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!

 
   And I thought saying goodbye was hard the first time.
   When I made the decision to return to the sports editor position in September, I had no idea I would have to say goodbye again so soon. Unfortunately, it appears that the Altoona Star has gone the way of the Altoona Headlight and the Altoona Tribune before it. As an employee, I am saddened to lose my job of the last four-plus years and to no longer be able to work with as good a group of co-workers as anyone could ask for. As a fan of Altoona sports, I am saddened that I will no longer be able to help provide the coverage that our community’s athletes have earned. But most of all, as a lifelong resident of Altoona, I am saddened that we have lost what I consider to be a valuable piece of our community. Despite that sadness, I am proud to have been involved with the newspaper almost from the very beginning, and I can only hope that we have in some way contributed to the betterment of the community. Those who knew my grandfather, Jerry Hagen, know that an interest in city history is very much ingrained in my family, and if nothing else, I hope that the Star will serve as a historical resource in the years to come.
   My involvement with the Star was more or less a happy accident. I noticed that the original publisher, Robby Robinson, was attempting to juggle all types of coverage mostly by himself, and sent him an email mentioning my involvement and familiarity with Altoona High School sports. I had almost forgotten all about it until several weeks later, in November 2004, I received a reply offering me an interview. I had never taken a journalism class in my life, but had read more than my share of newspaper sports sections, so I tried to emulate those as best I could while watching the Wisconsin Badger basketball team scrimmage UW-Parkside on TV. I took the article I wrote that night to the interview, and before I knew it, I was writing the season previews for the Altoona varsity basketball and hockey teams, and I was off and running as sports editor.
   Although I had the job title of sports editor, I never really thought of it as a job… and frequently during the early years, the lack of paychecks would support that idea. Later, as the newspaper evolved, I took on more responsibilities and started to get a regular paycheck that at least paid the bills, but I still looked at it as more of a hobby than a job. I always took my work seriously, and pulling all-nighters in the office in order to get a full slate of Tuesday-night games into the layout by press time on Wednesday was not my idea of fun, but when my “job” involved in large part cheering on the Altoona sports teams and writing about their success, it’s hard to complain. Not only did it give me any number of opportunities that I would never have had otherwise – like sitting courtside on media row at the boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournaments – it also offered me a forum to try to give something back to the community and the athletic programs that have done so much for me.
   Maybe the most rewarding part of the job, however, was seeing the community embrace the newspaper. I was constantly amazed by how often people approached me at games or other events to express their support for the Star. Numerous times at the graduation parties of high school athletes, I saw entire binders full of Altoona Star newspaper clippings of their careers in sports and other activities. Hopefully, the Star contributed something to their experiences and memories of Altoona. That is probably what I’ll miss the most: while I knew a good number of people in Altoona before I took this job, writing for the Star has given me the opportunity to get to know a lot more. I’ve always said that the best part of the job was developing relationships with the players, coaches, parents, and fans.
   In all, it was a good run, even if it ended too soon. I think all of us working here at the Star knew that this day was a possibility, albeit one we hoped would never actually come. Such an abrupt ending is bound to leave some unfinished business, and I regret not being able to cover the remainder of this season’s events, such as the historic 200th basketball meeting between Altoona and Fall Creek. I wish all the teams and athletes well, and while I will no longer be covering them as a sportswriter, I will be supporting them as a fan.
   Finally, I would like to thank all the people who made my role with the Star possible. While it is impossible to thank them all here, I will say that without the contributions of Robby Robinson, Ed Bohn, or Steve Dye, the newspaper as we know it never could have existed. Steve’s letter mentioned in detail the contributions of the current staff, but I also would like to thank Sara Hefty, Emily Thierfelder, Juliann Sylla, and Lindsey Morrow for being an outstanding group of people to work with. As the only member of the staff that predates the ownership change, I saw firsthand how much of a difference each of them made in the evolution of the newspaper. Most of all, thank you for reading and supporting the paper through the best and worst of the last few years. See you down the tracks

   The city’s big real estate development project of River Prairie isn’t going to work quite as hoped. The ideal – develop the land, flip the land, tax the land – isn’t as fun when it becomes develop the land, sit on the land, figure out how to pay for the land.

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   As children and adolescents growing up in Wisconsin, we can all recall the excitement associated with the anticipation of a potential school cancellation due to the weather. I must say that as a school superintendent, I now approach snow days with much less enthusiasm and excitement. Instead, I view this process as a very serious responsibility of my position. As I write this article on Monday, December 22, four of the past seven school days have had the potential to be cancelled or delayed due to snow or cold!
   There are many factors that go into the decision to cancel or delay school. The safety of the students is first and foremost, but it has to be balanced with living in Wisconsin during the winter months. Winter driving skills are also a safety concern, as well as dressing for the cold. Some more specific considerations include:

• The forecast – all sources, including online media, are utilized.
• Telephone conversations with other superintendents and transportation specialists who drive the roads during the early morning hours.
• The texture and amount of snow.
• When the snowfall starts and ends.
• The blowing and drifting potential associated with the snowfall.
• Whether wind chill is -30 degrees or below.

   Two factors that are not part of the decision are the school activities scheduled for that day and the number of snow days remaining.
   Since we share the same weather pattern and busing terrain, we do have a close relationship with the Eau Claire School District when it comes to the snow day decision. However, there may be days when they are open or closed, and we choose to have only a two-hour delay.
   Remember, a parent or guardian can make the final decision regarding attendance on a bad-weather day. An inclement weather-day absence is excused, but missed work must be made up and the absence will be counted toward the 10 each student is allowed every year.
   Thank you for slowing down, encouraging your adolescent drivers to slow down, and for dressing the young children appropriately for a Wisconsin winter. If you have any questions on this topic, please call me at (715) 839-6180.

   A common buzzword we hear about today is mentoring. We see famous movie and television stars on TV, sitting with children  and imploring us, as viewers, to mentor our own.

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   On Thursday, November 20, after a public hearing, the Altoona City Council approved the 2009 operating and capital budgets for the city of Altoona. This action was the final step in a process that began in August and involved five public meetings.
   The budget process raised many concerns that need to be addressed to ensure the city can continue to provide quality services and facilities to its citizens.

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   Open enrollment, which has been in existence since the 1998 to 1999 school year, is a state-regulated program. Now in its 12th year, the program will accept applications for the 2009 to 2010 school year in February 2009.

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   Altoona joined 22 other communities statewide in voting a strong “yes” on the health care referendum.
   Seventy-two percent of residents in Altoona believe that health insurance companies are scamming people. Seventy-two percent of residents think that the state legislature should crack down on these insurance corporations because they are inefficient and are taking more than $1.5 billion every year out of our wallets due to waste. Seventy-two percent of residents think it is immoral that corporations should be able to profit off of us just because we are sick. Seventy-two percent of residents think that failure from our state legislature is not an option, and that area representatives like Kristen Dexter and Jeff Smith should stand up strong for real reform.
   And most importantly, 72 percent of Altoona residents voted “yes” on Election Day for the legislature to enact a plan that would provide everyone in the state the ability to freely purchase quality, affordable health care as good as what is provided to state legislators.
   We need that security; we deserve that opportunity and action by the legislature will ensure our prosperity. The referendum is a mandate to change our broken health care system – inaction and more of the same is not (and never will be) an option. 

-Andrew Werthmann, Northwest Community Organizer, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

   I hope you’ve noticed the changes we’re making in the distribution of the Altoona Star. As of the next issue, we’ll no longer be sending out free copies of the paper to everyone in the school district. 

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