Get your Oscar Ballot here!

Most critics see Sunday’s Oscar race coming down to two face-based movies: “The King’s Speech,” a look at a stammering king of England who must give the speech of his lifetime; and “The Social Network,” about the birth and rapid growth of Facebook.

Those two will be competing against eight others for Best Picture honors at this year’s Academy Awards, which also finds “Black Swan,” “True Grit,” “Inception” and many others in the mix of nominees in acting and production categories.

Who do you think will win? Take a look at our 2011-oscar-ballot and make your choices. Then you can follow along and compare your picks to the actual winners as they’re announced Sunday on ABC.

IWF submits request for Emergency Meeting

In a letter to the mayor, the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future (IWF), a nonprofit research organization, submitted a resolution opposing some of the provisions in Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. This resolution is similar to the one adopted unanimously by the City of Eau Claire.

Because the state is set to vote on this at anytime, they would like the mayor to call an emergency meeting of the Common Council of the City of Stevens Point to consider this resolution.

For more information:

Public Employee Cuts Informational Brochure

IWF Proposed Resolution

Plan to spin off UW-Madison from the UW System

Statement from Chancellor Bernie Patterson about the plan to spin off UW-Madison from the UW System

• Wisconsin’s public universities are better together.
• Better together to spur economic development across Wisconsin.
• Better together to advance the Wisconsin Idea—that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state.
• Better together to provide world-class options in higher education to the citizens of Wisconsin within a university system that is the envy of the world.

In the nearly 40 years since the formation of the University of Wisconsin System, its 13 four-year institutions have developed a combined standard of excellence, while each created its own set of strengths that make a wonderfully diverse, relevant, and accessible set of options for the students we serve.

Here at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, for instance:

·         Our undergraduate biology program is widely considered to be the finest in the UW System;
·         Our College of Natural Resources is the largest, and best undergraduate program of its kind in the world;
·         We produce more graduates who go on to earn research doctorates than any other regional UW university;
·         We consistently lead the entire UW System, including Madison, in the percentage of our graduates who have studied abroad;
·         Our fine arts programs are award-winning and nationally competitive;
·         Our School of Education, the cornerstone of the university, is among the Midwest’s finest.

Similarly outstanding records have been built across the UW System since its formation in 1971. Is it any wonder that three of our universities, including UW-Stevens Point, are ranked in the U.S. News Top Ten Public Universities in the Midwest? The UW prestige that the UW comprehensive universities helped to build is known worldwide.

We have recently and urgently asked you to understand the differences between our institution and the fully funded state agencies with which we are wrongly bundled in your Budget Repair Bill and its surrounding restrictions on unionized employees (our faculty and academic staff members are non-union). We now ask you, in the strongest of terms, to understand the advantages we offer, and those that the other UW institutions offer to this state are not interchangeable commodities. Through the collaborations we build as system partners come efficiencies and enterprise. These will wither away, though, if we are divided as competitors vying for increasingly limited resources in ways that we do not today.

In the case of UW-Stevens Point alone, we:

• Collaborate with UW-Madison to offer a clinical doctorate in audiology on our campus. This unique degree program would be at risk under your plan;
• Receive more than $1 million to operate several centers related to natural resources and science education, a tremendous resource for all of Wisconsin, but that funding comes through the UW-Extension, which would be jeopardized under your plan to dismantle the UW System;
• Provide benefit for the state and nation through our forestry research that is partially funded through UW-Madison under the principles of Land Grant education, principles your plan would severely damage.

This list, and the list that precedes it, could go on and on. Governor Walker, we have a record of success to build upon, and a story we would like you to get to know, much better, before you pursue your plans to dismantle the UW System.

Frankly, we believe that a key to our success over the past generation has come with our university’s first name. We also understand that your plan to spin-off UW-Madison will include allowing that university to take the UW identity with it. Although our proud history here at Stevens Point goes back to 1894, and has included various institutional identities, our best years, thus far, have been as UW-Stevens Point. We believe that even better years lie ahead.

To lose the UW brand and prestige—that we helped establish and build—in today’s highly competitive climate will cause irreparable harm. You are looking for ways to better administer UW-Madison in the 21st century, but you’ll be sending UW-Stevens Point back to the 19th century with the plan you have chosen.

