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The late Trevor J. Diesing, who was killed while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq last August, will be memorialized during a name-unveiling ceremony at the Pierce County Courthouse Friday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. Sgt. First Class Diesing's name is to be permanently displayed on a veterans' memorial tablet in front of the courthouse. Five such tablets there list the names of county soldiers who've died in past wars. Area residents wishing to show their respect are invited to the ceremony. Family members will be part of the program, according to Diesing's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Pierce County's small communities echo a trend statewide by leading in population growth here, according to 2005 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The final estimate of the Jan. 1, 2005, total population for the county is 39,329, information from the state's Department of Administration through County Clerk Jamie Feuerhelm's office indicates. This represents a change of 2,525 people (6.861 percent) since the 2000 census, when the total was 36,804. Aside from the City of River Falls, a couple of towns led in growth for Pierce municipalities over the five-year period.
HAGER CITY--Steve Mark was recovering at home last week from a brain infection and mini-strokes he suffered last month. Mark, a dairy farmer and banker at Hiawatha National Bank in Hager City, was the subject of a pancake breakfast benefit early last week at St. Francis Catholic Church in Ellsworth, organized by his friends from that church and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Big River. Medical check-ups will be ongoing over the next few weeks, he said Wednesday. Presently, his blood is being monitored and he will be on medication for three-to-six months.
The downward trend in waste collection continued at this spring's Pierce County Clean Sweep event, reaffirming the program's ongoing effectiveness. A total of 15,074 pounds of agricultural, household and business hazardous waste collected at the April 1 event compared with 20,418 pounds during the spring sweep a year ago.
People accustomed to the truck and tractor pulls normally held in the Ellsworth area will need to kick it up a notch when going to the "Showdown in Curd Town" this Friday. Billed as "the greatest show on dirt," this Tri-State Truck and Tractor Pullers Association event is being held for the first time in the community to benefit the Ellsworth FFA Alumni. The action will begin at 7 p.m. and continue until 11-11:30 p.m.
Since Jill Sears put new screen printing equipment into operation at her Town of Ellsworth home early this month, she's already done many printing jobs. The Designs by Jill owner no longer needs to hire an outside contractor to handle the printing aspect of a process that places her artwork on promotional items.
An area day care provider's about to become a preschool operator from her Ellsworth home. Justa Berenschot, who's cared for children from infants to age three for the past three-and-a-half years, is preparing to open Little Wonders Preschool there this fall. She'll offer such features as story time, creative art, free play and snack time. "I've been getting burned out on these 12-hour days," Berenschot said Thursday of her day care enterprise. A local resident since she was three-years-old herself, she'd thought about starting a preschool for around a year.
A shopping center in Ellsworth's midway district is being given a facelift and a new name. The 40,000 square foot center which presently houses Family Dollar, JoJo's Jewelry, Midway Motors and Village Pharmacy will be known as The Village Center, according to owner George Jensen. Jeff Esterby Construction is the contractor for the project. The former location of Hinck's supermarket in the east end of the center is being divided into five new spaces, Jensen said Thursday. New walls have been built inside and new windows installed.
SPRING VALLEY--Richard Johnson had done a lot of building by the time he was approached about becoming a police officer. The results of his former work in this area's construction industry are still evident, such as the Spring Valley dam, a project on which he operated heavy equipment. That was with an outfit called Groves, but he was also once employed doing excavating for Helgeson Trucking and putting up log houses with Gene Sotona. Last week, Johnson didn't hesitate when asked whether he preferred being a builder or in law enforcement, however.
MAIDEN ROCK--Barbering, bartending and bags of mail are all in Mike Julian's work experience. Julian retired this spring from the third of those jobs, being a Maiden Rock mail carrier, but he's not quite ready yet for the easy chair.