Local News

By Addison Mumm

Little Free Libraries started up in Wisconsin in 2009 with Todd Bol of Hudson.

The simple rule of the Little Free Library—take a book, leave a book. Bol built a little, red school house in honor of his mother. He put some books in it and created more for his neighbors who fell in love with it. Rick Brooks of the University of Wisconsin–Madison heard of Bol and his library school houses. With some knowledge of social marketing, Brooks wanted to expand the idea to the world.

As of July 2015, there are now 3,000 Little Free Libraries around the world. Mostly based in the U.S., 70 other countries also have Little Free Libraries.

A 70-year-old rural Wauzeka man has been charged with second degree sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, a Class C felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. A preliminary hearing for Roland K. Groom was held Monday, Aug. 17, in Crawford County Circuit Court.

According to the criminal complaint, on July 19, a woman called the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department to report that her daughter had possibly been sexually assaulted by Groom at his home in Marietta Township the day before. A detective spoke with the girl, who said Groom pulled her on top of him and inappropriately touched her before her mother walked into the room.

The girl also said that, about a week earlier, Groom had sexually assaulted her at his residence while she was watching television.

The detective spoke with Groom on July 19, and he did not deny the girl’s disclosures and admitted there had been some “inappropriate” touching.

By Addison Mumm

With a population over 16,000, and over 2,000 people below the poverty level in Crawford County (from 2009 to 2013), the free and reduced meals is the only way some children can afford lunch and breakfast at school.

Created by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, free and reduced school meals offered through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs give in-need families the opportunity to supply meals to their children. Many child care facilities and school districts in Wisconsin, including the Prairie du Chien district, take advantage of the option.

A profusion of topics kept the Prairie du Chien Common Council quite busy Tuesday night, Aug. 18, during its regular bimonthly meeting.

•One of those topics involved considering a 3 percent water rate increase. The council unanimously approved applying for the increase under a Simplified Rate Class Application. More information will be available as the application process continues.

•Another topic that affects an extensive amount of the public involved plans for improvement to North Prairie Street. The asphalt surface on the street, from Cedar to Miller, is deteriorated to the point of being unsafe for motorists, pedestrians and city public works staff to do snow removal. Staff recommended that as much of the old broken surface as possible be removed and then the surface be overlayed with new hot mix asphalt. The council approved the asphalt overlay on a $9,000 budget from the 2014-2016 Capital Fund.