Yes, we agree with you, Governor Walker, that a public authority is the answer. A public authority for the University of Wisconsin System. Not just a single institution. An innovative move like this, on your part, would lift us all from under a costly and restrictive bureaucracy. This would stamp your administration as one that made the right calls to move Wisconsin forward for years to come. Your legacy could take the UW System to even greater heights, or it could be marked by the relegation of public higher education to a second-class experience for our students.

We need you to take your current plan to dismantle the UW System out of your budget proposal and let it be addressed through legislative procedure that includes time for all voices to be heard. Time for our alumni, who report a 99 percent satisfaction rate with their alma mater, to be heard. And time for you, personally, to come to our university to hear our students as they tell you about the futures they see for themselves, the trails they want to blaze, and the concerns they now share under the specter of your proposal.

My candor reflects my responsibility to the people of UW-Stevens Point and my own conviction that we must be allowed to reach our full potential through the transformational power of higher education.

We are part of the SOLUTION. Please hear us. Please see us for yourself. Please take the time to understand the contributions our university and the entire University of Wisconsin System have made to our state, our potential to help lead us all to better days, and the urgency for you to put forth a plan to keep the UW System together.

Vista Royalle Campground receives top rating from Woodall’s

Woodall’s Announces 2011 Top-Rated RV Parks and Campgrounds

VENTURA, CALIF. (Jan. 4, 2011) – Woodall Publications Corporation, producer of the most comprehensive and reliable campground directories available, announces the top rated privately owned RV parks and campgrounds in North America through its 5W/5W rating system. Of the 8,000 privately-owned parks listed in its 2011 North American Campground Directory, 333 parks earned the highest and most coveted designation in the Woodall’s rating system.

The unbiased rating system allows RVers and campers to search and find the top-rated 5W RV parks and campgrounds that meet their travel needs. Campers can identify parks by their 1W to 5W ratings for both park facilities and recreation. The more W’s in a rating reflects the presence of more developments and facilities available at the park. Further, the maintenance of the campground heavily weighs in all park 5W ratings.

To protect the integrity of the rating system, Woodall’s field teams conduct on-site inspections of campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada, as listed in the directory each year. The final ratings are a composite of several different areas of interest, including a park’s physical grounds, restrooms, site and road developments, surrounding recreation and superior maintenance of its facilities.

“Privately owned campgrounds and RV parks covet the 5W Woodall’s rating, valuing it as the industry’s long running standard and most respected rating system,” said Joe Daquino, senior vice president and publisher, Affinity Media, the parent company for Woodall’s Publications. “We are very proud of the 333 campgrounds that have achieved a 5W rating for 2011.”

The 2011 Woodall’s North American Campground Directory is now available at bookstores, RV dealers, Camping World stores, and online. For a complete list of Woodall’s 2011 5W/5W campgrounds, click here.

Top Rated WISCONSIN Campgrounds

Vista Royalle Campground – BANCROFT, WI
Yogi Bear Jellystone Camp-Resort – CALEDONIA, WI
Smokey Hollow Campground – LODI, WI
Hidden Valley RV Resort & Campground – MILTON, WI
Stoney Creek RV Resort – OSSEO, WI
Pride of America Camping Resort – PORTAGE, WI
Evergreen Campsites & Resort – WILD ROSE, WI
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort – WISCONSIN DELLS, WI

My Job is to Defend My Constituents

By State Senator Julie Lassa
I want to share with you the facts behind why I have joined my Senate colleagues in blocking a vote on Governor Walker’s “budget repair” bill. It’s not a decision I took lightly, but the Governor’s unprecedented attempt to ram this extreme bill through the Legislature in a matter of four days required a drastic response.

While the Governor had said for months that he wanted financial concessions from state workers, he never hinted that he would try to take rights away from all public workers. It was a shock to hear the first details about this radical proposal – and even more shocking to learn that the Governor intended to pass the bill so quickly. The bill had only one public hearing, and the Republicans ended it abruptly, leaving hundreds of people in line who had waited hours to give two minutes of testimony. The bill passed the committee at midnight and was scheduled for a vote in the Senate the same day.

