Standing Rocks Park, Portage County snowmobile trails to reopen Jan 1

Stevens Point—Standing Rocks Park downhill ski and cross-country trails and Portage County snowmobile trails will be closed on Friday due to warm weather and the expected rain.  Standing Rocks is expected to reopen on Saturday.  According to the county’s recorded snowmobile trail system, the snowmobile trails will likely reopen Saturday at noon if conditions allow.

Today’s forecasted high temperature is 37 and Friday’s high is expected around 40. Rain is expected both days. Temperatures will fall back into the 20s and teens this weekend and should allow trails and ski runs to firm up and be usable again.

Wiza files signatures, will officially appear on mayoral ballot

Stevens Point–City Alderman and County Board Supervisor Mike Wiza announced today that he filed 400 signatures with the City Clerks office, the maximum allowed. Once the signatures are confirmed, he will officially be on the ballot for the Mayor election in April.

“It was great hearing all the positive things as I went door to door. I really enjoy talking to people and listening to their thoughts and ideas. I had some wonderful friends helping, and the support out there has been overwhelming. I talked to residents who have seen me on City Council or County Board, or heard about me and they were calling and asking to sign my papers,” said Wiza.

Candidates are required to turn in no less than 200, nor more than 400 signatures for a Mayoral election. The election will be held on April 5, 2011.

“It’s been busy, but with all of the support from family and friends, we all made it happen. That’s one of the great things about living in Stevens Point, you come to know so many wonderful people and we all help each other out. We care about where we live and are willing to pitch in to make sure we get the job done.”

Wiza, if elected, will have to resign his hardware engineer position at Skyward, as well as his seat on City Council and County Board.

“In talking with people all over the City, there seems to be general dissatisfaction with the way things have been going for the past term. We haven’t seen much of anything for over three years and now with re-elections coming up, things start to stir. People are concerned about where their taxes are going and if they’re getting the best value for that money.”

“We need to stimulate job growth, spend some money to attract manufacturing jobs to the area. Shuffling things around to make it look like something is happening is not going to create jobs. Stevens Point needs to take the reins and get moving forward by being active about the desire to grow. By working together with neighboring communities we can do things that benefit all of us.”

UWSP, NTC make deal on health programs

Stevens Point – The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau have announced an articulation agreement in the health field, according to a press release from NTC.  Students graduating from the NTC health programs will enter UWSP with junior status.

The articulation agreements include:

• The Paramedic, Radiography, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Health Care Business Services Associate Degree programs to the Bachelor of Science Degree Health Science – Health Care Administration
• The Health Care Business Services Associate Degree program  to the Bachelor of Science Degree, Health Science – Health Care Informatics

“This new partnership recognizes the hard work of technical college students by providing them a seamless opportunity to transfer to a baccalaureate degree,” stated Dr. Susan Raab, Head of the School of Health Care Professions for UWSP.  “In addition, this partnership will promote career laddering and increase the total number of individuals completing bachelor degrees in central Wisconsin.”

“By partnering with UW-Stevens Point, we are providing our students with the opportunity to continue their learning should they decide to do so,” said Dr. Lori Weyers, President, NTC. “We recognize that we are a starting place for students and are committed to expanding relationships that foster additional educational options for students in central Wisconsin.”

Walker appoints senior-level staff

Madison – Today, Governor-elect Scott Walker announced the individuals who will serve as senior-level staff beginning on January 3, 2011.

“I am thrilled with the highly qualified senior-level staff the transition team has assembled,” said Walker’s transition director, John Hiller. “These individuals will help the people of Wisconsin create 250,000 jobs and 10,000 new businesses by 2015. Working with the new governor, this team will put government back on the side of the people and loudly proclaim ‘Wisconsin is open for business.’”

Eric Schutt, Deputy Chief of Staff—Schutt was previously the vice president of state government affairs for UnitedHealth Group (UHG). Prior to joining UHG, Schutt worked in the Legislature as chief of staff to State Representative and then Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson) during the 2007-2008 legislative session and State Senator Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) during the 2005-2006 session.

A longtime campaign aide, Schutt has served in various roles on numerous campaigns, including Deputy Campaign Manager on Mark Green’s gubernatorial campaign in 2006, campaign manager for Russ Darrow’s US Senate run in 2004, and Executive Director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 2002. Schutt began his career in politics in 1994 working on the reelection campaign of Congressman Scott Klug (R-Madison).

