Due to the Riverfront Rendezvous festival, the Pool and Waterslide Complex will not be open for the evening sessions on July 1, 2, or 3. All of our Lifeguards help with the many duties and responsibilities at Riverfront Rendezvous each year.
Archive for June, 2011
Coldwell Banker – Siewert, Realtors distributes flags for 19th year
June 29, 2011WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI, 6/29/11– Coldwell Banker – Siewert, Realtors is proud to be part of the July 4th festivities in the Wisconsin Rapids area. As their way of celebrating all the things that bring us together as a community and a country, Coldwell Banker – Siewert, Realtors will once again be giving away flags prior to the fireworks display.
“We enjoy giving back to our community in many ways throughout the year, but the Independence Day flag give-away is one more way of showing our pride in this community, as well as this nation. We are proud to live in America, and proud to be working in an industry that can make the American Dream of homeownership a reality. In many countries, people don’t have the opportunity to own land, much less a home!” said JR Siewert, Broker/Owner of Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors.
Agents and staff of Siewert Realtors will be handing out the “free” flags along the riverbanks on the evening of July 4th. This is the 19th year that Coldwell Banker Siewert, Realtors has given the flags to those viewing the fireworks along the riverbanks in Wisconsin Rapids.
Coldwell Banker- Siewert, Realtors located at 325 8th St. So. in Wisconsin Rapids can be reached at 715.424.4800. Coldwell Banker – Siewert, Realtors has been an affiliate of the Coldwell Banker System for 29 years. You can visit them at http://www.coldwellbankersiewert.com
Portage County Crime Stoppers
June 29, 2011Everyone’s worst nightmare is breaking down far from help while driving out on the road. On June 11, at approximately 9:30 p.m,. that happened to a local vehicle owner. The owner stated that the vehicle quit running and she called for help. She was able to get the vehicle off the roadway and parked on Taft Rd. one half mile south of Lake Rd. in the Township of Buena Vista. While she was waiting for a ride, a suspicious truck, described as an older dark pick-up, drove by twice. The owner of the broken-down car was picked up and taken home, and she made arrangements to go back and get her vehicle in the morning.
In the early morning hours of June 12, the vehicle owner was awakened by officers who advised her that her vehicle had been badly vandalized while parked on Taft. Rd. The owner and her father returned to the scene to view the damages.
The victim stated that the 2008 Dodge Caliber had no prior damage. Officers were able to determine that a metal pipe had done the damage to the exterior and an unknown weapon cut the seats. The windows were smashed and all areas of the exterior and interior were damaged except for the trunk. Evidence was gathered at the scene by the officers.
There is a total loss to this vehicle totaling over $12,000.
If you have any information about this criminal damage or any other crime, call Portage County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-346-6600. You can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward.
No Change in Collection Schedule Fourth of July Week
June 27, 2011There will be no change in our Garbage and Recycling Collection Schedule during the Fourth of July Week (July 4 – 8). If you normally put your bins at curbside on Monday night, remember to do it on the Fourth of July!
Lassa Tries to Save Armory Funding
June 25, 2011Asks Governor to veto provision that would strip bonding authority for project
Madison — State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) today asked Governor Walker to veto the provision in the state budget that eliminates bonding authority to construct a new National Guard Readiness Center and Field Maintenance Shop in Wisconsin Rapids to replace a crumbling World War I era building.
“Maintaining the bonding authority in the budget will cost taxpayers nothing,” Lassa said. “Rather than eliminating the bonding authority, we should work with Congressman Duffy and Senators Kohl and Johnson to get federal funding for the project restored during the next defense budget. If the Governor approves eliminating the bonding authority, the Armory project will have to go through the legislative and Building Commission process all over again, which could delay construction even longer.”
“A new armory would improve the readiness of the National Guard units stationed here and bring much-needed construction jobs into the area,” she said.
The $3.7 million in state-supported bonding was intended to leverage more than $60 million in federal funding to replace the aging and inadequate National Guard Armory. The project was enumerated by the State Building Commission in March, but funding for the project was subsequently removed from the federal budget.
“This project will bring tens of millions of federal funds into our area to replace the current World War I-era building,” Lassa said. “This antiquated facility no longer meets the needs of the National Guard troops. Cement is crumbling from portions of the facility, there have been numerous problems with the heating and cooling system, and the units have outgrown the space.”