If it weren’t bad enough to strip public employees of their voice in the workplace, Governor Walker is also trying to grab the power to unilaterally throw seniors and working families off SeniorCare and BadgerCare without a vote of the Legislature. More than 59,000 people in Central Wisconsin participate in these vital prescription drug and health care programs. On top of all of that, the “budget repair” bill doesn’t even repair the budget – it leaves the current fiscal year deficit even deeper than before. And it raises the debt ceiling so the state can borrow even more money. No wonder more than 1,500 of my constituents contacted me in a few days, asking me to do whatever I could to slow this bill down or change it to address their concerns.

I and my colleagues urged the Governor to slow the process down so the impact of this bill could be studied and debated. He steadfastly refused. When we learned that Governor Walker was shutting down the attempts of even his own party members to amend the bill, it was clear that he had no intention of speaking with us, much less negotiating with us. Unlike the U.S. Senate, we do not have the ability to filibuster a bill. The only option left to us was a Wisconsin Constitutional provision to deny him a quorum in the Senate.

Since we took that action, public employees have stepped forward and agreed to the Governor’s pension and health insurance demands. These employees are willing to pay their fair share. They just want to keep their worker rights, rights they have had for half a century. This compromise now gives Governor Walker the money he says he needs to balance the budget. By accepting their offer and ending his efforts to silence workers, the governor could begin healing the deep divisions his bill has created.

Will Governor Walker take this opportunity? Will he listen to the state’s religious leaders, like Archbishop Listecki, who said there is a moral obligation to respect the legitimate rights of workers? Or will he continue to tell my colleagues and I to come back and “debate” the bill when he has no intention of accepting any compromise? The decision and the responsibility lie with Governor Walker.

I have heard some media commentators refer to this as a “vacation.” Believe me, it’s anything but. My work begins early each morning and continues until late into the night, as I speak with constituents and local elected leaders and work with my colleagues to try to find a way past the current impasse. I’m paying my expenses out of my own pocket, and trying my best to cope with being away from my husband and children and my home.

I miss my two daughters, but I hope they will learn a lesson from this experience. When the rights of people are threatened, each of us has a duty to act. My job now is to defend the rights of my constituents, and I intend to keep doing that job the best I can.

What is a “Snow Emergency?”

Wisconsin cities have different rules for parking during snow removal and cleanup. Your city may declare a snow emergency or it may have a standing rule that defines where drivers can park their vehicles throughout the winter weather months.

Maybe the term “emergency” is a misnomer, but in declaring a Snow Emergency a special “No Parking” ban goes into effect on any city streets. This is simply the most effective way to keep cars off the street, a crucial factor in doing a good plowing job.

Snow Emergency Routes are the first plowed over the whole city generally in a grid pattern. The Snow Emergency Route system was planned so very few residents have to go more than a few blocks to get to a plowed main street. It works the other way also, allowing police and fire vehicles to get within a few blocks of any home by way of plowed streets. These are truly “emergency” routes to keep essential services functioning after major snowfalls that would otherwise paralyze the city.

Residential streets are plowed immediately after Emergency Snow Routes are completed. The reason residentials are completed during the day is most people are at work, so the parking is lighter. School areas are plowed immediately after the Snow Emergency Routes are opened provided all equipment is operable. Alleys are plowed after the streets have been cleared.

So, next time a “Snow Emergency” is declared…you can be prepared!

Lassa: Walker’s Refusal Shows His True Agenda

Madison— State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) issued the following statement on Governor Scott Walker’s refusal to accept the major public employee unions’ concessions of the pension and benefit cuts proposed in his budget repair bill:

“Governor Walker’s true intentions are now crystal clear. The public employees have accepted all of the pension and health plan concessions the governor has asked for. All they want is to keep their right to collectively bargain, a right they have had for half a century. With his refusal to accept their offer, the governor has shown that this bill was never about saving taxpayers money or balancing the budget. His only real objective has been to end the rights of employees to have a voice in their workplace.

“Today, a shadowy group funded by out-of-state billionaires is running TV ads claiming that EMTs, teachers, nurses, and other workers are being selfish by refusing to pay more for their benefits. This is a flat-out lie. Throughout this process, public employees have said repeatedly that they were willing to pay their fair share to help the state balance its books. But Governor Walker has refused to negotiate with them, or even to speak to them. They have accepted all of the monetary demands the governor made, but he still refuses to listen. His only goal is to rob working people of their right to collectively bargain. When he is through stripping public employees of their rights, he will unquestionably begin to take similar rights away from employees in the private sector as well. As the state’s religious leaders have said, that’s morally wrong, and it has to be stopped.”

