Are we going to be ready if disaster strikes?

by Kathleen Vinehout, Wisconsin State Senate Are we ready for an emergency? Can we protect property and life if a disaster strikes? Can we communicate across the county and between cities and counties in a widespread catastrophe?

These questions were asked by the Legislative Audit Bureau in a recent audit. The findings were disturbing and reveal that even with massive investments by the federal government through the Office of Homeland Security, there is still quite a bit of work to do to prepare for an emergency.

Over five years the feds invested $315.5 million to prepare Wisconsinforanemergency – whetheranaturaldisasteroran attack by hostile forces.

The audit looked at whether the money was properly spent and – a different question – whether the money was used to address the most pressing problems of emergency management in the state. The answer was ‘yes’ to the first question – all the money was properly spent. But ‘no’ to the second question; there are very important needs in the state that remain unaddressed…Solving the problem is not simple. The money is coming from the federal government. So State Legislators cannot pass a law requiring an agency to move the money from one priority to another. We must instead cajole the federal government into tightening its rules.

Another problem – where we may have more influence – is one of “dual command.”

The state puts responsibility for emergency preparation in two separate agencies: Emergency Management in the Department of Military Affairs is the agency responsible for planning and the Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) distributes most of the money is most needed but it’s the other agency with the authority to give out the money.

To bring light to these problems and the potential disasters that come if they are not solved, I and my co-chair on the Audit Committee called a public hearing… What is old becomes new again! Tropical Maize pilot project for bio-fuel in Prescott (photo of George Jacques and Wendy White with tall corn stalks. Photo credit Mary Beth Jacques) By Mary Beth Jacques You may have noticed some unusually tall lush corn at George Jacques’s farm along Highways 29 and 35! George is collaborating with University of Illinois graduate student Wendy White and her advisor, Dr. Fred Below, in field trails of tropical maize. Tropical maize can grow taller than conventional maize hybrids resulting in more biomass and higher sugar content in the stalks making it an excellent potential candidate for biofuel in the U.S.

Exploiting maize for sugar and ethanol production dates back thousands of years ago and exemplifies the concept of “what is old becomes new again.” Anthropologists suggest that the domestication of maize from its wild ancestor teosinte, a large wild grass, was likely for the high sugar content of its wild ancestor, which had many uses including fermentation to alcohol.

Crop scientists from the University of Illinois are studying tropical maize and have found that when the crop is grown in the U.S. it does not produce grain, but stores sugar in its stalks instead.

These findings could make it a potential U.S. biofuel crop, and may open the gate to a production process as similar to Brazil’s sugarcane based ethanol sector.

Tropical corn is a short-day plant, so when we grow it in the Midwest, the long summer days and longer photosynthesis period delays flowering, which causes the plant to grow very tall and produce few or no ears. Instead of sending its energy into grain formation, the plant stores sugar in the stalk… See CORN, page 2A

25 Years Ago THE PIERCE COUNTY HERALD August 16, 1995

Bay City area parish to be new pastor’s first church By Bill Kirk BAY CITY—New Pastor Carol Peterson of Minneapolis has found her first church, a Bay City area parish that’s been led by an interim pastor for the past two years.

Bethlehem-Eidsvold Lutheran Parish members voted to call Peterson early this month, and she is scheduled to conduct her first worship service at the two churches on Sunday, Sept. 10. She will succeed interim pastor Peter Narum, who followed Pastor Keith Parker and will now assume a position as a pastoral counselor with Lutheran Social Services in Mason City, Ia.

Peterson graduated from Luther Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities in May, she said last Friday. The Michigan native has long thought of being a pastor…“I’m looking forward to being in the community,” she said… Teen dies in one-car accident By Sue Odegard BELDENVILLE—A 16-year-old Beldenville girl became the fourth traffic fatality in Pierce County this year following a single- vehicle accident reported shortly before 8:30 a.m., Sunday, in Martell Township on CTH J, north of 690th Avenue.

Amy Lynn Rohl, daughter of Gary and Judy Rohl…was pronounced dead at the scene, shortly after 9 a.m. by Pierce County Coroner Dr. E. R. Jonas.

According of a report at the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Rohl lost control of her 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity in a curve…she was not wearing a seat belt.

Rohl was born Oct. 17 , 1978, in Red Wing and was employed as a waitress at the Red Barn Restaurant…(photo of Amy Rohl) Island students going to RW schools—for now By Karl Puckett, Correspondent Three families on Trenton Island will be allowed to attend Red Wing schools this year, but the Ellsworth School Board isn’t through with the issue.

Last year, the board gave the families a variance to attend school in Red Wing because the residents said they were participating in the floodplain buyout.

The families said they were moving to Red Wing and wanted the variance to make the transition to the new schools easier.

But the district learned that one of the families isn’t participating in the buyout after all, and officials worried they had opened up the “floodgate” for all residents to leave the district if they wanted to, whether or not they were involved in the buyout.

“We sort of opened up a Pandora’s box by letting our kids attend school in Red Wing,” Board Member Jim Haugen said Thursday.

The issue is significant because an exodus of families would have large financial ramifications. The district would lose $5,723 in state aid for each student who leaves.

