A quorum being present Chrm. Hanson called to order the bimonthly Town Board meeting of the Washington Town Board at 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, June 5, 2008, at the Town Municipal Building, 5750 Old Town Hall Road.

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   As the bubble slowly bursts, homeowners are apprehensively scanning the news, scrutinizing statistics, and dissecting industry trends for clues as to what might be in store for the volatile housing market.
   In their annual press release, which was released on Friday, May 16, the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) stated that the problems permeating the housing market are consequences of careless lending practices. The report suggests that rather than a housing crisis, the true threat is related to lending and credit problems that lead to foreclosure.
   While foreclosure rates may suggest that the housing market is collapsing in many areas of the country, Northwestern Wisconsin Realtors Association President Dave Dresel asserted that the slump in the Chippewa Valley is different from problems facing states such as California, Arizona, and Florida, and other experts agree.

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   Last year at this time, Altoona’s Whiskey Dicks Bar & Grill was waiting for approval on a renewal of its liquor license. At that time, the license was renewed under the condition that the bar and its owners do everything in their power to deter criminal activity. Stipulations included enforcing a dress code, contacting and cooperating with police when problems arose, and having tavern security personnel patrol the parking lot. According to Altoona Director of Public Safety Todd Chaney, Whiskey Dicks should not have any problems with its liquor license renewal this year, a belief owner Brad Windeshausen hopes is the case.

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Following an ad hoc meeting between city officials and Altoona Outdoors President Dave Elvig to determine the extent of financial contribution the city is able to commit to the development of its recreational bike trails, it remains unclear whether the city will reconsider paying for the maintenance of trails that fall outside city limits. That decision is contingent on whether Altoona Outdoors is comfortable with the current contract, a statement of which is being asked for through a letter from council person Bill Spangler to Elvig.

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   For the past few years, Tuesday nights at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Altoona have usually found Chippewa Valley residents enjoying leisurely bingo games. This past Tuesday, however, saw a bit more excitement. On Tuesday, June 24, St. Mary’s paid out the largest single prize anyone has ever won to Stanley resident Derek Walters: $6,409.50, to be exact. 

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   The Town of Washington is contemplating change and will begin to hold special meetings each month to discuss the town’s future.

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   We used to go for the hot dogs and the free pens that were there for the farmers. The hot dogs were only a dime and the pens were free, but we took more than our share over the years that we used to visit the auctions. The Equity held its auctions twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there was a noticeable increase in pickup trucks and heavier truck traffic through Altoona. Most of the time the pickups were driven by farmers who had their calves tied in the back beds. My wife, Kathy, can remember going frequently to Equity with her dad, Buck, taking a calf or two to sell.

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   The Altoona School Board unanimously voted to approve the proposed contract of a 4.8 percent salary and benefits increase for teachers for each of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years during their regular meeting on Monday, June 23.

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   If you think taking a couple inches off your waist would feel good, just imagine how great you would feel about taking a couple years off your body age. Well, you can do it, and the Polar BodyAge System can help.

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   The 2008 season has not gone according to plan for the Mahoning Valley Thunder. The Youngstown, Ohio-based arenafootball2 team has shuffled through four different starting quarterbacks, ranking 25th in the Arena Football League’s 29-team developmental circuit in both offense and defense, and fell to 2-10 with a 69-27 loss to the Green Bay Blizzard on Friday, June 20 at the Resch Center. But one of the bright spots for the Thunder has been the play of 2002 Altoona High School alumnus John Tackmann.

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