COLDWELL BANKER RECOGNIZES REAL ESTATE LEADERS

(Wisconsin Rapids, WI) – Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors held its Annual Awards and Recognition Breakfast to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of its REALTOR professionals. The Annual Awards Breakfast was held January 19, 2011 at the Hotel Mead and Craig Hall, Coldwell Banker Affiliate Services Manager was the guest speaker for the event.

Virginia “Ginger” Kosmoski has been named to the company’s International President’s Elite. Only 1 percent of the approximately 96,600 sales associates worldwide in the Coldwell Banker system qualified for the distinguished group. “Ginger Kosmoski exemplifies everything that the President’s Elite represent,” said John “JR” Siewert, Broker/Owner of Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors. “Her extensive understanding of the real estate market in the Wisconsin Rapids area and dedication to her customers truly embodies the ideals of Coldwell Banker.” Kosmoski also received top honors as the Top Producer in the local Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors office.

Brian Hanson and Brian Delaney were both recipients of the Coldwell Banker Diamond Society award. This award level is achieved by only 5 percent of Coldwell Banker associates worldwide. “Coldwell Banker is recognized as a leader in the real estate industry because of professionals like Brian Hanson and Brian Delaney,” said JR Siewert. “Hanson and Delaney have been given the Diamond Society Award because of their outstanding dedication to helping customers recognize the value of real estate as a long term investment and finding the home that’s right for them.”

Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors also recognized it’s agents that were listed among the Top 20 Real Estate Professionals for properties sold in the Wisconsin Rapids Area according to 2010 MLS statistics. Out of the approximately 80 agents in the area, Ginger Kosmoski was ranked #1. At #6 was Brian Delaney with Brian Hanson at #8. Also among the top 20 were Pam Dahl, Don Gass, Tommie Mann and Jan Retzlaff. Karen Ghinazzi was the MLS “Rookie of the Year” at #21, with the highest volume for new agents, for her first full year as a REALTOR professional.

“We are proud of the sales associates and staff that work together to make Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors such a success. We have a long history in the Wisconsin Rapids area, and that has been due to the hard work and perseverance of our professionals for the past 77 years,” said JR Siewert, “We look forward to serving the real estate needs of this community for a long time to come.”

Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors is located at 325 8^th St. South in Wisconsin Rapids, or at www.coldwellbankersiewert.com

Senate Dems Offer Compromise to Walker

Madison— Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Madison), on behalf of the Democratic Senators who delayed a vote on Governor Walker’s budget repair bill to allow time for all parties involved to work together to balance the budget, today sent a letter to Governor Walker to propose a compromise which would permit the bill to move forward in the legislative process.

Noting that the heads of the state’s major public employee unions today agreed to accept the benefit concessions the Governor has asked for, the letter states, “we strongly and respectfully urge you to request that Senate and Assembly Republicans modify your budget repair legislation to remove all references to collective bargaining for all public employees.”

“The unions have offered to be part of the solution by paying more for their pensions and benefits,” Sen. Lassa said. “All they ask is to keep their rights to collectively bargain. I encourage Governor Walker to accept this way forward, and to speak with the public employee unions, so we can begin to heal the divisions in our state.”

The letter is as follows:

Dear Governor Walker,

We’ve learned that earlier today public employees across the state made very clear their willingness to cooperatively accept additional pension and health insurance concessions in order to do their part to help Wisconsin close a 2011 budget gap, and to assist in reducing the state’s deficit going forward.

This development confirms to us that the Capitol demonstrations all this week were not about an unwillingness to bargain pension or health insurance concessions, but rather about the devastating and unprecedented elimination of essential collective bargaining rights for public workers.

Consequently, we strongly and respectfully urge you to request that Senate and Assembly Republicans modify your budget repair legislation to remove all references to collective bargaining for all public employees.

We believe our request reflects a point of view shared by many all across the state, but perhaps most significantly by a variety of religious leaders who have expressed a sincere interest in bringing resolution to what has developed into a deeply divisive environment that threatens progress on so many other pressing state social and economic issues.

