County capsules WEST NILE VIRUS FOUND IN COUNTY: Two birds collected in Portage County have been identified as having West Nile Virus by the State Laboratory of Hygiene. This is the first indication of West Nile Virus activity in Portage County, according to Mike Carder, county environmental health supervisor. The two birds were a blue jay submitted on Monday, Aug. 5, and a raven submitted on Monday, Aug. 12. The State Laboratory of Hygiene will continue to test birds from Portage County until three to seven West Nile Virus positive birds have been identified. Birds subject to testing include crow, blue jays and ravens. * * * SEPT. 11 REMEMBRANCE: The Stevens Point Fire Department, along with the Stevens Point Police Department, will host a remembrance ceremony in honor of those who lost their lives during the attack on the U.S. one year ago. The event will be held at 8:45 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Stevens Point Fire Department, 1701 Franklin St. * * * SEPT. 11 DAY OF PRAYER: St. Stanislaus Parish will conduct a day of prayer on Wednesday, Sept. 11, to pray for peace and healing. The day begins with an 8:30 a.m. Mass. There will be an exposition of the blessed sacrament all day. At noon a prayer service for peace will be held. At 2 p.m. the Prayer and Spirituality Committee will say a rosary for peace. At 5:15 p.m., there will be a benediction and closing of the exposition. * * * UNITED WE SING SEPT. 11: The Stevens Point Barbershoppers' Northern Gateway Chorus will present "United We Sing" at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Pfiffner Pioneer Park Bandshell. The event to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the nation includes Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott. It will recognize local police, firefighters and military service members. Song sheets will be distributed to allow everyone attending the event to join in singing patriotic songs. * * * TRINITY SERVICE OF PRAYER: Trinity Lutheran Church, 1410 Rogers St., Stevens Point, will hold a service of prayer and remembrance from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, to observe the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks. * * * REDEEMER LUTHERAN OBSERVANCE ATTACK WITH PRAYER: Redeemer Lutheran Church, 900 Brilowski Road, Stevens Point, will be open for personal prayer and reflection from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, with a Commemorative Prayer Service scheduled for 6:30 p.m. * * * DEER FEEDING BAN REMAINS IN EFFECT: Conservation Warden Barry Meister reminds people that there's a state ban on deer feeding and baiting. The reason is chronic wasting disease, apparently spread by close contact among deer. In spite of widespread publicity, the warden said he suspects some people are still putting out food for deer. You can continue to feed birds, but Meister said it has to be inaccessible to deer. And bear hunters can bait, but they have to follow state Department of Natural Resources guidelines. * * * HIGHWAY 10 ADVISORY COMMITTEE SET: The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will conduct the second in a series of citizens advisory committee meetings concerning route options for Highway 10 between Interstate 39 and Highway K. The meeting is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Bannach Elementary School, 5400 Walter St., Stevens Point. Two members of each potentially affected local unit of government serve on the committee. The committee will recognize and accept comments from the general public from 7:15 to 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited. * * * COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS ON LINE: Results of the Tuesday, Sept. 10, partisan primaries in Portage County will be available on the Internet at the Portage County Web site www.co.portage.wi.us. Click on election results. * * * DEATH RULED SUICIDE: Officers from the Stevens Point Police Department and Portage County Sheriff's Department responded to a suicide at 7:43 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, in the town of Hull, a Sheriff's Department report said. The victim, Logan P. Sterling, 19, 801 Third St., Stevens Point, intentionally drove his vehicle into a power pole on North Second Street and Johnson Street, and then left the scene on foot through the woods. Sterling arrived at 536 DuBay Ave., where he entered the garage and used a power saw to kill himself, the report said. The homeowner, who was inside the home at the time of the incident, didn't know the victim. The Police Department is investigating the traffic accident, which occurred in the city, and the Sheriff's Department is investigating the suicide. * * * AMHERST MAN DIES IN CRASH: An 83-year-old Amherst man was killed in a two-vehicle accident at 11:54 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the intersection of highways 10 and B in the village of Amherst, a Sheriff's Department report said. Jerry E. Shanklin, 4191 Highway T, was driving east on Highway B, stopped for a stop sign at Highway 10 and then proceeded through the intersection, where he was struck by a vehicle eastbound on Highway 10, the report said. Shanklin was taken by ThedaStar Helicopter to Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah, where he died of his injuries. The Sheriff's Department, Amherst Fire Department, Amherst First Responders, Wisconsin State Patrol and Portage County Ambulance Service responded to the accident, the report said. * * * LIBRARIES CLOSED LABOR DAY: The Portage County Library System will be closed Monday, Sept. 2. The libraries will begin fall hours on Tuesday. The Charles M. White Library, 1001 Main St., Stevens Point, will be open in the Adult Department from 9:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. on Friday. The Youth Services Department will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. Friday. Saturday hours are 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. at