“Our National Guard units there need larger and more technology-friendly facilities to help them confront their missions overseas, and the high-tech equipment stored at the armory needs climate-controlled storage that the current building can’t provide,” Lassa said.
Lassa helped secure funding for the project in the 2009-2011 state budget. In May, the state purchased 25 acres in the West Side Industrial Park to serve as the site of a 96,500 square foot Readiness Center and a 24,800 square foot motor vehicle storage building.
GREEK FINANCIAL CRISIS HAS THE WORLD’S ATTENTION
June 25, 2011By Joel Sullivan, partner Buena Vista Investment LLC
A lot of attention from the financial world has been focused on Greece recently. Specifically, investors are monitoring the possibility of default. Greece is unable to pay their current debt obligations without assistance form other European Nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Both institutions have made additional aid contingent upon whether the current government has the backing of parliament and whether Greece can pass significant budget cuts. On Tuesday , Greek prime minister George Papandreou survived a critical vote of confidence by his parliament. In terms of budget cuts, Greece is being asked to slash $40 billion from their budget. Time is running out for Greece. Euro zone finance ministers meet July 3rd. Greece has E$12 billion coming due in the very near term. In addition to that, they need another E$100 billion to meet the 2012 budget.
The main focus of attention is on whether or not Greece defaults, meaning they can’t pay on their debt. This situation could play out in several ways. Greece could actually default on their debt, or they could have what is referred to as a de facto default. De facto default is the term used to describe a situation whereby the borrower changes the terms of the loan. Lenders still may get most or all of the money owed to them, but typically over a longer time period or at different interest rates. This is what occurred with Latin American debt in the 1980’s. This isn’t as severe as an actual default, but many experts still feel that such an occurrence in Greece would be detrimental to confidence.
You may wonder whether this even matters to anyone investing in the US stock market. In situations such as this, it is helpful to put things in perspective. First, let’s look at the size of the Greek economy relative to the world economy. Greece represents ½ % of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP of Greece is about $310 billion. To put that in perspective, that puts Greece about midway between the economies of Wisconsin ($252 billion) and Michigan ($372 billion). So in absolute terms, Greece is not a major player in the world’s economy. However, psychologically, Greece could have a much bigger impact. Financial markets trade not just on data, but on emotion as well. Overall levels of confidence and fear can have significant impacts on the market, especially in the short term. And, at this stage in the economic recovery the world stock markets seem especially vulnerable to shocks.
Secondly, it is important to understand that defaults by nations are not uncommon, especially for Greece. Economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff documented in their research in 2008 that Greece has defaulted or rescheduled its debt 5 times since 1829. Argentina has defaulted 3 times since 1980. Mexico and Brazil defaulted in 1983 and nearly defaulted in the early 90’s.
The reality is that Greece is a small country with a long history of financial crises. The real issue is a fear that these defaults could spread to other European countries and that European banks would be negatively affected. So actual default of even a restructuring of debt by Greece may have a short term negative affect on U.S. financial markets, but is unlikely to have a significant impact in the long run.
Buena Vista Investment Management, 241 Third St. S., Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
715-422-0700
United Way of Portage County Distributes over 3,000 Children’s Books
June 23, 2011
Stevens Point, WI – June 22, 2011– United Way of Portage County received more than 3,000 children’s books from the Schools of Hope program in Dane County to distribute to children’s homes throughout Portage County.
United Way of Portage County, Portage County RSVP and Rosholt School District piloted a 3rd grade reading initiative at Rosholt Schools this past school year. Portage County’s program, Learn for Life, modeled many of the same best practices used by the nationally recognized Schools of Hope program in Dane County.
The Stevens Point Area School District has been discussing the possibility of expanding the Learn for Life program into their school district. The Learn for Life pilot partners invited teachers and reading specialists from Stevens Point Area School District to meet with representatives from the Schools of Hope program in Dane County.
After the visit, the Schools of Hope program in Dane County shared more than 3,000 children’s books with United Way of Portage County. In accepting the donation, United Way of Portage County pledged that the books would be distributed for kids to have at home.
Stevens Point Area School District Superintendent Attila Weninger supported getting the books in the homes of children and he accompanied United Way staff in bringing the books from Madison to Stevens Point.
Books are currently being shared with children through the following programs: Project Fresh Start, Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Portage County Health and Human Services WIC Program (Women, Infant and Children), Family Crisis Center, the Homework Center, Ministry Dental Clinic, BookCycle, and 4-K summer school students.
