Bits &

News of Note From Our Neighbors

The Thorp Courier

Despite the rainy day, the 6th Annual Summer Fest Car Show went off without a hitch on Saturday, September 1. The Thorp downtown was full of interesting cars and motorcycles. The event included the talents of the String Cheese Band. +++ Tickets for Thorp athletic events will be given to athletes, to give to friends and family. The number of tickets available will be based upon the school the team is visiting. Rules related to local sports are subject to change and interested people should be checking the school’s website to learn of changes. +++ At their Monday, September 14 meeting, the Thorp City Council approved the award of $980,000 in General Obligation Promissory Notes, to provide interim financing for upcoming street and water/sewer projects.

Bloomer Advance

On Wednesday, September 9, the Bloomer City Council approved a street use permit for St. John’s Lutheran Church. The permit was for a wedding where the bride and groom decided they would like to move their wedding outside to better observe social distancing guidelines. +++ The Bloomer American Legion held a flag retirement ceremony on Thursday, September 3. They were assisted by Bloomer Scouts in burning over five hundred American flags, service flags, POW/MIA flags and some flags from foreign countries, along with military clothing. +++ Each of the Heart O’ North Conference Schools will decide how many spectators their facilities can safely host for football and volleyball. Tickets will then be split between the two schools. NO general admission tickets will be sold. Student athletes will then receive tickets and only those with tickets will be admitted.

The Sentinel & Rural News

The Owen-Withee FFA Alumni held their 2nd Annual Breakfast at the Orchard on Saturday, September 12. The pancake extravaganza breakfast was served outdoors, undercover, as well as carry out and drive thru. The event was hosted by Barb and Gordy Finkelson, proprietors of the Black River Orchard. According to Ag Teacher Travis Engel 300 guests were safely served a great spread of breakfast foods. This year an outdoor craft show was added. Next year the event will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2021. +++ The Owen City Council, at their Tuesday, September 8 meeting, voted to hire Rhom Construction of Eau Claire to do the renovation of the Owen Community Building, which will house the city hall and the O-W Police Department. Rhom Construction submitted the lowest bid for $200,349.78.

The Clark County Press

With the rapidly evolving technological world, and with many jobs being done remotely, it is not an oddity that Granton Area Schools has embarked on a new adventure in having one of its subjects taught entirely virtually, with added culture and geographical context. Kayleigh Vantassel is teaching Spanish to Granton students from Spain. She is teaching Spanish I-IV and middle school Spanish through teleconferencing and pre-recorded lessons. She is currently on a sabbatical year in Spain. +++ Loyal Schools closed for a day in order to deal with an exposure to COVID-19 cases. +++ The Rock Dam Lake Association hosted a drive-up pancake breakfast on Sunday, September 6. There were 122 breakfasts served.

Tribune-Phonograph

The Abbotsford Room Tax Commission has provided room tax grants in the amount of $7,500 to the owner of the three motels in that city. With a 50% drop in business, the owner requested funds to help him cover expenses he has incurred trying to get more business via the Internet and from a Highway 29 billboard. +++ Dorchester is negotiating a contract for temporary police coverage in the village by the Clark County Sheriff's Department.

O-W Enterprise Alexus Witek was the winner of the Lublin Legion Auxiliary Americanism essay contest. The theme this year was, “How can we address the health and well-being of our veterans, military and their families?” +++ Here are a few comparisons between Owen and Withee when you compare municipal data. The general obligation debt of Owen is $1,427,000 (52.6% of their state limit in 2018), compared to Withee’s debt being $332,000 (29.4% of their state limit in 2018). The City of Owen has a fund balance of $427,000 and Withee has a fund balance $589,000. Fund balances are accounts that hold funds to cover unexpected expenditures and the amount held is usually recommended by the firm that does the city/village audit.