Courier Press

By Peyton Meisner

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is recognized each year on June 15. To highlight the day and issue, members of the Crawford County Adult Protective Services I-Team took a photo at Peoples State Bank with a banner to raise awareness of the issue. 

The purpose of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is to promote awareness of the issue and to encourage citizens to report suspected incidents of elder abuse.  Abuse can include physical, sexual and emotional acts, financial exploitation, neglect, and self-neglect.  

Elder fraud takes place an estimated 5 million times a year in the U.S., with losses possibly up to $27.4 billion, according to a report by the tech website, Comparitech.

By Correne Martin

A book titled “Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien: 1816-1856” was released in early May. The 75-page, title describes the first and second fort sites as well as the stories that evolved throughout this chronicled period in the city’s past. A collection of historic photographs and paintings also help move the narrative along.

“The little introduction talks about why Prairie du Chien was so important that they had to have forts here,” said author Mary Elise Antoine, referring to the native people gathering on the local prairie to harvest the riches of the rivers and participate in a chain of trade that reached south to the empires of other indigenous nations. 

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about a truck and its driver that was involved in a hit and run south of Patch Grove Monday evening.

On June 10 at about 5:50 p.m., a report was made of a hit and run crash on Highway 35 at the south end of Patch Grove. Frinde Tolle, 75, of Patch Grove, was turning left into her driveway in her blue 2002 Buick LeSabre. A white pickup truck struck the rear-end of Tolle’s car, pushing it across the lane of travel into the grass on the east side of the roadway. 

The vehicle, described as a white truck, possibly a Chevrolet, left the scene at a high rate of speed, according to the report. The truck had white pipes in the cargo area sticking out past the tailgate. The truck should have significant damage to the front driver’s side. 

Editor’s note: This is the fourth story in a series about Prairie du Chien’s St. Feriole Island experiencing sustained flooding for 87 consecutive days, and how that has affected the community.

By Correne Martin

It’s been a far from ideal spring for Prairie du Chien area businesses who rely on river traffic, resort visitors and tourists in pursuit of leisure and attractions. 

The Mississippi River crested twice in McGregor in April, at 21.34 feet on April 5 and 21.75 feet on April 26—among the highest ever recorded at the location. Water above flood stage for three months has hampered the usual influx of people that arrives locally in March and April.