Portage County capsules CYSTIC FIBROSIS WALK: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will sponsor "Great Strides" Walk to cure cystic fibrosis on Saturday, May 19, starting at Pfiffner-Pioneer Park in Stevens Point. Check-in and registration begins at 10 a.m. at the lodge in the park and the walk will begin at 11 a.m. Following the walk, food, refreshments and prizes will be available. For more information, call 341-4284 or 342-4688. * * * ALMOND RUMMAGE SALE: The 17th Annual Almond Village-Wide Rummage Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 19, in the village. Balloons will mark the locations of sales. The event, sponsored by the Almond Community Association, will include rummage sales, bake sale, refreshments, car wash and crafts. * * * CLARK STREET CLOSING: Clark Street east of Division Street will be closed to traffic beginning Monday, May 14. Initially, the closing will extend to Phillips Street. As the work progresses eastward, construction crews will attempt to keep every other cross street open during the project to allow for cross traffic. Construction updates will continue to be posted on Cable Access Channel 3 and the city's Web site at http://ci.stevens-point.wi.usci.stevens-point.wi.us. A public information meeting on the project for residents of the area will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, at P.J. Jacobs Junior High School. Construction and city staff will be available to answer questions. * * * "STAMP OUT HUNGER" DRIVE: Letters carriers in Portage County, both on city and rural routes, will be collecting nonperishable food items on Saturday, May 12, in conjunction with the ninth annual national food drive. All food items collected stay in local communities for local food banks. Among the post offices that will be participating are Stevens Point, Plover, Junction City, Amherst and Amherst Junction. The drive is done in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service and the Letter Carriers of America. A "Help Stamp Out Hunger" post card will be delivered to residents to remind them of the drive. Food items that will be collected include canned items such as soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice. Donations should be placed at the mailbox on May 12 before the carrier arrives. * * * LIPPERT CONTINUES JOB-SHADOWING: State Rep. MaryAnn Lippert, R-Pittsville, continued her job-shadowing program on Monday, May 7, working with Ron Dickrell, Marshfield wastewater utility superintendent. She is spending one day per month job-shadowing to learn more about job-related issues facing the 70th Assembly District. * * * COUNTY TRUNK J WORK PROGRESSES: The state Department of Transportation reports work is on schedule at the new Highway 10-County Trunk J interchange, although wet weather halted operations at the end of last week. Construction of the new Custer Square connection with J is scheduled to be completed next week. Once that connection is completed, access to Custer Square from 10 will be closed. The bridge contractor continues to drive piling for the bridge piers in the median of 10, and the first concrete pour for the bridge piers should be within the next week or so. * * * WETLANDS LEGISLATION PASSES: The state Legislature passed a wetlands protection bill last week, and Gov. Scott McCallum signed the legislation Monday, May 7. The state Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, May 2, and the Assembly did likewise on Thursday, May 3. The legislation became necessary after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 9 that the Army Corps of Engineers no longer had jurisdiction over nonfederal isolated wetlands. That left Wisconsin without rules regulating the nonfederal wetlands. * * * DUCKS UNLIMITED PLATES OFFERED: Another special license plate hits Wisconsin roadways this month. The plate sports the Ducks Unlimited logo on the left side with the name of the organization at the bottom. Proceeds from the sale of the plates are dedicated to protecting, enhancing, restoring and managing Wisconsin wetlands and associated uplands. Each plate purchase includes a one-year Ducks Unlimited membership at no additional cost. Nonpersonalized Ducks Unlimited plates cost $85 for the first year and $70 annual fee thereafter. Personalized Ducks Unlimited plates cost $85 every year. Applications for the plates can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Web site and at Division of Motor Vehicle Customer Service Centers around the state. * * * UNEXPECTED RAMP CLOSING: The Business 51 exit from northbound Interstate 39-Highway 51, was closed Friday morning, May 4, for several hours to remove an overturned semitractor trailer from the ditch just off the exit ramp. The ramp had also been closed briefly on Thursday after the vehicle overturned. * * * LAW ENFORCEMENT REMEMBRANCE: Flags on all government buildings are required to fly at half-staff on Tuesday, May 15, to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day as a tribute to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. The only other regularly scheduled day for flags to fly at half-staff is Memorial Day. Flags at homes, businesses and other locations should also be flown at half-staff on those days. The observance comes during National Police Week from May 13 to 20. * * * ASSEMBLY WILL HOLD HEARING AT UW-SP: The Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities will hold a public hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Legacy Room of the University Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. State Rep. Julie Lassa, D-Plover, said the hearing will be on Assembly Bill 371, which she co-authored, to add a second student representative to the UW System Board of Regents. The regents currently have 17 members, with 15 appointed by the governor. The other two represent the state Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Technical College System. Other items on the agenda include opportunities for nontraditional students in the UW System and the Central Wisconsin Idea. * * * CHURCH STREET WORK FINISHED: The concrete street repair project on Church Street in Stevens Point is completed, three weeks ahead of schedule. The work, which began Monday, May 7, and was supposed to take approximately four weeks, weather permitting, finished this week. Jon Van Alstine, director of public works for Stevens Point, said Trierweiler Construction of Marshfield, used a nine-bag mixture of cement for a cubic yard of concrete instead of the normal six bags, so the concrete dried quicker. * * * PLOVER CONSIDERS BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS: The board is considering improving the village's municipal center and library. The board approved a feasibility study of the current library, to be performed by architect Thomas Brown, when it met Wednesday, May 2. The study is being funded by the Plover Library Committee, and so will be done at no cost to taxpayers. The study will look at the possibility of expanding or replacing the current structure. However, trustee Roger Bullis said he was concerned that the village may be moving too quickly on upgrading the library, as it hasn't looked at possibly combining the library with the municipal center, which is also due for renovation. The board will meet to discuss options for the library and municipal center, including the possible additions of a recreation center or public meeting room, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21.