Brian Hagedorn, Chief Legal Counsel—Hagedorn earned his law degree at Northwestern University School of Law, and previously worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Prior to joining DOJ, Hagedorn served as a law clerk at the Wisconsin Supreme Court and worked in private practice at Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee. A native of Milwaukee, Hagedorn and his wife Christina just celebrated the birth of their fourth child.

Ryan Murray, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs—Murray served as policy director for the Walker gubernatorial campaign and played a leadership role in developing Walker’s job creation policy agenda. Murray previously served as chief of staff for Senator Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) and communications director for Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).

Chris Schrimpf, Communications Director—Schrimpf brings with him a wealth of government and political communications experience. He most recently worked as Director of Political Communications for the Republican Governors Association where he was the organization’s spokesman for the 37 governor’s races in 2010 and a key member of the RGA’s political team that helped win control of 29 governorships. Prior to his work at the RGA, Schrimpf served for almost two years as the Press Secretary for Governor Sonny Perdue in Georgia. Schrimpf is a graduate of CornellUniversity. He and his wife, Darcy, have one five-month old daughter, Miriam.

Downtown Redevelopment Project Plan Public Hearing

Stevens Point–StevensPoint.com is reporting that the Community Development Authority of the City of Stevens Point, Portage County, Wisconsin, will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, January 10, 2011, at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, County-City Building, 1515 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to consider an amendment to the Downtown Redevelopment Project Area Plan to permit retail, office, commercial, residential, public/institutional, and public open space land uses within the project area

The purpose of the amendment is to stick to the original intent of the redevelopment, which is to remove blight and prevent its recurrence.

The project area is defined as beginning at the southerly line of Main Street and the westerly line of First Street; thence northerly along said westerly line to the northerly line of Briggs Street; thence easterly along said northerly line to the easterly line of Church Street if extended northerly; thence southerly along said easterly line to the southerly line of Main Street; thence westerly along said southerly line to the point of beginning.

Law enforcement steps up efforts to deter drunk driving

Madison–To keep the upcoming holiday season from becoming a time of tragedy for individuals, families and entire communities, more than 200 law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin are stepping up their efforts to catch drunk drivers this holiday season.

“Slippery roads, poor visibility, holiday traffic and impaired drivers make this time of year particularly dangerous on our roads,” says Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent David Collins. “Last year in Wisconsin, there were more traffic crashes in December than any other month, and those crashes caused 42 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries.”

Hundreds of traffic deaths and injuries could be prevented each year if more people buckled up and fewer people drove while impaired, according to Wisconsin Department of Transportation statistics. Last year, 58 percent of the people killed in passenger car and light-truck crashes were not wearing safety belts when safety belt use could be determined by investigating officers. Of the 542 people killed in traffic crashes last year, 238 or 44 percent died in alcohol-related crashes.

“All law enforcement officers hope that people will voluntarily choose to buckle up and drive sober. But if they don’t, the extra traffic enforcement during the Booze and Belts mobilization will increase their risk of getting caught,” Collins says. “During Booze and Belts and throughout the year, our goal is to save lives and prevent injuries—not to write more safety belt tickets or make more drunken driving arrests. For the third year in a row, Wisconsin could end this year with less than 600 traffic fatalities. Three consecutive years of less than 600 fatalities has not occurred since 1942 to 1944.  But we believe that even one preventable traffic fatality is one too many, so we are striving to attain zero deaths on our roadways.”

Simple tips to help shed those holiday pounds

By Brian Kalish

Wisconsin Rapids– With the marathon that is the holiday season nearing an end, most of us have probably put on some added weight.  Anyone who knows anything about fitness and human anatomy will tell you that there is no magic bullet for shedding pounds.  It always comes down to exercise and diet.  Cody Helgeson, personal trainer at Adventure 212 in Stevens Point offers some tips for losing some of that holiday weight.

The most important thing, according to Helgeson, is to stay active.  One way to accomplish that goal is to limit the amount of time spent in front of the TV.

“When off from work, plan activities throughout the day and limit the amount of TV time,” Helgeson says.  “Reducing the amount of time spent in front of the TV will reduce the amount of time you spend sitting and gives you time to plan activities to get you moving.”

Whether you are returning gifts or looking for the big post holiday sales there are two easy things you can do to increase your activity.

“First of all, take the stairs whenever the opportunity presents itself,” Helgeson says.  “Secondly, avoid taking the closest parking spot. Parking as far from the entrance as possible gives you a great chance to add more steps into your daily errands.”