Superintendent Jim Streifel noted that several families in the Prairie View area think of Red Wing as their hometown, and would like to have their children attend school there…

40 Years Ago PRESCOTT JOURNAL August 7, 1980

(photo) What good is living by the river if you can’t see the water, said the late Captain Charles Sunby. This is one view from Mercord Mill Park.

You can’t see the river for the trees By Mary Beeler Tom Clark is right.

He is the District Director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Through his office, approval was given for improvement of Mercord Mill Park from a parking lot into a people park. Last year, under a highway department/city shared contract, fill was hauled into the area, which was seeded, and then partly sodded. Trees were planted. A picnic shelter, six picnic tables, curbing, a blacktop driveway to the city stone building, were all put in the park.

Then the highway department considered the job done, except for planned toilet facilities.

The VFW placed a flagpole and nice brick base in the park. ShirleySchultzdonatedabenchinmemoryofhe her husband and his father. The city had a nice sign made. The 1976 Bicentennial Committee historical marker had been the forerunner of all these park improvements.

That about the extent of interest in the park, it seems…the little park is attracting many visitors. The old standbys, the river watcher’s group, now congregate on the street side of the park, away from their favored haunt on a riverbank picnic table. They miss the shade from the big old elm threes, now dead and removed, so they gather under the roofed picnic shelter.

So it almost seems a shame to mention cutting away anything else in the park that has roots, branches and green leaves.

But Clark, in a recent letter to Prescott’s Mayor Dean Hauschildt, said that when the toilet facilities are completed, DOT obligation in the development of this park, in conjunction with the Great River Road, will be completed.

“It appears to us that perhaps the city should be undertaking some work on their own to improve the area around the park and enhance its utilization and the view of the river. Any improvements that the city can make that would enhance Mercord Mill Park and the utilization of the area for its intended purposes would certainly be appreciated, and I feel would improve the area of the city also,” Clark wrote.

Clark is right.

Somewhere out beyond the scrub and weeds, there is a river full of interesting movement. It would be nice to see the river as a wide angle view from all areas of the park… Three killed in crash A two car accident near Prescott on August 2 at 2:30 a.m. resulted in three fatalities. The accident happened on Highway 29 north of Prescott between the Cedar St. Croix driveway and the Apple Orchard driveway.

A Pinto driven by Paul C. Kittleson, 20, Inver Grove Heights was headed southbound. David S. Kendall, 29, Roberts, was headed northbound in a Gremlin. The vehicles collided head on in the northbound lane of Highway 29.

Kittleson and his passenger, Michael P. Connors, 20, Inver Grove Heights, were pronounced dead at the scene. Kendall was taken by the Prescott Ambulance to Regina Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 5, 1980 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Inver Grove Heights, with interment in National Cemetery.

55 Years Ago THE PIERCE COUNTY HERALD August 12, 1965

“Big Cat” Seen in East Ellsworth Sunday Night Eerie screams about 2 a.m., and sightings of a huge mountain lion or lynx were reported Sunday night in East Ellsworth.

Sunday night about 2 a.m., Eddie Laron and Lorin Larson heard the screams in East Ellsworth. They went out and in the road above Don Lubnow’s house, saw a big beast standing. Neither had a gun at the time. It was described as being as big as Lorin Larson’s police dog, and that’s big.

Monday night they were ready with guns, but saw nothing. The cat’s howls have also been heard in the vicinity of the Ellsworth golf course.

Wedding: Donald Quinn to Catherine Epple on August 7 at St. Mark’s

85 Years Ago THE ELLSWORTH RECORD August 15, 1935

MARTELL BREAKS EVEN IN TWO GAMES OF PAST WEEK Martell defeated Hammond, 5 to 3, at the Hersey fair last Friday. This was a good game considering the field the game was played on, which was rolling and rough. Batteries were: Martell—Glumske and C. Ramberg; Hammond—A. Ramberg; Jennings Erb, and Johnny Erb. Following is the score by innings: Martell: one run each in the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth innings; Hammond: three runs scored in the seventh inning, winner Martell. Later defeated by a team called the Tigers 8 to 5.

Obit: Henry Brenner of Clayfield Catholic church.

115 Years Ago RIVER FALLS JOURNAL August 17, 1905

Go to Aid Lepers Three sisters of charity sailed from Vancouver, B. C. by the steamship Empress of India recently to spend their lives in the leper colony at Kumamtu, Japan, where there are 400 lepers.

GOLDEN WEDDING Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus F. Covell Celebrate their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary MARRIED IN PRESCOTT—LIVED THERE 50 YEARS (photos of couple) At the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Covell, in Prescott, Friday, August 4, 1905, was celebrated the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Fridley Covell. Invitations had been issued by their son, E. K. Covell, and their daughter, Mrs. F. W. Bliss, of River Falls, and about 75 friends— mostly friends of a lifetime—responded in person.

160 Years Ago THE PRESCOTT DEMOCRAT AUGUST 22, 1860

Math difficulties: “How do you get along with your arithmetic?” asked a father of his little boy.

“I’ve ciphered through addition, partition, abduction, subtraction, distraction, abomination, justification, hallucination, darnation, amputation, creation and adoption,” the boy said.