March 2, 2022

Much like electricity was a necessity for rural areas in the 1930s, the need for quality, high-speed broadband internet access in Pierce County can no longer be ignored. When the world as we knew it stopped nearly two years ago, the need to be able to work, study and conduct business from home was pushed to the forefront. Wisconsinites require quality broadband internet access in the 21st Century just as mid-20th Century residents required electricity.

The Prescott School District received some welcome news on Groundhog Day. It learned that it will receive about $650,000 in additional federal COVID-19 relief funds. At the Feb. 16 school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Rick Spicuzza outlined staff’s recommendations for those funds, which the board unanimously approved.

After 24 years as chief and 39 years serving as a firefighter, Brent Langer is hanging up his gear for retirement. Langer was a leader in the community for many years and aided pivotal changes for a successful station and fire association in Ellsworth.

Leah Gavin of Freeman Drug was named the Citizen of the Year Monday night at the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau Annual Awards & Recognition Banquet. Freeman Drug is celebrating its 150th year serving the community.

March 9, 2022

Everyone was sleeping on the morning of Friday, Feb. 25 at 394 Gibbs St. when Ashley Boyer’s 5-year-old nephew came into the bedroom and woke her up. She heard the words that we all dread. The house was on fire.

Unlike most River Falls High School students, Evan White participates in a unique sport that has allowed him to show his skills on a TV show, “American Ninja Warrior Junior.” White was featured on season three of the show and competed with other athletes from across the nation.

When the pandemic struck, town of River Falls residents John and Stephanie Stark didn’t know what they were in for when he had to start working from home. Like countless people across the county, the lack of quality internet soon became all too apparent.

When Jason “Sammy” Sammon joined River Falls Fire Department 26 years ago, he was a UW-River Falls college student and football player. UWRF head athletic trainer Gary “Stump” Eloranta was recruiting firefighters for the department, so Sammon and a buddy signed up. Little did he know, he’d be named 2021 Firefighter of the Year two decades later.

March 16, 2022

When Zach and Heather Fjelstad moved to the town of Trimbelle from St. Paul in 2014, it was a dream come true. Both grew up in small towns in and Pierce County offered the type of lifestyle they wanted, but they didn’t realize an internet nightmare was waiting for them.

Wisconsin Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection spent several hours recently touring the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery and sitting in on a roundtable discussion with cooperative members and local businesses and community representatives.

Ellsworth High School alumna Leann Peterson left Monday for Gdansk, Poland, where she will be helping refugees from Ukraine, the country she has called home for 19 years. A missionary with Fire International Inc., she is anxious to return to her church and the people they serve.

Two major River Falls’ events are getting reboots in 2022, which the River Falls Chamber of Commerce hopes will draw more visitors to the city on the Kinni. Expect to see changes to the upcoming Bluegrass, Bourbon & Brews and September’s Bacon Bash.

March 23, 2022

Voters in the Plum City School District have a critical referendum question to consider on the April 5 ballot. If it doesn’t pass, the school district may have to drastically reduce services, close, or be consolidated with another district.

A 27-year-old Ramsey, Minn. man died Wednesday, March 9 from injuries received in a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash just outside of River Falls.

As the Pierce County Board election approaches April 5, there are many topics on the minds of candidates, ranging from workforce housing to responsible spending, to recruiting and retaining quality employees to reducing methamphetamine use and its stranglehold on county resources. However, it seems that one topic many candidates agree is important is broadband expansion in Pierce County’s rural and/or underserved areas.

Ellsworth Community School District voters will see an operational referendum question on their ballots on April 5. This new referendum, if passed, will replace the current referendum that expires at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

March 30, 2022

At the Pierce County Board meeting held Tuesday, March 22 the board voted to allow public in-person attendance at

meetings while continuing to offer online access. They also lightened the regulations around the COVID-19 Back to Business Plan.

Sisu is a Finnish word that is difficult to define. While it has no equivalent in English, it’s a word that is said to bind and define the Finnish people. Roughly translated, it’s a stoic determination to succeed despite any obstacle, tenacity, grit, bravery, resilience and unending perseverance. It’s digging deep within oneself to keep going no matter what. While she isn’t of Finnish descent, when Stefani Adams was looking for the perfect name for their newly acquired 1906 farmstead in rural River Falls, she was drawn to the word.

The long-anticipated Fairy Wonderland Park will start development this year. The Prescott City Council’s Parks Department reviewed plans on that and discussed hiring lifeguards, the need for more pickleball courts, and what to do about the skate park at its meeting last Monday evening.

Ellsworth High School’s spring play “It’s Not You, It’s Me” is a one-act play full of hilarious scenes the audience will relate to.

Zach and Heather Fjelstad live with their two children in the town of Trimbelle. Their dream was to live in the country, raising their kids on a farm. When they moved here in 2014, they didn’t realize an internet nightmare was waiting for them. Photo courtesy of Heather Fjelstad