast Iowa Quilter’s Guild, presented Terry Kramer with his Quilt of Valor and certificate of significance. He is pictured with Mary Lynn Quamme, a classmate who requested Kramer receive the honorable award.

By Correne Martin

Eastman native Terry Kramer was among the American prisoners of war captured in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. He spent 157 days, mostly in captivity.

“There were 11 of us. We weren’t physically tortured at all. They did feed us. We had fish, rice, dog—if you can believe it—and green bananas.”

Kramer went into the service in January 1967. He went to Vietnam in January 1968 and his unit was in charge of distributing supplies along the Mekong River.

“We went into Cambodia and took a wrong turn. That’s when we were captured,” Kramer said.

The Australian Embassy ambassador negotiated for the release and repatriation of Kramer and his fellow detainees in December 1968.

A book was even written by Neil Manton in 2007 about these prisoners of war, called “Strange Flowers of the Diplomatic Vine: U.S. Detainees in Cambodia.”

Wed
28
Sep

Heaps of damage revealed after waters recede


Numerous roads throughout Crawford County sustained major damage due to the heavy rain of Sept. 21 and Sept. 22. This is County B near Star Valley Road. (Photos by Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock)

The bridge on West Point Road in the town of Utica was damaged.

A large hole was created next to the bridge on West Point Road in the town of Utica.

West Point Road in the town of Utica suffered various areas of damage.

Debris was removed at the bridge on County H west of Highway 131.

A large amount of debris and road upheaval occurred at this location on County C.

All bridges in the county held but many sustained major damage.

There was undermining and debris at several bridges.

A raging Rush Creek north of Ferryville took out a large section of Rush Creek Road.

By Ted Pennekamp

 

Heavy rains that began the night of Sept. 21 and lasted until the early morning hours of Sept. 22, led to raging, flooding streams and a flooding Kickapoo River. In the aftermath, Crawford and surrounding counties are dealing with numerous areas of damage to roads, bridges, crops and private residences. 

Mon
26
Sep

No fruit and veggie funds granted for B.A. Kennedy

By Correne Martin

Free and reduced meal recipients at B.A. Kennedy Elementary School in Prairie du Chien make up 60 percent of the student body. Yet, the school did not receive its USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grant for the 2016-2017 school year, as it has for the last four or five years. So administration and staff are reaching out to the community for contributions to better the lives of its 275 students in 3K through 1st grade.

“The state of Wisconsin is seeing an increase in applications for the grant as well as data regarding free and reduced percentages, and that makes the threshold for us to get in that much more difficult,” Principal Laura Stuckey said. “Maybe our free and reduced count wasn’t quite as high as it has been. We’ve been so spoiled by this the last few years so, to not have it, it’s certainly a disappointment.”

Thu
22
Sep

Flooding in Crawford County


These two engines, along with five other railroad cars derailed just north of Ferryville at approximately 5:45 a.m. Thursday. There were no injuries. (Photos by Ted Pennekamp)

Volunteers filled sand bags in the village of Steuben near the flooded Kickapoo River Thursday morning.

The Kickapoo River was well over its banks at Steuben.

Sugar Creek Park at Ferryville was flooded.

Work was being done Thursday to repair damage to the southbound lane of Highway 35 north of Ferryville.

The Kickapoo River surrounds the Kickapoo River Museum at the dam in Gays Mills on Friday. The dam was completely under water. The river crested at 18.1 feet Friday. It was at 13.7 feet at 8 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 26 and dropping. Flood stage at Gays Mills is 13 feet.

The view Friday, looking down main street in Gays Mills.

The bridge over the Kickapoo River at Gays Mills barely cleared the water Friday morning.

The community of Gays Mills was once again under water, as the Kickapoo River hit major flood stage, above 18 feet, over the weekend. Flood stage there is just 13 feet. Pictured is downtown Gays Mills. (Photo by Rebecca Eby)

 

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

Train derails, house slides off bluff, fatalities, widespread 

damage result from heavy rain

By Ted Pennekamp

 

Wed
21
Sep

Prairie Catholic pavilion, playground move is next week


Employees of various local contractors were working near the new pavilion site at St. Gabriel’s School Tuesday morning.

By Ted Pennekamp

Prairie Catholic School of Prairie du Chien, 515 N. Beaumont Rd., is in the process of moving their pavilion and playground. The pavilion and playground had to be relocated because of the construction of the new gymnasium, day care and office building, part of which remains under construction.

The pavilion has been set up in its new location south of the school, but work is still being done under and around it by various local contractors, said Father James Weighner.

Weighner also said that the relatively new playground equipment that the school owns will be reinstalled south of the school near the pavilion.

Wed
21
Sep

Meet historic people on annual Prairie du Chien cemetery tour


A “soldier and a widow” greet visitors at the Fort Crawford Military Cemetery.

“Joseph Rolette” at the old French Cemetery on County Highway K. (Submitted photo)

A memorial for John Lawler stands in the St. Gabriel's Cemetery.

It is fall, so it is time for the popular event sponsored by the Prairie du Chien Historical Society. Visiting Our Ancestors is a tour of Prairie du Chien’s six historic cemeteries.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, there will be a guided tour of Prairie du Chien’s six historic cemeteries, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Fort Crawford Museum. All will gather at the museum, then board vans to travel to the cemeteries, beginning with the Old French Cemetery and ending at the Brisbois Cemetery high above on the bluffs. At each cemetery, the costumed host of the tour will give a short history of the burying grounds and then she will introduce the resident.

The French Catholic Cemetery is the oldest cemetery still in existence in the state of Wisconsin and may be the oldest cemetery in the upper Mississippi Valley. Few of the graves are marked but much is known about the people who are buried there, beginning in 1816.

Mon
19
Sep

Man charged with stealing truck

A 29-year-old Dubuque man has been charged in Crawford County Circuit Court with one count of operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jason Ryan Feuerhelm faces up to $10,500 in fines and six years and 30 days imprisonment if convicted of both counts.

According to the criminal complaint, an Allamakee County, Iowa resident reported to the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department that his truck had been stolen from his residence on Aug. 25.

On Aug. 26, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received a call from another man who said that he had seen the stolen vehicle being driven  on Highway 35 in the town of Seneca in Crawford County. The man knew the vehicle was stolen because he had been informed by his friend from Allamakee County that his friend’s truck had been stolen. The man also knew what his friend’s truck looked like.

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