Members of the Chamber of Commerce, including local business owners, city administrators, governmental officials, and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley Technical College, will participate in the 15th Annual Chippewa Valley Rally, which begins on Wednesday, January 21 and continues through Thursday, January 22. There, attendees will be able to speak with local, regional, and state representatives about public projects that would be beneficial to the Chippewa Valley.
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   In July 2008, Altoona resident Juanita Peck joined 24 other Wisconsin residents to become members of the 13th Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, a two-year-long initiative run by the University of Wisconsin System to help members become stronger community leaders. In the past seven months, Peck has traveled across the region to work with city, school, and government officials to learn exactly what one needs to make a difference in their community.

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   Although citizens should always question fundraising organizations and ask what the money is supporting, Altoona residents should once again be particularly aware of phone calls and other solicitations sponsored by a Boston-based organization called School Booster Company. 

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   This Friday will mark the end of the Altoona Star as a weekly publication. Based on the advertising conditions and the subscription counts, the newspaper continually required too much external support and was not getting close enough to the break-even point to keep subsidizing. Unlike some entities, we will not be asking for a government bailout; rather, we will accept that the market isn’t there for this service and move on.
   I want to thank a few folks that have done a great job taking over the paper and making it into something I, for one, am very proud of:
   Sara Hefty managed the transition from the previous owners and basically rebuilt the paper from scratch. She developed and systemized the operations so that every week, we would get a consistent issue out and every issue would continually get better. She also did a great job finding good people and helping them succeed.
   Emily Thierfelder took over the editor job at this time last year and did a great job of managing the publication every week. She made sure we had the writers and photos needed. She also selected the stories and made sure the content was edited and ready for the paper when it came time to hit the publication deadline.
   Juliann Sylla started part-time last spring doing excellent graphic design work for the paper and has helped create much of the solid advertising and graphics that made the paper stand out.
   Lindsey Morrow picked up the sales spot this past fall and did a great job of getting out and meeting advertisers and helping them find good advertising solutions with the paper.
   Derek Hagen has covered hundreds of sports articles for the paper over the years and has done an extraordinary job making sure the games were covered and covered well.
   This list doesn’t include a whole pile of folks that did editing, writing, photography, and more. Thank you to everyone that contributed in every area. It was a great setup and your help and participation was extraordinary.
   Also, thanks to the folks that worked with our reporters on stories, from the staff of the city to the schools and a whole bunch of other folks that help provide the details of the news – thank you.

   Well, what can I say? Having to close down the newspaper is a unfortunate situation, but the numbers don’t lie – a poor economy combined with rough times for the publication industry as a whole finally affected the Altoona Star.
   The past year has been fantastic. I have learned so much about the community of Altoona: The ins and outs of civic development, more about municipal finance than I think I will ever need to know, and most importantly, I have gotten to know many of the residents that make this small Wisconsin town such a great place to live and work – and I have enjoyed every moment.
   As Altoona Star Creative Director Sara Hefty wrote in her January 5th, 2007 “editor’s note,” the newspaper hired me right out of college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Being so young and relatively inexperienced, I know many of you did not need to trust me as much as you did – but nevertheless, you answered my phone calls, called me with news tips and story ideas, and continued to read the newspaper. In doing so, you helped me and the rest of the Star staff provide real-world experience to a plethora of freelance reporters and photographers, and made my first year of “adult” work one of the most enjoyable I think I might ever have.
   It has been an educational and challenging year, but I leave with fantastic memories of the Altoona community. I am looking forward to the future – and hopefully, to seeing some of you around town once in a while!

   At the Altoona City Council meeting on Thursday, January 8, City Administrator Mike Golat updated members on a list of projects he submitted for consideration in Governor Jim Doyle’s request for a $3.7 billion federal stimulus package for the state of Wisconsin. Although it is unknown how much money the state will receive and how much will trickle down to individual municipalities, Golat felt the list submission was a proactive move.

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   They draw the ire of the innumerable. They are abused, ridiculed, and berated. They are sworn at, greeted with shaking fists, and even flicked the “phalangel” fowl. Regardless, they refuse to waver on their cause. They continue to rally in the crisp cold each morning, religiously donning the vivid outfits and headgear that have defined them for generations. Almost indiscernible behind the small slits that have been left open for wary eyes, they forge on amidst the fury that follows. Who is this group that digests the disdain of so many Altoona residents? What monsters deserve this wrath of rail-roader rage? Apparently, it is Altoona’s adult school crossing guards, and they are not all that happy about it.

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   Every year, nearly 500 people die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, with another 15,000 sent to the emergency room with complications. Of those lives lost, more than 25 are children. Paula Pater, coordinator of Safe Kids Chippewa Valley, hopes to prevent these tragedies by educating the public about this common danger.

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   The Altoona girls’ basketball team held River Falls scoreless for a stretch of over eight minutes in the first half as they went on an 18-0 run to take control in a 60-37 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday, January 10 in Altoona.

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   Riding a six-game winning streak since their 1-3 start, it appeared the Altoona girls’ basketball team was back on track. The one thing they had not done in that span was face a team with a winning record. They faced that test on Tuesday, January 13, and passed, extending their winning streak to seven games with a 50-46 win over rival Eau Claire Regis in a game that could prove crucial in the Western Cloverbelt Conference standings.

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