the White Library only, beginning Sept. 8. The Plover Branch Library hours are Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 8 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Almond Branch Library will be open on Monday and Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The Rosholt Branch Library will be open on Tuesday from 1:30 to 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. and on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. * * * LABOR DAY TRAVELERS URGED TO BE CAREFUL: WisDOT encourages Labor Day weekend travelers to slow down, drive sober and buckle up whenever they drive. "We're nearing the end of the construction season so some projects are wrapping up, but we still need people to drive carefully when driving through work zones," said Don Miller, Bureau of Construction director. "Work zones, combined with holiday weekend traffic, can often result in congestion and delays. So allow extra time and stay alert." Peak travel times are expected to be between noon and 8 p.m. on both Friday, Aug. 30, and Monday, Sept. 2. To find out where work zones are located, go online at www.dot.state.wi.us and click on road construction or call 1-800-ROAD WIS to hear a recorded list of major projects. Road construction contractors are required to pull back orange barrels wherever they can starting at noon Friday, Aug. 30, and keep them pulled back until 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. * * * FALL COMPOST WORKSHOP NEARS: A hands-on compost workshop will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, at the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor's Center on North Point Drive. Participants will learn how to save money by turning leaves, grass and yard trimmings into rich compost for their gardens and lawns. Tips on what to compost, fast recipes and uses of compost will be presented. Outdoor demonstrations with compost bins are planned. The county Solid Waste Department and Intra-State Recycling Corp. are sponsoring the event. The workshop costs $5 and includes an information packet. Preregistration is required. To register, call the Recycling Hotline at 345-5972 by Friday, Sept. 6. * * * CRIME STOPPERS SEEKS HELP: A flashlight and a couple of dollars in change were the only rewards for thieves that entered a village of Plover business, but a reward of up to $1,000 is available for providing information that identifies them. The suspects climbed a security fence to burglarize American Freightway during the early morning hours of Aug. 9. After prying open an exterior door, several locked office doors were damaged as the individuals made their way through the building. Desks, lockers, files cabinets and even a soda machine were searched or damaged in an apparent attempt to find money. The Plover Police Department reported the individuals caused several hundred dollars worth of damage in the break-in and officers collected fingerprint, footprint and DNA evidence. Now, Portage County Crime Stoppers needs the public's help in matching evidence to a suspect. Call 1-888-346-6600 with information on this or any other crime can make an individual eligible for a cash reward. * * * AMHERST LIBRARY CHANGES CHECKOUT TIMES: The Amherst Library has changed its checkout times. Books may be checked out for four weeks, with a 5-cents-per-day late fine. Magazines and videos may be checked out for one week, with fines of 10 and 25 cents, respectively; and storytime kits may be checked out for two weeks, with a fine of 25 cents per day overdue. Fines are due from the first day that an item is overdue. Once a person's unpaid fines total $3, checkout privileges will be suspended until the fines are paid. * * * STURGEON RESTOCKING CONTINUES: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is continuing its efforts to re-establish the sturgeon fishery in the upper Wisconsin River, a project that began in 1991-92 with the transfer of fish from the lower river to the Stevens Point flowage. Starting in 1997, fry and fingerlings from eggs taken below the Wisconsin Dells dam have been stocked. "Every year since that juvenile stocking we've recaptured five or six of those fish, indicating some have survived," said Tim Larson, DNR fisheries supervisor, Poynette. "Also, paper mills have reported occasional sturgeon hung up on their trash racks. During 2001 several reports were noted of 12- to-14 inch fish from the year 2000 fingerling stocking, indicating survival." Al Hauber, DNR fisheries supervisor at Wausau, said 12,295 sturgeon fingerlings have been planted so far this year below the DuBay dam. "This year for the first time we stocked sturgeon in the Wisconsin River above Wausau," he said. * * * UW-SP SKATEBOARD/BICYCLE POLICY: In an effort to keep students, employees and campus visitors out of harms way, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) has an established skateboard policy. The use of skateboards, in-line skates, roller skates, roller-skis or similar wheeled devices is permitted on much of the campus but there are exceptions. Skating devices will not be permitted on ramps, platforms or loading docks immediately adjacent to doors of buildings; exterior or interior stairs; within the interior of buildings; within 20 feet of doors and entryways; tennis courts and running tracks; parking lots including curbs; benches, tables, bicycle racks, railings, ledges or landscape structures; any area where posted to indicate that skating is not permitted and all other permanent and/or constructed fixtures. Use of a bicycle or similar wheeled device also is permitted on much of the campus but with the same exceptions as for the skating devices. Acrobatic or reckless skating or bicycling is a violation of campus policy. Offenders will be cited by UW-SP Protective Services. Fines for skateboard, roller blade or other wheeled device violations are $151 for adults and $50 for juveniles. A disorderly conduct fine is $244.