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Mon
17
Jul

Guilty plea entered in U’Ren crash case

By Correne Martin

A guilty plea was entered on behalf of the man who caused the February crash in Madison that took the lives of husband and wife, Kirk U’Ren and Prairie du Chien native Jennifer Steiner, according to Wisconsin Circuit Court records.

Brandon Ballweg, 26, of Stoughton, pled guilty July 13, in Dane County Court to five of 12 charges against him and no contest to a sixth charge. The court dismissed six counts. According to court records, bail has also been revoked and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered by Judge John Hyland.

U’Ren was driving and Steiner was a passenger in one of the four vehicles involved in a Feb. 12 crash on Highway 30 in Madison. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while she passed away two weeks later from injuries sustained in the crash. The couple was from Cottage Grove and left behind twin boys.

Wed
12
Jul

‘Friends’ happy to help PdC Memorial Library

By Rachel Mergen

 

After fading away in recent years, the Friends of the Library program has been resurrected, reassembled and is ready to dominate the fundraising game to support the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library.

“We want the organization to be much more active and interactive,” Barbara Davis, member of the Friends of the Library Board, stated. Since the return of the program, the organization has grown greatly in the community. The number of members is continuously increasing with help from a variety of membership drives.

Wed
12
Jul

Allied Horsemanship excited to benefit the area


Seth Brandt, 5, of Prairie du Chien, recently enjoyed a session with Allied Horsemanship, in which he played games and got to know his horse a little bit better. (Submitted photos)

Shannon Gher is excited to bring Allied Horsemanship to the Prairie du Chien area.

By Rachel Mergen

 

“Allied Horsemanship strives to empower people and improve their quality of life by promoting horse and human interactions through equine assisted activities,” reads the mission statement for the new non-profit therapeutic equine program in Prairie du Chien, created by Shannon Gher in January 2017.

“One of my older brothers came home one day and said, ‘Mom, dad, I bought a horse.’ Everything started after that,” Gher said. She joined the Crawford County 4-H and taught herself to ride. 

For college, she attended UW-River Falls, receiving a bachelor’s degree in animal science with an equine emphasis. She participated in many riding programs and volunteered often while in school. 

Wed
12
Jul

River Ridge Construction


Construction of the new gymnasium for middle school students is moving right along.

Concrete work is being done in the new 28,895-square-foot addition to the River Ridge School building. (Photos by Ted Pennekamp)

 

Construction of River Ridge 

school addition proceeding nicely

By Ted Pennekamp

 

Work continues to go along quite efficiently on the $8,866,400 River Ridge School District building addition and upgrade.

Wed
12
Jul

Prairie du Chien District Administrator Retires


On his last day of work, Prairie du Chien School District Administrator Drew Johnson stands above what will be the orchestra pit of the new 750-seat auditorium. The $18.9 million school facilities upgrade project is among the latest and most noteworthy accomplishments in which Johnson played a large part during his 10 years as superintendent. “It will be a beautiful new auditorium and a remarkable school facilities upgrade,” he said. (Photos by Ted Pennekamp)

The building that will house three full sized basketball courts on the west side of the high school is moving along quickly.

Work for the air conditioning is being done in the expanded home economics room at the high school. There will be air conditioning in all three Prairie du Chien school buildings. The air conditioning should be up and running by the start of the 2017-2018 school year, said retired District Administrator Drew Johnson.

 

District administrator had key role in 10 years of accomplishments

By Ted Pennekamp

 

Wed
12
Jul

Ferryville’s River Bluff Daze offers plenty of family activities July 22


During last year’s River Bluff Daze antique tractor pull, Bob Witt pulled this Allis-Chalmers. (Submitted photo)

Ferryville’s River Bluff Daze has lots of fun activities, including fireworks, in store for everyone Saturday, July 22.

At 8:30 a.m., a nature hike at Sugar Creek Bluff will start. Participants should gather at the Ferryville Boat Landing to carpool up to the bluff. An expert guide will accompany the hikers to see birds, wildlife and wildflowers and experience the panoramic view of the Mississippi River valley. The hike is co-sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy. Call Joanne White for more information at (608) 734-9018.

Wed
12
Jul

City to create developmental plan for future of marina

By Correne Martin

The Prairie du Chien Common Council has decided to work with Vierbicher Associates, its representative planning/engineering firm, to create a redevelopment plan for the marina. Now that Regal Marine Group has been court ordered to vacate the city-owned premises by August, the council approved a professional services agreement (PSA) with Vierbicher to develop recommendations on what the marina might look like in the future.

Wed
12
Jul

Area teen battles mental health difficulties, dreams of attending college


Ryan Friedrich, 18, struggles frequently with mental illness, as he continually works at overcoming his Asperger’s, ADHD, anxiety and depression diagnoses. His hopes are to finish high school, graduate college and, someday, become a video game quest designer.

By Correne Martin

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
    -Eleanor Roosevelt

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Friedrich is truly living life one new day at a time. It’s been 19 months since feelings of depression resulted in the Mt. Hope teen jumping from the rooftop at a local high school. Fortunately, he survived.
In recounting his pre-jump state-of-mind shortly afterward, he said he wasn’t sure what purpose he had in life.

These days, Ryan seems to have developed a brighter outlook for his future, as he and his family ponder what his senior year of high school might look like in the fall. Yet, he’s certainly not out of the woods.

Mon
10
Jul

Conversion of former Wyalusing Academy into Lawler School Lofts to begin in August


An aerial view of the former St. Mary’s Academy/Wyalusing Academy shows the entire 14-acre property. The main building is being renovated into 40 apartments, the Lawler School Lofts. (Photo by Jack Knowles)

By Ted Pennekamp

 

The former Wyalusing Academy building has recently been officially purchased by Lawler School Lofts, LLC, a part of The Commonwealth Companies, which is a real estate development firm headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis.

The 80,000-square-foot main building on the property, 601 S. Beaumont Road, will be developed into a 40-unit apartment building named Lawler School Lofts.

Mon
10
Jul

Man taken into custody for allegedly endangering safety

A local man was taken into custody for disorderly conduct and endangering safety by intoxicated use of a dangerous weapon after an incident that occurred early Sunday morning, July 9, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

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