The Thorp Courier

On Thursday, November 18, Pat Norton and her husband Hazen Pratt, came to Thorp and reunited Thorp with a piece of its history. Pat Norton, is the great-granddaughter of John N. Norton, who was born in Canada, but moved to Thorp according to the 1890 Civil War vets census. He had enlisted on September 30, 1864, as a musician. Family history indicates John was a carpenter by day and played the cello at barn dances at night. It is also believed that he helped build the St. Hedwig’s Church, that was located east of Thorp. TAHS plans to create a permanent display at their museum, that will feature the Norton cello, along with photos and other materials from the family. +++ The Employability Skills Class of Thorp High School helped put up Christmas lights at Yellowstone Park. This was the second year the class helped decorate the park for Christmas.

Courier Sentinel

The Cadott School District and each school within the district, were ranked in the "exceeds expectations" category on the DPI school report card. The overall score for the district, K-12, is 74.8; the elementary school got a score of 73.2; the junior high school scored 74.3; and the high school 73.1. +++ In an attempt to keep police officers employed by the city for longer periods, the Cor nell City Council has agreed that Police Chief Glenn Rehberg can oversee officers achieving more wages by completing additional elective training. The council also voted to raise wages 3 percent in a labor agreement with the Teamsters. Non-union and part-time employees will also receive 3 percent increases. The 25 or so city employees will be getting $25 Christmas gift cards this year, up from $20 last year. +++ Among a number of donations received by the Holcombe School Board, at their November 15 School Board Meeting was $5,000 from the Mayo Foundation for Medical, that will go towards greenhouse/hydroponic management.

Bloomer Advance

Bloomer has a new dentist. Dr. James Jenkins has joined Blue Diamond Family Dental. He will be busy as Dr. Gregory Mihm is retiring at the end of this year. +++ Groundbreaking on Friday, November 12, at the North Park in the City of Bloomer was the first stage of the Bloomer Lions Sportsman Club fishing dock project. The dirt work for the 90 foot long path and 32 foot ramp that will connect the dock to the shore is almost complete. The entire dock will be accessible for all ages with the 90 foot long ADA certified concrete path off the main parking lot. +++ Friday, November 26, Bloomer lights up the 9th Avenue Park at 6 pm. The park will be open nightly from dark to 9 pm, November 26 through January 1, 2022. Donations are appreciated!! Another Great Bloomer Chamber of Commerce Event.

O-W Enterprise The Owen-Withee High School Theater Department garnered praise and awards at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theater Festival held at UW-Stevens Point. After presenting the one act play, “I Don't Want to Talk About It," three students were awarded Indi vidual Acting Awards. Other awards received included a Technical Award, an Ensemble Award and the highest award: Critic’s Choice. In addition, Jeffer Scheuer earned a Director’s Award.

The Sentinel & Rural News

Forward Bank has donated $55,000 to local charities during its guided giving campaign. Recognizing that non-profits are the cornerstone of their communities, and rely on donations to further their mission, Forward Bank employees nominated non-profits and charities in their communities that they felt needed further support. Communities were encouraged to vote and help guide the selec- tion of one charity per community. The non-profit getting the most

votes in each community received a check for $5,000. In Stanley, Forward Bank awarded the funds to the Stanley Community Asso ciation and in Thorp, the funds went to Thorp Area Senior Citizens Center.

The Clark County Press

The DPI is out with its report cards for area schools. Here are the scores for the 11 school districts entirely or partially in Clark County. Four schools “exceeded expectations”: Stanley-Boyd and Abbotsford both scored 78.6; Granton had a scored of 76.1; and Greenwood was at 74.2. Another four schools “met expectations:” Alma Center-Humbird-Merrillan at 71.4; Loyal at 68.2; Thorp at 66.3; and Owen-Withee at 65.3. Three school districts “met few expectations”: Colby’s score was 60.1; Neillsville was 60 and Spencer had the lowest score at 57.5. +++ A banner over main street in downtown Neillsville reads, “Welcome Hunters.” The Neills- ville public works employees, who hung the sign, reported that it has been put up for at least the last 46 years. +++ The Neillsville Chamber of Commerce is again sponsoring the holiday decorating contest. Judging will take place the evening of December 5 with a tour of cars parade. Each car in the parade receives a ballot. Cham- ber gift certificates will be awarded to first through fourth place winners, in the amounts of $150, $100, $75, and $50.