Finally, when the holidays are in the rearview mirror, try to get back to your pre-holiday workout routine as soon as possible.  If you don’t have a pre-holiday workout routine, try to establish one and stick to it.

“If you are beginning a workout routine the best thing you can do to ensure success is set clear and precise goals along with a realistic time frame to accomplish your goal,” Helgeson says.

Coach looks back on 2010, forward to 2011

By Scott “Coach” Stankowski

Wisconsin Rapids–’Tis the last article of the year, which of course means reflection and at the same time looking ahead.  I would first like to thank GoStevensPoint.com and Brian Kalish for this great opportunity to write outdoor literature.  I would also like to thank you the readers, your response has been overwhelming and appreciated.

My hunting and fishing year was great.  I did not put a monster buck or big fish on the wall, but I kept the freezer full, and was able to provide wild game for my family. Without true hunting partners, none of this would be as exciting.  It is great to have a son, dad and brother for sharing these memories with me.  I also have a few good friends that we share stories with that should be mentioned as well.  There is nothing better than being outside and spending time outdoors with others.

I did learn something from my time outside, or at least I think I did.  In reflecting back upon the years, one thing I have learned is that you can take what you have learned from one year and apply it to the next.  I just wish it was that easy, however, Mother Nature always likes to put a ripple in the stream, and sometimes it is more like a class five rapids.

I think I took a greater appreciation this year from being outdoors.   A good friend of mine told me of a Budhist principle called ‘Wabi Sabi’.  Wabi Sabi is basically beauty in imperfection.  Nature in itself is the true paint brush of this grand idea.  Nothing in nature is just right and if we understand this concept, anything we do in nature never turns out ‘just right.’  That in itself is the true beauty of being outdoors.   With that understanding we should go outside and enjoy ourselves and when one of natures ‘ripples’ or ‘class five rapids’ happens to engulf us, we should enjoy it for the ride and place it as a unique memory.  I know I will do that more often.

I enter the year looking forward to fishing and hunting.   I am eagerly awaiting my annual New Year’s Day ice fishing trip with family and friends.   I am planning a few out of state hunts for longbeards in the spring.  When the summer rolls around, I want to try a few new lakes for fishing.  I hope to make it out to Green Bay and learn the ropes for trolling for walleyes and muskies.  When fall rolls around I have a few new ideas for meeting up with a nice whitetail deer.

As I look ahead to the next year, I resolve to try and adhere to the Wabi Sabi principle.  Much like the crooked tree that allowed me to cross a small stream to an island in it, I will try and enjoy the beauty of what I am involved with and not look into what could be or should be.

I hope all of you have a great 2011, one with health and happiness, a year that provides you with memories and food for the table.

Until Next Year,

Shoot straight

Boys and Girls Club Puts Youth Artists in the Spotlight

Stevens Point – For the 6^th year in a row the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portage County will be hosting its “Youth of Portage County” Fine Arts Exhibit.  The competition is part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) National Fine Arts Exhibit program with many clubs across the country participating.  This year’s local exhibit will include the artwork of over 150 youth in Portage County between the ages of 6-18.

Thanks to the wonderful supporter of this initiative including Mark Motors, Koerten Gallery, and various volunteers many aspiring young artists from Portage County will have their work on display at Mark Motors in Plover throughout the month of January.  Together, Mark Motors and the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County will also be hosting an opening reception on Tuesday, January 4th from 5-7pm to kick-off the exhibit.  The reception is open to anyone from the community including participating artists, sponsors, and community members and will include food and beverages, live entertainment, and an awards presentation.

Come view the art of your local youth and support the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County.  The Boys & Girls Club has served the youth of Portage County for nearly nine years.  The Club provides programs for youth of any age in the areas of character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation.

Christmas tree pickup, holiday garbage schedule

Christmas Tree Pickup

City residents may take their used Christmas tree to the city’s yard waste drop-off site or other suitable disposal location, or may place their tree at their curb (with the tree trunk facing the street) within the first two weeks of January.

The streets department will pick up Christmas trees those weeks. 

Holiday Garbage & Recycling Schedule

The 2010-2011 Christmas, and New Year Holiday garbage and recycling schedule has been released. Don’t miss your collection day or you’ll be up to your neck in turkey bones, wrapping paper, and party hats!

See the Schedule