Local News

On Sunday, June 7, at approximately 2:37 a.m., the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a one-vehicle crash on Highway 18, three tenths of a mile east of Ward Road in the township of Bridgeport.  

Marsha M. Scott, 29,  of Bloomington, was operating a 1999 Buick LeSabre eastbound on Highway 18 when she lost control of the vehicle. Scott’s vehicle crossed the centerline and entered the westbound lane of traffic. The vehicle then hit the ditch on the west side of the roadway and flipped approximately three or four times. The vehicle came to rest facing westbound on its roof.

A vehicle following Scott called 911 to report the accident. The witness stated that Scott was traveling at a high rate of speed before the accident.

By Ted Pennekamp

The Crawford County Land Conservation Department has a new person in its office in the County Administrative Building in Prairie du Chien.

Ben Wegleitner is an aquatic invasive species coordinator with the Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council. Ben will be working to control aquatic invasive species in Crawford, Vernon, La Crosse, Richland and Sauk counties.

“Crawford County’s Land Conservation Department has been one of our partners in the last few years,” said Ben. “Dave Troester (County Conservationist) has been a big help.” Ben noted that Southwest Badger and the Land Conservation Department have helped each other out on various invasive species control efforts, including efforts to get rid of Japanese hops at sites within the county.

By Correne Martin

Plans were first announced in 2011 to build a cutting-edge, new medical facility in Prairie du Chien. The Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital board then decided, after establishing a master faculty plan, that it wasn’t feasible to remodel its 58-year-old Taylor Street facility or add onto it for the 12th time. So land was purchased and sights were set on a new location at 37868 Highway 18, where a grandiose medical center, rebranded Crossing Rivers Health (CRH) in 2014, now welcomes people in from the south side of the community.

After years of preparation, last Thursday, June 11, was a highly-anticipated and precisely-orchestrated day for Crossing Rivers. It was moving day, from the outdated and landlocked old facility to the $50 million, 25-bed, 137,000-square-foot new facility. The three-day move, a majority of which happened Thursday, was something a hospital committee has been planning for about a year and a half.

An Iowa man avoided injury in a one-vehicle rollover just north of Prairie du Chien Monday morning, June 8, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

On Monday, at 8:30 a.m., the Crawford County Dispatch Center was notified of the rollover crash on State Highway 35 at Frederich Street in Prairie du Chien Township.

Benjamin McCready, 29, Clermont, Iowa, was driving a 1994 Dodge Shadow north on Highway 35 when he went onto the right shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle then crashed into a sign post causing the vehicle to overturn in the ditch.

McCready was wearing his seat belt and escaped injury. His vehicle sustained heavy damage a was towed from the scene.

Assisting at the scene were the Bridgeport/Prairie du Chien Fire Department, Tri-State Ambulance, the Prairie du Chien Police Department, the Crawford County Highway Department and Bob’s Towing.