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Heather Kent of Altoona is Little Miss Chippewa Valley 2009

On April 5, 2009 Modern Miss Pageants held the first annual Miss Chippewa Valley Pageant. The program promotes leadership skills, teaches life lessons with community service, helps gain strength through accomplishments, develops maturity and self esteem through education and gives opportunity for the future. The pageant featured age categories from age 3 to 18 and had contestants from throughout the Chippewa Valley represented.

The pageant was held at Ramada Convention Center and consisted of photo judging, onstage interviews, spring outfit modeling and evening gown modeling to a panel of five judges. Points were based on confidence, personality, energy, grace, poise and elegance.

The Pageant winners were:
Miss Chippewa Valley 2009 – Heather Smith from Colfax, WI
Miss Chippewa Valley – 1st Runner Up – Kailee Hodgson from Chetek, WI
Miss Chippewa Valley – 2nd Runner Up – Jazmee Rowe from Jim Falls, WI
Little Miss Chippewa Valley 2009 – Heather Kent from Altoona, WI
Little Miss Princess 2009 – Alison Wahl from Eau Claire, WI
Little Miss Teeny 2009 – Madilynn Hanson from Eau Claire, WI

2009 Miss Chippewa Valley pageant court

   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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   After growing up in Waunakee, Wis., and attending high school there, Altoona resident and City Council President Bill Spangler attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, then attended Hamline University for his law degree.  He is a partner at the Eau Claire law firm of Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, S.C.
   Bill met his wife, Leslie, when they were both trumpet players in the UW-Madison marching band and they have been together ever since. They had their first child, Sylvia, in October 2007. They also have a 4-year-old black lab named Stella.

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   After many months of preparation, Altoona’s 4-year-old kindergarten program, “Altoona 4K… All Aboard,” is set to register its first group of students during the week of Monday, January 12 through Tuesday, January 20. 

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   Altoona resident Judy Meinen knows what it means to live with your heart. As owner of Angel Care Healing Touch in Eau Claire, Meinen has devoted herself to helping others through the use of various therapeutic practices, such as Healing Touch and Reiki.

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   On Thursday, December 25, the home of Altoona resident Heidi Smith and her family caught on fire. Her half of the duplex, located at 2415 Bradwood Avenue, was completely destroyed, while the other half, located at 2419 Bradwood, sustained smoke and some fire damage. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, preliminary suspicions point to an electrical problem.

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   When Altoona High School and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduate Erin Lynum started her post-education employment search, she only had one prerequisite: no office job. Interested in learning a new language and exploring the world, Lynum opted to forgo the traditional workplace and serve her country by volunteering for the Peace Corps. After a tough and selective process filled with pages and pages of paperwork that lasted nearly eight months, Lynum found herself halfway across the globe as an eighth-grade teacher in the village of Monapo, Mozambique.
   Almost a year and a half later and back home briefly for the holidays, Lynum took a moment to reflect on her teaching experiences thousands of miles from home.

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   When Roger Anderson had driven one million miles for the Minnesota company Fortune Transportation, he got to select the color of his next truck. He chose green.
   This past November, when the Town of Washington resident clocked in at 2 million miles in his green rig, he received a wooden plaque commemorating a distance few truckers have achieved. Soon afterward, Roger received something else that is rare to his profession — a request to fulfill a dream.

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At the Active & Alive in Altoona Wellness Fair last summer, businesses from throughout the Chippewa Valley came to show residents various ways to live healthier lifestyles - including showing the importance of physical activities.

   Along with the new year come many new year’s resolutions. These promises might include losing weight, exercising more, and developing healthier lifestyle habits. While some begin with good intentions, it is often easier for most people to maintain new and improved lifestyles if they have camaraderie along the journey – and thanks to the efforts of Altoona city officials and school district staff, a program designed for Chippewa Valley residents with just these goals for 2009 will kick off in two months.

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Pedersen Elementary School physical education teacher Victor Pastrana will join wife Jill and sons Daniel, Lucas, and Pascal in Chile after the 2008-2009 school year ends. He will return in time for the 2009 fall semester.

   This summer, Pedersen Elementary School physical education teacher Victor Pastrana will travel to Chile for an extended stay with his family.

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