For more information, please call United Way of Portage County’s Director of Community Impact, Patti Cahill at 715-341-6740 or pcahill@untiedwaypoco.org.
AAA Projects a Slight Decrease in Independence Day Travel
June 22, 2011Despite recent declines, the sustained period of expensive fuel prices about one dollar more than a year ago will offset year-over-year improvement within other economic indicators
PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — AAA forecasts 39 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Independence Day holiday weekend, a 2.5 percent decline from the 40 million people who traveled a year ago. The Independence Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, June 30 to Monday, July 4.
“AAA is projecting a slight decline in the number of Independence Day travelers mainly due to fuel prices being approximately one dollar per gallon higher than last year,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel Services. “Increased fuel costs are also responsible for a shift in the demographics of the typical Independence Day traveler as higher prices impact lower income households more significantly.”
The amount of money spent each month on gasoline is unlikely to vary much across household income groups, however as a share of total spending fuel is obviously going to consume a larger share of the budget for lower income households. As a result, the percentage of travelers with a household income of $50,000 or less is expected to decrease from 41 percent to 33 percent, while travelers with a household income of more than $100,000 are expected to increase to 35 percent from 26 percent.
AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Boston-based economic research and consulting firm teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades. The complete AAA / IHS Global Insight 2011 Independence Day Holiday Travel Forecast can be found at AAA.com/news.
Drinking ater quality report released
June 22, 2011The Staff and Management of the City of Stevens Point Water Department are proud to provide safe, dependable water to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The bottom line is: Our water meets or exceeds all federal and state standards for quality and safety.
In June 2010, Stevens Point was awarded first place in the “BEST OF THE BEST” drinking water contest at the International American Water Works Association conference in Chicago, IL. So not only do we have great tasting water, it is clean and safe to drink as well.
This report describes Stevens Point’s drinking water quality, which conforms to federal regulations. We want our valued customers to be informed about their drinking water. The federal government also wants you to be informed about what substances are in your water. They have required all water utilities in the U.S. to provide this information to their customers on an annual basis since October 1999.
CAPCO Redux? Republicans in Disarray over Venture Capital Proposals
June 21, 2011Sen. Lassa, Rep. Pasch highlight their responsible proposal to leverage home-grown venture capital for Wisconsin companies
MADISON – In response to published reports that Governor Walker and legislative Republicans are still struggling to come up with a venture capital bill in the wake of public outcry against their CAPCO proposal, Senator Julie Lassa (D – Stevens Point) and Representative Sandy Pasch (D – Whitefish Bay) highlighted their well-reasoned proposal to leverage $500 million in home-grown venture funds dedicated to building Wisconsin’s economy at no risk to Wisconsin taxpayers.
The Republican bill – known as the “Wisconsin Jobs Act” – stalled last month after receiving bipartisan resistance. Critics called the plan, which gives hundreds of millions of tax dollars to large out of state companies, the “most dubious giveaway…ever seen” and the “largest special interest Wisconsin tax cut in history.”
“The proposal put forth by Governor Walker and legislative Republicans is a massive handout to big out-of-state insurance companies. Not only will they pay no taxes on 80 percent of the profits from these investments, they don’t even have to pay taxpayers back the $200 million the state would use to start the fund,” said Sen. Lassa. “The Economic Development Committee, which Senator Hopper chairs, has our venture capital bill before it now. Rather than continue to wrangle about this extremely flawed CAPCO provision, the legislature could pass our bill now and start getting Wisconsin’s economy moving.”
The proposal authored by Sen. Lassa and Rep. Pasch directs the newly-created Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to use up to $100 million in bonding authority to create an investment fund to leverage $500 million of venture capital dedicated to building Wisconsin’s companies and our state’s economy. Since there are no tax dollars involved, taxpayers are not on the hook.
“Our venture capital proposal contains the recommendations from a diverse coalition of business, academic, policy and community leaders in the Be Bold Report,” said Rep. Pasch. “It will address the greatest need Wisconsin businesses have to grow and create new jobs – investment capital. And it will meet that need without massive tax loopholes, handouts to special interests, or risky schemes that leave taxpayers holding the bag. If Republicans are serious about creating a venture capital fund, they should take our bill up now.”
Stevens Point News 