We also it believe would speed closure on this issue by meeting with those leaders to listen to their concerns.

Sincerely,
Senator Mark Miller
Senate Minority Leader

Rafters Add Highly Touted Pitcher, Outfielder to 2011 Squad

Kean University RHP Russo selected in 2008 MLB Draft by Phillies

Wisconsin Rapids, WI – February 18, 2011. The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters continued to piece together their 2011 roster by announcing the signings of right-handed pitcher Michael Russo (Kean University) and speedy outfielder Curtis Frisbie (University of Nevada-Reno).

RHP-Michael Russo, 6’6”, 220 lbs (R/R) Junior, Kean University

Michael Russo was selected in the 49^th round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school, but opted to attend North Carolina State to begin his collegiate career. Russo spent his first two seasons as a member of the NC State Wolfpack, before transferring to Kean University in his home state of New Jersey, where he will begin his first season as a member of the Cougars this spring. In Thursday’s release of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) pre-season poll, the Cougars were selected by the league’s coaches to finish first, with eight first-place votes. Russo has garnered pre-season All-American recognition while also being selected as the top 2011 Division III draft prospect by Baseball America, while former Rafter Ken Gregory has been tabbed as a D3baseball.com 2^nd Team Pre-Season All-American.

Last season, as a sophomore at NC State, Russo appeared in 9 games while making 3 starts. He recorded a 2-1 record with a 5.30 ERA while striking out 18 batters in 18 innings pitched. As a freshman, Russo appeared in 6 games, 3 starts, and struck out 13 batters in 14 innings of work.

He is no stranger to summer collegiate baseball, having played last summer with the Jersey Pilots of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. In 8 games, 6 starts, for the Pilots, Russo posted a 4-1 record to go along with a stingy 2.83 ERA. He again showed his knack for the strikeout by fanning 39 batters in only 35 innings pitched.

Russo attended The Hun School during his prep career, where he helped lead his team to a state championship. He went 7-2 with a 1.58 ERA as a senior in 2008, striking out 78, walking just 29 batters and allowing only 38 hits. Russo went 6-1 with a 0.94 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 innings as a junior in 2007. His performance earned him an invitation to pitch on the 2007 USA Junior National Team as well as the 2007 Cape Cod Classic. Russo is a native of Hamilton, New Jersey.

OF-Curtis Frisbie, 6’1”, 190 lbs (R/R) Freshman, University of Nevada-Reno

Curtis Frisbie will begin his first season at the University of Nevada-Reno in 2011, after completing an outstanding prep career at Central Valley High School in California. A four-time baseball letter winner, Frisbie posted some outstanding numbers throughout his high school career. Showing tremendous skill at the plate, Frisbie posted a .506 batting average, .585 on-base percentage, and .876 slugging percentage during his senior season last spring. He displayed power by mashing 10 doubles, 7 home runs, with 43 RBI while walking 13 times versus only 4 strikeouts. He also showed why he was highly-recruited out of high school as a five tool talent, by going a perfect 19 for 19 in stolen base attempts.

As a junior, Frisbie batted .425 with a .480 on-base percentage and hit 12 doubles and 11 home runs, while leading the entire state of California with 55 RBI. The falcons finished the season with a 32-2 team record during his junior year. He again showed his flash of speed as he was a perfect 13 for 13 in stolen base attempts. Frisbie’s tremendous play earned him All-League (2007-2010), All-Section, All-State California (2008-2010), and League MVP honors during his outstanding high school career.

A native of Redding, California, Frisbie is studying Biology at the University of Nevada-Reno.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League. The Rafters will play a 70 game schedule with 35 home games in 2011. Opening Day at Historic Witter Field is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1 at 7:05pm vs. the Madison Mallards. The 2011 Marshfield Clinic Northwoods League All-Star Game will be held in Wisconsin Rapids. The All-Star festivities will begin on Sunday, July 17th with the Marshfield Clinic Home Run Health Fest beginning at 2pm. On Monday, July 18th the Northwoods League North Division All-Stars will take on the All-Stars from the South Division in the League’s 17th Annual All-Star contest beginning at 7:05pm.